Saturday 18 July 2009, AM
Amazon deleting 1984 from Kindle, but 99-cent ebook was illegal copy | Betanews
The press loves a juicy story, and Amazon served one up on a silver platter this morning by automatically deleting certain copies of George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from customers' Kindles. Amazon was able to remove the titles because the Kindle is configured to automatically sync up with the user's Bookshelf via the electronic book reader's WhisperNet wireless service. When the company removed the unauthorized books from customers' accounts, they also disappeared from the Kindle. - betanews.com
www.betanews.com
BBC3 random documentary generator |Media |The Guardian
Simply think of a four-digit number between 0000 and 9999, then pull the relevant ingredients from our four component pools Z-list celebrity presenter, style of reportage, subject matter and trite conclusion put them all together and hey presto Having unnecessary cosmetic surgery to look like subject 5. Basic sarcastic voiceover, no actual contact Edgy subject matter 0. - guardian.co.uk
www.guardian.co.ukDigital TV - News - IP Vision launches Fetch TV Freeview+ box - Digital Spy
It also offers pay-per-view access to films and premium content from Paramount Pictures, National Geographic and the Cartoon Network. - digitalspy.co.uk
www.digitalspy.co.uk
Kay Burley accuses Sky News colleague of staggering sexism - Telegraph
Burley, who anchors the afternoon programme on the rolling news channel, immediately challenged her colleague. Speaking before the tournament, Ross Fisher, 28, said he would abandon the tournament to attend the birth, which was due on Tuesday. - telegraph.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.ukNorth Wales News - DIGITAL D-DAY
Currently programmes in Welsh on S4C are interspersed with English-language shows from Channel 4. Tudur, who trained as a plate spinner for the day, said Its important that people realise that Wales is going totally digital. The old-fashioned aerial TV signal will be switched off and in its place will be a digital only service. - dailypost.co.uk
www.dailypost.co.ukUp to 70 job losses as Teletext closes news service From Hounslow Guardian)
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www.hounslowguardian.co.ukFriday 17 July 2009, PM
informitv - BBC paints Canvas as a television revolution
Erik Huggers, the director of future media and technology at the BBC, presented the video at a conference organised by Intellect, the consumer electronics industry association. Short on any substantial detail, its consumer-friendly approach raises more questions about the role of the BBC in promoting such a platform. Once upon a time if you wanted digital TV you had three choices, says the video. - informitv.com
informitv.comFriday 17 July 2009, AM
NorDig releases the specification for the NorDig Compliant DVB-T2 IRDs.
1. NorDig specifications for Integrated Receiver Decoders and relevant parts of integrated digital TV-sets. 2. NorDig specifications for the use of transmit parameters in NorDig compliant networks. All specifications are based on DVB and the minimum performance sets that are specified for NorDig compliant networks. - nordig.org
www.nordig.orgFreeview in over a quarter of NZ homes
Freeview New Zealand is now available in 255,048 homes across the country, according to the latest figures released by the platform operator. The latest sales figures for the three months ending June 2009 indicate that there are now 167,328 Freeview satellite homes an increase of 11,846 from the last quarter and 87,720 Freeview HD homes an increase of 17,061 from the last quarter. One of the key drivers for our growth in the last quarter has been the sharp deals available in retail, which is partly due to new brands coming into the market with Freeview approved products. - dtg.org.ukwww.dtg.org.ukBBC Media Show: 15 July 2009
downloads.bbc.co.ukRadio spectrum to be used for wireless home cinema
Ofcom has given its permission for a small part of the radio spectrum to be used for wireless home cinema. Ofcom has now introduced regulations which will allow this technology to be incorporated in home entertainment equipment without the need for a licence. DTG Staff 15.07.2009 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukwww.dtg.org.uk
Teletext to close news and information service - TV Radio, Media - The Independent
Teletext's news and information service is to come to an end in January next year - two years ahead of schedule - the service's owner said today. The group, which had intended to shut the service in 2012, said the closure decision followed indications from regulator Ofcom that it would not back state intervention to support the continuation of a public commercial Teletext service after 2014. However, its holiday service on Freeview and other commercial services will continue to broadcast. - independent.co.uk
www.independent.co.ukMedia Talk: Lionel Barber, and BBC drama row
download.guardian.co.ukPVR users watch far more live TV than they say
Homes with personal video recorders to do not use them as much as they think. That is the conclusion of researchers that found people claimed to watch recorded or time-shifted programmes much more than was actually observed. They also found that the availability of a personal archive of programmes reduced demand for video on demand. - informitv.cominformitv.comBBC wants government help for DAB switch
-blog.wotsat.comNow it's five channels for Freeview HD
-blog.wotsat.comThursday 16 July 2009, PM
Consultation on sustainable, independent and impartial news in the Nations, locally and in the regions
The consultation period was 30 June- 22 September 2009 Responses to the consultation can be found online. Government response to the consultation on sustainable independent and impartial news in the nations, locally and in the regions. Government intends to trial this proposal first on a pilot basis in Scotland, Wales and one English region, with national roll out from 2013. - culture.gov.ukwww.culture.gov.uk
BBC carries on licence fee fight in front of select committee MPs |Media |guardian.co.uk
Lyons conceded it was a decision for parliament to make, but said sharing the licence fee with other broadcasters would be a momentous change. Meanwhile, Thompson told the committee that he expected only about 45 to 50 of staff slated to move to the BBC's new northern headquarters in Salford to actually relocate. So far, official figures show that 42 of middle managers have agreed to move north, while 15 out of 32 senior executives have agreed. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.uk
Teletext news to be pulled from TV |Media |guardian.co.uk
