Monday, December 8, 2008
NBC moving Leno to 10 p.m. slot
I wanted to post this just because I was really surprised at what happened. I knew all along that Leno was probably going to keep working somewhere else, but I really didn't expect him to retain his spot in the lineup for NBC. However, I personally like the decision because I felt that Late Night With Conan O'Brien would have had higher ratings, but would not have been as funny in the new time slot. It was just interesting to have all of this build up and then nothing really happened...
NBC moving Leno to 10 p.m. slot
'Tonight Show' host to stick with network
Peacock is prepped to announce on Tuesday that the "Tonight Show" host will take over the 10 p.m. weeknight slot starting next fall - a blockbuster move that had been rumored as a possibility for months, but something NBC had believed was a real long shot until recently.
Decision to strip Leno at 10 p.m. solves one of the most pressing issue facing NBC in the coming year: How to keep ratings leader Leno at the network, and away from the competition.
Move also saves "Tonight Show" successor Conan O'Brien from having to compete against his predecessor - who was expected to land in the 11:35 slot at another network, most likely ABC. (Fox and Sony, among others, had expressed interest too.) But by keeping Leno on at 10 p.m., O'Brien may also very well wind up being overshadowed by his predecessor - particularly since Leno will air in primetime, when TV viewing is higher.
By putting Leno in the 10 p.m. slot, NBC U topper Jeff Zucker has just completely altered the primetime landscape going into next season.
With 10 p.m. now filled by Leno - not to mention Sunday Night Football consuming four hours on Sunday and repeats on Saturday - NBC may program as few as ten hours of traditional primetime fare next fall. With some of those hours likely to be reality shows, there's not much room left for scripted fare.
That may strike fear into the hearts of agents, studios and producers, but it also might be NBC's ticket out of the ratings dumpster. The 10 p.m. slot, which is still key for stations, which depend on network viewership as a lead-in for its local newscasts, has been mostly a disaster for NBC.
Other than "Law & Order: SVU," Peacock has been struggling badly in the hour - one in which it once dominated, with powerhouses such as "ER."
Now, "ER" is limping to the finish line, while one-time solid performer "Law & Order" doesn't pull the viewers it once did. Also, one of the fall's biggest flops, "My Own Worst Enemy," fizzled on Mondays at 10 p.m.
Enter Jay Leno. Moving Leno to 10 p.m. had long been discussed in industry circles as perhaps NBC's best option to keep the host in the network fold.
But Zucker had shot down that speculation earlier this fall, arguing that Leno's heart was still with the 11:30 p.m. spot - partly because of the "Tonight Show"/Johnny Carson legacy with the spot.
Apparently he hadn't yet broached it with Leno himself. Because, according to insiders, when Zucker finally sat down with Leno last month to map out a 10 p.m. strategy, the late night king almost immediately signed on.
The pitch was simple: Keep doing what you're doing, but at 10 p.m. That means Leno still won't own the new show - NBC Universal will, much like it does the "Tonight Show."
As part of his new deal, insiders have suggested that Leno could make between $40 million to $50 million a year with a 10 p.m. slot.
Also, at least for now, Leno will continue to host the new show in the same Burbank studio (connected to NBC's now vacant former west coast headquarters) that he currently helms "Tonight." That's because NBC is building a new "Tonight Show" stage for O'Brien on the Universal lot, next to NBC's new digs.
Most importantly for Leno, he stays at the same home where he's spent the last 17 years as host of late night TV's biggest franchise.
NBC announced this summer that Leno would air his final "Tonight Show" on Friday, May 29, with O'Brien taking over on Monday, June 1. The host was said to be regretting his decision to leave the show, providing plenty of hints on air and in interviews earlier this year that he wasn't pleased with having to go.
The host joked on "Tonight" about a move to ABC, and told USA Today that "I am definitely done this year - with NBC."
NBC execs said Leno's comment was taken out of context, but admitted that they knew Leno wasn't happy about departing "Tonight." The gavver continues to dominate late night ratings, but NBC was resolute in sticking by the regime change it had put forth four years ago with Leno's blessing.
"Our goal is to work with him and come up with an alternative than telling jokes in late night at 11:30," NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chair Marc Graboff said at this summer's TV Critics Assn. press tour. "We believe there's room on a regular basis for him to be on our air."
Leno showed up at that same press tour session, in disguise - which was promoted by NBC as a sign that their relationship with the host was still solid.
As for O'Brien, the incoming "Tonight" host had been told that such a move with Leno was going down, and was informed on Monday that it would be official. According to insiders, the O'Brien camp feels that it's better to have Leno as a lead-in (with local news smack in the middle) than have him as a direct competitor.
Now, O'Brien will only have to battle David Letterman at 11:35. Also, Leno exec producer Debbie Vickers and O'Brien exec producer Jeff Ross are said to be close, and now that they'll be physically in close proximity, may work together on guests and other production issues.
The idea of stripping a series at 10 p.m. is nothing new: NBC toyed with the idea in 1992 as a way to keep David Letterman at the network; its believed the network also considered stripping "Dateline NBC" on the network back during a period of earlier ratings woes.
The impact of moving Leno to 10 p.m. will likely be a hot topic for weeks.
"What does this mean to my show?" asked one NBC exec producer almost immediately after word of the Leno move leaked. Indeed, some shows may wind up with shorter orders than the traditional 22 episode season, as Peacock's needs may be less.
ABC and CBS meanwhile, may cheer the news: They can position their dramas there as counterprogramming for viewers not interested in watching a gabfest at 10 p.m.
Leno at 10 p.m. may also accelerate NBC's aging process (or, on the flip side, add a few more younger viewers to Leno's stable). "Tonight's" median age is currently 56, far above the net's 18-49 demo target.
The Leno deal might also not bode well for NBC's development slate, now that the net suddenly has an hour less to program in primetime.
News comes as NBC was set to announce Monday that Jimmy Fallon will take over Conan O'Brien's chair on "Late Night" beginning Monday, March 2. Peacock was forced to hold off on that announcement, however, due to today's other big news coming out of NBC, its massive executive purge and network-studio restructure. A smaller programming team now makes more sense, given the Leno deal.
Google Wireless Plan Angers Audio-Equipment Makers
Basically this article is about how Google and there new Anroid phone and many of the other Google products are using whitespace to allow the use of listening to free music and downloads(rumor has it but no one has seem a device use whitespace yet), and basically another company is very upset because they believe this will effect how much profit there company will make. I understand that many people have put much time into it, but it shows how money hungry we have become and basically anything that is for free today is too good to be true. What makes this article so much better is the fact that everything about google and whitespace is all rumors nothing is for sure yet and this company going balls out to let people know how upset they are about this and stupid reasons they believe using whitespace for free would cause problems.
Google Wireless Plan Angers Audio-Equipment Makers
By Priya Ganapati 
08.19.08
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Some audio-equipment makers and producers fear trouble if Google pushes ahead with plans to petition the FCC to open up a part of the radio spectrum know as "white space."
Courtesy aaronescobar/flickr
Courtesy aaronescobar/flickr
Cross one off the list of Google's friends.
Wireless audio-equipment manufacturers and producers of live events are up in arms against Google's efforts to open up a little-used patch of radio spectrum.
What's being contested is the so-called "white space" spectrum, the vacant bands between ultra-high frequency television channels. As U.S. broadcasters transition from analog to digital transmission in time to meet the February 2009 deadline imposed by the Federal Communications Commission, the unused spectrum has become a battleground, pitting not just audio professionals but organizations such as the National Football League, movie studios and Broadway producers against Google.
Google turned up the heat Monday by launching a "Free the Airwaves" campaign with a website and a petition lobbying the FCC to open up the spectrum.
"Remember that fuzzy static between channels on the old TVs?" says the site. "Today more than three-quarters of those radio airwaves, or 'white space' spectrum, are completely unused. This vast public resource could offer a revolution in wireless services of all kinds, including universal wireless Internet."
But for audio-equipment manufacturers and live sound producers, the fuzzy static is their meal ticket.
"We are worried the FCC will buckle and allow white space to be used by personal portable devices seeking wireless services," says Karl Winkler, director of business development for Lectrosonics, a manufacturer of wireless professional audio systems.
The result, say audio industry professionals, could be disastrous. Wireless audio equipment could face significant interference from personal devices searching for wireless connectivity on the spectrum already being used by high-end audio equipment.
"The radio frequency environment is going to become more crowded and more difficult to use," says Mike Torlone, director of marketing services at AKG Acoustics, a division of audio-equipment manufacturer Harman International.
That could potentially lead to loss of signal and interruptions in transmissions, and could force audio producers and production managers to change the way they do business, say experts.
"In that case the number of wireless microphones used will be reduced significantly and it cost big productions millions of dollars to redesign what they do," says Winkler.
The kinds of performances affected aren't limited to the next Justin Timberlake concert or a video shoot for American Idol. While Broadway productions and live shows at Las Vegas are expected to bear the brunt of the decision to open up white space, even local bands, fast-food restaurants, political rallies and church pastors delivering their Sunday sermons could find themselves facing more than a few glitches.
The efforts to unlock the white space has been one of the biggest issues facing the audio-equipment industry and the professionals involved in it, says Bill Evans, editor of trade publication Front of House.
