Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve felt the rush a-comin’, and it looks as if 2011 may finally be the year that Amimon (along with its competitors) gets the break it has been yearning for in the consumer market. With wireless HD streaming options becoming more plentiful (and prices heading southward into a realm of feasibility), the WHDI standard is making a stand at this year’s CES. Right around a dozen new products will be introduced this week with WHDI embedded, including HDTVs from Haier, PC-to-TV adapters from Asus and LG Innotek, tablets from First International Computer (‘Jacob’ prototype shown above), Malata and Gemtek / Ampak, a projector from Vivitek and a mobile-to-TV solution from 35.com. The goal here is pretty obvious — Amimon would love for you to have a house full of WHDI-equipped gear, in turn creating an ecosystem where these devices could talk to one another and stream in a variety of directions. We’ll be scouring the floor to see who’s buying in, but it sounds as if that won’t be too difficult a chore.

Continue reading WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector

WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As you can imagine, the thought of a marriage between a broadband / cable TV service provider and a content provider for television and movies has more than a few folks concerned, which is why it’s taken a while for the FCC and its erstwhile chairman Julius “Caesar” Genachowski to draft the conditions under which it would let Comcast snatch up 51 percent of NBC Universal. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC wants to require that Comcast make any content owned by itself and NBCU available to competitors (including streaming video providers) “at reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms.” Additionally, Comcast will be barred from prioritizing its own video streams above others or interfering with rival Internet traffic. Of course, without the actual announcement, it’s hard to know what impact this will have on everyone involved (especially Hulu), although with any luck the actual proposal will see the light of day soon enough. Even then, it will need to be approved, which could happen early next year.

FCC proposes rules for NBC-Comcast deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is it the deal that’ll never go through? Some might hope. For the better part of this year, Comcast has been jonesing to pick up a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal (for a cool $13.75 billion), but as you’d expect regulators have been poking and prodding the arrangement from just about every angle. The potential antitrust issues go on for miles, and now officials are paying particularly close attention to how the deal could shape the future of internet video. As you may or may not know, NBC holds a 32 percent stake in Hulu, and in theory, a Comcast buyout would enable it to limit access to other ISPs or force Comcast internet subscribers to also pay for a programming package in order to have access. A new AP report on the topic mentions that the US government is considering forcing Comcast to sell NBC’s Hulu stake as a stipulation for the deal to go through, and moreover, they may insist that Comcast provide online access to NBC Universal’s content library without a cable sub. Currently, Time Warner Cable requires users to sign up cable in order to access ESPN3 — a nasty, strong-arm tactic at its finest — and if the Fed gets its way, it could also set a new precedent for other operators. Needless to say, there’s quite a bit to be sorted before NBC bigwigs take on corner offices at Comcast, and there’s an awful lot at stake along the way.

Regulators push for tough conditions in Comcast / NBC deal, aim to protect internet video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our British mates aboard the VOD ship may look a little cheerier today as The Guardian reports both ITV and Channel 4 — two of the nation’s foremost commercial channels — are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have been available as web-based services for a while, but they’ve both now agreed deals with Sony, who projects their overall traffic will improve by around 10 percent as a result. ITV’s leaving the door wide open for adding its content to “other consoles,” web-connected TVs, and tablets like the iPad, whereas Channel 4 has found Microsoft unforthcoming about Xbox 360 deals and the Wii inhospitable because it doesn’t support advertising. For its part, Sony’s clearly making a big content push, having recently welcomed Lovefilm into the fold and completed the rollout of its Qriocity on-demand facility across Europe. Does anyone even play games on these things anymore?

PS3 to start streaming ITV and Channel 4 content in the UK this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two acquisitions in as many days? Say it ain’t so! Prior to even unboxing Phonetic Arts, Google has now snapped up Seattle-based Widevine. Truth be told, you’re probably taking advantage of the company’s technology without even being aware of it — it’s used in over 250 million web connected HDTVs and streamers around the globe, and it’s primarily designed to thwart piracy attempts while enabling consumers to enjoy content on a wider array of devices. As these things tend to do, neither outfit is talking prices, but it’s fairly obvious why El Goog would want a firm like this in its portfolio. Moreover, it’s borderline comical that Viacom’s pushing an appeal in order to pit Google as an anti-studio, pro-piracy monster while it’s spending hard-earned cash on a DRM layer. At any rate, Google’s not getting into specific plans just yet, only stating its intentions to maintain Widevine’s agreements, provide support for existing and future clients as well as “building upon [the technology] to enhance both Widevine’s products and its own.”

Google spends a few more million, picks up Widevine DRM software firm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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