Author: jitheshb

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Startups Rush to Pave Way for Web Video

you tube

Video on the Internet has gone from being the next big thing to the current big thing. But murky YouTube videos are just the start – there’s a lot of room for improvement.

A raft of startups are rushing to supply the tools to make better and more profitable video available. Nearly a dozen video-related startups will be presenting at the DEMO 08 technology conference, starting Monday in Palm Desert, California.

The biannual conference, which gives startups and more established companies six minutes on stage to pitch their new products to investors and media, has been the launching pad for several successful ventures over the years, including the Java programming language, TiVo Inc. and Half.com.

Several of the 77 companies presenting this time have been tackling the problem of taking video quality to the next level. It’s quite possible to send high-definition video over the Internet, but the cost of doing it at scale is daunting, because it requires about 40 times the bandwidth of a YouTube-quality video.

“If you run any infrastructure that lets people share video, it’s really, really expensive,” said Dan Putterman, chief executive of San Francisco-based Squidcast Inc. The company is launching a service that allows users to send video they’ve shot with their high-definition camcorders to friends and relatives at full resolution, for free.

To do this, users will take help from other users, in a manner similar to peer-to-peer file sharing programs like BitTorrent and KaZaa. Each file that is uploaded gets distributed in small chunks among many computers (whose owners won’t notice the chunks or be able to look at them).

The intended recipient gets an email with a link. Clicking it starts the download, which pulls the chunks together from the network of user computers like a squid pulling in its tentacles. In other words, Squidcast itself doesn’t need to devote computers or buy bandwidth to transfer user’s files. It will finance the service by showing short video ads to the recipients while they download.

Atlanta-based Asankya Inc. is trying to solve the same problem, but for Hollywood rather than home movies. CEO Scott Ryan puts the current cost of distributing an HD movie online at about $3. Considering movies rent for $4 to $5 and the creators have to be paid, there’s no real money in it for distributors.

The technology was developed by a Georgia Institute of Technology professor and uses servers placed at strategic points on the Internet in addition to information sent in by receiving computers. The catch is that Asankya is mucking around with fairly basic networking technologies, ones that are built into operating systems. For now, receiving computers need software that only runs on Windows XP.

BitGravity Inc. is aiming for the same market, with a network of servers designed to deliver high-definition video. It launched the service three months ago, and at the show, the company plans to announce that it will be expanding the service to deliver live, streaming video.

Live streaming has been a luxury only the big media companies could afford, said Perry Wu, BitGravity’s CEO, leaving a lot of unsatisfied demand, for instance for regional sportscasts. “Whether its basketball or field hockey or water polo or swimming, the number of people who want to watch that in real time is tremendous.”

Demonstrations on BitGravity’s Web site show high-resolution – if slightly jerky – video that starts almost immediately.

Other startups such as Eyealike Inc. and Visible Measures Corp. are tackling further problems that plague content providers. Eyealike of Bellevue, Washington, will be demonstrating software that can scan videos submitted to websites to see if they contain copyright material.

Such filters are already in place, for example at YouTube, but Eyealike President Greg Heuss said the startup’s product is better than the competition in that it can identify video that’s had its audio stripped out or been cropped to as little as a quarter of the original frame.

Boston-based Visible Measures will be touting its service, which lets Web sites track how viewers play their videos: where they pause, what they rewind to see again. That should help the sites figure out which videos and ads actually hold viewers’ attention, said Matt Cutler, the company’s vice president of marketing.

source:tech2

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Sharp Reveals World’s Thinnest LCD Flat Panel TV

Sharp

Sharp Corporation will introduce into the Japanese market three models in the new AQUOS X Series of LCD TVs. The 46V, 42V and 37V-inch TVs not only deliver high-quality pictures, but also bring a refined sense of quality to interior décor when mounted on the wall.

