Tag-Archive for ◊ mediabytes ◊

Slumdog Millionaire, HBO Big Winners at Golden Globes: Media
Thursday, April 08th, 2010 | Author:

* ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, HBO win huge at Golden Globes.
* CBS inks programming deals for TV.com.
* CES nabs CEO’s.
* Intel won’t cut additional jobs.
* Plus, today’s consulting question, “How does the FCC feel about delaying the transition to digital television?” Shelly has the answer on today’s MediaBytes.

Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

Duration : 0:2:17

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Category: Sony TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment
CES 2008 – Comcast – Cisco – EchoStar – Panasonic – Paramoun
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Author:

COMCAST CEO Brian Roberts will deliver this morning’s CES keynote and reveal a plot to increase on-demand titles from 1,300 to 6,000. Roberts will also discuss the company’s plans for Fancast.com, a guide to video that helps users find content online and offline. Fancast will let users search for any content in any format. A search on the site will return listings for TV, DVD, iTunes, Netflix, Amazon or web video sites like Hulu. The site will also integrate with Comcast and TiVo DVRs, letting users schedule recordings through the site.

CISCO has designed an “entertainment operating system” that will help companies build online communities of viewers that watch specific TV shows or match other criteria. The “Eos” will monitor user interaction in the community and deliver both web-based content recommendations for users as well as targeted advertising. Eos will be tested on sites for the NHL and Nascar.

ECHOSTAR has announced a $39.99 digital-to-analog converter box, which will be fully covered by the NTIA’s $40 converter coupons. Users will only have to pay sales tax on the boxes. EchoStar is also working on higher-end converters that include DVR functionality but are not covered by the coupon program. In related news, the NTIA has certified 250 retailers and 19 different digital-to-analog converters for the program. Retailers include Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

PANASONIC unveiled a new 150 inch Plasma TV, proclaiming it the world’s largest high-def show. The TV offers 2160×4096 resolution, totaling nearly 9 million pixels. Panasonic also unveiled an initiative with Google that will bring YouTube and the Picasa photo-sharing site to its new Viera HDTV’s.

PARAMOUNT will reportedly follow Warner Bros. in dropping support for HD DVD. The Financial Times is reporting the exclusive tale and proclaiming this the latest “final blow” to HD DVD.

SONY BMG announced the details of its new DRM-free offering, which requires users to go to retail stores, buy cards and then visit a website to download the unprotected music. Downloads will come from Platinum MusicPass, a new site starting January 15th. Music download cards will be available at 4,500 retail outlets for $12.99. Sony BMG said the service is “a fantastic way to bring digital music to the physical retail space.” Retailers may like the thought. Consumers will not.

BITTORRENT announced that both Netgear and D-Link have joined its Device Partners program. The companies will license BitTorrent technology for devices that enable file sharing at home and across the web. As part of the program, BitTorrent has certified the D-Link Xtreme N DIR-655 router and installed its SDK on the DNS-323 storage unit. Netgear will use BitTorrent technology to power the Digital Entertainer HD, a device that brings Internet content (including hi-def streams) to HDTVs.

Get the full tale at http://www.Media30.com.

Duration : 0:2:18

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Category: Panasonic TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 2 Comments
China – Leno – WGA – Motorola – Samsung – Starz – Vongo – Me
Friday, February 19th, 2010 | Author:

CHINA has issued draconian new rules restricting the broadcast of online video to state-owned and state-controlled sites. The regulations go into effect on January 31st and major online video companies are waiting to see how tightly the government will crack down on independent video sites. A YouTube spokesman called the developments “a cause for concern.”

JAY LENO is drawing complaints from the WGA about his scripted monologues for The Tonight Show. During Wednesday’s show Leno said he was writing his own monologues. Leno claims Guild West president Patric Verrone gave his personal approval of self-written monologues, while Verrone says otherwise. The Guild now claims Leno is in violation of strike rules and risks being brought before the Strike Rules Compliance Committee.

MOTOROLA will introduce a new dedicated mobile television device at CES. The DH01 will play live TV using the DVBH standard and allow users to pause live broadcasts for up to five minutes. The device will also offer on-demand video and the ability to play content stored on a DVR. The DH01 will officially launch sometime this month.

SAMSUNG and STARZ are teaming up to allow users of the Samsung P2 media device to download content from the Vongo service for mobile viewing. Vongo offers access to 2,500 titles for $9.99 per month. The P2 will join seven other media players with support for Vongo, including players from Archos, Creative and Toshiba.

