Envivio offers iLiveTV for latest iPhone release
With the latest software release for the Apple Phone now making it easier to support streaming video, Envivio is demonstrating a complete encoding solution called iLiveTV. The 3.0 update for the iPhone and iPod Touch operating system offers a number of enhancements, including a player providing support for adaptive streaming video within the browser.

Digital Britain report disappoints
The Digital Britain white paper aims to set out the importance of the digital economy to the economic future of the nation, but some see it as disappointing, lacking vision, ambition and fibre. The ground that it attempts to cover is wide ranging but in many parts it descends into a commentary on general trends and vague observations about the digital landscape. What is lacking is any groundbreaking initiative to invest in modern digital infrastructure.

Digital TV transition begins new broadcast era
The end of analogue television in America marks the beginning of a new era in broadcasting and frees up frequencies for new advanced wireless services. Stations had until midnight local time on Friday 12 June to power down analogue transmitters, effectively marketing the end of analogue television in America. Consumers were generally well prepared. 2.8 million homes were not ready, but that is around half the number some months ago. Continua a leggere

Carter to quit after Digital Britain report is published
Lord Stephen Carter will leave the government following the publication of the Digital Britain report. The white paper will attempt to address a wide range of issues, from the problems facing broadcasters to the provision of broadband and online piracy. The highly anticipated digital manifesto seems unlikely to satisfy the high level of expectations it has raised.

Virgin Media faces patent court case over guide
The case of Gemstar-TV Guide against Virgin Media is scheduled to start in London this week. Legal proceedings were issued against British cable television provider Virgin Media back in January 2008 over alleged infringement of patents relating to interactive programme guides. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for electronic programme guides, which have been notoriously dominated by issues associated with patent protection.

DoubleTwist supports media across different devices
Ten years ago a Norwegian teenager helped to break the copy protection on DVDs. He went on to come up with a way of stripping digital rights management from iTunes music files. Now his doubleTwist startup aims to simplify the synchronisation of media between different devices. An advertisement for the software appeared in front of an Apple store in San Francisco, proclaiming “The cure for iPhone Envy” and promising to open up an individual iTunes library to any supported device. Continua a leggere

BBC Canvas platform fails to find industry support
Plans by the BBC to form a joint venture partnership to promote a platform for internet connected television, known as Project Canvas, have been roundly criticised by a number of influential industry stakeholders. Following an initial industry consultation, the BBC Trust is now asking its executives for further information on the proposals, which seem sketchy to some and over ambitious to others.

YouTube and Hulu offer lean back experience
YouTube has released a version of its site specifically designed for viewing on a large screen. Called YouTube XL, it runs in a web browser and can even be operated with a remote control. Hulu has meanwhile released a desktop application based on Flash for Windows and Mac personal computers.

S&T and Humax show online video using MHEG
At the ANGA cable show at Cologne in Germany, Strategy & Technology and Humax showed the first applications to bring streaming video from the internet to the television under broadcaster control using the latest MHEG-5 middleware specifications. These build on the open standards currently used for interactive services on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom. Continua a leggere

Alternative to Canvas based on open standards
While the BBC is attempting to define and promote its own view of broadcast and broadband convergence with Project Canvas, broadcasters in France and Germany have been coming up with their own version. It appears to be based on existing open standards and they are aiming to work with the European Broadcasting Union to develop the draft specification for possible submission to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, which seems promising.

Hulu in hulaballoo over number of users
Hulu, the online video site, is serving up more streams but has been serving fewer users, according to Nielsen. Hulu is in the top two or three video sites, but still comes some considerable way behind YouTube, which accounts for over half the video clips viewed online in the United States. There is now some controversy over the actual number of users Hulu has. Hulu prefers to believe comScore figures of over forty million, while others put the figure at less than a quarter of that.

Sky paints Trust into a corner on Canvas
Sky has criticised Project Canvas, the proposed joint venture between the BBC, ITV and BT, saying that the proposals are insufficient for a proper consultation. The pay-television operator argues that the BBC Trust should have submitted the proposals to a full public value test, requiring a market impact assessment by the communications regulator Ofcom. It also warns that the plan could merit investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and could breach European state aid laws. Continua a leggere

Mobile satellite services receive European approval
The European Commission has selected Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile to provide mobile satellite services across Europe. These could include high-speed internet access, mobile television and radio, and emergency communications. On the day of the announcement, Solaris Mobile revealed that an “anomaly” could affect the S-band payload on the satellite from which it plays to deliver its services.

Blinkx powers Miniweb interactive TV platform
In the convergence of broadcast and broadband, enabling the search and discovery of programming will be critical. The new Miniweb interactive television platform will now integrate the blinkx video search engine. It will allow viewers to search and discover both broadcast television and broadband video from multiple sources indexed by blinkx using Miniweb-enabled, broadband-connected devices.

