January 4, 2006
Top Story
DIRECTV launches MPEG-4 AVC distribution of local NYC, L.A. stations
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
DIRECTV began offering its customers in New York City and Los Angeles access to their market’s local HD channels via MPEG-4 AVC compression.
New York City and Los Angeles are two of the two-dozen cities to receive local HD broadcast channels via direct-to-home satellite service using the MPEG-4 AVC compression technology.
DIRECTV will carry each of the four primary broadcast networks that offer an HD feed in the New York and Los Angeles markets. Customers in those cities who subscribe to a service plan with local channels will receive both SD and HD versions of the stations at no additional charge.
In New York City, the channels include WABC, WCBS, WNBC and WNYW. The Los Angeles channels include KABC, KCBS, KNBC and KTTV.
To receive the MPEG-4 AVC encoded local channels, DIRECTV customers will receive a new HD receiver and satellite dish that can receive programming from five separate orbital positions. According to DIRECTV, existing HD customers won’t have to upgrade their MPEG-2 receivers initially.
DIRECTV currently offers local HD broadcast channels in 12 cities with plans to launch service in 24 more cities early this year. At that point, DIRECTV will offer local HD channels in more than 57 percent of U.S. television households.
Industry News
Viacom completes restructuring
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Viacom has completed separating itself into two publicly traded entities: CBS and the new Viacom. The transaction to separate was announced in June 2005.
CBS is composed of CBS Television Network, UPN, CBS Radio, Viacom Outdoor, Viacom Television Stations Group, Paramount Television, King World, Simon & Schuster, Showtime and Paramount Parks.
CBS will also include the operations of CSTV: Networks, a sports television network and digital media company devoted to college athletics, an acquisition expected to close early this month.
MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, and TV Land), BET, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment and Famous Music comprise Viacom.
Viacom also has entered into an agreement to acquire DreamWorks SKG. The Dreamworks acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2006.
For more information, visit www.viacom.com.
Murrow awards deadline approaches
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
RTNDA has announced it is accepting entries for the 2005 Edward R. Murrow Awards to honor outstanding achievement in electronic journalism.
Awards categories include: overall excellence; newscast; spot news coverage; continuing coverage; investigative reporting; feature reporting; feature: hard news; sports reporting; news series, news documentary; videography; use of sound; writing; Web site (broadcast affiliate); and Web site (non-broadcast affiliate).
To be considered, stories must have aired between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2005, with the exception of Web site categories. Entrants may make multiple submissions in every category except newscast and overall excellence. A single piece may be entered in more than one category.
Awards will be presented for radio and television in the small market (51+ market), large market (1-50 market) and network/syndication service/program service divisions.
The deadline for entries is Jan. 31, 2006.
For more information, visit www.rtnda.org.
Acquisition
New Lithium-Ion battery design emerges
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
A new Lithium-Ion battery design based on proprietary nanoscale electrode technology based on research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) promises up to 10 times the life, five times the power and faster charge times than conventional high-power battery technology.
The first of the new Lithium-Ion batteries from A123 Systems in Watertown, MA, became available in the last quarter of 2005 and are targeted for use in applications that require high power, high levels of safety and long life. Some of the applications identified for the batteries include power tools, advanced medical devices, hybrid electric vehicles and consumer electronics.
DEWALT is using A123 Systems’ battery in a new, heavy-duty 36-volt power tool platform. The 36-volt power tools will provide users with increased levels of power and runtime, at a similar or less weight than their corded counterparts.
The new generation of lithium battery offers five times the power density of current rechargeable, high-power batteries. Additionally, they can be recharged to 90 percent of their capacity in five minutes.
The new design — unlike conventional Lithium-Ion batteries — are made from new, thermally stable, non-combustible active materials. They also deliver as much as a 10-times improvement in life compared to other rechargeable batteries, offering thousands of charge and discharge cycles before reaching the end of their useful life.
Applications in field acquisition have not yet surfaced; however, the new technology is drawing attention from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Energy for future use in hybrid electric vehicles.
For more information, visit www.a123systems.com.
Throwaway camcorders; DVD at 11
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Stations and networks sending videographers into potentially dangerous situations often rely on DV camcorders that are cheap enough to throw away if things get too hot and the shooter needs to make a quick exit.
Pure Digital Technologies will let newsrooms take that concept one step further with a sub-$30 one-time-use digital video camcorder that can record up to 20 minutes of digital video on internal memory.
Available currently at more than 6000 CVS pharmacy and Rite Aid stores nationwide, the disposable camcorders may offer a low-cost alternative for shooters to capture news footage in situations where it might be necessary to drop their camera and run.
The camera could also offer a low-cost way for a station to equip everyone in the newsroom with the means to capture news footage whenever a story breaks — without having to wait for an ENG crew to arrive. The pocket-sized video camera weighs 5oz and is small enough to carry at all times.
Currently, to walk away with usable video requires that the camera be returned to where it was purchased where Pure Digital’s proprietary video processing platform formats the content and burns a DVD using Sonic Solution’s AuthorScript video technology.
While the process is designed for consumers, it’s less appealing to journalists working in a need-it-now world. The inexpensive, throwaway camera may provide an acquisition solution for some unique situations.
Newsroom
Cable TV sites grab 30 percent of those seeking national, international news
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Cable television and portal Web sites are well-positioned to dominate the online news market, according to a new report from JupiterResearch.
While most online consumers still get their national and international news from television, 30 percent of online consumers turn to cable TV news sites for their national and international news versus 29 percent for print newspapers.