"Everybody is not only angry and upset, they are very, very worried," he says. "We are talking about the livelihood of people here."
The move from analog to digital TV transmission allowed the Federal Communications Commission to reclaim a part of the spectrum, between 698 MHz to 806 MHz. Recently the FCC successfully auctioned the 700 MHz spectrum, a large chunk of which was won by Verizon Wireless.
While a portion of the remaining spectrum has been reserved for future public-safety networks, white space between TV channels remains, and that has caught the attention of companies such as Google, Motorola, Microsoft and Philips.
The tech giants are lobbying to use the white space to deploy new wireless technologies to deliver broadband internet services to portable devices.
That's where the hitch lies, says Chris Lyons, manager of technical and educational communications at Shure, a professional audio-equipment manufacturer.
Lyons says it's not the broadband access per se that will cause problems, but the way devices would have to search through the spectrum for free bands.
Audio professionals claim that prototypes of devices capable of spectrum-sensing have failed some key tests. The FCC is expected to release a final report about the results next month.
For its part, Google says it doesn't want devices that could interfere with wireless audio equipment in the market either.
"From the beginning we have said that no white space device should come to market unless the FCC signs off on it," says Dan Martin, a Google spokesman.
Industry professionals hope there will be a technological fix for the problem soon, one that could allow wireless audio equipment to co-exist with devices using wireless broadband on the same spectrum.
But till then, the FCC needs to stay strong, says FOH magazine's Evans. "We are not ready yet," he says. "We need more time."
Google says it has suggested the use of a geolocation database that would ensure no white space device could transmit without first getting the all-clear from the database. That would allow manufacturers to prevent the use of white space bands in the vicinity of a Vegas show, for instance.
Meanwhile, companies are preparing for the worst. For instance, Lectrosonics is now offering a wider range of frequencies for its wireless microphones.
Until last year, the company's wireless microphones spanned a range of 537 MHz to 768 MHz. Now that a part of that band has been auctioned off, the company has reworked its devices to operate in the 470 MHz to 691 MHz spectrum. It has also added another band, the 944 MHz to 952 MHz spectrum, to the mix.
Those changes haven’t been easy. Over the course of a year, Lectrosonics reallocated engineering resources and spent "several thousand dollars" getting each new product certified by the FCC.
"We have a limited amount of engineering resources and there are hard costs such as FCC licenses that we have had to get," says Winkler.
Smaller wireless audio-equipment manufacturers may not have a choice, says Winkler. "We think a number of manufacturers will be shaken out. Lower quality, lower power systems will have a difficult time."
NFL in 3D: Good technology overcomes bad entertainment
I am not going to lie, this would of been an awesome thing to see and do, I watch a lot of football during the season and I would be been more involved in the game, with this hooked up to my eyes. I think this is a very cool idea, but the fact that it would be too much money and problems. I think this would be a great once in a lifetime thing to do, but overall I dont think it helps with making the NFL more interesting and capture the eyes of consumers to watch more and more football, but it is a very cool thing to experience. This just shows how far and long people will go to get more eyes watch there channels so they can make money, people paid a total of 75,000 dollars to have this setup to have a couple hundred people experience this, but I doubt that this will go any future seeing that 3d doesnt make nfl any better then it is now.
The NFL, live and in 3D
8:45 PM, December 4, 2008
As I headed to Mann's Chinese 6 this afternoon to watch the anemic Oakland Raiders play the underachieving San Diego Chargers, I wondered, can good technology overcome bad entertainment? It's a recurring theme here in Los Angeles, where tech companies continually pitch ways to add digital pizazz to tired forms of programming. In this instance, a potentially tedious edition of Thursday Night Football was made tantalizing -- in theory -- by the chance to see a game for the first time in digital 3D, live on a giant screen. The video production and distribution was by Burbank's 3ality Digital, with Technicolor handling the satellite transmissions to three theaters in Hollywood, Boston and New York and Beverly Hills-based RealD projecting the 3D pictures.
The verdict? The experience wasn't jaw-dropping, but it was noticeably better than a conventional broadcast. The game was drama-free, yet the novelty of 3D made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen -- at least until the Chargers' lead stretched to 27 points with less than a minute to go before halftime. The effect was subtle at times, but just as compelling as in "U2 3D," 3ality's concert film of the Irish rockers. The most striking thing in both cases was how much more you could see in three dimensions than in two.
Just as David Modell, chairman of 3ality Digital, warned in an interview before the game, the broadcast was as much a training exercise as a technology showcase. Some shots were so tightly framed, the action quickly squirted out of the frame. Others were so wide, they were hard to distinguish from 2D images. But the field-level and ground-level shots were great. The added depth provided a real sense for what you'd see from the sidelines -- how fast the action moves, how holes open and close, how big the players are. The closer the action moved to the end zones, the more the field opened up. Instead of crowded jumbles of players flattened against the screen, you'd see each of them distinctly, and the space around them. I found myself yearning for the tight, ground-level shots, even if it meant losing sight of the ball at times. That might be a function of the point of view's novelty, but I don't think so. Instead, I think the more realistic the viewpoint, the more interesting the game becomes. A good example: watching San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers from what seemed like the middle of the Raiders secondary, throwing a quick slant pass right at you before you have time to react. Very compelling.
There were no gimmicky shots, no footballs seemingly flying off the screen. But I didn't miss them. And predictably, there were glitches. The most notable were two multi-minute blackouts caused by satellite problems. One was especially inopportune -- the picture evaporated in the middle of a commercial for Technicolor, the company responsible for delivering the signal from the field to the theater. Ooops. On the plus side, the pictures were crisp through RealD's polarized glasses, and easy on the eyes.
In an interview this week, Modell said there were many unanswered questions about how to shoot a football game in 3D. Where should the cameras be? How long should directors stay with each feed? How does the production team use the technology to the greatest advantage? Just as wide-screen HDTV presented games in more detail, Modell said, adding a third dimension can fundamentally change a viewer's perspective: the action moves toward and away from you, not from left to right. "It gives you the impression as if you're standing on the field, and it occurs right in front of your very eyes," he said. "It's going to bring you closer."
That it did, at least in the Raiders-Chargers telecast. But there's no telling whether 3D will draw people into theaters to watch a game, or any other live event.
Michael Lewis, CEO of RealD, offered an "If you build it, they will come" rationale. When RealD launched five years ago, the public was hardly clamoring for 3D movies. Today, Lewis said, the 3D version of a film generates three to four times as much revenue per screen as the 2D version. "When you show it to someone," he said, "then they want it."
Theater owners initially resisted the move to digital because the didn't see a way to make a return on the required investment in new projectors and servers (which cost more than $75,000). Although the major Hollywood studios have agreed to subsidize the deployments, it's not yet clear how multiplexes will be able to translate that spending into increased sales. Movies in 3D offer some hope because theater owners can charge $2 to $3 more per ticket. The next step, Lewis said, is "alternative content" in 3D, such as live sports and concerts. Exhibitors are already experimenting with concerts, boxing and other events in 2D, with mixed results. For RealD and 3ality, the hope is that the immersive power of 3D will draw bigger audiences for that programming. But as Lewis said, "I just don't really know what people will show up for until we do it, so we're just going to try something." The company expects to do more sports in the coming months and to shift from private tests (as in today's game) to public ones.
The main piece still missing from the 3D value chain is home video -- a critical ingredient for sports with a huge TV audience, such as football. 3ality Digital CEO Sandy Climan predicted that 3D for the home will come "much sooner than people think." Many digital projection sets on the market can display a 3D picture (with the help of special glasses, just like in the theater), and Climan said a new generation of flat-panel sets with 3D capabilities is on its way. Viewers will also need a Blu-ray disc player, a computer or a set-top box equipped with special software. One stumbling block for 3D movies and broadcasts in the home is the lack of a standard way to display the images -- RealD's approach competes with several others -- but David Wertheimer, executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC, said industry groups were trying to settle on one. Noting the demand that multiplexes have seen for recent 3D movies, Wertheimer said, "It's pretty clear that there's an opportunity. We've got to all work together to make it happen sooner rather than later."
Eye Spy: Filmmaker Plans to Install Camera in His Eye Socket
This is a very cool story, basically Rob Spence a Canadian filmmaker wants to put a webcam into his false eye. I think this is super cool because it allows many to see the life in a fimmaker or just a different type of webcam, blogging or what not. I think this is very innovative and I am excited to see what kind of "films" he produces and excited to see how this adapts with others in this shoes. If you guys want to check out the video of the doctors putting in the webcam you can check it out at : http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/eye-spy-filmmak.html not for the faint of heart haha
Rob Spence looks you straight in the eye when he talks. So it's a little unnerving to imagine that soon one of his hazel-green eyes will have a tiny wireless video camera in it that records your every move.
The eye he's considering replacing is not a working one -- it's a prosthetic eye he's worn for several years. Spence, a 36-year-old Canadian filmmaker, is not content with having one blind eye. He wants a wireless video camera inside his prosthetic, giving him the ability to make movies wherever he is, all the time, just by looking around.
"If you lose your eye and have a hole in your head, then why not stick a camera in there?" he asks.
