Kids TV Network: “Don’t Watch Too Much TV”
Nickelodeon is advocating a healthy and balanced lifestyle, and part of this is limiting TV viewing time. It’s a stance that’s apparently a conflict of interest, but thinking of it long term, TV networks stand to gain from their viewers being healthy. I think it’s all about goodwill. Companies have to reach out to the public so they won’t be considered as too impersonal. Besides, if I were a company or a media enterprise, I wouldn’t want my clients to be sickly.
It’s the heart of the summer, a time when a kid’s thoughts may well turn to watching television - lots of television. But one television network is telling kids to turn off their sets, put aside their remotes and go outside and play.
“Our whole mantra is about a balanced lifestyle,” said Marva Smalls, an executive vice president with the Nickelodeon cable channel, whose summer promotion this year is a series of specials called “Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.”
“Part of a balanced lifestyle,” Smalls added, “is not to spend all of your waking hours watching TV.”
Nick also has its weekly Lets Just Play Go Healthy Challenge which showcases the progress of three kids from around the country in terms of shifting towards a healthier lifestyle through exercise and proper diet.
Who said TV’s just for couch potatoes?
World Cup Helps TV Sales
World Cup season is over, but it seems this is one period in every year that TV manufacturers look forward to. Fo instance, Sony cites the World Cup as a major contributing factor for a boost in its flat-panel television sales in the first quarter of 2006. From the Financial Times:
Sony on Thursday unveiled an increase in first-quarter profit for the first time in four years on the back of a favourable exchange rate and a boost to its flat-panel TV sales from the World Cup soccer season.
…
Although TV sales grew 40 per cent during the World Cup, this was less than expected, leading to a rise in inventories and leaving the TV division still in the red.Nonetheless, Nobuyuki Oneda, chief financial officer, said the boost in demand was enough to help Sony make progress towards turning round its TV business. It also helped push the group’s LCD flat-panel production joint venture with South Korea’s Samsung into profit in the first quarter.
Sales of home entertainment and computing equipment are, after all, seasonal. For instance, it is foreseen that individuals and businesses would hold off on purchasing laptops and desktop computers in anticipation of Microsoft’s release of Windows Vista early next year. Vista was originally intended to be released mid-2006, but release was moved back a couple of times as the development team wanted to resolve bugs before finalizing the product.
This has hurt PC sales, especially since Vista has very intensive hardware requirements. Manufacturers these days are banking on labelling their computers as “Vista Ready.” Still, users are wary of the added cost (in terms of software prices and effort) of having to purchase and install Vista later on, as opposed to buying laptops or desktops that come with Vista by default.
On the TV front, technologies worth waiting for are the full switch to digital, HD broadcasts and IPTV.
Panasonic 103″ Plasma
If you have $50,000 in spare change just lying around in your pocket or at the bank, you might want to check out the 103-inch plasma television that Panasonic showcased at CES this January. So far the largest Plasma television, this model will sport a full 1080p high definition resolution and the same HD high-speed pixel drive found in Panasonic’s TH-65PX500 65-inch 1080p Plasma TV.
Manufacture of plasma panels larger than 100 inches (diagonal) is faced with technical difficulties, though, especially with maintaining stable discharge and high picture quality across the entire surface. Panasonic has announced it has overcome this hurdle.
Panasonic has overcome these technical hurdles by developing a new rib* and phosphor for these super large panels. The 103-inch 1080p plasma panel, equivalent to four 50-inch panels in size, features consistent and uniform discharge, delivering the same accurate images from the center to every corner of the screen and brightness as the current 50-inch HD model (TH-50PX500). The panel incorporates Panasonic’s 1080p HD high-speed pixel drive. The same high-speed pixel drive is used in the TH-65PX500 65-inch 1080p Plasma TV, which has been well received in Japan since its introduction last November, and the 50-inch 1080p Plasma unveiled at CEATEC JAPAN 2005 in October 2005.
The 103-inch model is set to retail in Japan this September 2006 for the equivalent of $50,000. A US/Europe release has not yet been announced, though.
Syntax-Brillian Announces New Line of Olevia LCD Televisions
Syntax-Brillian, newly merged from previously separate television and monitor manufacturers, has announced three new series in its Olevia LCD television line. The Olevia 3, 5, and 7 Series all feature firmware upgradeability via USB and can all double as PC monitors supporting maximum resolutions of 1366 x 768 for the 3 and 5 Series and 1920 x 1080 for the 7 Series via either VGA or HDMI input.
