Ugh. I just finished reading Ian Brown’s recap of the Digital Rights Management conference in London, and boy, the future of free flowing digital media doesn’t look good. It turns out that next on the horizon is hack-proof digital media watermarking. So, even if a hacker is able to break encryption on media, the watermark will serve as a last line of defense when trying to playback content on a media player that recognizes and upholds watermarks. No doubt that the watermark will also contain personally identifiable information that can be traced to the original owner who purchased the content through an online service. MORE »

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Ah, Man. Did I call it or did I call it? Last November, when Google sponsored and attended the Southern California Linux Expo, I predicted that Google would be piggy backing on Debian GNU/Linux if they were to release a desktop OS. Mind you, I wasn’t making such a prediction in a favorable light. In fact, I said: “I hate companies that take open-source projects and rebrand them for their benefit and pawn them off as the next big thing. Yes, I know there are many Linux distros that are based on Debian, but a big player like Google getting in on the action just rubs me the wrong way.” Well, it’s official, The Register reports that Google in partnership with Ubuntu (based on Debian GNU/Linux) will soon be releasing a Desktop Linux project called “Goobuntu” (screenshot - yuck, if this is real). MORE »

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Searching through TV news Web sites for just what you want can be frustrating, as most broadcast sites only offer search based on the descriptive text associated with each segment. For lengthy interviews and features, zeroing in on content that is relevant to the searcher can mean long downloads and longer playing times, only to find out that the information sought wasn’t there. Searching based on the limited text describing each file can mean that meaningful mentions of search terms can be missed altogether. Using TVEyes’ free TV search engine at www.tveyes.com, users can be certain they’ve found exactly what they are looking for by instantly playing video snippets containing their keywords, before visiting the news site to view or download the entire file. TVEyes creates a Spoken Word Index™ for every word in an audio or video file, making Internet TV searchable in the same manner as Google for text pages on the Web. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

This is a question that many have pondered, but few have actually put to paper and worked out the numbers. Enter Matt Jacobs, a blogger and self-proclaimed nerd, who decided to calculate how much his TiVo season pass scheduled shows would cost him individually for a year (via Carpe Visum). His findings: “The difference isn’t ridiculous, but if you tack on the cost of watching live television (sports, awards shows, etc.) it will add up quickly.” With only a savings of $12.66 a month off his typical all-you-can-consume $54 a month cable bill, it shows – at least in his case – that A La Carte isn’t much of a benefit. And it’s also worth noting that episodes are usually not available at the same time the broadcast airs, if you were to take the iTunes route, for example. Moreover, if you like the spontaneity of television when channel surfing, you will no doubt be missing on some unanticipated programming. MORE »

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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group today announced the formation of a joint venture with arvato mobile, In2Movies, a revolutionary new digital download platform for the electronic sell-through of motion picture and television content in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. In2Movies will leverage the speed and flexibility of a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network and the security and quality of a centralized service to provide consumers with the ultimate legal entertainment downloading experience. MORE »

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Our friends across the pond get some really cool innovations that I wish we’d see more of here abroad. For example, the new Lumina 2 series LCD HDTVs, featured in Stuff Magazine from Elonex, showcase what convergence can be like when it is done right (via Engadget). The impressive HDTV showcases native 1366×768 WXGA resolution, an HDMI input along with 2 component and RGB scart connections. You can get it in 32 and 40 inch versions as well. MORE »

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Russound has announced a new product for controlling their multizone audio system as well as other peripherals. The UNO-TS2D Desktop Color Touchscreen is a simple-to-use interface that can be set near a bedside table, kitchen counter, desk, or wherever you want to control your multiroom entertainment system. The controller is based on Russound’s wall-mounted UNO-TS2 Color Touchscreen, which basically looks the same, minus the rear bulge. The UNO-TS2D is scheduled to ship the first quarter of 2006, the UNO-TS2D will be available in a choice of black or white for a U.S. MAP of $1,499.

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This title pretty much says it all. Now SnapStream users and developers can add http://code.snapstream.com to list of resources. But the best part in my opinion, since it’s an actual wiki, users will not only be able to gain valuable info from the site, they will also be able to contribute material which can then be refined by the community at large. Aren’t wikis grand?

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Quova, Inc., the authority on IP Intelligence and leading provider of Internet geolocation data and services, today announced the official launch of Quova Media, the first geolocation solution ever developed specifically for online digital rights compliance. Quova has pioneered the use of geolocation in the delivery of live sporting events over the Internet, and Quova’s technology has already enabled viewers worldwide to watch Major League Baseball, the Olympic Games, the Tour de France and the World Track and Field Championships live on their personal computers. MORE »

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According to Thomas Hawk, who attended a private dinner with Microsoft’s Jim Allchin (Microsoft Co-President of Platforms, Products and Services Division), in order for a Windows Vista MCE PC to be able to use a CableCARD the entire PC MUST be reviewed and “certified” by CableLabs. Moreover, all hardware incorporated must create a “protective path” via trusted PC components (aka Microsoft approved/certified hardware – similar to Microsoft’s “Designed for Media Center Edition” hardware compatibility program [logo]). Translation: You can only buy a CableCARD ready Windows Vista MCE PC from a CableLabs licensed OEM. MORE »

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