Spence, who calls himself the "eyeborg guy," will not be restoring his vision. The camera won't connect to his brain. What it will do is allow him to be a bionic man where technology fuses with the human body to become inseparable. In effect, he will become a "little brother," someone who's watching and recording every move of those in his field of vision.
If successful, Spence will become one of a growing number of lifecasters. From early webcam pioneer Jennifer Kaye Ringley, who created JenniCam, to Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell, to commercial lifecasting ventures Ustream.tv and Justin.tv, many people use video and internet technology to record and broadcast every moment of their waking lives. But Spence is taking lifecasting a step further, with a bionic eye camera that is actually embedded in his body.
"The eyes are like no other part of the body," says Spence. "It's what you look into when you fall in love with somebody and [influences] whether you trust someone or not. Now with a video camera in there, it will change how people see and perceive me."
It's an interesting and innovative idea, says Yonggang Huang, a professor in the departments of civil and mechanical engineering at Northwestern University. Huang, along with University of Illinois professor John Rogers has developed a web of micro-sensors to enable eye-shaped cameras. Huang is not involved in Spence's project.
"It's very clever," says Huang of Spence's quest. "It is not a true eye but it provides the way for people to record images in life as they see [them] and store [them]."
Spence lost his right eye at 13 while playing with his grandfather's gun on a visit to Ireland. "I wanted to shoot a pile of cowshit," he says. "I wasn't holding the gun properly and it backfired, causing a lot of trauma to the eye."
After the accident, he returned to Belleville, a small town two hours east of Toronto, where he grew up. Spence became technically blind in the eye, and over the years, his vision deteriorated completely. Three years ago he had his eye removed and a prosthetic one inserted. Ever the filmmaker, he even made a movie out of his surgery. But it wasn't an easy decision.
"When you completely lose an eye it is a difficult thing to let go of," he says. "The eye has an emotional attachment. It is a window to your soul."
Spence wore an eye patch for a while, which he says looked cool. But once he started thinking about having a camera in his eye, Spence got in touch with Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto. Mann is one of the experts in the world of wearable computing and cyborgs -- organisms that blend natural and artificial systems.
"There are a lot of challenges in this," says Mann, "from actually building a camera system that works, to sending and receiving images, to getting the correct shape of the camera."
Even in the age of miniaturization, getting a wireless video camera into a prosthetic eye isn't easy. The shape of the prosthetic is the biggest limitation: In Spence's case, it's 9-mm thick, 30-mm long and 28-mm high.
While that might seem like plenty of room in an age when digital cameras are squeezed into unimaginably slim and compact phones, it actually isn't. The average area available inside a prosthetic eye for an imaging sensor is only about 8 square mm, explains Phil Bowen, an ocularist who is working with Spence. Also, a digital camera has many more components than the visible lens and the sensor behind it, including the power supply and image-processing circuitry. Getting a completely self-contained camera module to fit into the tiny hollow of a prosthetic eye is a significant engineering challenge.
That's where Professors Huang and Rogers' research could come in handy. Three months ago, the duo published a paper that showed how a new sensor built out of a flexible mesh of wire-connected pixels could replace the traditional flat imaging chip as the light sensor for a camera. The mesh is made from many of the same materials as a standard digital-camera sensor, but it has the ability to conform to convoluted, irregular surfaces -- like the back of a synthetic eyeball.
"Our cameras might more naturally integrate with a prosthetic eye, due to their hemispherical shapes," says Rogers. "One might also argue that they can provide a more human-like perception of the world."
Then there's the question of how the prosthetic eyeball (the outer shell for the camera) will be made. The eyeball chassis has to close shut and be watertight.
Traditional prosthetic eyes are single pieces made with polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), a flexible polymer that is also used in dentures. To fit a camera in, Bowen redesigned the prosthetic eye into two pieces that could snap shut.
But with a camera inside there's something new to worry about. The modified prosthetic eye will be heavier than traditional ones and that could affect the eye socket, says Bowen. "The weight might stretch out the lower lid," he says, potentially disfiguring the face.
Assuming the size, weight and water-tightness issues can be solved, Spence has a vague idea of how he thinks it can work. A camera module will have to be connected to a transmitter inside the prosthetic eye that can broadcast the captured video footage. To boost the signal, he says he can wear another transmitter on his belt. A receiver attached to a hard drive in a backpack could capture that information and then send it to another device that uploads everything to a web site in real time.
Man, if we aren't careful, Netflix is going to turn into a behemoth right before our very eyes. The company once known for taking physical discs right to your mailbox is now getting all sorts of attention for its workings in the online delivery space, and if you thought hooking up with Microsoft was hot stuff, have a listen at this. Starting today, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL owners can access thousands of Netflix movies on their set-top-box, and better still, these same owners can access a growing library of high-def titles. Of course, this new functionality comes at no additional cost, though you will need a Netflix account to take advantage. So Netflix, what's next? Infiltrating DirecTV / DISH Network boxes? Seeping inside of our actual TV sets? Breathing new life into the Atari Jaguar? Full release is after the break.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
Man, if we aren't careful, Netflix is going to turn into a behemoth right before our very eyes. The company once known for taking physical discs right to your mailbox is now getting all sorts of attention for its workings in the online delivery space, and if you thought hooking up with Microsoft was hot stuff, have a listen at this. Starting today, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL owners can access thousands of Netflix movies on their set-top-box, and better still, these same owners can access a growing library of high-def titles. Of course, this new functionality comes at no additional cost, though you will need a Netflix account to take advantage. So Netflix, what's next? Infiltrating DirecTV / DISH Network boxes? Seeping inside of our actual TV sets? Breathing new life into the Atari Jaguar? Full release is after the break.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
Avid Improves Graphics Workflow With PostDeko for Editors
Lead Blogger Daniel Shore writes: Our favorite program has just made life easier in the future (for thus of us getting into production/broadcasting). The immediate attractive impact is that costs can be cut. So, in essence, if we learn to use the software, our resume just got a little bit stronger in the weakening economy.
In addition, it is reassuring to see such press on programs that WE are using, right? Bradley is providing the proper training for our field. This program is a promising progression in the media world and will indubitably be implemented throughout the broadcast industry. Exciting stuff.
I did find it interesting to see the pricing toward the end of the story...something I, at least, never really think about when using such programs or have any personal investment in yet. I suppose cost is the first hurdle for a media company before being able to make back the money in time/cost savings. Either way, always good for us to stay on top of our field and know the latest innovations available to us. Happy reading!
Avid Improves Graphics Workflow With PostDeko for Editors
New AVX2 Plug-In Helps Broadcasters and Post Production Facilities Cut Time, While Maintaining a Consistent Look and Feel in Pre and Post Production
December 08, 2008
Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today unveiled PostDeko(TM) for Editors, a new AVX(TM)2 plug-in that delivers a full Deko® motion graphics creation environment within Avid® Media Composer®, NewsCutter® and Symphony(TM) software. Designed for broadcasters and post production teams looking to cut expenses and increase creativity in the graphics creation and management process, PostDeko for Editors offers an efficient way to create a unique and consistent station or program brand for both on-air real-time graphics playback and pre or post production. Now, editors can easily apply changes to motion graphics received from Deko systems in the art department, without the hassle of exchanging modified clips and re-rendering files.
"PostDeko for Editors truly streamlines the process of adding Deko graphics to packages in our newscast, making our workflow much more efficient, which ultimately saves us time and money," said Joe Royston, director at WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, MI. "Gone are the days of sending graphics to editors via tape or shared drives and recreating the process from scratch. The editors are now able to quickly insert graphics using the intuitive Avid PostDeko interface and not be bogged down by the re-rendering or re-creation of graphics."
PostDeko for Editors offers all of the benefits of Avid Deko systems -- a suite of real-time on-air graphics solutions designed to increase productivity and enhance creative output throughout broadcast graphics operations. Unlike competitive graphics products, Avid's on-air graphics solutions reduce the need for additional staff training and costly specialized expertise by providing easy-to-use design tools and templates that enable customers to get productions to air quickly. Providing motion graphics with both broadcast quality and style also makes PostDeko for Editors a good solution for creating packages in post facilities.
PostDeko for Editors is compatible with Avid Media Composer and Symphony software versions 3.0 and higher and NewsCutter software version 7.0 and higher. The AVX2 plug-in enables the full creation and editing of Deko motion graphics directly in the Avid timeline -- cutting down the back and forth communication, re-creation, render, and transfer time inherent where only rendered file import is available.
"Previously, broadcast or post production art departments had to recreate graphics for the edit suite and then again for the live broadcast," said Patrick McLean, Director of Product Marketing at Avid Technology, Inc. "PostDeko for Editors cuts that prep time substantially by offering a streamlined, integrated process to effectively maintain the recognizable, familiar and interesting brand between on-air and editorial. It also enables editors to manage simple changes in the edit suite, cutting down on communication, re-creation, and transfer time. As a result, broadcasters can quickly turnaround on-air segments and more effectively allocate both people and media assets."
