UK

Traffic Vizzion Streams Traffic Cameras To Smartphones
US firm Vizzion have announced the introduction of their innovative traffic-watching system “Traffic Vizzion” to eleven areas in the UK.
The system streams roadside and traffic camera videos to smartphones, letting drivers check the route ahead for congestion or other problems.
Users can browse cameras by region, and those with a Bluetooth enabled cell phone and GPS can use the “Watch Road Ahead” feature in Traffic Vizzion to monitor cameras directly ahead.
The display continuously updates to show the next camera up ahead, with no button presses or scrolling required.
GPS users can also call up a “Find Nearby Cameras” function to list cameras close to their current location, and then select and view any camera from the list in the hope of finding the best way out of a jam.
Insisting that Vizzion is in fact pronounced ‘vision’, the company’s cheap’n’cheerful Website lists the 11 locations across the UK where the system will initially be available:
Berkshire: Reading area
Glamorgan: Cardiff, Swansea areas
Greater London: 9 London areas
Hampshire: Southampton, Winchester areas
Lanarkshire: Glasgow area
Midlothian: Edinburgh area
Monmouthshire: Newport area
Nottinghamshire: Nottingham area
South Yorkshire: Sheffield area
Traffic Vizzion runs on Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphones, and relies on a working Internet connection (e.g. GPRS), with a Bluetooth GPS device required for the added features.
There’s a free two week trial available from their website, with the regular subscription costing $5 (£3) per month, billable to MasterCard or Visa.
Naturally, you’d also have to add on any data transfer fees from your network provider.
Traffic Vizzion
11 January, 2006
Stephen Carter Leaving Ofcom?
In an update to this story, Ofcom confirm Carter to leave
A reasonably insightful interview with Ofcom’s Stephen Carter by Maggie Brown in Monday’s Guardian. There is a suggestion that Carter is looking to move on – which would mean that the implementation of many of the key recommendations/agreements from the various strategic reviews he has overseen will fall to someone else (most likely – Ofcom’s COO – Ed Richards).
Brown suggests that Carter will be judged by the decisions he has taken in regard to ITV – particularly the decision to scale back ITV regional programming obligations. In reality I think the industry – both media and telecoms – are likely to judge Carter by the regulatory settlement he got out of BT.
However, interesting to note the use of what Carter refers to as the “‘soft power’ of influence” in regard to decisions taken on ITV. Apparently others – including the ‘independent’ Content Board’ – favoured a different approach on scale backing PSB obligations but didn’t get their way.
Other interesting points from the article –
- 1. Production Supply Market Review – which is published tomorrow. Carter says Ofcom has not tried to rewrite the ITC’s ‘terms of trade’ agreement made in 2003. He states,
  “We will make it clear that we are not intending to redraw the terms of trade on a short-term basis or whim, given that they have had a relatively short period of time to bite. The 2003 agreement will stand.” Asked for his views about the seven-day window agreed between the BBC and Pact, the independent producers’ body, he says: “It is too electric a subject to speculate on.”
- 2. BBC – Carter stands by Ofcom’s position that the licence fee money should be ‘contestable’. This reiterates the advice of the independent Burns’ Panel who looked at the BBC structure and funding. However, the government didn’t go with it in the Green Paper on the BBC’s future, and it is unlikely to be in the White Paper. In my opinion this is also the right thing to do- although there will be plenty of people who disagree.
It will be interesting to see where Carter moves – if he does – my money would be on BSkyB (or News Corporation). Of course there will always be a role for him at Ofcomwatch – if he fancied a hands on role in new media.
Luke Gibbs is a co-founder of OfcomWatch
Ofcom
11 January, 2006
Over A Third Of UK Mobile Users Send Picture Messages
A new UK survey shows a dramatic increase in the use of picture messaging with WAP also growing in popularity.
The results of a survey conducted by mobile media company Enpocket and Harris Interactive for Q4 2005 show that 36% of mobile owners now use their phones to send and receive picture messages, up from 21% at the same period last year.
MMS usage levels have soared over the last year amongst the tech-savvy 18-34 age group, and doubled in all age groups above 34 years old.
