Digital-Lifestyles

Simon Perry

  • SBC sign $400m Microsoft IPTV/TVIP Deal

    SBC, the largest supplier of DSL connections in the USA, has announced a deal to spend $400m (~€307m, ~£215m) with Microsoft over the next ten years to purchase their Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) software. SBC has been testing Microsoft’s IPTV platform since June 2004 and they now intend to start field trials in mid-2005 and plan commercial availability in late 2005.

    The Microsoft product, whose official name is a bit of a mouthful – Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, provides comprehensive security including subscriber and end-to-end digital rights management (DRM), enabling the content to be taken on to the portable devices that support Microsoft’s DRM.

    In the first quarter of 2005, construction is due to begin on the SBC “Project Lightspeed”, the company’s initiative to deploy fibre closer to customer locations, providing significant amounts of bandwidth. It is expected to reach 18 million households by the end of 2007.

    Microsoft have, of course, had enough opportunity to get TVIP software right. It has been estimated that Microsoft has spent up to $20Bn pursuing their ambitions of being the supplier of choice for TV software for the next-generation of Set Top Boxes (STB’s). We briefly used Microsoft’s TVIP service at IBC this year and found it pretty impressive.

    This is the second major TV announcement for Microsoft this month following the Comcast deal.

    As the world moves to IP-delivered content, and the source of that content becomes significantly less important, the power that sits with the broadcaster today becomes transferred to the owner/supplier of the box that is used to access the content – the gatekeeper. It is likely that there will normally only be one gatekeeper per household. The race is now on for companies to establish themselves in that role.

    SBC
    Microsoft IPTV

  • TAHI (The Application Home Initiative) Conference

    The Application Home Initiative (TAHI) aims to accelerate the adoption of networked applications and services by connected home-based users. It is identifying the applications and services that people want and will pay for. Through practical trials, TAHI Members are learning about the business models, logistics, costs and customer benefits that make up the business case for major deployments of a wide range of services and applications. TAHI will show both service providers and the users of services the scope of what the future will bring. It will increase awareness and speed the take up of Broadband. Henley Rowing Museum Henley UK http://www.theapplicationhome.com/Private/Conf1117.html

  • Grokster and Mercora Team Up for P2P Radio

    Grokster, the peer-to-peer (P2P) software provider, and Mercora have rumours that Sony are interested in working with Grokster

    Grokster
    Mercora

  • AtomFilms And CustomFlix: DVD compilation service

    When I first used CDuctive in 1998, I was hugely excited. Using a Web browser, you could preview and select music tracks from different artists, pick the order of the tracks, pay for it and have it posted to you. The disks would arrive a short while later with a professionally printed cover, listing the selected tracks. I was so impressed with the idea, I thought the service was worth investing in.

    These days the idea doesn’t seem that revolutionary. Indeed it appears a little old-fashioned, having been outdated by music downloads.

    Today, AtomFilms and CustomFlix are announcing that they’ve got together to offer the video equivalent – DVD compilations of short films. Using CustomFlix’s Build-Your-Own DVD™ service (isn’t it amazing what you can trade mark these days), purchasers are able to choose up to 10 pieces, initially from a selection of 125 of AtomFilms’ shorts. There are a couple of limits – there cannot be more than a total of 90 minutes of footage onto one DVD and each video clip can be up to a maximum of 30 minutes long. In the same way that CDuctive worked, the disc’s content and packaging reflects the selected films. The disc then arrives in the post.

    It’s a good idea, a DVD duplication service combined with a content company, opening the market to those who don’t have sufficient bandwidth to view films online. Posting DVD’s is a very efficient method of bandwidth delivery. 4.7Gb of data transfer costs a lot more than the price of an envelope and a stamp.

    They label it a “major step forward in the distribution of on-demand”, which is stretching the concept of on-demand a little – with that logic anything you buy or rent is now on-demand.

    After a quick look, it is encouraging to see that it looks like the service is deliverable outside the US. An advantage, I assume, of the contracts signed by AtomFilms for the original material being delivered via the Internet – by definition they are likely to have global distribution rights.

    What is not clear is why there are only 125 films initially offered. Is it that Atom doesn’t have rights to physically distribute the other material or perhaps the material isn’t held, or even available in DVD quality?

    It’s hardly worth mentioning because it’s too obvious, but clearly when broad-broadband is universal, online distribution will significantly reduce the demand for services like this. We’re not there yet, and clearly many parts of the world are far from close to that, so this service does have the ability to last a while.

    There are advantages of buying it on DVD, over the future online delivery methods. The purchaser will own the DVDs content, free to play it on the device of their choosing and it will be DVD resolution, not a version compressed for download. If you go looking for CDuctive, I’m sad to see that it looks like it faded away – but that was six years ago.