All Olevia 3, 5 and 7 Series LCD TVs feature new industry-leading technology innovations engineered by Syntax-Brillian to perfect video quality. Director’s Image(TM) technology recreates the director’s intended image through calibrated 6500K color temperature, gamma, optimized gray scales and adjustable black levels. Big Picture Technology(TM) shows without distortion up to 11% more of digital broadcast images and up to 37% more of analog images. Consumers can protect their investment by easily downloading firmware updates from Syntax-Brillian’s Web site via Olevia’s USB port to ensure that their TV will always perform with the latest features, software updates and image-quality improvements. Syntax-Brillian has also designed an easy-to-understand On-Screen Display (OSD) for selecting the optimum image attributes for any viewing environment.
The Olevia 5 Series is currently shipping, with 27-, 32-, 37- and 42-inch models available for retail. Each model comes at a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, and features a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, 8 ms response time, 1600:1 contrast ratio and a 178-degree viewing angle.
Dan Rather Considers Suing CBS
Former news anchor Dan Rather is considering filing civil charges against CBS, his former employer, as he things his departure from CBS is under questionable circumstances. We may recall that Rather was caught in the middle of a controversy about the legitimacy of some documents about President George W. Bush’s military records in the election year of 2004 (wher Bush won a second term). This went down in history as the landmark new media-versus-mainstream media battle, as the controversy was fueled and discussed heavily by the blogosphere from all sides of the political spectrum.
Rather said that he brought up several times while at CBS that, after his departure from the anchor desk and assignment as a “60 Minutes” correspondent, the network wasn’t living up to its end of his contract. CBS has said that with the many “60 Minutes” correspondents, there weren’t enough assignments for him.
Rather said that he had never been told what led to his departure from CBS. He said he wasn’t sure whether it was related to the aftermath of the “60 Minutes Wednesday” story on President Bush’s military career that relied in part on unsubstantiated documents.
We earlier wrote that Rather was joining Mark Cuban’s HDNet.
Philippine Market Shifting Towards Large-Screen Flat-Panel TVs
Contrast: affluence in the face of
a struggling economy.
According to a news report by inq7.net, the Philippine market is getting ripe for the picking for flat-panel TV manufacturers and retailers.
For now, though, the demand and interest for flat panel TVs is still limited within the upper income classes who prefer–and have the means–to bring the theatre experience home into their living rooms.
“These buyers want to recreate theater experience. They watch DVDs on their TVs or they like to play video games in large screens. Some TVs are also used as both a TV and a computer monitor, which is a better option than having two separate screens,” Lim said.
… Put of the 200 respondents, 187 are wishing to buy large screen TVs while 69 of that are already planning to buy.
… Prices of LCD and plasma TVs have declined nearly half their price since these were introduced in the country several years back. From about 400,000 pesos ($ 7,500), LCD or plasma TVs larger than 40 inches now cost between 150,000 pesos (and 250,000 pesos (between $ 2,800 and $ 4,700).
While the market is not as mature as more developed countries in the West and likewise in Asia, this is a good sign, since people with relatively higher disposable income are opting to spend on good audio-visual equipment. This could be an indication tha they expect better times ahead.
One concern, though, is the absence of any legal provisions requiring networks to switch to purely digital signals in the future, nor are there any moves at present to implement video-on-demand or Internet-based television (IPTV).
Still, this is a good start.
Broadband Content on This Year’s Emmy Awards
The organizers of the Emmy awards–or more accurately, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group–have signified that they have started to include online, interactive content on their roster of nominees. This is great news for independent content producers and developers, as inclusion in the Emmys would give some sort of legitimacy to the medium, not only being confined to the geek and tech subscultures, but now raised to the mainstream status.
The announcements of the finalists represent the growing connection between television and interactive capabilities.
“This is monumental–that any TV distribution over broadband will now be eligible across all categories for the Primetime Emmys” … content created exclusively for the broadband platform now can compete against network content.
Finalists in the category of enhanced or interactive programming include AOL Music On Demand from AOL/Time Warner Cable/Zetools, CNN Enhanced, DirecTV Interactive Sports, and TiVo service.
The winners of this year’s Emmy Awards will be announced on July 26th, and shall be awarded on August 19th. While it’s still more of the established media outfits that are included in this year’s list of nominees, we do hope that independent producers and creators would also get the chance at being recognized for their new media/internet-television efforts.
Dan Rather Joining HDNet
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather is joining high-definition channel HDNet to host Dan Rather Reports.
HDNet is excited to announce today that one of the most accomplished news journalists of our generation, Dan Rather, will produce and host “Dan Rather Reports,” premiering exclusively on HDNet this October.
A weekly news program, “Dan Rather Reports” will feature hard-edged field reports, interviews and investigative pieces. It will be one-hour in length and will be completely uncensored. It will reflect the signature qualities of its host with a focus on accuracy, fairness and guts.
We recall that Rather was the rather unfortunate victim of the incident (aptly dubbed “rathergate”) where politically-oriented bloggers outed some discrepancies in his reporting of President George W. Bush’s military record. This incident led Rather to resign his post as CBS News anchor. Hence, there’s probably some irony in this news, as Mark Cuban, owner of HDNet, also owns, and is highly associated with, IceRocket, which is a search engine specifically designed for blogosphere content.
