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Monday 20 August 2012, AM

Ariel - 1230 BBC staff were made redundant in 2011

17 August 2012 Last updated at 1600 Around 1230 people were made redundant in 2011, compared to 444 in the previous year. It also comes at a time of deepening cuts across the BBC as it begins to make 20 savings as part of DQF plans. The corporation's headcount also declined from 19,579 in 2003/4 to 16,858 in 2011/12 due to efficiency savings. - bbc.co.uk

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LCD vs plasma TVs - LED, LCD and plasma TV reviews - TV DVD - Which? Technology

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Liz, the anti-Murdoch Murdoch, will have a rapt audience this week - Media - The Guardian

It has hardly been a secret that Elisabeth Murdoch walked out on her father and brother in the middle of the phone-hacking furore last year. Yet the general understanding is that this is precisely what Rupert's second daughter thinks. After all, it has been hardly a secret that Liz walked out on her father and brother in the midst of the Milly Dowler furore in July last year, and it is far from clear that relations have been repaired since. - guardian.co.uk

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Fact's victory over Surfthechannel is a decisive blow in the copyright wars - Technology - The Guardian

The most recent Indiana Jones film, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was available online for illegal download 24 hours after it opened in cinemas. As the founder of surfthechannel.com, a website that provided links to TV and film content in a significant number of cases, unlicensed and illicit the 38-year-old last week became the first person in Britain to be jailed for running a site linking to pirate material. In a furious 18,000-word commentary on his website, Vickerman says a lawyer had advised him that Surfthechannel was legal. - guardian.co.uk

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BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's On Red Button 18th - 25th August

Sunday starts earlier at 4pm, featuring Foo Fighters, The Horrors and sets from the entire weekend. Viewers on Freeview will be able to see a different band about every half hour on Red Button and channel 301. We'll also be bringing you a selection of tracks from up and coming new bands on the BBC Introducing stage. - bbc.co.uk

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Sunday 19 August 2012, PM

Why remaining on FM is more expensive than building DAB+ from scratch

In most countries the attitude is that it will be very expensive to introduce digital radio via DAB. They forget to take into account that it costs a lot of money to run an FM network. You can build it, but it will not run for free. - mediauk.com

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Friday 17 August 2012, PM

Humax DTR-T1000 YouView review - Which? verdict - August - 2012 - Which? News

Crucially, its a free service theres no contract and no subscription for accessing the Freeview and catch-up content, though additional services may charge. For example, it currently gives you access to Now TV from Sky, where you can watch films for between 99p to 3.49 per title or as many as you like for 15 per month. It has a 500GB hard drive good for around 250 hours of standard definition TV recordings and two tuners, so you can record two programmes or watch one channel while watching another. - which.co.uk

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DTG :: News :: Organisations bid for local TV licences

Ofcom has received 57 applications to run 21 local TV stations across the UK. The application process for these initial licences has now closed. Made Television and Canadian Channel Zero have submitted applications for multiple regions. - dtg.org.uk

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Friday 17 August 2012, AM

Surfthechannel owner launches furious attack on anti-piracy prosecution - Technology - The Guardian

Anton Vickerman, the Briton sentenced this week to four years in jail for running a website that linked to pirated US TV and film content, has launched an 18,000 word attack on the anti-piracy organisation that ran a private prosecution against him. The 38-year-old from Gateshead complained about the evidence-gathering methods of the Federation Against Copyright Theft Fact. Film-industry financed Fact filmed inside his home with one of its agents posing as a prospective house buyer and obtained evidence at a meeting where another Fact operative posed undercover as an investor in his website. - guardian.co.uk

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Big Disappointment – Apple iTV Not Coming: Pro - CNBC

That was Steve Jobs' dream and vision but it will never happen, says Bibb. Everyone is exiting, he says on CNBCs Halftime Report. Largely Bibb just doesnt think Apple has the time or inclination to navigate all the issues that must be bridged in order to create such a device. - cnbc.com

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Thursday 16 August 2012, PM

Apple TV Plan Works with Cable TV Industry - Peter Kafka - News - AllThingsD

Certainly plausible just ask Time WarnersJeff Bewkes, who was predicting this a month ago. Apple keeps poking at the TV industrial complex, and keeps concluding that its better off playing along than playing a new game. To spell that out If Apple really wanted to change the way people watched TV, it would change the way people paid for TV. - allthingsd.com

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Media: Local TV: Birmingham’s experience

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Wednesday 15 August 2012, PM

