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News
Sony and Microsoft in dispute over copy protection software
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Sony BMG Music Entertainment has temporarily suspended the manufacture of music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to viruses. The company will stop making CDs with the XCP technology as a precautionary measure.
In a prepared statement, Sony said it intends to re-examine “all aspects of our content protection initiative to be sure that it continues to meet our goals of security and ease of consumer use.”
Spurred by Sony’s announcement, Microsoft said it will update its Windows security tools to detect and remove part of the copy protection tools installed by the controversial CDs.
The antipiracy technology, which works only on Windows computers, prevents customers from making more than a few copies of the CD and prevents them from loading the CDs songs onto Apple Computer’s iPod portable music players. Some other music players, which recognize Microsoft’s proprietary music format, will still work.
The controversy between the two companies emerged after several security companies discovered that hackers had begun to create and send programs over the Internet that exploited the technology’s ability to avoid detection. Hackers discovered they can effectively render their programs invisible by using names for computer files similar to ones used by Sony.
Some leading antivirus companies immediately updated their protective software to detect Sony’s antipiracy program, disable it and prevent it from being reinstalled.
White House pushes for tougher anti-piracy laws
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
The Bush administration wants new laws that would increase criminal penalties for pirates, expand criminal prosecutors’ powers and punish anyone who attempts to infringe on a copyright.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking at an antipiracy summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the Department of Justice has submitted to Congress a legislative package aimed at toughening up intellectual-property enforcement. According to the proposal being circulated by the department, the measure would create a new crime called “attempting to infringe a copyright” and subject it to the same penalties as more serious infringement offenses, CNET reported.
The proposal would also permit authorities to seize and destroy pirated and counterfeit goods as well as technology used to produce pirated or fake material, as well as property obtained with proceeds from the sale of pirated or counterfeit material. It’s not clear how Congress will address the proposed rules, which are now under review.
In addition to possibly serving prison time, those convicted of infringements would, under the new law, have to pay the copyright holder “and any other victim of the offense” as compensation for losses resulting from the crime.
The Justice Department is also seeking in its proposal greater latitude for prosecutors. Right now it’s only possible to enforce against copyrights that are registered with the government. The new proposal would make that true only in civil cases, allowing prosecutors to go after pirates regardless of whether the copyright is registered.
Grokster to shut down free downloading service
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Grokster, which lost its case before the Supreme Court decision, has agreed to shut down its file-swapping service and pay $50 million to settle music and movie piracy claims, the Associated Press reported.
Grokster lost an important Supreme Court ruling in June when justices ruled that the entertainment industry can file piracy lawsuits against technology companies caught encouraging customers to steal music and movies over the Internet.
The decision, which gave the green light for the federal case to advance in Los Angeles, significantly weakened lawsuit protections for companies that had blamed illegal behavior on their customers rather than the technology that made such behavior possible.
The settlement reached permanently bans Grokster from participating, directly or indirectly, in the theft of copyrighted files and requires the company to stop giving away its software.
Grokster now plans to launch a legal, subscription-based Grokster 3G service under a new parent company, Mashboxx, of Virginia Beach, VA. Mashboxx, headed by former Grokster President Wayne Rosso, has signed a licensing agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Grokster’s settlement does not affect other defendants in the case, including StreamCast Networks, which distributes Morpheus, and Sharman Networks, which distributes Kazaa.
The movie and recording industry plaintiffs in the case are expected to file a motion for summary judgment by early next year against the remaining defendants, and U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has scheduled a hearing on the matter for March 27.
NBC, CBS pursue on-demand model
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Looking to generate new revenue with existing content and leverage Apple Computer’s Video iPod success, NBC and CBS announced separate plans to make some of their primetime shows and movies available for viewers to watch at their leisure — with national but no local commercials — for 99 cents an episode. This on-demand television strategy has been talked about for months and is now becoming reality, thanks to cable TV’s existing two-way infrastructure.
The back-to-back announcements from NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric, and Viacom-owned CBS, came weeks after Walt Disney’s ABC began offering commercial-free Internet downloads of its biggest hits, “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” for $1.99 a piece.