    CustomFlix
    Atomfilms

  • European Music Rights: Hearing Today – Latest

    It’s been clear that retailing Digital Music in Europe has been a lot more complex to organise than in the US. Witness the slower rollout of European music services – EU challenges EU-wide music royalty structure).

    The collecting societies will be fighting their corner today at the hearing in Brussels. All involved hope this should go towards clarify the situation.

    Failure to fix clear, fair rules for online music licensing has “been the main obstacle in Europe” blocking faster development of online music services, said Lucy Cronin, executive director of the European Digital Media Association. Quoted from the IHT as they covered the build up

    Latest News 13:00 update

    The run of the events so far. First thing this morning the commission presented its objection and the collecting societies presented their disagreements. This was followed by Q&A session lead by the Commission when one of the issues re-examined was cross board monitoring.

    When we asked for an instant reaction to the situation, Lucy Cronin told Digital-Lifestyles “By lunchtime it doesn’t appear that the Commission are being swayed by the collecting societies arguments.”

    This afternoon the Interested Parties will have an opportunity to present.

    Following this hearing, the wheels of the Commission continue to turn. A report will be circulated for internal consultation. It is expected that it will be a couple of months until the EU ruling will be publicly announced.

    European Digital Media Association

  • Viagra to Use RFID to Highlight Fakes

    It has been claimed that 50% of the Viagra offered over the Internet is fake. Given this and the fact that Viagra had worldwide sales of nearly $1.9 billion last year, it pays Pfizer to protect its product.

    Pfizer have announced that by the end of next year they will be shipping Viagra bottles with Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags built in to them. The tiny RFID tags will give them the ability to trace the shipments from factory to shop, while giving the purchaser the confidence that the goods are genuine.

    The subject of RFID has proved controversial. Many businesses are enthused by the potential of the technology in further automating their supply chains while some groups feel that individuals privacy could be compromised the technology. If RFID tags were fitted to clothing, a shop would be able to ‘read’ which clothes a person was wearing as they walked through the door.

    It’s unclear whether purchasers of Viagra will be happy to walk around with a bottle that could be remotely detected.

    Pfizer

  • First 8Mb Broadband for UK Homes from UK Online

    UK Online are today launching the UK’s first 8Mb consumer DSL service. Called Broadband 8000, it will cost £39.99 per month and is subject to a £50 setup charge.

    The previous fastest consumer service in the UK was 4Mb but the vast majority of ADSL connections run at 512k, making Broadband 8000 sixteen times faster. Upload speeds remain at 400k matching higher speed services.

    UK Online, who were established in 1994, aim to offer the service to 230 exchanges spread around the UK during 2005. This will covers 18% of the UK population, or 4.4m homes.

    As of today, the 8Mb service is available from four exchanges; Walton-on-Thames, Surrey; Kingswood, East of Bristol; St Albans, Hertfordshire and Dinsdale in the Midlands.

    Alternatives to BT’s broadband service are possible due to “Local Loop Unbundling” (LLU), where other companies place their equipment in telephone exchanges. Working with their unbundling partner EasyNet, they are planning to convert 10 exchanges a week, with the other exchanges being chosen on a demand basis. Chris Stenning told us “we encourage people to pre-register at the site”. A smart and logical move on their part and one that BT used in the earlier days of broadband when choosing the exchanges it would convert.

    UK Online have wisely recognised that the broadband requirements have risen for many multi-occupancy households. As DSL users realise how much better the broadband experience is, their demand for usage increases. When a household has a number of members using the broadband connection at the same time, the currently standard 512k connection isn’t up to it.

    We’re big supporters of any service that increases bandwidth to consumers. The more bandwidth available, the more willing people will be to take their video entertainment from online sources.

    The real bandwidth hog is video, but as with all of these things, multi-room TVIP services will demand higher bandwidth than 8Mb per household.

    Justin Fielder, CTO of UK Online told us that 8Mb is the fastest service that can offered in the UK with current regulation. Faster services, such as ADSL 2+, would require approval from UK regulator, OFCOM. ADSL 2+ uses higher frequencies, so it needs to be ensured that these would not cause interference within the network. This process is currently being undertaken by OFCOM and when complete, promises speeds of up to 18-24Mb. Fielder tell us that upgrading their customers to that, would only require a software update at the exchange and a new modem which would be shipped to the customer.

    UK Online Broadband 8000

  • Music Downloads from Street Kiosk

    Inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN) has announced an electronic music vending Kiosk that will sit at locations around the UK/London. Members of the public will be able to insert a cash payment and once paid for, the electronic music will initially be downloaded using either a USB port, or by inserting an SD memory card into the machine. IBN feel (rightly) that wireless distribution will become dominant and are supporting Bluetooth and WiFi distribution of the content.