BBC iPlayer delivers seven petabytes a month
The BBC iPlayer service delivers up to 100 gigabits of data every second, which apparently works out at a total of around 7 petabytes of data transfer a month. That sounds a lot but it is nowhere near the amount of data received from broadcast networks. So how will such streaming services scale if people increasingly consume video on demand? Continua a leggere

Entone and Vudu integrate video on demand
Entone, a provider of digital media gateway set-top boxes, will integrate with the Vudu online service to make its movie library available to telecommunications service providers to supplement their television and digital video recorder services. Instead of having to choose between an operator managed service or over the top online video, consumers will be able to receive the best of both worlds through a single user interface.

Net connected television market grows rapidly
Half of prospective television buyers in the United States say they are likely to buy an internet enabled television. A study by the Consumer Electronics Association found that demand for internet connected televisions is growing rapidly, although it is still not entirely clear what people will be able to do with them.

Video on demand viewing rising but still limited
Virgin Media says that there were over four million views of the ITV Player in its first month on the cable television video on demand service. That compares to nearly 15 million video views for the more established BBC iPlayer on the same platform. Both figures still represent only a tiny proportion of all television viewing. Meanwhile, many more millions watched clips from ITV shows on YouTube.

Sky launches green button long-form advertising
Sky is offering advertisers the ability to deliver longer-form advertising to digital video recorders, enabling viewers to record extended spots by pressing the green button on their remote control. It works in a similar manner to the green button reminder prompts on promotions that can be used to select programmes to record. Continua a leggere

BBC thrown on Canvas by industry response
Project Canvas, the proposal from the BBC to establish a joint venture with ITV and BT to define and promote standards for network connected television devices, has already attracted regulatory attention. It faces the prospect of the same scrutiny that killed Project Kangaroo, a previous joint venture online video initiative from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. The communications regulator has said it may need to “assess the arrangement under relevant merger or competition law”.

Joost little used online video platform for sale
Joost, the online video service that has largely failed to live up to the considerable expectations of a project from the founders of Skype and Kazaa, is reportedly up for sale. It is suggested that Time Warner Cable could be interested in picking up the pieces, although the fit remains a puzzle.

NAB Show down but focussed on future
The organisers of the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas claimed over 83,000 registered attendees, down on the 105,000 last year, although the actual numbers seemed much lower. The number of international attendees was also down to 23,000 from 28,000. At least there was little need to wait in line or push through the crowds.Those that were there were doing business. Continua a leggere

Mobile TV Standard promise for broadcasters
Mobile television promises to be a hot topic at the NAB convention this year, with terrestrial broadcasters seeking to make the most of their existing spectrum as their traditional business model comes under increasing threat. Beyond the complexities of competing technical standards, the future of broadcast mobile television has yet to be defined.

3D mastering standard proposed by SMPTE
The requirements of a new standard for mastering stereoscopic 3D video have been outlined by The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers at the Digital Cinema Summit, held prior to the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas. Agreement on a common mastering standard is seen as critical for defining the requirements for the delivery of 3D materials across all distribution channels, from physical media to terrestrial, satellite, cable and broadband.

BBC iPlayer HD streams and files now online
The BBC has started making selected programmes available online in high definition format. That is to say at a resolution of 1280×720, which is four times that of its normal online streams. The public service broadcaster has also relaxed the copy protection on its BBC HD channel, although some argue that the BBC should not even be entertaining the belief system of rights holders in copy protection and digital rights management. Continua a leggere

National Broadband Network planned for Australia
The Australian government has announced plans for a new National Broadband Network which could be the single largest nation building infrastructure project in the history of the country. It represents its biggest reform in telecommunications in two decades. The decision demonstrates a vision for creating a national network infrastructure that could serve as an example to many other countries.

Sky upgrades EPG for the high definition era
Sky is upgrading the electronic programme guide for Sky+HD, with a high-definition widescreen user interface. Several years in development and originally due to launch last year, the new guide is being rolled out progressively to Sky HD boxes. The upgrade is an improvement on the standard Sky interface but given the time it has taken, it is surprising that there are still some usability issues.

Satellite launch enables European mobile television
A new satellite that will enable television to be delivered to mobile receivers across Europe has been successfully launched from Kazakhstan. The W2A satellite carries an S-band payload for Solaris Mobile, a joint venture between Eutelsat and SES Astra, which will provide mobile video, navigation and emergency assistance services. Continua a leggere

National Broadband Network planned for Australia
The Australian government has announced plans for a new National Broadband Network which could be the single largest nation building infrastructure project in the history of the country. It represents its biggest reform in telecommunications in two decades. The decision demonstrates a vision for creating a national network infrastructure that could serve as an example to many other countries.

Sky upgrades EPG for the high definition era
Sky is upgrading the electronic programme guide for Sky+HD, with a high-definition widescreen user interface. Several years in development and originally due to launch last year, the new guide is being rolled out progressively to Sky HD boxes. The upgrade is an improvement on the standard Sky interface but given the time it has taken, it is surprising that there are still some usability issues.

Satellite launch enables European mobile television
A new satellite that will enable television to be delivered to mobile receivers across Europe has been successfully launched from Kazakhstan. The W2A satellite carries an S-band payload for Solaris Mobile, a joint venture between Eutelsat and SES Astra, which will provide mobile video, navigation and emergency assistance services. Continua a leggere