Pricing & Availability
PostDeko for Editors is now available in two configurations and price points: 1) as a single user system for $3,000 (USMSRP); and 2) as a five user floating license, $15,000 (USMSRP). Visit PostDeko for Editors for more information.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, and broadcast professionals -- as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius®, and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid's products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company's Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, technorati and twitter; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
In addition, it is reassuring to see such press on programs that WE are using, right? Bradley is providing the proper training for our field. This program is a promising progression in the media world and will indubitably be implemented throughout the broadcast industry. Exciting stuff.
I did find it interesting to see the pricing toward the end of the story...something I, at least, never really think about when using such programs or have any personal investment in yet. I suppose cost is the first hurdle for a media company before being able to make back the money in time/cost savings. Either way, always good for us to stay on top of our field and know the latest innovations available to us. Happy reading!
Avid Improves Graphics Workflow With PostDeko for Editors
New AVX2 Plug-In Helps Broadcasters and Post Production Facilities Cut Time, While Maintaining a Consistent Look and Feel in Pre and Post Production
December 08, 2008
Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today unveiled PostDeko(TM) for Editors, a new AVX(TM)2 plug-in that delivers a full Deko® motion graphics creation environment within Avid® Media Composer®, NewsCutter® and Symphony(TM) software. Designed for broadcasters and post production teams looking to cut expenses and increase creativity in the graphics creation and management process, PostDeko for Editors offers an efficient way to create a unique and consistent station or program brand for both on-air real-time graphics playback and pre or post production. Now, editors can easily apply changes to motion graphics received from Deko systems in the art department, without the hassle of exchanging modified clips and re-rendering files.
"PostDeko for Editors truly streamlines the process of adding Deko graphics to packages in our newscast, making our workflow much more efficient, which ultimately saves us time and money," said Joe Royston, director at WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, MI. "Gone are the days of sending graphics to editors via tape or shared drives and recreating the process from scratch. The editors are now able to quickly insert graphics using the intuitive Avid PostDeko interface and not be bogged down by the re-rendering or re-creation of graphics."
PostDeko for Editors offers all of the benefits of Avid Deko systems -- a suite of real-time on-air graphics solutions designed to increase productivity and enhance creative output throughout broadcast graphics operations. Unlike competitive graphics products, Avid's on-air graphics solutions reduce the need for additional staff training and costly specialized expertise by providing easy-to-use design tools and templates that enable customers to get productions to air quickly. Providing motion graphics with both broadcast quality and style also makes PostDeko for Editors a good solution for creating packages in post facilities.
PostDeko for Editors is compatible with Avid Media Composer and Symphony software versions 3.0 and higher and NewsCutter software version 7.0 and higher. The AVX2 plug-in enables the full creation and editing of Deko motion graphics directly in the Avid timeline -- cutting down the back and forth communication, re-creation, render, and transfer time inherent where only rendered file import is available.
"Previously, broadcast or post production art departments had to recreate graphics for the edit suite and then again for the live broadcast," said Patrick McLean, Director of Product Marketing at Avid Technology, Inc. "PostDeko for Editors cuts that prep time substantially by offering a streamlined, integrated process to effectively maintain the recognizable, familiar and interesting brand between on-air and editorial. It also enables editors to manage simple changes in the edit suite, cutting down on communication, re-creation, and transfer time. As a result, broadcasters can quickly turnaround on-air segments and more effectively allocate both people and media assets."
Pricing & Availability
PostDeko for Editors is now available in two configurations and price points: 1) as a single user system for $3,000 (USMSRP); and 2) as a five user floating license, $15,000 (USMSRP). Visit PostDeko for Editors for more information.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, and broadcast professionals -- as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius®, and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid's products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company's Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, technorati and twitter; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Science faces amputation
In a time of recession managers often have to make necessary budget cuts but at what cost? CNN argues that the science unit is redundant but what do you think? Would you cut the department and the anchor?
New York Times
December 4, 2008, 10:34 am — Updated: 11:25 am -->
Science Journalism Implosion, CNN and Beyond
By Andrew C. Revkin
CNN is firing science correspondent Miles O’Brien and six producers. (Credit: CNN)
CNN is eliminating its seven-person unit covering science, the environment, and technology, saying its “Planet in Peril” programs do the trick. Curtis Brainard, who assesses environmental coverage for the Columbia Journalism Review online, in a comprehensive piece on the move, said: “[T]he decision to eliminate the positions seems particularly misguided at a time when world events would seem to warrant expanding science and environmental staff.”
Of course, the situation at CNN is hardly isolated. Newspaper coverage of science outside of health and wellness is steadily eroding. Even here at The Times, where the Science Times section celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2003 and management has always supported strong science coverage, we (like everyone in print media) are doing ever more with less.
At CNN, among those leaving will be Peter Dykstra, a seasoned producer focused on science and the environment, and Miles O’Brien, a longtime CNN reporter and former morning news anchor, who I got to know when he turned to climate coverage in a big way several years ago. (See his spicy interview with Senator James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who challenges dire climate projections.)
Just in case you think this is a new trend, consider this flashback to the 1980’s, which shows how the public-service aspect of journalism — sustaining coverage of important arenas even if it does not “sell” — is a hard fit in a world focused on the bottom line:
In the mid 1980’s, early in my science-writing career, I was hired by the Los Angeles Times to be one of the first reporters for a planned weekly science section like the established Science Times of The New York Times. While things were getting set up, I was assigned a slot in the San Fernando Valley, reporting on everything from gasoline in the groundwater to a days-long hunt for Martina Navratilova’s lost dogs. Before my first year was up, the section was canceled.
I was told by management that the paper’s business side made the case that it was selling personal-computer ads in the sports section, so why did it need a science section? I moved back east to be an editor at Discover Magazine (and shortly afterward wrote my first long story on global warming).
It turns out that the Los Angeles Times’ move back then was just an early-stages hint of the shrinkage of science journalism to come, in all markets and media. My sense is that while it’s easy to blame pencil-pushing accountants for all of this, it’s also worth examining how we teach science and engineering (and new generations of media consumers).
One reason I aimed my third book on the environment (co-published by The Times) at younger readers was in hopes that it might kindle a bit of excitement in science as a journey and adventure, and not a static set of facts. My guess is that until a new generation is engaged in the importance and possibilities of science from the bottom up, science journalists will remain a threatened, if not endangered, species. What do you think?
New York Times
December 4, 2008, 10:34 am — Updated: 11:25 am -->
Science Journalism Implosion, CNN and Beyond
By Andrew C. Revkin
CNN is firing science correspondent Miles O’Brien and six producers. (Credit: CNN)
CNN is eliminating its seven-person unit covering science, the environment, and technology, saying its “Planet in Peril” programs do the trick. Curtis Brainard, who assesses environmental coverage for the Columbia Journalism Review online, in a comprehensive piece on the move, said: “[T]he decision to eliminate the positions seems particularly misguided at a time when world events would seem to warrant expanding science and environmental staff.”
Of course, the situation at CNN is hardly isolated. Newspaper coverage of science outside of health and wellness is steadily eroding. Even here at The Times, where the Science Times section celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2003 and management has always supported strong science coverage, we (like everyone in print media) are doing ever more with less.
At CNN, among those leaving will be Peter Dykstra, a seasoned producer focused on science and the environment, and Miles O’Brien, a longtime CNN reporter and former morning news anchor, who I got to know when he turned to climate coverage in a big way several years ago. (See his spicy interview with Senator James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who challenges dire climate projections.)
Just in case you think this is a new trend, consider this flashback to the 1980’s, which shows how the public-service aspect of journalism — sustaining coverage of important arenas even if it does not “sell” — is a hard fit in a world focused on the bottom line:
In the mid 1980’s, early in my science-writing career, I was hired by the Los Angeles Times to be one of the first reporters for a planned weekly science section like the established Science Times of The New York Times. While things were getting set up, I was assigned a slot in the San Fernando Valley, reporting on everything from gasoline in the groundwater to a days-long hunt for Martina Navratilova’s lost dogs. Before my first year was up, the section was canceled.
I was told by management that the paper’s business side made the case that it was selling personal-computer ads in the sports section, so why did it need a science section? I moved back east to be an editor at Discover Magazine (and shortly afterward wrote my first long story on global warming).
It turns out that the Los Angeles Times’ move back then was just an early-stages hint of the shrinkage of science journalism to come, in all markets and media. My sense is that while it’s easy to blame pencil-pushing accountants for all of this, it’s also worth examining how we teach science and engineering (and new generations of media consumers).
One reason I aimed my third book on the environment (co-published by The Times) at younger readers was in hopes that it might kindle a bit of excitement in science as a journey and adventure, and not a static set of facts. My guess is that until a new generation is engaged in the importance and possibilities of science from the bottom up, science journalists will remain a threatened, if not endangered, species. What do you think?
Friday, December 5, 2008
CNN's Election Hologram - did anyone see this?
This article talks about the behind the scenes action on CNN's hologram on election night. Did anyone see this? I did and thought it was cool, but I don't think it was ready for primetime. The video was fairly blurry and the "digital" studio guests had rigid edges from the green screen.
On a side note, I worked in Chicago with the satellite truck two days prior to the election and saw the huge tent that CNN was using for this hologram feature. I didn't go inside because they were still setting up, but it looked impressive even from the outside.