The two latest deals add CBS and NBC shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” to the mix of programs networks are clamoring to deliver outside conventional broadcasts, Reuters reported.
The NBC and CBS on-demand services give viewers access to primetime broadcasts the day after the have aired for the first time. These will be available through the television set, as opposed to a personal computer or portable digital device like iPod. Viewers cannot record the shows themselves.
Both services launch early next year, with NBC programs distributed through satellite broadcaster DirecTV Group and CBS via cable giant Comcast.
Under its plan, select TV shows from NBC Universal’s flagship network, NBC, and its cable networks will be made available for on-demand viewing to homes equipped with a new DirecTV DVR.
NBC’s initial offerings will include the two spin-offs of its “Law & Order” franchise —”SVU” and “Criminal Intent,” as well as workplace comedy “The Office” and sea monster thriller “Surface.” Two cable shows also will be part of the mix — USA Network’s “Monk” and SiFi channel’s “Battlestar Galactica.”
Hours after those shows first air on the network each week, they will be “pushed” to DirecTV Plus DVRs, where they will be stored digitally and available the next morning for customers to select and play at their convenience for 99 cents.
The DVR devices can be obtained by DirecTV subscribers from retail outlets for free after a $100 mail-in rebate.
In a separate deal, reported by the New York Times last week, NBC Universal said it would make its movies and television programs available on-demand via the Internet. The company has a new distribution agreement with World Media, the owners of an on-demand service called Peer Impact. Under the new relationship, Vivendi Universal movies like “Ray,” “The Motorcycle Diaries” and “Cinderella Man,” as well as TV specials like “Jerry Springer: Uncensored," will be available for downloading to their computers via Peer Impact for 24 hours.
The CBS venture will initially make four of the network’s biggest primetime hits —”CSI,” “NCIS,” “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race”— available to Comcast digital cable customers in markets served by CBS-owned TV stations. Those areas include Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Baltimore and some outlying suburbs of New York City.
Comcast already offers digital cable customers some 3800 on-demand titles, mostly movies, children’s shows, sports and music, at no extra charge. Comcast has logged more than 1 billion program views this year, as of last month.
Like NBC’s shows, CBS on-demand programs will be sold for 99 cents per episode, the same price online music sites typically charge for downloads of a single song.
In October, Disney began offering next-day Internet downloads of its biggest ABC hits, “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” and some other shows for $1.99 per episode via Apple Computer’s online iTunes music store.
Technology/Applications
Digital tracking to protect on-demand TV
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Widevine Technologies, based in Seattle, WA, has developed invisible marks that trace illegal copies of television shows and movies available on-demand across the country. This is the first time digital watermarking has been used to track such programs.
The company said its invisible digital markers would be inserted into programs distributed to cable companies served by TVN Entertainment, a Burbank, CA-based company. Among TVN’s cable customers are: Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter Communications and Adelphia Communications.
Digital watermarks are not visible to the naked eye, but contain information about the origin of the program. They remain even after the program is copied several times, allowing law enforcement to tell where illegal copies were obtained. TVN provides movies, concerts and other programs to cable operators and telecommunication companies, who then offer them to consumers for a pay-per-view fee.
Orca Interactive helps deploy Irish IPTV service
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Orca Interactive, a provider of applications for TV over IP, has been selected by Dublin-based Magnet Networks, to deploy Ireland’s triple-play services over an Internet Protocol network.
Nordic system integrator Industria has provided a turnkey IPTV service solution to deploy a fiber network in the Dublin area to provide high-speed Internet, digital telephony, TV and VOD. The initial service included a variety of digital TV channels, an electronic program guide (EPG) and VOD. A second phase of the project, recently completed, offers more content, as well as a new user-interface experience and video games.
In addition to its RiGHTv software, Orca Interactive also provided the video server, encoder and content protection for the deployment.
Orca's RiGHTv applications facilitate the deployment of iTV services. RiGHTv XVOD allows operators to supply subscribers with video content on demand and to incorporate advertisements and t-commerce features in an interactive TV service. RiGHTv XBIP enables operators to create and manage broadcast TV and NVOD channels over broadband networks. RiGHTv XPVR for PVR services allows subscribers to view programs at any time by ordering a recording directly from their EPGs and watch it on demand at a later time.
