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Watch Steve Jobs demonstrate the first Mac back in 1984
It's been 30 years since Apple first launched the Macintosh, and this week has been littered with clever tributes to the computer. Members of the Boston Computer Society, however, have unearthed a big treasure in the history of the machine. A week after a bow tie-sporting Steve Jobs famously pulled the machine out of a bag at the company's shareholder meeting, the CEO made a second presentation at Boston's John Hancock Hall. The clip hasn't been shown off publicly for the better part of 30 years, but has now been archived at the Computer History Museum. While the original remains the first unveiling of the unit, this 96-minute clip offers new insight into how users, rather than shareholders, embraced the computer at its launch.
ESPN signs dozen year deal for Division 1 college football playoff games
Wondering who is more excited than college football fans to see that the top division is finally moving to a playoff system? It's ESPN, which just announced it's signed a 12-year deal for the championship games, semifinals, additional bowl games and "related programming." The deal kicks in after the 2014 regular season, when ESPN's current BCS deal ends. While it's bad news for anyone hoping to get legit access without a cable package, ESPN now has rights to offer the games on TV, in 3D and to mobile devices through its WatchESPN apps (now including the Xbox 360) until 2026. ESPN says its broadcasts of two BCS Championship games have generated the highest cable audiences ever, so it's no surprise they'd want to keep an iron grip on these new games. There's more details in the press release after the break, hit the source link to hear an interview with network VP Brooke Magnus about the negotiations.
ESPN 3D BCS Championship demo eyes-on
It seems like it's been forever since we last saw college football in 3D at CES and oh my has the technology come a long way. ESPN partnered up with RealD, Marchon, and Christie Digital to present the LSU vs Alabama BCS National Championship game in 3D at the Las Vegas Hotel theater. We left wow'd and believe everyone else did too. We walked about the theater and didn't find a bad spot, although front and center was the best. There were a number of 3D cameras in use to cover the event (details after the break) which featured the same announcers as the 2D presentation, but different cameras from different angles. Of those cameras, the most dramatic was the wireless handhelds that made us feel like we were doing the pre-game interviews ourselves. The only gripe was that the typical 50-yard camera up high and center was not part of the presentation, we found ourselves missing the typical perpendicular shots that are a staple of most football broadcasts. This did reaffirm one thing, though, we can't imagine there's a single sports fan in the world who has experienced their favorite in 3D and not become a fan of the technology.
ESPN's bowl coverage swaps out the telestrator for augmented reality GameView
We dug into ESPN's use of the Xbox 360 and EA Sports games to power its Virtual Playbook segments last year, but in preparation for this round of BCS bowl games it's upgraded the system with a bit of augmented reality. The new GameView system uses a tabletop 70-inch touchscreen LCD, a copy of NCAA Football '12 and four dedicated workstations to blend everything together and create a simulation for viewers to see the analysts move virtual players around the field. It should at least be more interesting than CNN's previous election coverage implementation, although we're mostly wondering when a combo of Kinect, Surface and old school electronic football will bring the experience directly to our living rooms to play around with. Check out the gallery for a few more screens and expect to see this implemented more during the upcoming big time bowl games -- no, there's no secret code Desmond Howard can input to get a national championship game between two college football teams that haven't already played each other, we asked.
Sprint TV broadcasting 30 college bowl games, including entire BCS
Quick: can you name 30 college football bowl games? Well, if you keep your face glued to your Sprint phone's screen for the next couple weeks, you'll be able to, thanks largely to the partnership Sprint inked with ESPN earlier this ear to bring ESPN Mobile TV to its devices. You'll be able to get to the games on your phone through either Sprint TV or the dedicated Sprint Football Live app, which are available on "most" models in Sprint's lineup and cost you nothing as long as you're signed up for unlimited data. Notably, Sprint's broadcasting will include the entire Bowl Championship Series -- and in the off chance you're interested in one of the five bowls that aren't being televised on your phone, the Football Live app will still offer you play-by-play coverage and stats. Follow the break for the full press release.