We are now beginning the eighth year since Sharp first introduced the AQUOS LCD TV in 2001, and the flat-panel TV market is beginning its transition from a phase of growth to a stage of maturity. In this environment, demand for flat-panel TVs is also expected to diversify. Consumers are seeking not only the larger screen sizes and full HD specs that have dominated the market up to now, but are also looking for models that offer thinner profiles and wall-mount capabilities to complement room décors.

The AQUOS X Series can accommodate the needs of consumers who want to mount a flat-panel TV on the wall to take full advantage of its thin profile, or who desire to change their living room décor by decorating a wall with it like a painting.

Advanced engineering and technologies that one would expect in the AQUOS have enabled this X Series to achieve the industry’s thinnest profile*2 for the display section, a mere 3.44 cm thick (at the thinnest part). In addition, by making the most of this thin structure and paying careful attention to design not only on the front, but also on the sides and back, the AQUOS X Series features a design that looks beautiful mounted on a wall and harmonizes beautifully as a part of any interior space including living rooms.

Plus, the X Series adopts a discrete component configuration that separates the display section from the tuner section. Users can connect the display section simply and easily via a single cable. Housing the tuner as a separate component also eliminates the time and effort involved in turning the back of the display section to make connections with the antenna cable or peripheral equipment.
Major Features
1.         Industry’s thinnest*2 profile, just 3.44 cm thick (at the thinnest part).
2.         TV contrast*3 of 15,000:1 and 12-bit BDE*4 color value rendering deliver Smooth Image Quality, the latest in LCD technology.
3.         All models feature double-speed (120-Hz frame rate conversion) full-HD LCD technology for superior fast-motion image processing.
4.         Thin-profile 3-way 8-speaker system and 1-Bit digital amplifier.
5.         All models are compatible with AQUOS Familink that enables operation of a connected AQUOS Blu-ray Disc Player simply and easily.
6.         Environmentally friendly, energy-efficient design.

Source:Sharp

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Grand Theft Auto IV Dated

Grand theft Auto IV

After months of delay (and a whole lot of tears) it gives me immense – and I do mean immense – pleasure to inform you that Grand Theft Auto IV will be releasing for both the Xbox360 and the PS3 on April 29.

“We are so excited to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “We’ve pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment.”

Source:tech2 

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Logitech Launches BT Necklace Earphones

Logitech

Logitech Japan has launched a new Bluetooth product, the LBT-HP210C2BK. I’m sure there must be at a least a few people out there capable of remembering such a long name if they were to go to a store to purchase this. But an easier way to describe it is Logitech’s new Bluetooth Necklace.

The LBT-HP210C2BK, with its inbuilt Bluetooth radio is capable of controlling any Bluetooth device like MP3 players or mobile phones that supports A2DP profiles. It also has a set of earphones attached that support virtual 3D sound.

There’s no price or availability details provided yet.

source:tech2 

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Sharp introduces new LCD Touchscreen display Technology

LCD

Sharp has developed a new display technology in touchscreen LCD with Photo Sensors in each pixel.Now as the new technology has photo sensors it can used in variety of ways like in fingerprint scanning,scanning of business cards by it on the device touchscreen panel. It even supports multi-touchscreen display which allows you to use two fingers simultaneously while viewing maps.

The new display technology eliminates the need of placing a film over the screen thus delivering improved touch screen functionality and better image quality.The latest technology will finds its use in Mobiles,digicams,ultra mobile PC’s and other such portable media.

The LCD display sharp introduced is of 3.5 inch size and features a 320 x 480 QVGA resolution. Sharp will began shipping its new Ultra sensitive touchscreen LCD this month and mass production is expected next year.

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Yahoo may offer ad-supported music service

Yahoo

Yahoo is in early discussions with major record labels over offering unprotected MP3s either for sale or for free as part of an ad-supported service, two record company executives familiar with the talks said Wednesday.

The talks, held as recently as last month, were preliminary because Yahoo is still working out the details, said the executives, who requested anonymity because of the discussions were confidential.

Yahoo hopes to launch the service this year, they said.

Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp., and EMI Group PLC have in recent months begun licensing their music for sale as MP3 files online through retailers like Amazon.com.

Unlike music files that come with copy protections embedded, MP3 files are compatible with most portable music devices, including Apple’s market-leading iPod media players, Microsoft’s Zune and mobile phones that play music.

Carrie Davis, a spokeswoman for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo, said the company has often said it wants to offer music without copy protections and the subject has been part of its ongoing talks with record labels.

But Davis denied that discussions with record labels on the matter have stepped up in recent weeks or that anything is imminent.

Representatives for the labels declined to comment.

Yahoo offers free streaming audio, music videos, Web radio. It also operates a music subscription service and a premium Internet radio service.

The company’s management said last fall it had begun to de-emphasize its subscription model in favor of an advertising-supported music service. Yahoo also expanded it online music pages by adding song lyrics.

The Internet pioneer recently announced plans for a multiyear restructuring plan that calls for the elimination of some of its existing areas of business.

Last fall, the company inked a licensing deal for user-created video content with Sony BMG that calls for the record company to receive a share of advertising revenue.

Sony BMG is a joint venture of Sony and Bertelsmann AG.

source:usatoday

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Top Digg users revolt against algorithm change on site

Digg

The volatile users at social news ranking site Digg.com today launched a new revolt against the site, protesting a new algorithm that would let a more diverse set of users determine which stories reach the top of its rankings.

A group of Digg users organized a temporary boycott of the site because they felt the new algorithm would leave submissions from some Digg “power users” stuck in the queue.

In an open letter to Digg’s executives posted this morning, four of the site’s so-called top users — Andy Sorcini,  David Cohn , Muhammad Saleem and  Reg Saddler — said they plan to stop submitting to Digg.

“The alternatives are plenty — now is the time to venture into new territory,” the letter said. “Digg is, in part, a game. It always has been — and that is one of the reasons we love it. Unfortunately the rules to the game have never been under the community’s full control. The latest change in the algorithm, along with rumors of secret editors, auto-buries, etc., have led us to believe it is time to break ties with Digg.com.”

In addition, the group later organized a live podcast where about 125 users discussed the changes and thousands more listened in, according to Saleem.

The latest revolt is the second collective move by Digg users in less than a year. In May, many of the site’s users staged an “Internet riot”  by continuously posting a software key for cracking the encryption technology used to limit the copying of HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs after Digg management had removed it. The users prompted Digg to relent and allow the key to be posted.

In the latest letter, the group cited several grievances against Digg, including a lack of communication and disregard for the community, the unexplained banning of some top users and a lack of transparency by not showing stories that are not “Dugg”.

“Digg users hunt down the stories online, craft the descriptions and titles, Digg the stories, provide all the comments,” the letter said. “Despite this dependency, anecdotal evidence suggests that Digg has repeatedly failed to respond to its users and address their concerns.”

In addition, the users criticized Digg’s autobury list, noting that dozens of sites are buried after a certain period of time with no explanation.

“In short — the site has become too powerful a media force and its lack of transparency and faith in the community is reason for concern,” according to the letter. “The collective ‘WE’ built this site from the ground up and while it is sad to leave it, the time has come to move on.”

Saleem noted on his blog that Digg founder Kevin Rose and CEO Jay Adelson joined the podcast and listened to the problems noted. Rose and Adelson “acknowledged that there were issues and promised to address them as soon as possible,” Saleem wrote.

“It was never our intention to cause harm to Digg (though every protest naturally gains that element as it intensifies) and ultimately all we needed was to be assured that our concerns were being listened to and that the community we have helped build was going to address them in a timely fashion,” Saleem wrote. “Big things are coming ahead for digg, based on what we have learned from our conversation, and with the channels of communication now open, hopefully we will all be a part of the conversation.”

In a blog post (blog.digg.com) published before the protest, Rose said the changes to the algorithm were aimed at ensuring the most popular content Dugg by a diverse, unique group of users reached the home page.

