Tech Blog

The winners for the 2012 Writers Guild Awards were announced on February 19, 2012.

For original screenplay, the award was given to Woody Allen, for “Midnight in Paris. In the Adapted Screenplay category, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won the award for their work with “The Descendants”.

The Documentary Screen Play award went to Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, for “Better This World”.

For television winners, in the category of Drama Series, “Breaking Bad” won. It was written by Gennifer Hutchinson, Vince Gilligan, Sam Catlin, Thomas Schnauz and Moira Walley-Beckett. It can be seen on AMC.

For the best comedy series, the “Modern Family” won. Writers that contributed were Abraham Higginbotham, Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker, Brad Walsh, Llana Wernick, Jeffery Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Christopher Lloyd, Ben Karlin, Carol Leifer and Elaine Ko. The show airs on ABC.

The best New Series award went to “Homeland”. It airs on Showtime. Credit for writing on the show goes to Henry Bromell, Alex Gansa, Alexander Cary, Howard Gordon, Meredith Stiehm and Gideon Raff.

General Hospital won the award for best Daytime Drama. It was written by Meg Bennett, Mary Sue Price, David Goldschmidt, Rober Guza, Jr. Elizabeth Korte, Michele Val Jean, Tracey Thomson, Nathan Fissell and Susan Wald. It airs on ABC.

For the Children’s Episodic and Specials category, “Hero of the Shadows” won. It was written by Eric S. Garcia and Leo Chu. It airs on Nickelodeon.

The best Television Graphic Animation award went to “CBS News Animations”, with work done by David Rosen for CBS News.

Reviews for the Boxee Box Live TV USB stick have started appearing. For the most part, they are good reviews. This is good news for the portion of Americans that are tired of being slaves to the cable grind.

The Boxee Box is a set-top box that allows viewers to watch online content that varies from movies, sports and shows, through providers such as Netflix, Vudu, iTunes, Hulu Plus and Amazon. This was a great option, but critics pointed out that the Boxee Box could not provide live TV programming. Viewers had to search through menus and providers to find the program or movie they were looking for. They had to know what they were looking for to find it. The Boxee Box couldn’t provide channel-surfing conveniences, like simply landing on a show when the channel was turned and staying there.

Then Boxee introduced the Live TV stick, to install on the Boxee Box. This stick makes it possible to pick up live TV, along with the available online content, giving viewers more programming options and more convenience.

The stick installs directly into the Box, via a USB port. Once installed, the viewer can follow a simple menu for integrating the stick into the existing interface. It has been stated that the Boxee Live TV stick is as simple to install and use as TiVo.

When it comes to the user interface, Boxee gets good reviews, as well. The makers of this innovation provided an on-screen guide that allows for going between live TV and online programming. It also provides a way to share your current programming with social networking sites, such as Twitter, Tumbler and Facebook.

The downside that has been reported is that Boxee has yet to handle the problem of reliable channel availability. While viewers are able to connect to certain channels, it does not make available all the channels a viewer may want to watch. To handle this problem, Boxee has been approaching Cable TV providers to find out if they will offer the Live TV stick with their services.

This may be the approach everyone has been waiting on, since smaller Cable TV providers can not afford to carry the bigger networks due to renewal fees and other charges. If Cable TV providers can work with the Live TV stick instead, to offer their subscribers the programming options they want, this may even the playing field and offer consumers the relief they are looking for.

3D television sets have been on the market for more than a year. While the sets have enjoyed some retail success, there are some problems and barriers that make them less than the best-seller.

While the technology is sound enough, the problems that have plagued manufacturers and consumers centers mostly around the cost of the set and the glasses. Another problem has been the necessity for the 3D glasses, since they can be uncomfortable.

When they first appeared on the market, 3D sets were extremely expensive. While prices have evened off, the glasses can still go for as much as $100.00 a pair. This makes it difficult to have multiple pairs to share with friends and family. It also makes them less-family-friendly, since they can not be trusted in the hands of children that might break them.

Complications have also arisen with the availability of 3D programming. With so little programming to choose from, consumers have to weigh the cost of the investment against the payoff, without much success.

To help offset the cost of buying a 3D TV, with the glasses, manufacturers are making more light-weight glasses that are more comfortable. This newer glasses are less expensive, making them more attractive to the average family budget.

Another solution that manufacturers have been looking at is the development of 3D sets that do not require glasses. This is based on the lenticular lens technology. This deals with a specific type of screen that enables no-glass viewing, calling autostereoscopic screens.

Manufacturers are also exploring something called head tracking 3D technology. This technology requires the use of a webcam type camera that sends the split images directly into the viewers eyes.

While neither of these options have been perfected yet, consumers do have more to look forward to in terms of affordability and ease-of-use.

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show was started in 1967 and is host to a plethora of gadgets, including new technology for television sets, phones, tablets, and other wireless devices. These gadgets and new technology are unveiled to give interested consumers and investors the opportunity to see what is in store for the current year. The annual show offers something for everyone.