Final ESPN 3D NCAAF games announced with a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl surprise
Mad you missed ESPN's previous 3D college football broadcasts and worried it might not come back? Then get your DVRs and calendars at the ready, because the network has announced its remaining 3D college football broadcasts will follow the Boise State Broncos as they play the University of Hawaii on Saturday, November 6th at 3:30PM ET and Idaho on Friday, November 22th at 9PM ET. Combined with the first ESPN 3D NCAAF game, this means the heavily debated Broncos will at least temporarily hold the record for most 3D appearances in college football history. Sadly, it won't enhance their bid for the biggest 3D game of the season -- you know, the Tostitos BCS Championship on January 10th. But even if the blue turf's weak schedule woes keep them from the title, at least one of their records could still improve by returning to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- which ESPN also shared will be aired in 3D. Obviously waiting is no fun, but unless you jacked Adam Sandler's DVR from Click, reading our college football kickoff review can help pass the time until game day arrives.
ESPN 3D review: college football kickoff
The 2009 BCS National Championship game showed us the potential of 3D sports broadcasts but now it's 2010 so while Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow have taken their game to the NFL, ESPN 3D has made it a reality for viewers at home. Last night's Boise St./Virginia Tech matchup was the first of 13 the network plans to air including the next BCS Championship game so we didn't waste any time plugging in a 3DTV and taking a look. Check after the break for our impressions and a bit more explanation on 3D technology (Still not up to speed? Check out our post-CES breakdown of 3D tech for the home right here.)
ESPN 3D schedules 13 college football broadcasts this season; Va. Tech / Boise St. is first
After unveiling the standard college football schedule, ESPN has seen fit to reveal the first three of the 13 games it plans to broadcast in 3D this season. Boise State will face Virginia Tech on September 6, a Monday night, while Ohio State and Miami will do battle September 11, before Clemson and Auburn have their ACC/SEC grudge match September 18. The plan is to have a college football game on ESPN 3D "almost" every week of the season, with the last being the BCS National Championship game January 10. Announcements regarding NBA, college basketball and Winter X Games 15 scheduling are on deck, but this weekend it's all about the Summer X Games 16.
Time Warner, Fox trade shots on who to blame when you can't see the bowl games
Time Warner didn't say who it was targeting with the heavily-slanted RollOverorGetTough (Spanish language version available at www.cederoponersefirme.com) website recently, but now that Fox has yelped like a hit dog and launched its own campaign at KeepFoxOn.com we can see where this is going. While Time Warner's latest press release claims victory from over 400,000 visitors overwhelmingly voting in favor of Getting Tough on price gouging programmers, Fox is claiming it seeks only "fair compensation" and is fulfilling its "responsibility" to prepare viewers for losing their channels. The Fox website hypes up switching to satellite and all the programming that could be lost if Time Warner does not opt to continue its agreement to carry Fox networks, and pointing out everything that's at stake: House, 24, several BCS games and more. The only ones we truly have sympathy for are the customers in the middle, hopefully this slapfight ends in time for them to avoid missing even a second of precious TV, just like the great Viacom near-miss of '08 - '09.
3D College football is actually quite enjoyable
It's no secret that as much as we love HD, we're not a big fan of 3D. It isn't that we just hate anything 3D, it's just that the demos we've seen haven't impressed. Well we're happy to report that we actually kinda enjoyed our time at the BCS Championship game in 3D. In fact there are actually a lot of things going for the idea, but to us the 3D aspect is just icing on the cake.
3D BCS broadcast announced for 80 theaters
With the teams finally set (sorry Texas) Fox Sports' 3D broadcast is being beamed live not only to CES, but also to theaters in 35 states. Courtesy of the same Cinedigm satellite network playing host to the 3D NBA All-Star Game in February, 80 RealD-outfitted theaters are airing the game while In Las Vegas, Paris Hotel and Casino will be set up with Sony 4K SXRD projectors showing 3ality Digital's 3D production in all its glory. Even with DeMarco Murray pulling out due to injury, a national championship game featuring the last two Heisman Trophy winning QBs seems worth catching in the best quality available -- outside of actually heading down to Dolphin Stadium and staring at the big screen. Check out the Cinedigm website for a list of theaters, tickets are expected to be between $18 - $22.