“Our goal is to give each person a fair chance of getting their submission promoted to the home page,” he wrote. “When the algorithm gets the diversity it needs, it will promote a story from the Upcoming section to the home page. This way, the system knows a large variety of people will be into the story.”

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Researchers build bionic eye

eye

people hearken back to the Bionic Woman or other sci-fi shows. Engineers at the University of Washington, however, say it’s not all movie magic fantasy.

University researchers reported that they have used nanotechnology manufacturing techniques to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. Perfecting virtual displays could mean that traveling executives could surf the Net or check their e-mail on a floating virtual display screen that only they could see. It also would mean that drivers could see their speed projected onto the windshield, or gamers could become far more immersed in their virtual worlds.

“Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside,” said Babak Parviz, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, in a statement. “This is a very small step toward that goal, but I think it’s extremely promising. … People may find all sorts of applications for it that we have not thought about. Our goal is to demonstrate the basic technology and make sure it works and that it’s safe.”

Don’t expect this particular contact lens to give you 20/20 vision. The latest prototype is not designed to correct vision problems, but researchers said the technology could eventually be used on a corrective lens without obstructing the person’s vision.

Right now, the prototype of the bionic eye includes an electric circuit and diodes that emit red lights for the display. While the diodes are in place in the prototype, it doesn’t light up yet. Researchers noted in a report that a major challenge was building the nanotechnology needed for the circuitry on delicate lens material. They ended up creating the circuits by layering pieces of metal that are only a few nanometers thick, and making the diodes one-third of a millimeter across.

Parviz said engineers will soon begin working to add wireless communications to and from the lens. He added that they hope to power the system by using a combination of radio frequency power and solar cells.

Parviz added that he hopes that putting in or removing the bionic eye will be as easy as dealing with a normal contact lens. Researchers said the prototype was tested on rabbits for up to 20 minutes without any signs of adverse reactions.

The project was funded by the National Science Foundation and a Technology Gap Innovation Fund from the University of Washington.

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Via To Launch ‘Isaiah’ Core

VIA

Via Technology, which has focused on low-power processors for some time now, has confirmed through its subsidiary Centaur Technology that it plans to launch its next-generation of processors based on the ‘Isaiah’ core sometimes in the first quarter of this year.

The new processors will support out-of-order execution and may also have support for multi-core processing. As per the report here, Glenn Henry, president of Centaur, has said the Isaiah core will feature 2-4 times the performance of the current C7 core at the same clock speed, while maintaining the same power requirements.

“What we tried to do with the Isaiah architecture is to stay within the same low-power architecture,” said Henry. “It will not replace the C7; what we wanted to do was increase competitiveness in that area.”

Centaur and Via have not been forthcoming on product specifications for the new core, but did hint that a single core would probably be at the same speed as the current C7: 2 GHz.

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Is the Lenovo X300 the answer to the MacBook Air?

Lenovo300x

In some ways it’s amazing what Apple is able to achieve by merely announcing a product. Last week’s launch of its new MacBook Air has already garnered enough coverage could arguably deplete the planet’s remaining forest cover if all of it was to be put to print.

Not only that, the launch seems to have thrown the opposition into a kind of panic. The MacBook Air is not even out, and already there are rumors of ‘Air Killers’ doing the rounds. One such product that’s surfaced is the Lenovo X300 series ThinkPad.

This new laptop weighs in at an ultralight 2.5 pounds, sports an Intel Santa Rosa base C2D processor capable of 2.0 GHz, 64GB SSD, up to 4GB of DDR-2 PC5300 memory, and around four hours of battery life.

While the pictures indicate it’s thin and fairly slim, it certainly doesn’t look as appealing as the MacBook Air. However, there’s one area where Lenovo has never failed – and that’s the quality of their ThinkPads. The range is built to last and withstand the ravages of time.

For further information and pictures, please head here.

source:tech2