    The first cash download will take place on Wednesday at IBN’s office in Soho, London. Tracks will be £1. Following this, the kiosks will be rolled out around the UK starting with three mainline London train stations, Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo. We think the choice of these sites is ideal – commuters, bored of their current music selection will be able to charge their portable music players ready for the journey. IBN hope to get to 20,000 sites in the next two years.

    All of the music will be supplied by Entertainment UK, the largest supplier of physical music formats in the UK. It’s currently unclear if this partnership will see the kiosk located in the shops that Entertainment UK supplies physical goods to.

    The music will initially only be available in protected Windows Media format (WMA). IBN are also working on a system called ‘Linguist’ that they hope will translate between differing makes of DRM, while maintaining the contents protection. They are also ‘in discussions’ with Apple, which is strange. Inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN) is a subsidiary of Leisure Link Group (LLG), is the largest operator of coin-operated entertainment terminals in the UK. The Cloud, a WiFi access company is its sister company.

    Back in March IBN signed a deal with Ericsson to provider 5,000 WiFi access points in locations around the UK.

    Inspired Broadcast Networks

  • East Fork: Media Chipset for Home PC’s from Intel

    A chip set focused on providing home users with the ability to capture, manipulate and distribute digital audio and video content around a home network wirelessly is running through the rumour mill. It has been long anticipated.

    Intel recently dropped the launch of the 4GHz version of their P4 processor. Many commentators had been wondering what people were going to use all of that processing power for after chip speeds have spiralled upwards in the last few years. In discussion that we’ve had with senior Intel people, it has been clear that they don’t really know what to do with all of that power.

    Their new approach is to develop ranges of “platforms” – Centrino, the chipset designed for laptops being a good example. It has low-power use and WiFi built in.

    Reuters are reporting on project name “East Fork” will focus the power of the chips on providing and distributing and manipulating Audio and Video (AV) content around peoples home. Playing back AV content doesn’t take a huge amount of processing power, but capturing video and real-time encoding it, to distributed around the household does. The problem Intel faces with that is the media companies don’t want their content digitised, but they are addressing this with content protecting schemes.

    The Korean DigiTimes has information that the complete setup will be called “DH EF PCs”. Not too catchy, and we assume an internal name only, that stands for Digital Home East Fork PC.

  • Skype & Siemens Bring Wireless VoIP

    Siemens Gigaset M34 USB Adaptor SkypeSiemens have announced the availability of a range of handsets that work with VoIP (Voice over IP) software, Skype. Simply by plugging the USB adapter into a computer running an updated version of Skype, home and business users will be able to make calls using a cordless handset. Calls to other Skype users will be free and calls to International landlines can be made at very low cost using SkypeOut.

    For those of you who like model numbers – the Siemens Gigaset M34 USB PC adapter works with the recently launched Gigaset C340/345 and Gigaset CX340/345isdn, Gigaset S440/445 and Gigaset SX440/445isdn, Gigaset S645 and Gigaset SL440.

    The handset range is, in itself, pretty impressive featuring some with built-in cameras capable of sending MMS and others able to do Instant Messanging (IM). Remember, these are not cellular phones, but are for home or office use.

    When we spoke to Siemens they told us that you can walk into a shop in Germany and buy many of these handsets today. There are ongoing discussions with UK retailers and it’s likely that the M34 USB adaptor will be bundled with handsets – guide price £100 for the Gigaset C340/M34 bundle, with availability probably post-xmas.

    The real strength of this deal is that normal, average home users will be able to use VoIP, using a hand-set that is familiar to them. They won’t have to go to their computer to make a Skype call and dig deep into software.

    The deal was first announced in March at CeBIT 2004 and was originally slated for release in September. Reasons for the delay are currently unclear.

    We imagine that Skype must be pretty pleased with this deal. Not only do they enable people to use their service on a phone but it gives Skype a mainstream legitimacy that was previously lacking.

    What is slightly unexpected about this is that Siemens, a provider of POTS (Plain Old Telephone System), is voluntarily moving to VoIP. It is another clear sign of the acceptance from ‘old school’ telephony companies that VoIP is the way forward. Marketing-wise it’s a great way for them to shake off this old image and appear ‘down with the new tech kids’.

    We’ve been experimenting at the Digital Lifestyles studio with using a Bluetooth Jabra BT250v headset and a Belkin Bluetooth Adaptor to make Skype calls. On the whole it works, but the setup is definitely not consumer friendly as yet.

    Siemens Mobile – Gigaset M34 USB
    Skype