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”).
$2.7 million? Just when we think the production outfits are paying peanuts for the quality of storylines and dialogues on TV these days!
1080p, But No 1080p
This article’s title may be confusing, so let us put forward a bit of clarification. 1080p, in television and display parlance, is the shorthand name of a set of video modes or resolutions that are usually marketed as “full” or “true” high definition. 1080 stands for the lines of vertical resolution (think of the “768″ in your usualy XGA monitor’s 1024×768), while “p” means “progressive mode,” or that the video displayed is non-interlaced.
1080p displays usually folllow a form factor of 16:9, (width x height), meaning this is a wide-screen type display. Resolutions are commonly at 1920×1080.
A while back, it was reported that Hitachi was releasing a 1080p-capable 32-inch television set that would retail for only US$ 2,200. This came as quite an exciting news to expectant consumers and TV enthusiasts, because true 1080p displays came at a steep price, usually upwards of US$ 3,000. However, the concept of an affordable 1080p-capable set might be too far away into the future after all, as Hitachi clarified their product’s processor could handle 1080p (and also 1080i–or “interlaced”), but the screen itself could only display at a lower resolution, hence the processor still has to down-sample into that native screen resolution.
Bill Whalen, senior product manager at Hitachi, [said] that while the chip can create and convert the highest resolution, the TV itself cannot. In fact, the chip may take a 1080i (interlaced) or 1080p source, convert it to 1080p (in case of 1080i sources) - and then render it back down to a resolution the TV actually supports. In the case of the four new Hitachi LCD TVs, which will be introduced later this year for prices between $2200 and $3000, that would be 768p (1366×768 progressive).
And we thought 1080p was just within our reach. Ah, too bad.
Cablevision in Legal Battle Over Copyright
Cable provider Cablevision is being sued by major studios for using Digital Video Recording Technology. Cablevision’s remote-storage DVR or RS-DVR is being marketed as a device that basically lets users record shows on schedule and watch these on demand, with the option to zip past advertisements.
The issue here: the studios say that Cablevision isn’t paying license fees for “video on demand,” which the technology they are selling is, by definition.
In a case that could reshape copyright law, Fox, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, CBS and Disney asked a U.S. district court here to stop Cablevision Systems from rolling out a service that lets an ordinary digital set-top box function as a DVR, like TiVo. There are 45 million such digital boxes in use.
…
The studios argue that means Cablevision is selling not a DVR, but a video on demand service, without paying the studios a license fee as they do for VOD. “Unlike with a set-top box, Cablevision will copy copyrighted content and retransmit it without authorization,” says Kori Bernards of the industry’s Motion Picture Association of America. “Cablevision’s refusal to seek a license has left the plaintiffs no option but to sue.”
Cablevision argues that the service is not video-on-demand, but simply a digital video recorder, even if the actual “recorder” is not in the premises of the subscriber, but in Cablevision’s own facilities. This is the basic premise that would be argued in court: whether such a facility should be considered as in fact offering video-on-demand, or simply as a remote-DVR, analysts say. Further, the issue could take years to resolve, even reaching Supreme Court-level, much like the landmark MGM vs. Grokster case.
Turn Your Mac Mini Into a PVR
Two comapnies have come up with products that let you convert your Mac Mini into personal video recorders (PVRs). Okay, not really a cheap option (I’d rather use a Mac Mini as a computer), but it works!
The TVMax connects via USB 2.0 port but uses standard analogue only, though–so no digital input/output on this one.
The TVMax neatly supports both PAL and NTSC video standards - handy for UK and US usage - but the integrated TV tuner is analogue, so Brits will need to hook up a set-top box if they want to watch Freeview content. That said, the TVMax sports an array of analogue ports to grab video content from DVD players, VCRs, set-top boxes and the like.
The I-O Data box seems more attractive in terms of features (but not necssarily style!), as it has digital I/O and interfaces better with the Mac Mini’s own software.
I-O Data’s box offers much the same functionality, providing PVR features, analogue content capture and push-button iPod video conversion. The GV-1394TV/M3’s software hooks directly into Apple’s iLife 06 apps iDVD and iMovie. It offers some clever picture enhancement technology, but it too contains an analogue tuner.
“Idol” Contests via Google Video
Here’s something celebrity-wannabes might be interested in: Google Idol. This is a set of contests that involve Google Video as its multimedia platform.
Gidol is a new online competition for the many talented (and not so talented) people out there who have been waiting for their moment of fame. The competition places publicly submitted videos from Google Video in a head-to-head knockout tournament of 4 heats and 2 semi finals leading up to the grand final when a winner is announced.
Winners are selected by popularity–the site asks the audience to vote for their favorite music videos or webcam videos (all played via Google Video, of course). To me, this is a precursor of how TV will be in the future, with the onset of IPTV. I envision television to be more interactive, not only by taking in feedback from watchers via external mechanisms such as email, telephone, or letters. I’m hoping that once all TV is coursed through some form of Internet connection, television sets and networks would accept live feedback from the audience itself, right as the show is running!
Broadcasters worry over high cost of HD equipment
Analog signals will cease to be broadcast by 2009. Do you think you’re at a severe disadvantage for having to buy new digital-enabled television sets? Well, think again. You would only need to spend a minimum of about US$1,000 on a television set, but broadcast companies would have to shell out upwards of US$ 80,000 for every HD-enabled camera.
Smallish production companies and independent TV stations are fretting over HD cameras that can set them back $80,000. The federal government’s requirement that broadcasters move to digital TV signals within three years had scores of tiny production houses, public broadcasting stations and university communications departments pacing the aisles at the National Association of Broadcasters 2006 electronics media conference [in Las Vegas] this week.
Meanwhile, equipment providers are trying to win over broadcasters this early by offering discounted or lower prices on their hardware. Sony, Avid and Apple, among others, are wooing TV executives into adopting early. However, broadcast companies are still worried about a possible low viewer demand for HD content. Still, since it’s only three years away before the analog signal swithch-off, an investment on digital at this point is likely to pay off, especially since this would pave the way for a faster adoption rate among viewers.
SkyTV and Sony Will Give Your Cash Back
Buyers of Sony BRAVIA high-definition LCD TVs who will subscribe to SkyTV’s (UK) HDTV service between April 26th to July 10th will be eligible for a £100 rebate. This is open to subscribers who purchase BRAVIA TV V and S series with sizes of 26-inch and up, and a SkyHD set-top box, which has built-in personal video recording features. The set-top box retails for £299 and the HDTV service comes at a monthly service fee of £10 on top of regular SkyDigital subscriptions (usually ranging from £15 to £30 per month).
Sky has recently launched its high-definition digital television service, which went live this April 12th.
[via PocketLint]