For more information, visit www.orcainteractive.com.
Blue Order teams with Front Porch Digital for ZDF’s digital archives
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Blue Order, a provider of turnkey media asset management solutions, has implemented Front Porch's DIVArchive and BitScream software systems in the digital archives being deployed by ZDF, Germany's national public TV broadcaster. The integrated solution manages both ZDF's video and audio legacy content and is based on a 32TB online SAN and an expandable tape library with an initial storage capacity of 120TB.
Blue Order was selected by ZDF as the prime contractor for building the digital video and audio archives in use at ZDF.
The combined solution involves DIVArchive and BitScream, Front Porch’s distributed intelligent video archive solution and transcoding software, in tandem with Media Archive, Blue Order’s enterprise media asset management software. DIVArchive controls the movement of video content between ZDF editing systems and nearline storage devices. Broadcast content is moved from an Avid Unity/Avid Newscutter news production system to the archive via an Avid Airspace caching server, using DIVArchive.
Before transferring the content to the tape library, the production system's proprietary file wrapper is replaced by a standard MXF wrapper by Front Porch’s BitScream transcoding software. When users need to restore content from the archive, they put together an edit decision list and initiate a partial file restore using the MXF partial restore capabilities of DIVArchive. Partial restore brings back only the selected segments from the archive to the production system, saving time and storage capacity on the editing systems.
For more information, visit www.fpdigital.com.
New Products
Broadstream selects Latens to secure IPTV services
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Broadstream Communications, a provider of outsourced IPTV services, has selected Latens Systems’ IP CAS content protection system to secure digital video for content distribution customers in the telco market.
Latens IP CAS has been integrated with Broadstream’s Bstream middleware platform, which is interoperable across multiple IP network infrastructures such as DSL, Ethernet, ATM and fiber. The architecture of the Bstream platform enables development of a full suite of interactive services such as digital TV, VOD, v-commerce, music on demand, PVR, Internet on TV and video/electronic mail.
Latens IP CAS delivers a distributed solution designed to scale as services roll out through the network.The company said it employs the most recent developments in encryption algorithms, tamper resistant software and robust, field-tested, transaction processing software systems. Through the use of secure software modules in the set-top box, security can be updated in minutes over the network.
Broadstream initially will offer its secured IPTV service to the nearly 1300 independent operating carriers in North America as they deliver the triple play of voice, broadband Internet and cable TV services over their existing copper and fiber infrastructure.
For more information, visit www.latens.net.
Neutrik offers new Opticalcon fiber connector
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
 The OpticalCon cable connector comes pre-assembled with a choice of three mobile field cables, which can be ordered at almost any length. |
Neutrik, makers of XLR cables and connectors, has introduced the OpticalCon series connectors that increase the reliability for fiber-optic connections. The OpticalCon cable connector comes pre-assembled with a choice of three mobile field cables, which can be ordered at almost any length.
The new system is based on a standard optical LC-Duplex connection, enabling up to four copper wires to run power or data signals through. A special SMPTE-version1 has been optimized for broadcast applications, providing an additional ground-shell contact.
The OpticalCon features a rugged connection, all metal housing and heavy-duty cable retention. The optical connection cables are protected from dust and dirt through automatic sealing covers and gaskets. OpticalCon uses conventional LC connectors, which are easy to clean, and has a push-pull locking mechanism. In addition, the colored labeling plates are included to identify the fiber mode.
For more information, visit www.neutrikusa.com.
Avid unveils infinitely scalable storage system
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Avid Technology now offers a shared-storage server called the Avid Unity ISIS media network that leverages a distributed intelligence architecture with less complexity and hardware components than traditional servers. The innovative design enables 16 individual storage blades — housed within a single storage chassis (called an ISIS engine) — to process media, while simultaneously sharing data and balancing the collective workflow between entire groups of connected storage drives.
The Avid Unity ISIS system is based on Infinitely Scalable Intelligent Storage (ISIS) that spreads media files across the entire series of disc drives. This minimizes bandwidth congestion and enables the system to continue operating, even when drives fail. The result is a real-time shared workflow that delivers virtually unlimited storage headroom, fast system resiliency and seamless workstation connectivity.
