Recently in Home Entertainment Category

Nielsen wants to expand upon their TV tracking into the Web realm and even your iPod to track what video content you watch. According to this MSNBC article, "Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday it plans to integrate TV with Internet ratings and to measure viewership for such portable devices as cell phones and iPods." It states that Nielsen is developing "meters" that track viewing on portable devices, and will by year's end have a 400-member iPod user panel in place.

While I applaud Nielsen for trying to expand their repertoire of user habits & tracking, which aids in reporting for content providers and gives advertisers an audited way of knowing readership, I am a bit skeptical over Nielsen tracking user's Web surfing habits or what videos they watch on their iPods. Isn't this known as "spyware"?

Accell will accounce today their UltraAV High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 2 to 1 Switch for home theater and presentations that is perfect for video enthusiasts.  Most new HD displays and projectors are equipped with only one HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector requiring consumers to manually connect the source devices or purchase an expensive switch, which at $250 to $300, may be out of reach for many consumers.  Common HDMI sources include DVRs, set top boxes, satellite receivers, and DVD players.

The UltraAV HDMI Switch allows concurrent access to two video sources, eliminating the need to get off the sofa to plug and un-plug HDMI devices every time you want to use a different video source. The 2-1 Switch supports 1080p resolutions, is backward compatible and is compliant with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) devices. The UltraAV 2 to 1 Switch also works with DVI equipped devices when using an optional DVI adapter.



The switch requires no external power. Most Switches serving this need are bulky and carry a $250-$300 price tag, but Accell’s 2-1 Switch is small and carries an MSRP of just $99.99. Included with the Switch is a programmable wireless remote and an mountable infrared sensor. An IR Extender is included for when your Switch is not in line of sight to your remote control. The extender has a 5-foot cord, a miniature IR target and is self-adhesive for convenient placement, for when you want to install the Switch in an out-of-sight location.

It will be available next month (June).

Amid all of the noise about the broadcast networks trying to sell their new fall programs to advertisers in a process that has become known as "upfronts" and the future of the 30- and 60-second commercial, the Washington Post slipped in an interesting factoid: "that 17 percent of all households -- and most workplaces -- are equipped with high-speed Internet access."

Is everybody else on dial-up? What are these people doing? Do you think it has anything to do with cost?

Check out the whole article on the Washington Post web site; the direct link is:

www.washingtonpost.com/2006/05/19/2.html

CBS's new video-on-demand deal with Comcast and General Motors ushers in a new, compelling concept in video on demand: digital cable subscribers can receive prime time TV shows for free.

Starting today, cable viewers in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Detroit will be able to watch “Survivor Finale” and “Survivor Reunion” at no charge because General Motors will be the sole sponsor.

The shows, which will include commercials, will appear on video on demand a day after they air over broadcast TV, and run until August 31. 

Earlier this year, CBS offered such prime time shows as “Amazing Race” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” through Comcast's VOD for 99 cents each.

 

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's vice president of technical strategy and innovation, has been one of the company’s foremost thinkers regarding Internet strategy and emerging technologies. Among other things, he has led IBM's work on Linux and managed services, aka "On Demand" computing.

He recenlty spoke with Digital Connect’s Heather Clancy about how IBM's work on the next-generation Internet will bring the venerable business technology powerhouse into the burgeoning digital home market. A fascinating interview -- don't miss it! at this link.

The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) SmartBrief newsletter is always full of interesting items.

Here’s one for your: Sony has discontinued AIBO, its robot pooch, but South Korea's DasaTech's Genibo, an LED-eyed robot dog, may be on the market sometime next year.

For the full story, log onto PC Magazine.

To subscribe to the CEA SmartBrief, visit www.smartbrief.com.

Forget American Idol! -- now here’s something really important.

Interactive Television Networks, a leader in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), recently announced the launch of The Karaoke Channel -- the first IPTV karaoke channel. A product of a three-year agreement between ITVN and Sound Choice, the leading karaoke music producer in the U.S., the 24/7 channel will feature thousands of individual song titles from Sound Choice, with titles spanning more than 100 years of music and including the biggest hits from every genre.

Get your vocal chords warmed up – it will be available in June.

It's not a bad life when you're post-CEO.

Much ado yesterday about Michael Eisner, the former Walt Disney CEO, has joined the board of Veoh Networks, a Web-based distributor of video and TV programming. Eisner also teamed with Time Warner and venture-capital firm Spark Capital to invest $12.5 million in broadband TV startuo.

Check out the site at www.veoh.com and let me know if that looks like a smart investment ...

Strreaming media is hot!

Apparently besting other streamers, MSN announced it plans to stream live and on-demand coverage of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on the consecutive weekends of April 28-30 and May 5-7. Scheduled performers include Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffet, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, and Ani DiFranco.

According to Adotas.com ("where interactive advertising begins"), MSN plans to only cover a number of center-stage, “anchor” performances, as the event spans a big area of the city and includes many lesser-known acts. The festival, which has been a part of New Orleans’ cultural heritage since the 1970’s, is especially important and attention-grabbing this year because it will help revitalize the city’s devastated economy and tourism in the wake of last year’s hurricanes. This plan is part of an ongoing expansion of MSN’s entertainment coverage and sponsorship offerings for advertisers.

The top-three portal streamed video of the Live 8 concert last July, as well as the “Jam Rock” Bob Marley festival held this past February. Though they plan to incorporate some of their advertising partners into their exclusive sponsorship of the event, MSN had no specific brands to mention at time of press.

Congratulations to all of those who correctly guessed that the 10 shows in the Tuesday blog were Disney shows now available for free download on the web.

No one knew that I Wanna Be a Soap Star III is actually on Soapnet ...

What see what happens next in the wild world of streaming video!