News
Edinburgh TV Festival in more positive mood
There was an air of optimism at the Edinburgh International TV Festival this year. “We are feeling much more confident” read the headline quote in the Guardian festival edition. Gone was the “how do we compete with these digital upstarts who have stolen our audiences?” pessimism of the past few years, as informitv correspondent Brent MacGregor reports.
Apple iTV launch could mean business for hobby
There is much speculation that Apple could be about to announce a new television product. It could be called the Apple iTV, following the naming scheme of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. British broadcaster ITV is not so keen on the name. Based on the success of the portable products, it could turn television into the next big business for Apple.
Web-to-TV video growing faster than some expected
Research company In-Stat forecasts the installed base of web-enabled consumer electronics video devices in the United States will more than triple to 237 million in 2014, when they will be present in approaching a hundred million homes. In-Stat predicts that by then there will be 57 million broadband households in the United States viewing full-length online video on television displays. As a result, online video programming delivered to the television will be worth $17 billion a year in the America alone.
Ofcom receives further complaint about Canvas
IP Vision has formally complained to Ofcom about Project Canvas, the proposed platform that would compete directly with its existing Fetch TV service in the United Kingdom. IP Vision, which is backed by French set-top box company Netgem, says that Canvas will limit competition and distort the market. It is calling on the communications regulator to review whether the planned Canvas joint venture is in breach of competition law.
Cox on TiVo Premiere box
Cox Communications, the third-largest cable company in the United States, will promote the TiVo Premiere digital video recorder to its subscribers in conjunction with its own video services. It is the first time that an American cable operator will make its full video-on-demand library available through a retail digital video recorder, while enabling access to competing online video services.
Invitation to produce Canvas boxes
The partners in Project Canvas are inviting expressions of interest from consumer electronics manufacturers to develop devices for the launch of the proposed network-connected television platform in the United Kingdom in 2011. Manufacturers have been given just two weeks to respond to be selected as device partners for the proposed platform, for which the final specifications have yet to be published.