According to a recent report from optical storage equipment manufacturer Singulus Technologies AG, in the 1st half of 2010 sales of Blu-ray Discs came to 5 million and thus increased by 153 % compared with the 1st half 2009. In addition to the 2 % rise of DVD sales to 45.7 million units (following 44.9 million units in the 1st half 2009), the new record level is primarily due to the constantly increasing Blu-ray market. After 2 million sold discs in the 1st half 2009 already 5 million Blu-ray Discs were sold until the end of June 2010, which means an increase of 153 % or a 3 million unit rise in absolute terms. The German Association for Audiovisual Media (BVV) reported these figures on August 12, 2010. In the US, the rise is similar: Swicker & Associates, a market research institute, performed a study on behalf of the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) in the US. Sales of Blu-ray Discs increased by 112 % in the 2nd quarter compared with the same quarter one year ago. For the 2nd half of the year similar growth rates are expected. The third dimension is in the spotlight: At the international consumer electronics fair IFA (September 3 to 8, 2010) in Berlin, most of the major brands will present 3D television sets. Many producers, in particular Panasonic and Sony, are wholeheartedly focusing on the new technology. Movies, TV programs and games in 3D will be the bestsellers in the coming months and years - the box office success of the 3D spectacle “Avatar” paved the way for this trend. Blu-ray players can play 3D movies in HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Since the current technology projects individual pictures for each eye to achieve the 3D effect, the data volume also increases by approximately 50 percent. Blu-ray Discs can store up to 50 gigabyte. This is sufficient for a long movie including surround sound, different language versions, etc. The 3D Blu-ray is the only available and also cost-efficient medium to store high-definition movies with 3D technology and to deliver this content to the consumers. Since the decision in favor of the Blu-ray was made in 2008 and SINGULUS also acquired the Blu-ray activities from the competitor Oerlikon, practically all major disc producers worldwide work with SINGULUS’ BLULINE production equipment. Only Sony is still supporting its proprietary manufacturing technology.

The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C) consisting of nine leading developers of DVD technology and formats -- Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. -- today announced that it has revised its worldwide patent licensing program beginning on and after January 1, 2010, including offering a new license agreement (the "New DVD6C License Agreement"), which offers reduced royalty rates on certain products and additional licensing options. Key changes to the new licensing program include the following:

- Reduced royalty rates for DVD Recorders (i.e., the DVD-RAM Drive, DVD-RW Drive, DVD-R Drive and DVD Video Recorder licensed DVD Product categories) from (i) the greater of 4% of the net selling price or US$6.00 per recorder to (ii) a flat rate of US$4.00 per recorder on or after the effective date of the New DVD6C License Agreement; provided, however, that such reduced royalty rates will apply retroactively as of January 1, 2010 for licensees who sign the New DVD6C License Agreement by October 31, 2010.

- Reduced royalty rates for DVD Players (i.e., the DVD-Video Player, DVD-ROM Drive and DVD-Audio Player licensed DVD Product categories) from (i) the greater of 4% of the net selling price of the player (up to a maximum of US$8.00 per player) or US$4.00 per player (US$3.00 per player for licensees licensed on or after January 1, 2005) to (ii) a flat rate of US$2.00 per player effective on or after the later of (i) the effective date of the New DVD6C license Agreement and (ii) January 1, 2011.

- Shortened initial term of the license, which now runs to the end of 2012.

- Clarification that Blu-ray Disc ("BD") products are not covered by the new license, irrespective of whether they include DVD functionality.

Seiko Epson Corporation today announced that it has developed and begun volume production of what the company claims is the world's first reflective high-temperature polysilicon ("reflective HTPS") TFT liquid crystal panels for 3LCD projectors. The new panels, which measure 0.74 inches on the diagonal, support full high-definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) content. The increasing availability of high-resolution, high-quality source images due to the growing popularity of HD media players and digital HD broadcasts are pushing demand for more convenient large-screen viewing options in the home. Higher contrast is in demand especially for movies, where the reproduction of natural-looking colors and deep blacks is critical. According to Epson, the new liquid crystal panels fuse reflective display technology with the storehouse of HTPS technology Epson has accumulated in shipping more than 60 million panels for 3LCD projectors. They provide a device-level contrast ratio of 100,000:1 or higher while taking full advantage of the ability of HTPS panels to reproduce bright, natural-looking images and deliver rich gradations. The new reflective HTPS panels are based on the structure used for transmissive HTPS panels. The main structural difference is that reflective panels have a reflective electrode instead of a transparent electrode on the TFT substrate. The C2 Fine technology that enabled high contrast ratios in transmissive HTPS panels has been optimized for the reflective HTPS panels, and Epson's unique planarization technology is used to make the reflective layer almost perfectly flat so as to control the scattering of light. The result is panels that offer a device-level contrast ratio of 100,000:1 or higher. To learn more about HTPS panels, visit
www.epson.jp/e/products/device/htps/