CNN's Hologram: The Science Behind the Magic
by Gordon Robinson, 12.04.2008
NEW YORK Love it or hate it, CNN's use of Star Wars-style "holograms" on election night was one of the most striking pieces of TV magic to date. But as impressive as it was for Chicago-based reporter Jessica Yellin and entertainer will.i.am (of the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas) to "beam in" to Wolf Blitzer's New York Election Center for live "face-to-face" interviews, the way CNN made it happen was even more astounding. Here is the science behind the magic.
A DREAM REALIZED
will.i.al beams in to CNN's New York studios.
The driving force behind CNN's holograms is David Bohrman, the network's senior vice president and Washington bureau chief. For 12 years, Bohrman has dreamt of improving on live remote interviews; typically executed using satellite-linked guests based in other physical locations. His idea is akin to the famous "Star Wars" scene in which a 3D talking, moving hologram of Princess Leia is projected by the droid R2D2.
"I've basically been a crazy mad scientist, trying to get this done," Bohrman told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on CNN following the election. "This year we pressed really hard, and about three months ago we launched into developing it, and it ended up working."
To make it work, CNN (led by Washington Senior Video Producer Chuck Hurley), Ran Yakir from Israel-based graphics company Vizrt, and freelance broadcast engineer/consultant Jason Odell brought together several different broadcast technologies. These were drawn from Vizrt, SportVU, Shotoku Broadcast Systems, Thoma and Fujinon. "It was a very complex project," Odell said, both in scope and because "there were so many different players, of which CNN Engineering was the lead."
HOW IT WAS DONE
Yellin and will.i.am's interviews were shot in two temporary studios, built inside a massive tent in Chicago. The inside of each studio was home to a 220 degree semicircular chromakey green stage. Inside this space—a.k.a. the "Transporter Room"—were 35 HD "machine vision" CMOS cameras. Spaced six inches apart around the 220 degree arc and pointing towards the space's center, these 2D cameras were positioned to provide multiple angles of the subject; images that could then be composited to create the illusion of a 3D whole. "It is akin to shooting QuickTime VR [virtual reality], except that the cameras were pointed in at a subject, rather than out to capture a 360 degree," said Goshen, Vizrt's director of usability.
(click thumbnail)
A diagram of the Vizrt-SportVu workflow.
So how did this create a 3D image? Hurley described the process as simply taking existing chroma-key technology to extremes. "Weathermen have been standing in front of green screens for years now, but that's [with] one camera," Hurley said in an interview on CNN.com. "Now we can do that times 35, so you can send all the way around the subject."
Adds Odell, "From these 35 fixed cameras we can now derive an infinite number of viewpoints."
In New York, CNN used positional tracking camera pedestals and a jib from Shotoku Broadcast Systems. The goal was to bring 3D positional data back to Vizrt Viz IO camera tracking software (part of Vizrt's Virtual Studio suite).
"Every moving part of our pedestals and jib are equipped with high resolution encoders," said Naoki Ebimoto, president of Shotoku (USA) Inc. "This data is calculated instantly so that we know precisely where the camera is located and looking in real time without any delay." Positional tracking signals of CNN's handheld cameras were fed to the virtual studio computer with 3D data captured by IR cameras in the New York studio, using Thoma's Walkfinder technology. All this data was processed by Viz IO and supplied via fiber to Chicago.
Back in the Transporter Room, the tracking data told the Vizrt Virtual Studio software which two cameras should be accessed to provide the right 3D perspective for creating the hologram. Next, using a Viz Engine plug-in originally created by SportVU to show where players are on a game field, a 3D electronic model of the person being shot (Yellin or will.i.am) was rendered in Viz Engine. On top of this model was laid the video texture captured by the cameras.
"The in-between frames [those locations which do not correspond to a single camera view]—both in shape and color—were smoothed out by the plug-in of SportVU in Viz Engine," said Goshen.
Once the final image was ready, it was sent back to New York via fiber, so that the local and remote feeds could be blended to create the hologram illusion. The result: Holograms on television, live!
NOBODY THERE
Two points worth noting: First, Wolf Blitzer didn't actually see the hologram standing before him in the studio. Instead, he looked in the direction of a 'red dot' on the studio floor while watching the combined play-out on a monitor.
Second, the Star Wars-like blue edging that surrounded Yellin and will.i.am was not an artifact like the ones around Princess Leia in the movie. (That sequence—to which CNN's effort has been constantly compared—was entirely faked and never done in real time.) Instead, CNN deliberately added the blue edging during production to alert the viewers that it was an effect, not an in-studio live body.
One of the most interesting challenges of CNN's hologram effect was the time delay between Chicago and New York. The problem was not the speed of the fiber-optic link, but rather the time it took for the Vizrt/SportVU system to process the Shotoku/Thoma position data and create the right 3D hologram image.
"It initially required four seconds for this to happen, but we got it down to three," said Odell. "Still, this processing time meant that the director in New York had to decide which camera shot she wanted next, bring it up on his Preview channel and then send us that data. Once we had it, the 3D image was created and sent back as a full HD signal; only then could she take to the next camera shot."
Even with three months' lead time, CNN Engineering and its partners had to work full-out to make the hologram effect available for the election day broadcast. Thanks to their efforts, the system "basically worked perfectly," said Odell. Still, he would have preferred to have more time to iron out the bugs. "If we had, maybe we could have had the interview guest directly on top of the 'red spot' in Blitzer's studio at all times, where they were supposed to be."
Will CNN's hologram effect become a staple of broadcast television? Odell thinks so. "I think people will demand it in sports," he said.
But Goshen isn't sure. "It is probably overkill for projects that are smaller than U.S. elections," he said. One problem is the degree of training that camera operators require to ensure that the tracking system functions properly. "You can't expect freelancers to come in and know how to do this," he said.
"We'll see," Bohrman told Blitzer during their post-election chat on CNN. "But television evolves, and how we do things evolves, and at some point—maybe it's five years or 10 years or 20 years down the road—I think there's going to be a way that television does interviews like this because it allows for a much more intimate possibility for a remote interview."
On a side note, I worked in Chicago with the satellite truck two days prior to the election and saw the huge tent that CNN was using for this hologram feature. I didn't go inside because they were still setting up, but it looked impressive even from the outside.
CNN's Hologram: The Science Behind the Magic
by Gordon Robinson, 12.04.2008
NEW YORK Love it or hate it, CNN's use of Star Wars-style "holograms" on election night was one of the most striking pieces of TV magic to date. But as impressive as it was for Chicago-based reporter Jessica Yellin and entertainer will.i.am (of the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas) to "beam in" to Wolf Blitzer's New York Election Center for live "face-to-face" interviews, the way CNN made it happen was even more astounding. Here is the science behind the magic.
A DREAM REALIZED
will.i.al beams in to CNN's New York studios.
The driving force behind CNN's holograms is David Bohrman, the network's senior vice president and Washington bureau chief. For 12 years, Bohrman has dreamt of improving on live remote interviews; typically executed using satellite-linked guests based in other physical locations. His idea is akin to the famous "Star Wars" scene in which a 3D talking, moving hologram of Princess Leia is projected by the droid R2D2.
"I've basically been a crazy mad scientist, trying to get this done," Bohrman told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on CNN following the election. "This year we pressed really hard, and about three months ago we launched into developing it, and it ended up working."
To make it work, CNN (led by Washington Senior Video Producer Chuck Hurley), Ran Yakir from Israel-based graphics company Vizrt, and freelance broadcast engineer/consultant Jason Odell brought together several different broadcast technologies. These were drawn from Vizrt, SportVU, Shotoku Broadcast Systems, Thoma and Fujinon. "It was a very complex project," Odell said, both in scope and because "there were so many different players, of which CNN Engineering was the lead."
HOW IT WAS DONE
Yellin and will.i.am's interviews were shot in two temporary studios, built inside a massive tent in Chicago. The inside of each studio was home to a 220 degree semicircular chromakey green stage. Inside this space—a.k.a. the "Transporter Room"—were 35 HD "machine vision" CMOS cameras. Spaced six inches apart around the 220 degree arc and pointing towards the space's center, these 2D cameras were positioned to provide multiple angles of the subject; images that could then be composited to create the illusion of a 3D whole. "It is akin to shooting QuickTime VR [virtual reality], except that the cameras were pointed in at a subject, rather than out to capture a 360 degree," said Goshen, Vizrt's director of usability.
(click thumbnail)
A diagram of the Vizrt-SportVu workflow.
So how did this create a 3D image? Hurley described the process as simply taking existing chroma-key technology to extremes. "Weathermen have been standing in front of green screens for years now, but that's [with] one camera," Hurley said in an interview on CNN.com. "Now we can do that times 35, so you can send all the way around the subject."
Adds Odell, "From these 35 fixed cameras we can now derive an infinite number of viewpoints."
In New York, CNN used positional tracking camera pedestals and a jib from Shotoku Broadcast Systems. The goal was to bring 3D positional data back to Vizrt Viz IO camera tracking software (part of Vizrt's Virtual Studio suite).