Version 1.0 of Avid Unity ISIS comes with storage capacity of up to 64TB per system; connectivity for up to 100 dual-stream (50Mb/s) clients working in real-time over standard Gigabit Ethernet; native compatibility with Ethernet switching technologies from companies like Cisco Systems; and the flexibility to hot-swap any storage component, even when moving data around. The Unity ISIS system will scale in 8TB increments, with no limit to system size. As data demands grow, users can connect additional Avid ISIS engines (using a Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series Ethernet switch), with each new engine increasing the aggregate bandwidth and reliability of the entire system.
The Avid Unity ISIS system also includes self-healing drive blades that communicate with one another to automatically adapt instantly and redistribute data in the event of a drive failure. This process can also be operated manually. All processing takes place in parallel to maintain real-time flow and data resiliency; the more storage that is added to the system, the more quickly it self-heals in the event of an error. When a failed drive is replaced, data is rebuilt at speeds up to 20 times faster than typical RAID systems.
For more information, visit www.avid.com.
KJLA selects Omneon Spectrum server
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Los Angeles-area bilingual television network LATV is using two Spectrum media server systems from Omneon Video Networks to handle its master control playout, live production playback of music videos and Final Cut Pro editing applications.
The facility’s two servers facilitate end-to-end digital media management, sharing and playout as KJLA transitions toward a tapeless workflow.
The first Spectrum server, KJLA’s playout server, is controlled by BlueLine Technologies station automation, which manages the four broadcast channels in master control. Because Omneon server systems feature a scalable, distributed architecture, KJLA will be able to expand its playout system as future growth demands.
A second Spectrum system supports live playback of music videos and is integrated with Apple’s Final Cut Pro 5.0 to enable direct editing of the QuickTime-based material. KJLA’s edit bays are linked to the server via a Gigabit Ethernet network, so when an editor grabs a clip off the server, it is ready for editing work immediately.
A DNF Controls playback controller is being added to the installation to control playback on four of the Spectrum channels during production and to simplify ingest from a number of sources available in the tape room.
For more information, visit www.omneon.com.
ViewCast offers control software for advanced encoders
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
ViewCast’s Niagara SchedulStream automation software helps schedule and manage Windows Media and RealNetworks RealVideo encoding sessions. SchedulStream is an upgrade to the company’s Niagara SCX software, which provides an encoder management interface for Niagara Streaming Systems. In addition, Niagara SCX coupled with SchedulStream is compatible with all Harris media management and automation systems, leveraging the standard communications protocol for legacy broadcast studio and post-production equipment.
Niagara SchedulStream increases business productivity by enabling the remote management and scheduling of streaming and encoding servers. By using streaming templates established for specific applications, the software allows the user to optimize scheduling workflows. In addition to automating encoding schedules, SchedulStream simplifies the digital archiving of video content, allowing users to store content locally as well as through network locations.
Applications for Niagara SCX with SchedulStream include coordination of multiple encoders for training sessions; remote scheduling of classroom or conference room encoding; scheduling batch encoding for broadband; dial-up, and mobile customers; and the simultaneous encoding of Windows Media and RealNetworks formats for distance learning applications.
Niagara SchedulStream is included as a standard feature on all new Niagara Streaming Systems. The Niagara SchedulStream upgrade is available for users with installed Niagara Streaming Systems.
For more information, visit www.viewcast.com.
Univision 34 chooses SGL FlashNet
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Software Generation (SGL), a provider of digital video storage/archive management software, has been selected for a newsroom upgrade by U.S. Spanish-language news channel, Univision 34 of Los Angeles (KMEX).
Univision 34 chose SGL FlashNet as part of a Avid digital newsroom upgrade. An Avid Unity MediaNetwork system forms the heart of the facility, while an Avid NewsCutter provides the editing software with the archive supplied by SGL/StorageTek.
The new digital system allows the station to store all of its news by sending material from the Unity MediaNetwork via NewsCutter to the SGL archive. Material is then retrieved when required using Avid Unity MediaManager and SGL FlashNet, providing Univision 34 with a much faster, more accurate system.
For more information, visit www.sgluk.com.
