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OpenTV launches "OpenTV Broadband" initiative to offer complete, scalable, and currently deployable
digital interactive television solution to U.S. cable, satellite, and terrestrial operators (12OCT00) (OpenTV)
The news announcement quotes OpenTV's new president and chief operating officer James Ackerman as stating, "Interactive television is coming of age in the U.S. and we believe the OpenTV Broadband initiative provides digital networks a path to generate additional revenues via the television. In our view, OpenTV is the only ITV company that brings together technology, content and professional expertise in the format of integrated services that can deliver real, digital ITV solutions for today and tomorrow." - UPC Launches TV Set-Tops In Amsterdam: UPC using dual vendor strategy with set-top boxes from Philips and Motorola and middleware from Liberate and Microsoft (12OCT00) (Word Document) (UPC) (html.link)
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UPC set-top subscribers to receive digital package including Eurosport, four UPCtv channels, on-demand
foreign public channels, 40 digital music channels, near-video-on-demand movies, and EPG;
UPC also opens Digital Media Centre in Amsterdam (12OCT00) (Word Document) (UPC)
(html.link)
TV International also reports "UPC expects 35% of its customers to move to its digital services over the next five years." - BSkyB told by UK Dept. of Trade & Industry to give "clean feed" of premium pay-TV channels stripped of interactive elements to rival digital TV networks (12OCT00) (MediaGuardian)
- UK DTI says BSkyB can take sole control of British Interactive Broadcasting as long as BSkyB provides version of its premium TV channels without interactive elements (13OCT00) (Revolution)
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BSkyB to take sole control of British Interactive Broadcasting including operation of the Open interactive TV service
and says clean feed of premium TV channels is already provided (12OCT00) (Sky)
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Watch Out For Interactive TV Horse Racing: BSkyB, Channel 4, and Arena Leisure team up to form joint venture NewCo to
make bid on global TV, internet, and interactive rights for horseracing events including Royal Ascot and the Grand National
at 59 UK racecourses (12OCT00) (MediaGuardian)
MediaGuardian quotes Arena Leisure finance director Ian Penrose as stating, "Our partnership with Channel 4 and BSkyB combines all the necessary broadcasting, technology, interactive gaming and racing experience, expertise and contacts to develop UK racing as a truly global media and gaming product." -
BSkyB and Channel Four in competition with Carlton Communications to secure horseracing TV, internet and
interactive rights at 59 UK racetracks from the Racecourse Association (12OCT00) (link.changes) (HollywoodReporter)
- Monday October 16 FCC Digital TV Hearing Scheduled: FCC to hold hearing on broadcasters' obligations to serve kids in digital TV world, protecting kids from sexually explicit or violent TV programming, and using digital TV to better serve local communities (12OCT00) (FCC)
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FCC girds for possible heated digital TV hearings on Monday after week of FCC chairman remarks (13OCT00) (Variety)
- CNET's Yamamoto & Miles "Picture-Imperfect" discussion of "How Microsoft lost its vision with WebTV" (12OCT00) (CNET)
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After Reading CNET, Read Net4TV Interview With WebTV's Mark Mullen:
Net4TV talks with WebTV's Mark Mullen discussing WebTV, UltimateTV,
Echostar DishPlayer, MSN, PVRs, DSL, cable, broadband, home networking, and smartcards
(08OCT00) (Net4TV)
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NBC Saturday Morning TV Community-Building Using WebTV Plus: NBC and Microsoft WebTV Networks launch
"tNBC" enhanced TV community for NBC Saturday morning shows with chat, message bulletin boards, "t-mails," "t-mates" lists,
and clubs using WebTV Plus (11OCT00) (Microsoft)
(alt.link)
In the news announcement, NBC Saturday Morning and Family Programs vice president Lee Gaither is quoted as stating, "We see the tNBC block and our teen audience as an incubator for new media audience applications. The teen audience is always a clear indicator of where the technology is headed. We're very excited to be involved with new media partners like WebTV Networks." -
Microsoft releases patch fixes for Windows WebTV program guide software for PCs (12OCT00) (CNET)
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More On IDC "NetTV" Report: WorldGate says IDC forecast for interactive television is low (12OCT00) (link.changes)
(HollywoodReporter)
(alt.link)
(alt.link)
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) quotes WorldGate chairman and CEO Hal Krisbergh as stating "There are 12 million (cable) boxes out there doing at least one (interactive function). A year from now there will be 20 million." IDC's report "NetTV Market Forecast and Analysis 1999-2004" forecasts slow growth with 10 million-plus in the U.S. by 2004 and 19.5 million worldwide in 2004. As for current numbers, THR quotes Carmel Group analyst Jim Stroud as stating, "The U.S. has 1 million users. The U.K. has around 4 million users, France has 2.5 million."