The market for short range wireless ICs is forecast to expand this year; total shipments of Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4 and Wi-Fi ICs will increase approximately 20% compared to 2009. “Bluetooth ICs still lead the short-range wireless IC market,” says ABI Research industry analyst Celia Bo. “Unit shipments are expected to exceed 58% of the total short-range wireless IC shipments in 2010. Wi-Fi ICs rank second place in this market, making up approximately 35% of the total shipments, with the rest of the shipments accounted for by NFC, UWB and 502.15.4 ICs.” Cellular handsets and accessories are taking a significant portion of the market for Bluetooth-enabled products in 2010, accounting for almost 75% of total shipments. This is followed by the notebook and UMD segments, taking approximately 12%. The demand for Bluetooth-enabled consumer electronic and home entertainment products is expected to grow steadily over the next five years. Shipments of portable media players are forecast to grow tenfold in 2015 as compared to 2010, and the total shipments of networked game consoles and handheld game consoles are expected to show a 14% CAGR between 2010 and 2015. Bo adds, “Combination chip solutions that integrate two or more short-range wireless technologies will be broadly deployed in hundreds of millions of electronic devices due to their advantages of lower cost and smaller chip size, paving the way for expansion of the short-range wireless IC market.” The Bluetooth+FM radio integration solution is taking the highest market share among the major integration solutions of “combo” chips today, followed by Bluetooth+Wi-Fi+FM radio and Bluetooth+FM radio+GPS solutions. Bluetooth’s integration with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless technology will be adopted widely from next year and is projected to account for more than 50% of total Bluetooth combo IC shipments in 2015.

The National Association of Broadcasters launched a new consumer-focused website this month, www.keepmytv.org, aimed at educating and empowering viewers during carriage negotiations between broadcast TV stations and pay-TV providers. The website's launch comes as pay-TV providers continue to seek legislative and regulatory action that would give their companies increased leverage during retransmission consent negotiations. Retransmission consent, established as part of the 1992 Cable Act, is the market-based negotiation process in which a pay-TV provider and a local television station reach a carriage agreement for the TV station signal. The new website notes that 98.5% of the highest rated television shows air on broadcast TV, and asks viewers, "What if your pay TV company no longer carried your favorite broadcast channels?" Keepmytv.org also notes the important local programming depended upon by millions of viewers, including local news and critical weather information programming that often serves as a lifeline during times of crisis. The website provides resources for viewers, including instructions for purchasing a broadcast antenna, which allows viewers to receive free broadcast programming, available in many areas in high-definition format. "All stations are now broadcasting in digital, which means the snowy picture of yesteryear is long gone," the website explains.

Digital content creation and media publisher NewBay Media has announced that next month’s Digital Video Expo will feature “Where 3D Meets Hollywood,” a separate afternoon conference on September 29th from 2:00-3:30 pm, focusing on emerging opportunities in the 3D format. Presented by Broadcasting and Cable and Multichannel News, “Where 3D Meets Hollywood” will bring together an elite think tank of Hollywood industry executives to consider the future of 3D content, and whether recent developments will lead to big-business…or if Hollywood is just facing a three-dimensional fad. “The buzz around 3D is currently at a fever pitch in the film and television industries, from smash hits such as ‘Avatar’ and 'Toy Story 3' to the imminent launch of several 3D television networks,” said David E. Williams, Conference Chair, Digital Video Expo, and Editor, DV Magazine. “We’ve gathered the industry execs who are working in the 3D trenches, and are uniquely qualified to provide our attendees with an up-to-the-minute review of where the opportunities, and challenges, lie in this format.”

Top executives and creatives scheduled to make presentations at “Where 3D Meets Hollywood” include:

Jeff Conroy – Executive Producer, Deadliest Catch
Tom Cosgrove – President & CEO, Sony-Discovery Communications-IMAX Joint Venture 3D Network
Marc Graboff – Chairman, NBC Entertainment & Universal Media Studios
Tony Vinciquerra – Chairman & CEO, Fox Networks Group
In addition, David Poltrack, President, CBS Vision, will present his latest research findings on the true potential market for 3D content and entertainment.