With easy headlines in mind, these studies always like to break the figures down by sex, so we can tell you that women are more keen on using MMS, with 40% using the medium compared to just 33% of blokes.
When it comes to seeking mobile information online, it’s the geezers who are keenest to get their keypads rattling, with 38% accessing mobile Internet (WAP) sites compared to 26% of ladies.
Overall, a third of all mobile users are ready and willing to get WAP’ing, with the technology becoming mainstream amongst 18-24 year olds (61% saying they had recently used the mobile internet) and increasingly popular with 25-34 year olds (50%).
“Mobile as a communications medium is getting richer and a lot more exciting,” said Mike Baker, President and CEO, Enpocket, before going on to plug his company with gusto (we ignored that bit).
Elsewhere, the Mobile Data Association have calculated that WAP page impressions are now approaching the 2 billion per month mark, with the Mobile Media Monitor revealing the most popular types of site on the mobile internet.
Not surprisingly, those infernal ringtone sites are the most popular with 48% of WAP surfers visiting one or more in the last three months, followed by news sites (41%), games sites (36%), sports sites (33%), entertainment sites (31%) and weather sites (28%) with just 6% seeking small screen titillation from adult sites.
Lots of buzzwords available at the Enpocket site
11 January, 2006
ITV: Takeover Rumors, Poss BT
Speculators with a wad of cash might like to consider convert said cash into an ITV plc share holding in the next few days some feel.
Rumors in the city on Friday that BT was seriously considering making a bid for the UK’s top-rated commercial broadcaster have already driven the ITV share-price up. While this particular risk adverse suitor might not make the deal, ITV is looking an increasingly attractive proposition to a variety of companies.
Even without a takeover, ITV has been tipped by financial commentators to outperform the sector having come out the other side of a restructuring process as a more focused media company.
BT, despite having previously stated that it has no desire to enter the content market, needs to consider the competition from both BSkyB and a revitalised NTL. This could force BT’s into making an early move before other predatory companies come out of the shadows but will need to balance this against the cost of such an acquisition.
Google has already done a deal with ITN, part owned by ITV (and its contracted news provider), to access the company’s extensive archives and is busy beefing up an alliance to take on Microsoft and Yahoo.
Away from the ‘Search goliaths’, mobile companies also see an opportunity in DVB-H TV services. This would provide revenues but the mobile operators would be in a position where they’d need to split revenues with broadcasters or content owners. Perhaps they would like to get a hold of a strong broadcaster to pay for those expensive licenses?
Unlike Sky, which is principally a broadcast platform owner and call centre operator, ITV actually has what companies with desires to be fully-grown media giants badly need; content and a fifty year plus heritage of making TV programmes.
Until a financially-pressed Chancellor of the Exchequer looks at the anomaly that is the Channel 4 company (effectively a state owned UK TV company), there’s not a lot else available in Europe that sustains close scrutiny. The UK’s Channel 5 is embedded with RTL and it is unlikely that the BBC will be considered for privatisation until after the next Royal Charter is granted.
In the current frenzy of consolidation, ITV a relative minnow in global terms is sure-fire shark bait to Telcos, mobile operators and Internet giants.
9 January, 2006
Sky Broadband UK Delivery, With Microsoft Surprise
Interestingly, after Sky made a decision to use a non-Microsoft solution for its HD TV service in the UK, Bill Gates has revealed a deal has been done between BSkyB and Microsoft that will enable Sky’s UK subscribers to access a “Video on Demand” service using Microsoft Media Centre”.
The agreement, which will allow Sky content to be made available to subscribers over a broadband connection, is likely to worry the major UK telco, BT, who is also planning a UK video on demand service for 2006.
Mr Gates, speaking in the keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, evangelised the “arrival of the much-trailed ‘digital lifestyle’” (which of course, we here at Digital Lifestyles just loved when Bill started using it at last years CES).
The deal dovetails nicely into Sky’s acquisition of the Easynet ISP and creates a powerful alliance between a content focused Sky and the technology titan Microsoft.
