Archive for February, 2008

moon


moon
Originally uploaded by jalvear

SF sky


SF sky
Originally uploaded by jalvear

fire


fire
Originally uploaded by jalvear

Berkeley pier


Berkeley pier
Originally uploaded by jalvear

hotel


hotel
Originally uploaded by jalvear

Forgot which one. Mark Hopkins maybe.

Fable car


Fable car
Originally uploaded by jalvear

Fake cable car

frida


frida
Originally uploaded by jalvear

Gas station instructions


Gas station instructions
Originally uploaded by jalvear

Seems to be missing the part on actually pumping the gas.

TV Viewers Want Interactivity

A survey by some company called Ensequence found that TV viewers want to interact with their TVs. In fact, 70% said that they would consider signing up to another TV provider if they offered advanced interactivity at no extra charge. Apparently, people aren't just talking back to their TVs--they're searching on-screen guides, viewing on-demand programming or using DVRs.
  • 72% of viewers watching reality shows want the opportunity to interact with TV
  • 65% said the same of sporting events
  • 66% wanted to interact with commercials.
People should get ready for interactivity because it's coming via IPTV--that's essentially TV broadcasts delivered over managed IP networks.  Here in the U.S., AT&T and Verizon have been rolling out IPTV services around the country. Verizon's FiOS TV service is rolling out fiber to customer homes and now has over 1 million subscribers, which is pretty good for a new TV provider. However Verizon is just using IP for their VOD, not for broadcast TV. Essentially, Verizon is just using cable-type delivery for broadcast. AT&T's U-Verse, on the other hand is using IP for both broadcast TV and VOD. Adding IP to TV essentially means bringing the Internet to your TV. Imagine a future where viewers will be able to get scrolling tickers, interactive commercials, e-mail on TV, multiple video angles of a sporting event, phone calls on TV screens, and lots more. That's the promise of IPTV, however neither AT&T or Verizon have added much interactivity yet. [tags] interactive TV, survey, research, Ensequence, IPTV, U-Verse, FiOS TV, AT&T, Verizon [/tags]

NetFlix Dumping HD DVD

netflix.JPGWell, it's yet another sure sign that HD DVD is dying. NetFlix said it was dropping HD DVDs from its service and going exclusively with Blu-Ray. NetFlix has been carrying both HD formats since 2006 but apparently it had to make a choice. I'm sure much of the decision is based on cost. Stocking both HD formats must have been getting very expensive for NetFlix. After all, inventory is a big concern for the company. However, what will happen to those poor unfortunate people that already have HD DVD players and are subscribers to NetFlix? Will they have to stick with renting from the local Blockbuster or just buy them at the local department store? So far, NetFlix doesn't have that many Blu-Ray movies. Their press release said they currently stock just 400 movies. But as the Blu-Ray momentum grows and the price of players get less expensive, studios will migrate to one format and more movies will go Blu-Ray. From the press release:

"While only a portion of Netflix subscribers have elected to receive high- def DVDs, a majority of those subscribers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD. As part of the transition to Blu-ray, the company said it will acquire no new HD DVDs but that its current HD DVD inventory would continue to rent until the discs' natural life cycle takes them out of circulation in the coming months."

I haven't made the jump to high def DVDs yet. I'm still pretty happy with my HDTV set and HD programming via my cable provider. I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time before I buy a Blu-Ray drive, hopefully with the PlayStation 3.

[tags] NetFlix, Blu-Ray, High Def, HD, HD DVD [/tags]

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