ALBUM SALES dropped 15% during 2007, falling to 500 million albums after a 2006 total of 588 million. Meanwhile, album downloads jumped 53% to 50 million. DVD unit sales fell 4.5%, the first major decline in the history of the format.

Get the full tale at http://www.Media30.com.

Duration : 0:2:5

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Category: Toshiba TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 2 Comments
2008 03-31 MediaBytes: Microsoft – Yahoo – Sony – Xbox – Shi
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 | Author:

SHELLY PALMER probes several issues surrounding digital rights. What are your rights as Digital Citizens of the United States? Do we have a national broadband policy? What is it? What should it be? Read about digital deficiency and how it may jeopardize our status as a “super power.”

MICROSOFT’s “white space” device failed for a third time and now the FCC refuses to continue testing it. The device was intended to show that white space spectrum could bring Internet access to mobile devices without interfering with television signals. The tech industry is behind the initiative but Microsoft’s repeated failures have not been helping the cause.

YAHOO is launching Shine, a new site targeted at women in the 25 to 54 age bracket. Shine will offer content focused on parenting, relationships, food, beauty and more including exclusive content from Hearst, Rodale, Conde Nast and Time Inc. Shine will allow Yahoo sell advertising targeted directly to women, an online demographic it believes is currently under-served. It launches today.

SONY will launch PIX, a linear movie channel on AT&T’s forthcoming MediaFlo mobile TV service. PIX will feature classic movies from Columbia, TriStar, Screen Gems and Sony Classics. It will focus on familiar movies so that viewers can miss the beginning and stop watching whenever they feel like it. Sony Pictures Television will also announce a new mobile Jeopardy game for handheld users.

MICROSOFT has signed a deal with Hollywood producer and talent manager Peter Safran to make original video content for the Xbox. Safran and Company will make scripted shows that run under ten minutes and focus on genres that are well loved with the Xbox audience. The ad-supported shows are expected to start this fall, starting with Xbox exclusivity before expanding into other distribution channels. A company spokesperson said the deal is “the first of many.”

MTV NETWORKS will become the first Viacom property to embrace mobile ad-supported distribution. The network will place clips on mobile destination Mywaves.

AFTRA and SAG will negotiate with the AMPTP separately.

IAC won a court choice that will allow it to split into 5 companies.

NEWSPAPERS saw print ad revenue drop 9.4% in 2007, the largest decline since at least 1950.

Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

Duration : 0:2:18

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Category: Sony TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment
DTV Coupon Program Running Out of Money: MediaBytes with She
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 | Author:

* DTV program running out of money.
* Year-End Box Office Earnings Up 2%.
* LG to announce HDTV with built-in Internet, Netflix capabilities.
* Plus, today’s consulting question, “Is the Verizon/Alltel deal ever going to close?” Shelly has the answer on today’s MediaBytes

Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

Duration : 0:2:6

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Category: LG TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | One Comment
Toshiba – HD DVD – MTVN – News Corp – MySpace – MediaBytes F
Saturday, January 16th, 2010 | Author:

TOSHIBA is plotting to retire the HD DVD format. Reuters reports that the company is in the final stages of plotting its exit from the high-def disc market, handing Blu-ray the role of industry standard. The go comes just days after Wal-Mart finished support for HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray.

MTV NETWORKS has bought BABUNGA and its collection of sites dedicated to small parenting niches. MTVN will establish an ad network that sells ad space on the sites and a handful of similar third-party parenting destinations. The initiative will be centered on the newly revamped ParentsConnect.com, an MTVN social network launched in 2006.

NEWS CORP. is trying to make a Hulu-like venture that offers content from the major music marks on MySpace. The deal calls for The Huge Four to receive equity in MySpace in exchange for allowing their content to be offered free with ad-support. No mark has signed on yet but talks are heating up.

ADVERTISERS are asking ABC, NBC and CBS to retire the $125 million in “integration fees” paid every year just to buy time on their networks. The AAAA and the ANA will soon release a policy paper questioning the fees and asking the networks to defend their necessity. The paper contends that the need for the fees has been removed by advances in technology and points out that other networks (such as Fox) do not charge network integration fees.

CARAT DIGITAL is working on an ad sales platform that uses set-top box data to present on-screen targeted “bugs” to television viewers. The system is currently in testing stages, where it is being used to offer real estate services to viewers thought to be interested in buying a new home. In the future, the company will integrate purchasing data supplied by Acxiom to make a detailed picture of a household’s location, demographics, viewing habits and purchasing history.

Get the full tale at http://www.Media30.com.

Duration : 0:1:49

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Category: Toshiba TV deals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 2 Comments
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