Sky’s asked us to drop by next Tuesday to run through a demonstration of the product and give an outline of where they’re going with it. Expect more details.
6 January, 2006
BBC Open News Archive Goes Online
The BBC has announced its Open News Archive, making archive news reports freely available to the UK public to download and use for free in their own creative works.
Included amongst the initial offering of around 80 online reports will be footage from important events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, Beijing’s Tiananmen Square protest, the Poll Tax riots, the Piper Alpha disaster and Nelson Mandela’s release.
Made available under the terms of the recently-launched Creative Archive Licence, the footage can be viewed, downloaded, edited and mixed by UK residents – so long as it’s for non-commercial programming (there’s also several other caveats that budding film makers should read first here.)
The clips will be made available in QuickTime, Windows Media, MPEG1 and MP3 formats to ensure a wide audience, and will cover stories from the past 50 years.
Helen Boaden, Director, BBC News, said: “This trial is an important step in allowing us to share with our audiences the extraordinary news archive which the BBC has recorded over the years. We look forward to getting their reaction.”
Paul Gerhardt, project director of the Creative Archive Licence Group, added, “The BBC’s telling of those stories is part of our heritage, and now that the UK public have the chance to share and keep them we’re keen to know how they will be used.”
The BBC already offer nearly a hundred clips in their Radio 1 Superstar VJ archive, and are expected to be releasing further content over its websites in the coming months.
BBC Open News Archive
4 January, 2006
BBC iMP Trial Extended – Trialist React
The BBC has decided to extend the trial for the iMP Player until 28th February 2006, telling trialists that the extra time will enable it to “understand what you want from the service and how you are using it”. A new upgrade of the software is due to be rolled out to the participating trialists in January.
Once this is over, the data from the trial will be processed to form a ‘Public Value Test’. That will then be put to the BBC Governors, who will use this to make a decision on the viability of launching a service.
We’ve had mixed report from iMP trialists, which we found surprising – we thought everyone would be totally wowed by it, watching it 24 hours a day.
The not-watching-24-hours-a-day could be explained by the frustration felt by a lot of trialist – that the content available is somewhat limited choice, and the content’s seven day expiry time.
Content-wonks, like us and we suspect you, are aware that these limitations are a result of the need to negotiate and pay for the rights to distribute Radio & TV content via the Internet. Members of the public, who have other lives to lead, are naturally less aware of the reasons for the restrictions.
Frankly it is easier (and cheaper) to obtain the relevant permissions for BBC content, than independently produced content and brought in content, such as films.
The BBC’s reaction to such sniping is consistent, if not a little bland
- This is a research trial
- Their main focus is to assess the impact that iMP has on viewing habits
- They want to understand if there’s possible appetite for such a service
We think that providing a good range of high-quality content is a key to encourage users to try out the iMP and importantly, keep them using the application during the trial. Otherwise interest will fade – which is the experience we’ve heard from many trialists.
Questions have been also raised on the iMP users forum about the integrity of the Microsoft DRM software, designed to limit the use and copying of the downloaded programmes. Strong security will be key, if the service is to be widened to include non-BBC content.
It will be interesting to see if the service survives, and how the BBC’s own commercial trading unit “BBC Worldwide” reacts, having signed a content deal with BT whose own service is due to launch in 2006.
BBC iMP
21 December, 2005
Boomerang Box Offers High Accuracy UK Tracking System
Cambridge outfit, HD Positions, have launched their ‘Boomerang Box’ device, a new low cost, high accuracy positioning system which locates vehicles and other valuable assets.
The Boomerang Box is a robustly constructed device with two year battery life and low installation cost, and it can be bolted into vehicles or containers or just slapped in the drivers seat.
Powered by Cambridge Positioning Systems (CPS) Matrix technology, the system uses the Orange UK network and provides coverage all over the UK – including inside buildings and containers – with a claimed accuracy of less than 100m.
Back in Febuary this year, we covered CPS’s work with Nokia to bring their mPosition System to market.