New York Times hires BBCs Mark Thompson - Press - Media - The Independent

Mr Thompson, 55, will relocate to New York and will begin his new role in November. He is a hugely experienced media executive and will bring insight, flair and drive to the job. - independent.co.uk

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Wednesday 15 August 2012, AM

BBC - BBC Internet Blog: Olympics: Red Button

The Red Button service has reached a huge audience and I wanted to share some of the thinking that went into it. The existing service carriessix channels, but we needed to carry up to 24, via an interface that viewers would understand instantly. The Red Button app had to be an easy-to-use tool for those people - and add enough value that people would choose to use it even though the channels were available elsewhere. - bbc.co.uk

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Ofcom - List of Multiplex Applicants

- licensing.ofcom.org.uk

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Saturday 11 August 2012, AM

S4C: "no guarantees" over £7m govt funding - News - Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's On Red Button 11th - 18th August

Headlines are available around the clock with up to five streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer. This is the spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe, brought to you late night, live and on the Red Button. Deadly 60 fans can get a whole lot extra by pressing red to play along with the new Deadly 60 Quiz. - bbc.co.uk

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Friday 10 August 2012, PM

DTG :: News :: BBC Trust and S4C consult on funding agreement

This consultation is being run over a 10 week period from 10 August 2012 until 23 October 2012. DTG Staff 10.08.2012 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.uk

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Thursday 09 August 2012, PM

Super Hi-Vision - the future of television?

Today, I was lucky enough to go and see a demonstration screening of some Olympic highlights in Super Hi-Vision. Just as we've got used to the impressive pictures of HD television in our front room, along come the Japanese public service broadcaster, NHK, with something a little better. Super Hi-Vision is, actually, more than a little better. - mediauk.com

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Wednesday 08 August 2012, PM

Sky Sports pricing dispute: appeal ruling looms - Media - guardian.co.uk

During the more than two years of the dispute the difference between Sky's original wholesale price and Ofcom's reduced regulated price has been kept in an escrow account. The amount in this account is thought to be more than 25m. Analysts at Deutsche Bank estimate that 19m relates to what it estimates is about 360,000 customers receiving Sky Sports 1 and 2 through Virgin Media. - guardian.co.uk

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Monday 06 August 2012, PM

informitv - Peers criticise government broadband strategy

Broadband should be a key infrastructure provision, creating a national network that brings fibre-optic access within reach of every community. That is the conclusion of a report from the House of Lords Communications Committee, which is critical of the current broadband strategy of the government in the United Kingdom. Among other things it also urges government, regulators and the industry to consider the long-term possibility of moving broadcast programming from terrestrial transmissions to broadband, arguing that there will ultimately be an overwhelming case for broadcast media to be delivered via the internet. - informitv.com

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informitv - Super Hi-Vision Olympics coverage

Promoted as the future of television, it has sixteen times the resolution of a high-definition image. Seen by informitv on an 8-metre wide screen at BBC Broadcasting House in London, the picture quality is phenomenal. At 7680 x 4320 pixels, the 8K UHDTV2 image has a resolution of 33 megapixels. - informitv.com

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Ariel - How the BBC delivers 24 Olympic streams

With 2500 hours to broadcast, it's a mammoth undertaking but it's attracting record-breaking ratings. So far, 17 million people have watched the Red Button channels RB and the online video player has received 29m requests. At the side of the room, some wait to start their shift - there's a lot to be done and volunteers from other Salford teams, including Children's and News, are helping through the Hot Spikes scheme. - bbc.co.uk

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DTG :: News :: Roger Mosey appointed Acting Director of BBC Vision

I'm also pleased to tell you that Dave Gordon will take on Roger's role as Director, London 2012 for the duration of the Paralympics. Dave will also start his new role on Monday 20 August. - dtg.org.uk

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Clover’s Week: YouView is just like watching Brazil on pay-TV

Julian Clover gets his hands on YouViews near pay-TV experience. My modus operandi is to ignore the instruction book for as long as possible, so I only came unstuck when I realized that YouView doesnt work off Wi-Fi and instead needs a fixed connection. If I had purchased this in the shops my outlay would have easily sailed past the already hefty 300 pricetag. - broadbandtvnews.com

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UK 4G auction: No word on what will be flogged, or what it costs • The Register

