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NetBlender drops iPhone exclusivity on BD Touch 2.0, connects Blu-ray to Blackberry, Android & Pre
It's a new year and NetBlender has a new change of gear, pairing with BluFocus to bring last year's BD Touch software -- and its BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player to iPhone / iPod Touch connections -- up to version 2.0, featuring crossplatform capability with other WiFi enabled handhelds like Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre. While going iPhone exclusive hasn't hurt some apps, hopefully we'll see wider adoption of the technology, which can enable things from making the phone a remote control to using it as a keyboard, downloading files from the disc or playing games, now that it supports more than one platform. More info should be available once it hits the floor at NAB 2009 later this week.
Adobe Flash platform for HDTVs & connected devices on display at NAB
The plan is to get Flash from every computer to every television screen, and Adobe's ready to take the next step this week at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. Broadcom, Comcast, STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs join Intel as set-top box makers with chipsets ready to stream widgets and HD video to connected televisions, while content is on the way from Netflix, New York Times, Disney and Atlantic Records. Of course, Yahoo's widgets and Microsoft Silverlight aim to turn up the interactivity and streaming video to TVs and handhelds as well, though Adobe seems content to share with Yahoo! if need be -- Vizio's Connected HDTV demo and Intel's CE 3100 support both -- expect the blades to come out when Flash enabled hardware comes to market in the second half of this year.[Via Venture Beat]
Washington DC announced as first MPH mobile TV market
In the 22 city-strong foot race to get a live MPH-based mobile TV network up, running, and available to anyone who wants it, it looks like Washington DC's poised to come out on top. Raleigh has already deployed a handful of transmitters for the benefit of bus-goers, but the Open Mobile Video Coalition has announced that Washington DC's local CBS, PBS, NBC, and Ion affiliates plus a Fox-owned independent will all be ready to roll with MPH transmissions by late summer; of course, what remains to be seen is what sort of hardware will be ready to take advantage of the tech by then. We can likely count AT&T and Verizon out for offering MPH-enabled handsets seeing how they're still trying to figure out how to profit from their MediaFLO-based networks, so T-Mobile and Sprint's decisions to take a wait-and-see approach to the mobile TV phenomenon may really end up working in their favor here. Moving beyond the phones, it's said that Dell will be showing some sort of netbook this week with an integrated MPH tuner at the NAB show in Vegas this week, while Kenwood has in-car solutions in the works. As long as the broadcasts stay free -- which by all accounts they will -- the standard has a fighting chance at relevancy, assuming hardware comes to the table.
Fujifilm introduces E-Series P2 memory cards at NAB
With NAB kicking off today in Las Vegas, it's no shock to see Panasonic's P2 format gracing the headlines early on. Today, Fujifilm has announced that it will introduce the E-Series P2 memory cards for the Panasonic P2 professional video system, and said lineup will include 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB options. We're told that the trio can hit a maximum transfer rate of 1.2Gbps when used with compatible hardware, and the cards' lifespans are rated for five years of use when recorded once daily at full capacity and up to ten years when used at half capacity. Check 'em later this summer (save for the 64GB model, which ships this autumn) for $440, $640 and $1,000 from least capacious to most. The full release is just past the break.
