Video Savant Blog at the ISF Forum http://www.isfforum.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:51:08 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.isfforum.com/images/M_images/isf.png http://www.isfforum.com Video Savant Blog at the ISF Forum http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/MPAA-Petitions-FCC-for-Risk-Free-Profits.html First the DVR-bashing MPAA came for our pay-per-view (Golden Goose Genocide: Hollywood Guns for DVRed PPV) (http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/Golden-Goose-Genocide-Hollywood-Recklessly-Guns-for-DVRed-PPV.html), and not too many people noticed. Now those troglodytes at the MPAA are looking to block the DVRing of recently released movies appearing on subscription HDTV services. Are... Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:56:49 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Broadcast-and-Pay-TV/Cable-TV-a-la-Carte-Pricing-is-a-Bad-Idea.html There are more than enough bad ideas enough to go around, But then, there are bad ideas that originate within our federal government, and while that means they tend to be fewer in number, they also tend not to die until some determined bureaucrat, legislator... Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:19:51 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Is-Blu-ray-A-Winner-Or-a-Stumbling-Bumbling-Survivor.html There have been a number of recent research studies examining the current state of Sony's Blu-ray next-generation packaged media format, including one from Strategy Analytics a few weeks ago that was dissected here shortly after its release -- Is 29 Million Blu-ray Players by End-2008... Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:45:42 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Broadcast-and-Pay-TV/Equipment-Maker-Predicts-Satellite-Will-Offer-1080p-HD-Content.html If there's anything I've learned from more than 25 years of experience with broadcast (one-way) networks, you never have enough bandwidth to deliver all of the information you'd like to provide or that your customers expect. And while it's true that satellite operators such as... Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:13:09 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Wal-Mart-Amazon-Offer-$50-Refunds-to-HD-DVD-Player-Owners.html Wal-Mart and Amazon have belatedly joined Circuit City (http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Circuit-City-Quietly-Swaps-HD-DVD-for-Blu-ray-Players.html) and Best Buy (http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Best-Buy-Joins-Circuit-City-in-Accepting-HD-DVD-Trade-Ins.html) in offering make nice refunds to their customers who purchased HD DVD players. Wal-Mart is offering a full refund but requires the return of the HD DVD player, while Amazon... Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:41:31 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/Pioneer-Europe-Adds-LCD-Panels-LCOS-Projector-to-Kuro-Family.html Gizmodo (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/266523109/pioneer-giving-kuro-brand-to-lcd-tvs-and-lcos-projectors) is reporting that Pioneer Europe has announced, as expected, the addition of a range of LCD flat panels to its popular Kuro brand products: Pigs officially fly today: Plasma king Pioneer has announced their LCD lineup for Europe, and yep, they're... Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:22:43 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/Lights-Out-for-Philips-Television-Sales-in-US-Market.html Gizmodo (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/266469873/philips-wont-sell-tvs-in-north-america-anymore) is reporting that the Dutch conglomerate Philips has taken the decision to exit the US television market: If the rampant out- and cross-sourcing between LCD and plasma TV makers didn't tell you that it's a nasty and brutish time in the TV biz, this... Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:04:44 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/What-s-New-is-Old-Mitsubishi-Unveils-Laser-DLP-TV.html Over at the Robb Report (http://www.hemagazine.com/Field-Trips/Mitsubishi-Line-Show-LaserVue-Laser-TV.asp) web site, Geoffrey Morrison has an excellent write-up on Mitsubishi's introduction of its much ballyhooed Laser TV technology. What surprised me (and definitely diluted the cool factor ) is that Laser TV is just a rear-projection DLP with... Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:15:22 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Good-News-Bad-News-29-Million-Blu-ray-Players-by-End-of-2008.html The web is abuzz today with news of a Strategy Analytics research report that predicts there will be more than 29 million Blu-ray players in consumer hands by the end of this year. That sounds like it should be good news for anyone with a stake... Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:19:45 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Digital-Convergence/Patent-Filing-Hints-at-DVR-Potential-for-Apple-TV.html AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/13/apple_tv_dvr_interface_revealed_in_patent_filings.html) recently reported on a patent filing by Apple Inc. that indicates the company may be planning to add DVR capabilities to its slow-to-gain-traction Apple TV product: A series of Apple patent filings published this week reveal a version of the Apple TV media... Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:09:22 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Sony-Blu-ray-Named-in-ITC-Patent-Complaint-by-Columbia-Prof.html ZDNet (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6235128.html) is reporting that a Columbia University professor has filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, claiming that several companies and related products, including Sony's Blu-ray technology, are infringing a patent she controls: The U.S. International Trade Commission will launch an investigation into... Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:08:40 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/Golden-Goose-Genocide-Hollywood-Recklessly-Guns-for-DVRed-PPV.html Broadband Reports (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Hollywood-Keeps-Making-The-DVR-Less-Useful-92793) is carrying a story this morning detailing a new policy that DirecTV will be imposing on customers who record pay-per-view programming via the company's DVRs: DirecTV users tell us that the satellite provider has sent them an e-mail saying that effective April 15,... Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:54:16 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Best-Buy-Joins-Circuit-City-in-Accepting-HD-DVD-Trade-Ins.html Engadget (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/best-buy-offers-hd-dvd-owners-50-gift-card-trade-in-shoulder/) is reporting that Best Buy is adopting a trade-in policy for Best Buy customers who previously purchased an HD DVD player from the retail giant: Best Buy is following Future Shop, Circuit City and others in reaching out to casualties of the format war.... Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:40:11 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Will-Toshiba-s-$1-Billion-HD-DVD-Writedown-Inhibit-Future-Format-Wars.html Engadget (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/12/toshiba-swallows-a-billion-dollars-on-hd-dvd/) reports on Toshiba's exit from the HD DVD business and suggests the financial cost should dissuade other companies from entering into this sort of format battle in the future: There are spicy meatballs, and there are spicy meatballs -- and now there's a figure... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:10:51 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/Pioneer-Australia-Chief-Gives-Hints-on-Future-Product-Mix.html It's a little surprising that Australia, a country of only 20 million population, is the fourth largest national market for Pioneer Electronics. But that's what Pioneer Australia Managing Director Yasuo Sakuma claims in an interview that appeared at the Smarthouse (http://www.smarthouse.com.au/TVs_And_Large_Display/Industry/J8T8U9U3) web site on Wednesday... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:31:01 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Blu-ray-Prices-Rising-in-Absence-of-HD-DVD-Competition.html Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/367216/blu+ray-prices-higher-than-ever-man-this-is-going-to-piss-you-off) is reporting that Blu-ray player prices are on the rise: I suppose that it is not all that surprising to find out that without competition from the HD DVDs camp, prices for Blu-ray players have gone up. According to data collected by Pricegrabber.com, Blu-ray... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:51:52 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HDTV-Programming/Big-Hat-No-Cattle-Comcast-Claims-150-HD-Channel-Capacity.html It's amusing how often corporate arrogance and corporate foolishness go together, like hand in glove. As reported earlier today by TV Predictions (http://phillipswann.c.topica.com/maakpvgabFAbPaKAi2VeaeQCSn/): Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis today said his company has the capacity to offer more than 150 High-Definition channels. That's according to an article by Dow... Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:11:50 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Circuit-City-Extends-HD-DVD-Returns-to-90-Days.html Circuit City should be riding a wave of positive public relations with its policy of accepting returns of soon-to-be-orphaned HD DVD players, now extending its original 30-day limit to 90 days. As reported by Engadget: (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/10/circuit-city-triples-return-time-window-for-hd-dvd-player-purcha/)Hot on the heels of news that Circuit City may in... Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:38:45 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HDTV-Programming/FOX-Widescreen-Lands-on-the-Ash-Heap-of-History.html FOX Sports earlier today announced its television schedule for the upcoming Major League Baseball season, noting that all of the games it produces this year will be shown in true high definition. As reported by Broadcasting Cable (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6538942.html?rssid=193): Fox Sports announced Thursday that it will... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:03:58 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Circuit-City-Quietly-Swaps-HD-DVD-for-Blu-ray-Players.html There's been a lot of rumor and speculation in recent days that Circuit City is accepting returns of HD DVD players it sold, providing its customers with a credit toward the purchase of a Blu-ray player. This speculation seems rooted in fact, at least based... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:54:53 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/Pioneer-Reportedly-Exiting-Plasma-Panel-Manufacturing.html According to a Reuters newswire report, in follow-up to a story originally reported by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (NIKKEI) in Japan, Pioneer is expected to make a decision soon on ceasing manufacturing of the plasma panels used in its Pioneer- and Pioneer Elite-branded HDTVs. As reported by... Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:34:01 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Weekly-Review-Dec-1.html Win one, lose one. That's how it went for the cable TV industry this week, as Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin was forced to beat a retreat from his widely publicized plan to expand the scope of the FCC's regulatory power over the US... Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:02:56 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Weekly-Review-Nov-24.html It's not really surprising that Sony Corporation CEO Howard Stringer has publicly backpedaled from his recent comments that the HD disc format war is a stalemate that doesn't mean as much as all that. So now Stringer's out there setting things... Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:20:15 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-11172007.html Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told the New York Times last weekend that he believes the cable television industry is now subject to increased regulatory scrutiny under the so-called 70/70 rule. This 1980s-era provision kicks in when cable television becomes available to more than... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:50:00 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Warner-Says-No-Plans-Now-for-Total-HD-Releases.html Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show this past January, Warner Home Entertainment initially planned midyear releases of its Total HD product, a dual-format disc containing a movie in the HD DVD format on one side and Blu-ray on the other. Those plans were subsequently... Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:37:01 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-11102007.html Sony's CEO calls the HD DVD-versus-Blu-ray format war a stalemate that doesn't mean as much as all that ... Following Nielsen's recent lowball estimate of HDTV households, Leichtman Research ups the ante... HD Net sues over DirecTV's move to push the pioneering... Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:10:18 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/HD-DVD-at-$99-Is-Toshiba-Suing-for-Peace.html The story I'd most like to ignore -- the ongoing battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray -- just won't go away. This time, maybe there's a good reason. At the end of last week, reports were circulating that Wal-Mart would be doing a pre-Black... Sat, 03 Nov 2007 07:24:19 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Digital-Television-Transition/Nielsen-Survey-Puts-US-HDTV-Penetration-at-13.7.html It's been recognized for some time now that reliable, authoritative data on the number of US HDTV households is elusive. Up to now, the most often-quoted data has come from the Consumer Electronics Association, and that trade group's most recent estimate puts US household penetration... Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:33:13 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/HD-DVD-and-Blu-ray-Market-Research-Ignores-Early-Adopters.html Earlier today, JupiterResearch released a new market research report that paints a pessimistic future for the purveyors of Blu-ray and HD DVD hardware and software. While the conclusions of the report may turn out to be more or less correct, the findings ignore the two most... Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:45:06 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-10272007.html By any measure, the past week has been something less than Comcastic for the US market's largest pay television company. The first warning signs that things were going wobbly at Comcast emerged late last week, when separate investigations by the Associated Press (http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_7225588?source=rss&nclick_check=1) and... Sat, 27 Oct 2007 07:36:51 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-10202007.html DirecTV continues to plug away on its HD programming expansion plan, as it rolled out 18 new HD channels during the past week, including FX, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Fuel, Speed and the recently launched Fox Business News Channel. The satellite TV provider also added six... Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:53:52 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-10122007.html Digital TV Transition Picture quality is an issue near and dear to our hearts here at the ISF Forum, so it was interesting to hear complaints about HD picture quality from Scientific-Atlanta and Discovery Networks executives (http://www.tvpredictions.com/hdpicture101007.htm) earlier this week. As reported by TV Predictions, the... Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:24:45 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/Australia-Latest-to-Consider-Ban-of-Plasma-LCD-TVs.html In September, the opposition UK Conservative Party said it would consider banning plasma television and some other energy-hungry appliances. (http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Display-Technology/UK-Conservatives-Consider-Plasma-HDTV-Ban.html) Because the Conservatives are not the majority party in the UK and because a general election is unlikely to be held there for at least a... Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:38:09 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-10052007.html Another headline-grabbing week for DirecTV, as the satellite TV service continues to add new (and not-so new) HD channels to its fast-growing lineup. It's been a long time coming (the company started talking about this in 2005), but finally promises are being kept. The other... Sat, 06 Oct 2007 15:49:21 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/RIAA-Wins-First-File-Sharing-Jury-Trial.html The recording industry strategy up to now has been to sue file sharers and then settle out of court at lower cost than the penalties available under copyright law. But one defendant decided to opt for a jury trial and that looks like maybe not... Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:47:04 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/News-Summary/Week-in-Review-09292007.html A busy week all around, so let's get started...rewind. Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:58:54 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HDTV-Programming/DirecTV-Finally-Releases-21-New-HD-Channels.html After nearly 3 years of planning and what seems like a decade of breathless We're the HD Leader hype, DirecTV has finally released the first wave of its expanded national HD channel lineup, with 21 new channels lighting up early Wednesday morning. Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:33:04 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/HD-Disc-Wars/Home-Theater-Specialists-Go-Exclusive-Blu-ray.html The latest development in the Blu-ray versus HD DVD battle of endorsements gives a win to Blu-ray, as reported by the This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE) (http://www.twice.com/article/CA6481073.html?rssid=84) web site: Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA), the $500 million buying group for A/V specialty dealers and... Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:46:51 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Digital-Television-Transition/FCC-Chair-Bangs-the-Drum-for-Multicast-Must-Carry.html Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, gives an exclusive interview to Broadcasting Cable (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6480867.html?nid=3347), covering a wide range of topics, including a la carte cable TV pricing, the state of the digital television transition, how broadcaster public interest obligations should be... Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:05:23 +0100 http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/Hollywood-s-New-Better-Mousetrap-is-Digital-Fingerprinting.html The film industry lost the plot on piracy a few reels back. Despite more than a decade of foiled anti-piracy solutions based on ever-more-complex systems, the industry trundles on in search of that no-copy Holy Grail. It seems like a classic illustration of that old... Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:56:40 +0100