The news item from THR illustrates a lack of consensus on what is interactive TV. THR cites Stroud as indicating the title of the IDC report shows a lack of standard terminology. Quoting Stroud, "They're calling it NetTV, which implies that they're connected to the Internet" when "not all interactive television is Internet-based." (This is not new since the IDC terminology follows previous IDC reports such as can be seen in the "Review and Forecast of the Worldwide Net TV Marketplace 1997-2002" of an older 1998 IDC report.) Also compare what THR reports as IDC's "core functionalities" for interactive TV (which appear to be internet-centric with email, chat, calendars, ecommerce, games, and targeted information) with WorldGate CEO Krisbergh's "main functions" of IPG (or EPG), VOD, Internet TV (or internet-on-TV), and enhanced TV. -ruel - IDC report abstract: "NetTV Market Forecast and Analysis 1999-2004" (Aug2000) (IDC)
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IDC report table of contents: "NetTV Market Forecast and Analysis 1999-2004" (Aug2000) (IDC)
- ReplayTV brings in Viant to help build MyReplayTV remote-control website expected to debut in November (12OCT00) (Variety)
- Viant also responsible for branding strategies and optimizing user experience at MyReplayTV website (12OCT00) (Viant)
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Placeholder Website In Place: MyReplayTV to debut in November 2000 (12OCT00) (MyReplayTV)
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Boots and Granada Media to launch interactive TV channel and website for health and beauty (12OCT00) (Netimperative)
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Broadband May Impact Selling Rights Abroad If UK Channel 4 Has Webcast Rights:
Channel 4 in UK requires independent producers to hand over webcasting rights for TV shows (12OCT00) (MediaGuardian)
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Going After Niche Audiences: CanalWeb UK to launch in 1Q Y2001 to webcast special interest TV programming (12OCT00) (Netimperative)
When comparing webcasting and interactive TV, Netimperative quotes CanalWeb managing director Mathew Horsman as stating, "I do think that iTV is very clunky right now, but it is increasingly becoming less clunky. And, inevitably you do compete for leisure time." -
Audiences still too small for internet media websites for video and music to get any venture funding for a while
(12OCT00) (Mercury.Reuters)
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Oh Well, He Can't Even Find His Remote Control: Bill McCloskey says
"Hear me now, and believe me later, Interactive TV is going nowhere"
(11OCT00) (ClickZ)
Maybe ClickZ's Bill McCloskey will like the eRemote in the next couple of links. -
Ruel's Spotlight Website: eRemote Wireless Control (12OCT00) (WindRiver)
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Wind River Systems gives "Cool Customer Design" award to the eRemote
second-screen interactive television device (10OCT00) (WindRiver)
The news announcement states, "eRemote is more than just a personal programming guide - it's an interactive second screen for the television. eRemote enables family members to continue watching television uninterrupted while someone else is previewing programs, browsing the Internet, or participating in interactive television features such as e-commerce, web links, interactive polling, or games." -
Xinhua News Agency headline says "Shenzhen to Become Digital TV Industry Base" in China (12OCT00)
(link may change) (Xinhua)
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Taiwan Broadband Launch: GigaMedia rolls out two-way cable internet access in Taipei City, Kaohsiung City,
and Taoyuan County (12OCT00) (TaipeiTimes)
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First Of Several Agreements With Providers: Best Buy electronics retail stores to begin selling AT&T
Broadband services including digital cable TV service and high-speed cable internet service (11OCT00)
(NYTimes.Reuters)
(alt.link)
(alt.link)
Reuters quotes Best Buy spokeswoman Joy Harris as stating, "This is the first of several agreements Best Buy will have with various broadband providers. The goal is for Best Buy to give customers choices."
It's going to be like buying cell phones at the electronics store. Microsoft and Radio Shack are doing something similar on the DSL side. DirecTV is selling satellite boxes and service at Blockbuster video stores. Cablevision has their plans with The Wiz stores. It's all part of the convenient consumer electronics model that people are comfortable with: Just go into the retail store and buy the product and service that you want. As previously mentioned on this webpage, this is what happened with wired phones after deregulation and with wireless phones. Something like this was bound to happen on the interactive TV side. And you should see why the wireless folks want to plug set-top boxes into their distribution chains of retail stores and shopping mall kiosks. -ruel - Best Buy customers can research and sign up for AT&T digital cable service and internet service at Best Buy in-store kiosks (11OCT00) (Mediaweek.DowJones)
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AT&T Broadband sees wide range of retail consumer electronics for sale and operating on AT&T Broadband network
(11OCT00) (PRN)
The news announcement quotes AT&T Broadband marketing senior vice president Doug Seserman as stating, "Ultimately, we envision a wide range of consumer electronics devices available for purchase at retail that will operate on AT&T Broadband's network." -
Video-Based Ecommerce: BTopenworld's Ben Andradi says "Personal broadcasting is the future of the Internet"
(11OCT00) (MediaGuardian)
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Oftel finds 10% increase in digital TV usage over past 3 months to cover 21% of homes in UK,
plus increases of 10% for internet access and 15% for email use in UK homes with digital TV (11OCT00) (Netimperative)
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Nogatech develops USBvision NT1006 chip with integrated live digital video and audio capture capabilities
for multi-function digital video devices including digital video cameras, digital still cameras, and PC digital video cameras
(12OCT00) (EinSite)
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Lucent to integrate TriMedia 32bit TM32 VLIW processor core into system-on-a-chip to
power residential gateways, set-top boxes, and other network access devices (11OCT00) (Lucent)
(alt.link)
(alt.link)
(related.link)
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Web2U Set-Top News: MSU 4Q year-end highlights include Web2U expansion into India, Africa, and Australia,
intro of version 3 of Web2U set-top box with proprietary ISP3 chip, and Flextronics manufacturing agreement for
set-top box version 3 (11OCT00) (PRN)
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Dee Van Enterprise Ltd. to design and manufacture set-top boxes based on EnReachTV2 technology
for worldwide distribution (11OCT00) (PRN)
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