Panasonic announced yesterday that it has become the Official 3D Sponsor of this week's BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit in Monterey, California. BLUE is a global film festival and conservation summit for underwater filmmakers, marine researchers and conservation leaders. The festival also provides the public the opportunity to experience the world's largest collection of ocean films. The company will demonstrate its end-to-end range of Full HD 3D solutions which includes the VT25 Series of Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma HDTVs, 3D Blu-ray Disc Players and the AG-3DA1 – the Full HD 3D professional camcorder much anticipated by independent film makers. Also on display will be a new underwater housing for the 3DA1 that will allow videographers to capture life beneath the surface of the ocean in Full HD 3D. Panasonic will also sponsor a panel discussion titled 3D: Nature's New Dimension on Friday, August 27 at the Portola Hotel & Spa moderated by Barry Clark, executive producer at Mandalay Media Arts. Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic's Chief Technology Officer for North America, will be among the featured panelists at the discussion. "Panasonic is proud to support the BLUE Oceans Summit and have the opportunity to share with many of the world's leading oceanographic filmmakers and experts our industry-leading work in 3D technology," said Panasonic's Tsuyuzaki. "The underwater world is among our planet's most fascinating and mysterious places. The arrival of the 3D era provides filmmakers with a tremendous opportunity to capture the beauty of the ocean in a realistic and immersive way that was not possible a few short years ago and share it with people worldwide so that they too may gain a greater understanding of how important our oceans are." For more information on all of the events and activities at the BLUE Oceans Summit, visit www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org/home.html.

International communications and information technology company Harris Corporation has opened a new factory in Brazil to manufacture low- and mid-power UHF television transmitter products to support the region's transition to digital television. Located in Campinas, a region 80 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, the plant will produce Harris Maxiva UAX air-cooled solid-state transmitters for distribution to broadcasters across Brazil, as well as throughout Mercosur (the Common Market of the South) and other Latin American countries. According to the company, the strong growth potential of the Brazilian broadcast market was one reason Harris decided to invest in a local manufacturing presence.  In preparation for an analog shut-off date in 2016, Brazilian broadcasters are in the process of migrating to the ISDB-Tb digital format that has been adopted in the country.  To date, only 120 channels out of the approximately 10,000 television licenses that currently exist in Brazil have made the transition from analog to digital. The new plant will produce transmitters available in the low-to-medium digital power levels, as Harris expects that transmitters in this power range will comprise approximately 90 percent of the local market demand over the next five years.  "With the DTV rollout just beginning to gain momentum, and with the world's highest-profile sporting events coming to Brazil in 2014 and 2016, the timing of this initiative could not be better for Harris or our customers," says Nahuel Villegas, vice president, CALA Sales and Services, Harris Broadcast Communications.  "We are pleased to support this exciting time in Brazil's broadcast history with a local manufacturing presence that will enable us to maximize value for our loyal customers in the region."

The Sony Corporation has announced the development of 'single wire interface technology', a hybrid transmission technology which facilitates both data and power transmissions through a single cable. This technology enables the internal wiring of an electronic device to be streamlined through a single cable (copper wire). Conventionally, the video, audio and control signals as well as the power transmission were spread out over several dozen cables within the movable mechanisms of devices like mobile phones and media players, in the hinges or other rotating parts. However, as these devices become ever more sophisticated in terms of advanced functionality and high resolution displays, more wiring connections have been used to accommodate the increasing volume of data being transmitted within devices. Accordingly, new problems began to emerge as connectors in devices became larger and it became more difficult to bend the connecting cables. According to the company, Sony's newly-developed 'single wire interface technology' has achieved bi-directional transmission of several kinds of signals, including video, audio and control signals, by using time division duplex and multiplex. In addition, the DC power is supplied on the same signal cable. Sony's unique encoding technology with DC balance enables both DC power supply and high speed data to be transmitted within a limited frequency bandwidth. Technical specifications (tentative values) of Sony's demonstration system include:

- Transmission signal: video (Display / Camera), audio, control signals
- Transmission speed: 940Mbps
- Power consumption: 10-80mW (0-940Mbps) during transmission, 0.3mW when on stand-by.
- Power supply voltage for analog IC: 1.5V/3.0V
- Transmission distance: 60cm
- Supplied current value: 600mA
- Operating ambient temperature: -20 - +85°C

• History of TV Technology
• Why We Calibrate
• What Makes a "Good Image"
• Signal Path and Optimization Strategies
• Calibration Process
• Contrast Ratios and Screen Uniformity
• Geometry & Convergence
• Contrast and Brightness
• Color, Tint and Color Decoding
• Sharpness and Enhancement Controls
• Introduction to THX Certified Displays and Projectors
• Introduction to 3D Color Management

Candidates who successfully complete the coursework and score at least 85 percent on the THX exam will achieve the title of "THX Certified Professional." They will also be listed on the THX directory of Certified Video Professionals, among other marketing support materials. The advanced course, THX Certified Video Calibration 2, features two-days of intense, hands-on calibration training using a variety of flat panel displays and projectors, as well as the most advanced calibration tools and software. Course curriculum topics include:

• Calibration Process and Integration of Signal Generators
• Advanced Grayscale and Gamma
• Software and Hardware Choices
• Competing Display Technologies
• Scaling Technologies
• Processing Issues; Progressive/Interlace
• De-interlacing with Examples from HD and DVD Benchmark Discs
• Environmental Issues
• Color Science and Color Standards
• Day and Night Modes
• Calibrating to Black and White Films
• Advanced Calibration of THX Certified Displays and Projectors
• 3D Color Management Systems - Color Standards and Science
• The Business of Calibration - Customer Management

To achieve the title of "THX Certified Professional Calibrator" candidates are required to successfully finish the course, pass the exam and complete a number of calibrations under the supervision of THX course instructors. They can then begin generating revenue by offering THX Certified Calibrations to customers. THX Certified Professional Calibrators also gain access to a private forum and other THX marketing and online services. "THX Certified Video Calibration workshops fill a critical gap in the CE industry by providing course curriculum that goes beyond lecture format to offer real, hands-on calibration training," said John Dahl, director of education at THX. "The expanded curriculum and addition of THX Video Calibration Levels 1 and 2 classes provides students in the CEDIA community more flexibility to attend classes at their convenience, and enables our training staff to extend lab hours to provide one-on-one instructional support." The CEDIA-accredited THX courses start the last day of the CEDIA Expo on Sunday, September 26. For more information about THX Professional Education workshops, visit www.thx.com/professional/home-theater-installer/

Blackmagic Design today announced the acquisition of all assets of EchoLab Inc., one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of production switchers. EchoLab has over 35 years of experience in designing and building production switchers since 1974. For the thousands of people who use production switchers, ATEM will be instantly familiar. It uses the conventional M/E style of design that’s easy, safe and fast to use on even the most critical live production. ATEM also combines powerful features such as SuperSource, which is a separate multi layer engine with 4 x 2D picture in picture DVE’s and 4 x keyers that provide the same power as adding a whole extra multiple M/E switcher to the ATEM input. SuperSource can be called at any time, and connects into the switcher as an input. For connecting to the widest range of cameras, decks and computers, the ATEM 1 M/E model includes 8 SDI inputs that operate at SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI, plus 2 switchable HDMI/Analog video inputs. ATEM includes multiple SDI outputs for program, preview, and aux. outputs, plus an HDMI output for the multi-view monitoring output. The ATEM 2 M/E model includes 15 x SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI inputs, as well as 3 x switchable HDMI/analog inputs for a total of 18 video inputs. ATEM 2 M/E also includes two multi-viewer outputs, clean feed, aux., program and preview SDI outputs. All ATEM switchers include serial ports for camera and VDCP servers as well as genlock. “I have been using live production switchers since I was in school where we covered local theater, sports, racing and bands. I think it’s the most exciting way to do production because it’s all live and thousands of people are watching what you are doing! Production switchers need to be powerful while also being familiar and easy to operate. I think the ATEM switchers from EchoLab are the most exciting switchers I have ever seen, and it’s incredibly exciting to add these products and intellectual property to the Blackmagic Design family,” said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. “The ATEM switcher is a fantastic creative tool, and it includes powerful features not found in any other product. Since the acquisition, we have already dramatically expanded the engineering team working on ATEM. This fresh engineering team, which is a combination of new as well as experienced EchoLab staff, will allow us to move faster in adding new features to the ATEM product. It’s so exciting, I cannot sleep!” The ATEM production switchers will be demonstrated at the Blackmagic Design IBC 2010 booth #7.B25.

EPIX and Netflix, Inc. have announced an agreement through which Netflix members can instantly watch an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX streamed over the Internet from Netflix. EPIX has subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners and will make these movies available to Netflix 90 days after their premium pay TV and subscription on demand debuts. Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release. For Netflix, the agreement is a significant step in building the company’s streaming offer, adding many popular movie titles from some of the world’s leading studios. It adds meaningfully to a growing library of movies and TV shows that can be watched instantly on TVs via a range of leading consumer electronic devices capable of streaming from Netflix and on computers. The agreement allows EPIX to continue the distribution of popular content on a variety of platforms and preserve the premium television, subscription on demand and online window reserved for cable, satellite and telco television partners. “Adding EPIX to our growing library of streaming content, as the exclusive Internet-only distributor of this great content, marks the continued emergence of Netflix as a leader in entertainment delivered over the Web,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. “The EPIX deal is an example of the innovative ways in which we’re partnering with major content providers to broaden the scope and freshness of choices available to our members to watch instantly over the Internet.” Movies from the multi-year deal will begin streaming from Netflix on September 1 and include movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.