I-Movix SprintCam v3 demo reel shows what 1000 fps of HD can do
After bringing an 8,000 fps high definition camera to the Olympics so everyone could see Michael Phelps touch the wall first, I-Movix is ready to show off the SprintCam v3 HD at NAB 2009. While the don't-ask priced camera is way out of the range of the prosumer market it's aimed at sports and documentary makers, with what it claims is the only fully integrated slow motion system capable of 1,000 fps in full HD for broadcast. Whatever, we're just impressed by this HD trailer I-Movix put together (embedded after the break,) we never knew watching Jell-O or a Koosh ball bounce could be so intense.[Thanks, Jacob]
Fixstars CE-10 encoder puts Playstation 3 to work on h.264 video
Maybe you don't do enough video conversion to make copping a dedicated SpursEngine card a good investment, but that doesn't mean you can't put the Cell processor in your PlayStation 3 to work in between sessions of Killzone 2, (not like it's busy curing cancer or anything.) Fixstars' CE-10 encoder doesn't exactly fit the "Cell Storage" pie in the sky promises of yesterday, but by installing it on a PC it lets users tap into the PS3's number crunching power to achieve professional encoding quality. No word on what an "affordable prosumer price" is, but if ultra fast HD encoding is something you'd be interested in -- those 1080p vids won't compress themselves -- stop by the Broadcast International booth at NAB next week for an early preview before the software launches in June.
R2E cable adds eSATA transfer abilities to RED camera
With NAB just about to get started in Las Vegas, CoolCameraGear is getting out ahead of the crowd with a newfangled adapter sure to please those who find themselves offloading gobs of RED footage. The R2E LEMO to eSATA cable essentially takes the burden away from your FireWire 800, FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 bus by enabling bits and bytes to flow over eSATA. RED camera users simply plug in their RED-Drive or RED-RAM using the original power adapter, then plug the LEMO end of the R2E cable into the drive and the other end into a standard eSATA port. Boom. Just like that, RED owners have instant access to eSATA transfers. For those unaware, eSATA support on camcorder is still a rarity, though the benefits are obvious for pros shuffling through multiple takes. Interested consumers can check this one out when the CoolCameraGear website goes live on April 20th for $230.%Gallery-50212%
Neutrik delivers a 1080p HD/SDI connector to pros, and it's not HDMI
HDMI has certainly taken hold in the consumer AV space and component video connection -- despite its merits and supporters -- is in decline. Looking around at the back of a receiver, you might think that small, high density connectors used for digital signals are just better, right? Not necessarily -- consider the rearTwist BNC connectors Neutrik is bringing to the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show for 1080p HD/SDI (serial digital interface) use by pros. That's good-old coax design, specced out to 4.5GHz, with a kind of in-field reliability that our beloved HDMI connectors can only dream of. We're not bashing HDMI -- it's now mature, has lots of nice features and puts great performance within the reach of lots of people. Also, discrete coax connections like these Neutrik connectors are too pricey for consumer gear; but don't be fooled into thinking that the move to HDMI was all about performance, either.
NAB throws down, sues FCC over white space internet
Look sharp, Julius: you may have thought the debate over white space internet was over since the FCC approved the Google- and Microsoft-backed plan and the industry's gearing up to make it reality, but part of the new gig is learning that nothing's ever over while NAB still has lawyers at its disposal -- the prickly broadcasting organization has filed suit to stop the tech from hitting the market. As usual, NAB says that despite all the convoluted geolocation sensing and interference detection measures the White Spaces Coalition promises to implement, TV signals will be interfered with, and that's not okay. Of course, we've heard all these arguments for years now, and while white space devices have had a rocky test history, they've been successful recently -- it seems like NAB is taking advantage of confusion at the FCC following the delayed DTV transition to try and pull the rug out while no one's looking. A bastard move, to be sure, but we doubt it's going to be successful -- going up against both the government and the heavy hitters of the tech industry is rarely a winning idea.
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?
Best Buy / NAB to host DTV transition workshops for the uninformed
Best Buy has been pushing out "surveys" asserting that the vast majority of America still isn't prepared for the looming 2009 digital TV transition for months now, but at long last the retailer is stepping up to do something about it. Similar to Circuit City's initiative earlier this year, Best Buy is teaming up with NAB to host in-store DTV workshops in the 25 largest cities across the nation. The festivities will begin on the morning of November 17th in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and a smattering of others, and of course, you can count on store employees coaxing you into buying a DTV converter box right then and there. Ah well, whatever it takes to get you prepared. Like an Eagle Scout.