Teletext owned by Daily Mail and General Trust. In a time Light years before the internet revolution, Teletext's clunky, often derided, television text news service reigned supreme as the interactive experience of choice in UK households. It will switch off in January, putting 70 jobs at risk. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukThursday 16 July 2009, AM
118800 and a web revolution
The controversial mobile phone directory launched last month, but has struggled to convince the great British public that it's a good idea to have your mobile number available for people to look up. For days now the website has been down, and the service has been unavailable. After the BBC's excellent Working Lunch programme gave prolonged coverage to the story before the launch, various e-mails began circulating, warning people about it. - bbc.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
TiVo lawsuit explodes into billion-dollar stakes | Tech Policy Law News - Betanews
What is big is EchoStar's assertion that sanctions being sought against it amount to as much as 1 billion -- the first time the proverbial math has alluded to TiVo's potential jackpot. This in addition to the 104 million that the Supreme Court decided EchoStar was liable for, in its refusal to hear EchoStar's first appeal. A billion dollar grand prize, which is apparently what TiVo may seek in sanctions, is not outside of Marshall's ballpark at all. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comVisualising Material World: the ins and outs
But, I've been around for a while and I often suspect that Cumulonimbus might be more appropriate - dark, thunderous and anvil shaped, ready to dump on you from a great height, like the endlessly doomed Wile E. shudders, visualisation is a window that can be added to a webpage or TV screen. The Console had been designed and the IP distribution had already been worked out, so despite only being a small part of the console, creating the video was going to involve the most work. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukSeries catch-up for Radio 4 programmes
Monday 13 July 2009, 1348 Sarah Prag Yesterday something small but significant happened. Which means that you can go back and listen to it before listening to Episode 2. Series catch-up means that all the episodes in a series are available until 7 days after the final episode is broadcast. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukMonday 13 July 2009, AM
HDTV UK: Virgin Media adding four new HD channels
A little ahead of schedule, Virgin Media has announced that four new channels will be available in high definition from the end of July. - hdtvuk.tvwww.hdtvuk.tvMediaGuardian 100, 2009
The criteria used A panel of experienced media watchers from the worlds of politics, journalism, advertising and the internet judged entrants using three criteria cultural influence, economic clout and political power of all candidates - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukSunday 12 July 2009, PM
DTG :: News :: TeamCast and BBC to develop DVB-T2 demodulator
This firmware runs on TeamCasts Power4Cast platform, allowing the demodulator to support additional modes and features of the T2 specification through firmware upgrades. Using BBC's firmware as a starting point for developing our T2 demodulator is a reliable way to speed up our development. DTG Staff 12.06.2009 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukwww.dtg.org.ukSky renews agreement with SES ASTRA
In total Sky is using 31 transponders on the ASTRA satellite system. Mike Darcey, Skys Chief Operating Officer, said Our success is driven by delivering high-quality content and services on a reliable and flexible platform. DTG Staff 30.06.2009 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukwww.dtg.org.uk
BSkyB to fight premium channels plan - TV Radio, Media - The Independent
The watchdog said the satellite broadcaster is thought to be charging high prices to competitors for the use of its premium content. BSkyB holds the rights to many top sporting fixtures and all major Hollywood releases and Ofcom said the satellite broadcaster kept a stranglehold on the wholesale supply of channels with this premium content. Ofcom said it was considering whether splitting rights for movies on demand from standard subscription rights would improve competition. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukTV viewers taking greater control as nine million digital video recorders sold | Ofcom
Independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. 4G auction bidders announced December 20, 2012 Ofcom has today announced the bidders in the forthcoming 4G mobile spectrum auction the largest ever sale of mobile airwaves in the UK. npower fined for making abandoned calls December 6, 2012 The conclusion of an Ofcom investigation has today found npower, the gas and electricity supplier, to be in breach of rules on abandoned calls. - ofcom.org.uk
www.ofcom.org.ukOfcom tells Sky the Pay TV party is over
-www.ofcomwatch.co.ukPay TV phase three document | Ofcom
-www.ofcom.org.ukRadioDNS Demo Application Released
The code is written in Python and uses the wxWidgets user interface library. We are making this code available as part of our explorations with RadioDNS, and look forward to technical feedback. To download, please visit our RadioDNS project page here. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukSunday 12 July 2009, AM
British Telecom sacks bitterly unpopular Phorm ad platform | Tech Policy Law News - Betanews
In an announcement this morning, British Telecom said it has decided to halt BT Webwise, its prospective targeted advertising platform, calling the move a cost-cutting measure as the company invests 1.5 billion in improved broadband deployments. In early 2008, BT, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media joined forces to build a single targeted ad platform for their respective subscribers. Unfortunately, after the service had been announced, BT admitted that it had already tested the service without telling users. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comVisualising material world: studio set-up
Editor's note - Mark Damazer has previously written about Material World and the visualising radio trial. My role as Operations Manager for AM Factual is to manage the technical resources for our in-house factual radio production base. I look after a team of fifteen studio managers sound engineers and dedicated recording facilities - studios, workshops and the bizarrely named 'woffices' - and endeavour to enable any project envisaged to make it to air by hook or by crook. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukSaturday 11 July 2009, AM
BBC NEWS | Technology | How well do DAB car radios work?