New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo this week filed an antitrust action against several major technology companies for illegally fixing prices for liquid crystal display (“LCD”) screens used in computers, televisions, and cell phones. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages suffered from 1996 to 2006 by New York State and other public purchasers - local governments, schools, hospitals, and colleges, among others - that purchased computers and other goods containing the price-fixed screens. The suit, which seeks damages, restitution, and civil penalties was filed in State Supreme Court in New York County, and alleges that companies in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and their U.S. counterparts, engineered a cartel that dominated the $70 billion market for LCD screens for approximately a decade. The alleged cartel - which includes LG Display, Hitachi, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and others - ensured that LCD prices were set not by competition, but by detailed and explicit secret agreements among the competitors. New York State purchasers paid artificially higher prices for products containing LCD panels as a result of the illegal conspiracy. “Our investigation shows that an illegal cartel eliminated competition in the marketplace for LCD screens, made its own secret decisions to boost prices, and then took steps to make those high prices stick,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “As a result, hard-pressed New York cities, towns, schools, and hospitals spent hundreds of millions of dollars on LCD screens affected by the illegal conspiracy. My office is bringing this case to get those illegal overcharges back.”

According to the Attorney General, the lawsuit cites evidence that:

- Top-level executives, including CEOs, attended secret meetings on a regular monthly or quarterly basis to agree on minimum prices, price targets and increases, and prices to be charged to specific computer manufacturers;
- Companies exchanged production information and agreed to certain output levels;
- In order to cover up the conspiracy, companies coordinated their messages to their customers and manipulated media announcements in order to give the false impression that their agreed upon price hikes were due to supply and demand conditions; and
- Because of the cartel, conspirators were able to avoid competition and keep LCD prices artificially high to the detriment of computer manufacturers and consumers.

Video display and interface IC supplier Parade Technologies Ltd., has announced that the company has released the world’s fist video display timing controller (T-CON) IC that satisfies the recently updated VESA eDP v1.2 specification. Designed specifically to help accelerate DisplayPort adoption by system OEMs Parade’s new DP616 chip lowers total system cost and system power requirements by eliminating the need for an external voltage regulator. The DP616 is an eDP sink device that accepts video input from a CPU or GPU and converts it into mini-LVDS row and column video data for use by a display panel. The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced the version 1.2 upgrade of its embedded DisplayPort (eDP) spec last month. The DP616 is a one-lane main link T-CON that supports eDP link rates up to 2.7Gbps. The device supports all panel resolutions up to WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) with 18-bit color depth, and WXGA+ (1440 x 900) with 24-bit color depth. To significantly reduce total system power requirements, the DP616 incorporates an internal switching regulator. By eliminating the need for an external linear regulator—used in almost all panel designs to step down standard eDP supply voltage from 3.3 to 1.2 volts—the Parade DP616 reduces both the bill-of-materials cost and total system power requirements. Parade estimates that eliminating a discrete linear regulator from a panel design will reduce system power consumption by as much as 175mW. The DP616 also uses crystal-free technology, has an integrated color engine and supports the new dynamic backlight control capabilities that are part of the v1.2 spec. VESA’s eDP standard is replacing LVDS as the common standard for linking CPUs and graphic controllers with displays in mobile computers. The new v1.2 specification now supports higher data rates and other new capabilities that further reduce the number of interconnect wires required over the link. “Our first-generation eDP T-CON was very successful. Its widespread adoption enabled Parade to accumulate valuable OEM feedback to develop our second-generation device, which emphasizes total system cost reduction and power efficiency,” explains Jimmy Chiu, VP of Marketing at Parade Technologies. “As a key contributor to the DisplayPort effort, Parade was ready with our v1.2 device as soon as the new eDP spec was finalized.” The DP616 is sampling now, and production volumes will be available in 4Q10. The DP616 is expected to be available for $1.45 /ea. in high volume.

This week, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of Phoebe Yang as Senior Advisor to the Chairman on Broadband. As part of the Office of the Chairman, Ms. Yang heads the core team managing the Commission’s broadband priorities, as set forth in Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan. According to the Commission, in this role, Ms. Yang works with other federal, international, state and local entities on advancing the Commission’s broadband agenda; and serves as the Commission’s primary point of contact to enable the use of broadband to promote key national priorities, such as improving heath care, education, and energy efficiency. She serves as the Commission’s representative to the Executive Branch inter-agency working group charged with implementation of the National Broadband Plan across the federal government and works closely with all the Commission’s Bureaus and Offices to advance the goals and recommendations of the National Broadband Plan. “Phoebe has played an absolutely critical role in creating the National Broadband Plan, and I am delighted that she will be staying to help me lead our continuing work to ensure that the enormous benefits of broadband are available and affordable to all Americans,” said Chairman Genachowski. Ms. Yang most recently served as General Counsel of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative at the Commission, in which role she was Chair of the Broadband Steering Committee. Her prior experience includes executive roles at Discovery Communications, as Vice President of Corporate Development and Vice President of Digital Media Operations and Strategy; and at AOL Time Warner as Vice President of International Strategy and Policy focused on China. She served under President Bill Clinton as Special Coordinator for China Rule of Law and practiced corporate law at Hogan & Hartson. She served as law clerk to The Honorable William Schwarzer (N.D., California). She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. She received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was President and Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Law Review.