"The Future of News," the new report from JupiterResearch, examines the trends and identifies steps news organizations must take to succeed within the changing media landscape.
News Web sites must make some key changes over the next couple of years to remain competitive, including embracing features such as syndication, aggregation, outside-the-site linking and feedback that link Web publishers to each other and their readers more closely.
Web news publishers must consider their fundamental product to be the story and not their site, said JupiterResearch analyst Barry Parr. Web sites are experienced as individual pages that serve as entry points, not as a coherent product, he said.
The popularity of Web content over offline newspapers means newspapers must adapt to meet the needs of their changing audiences. Newspapers are advised to look to the Web not just to retain their older, offline user base, but to attract a younger — and in many cases, entirely different — group of users as well. Taking a predominantly local approach is another necessity for newspapers, because television and cable TV news sites already attract the most national and international news seekers, according to JupiterResearch.
For more information, visit www.jupiterresearch.com.
Vizrt to acquire Ardendo
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Vizrt has signed a letter of intent to acquire all outstanding shares of Ardendo of Sweden for $23 million.
The deal is due to be closed no later than April 30, 2006, and is subject to due diligence and approval by the boards of both companies.
Ardendo, a media management company, is expected to help Vizrt by allowing the company to address the complete broadcast production process from ingest to visualization.
Ardendo offers expertise in ingest, archiving, editing, transcoding, playout and newsroom components. According to Vizrt, the company plans to marry these strengths with Vizrt’s real-time graphics components, mobile distribution and mobile (Viz|3G) visualization tools. The goal is to allow a media company to create once, use many times and distribute everywhere. In other words, give broadcasters a means to acquire, store, edit and retrieve content, as well as use it for SD, HD, cell phone, Web, interactive TV and podcast distribution avenues.
For more information, visit www.vizrt.com and www.ardendo.com.
New Products
Avid ships DekoMOS 3.0
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Avid Technology has begun shipping DekoMOS 3.0, a software option for enhancing workflow in broadcast newsrooms that use Deko on-air graphics systems.
DekoMOS 3.0 works with newsroom computer systems, such as Avid iNEWS, to let virtually anyone in a newsroom insert up-to-the-minute Deko news and information graphics into stories. This allows automatic playback of graphics with real-time motion on-air from Avid Deko character generators.
Journalists, operators and producers can use DekoMOS to select pre-approved graphic templates, as well as to add text, still images or video clips to those graphics from within the Avid iNEWS or ENPS newsroom computer interface. The completed graphics automatically become part of the rundown without requiring any intervention by technical staff.
For more information, visit www.avid.com/products/dekofamily/index.asp.
WSKG selects Crispin ArchiveManager
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
 Crispin’s ArchiveManager manages storage on a mix of RAID drives and DVD RAM cartridges for WSKG-TV in Binghamton, NY. |
WSKG-TV in Binghamton, NY, has selected Crispin’s ArchiveManager to help archive its growing library of digital content.
The non-profit public television station, which has been honored both locally and nationally for its programming and production efforts, selected ArchiveManager to digitize and store its library of locally produced programs. WSKG has been producing local documentaries since its inception in 1968.
ArchiveManager manages the storage on a mix of RAID drives and DVD RAM cartridges for long-term storage. All archived material can be readily available for airing and dubbing.
For more information, visit www.crispincorp.com.
Comprompter automates JAK TV
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Jakarta, Indonesia, broadcaster JAK TV has gone live with a Comprompter NewsKing news and automation system controlling the output of a Vizrt character generator and Omneon video servers.
JAK TV controls the creation of character generator text directly from scripts via the NewsKing system. It also uses NewsKing to create the video lineup based on the rundown order and constantly monitors all channels for any changes with the system. NewsKing responds instantly to any modifications of the scripts or rundown order. Changes can be made within five seconds to air.
Working with Roscor International, Comprompter performed the on-site installation and training at the JAK TV facility.
For more information, visit www.comprompter.com.
DVStation-IP offers MPEG-2 test, monitoring
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
 The Pixelmetrix DVStation-IP presents all broadcast services within all SPTS IP connections in a single consolidated view. |
The Pixelmetrix DVStation-IP is a standalone MPEG-2 test and monitoring platform ideal for anyone involved in the transmission of MPEG-2 video and data over the Internet or other IP networks.
While the DVStation itself has supported IP over MPEG for several years, more improvements in the Internet and other equipment now mean using an IP transport for television transmission is a viable alternative to telecom leased lines, ATM and satellite circuits.
The latest features include a display for viewing the summary of all components of a service including video, audio, CA and data carousels. The system also presents all broadcast services within all SPTS IP connections in a single consolidated view.
Additionally, audio alarms for silence and tone allow customers to monitor audio integrity on all channels.
For more information, visit www.pixelmetrix.com.
Doordarshan automates graphics production
Jan 4, 2006 8:00 AM, News Technology Update e-newsletter
Doordarshan, India's national television service, has purchased the Xmedia Suite for graphics automation and a VertigoXG system to play out graphics for its programming, which is broadcast throughout India and reaches nearly 90 percent of the country's residents.
With Vertigo's Xmedia Suite, Doordarshan will have tools for automatically creating, managing and playing out real-time, dynamic broadcast graphics. The network's news staff will be able to create data-driven, full-screen graphics from a pre-built template library accessed directly from AP ENPS. The Xmedia system monitors the live data source and automatically generates up-to-date graphics.
For more information, visit www.vertigoxmedia.com.