"Every moving part of our pedestals and jib are equipped with high resolution encoders," said Naoki Ebimoto, president of Shotoku (USA) Inc. "This data is calculated instantly so that we know precisely where the camera is located and looking in real time without any delay." Positional tracking signals of CNN's handheld cameras were fed to the virtual studio computer with 3D data captured by IR cameras in the New York studio, using Thoma's Walkfinder technology. All this data was processed by Viz IO and supplied via fiber to Chicago.
Back in the Transporter Room, the tracking data told the Vizrt Virtual Studio software which two cameras should be accessed to provide the right 3D perspective for creating the hologram. Next, using a Viz Engine plug-in originally created by SportVU to show where players are on a game field, a 3D electronic model of the person being shot (Yellin or will.i.am) was rendered in Viz Engine. On top of this model was laid the video texture captured by the cameras.
"The in-between frames [those locations which do not correspond to a single camera view]—both in shape and color—were smoothed out by the plug-in of SportVU in Viz Engine," said Goshen.
Once the final image was ready, it was sent back to New York via fiber, so that the local and remote feeds could be blended to create the hologram illusion. The result: Holograms on television, live!
NOBODY THERE
Two points worth noting: First, Wolf Blitzer didn't actually see the hologram standing before him in the studio. Instead, he looked in the direction of a 'red dot' on the studio floor while watching the combined play-out on a monitor.
Second, the Star Wars-like blue edging that surrounded Yellin and will.i.am was not an artifact like the ones around Princess Leia in the movie. (That sequence—to which CNN's effort has been constantly compared—was entirely faked and never done in real time.) Instead, CNN deliberately added the blue edging during production to alert the viewers that it was an effect, not an in-studio live body.
One of the most interesting challenges of CNN's hologram effect was the time delay between Chicago and New York. The problem was not the speed of the fiber-optic link, but rather the time it took for the Vizrt/SportVU system to process the Shotoku/Thoma position data and create the right 3D hologram image.
"It initially required four seconds for this to happen, but we got it down to three," said Odell. "Still, this processing time meant that the director in New York had to decide which camera shot she wanted next, bring it up on his Preview channel and then send us that data. Once we had it, the 3D image was created and sent back as a full HD signal; only then could she take to the next camera shot."
Even with three months' lead time, CNN Engineering and its partners had to work full-out to make the hologram effect available for the election day broadcast. Thanks to their efforts, the system "basically worked perfectly," said Odell. Still, he would have preferred to have more time to iron out the bugs. "If we had, maybe we could have had the interview guest directly on top of the 'red spot' in Blitzer's studio at all times, where they were supposed to be."
Will CNN's hologram effect become a staple of broadcast television? Odell thinks so. "I think people will demand it in sports," he said.
But Goshen isn't sure. "It is probably overkill for projects that are smaller than U.S. elections," he said. One problem is the degree of training that camera operators require to ensure that the tracking system functions properly. "You can't expect freelancers to come in and know how to do this," he said.
"We'll see," Bohrman told Blitzer during their post-election chat on CNN. "But television evolves, and how we do things evolves, and at some point—maybe it's five years or 10 years or 20 years down the road—I think there's going to be a way that television does interviews like this because it allows for a much more intimate possibility for a remote interview."
Update on White Space
Here is an update from TV Technology about the white space left by TV broadcasters. Google is calling their plans "WiFi on steroids." ... wouldn't that be nice!
A Landslide for White Spaces
by Sanjay Talwani, 12.03.2008
WASHINGTON
Bulldozed by the unanimous FCC vote Nov. 4 opening up DTV white spaces to unlicensed devices, broadcasters now are fighting to minimize the interference the future devices will cause once they are unleashed onto the airwaves.
The new rules, outlined last month by Chairman Kevin Martin but not yet released, would allow unlicensed devices on unused DTV channels, including adjacent channels, at power levels close to those proposed by Google and other members of the White Space Coalition, a group of high-tech companies with plans for future white space devices.
In a statement, the commission called the plan "a careful first step" with "numerous safeguards" against interference to incumbent users. Martin bragged in a statement that tests by the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology were "an extraordinary step... to prove the concept that white space devices could be safely deployed"—a conclusion strongly disputed by broadcasters.
FREE EVERYTHING
Martin, widely expected to leave the commission as the presidency changes hands, echoed the promises of Google and other white space advocates, promising "WiFi on steroids."
"Consumers across the country will have access to devices and services that they may have only dreamed about before," Martin said.
Under the plan, devices would be allowed to operate if they use spectrum-sensing technology and geolocation databases to detect and avoid DTV channels and to protect certain sensitive sites like cable headends. Devices would be allowed to use spectrum-sensing technology alone if they can show to the FCC that it actually works in specific devices. So far, the spectrum-sensing abilities of prototype devices have had mixed results, and broadcasters have slammed the technology as unreliable.
"Even the FCC cannot compromise the laws of physics," the Association for Maximum Service Television said in a statement.
MSTV told the commission Oct. 31 that the least the FCC could do is subject the devices to rigorous testing beforehand and ensure fair and reliable tests to prevent interference to DTV. In a filing, MSTV also attacked the FCC proposal that a device should be able to detect signals as low as -114 dBm, a level MSTV equated with setting a smoke detector to only be able to detect a raging fire.
"The commission must... begin anew to evaluate the appropriate sensing threshold for a sensing-only device," MSTV said.
INTERFERENCE LIMITS
Under the rules, portable devices that use both spectrum-sensing technology and geolocation databases will be limited to 100 mW of power, or 40 mW when operating on channels adjacent to active DTV channels. Spectrum-sensing-only devices—if they can prove viability at the OET—would be limited to 50 mW, or 40 mW on adjacent channels. MSTV has said that power level would "eviscerate" DTV in some areas.
Fixed devices (say, base stations for rural Internet networks) would operate at a maximum of 4 W, and not at all on adjacent channels unless they can show to the OET that they can avoid interfering with DTV. MSTV wants no fixed devices on the adjacent channels and portable devices at just 5 mW on those channels and 10 mW on the other channels.
The Martin plan not only largely complies with what Google demanded, but even met the timeline dictated by Google founder Larry Page, who said he wanted the FCC to make the rules by Election Day—although Martin, in his trademark style, started the actual meeting on the subject several hours late.
TESTING, TESTING
To protect the thousands of incumbent wireless mic users, the new white space regime will rely on spectrum-sensing technology along with a geolocation database for large events.
But spectrum-sensing, to wireless mic maker Shure Inc., is a non-starter.
"Test data from microphone tests is less favorable to sensing than the DTV data, but gets buried at the back of the report," Shure told the FCC in its filing in support of a fresh comment period on the data. "It is also heavily redacted. Individual tests are not published."
Shure says the OET failed to make a case that the future white space devices would not interfere with wireless mic use.
"While not unexpected, today's FCC decision will greatly complicate the lives of wireless microphone users across the United States and negatively affect tens of millions of Americans listening to live and broadcast events," Mark Brunner, Shure senior director for global public and industry relations, said in a statement.
Shure had offered its own plan for protecting wireless mics. It would designate "minimally sufficient protected channels" centered around Channel 37 and Channel 11, with all new white space devices managed by a geolocation database that would reflect events, such as sports, that involve abundant mic use. The Shure plan also called for six protected UHF channels (reduced to four channels after three years) and two protected VHF channels, for smaller operations.
But relying in many cases on spectrum-sensing alone—as envisioned by the FCC order—will remain problematic.
"The stuff doesn't work, for any host of technical reasons," said Ahren Hartman, director of platform engineering for Shure. "The failure rates were just abysmally high. It's unbelievable that they can come to that conclusion [that spectrum-sensing will be adequate] when they stood there and watched the tests."
A Landslide for White Spaces
by Sanjay Talwani, 12.03.2008
WASHINGTON
Bulldozed by the unanimous FCC vote Nov. 4 opening up DTV white spaces to unlicensed devices, broadcasters now are fighting to minimize the interference the future devices will cause once they are unleashed onto the airwaves.
The new rules, outlined last month by Chairman Kevin Martin but not yet released, would allow unlicensed devices on unused DTV channels, including adjacent channels, at power levels close to those proposed by Google and other members of the White Space Coalition, a group of high-tech companies with plans for future white space devices.
In a statement, the commission called the plan "a careful first step" with "numerous safeguards" against interference to incumbent users. Martin bragged in a statement that tests by the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology were "an extraordinary step... to prove the concept that white space devices could be safely deployed"—a conclusion strongly disputed by broadcasters.
FREE EVERYTHING
Martin, widely expected to leave the commission as the presidency changes hands, echoed the promises of Google and other white space advocates, promising "WiFi on steroids."
"Consumers across the country will have access to devices and services that they may have only dreamed about before," Martin said.
Under the plan, devices would be allowed to operate if they use spectrum-sensing technology and geolocation databases to detect and avoid DTV channels and to protect certain sensitive sites like cable headends. Devices would be allowed to use spectrum-sensing technology alone if they can show to the FCC that it actually works in specific devices. So far, the spectrum-sensing abilities of prototype devices have had mixed results, and broadcasters have slammed the technology as unreliable.
"Even the FCC cannot compromise the laws of physics," the Association for Maximum Service Television said in a statement.
