Technology meets people.

September 2009 Blog Posts (11)

The Picture Phone

When I was a kid, the futuristic vision of telecommunications was the picture phone. We'd all be able to hear and see whoever we were talking to. The traditional phone company may have introduced such a device but I never heard about it...and it was Ma Bell (AT&T or BellSouth) who I had always considered the phone company.

Several months ago, I finally ditched my landline in favor of my… Continue

Added by Julie Rains on September 30, 2009 at 9:23pm — 1 Comment

Death of Television

I'm a huge fan of Hulu.com and any other website that allows me to watch shows/movies instantly. The only drawback right now is the limited availability of titles. However, as more shows get added to the Hulu catalogue and DVDs begin to be replaced with on demand or Interent viewing, cable and regular television with find themselves six feet under. Maybe not the networks themselves, but shows will no longer be "aired"--they will be posted; movies will not be rented--they will be downloaded for… Continue

Added by Chad Riley on September 30, 2009 at 7:48pm — No Comments

Anti-virus Software Comparisons

The new report for the detection of malicious code by anti-virus software products has been posted by AV-Comparatives.

AV Comparatives is an authority on computer anti-virus vendor comparisons.

The following vendors have been tested, compared, and rated in this edition;

avas!, AVG, AVIRA, BitDefender, eScan, ESET, F-Secure, G Data,

Kaspersky, Kingsoft, McAfee, Microsoft OneCare, Norman, Sophos,

Symantec, and Trustport.

This report can be found… Continue

Added by Michael Whalen on September 28, 2009 at 1:40pm — No Comments

Media and Audience Measurement Across Multiple Screens: CIMM Tries to Lead the Fray

A consortium of at least 14 big name companies that are leading television content providers, advertising agencies, consumer products and goods companies and network service providers primarily has formed what is initially called the “Coalition for Innovative Media Management – CIMM”. Prominent within the grouping includes company names like Time Warner, ABC/ESPN/Disney, Interpublic Group, News Corporation, Viacom, Starcom MediaVest Group, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, AT&T, WPP/GroupM,… Continue

Added by Robert A. Clark on September 28, 2009 at 11:19am — No Comments

Standards Emerging for Hybrid OTT Video Devices

In a nod to the growing impact over-the-top (OTT) video is having on the Pay TV market, new standards bodies are emerging, with Europe leading the way. This is no surprise as Europe has for years been implementing various hybrid set-top-box (STB) solutions, leveraging a mix of IPTV, satellite, cable, and over-the-air (OTA) technologies depending on the competitive and regulatory environment in each country. For example, in the U.K free-to-air… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on September 23, 2009 at 12:30am — 2 Comments

Long Live the Book?

It's "Fall Cleaning" time! All you at-home moms know what I mean. The kids are back at school and so they can't stop you from clearing out the "junk" from their drawers, closests, and - if you dare - under their beds. The clearing out of our bookshelves comes at a good time given that my son's preschool teacher just asked for book donations for their recently added classroom.

In my clearing out, I came across a book that I mentioned to a friend. Yesterday, I put it in an envelope and… Continue

Added by Mary Pat on September 22, 2009 at 11:18pm — 2 Comments

EPIX Megaplex to Compete in Online Movie Streaming Segment

EPIX Megaplex to Compete in Online Movie Streaming Segment

Look out Amazon, Netflix and Apple TV, here comes Epix Megaplex, a new streaming movie service, that’s looking to give you a run for your money.

EPIX is a new premium entertainment service that expects to launch in October 2009. It was formed as a joint venture by Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF ), and expects to… Continue

Added by Patti A. Reali on September 21, 2009 at 6:51pm — No Comments

OTT Delivery Strategies: The Platform Vs. TV Everywhere Vs. Fancast Vs. ???

One of the signs that we are early in the emerging over the top (OTT) video market is the fact that it seems pretty much every player in the space— content owners, video sites, device manufacturers, and service providers— all seem to be embracing multiple simultaneous hedge strategies.

Case in point #1: Comcast. An outside observer would be hard pressed to sum up the cable giant’s OTT strategy. The company has already invested… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on September 10, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Back to School with Eviant Portable Digital TVs: Are Rabbit Ears Back?

Back in the day, when you went off to college you usually brought with you whatever you could scrounge from home— silverware, a dresser, maybe an old couch, and if you were lucky the old TV from the basement. Now that TV broadcasts have changed over from analog to digital, that old TV doesn’t cut it anymore. So as a shout-out to my nephews Dan, Ben, and Nick and my nieces Molly and Allison who all started their college careers this week, we take a… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on September 8, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Cutting the Cable Cord... But Not Just Yet

Since five children and four televisions have entered our home over the last eight years we have decided to cut the cord that I may find most difficult. The cord I am referring to is the cable cord that feeds our television the much needed nutrients of content (100s of channels).

Let me indulge myself with a little reminiscing from the good old days of TV time with the family. I grew up watching television with my mom, dad and brother. It was an event each night that we all looked… Continue

Added by Kirsten on September 1, 2009 at 8:30pm — 1 Comment

Protecting Online Photos

Stories abound of pictures being ‘borrowed’ from online family albums or Facebook for various fraudulent purposes. There was the Massachussetts mother who found their child’s photo on a Craig’s list adoption scam and numerous cases of… Continue

Added by Michael Whalen on September 1, 2009 at 11:23am — No Comments