FCC considering delay of white space vote at NAB's request
In a series of events that's becoming all too reminiscent of the National Association of Broadcasters' attempts to stifle the XM / Sirius merger, the FCC now says that it is considering the NAB's recent last-minute request to delay the forthcoming November 4 vote on authorizing unlicensed white space devices (or WSDs). According to Ars Technica, however, while the FCC is considering the proposal, it's hardly enthused about it, with agency spokesperson Rob Kenny saying that it is "important to note that this proceeding has been open for several years and recently included multiple rounds of testing in the lab and field, which were open to the public and provided all interested parties with ample opportunities to comment and provide input." For its part, the NAB and a consortium of other broadcasters say that the FCC is relying on a "a flawed reading of the OET test results," and that if the vote passses, "WSDs will be let into the broadcast band without the protections that are necessary to prevent widespread interference to television and cable reception." As you might expect, the FCC hasn't yet tipped its hand as to when it might rule on the NAB's request, but if it does get its way, the vote would be delayed 70 days for a public comment cycle, or conceivably longer if the NAB finds another wrench to throw into the works.[Via CNET News]
Broadcasters seek to slow action on FCC's white space ruling
We knew they didn't like it, and now they're going out of their way to prove it. After FCC chairman Kevin Martin set forth a proposal to use the freed spectrum from the forthcoming 2009 digital TV transition for bringing mobile broadband to more locales, broadcasters who'd rather not deal with the trouble are stepping in with a collective "nuh uh!" Station owners and the four television networks filed an "emergency request" on Friday afternoon in hopes of convincing the FCC to hold off on its plan to vote on white space rules until "everyone had a chance to comment on the findings." The report that's mentioned found that no significant interference would come into play should the waves be opened up for unlicensed devices, but a spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters stated that "the FCC is misinterpreting the actual data collected by their own engineers." Whether or not NAB will get the 45-day grace period it's asking for, however, remains to be seen.[Via Mobile Tech Today, image courtesy of Orbitcast]
NAB attempts to delay XM / Sirius merger even further
Even though the Justice Department has approved the XM / Sirius merger and the FCC's approval is all but sure to follow, those pesky fools at NAB just won't go down without a fight -- the organization is demanding that FCC's approval be postponed until certain documents are turned over by the agency. NAB says the paperwork shows "apparent wrongdoing" by Sirius and XM officials in including FM transmitters in radios and terrestrial repeaters, and it met with FCC officials on Tuesday to make its claim. There's no word on how effective any of this is going to be, but we'll give it to NAB for being tenacious, at least -- now please, go away.
Maxell's iVDR external HDD handles hardcore field operations
Just because Maxell left the disc manufacturing to other rivals doesn't mean that it's bowing out of the external HDD market. Announced this week, the firm has introduced its all new iVDR, which "connects directly through a bi-directional USB or eSATA adapter to a shoulder-mounted camcorder capable of delivering 10-bit, 4:2:2 master-quality video and native full HD video." In layman's terms, this here drive caters to those logging clips in the rough, and its innate ability to resist drops of up to 4-feet makes it the ideal candidate for even the clumsiest shooter. Unfortunately, mum's the word on price, but we are told that a 160GB version (with a 540Mbps transfer rate) is set to land in Q2, while a slightly more capacious 250GB edition is hitting shelves in Q3.[Via BIOS, thanks Christian]
3D@Home Consortium aims to get 3D in the home
If you were still refusing to believe that the 3D push was on, um, it's on. Announced at NAB Show, 22 international firms (including some pretty major players) have launched the 3D@Home Consortium, which aims to "speed the adoption of 3D entertainment in the home." Led by Disney, Philips and Samsung -- and joined by Thomson, IMAX, TDVision, 3DIcon, Corning, Planar Systems, QPC Laser, SeeReal, 3ality, DDD, In-Three, Quantum Data, Sensio, Fraunhofer Institute IMPS, Sim2, Setred, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Holografika and Volfoni -- the non-profit alliance is focused on "creating and publishing useful technical roadmaps, developing educational materials for consumer and retail channels and facilitating the development of industry standards and their dissemination." From the outside looking in, it seems these folks are sort of jumping the gun, but given that we've already seen a 3D format compatible with legacy 2D systems and a successful live 3D broadcast here in the past 48 hours, maybe being ahead of the curve isn't such a bad thing.