MSTV told the commission Oct. 31 that the least the FCC could do is subject the devices to rigorous testing beforehand and ensure fair and reliable tests to prevent interference to DTV. In a filing, MSTV also attacked the FCC proposal that a device should be able to detect signals as low as -114 dBm, a level MSTV equated with setting a smoke detector to only be able to detect a raging fire.
"The commission must... begin anew to evaluate the appropriate sensing threshold for a sensing-only device," MSTV said.
INTERFERENCE LIMITS
Under the rules, portable devices that use both spectrum-sensing technology and geolocation databases will be limited to 100 mW of power, or 40 mW when operating on channels adjacent to active DTV channels. Spectrum-sensing-only devices—if they can prove viability at the OET—would be limited to 50 mW, or 40 mW on adjacent channels. MSTV has said that power level would "eviscerate" DTV in some areas.
Fixed devices (say, base stations for rural Internet networks) would operate at a maximum of 4 W, and not at all on adjacent channels unless they can show to the OET that they can avoid interfering with DTV. MSTV wants no fixed devices on the adjacent channels and portable devices at just 5 mW on those channels and 10 mW on the other channels.
The Martin plan not only largely complies with what Google demanded, but even met the timeline dictated by Google founder Larry Page, who said he wanted the FCC to make the rules by Election Day—although Martin, in his trademark style, started the actual meeting on the subject several hours late.
TESTING, TESTING
To protect the thousands of incumbent wireless mic users, the new white space regime will rely on spectrum-sensing technology along with a geolocation database for large events.
But spectrum-sensing, to wireless mic maker Shure Inc., is a non-starter.
"Test data from microphone tests is less favorable to sensing than the DTV data, but gets buried at the back of the report," Shure told the FCC in its filing in support of a fresh comment period on the data. "It is also heavily redacted. Individual tests are not published."
Shure says the OET failed to make a case that the future white space devices would not interfere with wireless mic use.
"While not unexpected, today's FCC decision will greatly complicate the lives of wireless microphone users across the United States and negatively affect tens of millions of Americans listening to live and broadcast events," Mark Brunner, Shure senior director for global public and industry relations, said in a statement.
Shure had offered its own plan for protecting wireless mics. It would designate "minimally sufficient protected channels" centered around Channel 37 and Channel 11, with all new white space devices managed by a geolocation database that would reflect events, such as sports, that involve abundant mic use. The Shure plan also called for six protected UHF channels (reduced to four channels after three years) and two protected VHF channels, for smaller operations.
But relying in many cases on spectrum-sensing alone—as envisioned by the FCC order—will remain problematic.
"The stuff doesn't work, for any host of technical reasons," said Ahren Hartman, director of platform engineering for Shure. "The failure rates were just abysmally high. It's unbelievable that they can come to that conclusion [that spectrum-sensing will be adequate] when they stood there and watched the tests."
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Advertising
So I stumbled across some Slovenian media management, of which the article that was written by is Kelly Kolton, a Bradley Alumn, who I've met plenty of times and she actually went to slovenia, Europe in 2004. I read a number of her articles and in one of them she compares the differences in student newspaper organizations, how Bradley Scout thrives off of advertisements to get distributed, but University of Ljubljana, Slovenia student magazine, Klin, lacks advertisements completely throughtout its magazine and is supported financially primarily from student activity group funding. As a result though Klin comes out only 4 times a year unlike the Scouts weekly schedule. here's the article and special shoutout and thanks to Kelly Kolton and Slovenia!!!!
After my return to America, I’ve found myself missing the sights, sounds, food and the advertisements. Yes, the advertisements.
If you never have looked at the staff box of the Bradley Scout before, I am Kelly Kolton, the Graphics Editor of the newspaper. I am responsible for designing, managing and preparing the ads each week.
Before you cringe and moan about how ads take away valuable space in the newspaper for real news and other content, realize that the paper is not brought to your dorm and Bradley Hall for free by magical leprechauns.
Advertisements are what I like to think of as a necessary evil. Without the ads, there really wouldn’t be funding for the staff, equipment, and printing costs.
The delivery is another story. The paper does not instantly appear at each building on campus, rather it is delivered at 6:45 a.m. by four Scout staff members. Before I worked at the Scout, I figured the paper appeared when Chris Kaergard, the editor of the Scout, said the magic words.
Those “magic words” are actually a week’s worth of work by a whole crew of students. The advertisements I make are what makes it possible for them to do all this.
One of the most interesting aspects of Klin, the student news magazine in Slovenia, is the lack of advertising within its pages. Only the back two pages have full color advertisements. Delo, the daily newspaper in Ljubljana, Slovenia, also has a lack of ads throughout its pages; however, the few ads it has are grouped together on the back two pages of the newspaper.
The Bradley Scout handles ads differently than Klin because of the difference in funding. Here at Bradley, we rely on advertising, while in Ljubljana, the students receive funding from the student activities group. This group also funds Radio Student, which allows for student radio to be heard throughout the country, as well as other programs at other universities.
Because the student activities group must fund programs throughout the country, the funds are less than ideal. Klin does not come out each week, like the Scout does. Instead it is printed approximately four times a year.
The weekly format has the advantage of covering timely events. Imagine reading about Roy the Cat months after it happened--it would be old news by then. The monthly format has its advantages, though, allowing for more in-depth pieces and feature stories. Not that any of the Americans could read any of Klin, however, because it is in Slovene!
Unlike the articles written in Slovene, the advertisements, photographs and graphics were able to be read by people of any language. Through visual communication, we were able to tell what product an ad was promoting or the events occurring in the news story. The visual clues also helped people who did not speak the language to find the exits, which were identified by green signs above doorways with a little stick man running frantically towards a rectangle.
Much like the icons for safety, advertising must be read internationally to be fully effective. Jake Kasper, my fellow Slovene traveler, was compelled to buy a brand of shampoo while in Slovenia due to the billboards, posters and flyers the company used to promote their product. The company even went as far as to set up a barge in the river with the shampoo bottles lined up, creating the same face that appears on the billboards and other promotional pieces.
Other types of environmental design are important in Slovenia as well. Everywhere we turned, we saw billboards or posters covering round pillars that were there for that express reason. Posters we saw advertised disco parties and public service announcements.
The graffiti on buildings and walls even had an impact on Ljubljana’s environmental design. I was surprised to see graffiti almost everywhere we looked. Many of the messages were about President George Bush, Saddam Hussein or the war in Iraq.
Whether it is graffiti or images on advertisements and printed materials, there is a universal visual language. This is the key to enhancing communication between cultures and nations. When we view well-designed images, it is only then that we are able to truly lose our barriers and speak one language.
http://kellykolton.com/slovenia/kelly.html
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Survey: Magazine Subs Vulnerable in Hard Times
This article caught my eye because I have actually cut back on my magazine subscriptions recently. I now subscribe to only TIME magazine and have recently cancelled my Chicago Tribune subscription as well. Are people cutting back because of the economy or are there other reasons, such as other news sources, in play?
Dec 3, 2008
By Lucia Moses
Forrester Research has bad news for publishers who hoped that in tough times, people would continue to spend on relatively affordable purchases like newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
New survey data from the researcher show that among the 72 percent of respondents who said they are magazine subscribers, 77 percent plan no change in their subscriptions in the year ahead, while 18 percent plan to cut back. (An optimistic 4 percent said they expected to increase their subscriptions.)
With heavier readers, the planned cuts go deeper. Among those subscribing to three or four titles, 22 percent plan some cancellations; and of those getting five or more subscriptions, 24 percent plan to scale back.
Newspapers and work-related magazines are less vulnerable to the downturn, according to the survey. Among newspaper subscribers (58 percent of those surveyed), 88 percent said they planned no change in their subscriptions in the coming year, while 10 percent said they planned to cut back. Two percent planned an increase.
As for people who buy magazines mostly for work, 12 percent expected to cut back their subscriptions. Eighty-four percent expected no change and 4 percent planned an increase.
The spirit of frugality cuts across many product categories; only 15 percent of respondents said they have taken no steps to cut spending.
The results come from Forrester’s North American Technographics Media, Marketing, Consumer Technology, Healthcare and Automotive Benchmark Survey of 5,000 households.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/magazines-newspapers/e3i811727a8754c8b9bc82c53e54f66edf4
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
US Car firms make plea..
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| UPDATED ON: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 01:10 Mecca time, 22:10 GMT | |||||||||
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Sunday, November 30, 2008
Microsoft Attempts to Buy Yahoo Again
Here's a short article. But it's short, sweet, and important.
Also- just to prevent confusion- I accidentally commented on this blog under Muz or mandaswanson17@gmail.com.... my bad.
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MSFT 20.22, -0.27, -1.3%) the Redmond, Wash., software giant, is in talks to buy Yahoo Inc.'s search business for $20 billion, the Sunday Times of London reported. Microsoft does not plan to bid for all of the Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet-services giant, after it abandoned a $47.5 billion proposal last summer, the paper reported. Under a deal the companies are planning, Microsoft also would support new management for Yahoo, possibly led by Jonathan Miller, the former chairman and chief executive of AOL, (TWX:
time warner inc com
How do solve a problem like radio?
We have discussed this quite a bit in class and there does not appear to be an easy solution. What can be done to maximize radio profits?