The CES of 2012 was no different.  Companies from all over the world came to show off their latest innovations.

Some innovators spoke directly to the consumer. Verizon Communications showed up with a media gateway for wireless content streaming on several wireless devices at one time. It is IP-enabled, and works with Verizon’s FiOS customers. It promises to be more energy efficient and provide content streaming for devices like game consoles and tablets.

LG Electronics wowed show-goers with a 55 inch OLED TV. This flat-screen is the largest of its kind, with HD 1080p and improved contrasts and colors when compared to present-day LED and LCD screens. The TV is only 3/16 of an inch thick. This set is set for launch in the latter half of 2013. The biggest hurdle for consumers to get over with this set might be the price tag, however, since this 55 inch set is reported to retail at $8000.

Roku, displayed its Roku Streaming Stick- a USB-sized stick that fits into the HDMI port on a TV. The stick is supposed to furnish a TV with a processor, software and WiFi capability. Roku’s current plans for distribution include partnering with Best Buy, for use with the distributor’s Insignia televisions. Roku announced the retail value of the Roku Streaming Stick as $50.00-$100.00. This innovation will be available towards the end 2012.

Motorola came to the CES with its Connected Home Gateway. This system seeks to integrate home systems into one manageable network, through WiFi. This would allow home owners to access their security systems, lights or even thermostats from remote locations.

Some providers spoke to content distributors. There were several companies to show up with time-shifting, or place-slinging technology, which allows for more available content on mobile devices such as tablets and pads. Among these were Broadcom, Zenverge, Shodogg and Civolution.

Broadcom is using EchoStar Technology via the Sling Media software for set-top and gateway chips. This new generation of hardware strives to be high performance. These will be available in the latter half of 2012.

Zenverge designed products for direct use by cable distributors. These products are to help transcode as many as four HD channels at once. They can also be used for digital standard channels, allowing for transcoding as many as 16 at one time.

Shodogg offered better content control to content owners, like TV producers. These Controls would be utilized in smart phones and other wireless devices.

Civolution found a way to transmit harmonized ad content, from first to second screens.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show brought something new to the table, again, allowing show-goers a “sneak peek” at coming technology and innovations.

The Time Warner Cable Arena will host a concert held by a group that is one of the most well-known bands of the time. Van Halen will be at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC on April 25, 2012. Van Halen was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in January of 2007. Though the band was established in 1974, it still has a strong following.

Van Halen toured and performed with Sammy Hagar between 1985 and 1996, and again in between 2003 and 2005. However, on this tour, the band will be performing with the original front man, David Lee Roth. Van Halen is back, with a brand new album, called “A Different Kind of Truth”. The album is set for release February 7, 2012. The tour will begin on February 18, 2012.

While no official statement has been released on the musical lineup being performed, it has been speculated that Van Halen will not be performing any material performed by Sammy Hagar.

Fans that may miss the concert being held in Charlotte, NC can get a second chance at the Greensboro Coliseum for April 21, 2012. Ticket have not gone on sale yet.

It is easier now- more than ever before- to come up with quality programming that the entire family can enjoy. Cable TV providers can give a busy family the tools and programming it needs for personalized viewing options, almost anytime the family wants them.

Cable TV providers now offer more time-shifting technology, utilizing the advanced technology platforms that have been developed. These developments have created more advanced DVRs, with multi-channel function and the ability to record in HD or more higher resolutions. Other time-shifting options include ever-expanding On Demand selections and Pay Per View options that span an entire globe.

Some Cable TV providers are developing technologies that will deliver 3D programming, as well.

With a Cable TV provider, a family can watch the programming they are paying for, no matter when they get home. This is because Cable TV providers are offering more to watch, through more channels, with larger selections of HD channels to choose from.

Through Cable TV providers, families get to vary from their daily routines as they need to, without missing out on their favorites. They can record them on DVRs that can record up to 65 hours in High Definition, or at least several hours in standard definition.

With DVRs, families have an instant solution network times and busy schedules. They can set their DVRs to record on a particular channel, or to record a certain show. DVRs can record an entire series without the reruns, or record movies, sports shows and more. All of these selections can be stored for the next available opportunity to watch them, even if it’s the middle of the night, or two weeks after they’ve been recorded.

The DVR can record while recording more, or record on multiple channels at one time. It can record in standard and HD definition programming so that only the best digital quality comes through.

DVRs can keep a family in quality programming for hours. Some providers also offer remote access to the DVR, so that it can be accessed online.

With online services and broadband speeds, Cable TV providers can offer a large selection of online programming. This programming includes internet sites, as well as programming delivered by the Cable TV providers, themselves.

Cable TV providers offer traditional connections and WiFi services so that families can watch their programming on their favorite desktop, or compatible handheld devices.

Families also enjoy On Demand selections that can number in the thousands. These selections include network shows, music videos, sports programs, children’s shows and more. These programs come with the benefit of Movies On Demand and movie premiums On Demand. Certain channels, like Showtime, STARZ, Cinemax and HBO can provide On Demand selections that offer more choices, no matter the time of day or night it is.