3ality Digital performs live 3D broadcast at NAB
3ality Digital, which played a huge role in the creation of U2 3D, successfully completed a live 3D demonstration today by beaming a performance in real-time from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada for viewers at NAB Show's Content Theater to see. The 30-minute program was a live feed of Howie Mandel and company showing off a new game show (dubbed Would You Rather?) that could eventually pass the muster and end up on NBC. Notably, the transmission occurred via a single stream using an existing broadcast infrastructure, and folks on the other end were able to see just how swell 3D broadcasts can be -- even when live. The demo was established in order to prove that live 3D airings (for sporting events, game shows, etc.) are indeed viable, but until folks start gathering at cinemas or ditching their current sets for 3D-ready versions, we can't imagine this (incredibly intriguing idea) having mass appeal.[Image courtesy of Yahoo]
TDVCodec stereoscopic 3D format is backwards compatible with 2D systems
Camcorders you can never afford weren't the only things being demonstrated at NAB Show 2008 -- oh no, TDVision dropped in to show off a new format that manages to deliver 3D content yet still play nice on legacy systems without any image degradation. Essentially, video streams encoded in the TDVCodec format can be viewed on all existing 2D set-top-boxes, DVD / Blu-ray players and presented on 2D televisions, but for those with TDVReady devices and PCs with TDVision's Dejaview software, eye-popping visuals are available from the very same stream. Regrettably, there's no word on any major firms picking up the solution and planning to distribute, but if something akin to this takes off, it could give folks one more reason to splurge on a 3D-ready DLP from Samsung or Mitsubishi (or a TDVisor, if that's your bag).
Moto shows off new MPEG encoders featuring AFD
Most of the news that comes out of NAB isn't that interesting to consumers, but these new MPEG encoders from Motorola have a cool new feature that we're excited about as HD fans. As much as we love HD, we accept the fact that most of the world is still living in SD, and sure, for the most part that's there problem. But where is our problem is that many of the programs we watch are produced with SD viewers in mind. The biggest example of this is when sports are framed for the 4x3 aspect ratio of SDTVs. This is really obvious on a football game when we're waiting for the ball to be hiked, and the camera is aimed to ensure there's nothing to see on the sides. While this ensure SDTV fans aren't missing any of the action, those with a wider perspective usually get to see grass in that extra realestate we paid for. Well, these new encoders feature Active Format Description (AFD) which can automatically decide if the content should be letterboxed or cropped. This way the producer can rest easy when directing his camera operators to frame for 16x9, without worrying about all the SD fans at home complaining cause they can't see the action. Of course this means they'll just complain about the black bars, but that's for another discussion.[Via Media Experiences 2 Go]
Panasonic launches 64GB P2 card, AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter
Now that you're already penning a purchase requisition for one of those fancy new P2 HD camcorders, you might as well toss a couple of Panny's new 64GB P2 cards (model AJ-P2C064) and its AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter on there, too. Yep, Panasonic has chosen NAB Show 2008 to double up on its current 32GB P2 card and to introduce a five-slot P2 memory drive with an ExpressCard interface. Put simply, the latter can hold all five cards from a fully-loaded VariCam 2700 / 3700 camcorder (or any other P2 rig) and give users the ability to upload content on the go with their ExpressCard-equipped laptop. Regrettably, the company didn't bother doling out dollar figures just yet, but we'd go ahead and file 'em both under "expensive."[Via I4U News]