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), joined by the Alabama Press Association, has submitted an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in support of defendant Daniel A. Moore in the case The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama v. New Life Art, Inc. and Daniel A. Moore in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. At issue is the extent to which artistic expression is protected by the First Amendment when trademarked images are used in artwork. Moore, an award-winning artist who is known for capturing great moments in sports history, was originally sued for trademark infringement by the University of Alabama in 2005. The University claimed its trademarks rights were violated by Moore's depiction of its player uniforms as well as by other images in his fine art prints and memorabilia of scenes from its football games. Though the District Court found that Moore's larger prints were protected by the First Amendment, it ruled that mini-prints, calendars and other items were not. Since that time, a legal battle has ensued in which both sides have appealed and the University has been joined by a number of other prominent universities in filing an amicus brief. According to ASMP General Counsel Victor S. Perlman, "The potential effect of this ruling is to limit the expression of every visual artist who takes a photo in which there is a logo and, thus, effectively to censure artwork." Further, Perlman says, "This decision applies trademark protection where it is not needed -- to an artist who is not using a trademark for trademark purposes." The Brief filed by ASMP urges the Court to protect Moore's art and argues that it passes the First Amendment test of having artistic relevance to its underlying expression and images which are not misleading in nature. Moore used the images in which the University claims trademark rights to faithfully and accurately depict historical plays and moments in Alabama football. The Brief argues that these works have been presented to the public without any intention to deceive and are, therefore, entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment. The brief was filed on behalf of ASMP by J. Michael Murray and Lorraine R. Baumgardner of Berkman, Gordon, Murray & DeVan, with Mr. Perlman of counsel.

Like an ice cube on a warm day, most materials melt — that is, change from a solid to a liquid state — as they get warmer. But a few oddball materials do the reverse: They melt as they get cooler. Now a team of researchers at MIT has found that silicon, the most widely used material for computer chips and solar cells, can exhibit this strange property of “retrograde melting” when it contains high concentrations of certain metals dissolved in it. The material, a compound of silicon, copper, nickel and iron, “melts” (actually turning from a solid to a slush-like mix of solid and liquid material) as it cools below 900 degrees Celsius, whereas silicon ordinarily melts at 1414 degrees C. The much lower temperatures make it possible to observe the behavior of the material during melting, based on specialized X-ray fluorescence microprobe technology using a synchrotron — a type of particle accelerator — as a source. The material for the tests consisted of a kind of sandwich made from two thin layers of silicon, with a filling of copper, nickel and iron between them. This was first heated enough to cause the metals to dissolve into the silicon, but below silicon’s melting point. The amount of metal was such that the silicon became supersaturated — that is, more of the metal was dissolved in the silicon than would normally be possible under stable conditions. For example, when a liquid is heated, it can dissolve more of another material, but then when cooled down it can become supersaturated, until the excess material precipitates out. The findings could be useful in lowering the cost of manufacturing some silicon-based devices, especially those in which tiny amounts of impurities can significantly reduce performance. In the material studied, impurities tend to migrate to the liquid portion, leaving regions of purer silicon behind. This could make it possible to produce some silicon-based devices, such as solar cells, using a less pure, and therefore less expensive, grade of silicon that would be purified during the manufacturing process. “If you can create little liquid droplets inside a block of silicon, they serve like little vacuum cleaners to suck up impurities,” said team leader and SMA Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing MIT, Tonio Buonassisi. Buonassisi predicted in a 2007 paper that it should be possible to induce retrograde melting in silicon, but the conditions needed to produce such a state, and to study it at a microscopic level, are highly specialized and have only recently become available. To create the right conditions, Buonassisi and his team had to adapt a microscope “hot-stage” device that allowed the researchers to precisely control the rate of heating and cooling. And to actually observe what was happening as the material was heated and cooled, they drew upon high-power synchrotron-based X-ray sources at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. According to Buonassisi, this research could also lead to new methods for making arrays of silicon nanowires — tiny tubes that are highly conductive to heat and electricity. The material and its properties are described in a paper just published online in the journal Advanced Materials. The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Clare Booth Luce Foundation, Doug Spreng and the Chesonis Family Foundation, and some equipment was provided by McCrone Scientific.