Last week the Ofcom announced details of the upcoming 4G spectrum auction, only the regulator still can't say how much spectrum is on sale, what it will cost, or the annual rent due afterwards. The mega-auction announced last week includes bands at 800MHz, which've been cleared of analogue TV, and at 2.6GHz, which has been empty for a while. EE won't say if it will throw the band into the ring, or sell it privately, while Ofcom still hasn't decided if the band can be used for 4G anyway, making it impossible to place a value on it. - theregister.co.uk

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Saturday 04 August 2012, PM

Smooth Radio deal faces investigation - Business News - Business - The Independent

Ofcom will report to Mr Hunt by 28 September, when he will decide if there should be a full Competition Commission investigation. - independent.co.uk

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BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's on BBC Red Button 4th - 11th August

Full details are available on the Olympics schedule website. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer. Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice. - bbc.co.uk

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Friday 03 August 2012, PM

Virgin and BT fury at premium movie ruling - Business News - Business - The Independent

- independent.co.uk

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Thursday 02 August 2012, PM

C4 online viewers edge to 5m - News - Broadcast

2 August, 2012 By Balihar Khalsa David Abrahams vision of using data to reinvent Channel 4s relationship with viewers and advertisers is gathering pace, as it closes in on 5 million registered viewers online. It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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BSkyB has too much power over rivals, Competition Commission rules - Media - guardian.co.uk

BSkyB enjoys an anti-competitive dominance, according to the commission's report. However, the commission is powerless to tackle the issue at this time. The problems involved in taking on BSkyB's dominant position include costs to set up a rival, huge marketing costs to overcome the view held by subscribers that changing providers is too much hassle, and fending off the inevitable competitive response, according to the regulator. - guardian.co.uk

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Sky TV cleared on movie competition - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

BSkyB's stranglehold on movies from the big Hollywood studios does not harm competition in the pay-TV market, a watchdog ruled today. The Competition Commission said it believed consumers attached more importance to having access to a broad range of content and to price than they do to seeing the most recent movie content. In provisional findings last August, the watchdog initially ruled that Sky's deals with six of the big film studios over the rights to films when they are first shown on television restricted competition. - independent.co.uk

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Ariel - Prebble to check up on BBC impartiality

Prebble will look at how Bridcut's recommendations - or 'guiding principles' - to help the BBC continue to achieve impartiality had been implemented. He became CEO of ITV in 2001, before leaving to set up a production company. The conclusions of the review - the fifth in a series of impartiality reviews commissioned by the trust - will be published next summer. - bbc.co.uk

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How an American Can Stream the BBC's Official Olympics Coverage and Overcome #NBCFail

If you're outside of the United Kingdom then getting a good live feed of the Olympics isn't easy. NBC is streaming some video, but it's ugly, slow, and requires a cable subscription. Worse, what they're showing on their over-the-air broadcast is tape delayed. - lifehacker.com

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Thursday 02 August 2012, AM

In pictures: YouView unboxed - IP TV News

We have finally got our hands on a sample unit of the new YouView box, and hooked it up just in time for the exhilarating London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony last Friday July 27th. Initial impressions are very positive once the lengthy set-up process has been completed most of it automatically, the user is presented with a razor-sharp, friendly and intuitive interface that cleverly combines the Electronic Programme Guide with various IP-delivered options. We will be conducting a thorough review of the Humax-built box over the next week, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy our unboxing photos. - iptv-news.com

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Wednesday 01 August 2012, PM

Techmeme: Done deal: Cisco completes $5 billion acquisition of video software firm NDS (Robin Wauters/The Next Web)

- techmeme.com

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Wednesday 01 August 2012, AM

Equiso Amazon Pre-Order - Business Insider

Kickstarter success Equiso has finally made its smart TV stick available for pre-order on Amazon. After raising 241,000 on Kickstarter, the company will be manufacturing small HDMI dongles that run Android. Head over to Amazon gt Click here to check out a video of the Equiso in action gt - businessinsider.com

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Tuesday 31 July 2012, AM

NBC fail shows network's commitment to 'the last great buggy-whip Olympics' - Heidi Moore - Comment is free - guardian.c

Normally, the Olympics would not require the kind of computer-address-scrambling technology used by revolutionaries, hackers and child pornographers but good luck trying to get at live events any other way if you happen to live on US soil. With the zeal of Pilgrim preachers hunting for witches, NBC has devoted itself to opposing the apparently morally and financially objectionable desire of Americans to watch a sports event as it happens. NBC, which has exclusive rights to the Games here, forbids me from from watching almost all Olympics events live in the United States. - guardian.co.uk

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TV should switch to internet, peers suggest - Technology - The Guardian

