Audio Video News

Yet another Internet-related company is looking to bring content - "with High Definition quality" - to your computer and TV screens. DAVETV, an acronym for Distributed Audio Video Entertainment, claims to be "a new kind of television broadcast network offering not only traditional programming such as movies, music, music videos and sports, but also new original content self-published by end users using DAVETV's secure peer-to-peer networking system."

Starting in November, a PC-based software package (Windows XP only) called the DAVE Media Center (DMC) will be available for free download. The DAVE Media Center is a content publishing center that's used "to download and catalog thousands of rights secured videos, films, photos, songs and games for playback" on either your PC or your TV.

The DAVETV digital media receiver, the Xport, and a broadband connection are required to bring DAVETV content to your living room TV. The Xport is expected to be released on January 6, 2005 during the Consumer Electronics Show, and DAVETV anticipates that more than 30,000 hours of content will be available at that time. The set-top box - the first of its kind to use secure peer-to-peer networking - will be a Windows CE 5.0 device that incorporates an 80 GB hard drive for storing up to 200 hours of TV-quality video. Currently available specs on the Xport, although they are certainly subject to change, show only RF, composite, and S-video outputs for connection to your TV, meaning the actual output of the Xport will not be High Definition. At this time, all content is expected to be available "a la carte" meaning no monthly service fees will be required. (Instead, you'll simply pay for what you decide to watch.)

The DAVE Media Center allows publishers of video content to "choose from a wide variety of business and DRM rules to publish, protect and monetize their content." Because of the distributed nature of the network, the number of potential "channels" is virtually unlimited. Ken Lipscomb, CEO and developer of the DAVETV system, says, "Ours is the first copyright friendly distributed network that is designed around Windows Media 9 and Microsoft DRM. Our P2P networking ssytem not only delivers content faster and more efficiently than centralized content delivery platforms, but was designed with the content owners' rights in mind."

"Creating worldwide content communities empowered to monetize their creations is our overarching mission," elaborated Lipscomb. "Providing the means to self publish is as crucial as our efforts in securing commercially viable and popular content."

According to the DAVETV web site, "the DAVE Media Center will feature channels of music, video, and other media entertainment on demand. Currently, there are radio, film, music and reference channels licensed through content owners and media companies including Transmission Films, Live365.com Radio, Rapstation, Group 101 Films, Food Experience, Fashion Forward, DAVE MUSIC, DAVE FILMS, and many more."