There’s a growing demand for location based services letting companies keep a watchful eye on the whereabouts of valuable moveable assets like trailers, cars, motorcycles, caravans etc (maybe they’ll stick them on employees soon so they know when they’re skiving off in the boozer?).
The service works by HD Positions supplying the interface to Matrix, facilitating related Machine to Machine (M2M) services, including network connectivity, billing and support.
Nigel Chadwick, director of HD Positions commented that the market for high accuracy positioning systems has been held back by a number of factors including poor area coverage, prohibitive purchase, fitting and operating costs, power consumption, and slow and inconsistent location reporting.
Clearly chuffed with his new product, he continued, “The Matrix system, combined with the latest devices now appearing on the market provide consistent and high accuracy positioning with high speed reporting at low cost, and as such are increasingly deemed by management teams as an essential and viable element of asset management and risk reduction.”
We tried to find a picture of the actual Boomerang Box, hopeful that it would be an amusing looking thing that would spice up this rather dull report, but there was nothing to be found on their Website.
So here’s a picture of a frankly disturbing fluffy cat called ‘boomerang’ that we found on the Web instead.
Retreve
19 December, 2005
ITV News Channel To Close
Sad to report that UK News organisation ITN has decided to end its ITV News Channel. Despite much favourable comment, they feel that there’s no room in ITV’s multi-channel world for a dedicated News Channel and the channel will close in January.
In a move that will rattle confidence at the news providers Gray’s Inn Road headquarters, the rumour mill has been in overdrive despite the announcement having been widely predicted for some time. It’s still likely to leave a hollow feeling in the stomach of staffers there in the run up to Christmas.
With the launch of ITV 4 in November, a scarcity of resources on Freeview forced a cut in the ITV news Channel to 12 hours per day. This immediately called in to question the channel’s long-term survival and with a recent re-launch of Sky News, the ITV news service looked increasingly marginalised.
ITV, under the leadership of Charles Allen, seems set to jettison its remaining Public Service commitments after digital switchover and, unless ITN becomes 100% owned by ITV, there’s a real danger that ITV will make a deal for a budget news service, leaving ITN in a position where it lacks the critical mass of BBC News 24 and Sky News.
Both Mark Wood, current ITN Chief Executive, and his predecessor, Stewart Purvis, have attempted to reinvent ITN with News deals to mobiles and other ‘new media’ but it looks like the 50 year old commercial news provider is facing hard times ahead.
ITN
ITV News Channel
14 December, 2005
65.9% of UK Households Watching Digital TV
Ofcom has published its Digital Television Update for the third quarter of 2005, revealing that two thirds of UK households now watch digital television.
The figures show that digital television was viewed in 65.9% of UK households (up from 63.0% in the previous quarter), with 2.6% of households receiving television services via analogue cable, bringing the total receiving some form of multi-channel television to around 68.5%.
By the end of September 2005, the total number of households viewing digital television swelled by more than 760,000 to around 16.5 million, with more than 6.3 million free-to-view digital households (Freeview/free-to-view satellite).
The number of households with Freeview as their only source of digital television viewing was estimated at 5,775,000 – up by 600,000 homes during the quarter.
Sales of Freeview (Digital Terrestrial Television or DTT) set-top boxes and televisions with integrated DTT tuners are booming, with more than one million sales registered during the quarter – a whopping 55% increase against the same quarter last year.
During the same period, BSkyB notched up another 48,000 subscribers, bringing its total number of UK subscribers to 7,472,000, with Ofcom estimating that there are also around 545,000 free-to-view digital satellite homes (this includes viewers who no longer fork out for a BSkyB subscription but still use the box for the freebie channels).
Digital cable subscribers now account for more than 2.6 million of the total cable television homes, increasing by more than 43,300 in the quarter, while subscriptions to analogue and digital cable television decreased slightly to just below 3.3 million in the quarter (due to a fall in analogue cable subscribers outweighing the increase in digital cable subscriptions).
This healthy take-up of digital television will be encouraging news for the government who are committed to a digital switchover between 2008 and 2012.
Ofcom Digital Television Update – 2005 Q3 [pdf]
12 December, 2005