BCS Championship game live 3D broadcast coming to CES, movie theaters
Just in case you thought 3D was only for Thursday night NFL games and NBA playoff matchups, Fox Sports is broadcasting the first college football game in the format January 8. CEO David Hill dropped the info during the 3D Entertainment Summit, acknowledging plans to bring the 3D feed to CES (finally, we won't have to miss the big game this year -- like we'd ever watch an SD feed stretched on cheap hotel plasmas) and select movie theaters, but balked at pushing technology forward. Citing costs absorbed by broadcasters in switching to high definition, he's looking towards consumer electronics manufacturers to turn over HDTV profits and start another round of upgrades for early adopters. While they argue over who picks up the check we don't expect more than a few demos here or there, but with Panasonic, LG and others already taking the baton it's just a matter of time, maybe when ESPN takes over things full time in 2011?
ESPN snaps up BCS rights starting in 2011, antenna viewers SOL?
ESPN recently announced it's locked up the rights to televise all the college Bowl Championship Series games beginning in January 2011, but that's not making everyone happy. The National Association of Broadcasters is airing a beef on the side of those who prefer to experience major sporting events -- particularly those featuring publicly funded institutions -- via free OTA broadcasts, not to mention the potential for further delaying a playoff system. The upside for viewers of course is the sports giant's commitment to high definition broadcasts and ability to deliver on multiple platforms, and playoff or no playoff, someone was going to grab those TV rights. Any OTA diehards planning to make the switch or say goodbye to the BCS in a couple of years?
Oceanic TWC orders up 6000 HD DVRs for Hawaii vs. Georgia bowl game
Sure, the University of Hawaii has a legitimate gripe for not being in the BCS Championship game -- you know, considering its undefeated record and all -- but islanders are apparently just as stoked to have their Warriors in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Oceanic Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) announced that it ordered up (and received) some 6,000 HD DVRs in anticipation of a spike in demand stemming from the upcoming bowl game. Reportedly, over 3,000 subscribers have been on a waiting list since December 1st to get their box in time for the New Year's day matchup, and Oceanic also noted that it would be extending business hours for O'ahu residents to get their hands around a box in time for the tilt. Of course, users not on said waiting list will be helped on a "first come, first served" basis, so we'd get a move on if you're scouting one.
Bowl organizers pick up Wii for college athletes
If you've been out on the street like some kind of gumshoe, tracking down leads and putting in face time with store manager after store manager as you hunt down that Wii that certain someone in your life is looking for, you might have someone besides Nintendo to be angry with. Bowl officials responsible for the upcoming college bowl games (championship games) managed to snatch up tons of Wiis as a gift to those participating in these games. It's apparently some kind of effort to promote their games over others.Three of the national championship games will award participants from the schools with Nintendo's latest console. That comes to about 750 total consoles being gifted. That's no small number to scoff at, if we may say so.[Via Go Nintendo]
NCAA Football Bowl games in HD
College football has come a long way this year with more HD than ever and the bowl games aren't any different. HD isn't the only thing that is different this year as Fox gets in the bowl game business in a big way after paying $80 mil a year for 4 out of 5 of the BCS bowl games. ABC had the rights to all the games in previous years, but refused to pay the increased fee, only maintaining rights to the Rose bowl which may or may not host the championship game. ABC reportedly isn't happy with the bowl game system, but who is? Rumors has it that, they walked because the BCS wouldn't give them a 4 team playoff. Seems like a great compromise to us considering NCAA Div 1A football is the only organized football without a playoff system. The other oddity of this bowl season is the fact that the NFL network is hosting 4 NCAA bowl games this year, but only the Insight and the Senior Bowl will be in HD. As if Time Warner subscribers needed another reason to hate on them after missing all the late season NFL games. For the complete lineup of HD bowl games head over to HDSportsguide.com.
