Newsclip Service
Archive - March 2002
31 March 2002
K-World ceases broadcasting on Digital TV in Sweden
The Swedish digital e-learning and documentary service K-World ceased broadcasting on Sweden’s digital terrestrial TV on 31 March 2002 After over two years of fighting for financial backing and wider distribution K-World finally given up.
It was only in August 2001 that K-World, the Swedish education group, and Viviance new education, the Swiss corporate e-learning pioneer, have agreed to unite their two companies to create a major force in the rapidly growing market for e-learning in Europe. Viviance and K-World have received significant funding in the past of approximately US $100m from well-respected investors such as Swedish Investor AB for K-World and The 3i Group for Viviance.
The new company positioned itself to play a leading role in its field, providing e-learning solutions to major corporations and government agencies throughout Europe. It is financially strong with offices in ten countries, successful partnerships and client solutions and the expertise of 250 employees. The founders of both companies will continue to work within the united company. (Source: Viviance)28 March 2002
DTV Adapter for one off payment
UK viewers will be able to make the switch to digital TV for an anticipated one-off payment of £99.99. The Digital TV Adapter from Pace Micro Technology will allow consumers to access as many as 14 free-to-view digital TV channels including nine channels previously unavailable to analogue viewers. (Source: Pace Micro Technology) (see press release)
27 March 2002
Changes in BBC and Open University partnership
The Open University's decision to integrate multi-media production of course teaching materials and to increase investment in primetime television will change their partnership with the BBC. From Summer 2003, learning support materials will be available from the Open University by discs and the internet. The BBC will still work with the University to attract more people into higher education from a wider range of backgrounds by building on the successful move to showcase its television programmes in primetime on BBC TWO. They will also work in partnership to exploit the growing market for lifelong e:learning. (Source: BBC) (see press release)
26 March 2002
VOD revenues to soar to $8.2bn
Research from Strategy Analytics predicts half of US homes will be regular VOD users by 2008, spending $26bn on VOD services over the next seven years. Estimating that more than 8 million US homes are currently passed by VOD-capable cable networks, this number will rise to nearly 50 million by the end of 2003. (Source: Strategy Analytics) (see press release)
19 March 2002
Omne Achieves iTV Deployment Within Six Months
UK cable network operator Omne Communications Limited has announced the successful commercial deployment of the Liberate Technologies' TV Platform. The digital broadband network will pass 325,000 homes and cover South West Scotland and North West England. The service offers interactive television, fixed line voice telephony and high-speed broadband delivery. (Source: Liberate) (see press release)
Sky considers set-top boxes with built-in hard drives
Sky TV viewers may soon be able to buy a set-top box with built-in hard drives, depending on whether Sky decide to wait for DVD player capability before there introduction. Having a hard drive built in would enable viewers to record programmes with a lot more flexibility than recording to videotape. Viewers could start watching a programme before it had finished recording the end of the show, use the record button as a "pause" control and even record more than one channel at a time (Source: IDGNet) (see article)
18 March 2002
Sweden & Britain agree 2005 for EU Broadband
During the European Union summit in Barcelona on March 15, Sweden and Britain supported 2005 as the date when fast Internet access will be widely available in Europe. Fast Internet will help fight unemployment and improve workforce mobility due to links between job centres in various countries. (see press release)
BBCi signs Broadband deal with Freeserve and blueyonder
BBC has signed deals with broadband ISPs Freeserve and blueyonder to distribute its BBCi's broadband service. "It is part of the BBC's remit to drive digital take up in the UK" says Angel Gambino, BBCi's Controller, Business Development and Broadband. The top eight BBC News stories will be available via broadband on demand 24 hours a day along with the reports from BBC's international correspondents.News packages will include related video content such as extended interviews, speeches and live events. (Source: BBC) (see press release)
MPEG-4 video demonstrated a PDA running Linux
Philips demonstrated their mobile
multimedia delivery which brings together the MPEG-4, Java(TM) and Linux(R)
platforms.