The switch to digital television is not yet complete, but UK households could be forced to adjust their sets again with a parliamentary inquiry now forecasting a second wave of switchover, this time from the airwaves to the internet. The government should draw up plans to have every channel, including those from the BBC, broadcast over the internet, freeing up the spectrum for other uses such as mobile phones, the House of Lords suggested on Tuesday. The recommendation comes months after most of the country's 26m television households retuned their sets from analogue to digital, with two regions the north-east and Northern Ireland due to complete the process by the end of October. - guardian.co.uk

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Superfast broadband - UK Parliament

If a paper copy of evidence is submitted, it should be clearly printed or typed on single sides of A4 paper, unstapled. The Committee may refuse evidence received in any other formats. - parliament.uk

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Olympics opening ceremony racks up 1.7 million views on BBC iPlayer - Media - guardian.co.uk

The BBC said there had been 925,000 iPlayer requests to view the opening ceremony on Saturday alone, from people who either missed Friday's opening extravaganza or simply wanted to replay the occasion. The corporation said its sport website had its busiest day ever on Sunday as more than 8 million users worldwide visited the site for the latest Olympics news. BBC Sport online carried 24 simultaneous streams of sporting action, with live coverage available to view on the web, smartphones and tablet computers in the UK. - guardian.co.uk

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Monday 30 July 2012, AM

Build a XBMC Media Center with a $35 Raspberry Pi

At Lifehacker we're big fans of the XBMC video player and home entertainment hub. Older PCs are typically used for XBMC rigs but they often come with a lot of fan noise. My Xbox 360 remote control works out of the box with this setup. - lifehacker.com

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Sunday 29 July 2012, PM

Dido Harding: TalkTalk's head jockey steers YouView to the starting line - Media - The Observer

There were injuries too one mount, with the broadband-friendly name Unlimited Free, turned a somersault and left her strapped to a spinal board. Harding joined TalkTalk while it was still reeling from its founder Charles Dunstone's chaotic but revolutionary entry into the broadband market six years ago. Its offering of free, fast internet connections saw the company overwhelmed by demand, and then came the merger with Tiscali, a company with its own internet TV service that was itself suffering from growing pains. - guardian.co.uk

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Saturday 28 July 2012, PM

Talk Talk reveals its YouView offer - July - 2012 - Which? News

26 July 2012 Talk Talk has revealed details of its YouView deals, offering the set top box free on its Plus package, as well as access to premium Sky channels. For more information read our first look review of YouView. On its own the set top box costs 300, but Talk Talk will be offering it free with its Plus package which costs 14.50 a month plus 13.80 for line rental. - which.co.uk

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BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's on BBC Red Button 28th July - 4th August

All this week you can watch up to 24 streams of Olympics content on Red Button satellite and cable and Connected TV. During the Olympics you can also catch up on all the latest in other sports via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC iPlayer - Help - Frequent Questions about the YouView BBC iPlayer Service

Listed below are frequent questions about the new BBC iPlayer service for YouView. However, if you want to force an update or wish to ensure that you are running the latest version of iPlayer, you can do this manually by Select the Blue YV button on your remote control. Select Device Management which is available via Settings. - iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk

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Olympic TV spectacular draws 26.9m home viewers - Olympic News - Olympics - The Independent

The massive audience tuned in as Danny Boyle's 27 million spectacular took place at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, last night. Viewing figures peaked at 26.9 million, while the average was recorded as 22.4 million for the show - which ran from 9pm until 12.50am - with an audience share of 82 per cent. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Games four years ago attracted 5.9 million UK viewers, while 10.7 million watched the start of the Athens Olympics in 2004. - independent.co.uk

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Friday 27 July 2012, PM

BBC - Radio 4 and 4 Extra Blog: The BBC's International Radio Streams During the Olympics

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Radio 2 will also now be available internationally. Radio 5 Live Sports Extra coverage of non Olympic Sports will be available as normal. Original post 27 July One of the benefits of the BBC's online radio streams is that listeners all over the world can enjoy just about all our programmes live and on demand. - bbc.co.uk

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MP demands help over TVs hit by 4G rollout - Top stories - Scotsman.com

- scotsman.com

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YouView is finally on sale: 7 reasons why it may fail paidContent

Boxes for the UKs big internet TV venture have finally gone on sale, priced a hefty 299, four years after it was conceived. On this occasion, however, it is not so helpful. Perhaps long delays ruled out other, more lucrative avenues people who will pay subscription for lots of TV are already Sky or Virgin Media subscribers. - paidcontent.org

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