A government-commissioned report has called for analogue radio to be switched off within six years and replaced by Digital Audio Broadcasting transmissions. - news.bbc.co.uknews.bbc.co.ukFriday 10 July 2009, PM
BBC - BBC Internet Blog: BBC iPlayer now lets you link directly to your favourite scene in TV programmes
You know how you're watching a programme on TV and there's a moment that's absolutely hilarious - so funny that you just have to tell your friends about it. If only you could send them a link that took them directly to the exact moment in the programme... Well, now you can, thanks to a BBC iPlayer feature we recently introduced which allows you to create links that jump directly to any time within a programme. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukThursday 09 July 2009, AM
BBC Media Show: 8 July 2009
downloads.bbc.co.ukMedia Talk Live: The digital future
download.guardian.co.ukMonday 06 July 2009, PM
With all these programmes online, why watch TV? |Media |The Guardian
British TV viewers may scratch their heads when asked what Hulu is now, but later this year, if things go to plan, we will all be talking about the catchup service with the funny name. To do so it needs to overcome myriad rights issues with UK broadcasters, which are trying to come up with a homegrown alternative. This year, Project Kangaroo, the nearest UK equivalent to Hulu, failed because of competition concerns. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukMonday 06 July 2009, AM
Question of the week: How can ITV improve its ratings? |Media |The Guardian
ITV1 has sunk to its worst audience share since it started 54 years ago - 16.1 in the week ending 18 June. Peter Bazalgette, media consultant What a relief to discuss ITV's programmes rather than its debt, pension deficit, board or new chief executive. Peter Fincham has to perform the most devilish balancing act in TV history cut programme expenditure and increase ratings. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukSunday 05 July 2009, PM
Geeks vs. journalists: A tale of two worldviews | Tech Policy Law News - Betanews
Some of the incurious double-digit-IQ nonsense I've heard in the newsrooms of old-line mainstream publications would make the average geek bite a mousepad in half. Frankly, a lot of people with journalism degrees are the last people who ought to become journalists. The idea of journalism as a white-collar profession, rather than a grubby old trade, is only a few decades old. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comFriday 03 July 2009, PM
BBC Media Show: Radio Fesival Live 01/07/09
downloads.bbc.co.ukMedia Talk: Radio Festival 2009
download.guardian.co.ukTuesday 30 June 2009, AM
2010 will be the breakthrough year for Micro USB | Tech Policy Law News - Betanews
- betanews.comwww.betanews.com
New TVs PVR can save video to SD chips | Tech Gear News - Betanews
Like Vizio in the United States, Cello has grown rapidly in the last four years because of its affordable, but feature-rich products. It is equipped with two tuners and two SD slots for simultaneous Freeview recording, a built-in electronic programming guide and DVD player. There, the SD card is shown, but not mentioned in the feature list. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comWhat's happening with Freeview HD?
The Editor In our recent open post we had several questions about the roll-out of Freeview HD. The plan has always been to roll Freeview HD out around the country following switchover and Winter Hill was selected as the first achievable transmitter. The March 2010 date in the Ofcom document is simply the last backstop date by when Winter Hill has to be on air to comply with our licence conditions. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC R
The latest product of their efforts is the ASTOR demonstrator - aka 'the world's heaviest laptop' which is currently being tested by the archive and network media research engineers. It's big, runs pretty hot, weighs close to half a ton, and can store dozens of hours of HD content, but perhaps most amazingly is that in its brief few months of existence, it's clocked up more than 10,000 miles. The story began three years ago, when RD started looking at the best ways to store large amounts of AV content in digital form. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk
Cable DVRs are legal: Supreme Court denies appeal of Cablevision decision | Betanews
That August 2008 ruling had overturned an earlier District Court ruling in March that had been a victory for the studios. Their argument was that when a cable service provider lets its customers record and play back shows at the headend -- using the provider's own storage rather than a local DVR -- that constituted a retransmission, which was contrary to the terms of service. In other words, they could only be replayed in the context of each customer's DVR service. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comWednesday 24 June 2009, PM
Wednesday 24 June 2009, AM
Are ESPN and Sky friends or foes? |Media |guardian.co.uk
Disney, whose TV assets include ABC, one of the big four American networks, has a market value of 42bn 25.7bn and operations in dozens of countries. However, all the talk from ESPN thus far is about partnership rather than rivalry as the company seeks to play down talk of a challenge to Sky. ESPN hasn't got the infrastructure or the expertise to set up its own UK subscription business, a costly exercise that hurt Setanta. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukpick a page