Philips with Sun Microsystems demonstrated the seamless integration of Philips'
new MPEG-4 -based Platform4 Multimedia Player. The demonstration featured high
quality 3GPP MPEG-4 video content streamed and played back on a PDA running
Linux. (Source: 3G.co.uk) (see
article)
13 March 2002
UK Government portal to be launched on DTV
In the next few months, the UK Government online Portal will be launched on digital TV. E-envoy Andrew Pinder is in talks with the UK's major digital TV providers and has created a team within his office to oversee the project .(see article)
TVN to provide VOD and SVOD for Comcast
Comcast Cable has chosen TVN Entertainment as a transport partner for video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) in select Comcast markets. Under the trial agreement, TVN will manage and deliver content that may be licensed to Comcast by HBO, Showtime, Starz, and other cable network providers. (Source: Digital Television) (see press release)
Lower Cost MPEG-4
PlayMedia has released the first of a series of video playback and recording technologies for Windows(R)-based PC platforms utilizing MPEG-4. "The launch is significant because we intend to offer the highest-quality MPEG-4 video solutions at the lowest price to the hundreds of makers of mobile phones, portable devices, PDA’s and other important terminals like car radios," he said. (Source: PlayMedia) (see press release)
12 March 2002
Digital TV will overtake Internet by 2006
Jupiter MMXI's research predicts that by 2006 there will be more people in Europe using digital TV than will be using the Internet. They also anticipate that current estimates for the Digital TV market in Europe are underestimating the potential of the marketplace. (see press release)
UK Government may push for cheaper DTV sets
The UK Government are considering applying force to make television manufacturers build digital receiver's into their products to speed up the possibility of an analogue switch off. (see article)
10 March 2002
US Interactive Television council established
An association of leading Interactive television developers have formed the Interactive Television Council (iTVC). They aim to promote the developments and deployments of technologies and related services in order to enhance the consumer's TV experience. (see press release)
7 March 2002
TiVo expects large increase in Subscribers
TiVo Inc expects a large expansion of its subscriber base in its current fiscal first-quarter and for the rest of the company's fiscal year 2003. TiVo said it expects to add 30,000 to 35,000 new subscribers in the current quarter, bringing its total subscriber base to between 410,000 and 415,000 for the quarter. (Source: TiVo) (see press release)
Sky chat services enhanced
e-district have agreed a deal with Sky to provide enhanced chat services for their iTV network. This will enable Sky digital subscribers to take part in a moderated chat system, which will be launched on selected Sky broadcast channels. The system will be accessible through the Sky Active network by pressing the red button on user’s remote controls. Messages can be typed in either through the remote control or via an infrared keyboard. (Source: EuropeMedia.net) (see article)
6 March 2002
USA Broadband acquire digital satellite video system
USA Broadband Inc, provider of national access to digital television and high-speed Internet services, have signed an agreement to acquire Verizon's multi-dwelling unit (MDU) digital satellite video systems and property access agreements covering about 5,000 MDU subscribers. (see article)
DSL leads market with 18.7 Million Subscribers
The DSL Forum revealed that DSL deployment reached 18.7 million subscribers worldwide at the end of 2001. The Forum had previously set a target of obtaining 200 million DSL broadband subscribers by 2005. (see press release)
Artificially Intelligent set-top boxes?
Computer scientists at BIAP Systems have successfully embedded artificial-intelligence-based software on broadband television set-top boxes. It is the first time that a software application based on intelligent agents and artificial intelligence has been made to run on a set-top. (Source: BIAP Systems) (see press release)
2 March 2002
Novapal budget Set-top box delayed
NovaPal is delaying the launch of its budget digital set-top box from June to at least September. The box will receive free-to-air channels, not pay-TV services. Oliver Durkin, the chief executive of NovaPal, said: "I don't know if 2002 is going to be the gold rush for set-top boxes".(see article)