Computer-game developers have been moving toward the home-theater market for the last couple of years. And with DVD players now catching on with computer buyers and home-theater buffs, the format is ripe for a crossover hit. What is needed, of course, is the killer title that makes good use of both a computer and a home-theater system.
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.thomson-multimedia.com">Thomson multimedia</A> announced a major investment and development partnership with <A HREF="http://www.geocast.com">Geocast Network Systems</A>, in an alliance that the company claims is intended to deploy a comprehensive terrestrial broadcast-based digital television datacasting system and service to millions of homes from coast to coast. Thomson says it is making a $15 million investment in Geocast Network Systems, and that "the result will be seamless, high-quality playback of rich-media content at a moment's notice from home entertainment and information devices."
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.lucasfilm.com/">Lucasfilm THX</A> announced the availability of the first THX certified PCs under a newly created THX program that the company says is designed to deliver "the best picture and sound to date on a personal computer." A Lucasfilm press release states that "with consumers increasingly turning to the PC for entertainment content, a THX certified PC ensures that movies, music, games and more will be enjoyed with a sound and visual impact that will satisfy the most demanding multimedia user."
It's been roughly 12 months since TiVo and Replay Networks first unveiled their digital video recorders, so it seemed a good time to ask how the format is doing so far. To answer the question, market intelligence company <A HREF="http://www.techtrends.net">TechTrends</A> conducted a survey of more than 1400 consumers for a new study, <I>The Digital Television Revolution: Success Factors for the Emerging Digital Video Recorder Market</I>. TechTrends claims that their research is the most comprehensive market study to date of the DVR market.
Amid a flurry of activity last week, <A HREF="http://www.tivo.com">TiVo</A> announced new agreements with several content providers to help support its new hard-disk-based A/V recording and playback system. As reported during last month's Consumer Electronics Show <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?338">coverage</A>, TiVo and rival start-up <A HREF="http://www.replaytv.com">Replay</A> intend to market digital devices with sophisticated software that finds and time-shifts TV programming, giving viewers more control over selecting and watching television content.
Last week, TiVo found itself the focus flurry of unwanted media attention as a new <A HREF="http://www.privacyfoundation.org/privacywatch/report.asp?id=62&action=0"... was released by the <A HREF="http://www.privacyfoundation.org/">Privacy Foundation</A> detailing at length how the TiVo system collects personal data. The report also reveals what the Privacy Foundation found while comparing a TiVo PVR's actual behavior under test with the company's stated privacy policy. The Foundation says that it and University of Denver Privacy Center have recently completed a fourth independent investigation of the TiVo device.
Scientists at the Department of Energy's <A HREF="http://www.lanl.gov/worldview/">Los Alamos National Laboratory</A> say they have developed a technology that could make the coming transition from current analog television to high-definition television a whole lot easier. The scientists describe the technology as a new transmission algorithm capable of compressing a HDTV data stream to the point where the HDTV and analog TV signals can be broadcast over the same channel.
It's been a glorious week for folks who rent or buy open-DVD videos. <A HREF="http://www.paramount.com">Paramount Home Video</A> and <A HREF="http://www.foxhome.com/">Twentieth Century Fox</A> have each announced a string of releases that signal their entry into the open-DVD market. Both companies, relative laggards in the rollout of the new format, have said that copyright issues are the delaying factor.