Radio's Revenue Falls Even as Audience Grows
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD The New York Times Published: Nov 26, 2008
CAN radio save itself?
Listeners are diverted by iPods and Internet and satellite radio. Companies are loaded with debt. Advertisers are heading to television or the Web — and the advertisers that have continued to advertise on radio, like auto dealers and retailers, are being hit by the economic crisis and pulling back.
And even though the audience for broadcast radio is actually growing, stations cannot seem to increase their revenue.
Radio advertising was down 10 percent last month from October 2007, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the 18th consecutive month of declines.
And the third-quarter numbers are dismal. CBS Radio reported a revenue drop of 12 percent. Citadel Broadcasting’s revenue dropped by 10.9 percent. CC Media Holdings, which owns Clear Channel Communications, said radio revenue was down 7 percent. Cox Radio revenue fell 6.2 percent; Emmis Communications’ radio revenue decreased 1.5 percent; and Radio One revenue was down 2 percent.
Problems in the radio industry have been piling up for years, said Marci L. Ryvicker, an analyst at Wachovia Capital Markets. In the 1990s, radio companies consolidated, then began increasing the ad time available. “They started to fight for share, instead of being proactive and thinking of new ways to generate revenue,” Ms. Ryvicker said.
Then, when advertisers decreased their spending around 2001, radio stations were stuck with too much time and too few advertisers. “There was too much inventory out there, and rates kept going down, down, down,” Ms. Ryvicker said.
Recent years have not changed the fortunes of radio. Many companies borrowed money to buy back their stock, leaving them saddled with debt.
And the industries that supported radio advertising — finance, retail and autos — have all been particularly hard-hit by the current economy. Radio advertising declined 8 percent in the second quarter of this year from a year earlier, according to TNS Media Intelligence. That was worse than any other category except newspapers.
From an advertiser’s perspective, the consolidation of radio companies has resulted in sound-alike stations, said Jim Poh, vice president and a director of analytics and media planning at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which handles radio ads for clients like Burger King and Domino’s.
“The group ownerships in various markets tended to blunt the edges of the formats, so that each of the stations could play across more demographic groups, and that way could share more of the revenue from various advertisers,” Mr. Poh said. “The downfall of that is the medium isn’t as relevant, the stations aren’t as relevant to people as they were.”
There are some signs of hope, though. The radio audience is increasing: radio now reaches more than 235 million listeners in a week, versus 232 million last year, according to a study by Arbitron. But those people are listening to the radio less: fewer than 19 hours a week, versus about 20.4 in 2005.
Stations in small markets are doing relatively well. Stations in the 10 biggest markets had revenue drop about 12 to 15 percent this year. Stations in the smallest markets, though, have been about flat, Leland Westerfield, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said. “The ad agency-placed business that predominates in larger cities has been subject to a greater level of pricing pressure,” Mr. Westerfield said.
Radio executives are hoping that HD Radio will catch on with consumers.
“We’re beginning to see revenue-generation opportunities for radio broadcasters” on HD stations, said Robert J. Struble, the chief executive of iBiquity Digital, which develops and licenses the technology.
HD Radio lets stations transmit on digital signals, which allow each FM station to broadcast on two to eight channels, theoretically making the medium competitive with satellite radio.
But consumers have to buy a special radio to hear the digital stations, and only about 500,000 units were sold through September, iBiquity said. The radios have been available since 2004.
Consumers listen to the radio most frequently in the car and in the office, and so far, have little reason to pay for an upgraded radio in those places.
And automakers, which have other problems, are not embracing the technology; so far, only Volvo is offering HD Radio as a standard feature in its new cars (it is standard in all but one of its 2009 models).
“HD radio is pretty much going to be nonexistent, because they can’t figure out how to get the auto guys to include that as an option, and the auto guys that do include HD don’t let the consumers know about it,” Ms. Ryvicker of Wachovia Capital Markets said. “It’s been a horribly marketed product that’s not going to save the radio industry.”
Mr. Struble objected to that characterization. “For a number of years, we were very focused on getting stations to convert,” he said, adding that about 1,900 stations now broadcast on a digital signal. “The attention has now turned to the consumer side.”
He said there was “a lot of momentum” with the auto industry.
Still, with only 500,000 radios in use, a lot of the technologies available for HD Radio, like one that allows listeners to “tag” a song and buy it later from iTunes, are going unused.
Radio companies are taking other small steps into the future — several have created free iPhone applications, for example, which are popular. Still, it’s a scramble, analysts said.
“I think things will get better if the economy recovers,” Ms. Ryvicker said, “but I can’t imagine this sector going from negative double-digits in Q4 to positive anytime soon.”
© The New York Times. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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Radio's Revenue Falls Even as Audience Grows
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD The New York Times Published: Nov 26, 2008
CAN radio save itself?
Listeners are diverted by iPods and Internet and satellite radio. Companies are loaded with debt. Advertisers are heading to television or the Web — and the advertisers that have continued to advertise on radio, like auto dealers and retailers, are being hit by the economic crisis and pulling back.
And even though the audience for broadcast radio is actually growing, stations cannot seem to increase their revenue.
Radio advertising was down 10 percent last month from October 2007, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the 18th consecutive month of declines.
And the third-quarter numbers are dismal. CBS Radio reported a revenue drop of 12 percent. Citadel Broadcasting’s revenue dropped by 10.9 percent. CC Media Holdings, which owns Clear Channel Communications, said radio revenue was down 7 percent. Cox Radio revenue fell 6.2 percent; Emmis Communications’ radio revenue decreased 1.5 percent; and Radio One revenue was down 2 percent.
Problems in the radio industry have been piling up for years, said Marci L. Ryvicker, an analyst at Wachovia Capital Markets. In the 1990s, radio companies consolidated, then began increasing the ad time available. “They started to fight for share, instead of being proactive and thinking of new ways to generate revenue,” Ms. Ryvicker said.
Then, when advertisers decreased their spending around 2001, radio stations were stuck with too much time and too few advertisers. “There was too much inventory out there, and rates kept going down, down, down,” Ms. Ryvicker said.
Recent years have not changed the fortunes of radio. Many companies borrowed money to buy back their stock, leaving them saddled with debt.
And the industries that supported radio advertising — finance, retail and autos — have all been particularly hard-hit by the current economy. Radio advertising declined 8 percent in the second quarter of this year from a year earlier, according to TNS Media Intelligence. That was worse than any other category except newspapers.
From an advertiser’s perspective, the consolidation of radio companies has resulted in sound-alike stations, said Jim Poh, vice president and a director of analytics and media planning at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which handles radio ads for clients like Burger King and Domino’s.
“The group ownerships in various markets tended to blunt the edges of the formats, so that each of the stations could play across more demographic groups, and that way could share more of the revenue from various advertisers,” Mr. Poh said. “The downfall of that is the medium isn’t as relevant, the stations aren’t as relevant to people as they were.”
There are some signs of hope, though. The radio audience is increasing: radio now reaches more than 235 million listeners in a week, versus 232 million last year, according to a study by Arbitron. But those people are listening to the radio less: fewer than 19 hours a week, versus about 20.4 in 2005.
Stations in small markets are doing relatively well. Stations in the 10 biggest markets had revenue drop about 12 to 15 percent this year. Stations in the smallest markets, though, have been about flat, Leland Westerfield, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said. “The ad agency-placed business that predominates in larger cities has been subject to a greater level of pricing pressure,” Mr. Westerfield said.
Radio executives are hoping that HD Radio will catch on with consumers.
“We’re beginning to see revenue-generation opportunities for radio broadcasters” on HD stations, said Robert J. Struble, the chief executive of iBiquity Digital, which develops and licenses the technology.
HD Radio lets stations transmit on digital signals, which allow each FM station to broadcast on two to eight channels, theoretically making the medium competitive with satellite radio.
But consumers have to buy a special radio to hear the digital stations, and only about 500,000 units were sold through September, iBiquity said. The radios have been available since 2004.
Consumers listen to the radio most frequently in the car and in the office, and so far, have little reason to pay for an upgraded radio in those places.
And automakers, which have other problems, are not embracing the technology; so far, only Volvo is offering HD Radio as a standard feature in its new cars (it is standard in all but one of its 2009 models).
“HD radio is pretty much going to be nonexistent, because they can’t figure out how to get the auto guys to include that as an option, and the auto guys that do include HD don’t let the consumers know about it,” Ms. Ryvicker of Wachovia Capital Markets said. “It’s been a horribly marketed product that’s not going to save the radio industry.”
Mr. Struble objected to that characterization. “For a number of years, we were very focused on getting stations to convert,” he said, adding that about 1,900 stations now broadcast on a digital signal. “The attention has now turned to the consumer side.”
He said there was “a lot of momentum” with the auto industry.
Still, with only 500,000 radios in use, a lot of the technologies available for HD Radio, like one that allows listeners to “tag” a song and buy it later from iTunes, are going unused.
Radio companies are taking other small steps into the future — several have created free iPhone applications, for example, which are popular. Still, it’s a scramble, analysts said.
“I think things will get better if the economy recovers,” Ms. Ryvicker said, “but I can’t imagine this sector going from negative double-digits in Q4 to positive anytime soon.”
© The New York Times. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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