In related news, CBS has announced that it is unlikely to renew Rather’s contract (he has stayed on even after his stint as news anchor and host). Rather has served CBS for 44 years to date.
A Lesson to TV Writers
Here’s a lesson to scriptwriters (whether for television shows, movies, plays, or other things that need scripts), or any other person with important documents for that matter. Backup your data! Here’s a story of a screenwriter who had his valuable screenplays accidentally deleted off his computer.
At one point, he had entered into negotiations to sell the screenplays for $2.7 million, but those talks never went anywhere. However, sometime after this, he signed up for DSL from SBC (now AT&T). When the technician came to his house to install the DSL, he tried to “help” by cleaning up the “unused” items on the guy’s desktop — which, of course, included the screenplays.
Score: one for the cable DSL guy (okay, I just really wanted to say “cable guy”).
$2.7 million? Just when we think the production outfits are paying peanuts for the quality of storylines and dialogues on TV these days!
Going Flat - Flat Panel Display Technologies Compared
“Flat panel television.”
The very mention of the phrase “flat panel TV” exudes class and leisure. After all, after more than half a century of consumer televisions being of the cathode-ray tube (CRT) variety, sleek designs that seem to say “cool” and “expensive” are what flat panel TVs have become. Lately, though, flat panel televisions are gaining traction in the market because of prices ever getting lower and screen sizes ever getting larger (though thinner and thinner). Gone are the days of bulky and heavy television sets. Now you can even mount the TV set on your wall and do away with having to set it on furniture.
What does “flat panel” denote, really? In truth, there is no one single technology or television variety that the term “flat panel” can be solely associated with. Flat panels come in different shapes, forms and sizes, from tiny eight-inch portable LCDs, to large 100-inch Plasma displays. There are also less commonly used techonogies, such as liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), and Organic LED (OLED), among others.
What’s common among flat panel screens and televisions is that they are less than 4 inches thick.
A comparison
Let’s have a look at the more popular technologies in flat panel televisions today, namely LCD and Plasma. These two are often pitted against each other to compare advantages and disadvantages. It’s generally a rule of thumb that Plasma displays are usually more expensive. But in some cases, LCD may still be the preferred choice.
Let’s first have a quick definition of how each other works. Plasma displays are in essence a mixture of inert gases sandwiched in between two flat glass panels. The display works by inducing each pixel to light up by passing electricity onto the plasma. The display uses the plasma itself both as the source of the image and the light.
LCD, on the other hand, displays images images using liquid crystals (as the name implies) sandwiched in between two plates of glass. When electricity is passed through each pixel, the liquid crystal can change position, pattern and color to form the desired onscreen image. LCDs do not emit light themselves, and must be lit up from behind (or sometimes the sides) with while lamp that is shone through the screen.
So how do they fare against each other?
Maximum size
Plasma televisions can come as large as 103 inches in diagonal measurement. LCDs max out at 73 inches.
Viewing angle
Plasma is the clear winner when it comes to flexibility in viewing. LCDs usually require that a viewer be directly in front of the screen in order to see accurate and consistent color reproduction and brightness. If viewed from an angle or from the sides, LCD displays usually come out discolored or sometimes even non-visible at all. Plasma doesn’t have this problem, since viewing from any angle is perfect.
Life span
In terms of life span, LCD has the advantage. Plasma screens and televisions have a lifespan of about 30,000 hours, or up to four years, until the plasma ceases to work. Plasma screens are also prone to burn in—that is, if a static image is displayed in a continuous manner, the plasma will leave a permanent imprint on the glass. LCD displays, on the other hand, can display both static and moving images without any problem. This is why Plasma is not ideal for use with computer monitors, as computers usually display static images most of the time.
LCD displays have about 50% longer life span than Plasma.
Power consumption
LCDs are ideal for use in portable devices because they consume very little electricity. Plasma, on the other hand, needs more electricity especially since it’s the screen itself that lights up.
Picture quality
Brightness and contrast are still among the basic criteria for judging picture quality. In terms of flat panel televisions, you can’t get the best of both worlds. LCDs will be brighter than Plasma displays, especially since LCDs have external lighting while Plasma has to light itself up in each pixel. However, contrast-wise, Plasma has the advantage because of the contrast range it can produce. You get the whitest of whites and blackest of blacks with Plasma.
So in purchasing a flat panel television, you would usually be torn between LCD and Plasma. Both have their advantages and as well, their respective disadvantages. In summary, you should opt for LCD if you are energy-conscious and if you want your set to last longer than usual (about seven years service life). You should go for Plasma if you want a larger screen and if you are particular about color reproduction and contrast.
[ Source: Flat Panel TV ]
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