Some providers also offer educational children’s programs that air during the summer, giving parents and children a break from demanding summer activities while allowing them to learn while having fun.

Cable TV providers have more to offer and more to give in programming and time-shifting technologies. These programming options make it possible for the entire family to enjoy the programming they are paying for while providing for a quality home entertainment experience.

In 2008, there was a big splash in the cable universe, and it was called U-Verse. The premise is that AT&T provides cable TV using existing lines, and for a lower cost. Quickly rated the best service in the SouthEast, U-Verse came to a screeching halt and stopped expanding. For those lucky few that were within the U-Verse areas, the service lived up to the hype.

Will the wireless receiver option bring U-Verse back to the forefront of consumer minds? If consumers can get AT&T wireless phone service in their homes, has a wireless receiver paved the way for consumers to get U-Verse in their homes, or has time passed U-Verse by? With cable delivery primarily coming from Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Direct TV and Dish Network, U-Verse has created it’s own barrier to entry. Three years into the launch of U-Verse, service is still localized. Add to that, consumers have proven themselves very finicky about service they receive. So much so, the standard time period from any of the standard cable companies is a two-year contract to lock in a low or bundled price. The last three years have demonstrated that cable service is just as much about price as it is about the services received.

Now, the prospect for U-Verse includes making offers to buy out contracts. That’s approximately $400 per household. And any marketing campaign launched by AT&T lacks the punch of new, since the service has been out for three years. In the meantime, U-Verse has to maintain the standards of customer service that got them the rating of best service in the SouthEast so that when they finally expand into more areas, homeowners will want to subscribe to the service.

Marketing isn’t the issue, though. U-Verse has preserved their reputation as an exemplary service provider, and homeowners are chomping at the bit to get it in their area. It would seem that time has not passed U-Verse by. The bigger picture is about whether the current cable providers will catch U-Verse and make their stellar service a non-issue.
If it’s not about the service, then the cable providers will catch up. Adding the ability to record four shows on a single DVR is easily copied, as well as managing recordings on all household TV’s from one DVR. The multi-platform home entertainment module is being embraced quickly by cable providers, and the advantages enjoyed by U-Verse’s fiber optic options will not last much longer.

The biggest threat to U-Verse’s model is Time Warner Cable, due to their ability to truly bundle a home phone service into their offering. Satellite providers have to, at the moment, rely on a home phone service provider. While this allows them to provide a home phone service, they also lose control of their customer, have no real way to compensate for service issues, and may not even know there are issues. At the end of the day, service is a valued part of cable service, and Time Warner Cable has enough service issues, and competition from satellite providers, that they are not likely to pose a real threat to U-Verse, should they happen to decide to start expanding again.

Get ready for Christmas in Washington once again. A yearly broadcast, this show is a performance of Christmas carols and tunes by the times popular artists. Among these artists were Jennifer Hudson, Justin Beiber and Cee Lo Green. They performed favorite Christmas songs and even some new tunes for a full audience, including the first family, President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and their 2 daughters Malia and Sasha. Hosting the show was Conan O’Brien, the well known late night TV host. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the show, which benefits the Children’s National Medical Center.

The show is a performance to remember that will lift your holiday spirits and do not be surprised if a few songs may move you to tears. Justin Beiber’s performs his hit song Mistletoe and he even gets close with the President’s daughter Sasha, do not be alarmed, it was just a hug. The show is made to lift your spirits, prepare you for the holiday that is closing in and express the meaning of Christmas. The president, Barack Obama gave a speech during the broadcast. He spoke of the meaning of Christmas, and the most important message you can take from the holiday is to love each other. The show will be aired on TNT Friday, December 16th at 8pm.

Just when you think it can’t get any better… now Ensequence is bringing voice-activated interaction to the table for SmartPhones and Tablets. This will help take TV viewing from portable devices to the next step, with more convenience and an easy-to-use interface.

Ensequence offers a software that is based on network. This can be used by the content owner to put ACR (automatic content recognition) into applications for Androids and Apple iOS devices. This will enable these devices to “hear” what is on television and sync with it. The idea for this software is that users do not have to scramble to find the same content on their devices that they are watching on their television. This software will make it possible to pull the same content up from the TV to the device, whether it’s programming or an ad the viewer is interested in.

Voice-activated interaction can simplify the process, promoting a more seamless viewing experience and a quicker interface.

Content owners and providers that are currently using the Ensequence ACR software include Civolution and Zeitera. Ensequence ensures the ACR software’s compatibility with most any provider a customer can choose.

Ensequence offers an iTV Manager Programmer Edition. It provides the necessary gear for managing and distributing branded content for cable TV, satellite and teleco TV providers.

Ensequence has won awards for the Creative Services team it uses to provide great customer experiences and help. This company is a leader in the Interactive Television field. It helps to provide content owners with the useful tools for the desired viewer interaction.