Douglas L Ross: Enhanced Television

Online Journalism Review

Mon, 11 Aug 2003 21:43:16 GMT

The Online Journalism Review is taking notice of blogging and some of the other implications of changing technology. Here are three articles

Participatory Journalism http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1060218311.php

Personal Broadcasting http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1060223904.php

When Bloggers Commit Journalism http://www.ojr.org/ojr/lasica/1032910520.php

Sexiest Man In America

Mon, 11 Aug 2003 19:10:26 GMT

ABC recently launched it's "Search for the sexiest man in America" contest in conjunction with TV show All My Children [ http://amc.tcsinteractive.com/phase3/index.cfm ] . The contest is comparable to some of BSkyB's iTV programs in the UK. Consumers can use their cell phones to vote by sending a premium text message to the show. [This requires a subscription to premium text messaging plus a transaction charge $0.50 per message.]

This is something of a milestone. It is the first time in the USA that we have seen a linkage between a television program and the use of cellular telephone text messaging premium services.

How Do Teenagers Spend Their Time

Wed, 06 Aug 2003 15:07:04 GMT

A number of news media have been reporting that Harris Interactive and Teenage Research Unlimited studies show that "the Internet has surpassed television in overall time spent to become the primary medium of choice among the 13-24 age group."

According to an article in PubZone [ http://www.pubzone.com/newsroom/2003/1x20030730x085831.cfm ] quoting the study results: "an average week for the teens and young adults includes 16.7 hours online (excluding email); 13.6 hours watching TV; 12 hours listening to radio; 7.7 hours talking on the phone; six hours reading books and magazines (personal, not academic). "

Carat On ITV Advertising

Wed, 06 Aug 2003 15:01:04 GMT

Carat has an interesting little item on their web site.

Is interactive TV advertising a lost dream?

09-Mar-2003

To many observers, interactive TV is starting to look like an unfulfilled marketing revolution. Potentially, iTV can bring a new dimension to advertising by adding relationship-building and transaction to what is already the most powerful brand-building medium. But operators' financial problems, over-promised and under-delivered technology and poor communication of digital's benefits have stalled mass take-up by consumers. With the current mismatch between potential and reality, is it worth investing time and money in interactive advertising?

Evidence collected by Carat strongly suggests that it is, and that iTV advertising can already deliver marketing ROI.

Although almost no-one switches to digital TV for the interactive services, Carat research with Netpoll has found that once people have access to them, they use them to an increasing degree.

Autonomy Acquires Virage

Thu, 10 Jul 2003 12:24:45 GMT

Autonomy (Nasdaq: AUTN) announced the purchase of a small company called Virage (Nasdaq-SCM: VRGE) which they apparently intend to integrate with their existing Dremedia division. Dremedia software uses Autonomy's Intelligent Data Operating LayerTM (IDOL) technology and enhances it by providing a technology platform that automatically analyzes, understands, and manipulates video and audio content.

Acquiring Virage adds a software product suite that covers the creative side of video production, Internet publishing and webcasting. Virage is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and was established in 1995. It's products include:

VS ProductionTM for professional video production
VS PublishingTM for developing content into compelling Internet programming
VS WebcastingTM for planning and producing interactive, live and on-demand webcasts

The company has ~400 customers including: Cisco Systems, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard University, NASCAR, Oracle Corporation, Pfizer, the United States Senate, Xerox and others. www.virage.com.

Here's an article in The Register about the acquisition. Autonomy swoops on Virage. Video Play [The Register]

Microsoft Signs OpenCable Agreement

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 19:29:12 GMT

Microsoft announced that they've signed the OCAP agreement with Cable Labs. Here's what they say about it:

"Microsoft has agreed to contribute pertinent intellectual property rights to the OpenCable™ project, including the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP™) software project. In addition, Microsoft and CableLabs have agreed to work together to explore the potential of adding .NET common language infrastructure (CLI) to a future version of OCAP "

Microsoft At NCTA

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 19:10:46 GMT

Yesterday at NCTA, Microsoft introduce Microsoft^® TV Foundation Edition what they descirbe as "a new digital TV software platform designed to help cable operators get more value from on-demand and other digital TV services"

They simultaneously announced support (http://www.microsoft.com/tv/mstvIndustrySupportPR.mspx) for the platform from cable industry vendors Motorola, Inc., SeaChange, Concurrent Computer Corp., MetaTV Inc., Two Way TV Ltd. and Advanced Digital Broadcast Ltd.

They also announced a customer win (http://www.microsoft.com/tv/cablevisionselectsmspr.mspx) for the software platform with Televisa's Cablevision (CVC) subsidiary, one of Mexico City's largest cable MSO with ~450k subscribers announcing that they will adopt it.

Sony's Streaming IP TV Set

Fri, 04 Apr 2003 19:43:37 GMT

Sony TV would grab streams from the Net. The company is developing a plasma screen TV set that's intended to tune in streaming video from home networks and the Internet as easily as regular TV programs, sources say. [CNET News.com]

BBC's Celebdaq Celebrity Trading Game

Thu, 06 Mar 2003 14:23:43 GMT

The basic principal is that clelbrities are traded on an exchange like stocks. Their value is influenced by player trading which in turn is influenced by, among other things, what the BBC broadcasts every Friday night at 10:30pm on BBC3. A very clever idea and apparently a sensation in the UK. Here's the link to the Celebdaq website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq/index.shtml

Supreme Court On Spam

Thu, 06 Mar 2003 13:50:26 GMT

Foes lock horns in Web filtering case. The Supreme Court hears arguments to decide whether a law aimed at installing Net filters on public library systems balances free speech with the need to restrict porn. [CNET News.com]

Tablet PCs

Tue, 04 Mar 2003 18:55:43 GMT

Planet PDA magazine says Tablet PCs will "revive the PC market?" http://www.planetpdamag.com/content/030403rt.htm

Game Show Network Working With GoldPocket On One-Screen ITV

Tue, 04 Mar 2003 15:36:59 GMT

TV Week.com is reporting that the Game Show Network is looking to do interactive applications in the one-screen [as apposed to two-screen TV/PC approach] to take advantage of all the digital settop boxes that are already deployed. http://www.tvweek.com/technology/030303gameshow.html

Interactive Application That's Working

Mon, 03 Mar 2003 13:53:21 GMT

Reaching Out to the Multitasking Modern Teenager. The digital cable channel MuchMusic USA is betting that it can get people watching its shows by having them log on at the same time. By J. D. Considine. [New York Times: Technology]

Marc Canter [Inventor of Macromedia Director and Flash]

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 16:41:43 GMT

A conversation with Marc Canter by by Jonathan Peterson including such subjects as "The Death of Interactive Televisions" and more...

Part I http://www.corante.com/amateur/articles/20030211-3564.html

Part II http://www.corante.com/amateur/articles/20030217-3668.html

Nielsen On-line Gaming Study

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 20:07:05 GMT

Nielsen says on-line gaming doubled in Europe last year.

Discovery Channel International To Use NDS iRespond ITV Production Suite

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 18:54:00 GMT

NDS has focused on a suite of products [called Value@TV] designed to simplify the production of interactive content.