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) today announced that the number of DLNA Certified Blu-ray players has nearly doubled in 2010, bringing the total to 105. DLNA member companies, including: JVC, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Sony have all received certification for their Blu-ray players, continuing their commitment to help consumers easily manage, share and enjoy their digital content throughout their lives. The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), an industry-funded, non-profit corporation that compiles quarterly sales data on home entertainment, has been tracking the increasing popularity of Blu-ray players in the home. The DEG reports overall household penetration of Blu-ray compatible devices has now reached more than 18 million homes in the U.S. A recent Digitimes Research study found that global sales volume of Blu-ray players will increase to 40 million units in 2011 and further to 52 million units in 2012. According to the Alliance, devices such as Blu-ray players are helping to redefine the digital living room. They are no longer just devices for viewing optical media, but are becoming broadband media devices that are integrated with a number of video-on-demand services. "At Philips Consumer Lifestyle, we believe that freedom in sharing and accessing multimedia content in the home is very important. However, we also believe this only works when various products can easily communicate and connect to each other," said Jeroen Steenblik, senior marketing manager at Philips Consumer Lifestyle. DLNA Certified Blu-ray players adhere to DLNA Interoperability Guidelines and join the more than 7,500 DLNA Certified® products in an extensive range of device categories including: personal computers, mobile devices, televisions, digital cameras, network attached storage devices and printers.

The Federal Communications Commission has announced that consumers now have an easy-to-use, Consumer Help Center that puts them within one click of all the information they want from the FCC. The new portal launched this week at www.fcc.gov/consumers allows consumers to learn about different issues in telecommunications, make it easy for consumers to find out what’s going on at the FCC, get tips for making the best choices in purchasing communications devices and services, have their voices heard by filing comments on issues that interest them, and file a complaint when there are problems. “Our new Consumer Help Center makes it easy for consumers to learn about our work and take action,” says Joel Gurin, Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the FCC. “Here, in one place, consumers can do a number of things such as read about consumer issues, get practical advice for avoiding problems, file a complaint, comment on our rulemakings, or read what our FCC experts are saying in our Consumer Blog.” The Consumer Help Center is produced by the FCC’s Consumer Task Force, an inter-bureau group established by Chairman Julius Genachowski at the beginning of 2010. The Task Force has led several recent initiatives on major consumer issues. The Consumer Help Center includes:

- Everything consumers need to know about Bill Shock and
Early Termination Fees -- two common issues that affect wireless customers
- Savvy Traveler tips -- advice on making phone calls when travelling abroad
- Broadband Speed Test -- consumers can test the speed of their broadband service
- Fact Sheet Library – more than 150 consumer Fact Sheets on telecom subjects
- Links to additional resources on a range of issues, including privacy
- Links to file a complaint to the FCC or comment on our rulemakings
- Blog posts about consumer issues -- with consumer comments welcome
- News releases, statements, and FCC actions

While the consumer electronics headlines this year have been dominated by 3-D television news, the real story in 2010 is about Internet-Enabled TVs (IETVs), according to iSuppli Corp. Global shipments of IETVs—i.e., TV sets with built-in Internet capability—will amount to 27.7 million units in 2010. In contrast, 3-D set shipments will total only 4.2 million this year. While 3-D television shipments are set to soar in the coming years, iSuppli’s forecast shows the biggest near-term growth story is in IETV. “Despite aggressive promotions from the industry and intense consumer interest generated by the blockbuster Avatar and other titles, the 3-D TV market in 2010 will be limited to a small pool of enthusiastic early adopters,” said Riddhi Patel, director and principal analyst for television systems at iSuppli. “In contrast, IETV is entering the mainstream in 2010. This is because 3-D is still dealing with a number of barriers, including cost, content availability and interoperability, while IETV provides immediate benefits by allowing TV viewers to access a range of content readily available on the Internet.” Shipments of IETVs in 2010 will rise by a remarkable 124.9 percent from 12.3 million units last year. Significant growth will continue during the following years. All told, IETV shipments will expand at rates north of 50 percent for the next two years, and then continue to increase at solid double-digit rates until the end of 2014. By then, global IETV shipments are anticipated to reach 148.3 million units, accounting for 54 percent of the total flat-panel TV market. With IETV, Patel noted, viewers can connect to the Internet at all times by using their TV’s built-in feature, bypassing the need for a bridge device such as a set-top box, game console or Internet media adapter like Apple Inc.’s TV console. Such connectivity allows viewers to access content from a wide spectrum of providers—ranging from movie peddlers like Netflix and Amazon, to content aggregators such as Hulu, to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. At the same time, TV brands and manufacturers are working aggressively to create partnerships with the content providers in order to keep consumers interested and happy with continually updated material, Patel added. “The arrival of Internet-enabled TV models is part of the ongoing evolution and enhancement of TV sets,” Patel said. “Because innovation is a must in order to drive consumer adoption and replacement, the TV industry has embarked on a path of enhancing the consumer experience through interaction with their TV sets.” Among regions, North America and Western Europe will make up the largest consumption market for IETVs from 2010 to 2014. Japan will lay claim as the third largest market only until 2012, after which it will drop to fifth place, ranking behind both China and the collective area designated as Rest of Asia-Pacific—two distinct territories counted separately in the tallies.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau this week released a Consent Decree entered into with Univision Radio, Inc. to resolve allegations that Univision radio stations or their employees secretly accepted payment from a record label in exchange for the radio stations giving more frequent airplay to the label’s artists, without making the disclosures to listeners required by section 507 of the Communications Act. In a companion criminal action, a federal district court has accepted the plea of Univision Services, Inc. to charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), based on the same facts. The FCC and the DOJ coordinated their respective investigations and enforcement actions. “Payola -- the idea of pay-for-play -- misleads the listening public,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “This agreement with Univision underscores the FCC’s focus on consumer protection and our commitment to ensuring that broadcasters play it straight with the public.” As part of the FCC settlement and the DOJ action, the Univision companies will pay $1 million to the U.S. Treasury. The FCC-Univision Consent Decree also obligates Univision to implement certain business reforms and compliance measures designed to ensure future compliance with the Commission’s rules. Key provisions of the settlement include:

- General prohibition on Univision stations and employees exchanging airplay for cash or other items of value, except under specified conditions, and provided that such exchanges comply with sponsorship identification laws;
- Limits on the size of gifts, concert tickets, and other valuable items that Univision stations and employees can accept from record labels;
- Appointment of a Compliance Officer and regional Compliance Contacts responsible for monitoring and reporting company performance under the settlement; and
- Regular training of programming personnel on payola restrictions.

Professor Hiroyuki Yokoyama of the New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University and Advanced Materials Laboratories, Sony, have jointly developed a blue-violet semiconductor laser that could be used in large-capacity optical disc storage and for nano-fabrication. The new laser features a dramatically improved peak laser beam output level, which is almost 100 times higher than the output provided by the currently available lasers. The 405 nanometer laser is capable of generating optical pulses with a duration of just 3 picoseconds (1 picosecond = one-trillionth of a second), with an ultrahigh output peak power of 100 watts and a repetition frequency of 1 gigahertz. To achieve these impressive performance, Tohoku University and Sony have developed a proprietarily GaN-based mode-locked semiconductor laser as well as a new semiconductor optical amplifier. A mode-locked semiconductor laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits ultrafast optical pulses. It operates by sending optical pulses with an ultrafast duration in the order of picoseconds (or less) back and forth within the laser cavity. A semiconductor optical amplifier is an optical amplifier that can amplify the laser beam directly using a semiconductor. Although the structure is similar to that of a semiconductor laser, the beam-amplifying functionality is enhanced through antireflective fabrication of the laser facets. Until now, only solid-state lasers could offer such a high outputs. These lasers use solid crystals such as rubies as the laser medium and they were mainly used for leading-edge chemical research applications. However,the light source box of these laser units was bulky and more further engineering was required to ensure the stable operation of the laser. The high-output, ultrafast pulsed semiconductor laser light source is capable of using a nonlinear optical process known as two-photon absorption (TPA), which occurs only as a result of high intensity optical pulses: When a substance interacts with extremely intense light, the substance does not always respond in proportion to the electromagnetic field of the light, thus creating a prismatic effect. TPA is the phenomenon of absorbing two photons simultaneously to excite the eigenstate corresponding to the resulting sum of photon energy. Using this phenomenon to focus light from an intense laser beam on a lens will result in an extremely high density of power in the vicinity of the focus point. When light from the laser beam is concentrated on the lens, it creates chemical and thermal changes in the vicinity of the lens focus spot which is narrower than even the diameter of the focus spot of the lens itself. It is anticipated that application of these properties will be possible in a wide range of fields such as three-dimensional (3D) nano-fabrication of inorganic/organic materials in the order of nanometers, and next-generation large-capacity optical disc storage. Sony tested the principles for applying this technology in next-generation large-capacity optical disc-storage by creating void marks with a diameter of approximately 300 nanometers at intervals of 3 micrometers on the interior of plastic material, and successfully read these marks with the laser beam. The research findings were published in the latest edition of the U.S. academic journal, ‘Applied Physics Letters’ (volume 97, issue 2).

As interesting as this estimate is, it is just part of a larger picture. According to industry analyst Mike Inouye, “The solid growth in Blu-ray player shipments highlights a trend within the wider consumer electronics market. Larger, fixed-location devices such as Blu-ray players and flat panel TVs are enjoying rapid adoption relative to many classes of small, portable devices. Specifically, portable gaming devices are leveling out, while we are seeing actual declines in shipments of portable audio players. Digital picture frames are showing only mild growth, and compact digital camera shipments are declining in North America and Japan, though they continue modest growth elsewhere.”

What is behind these shifts? “In addition to price declines, the greater growth potential of TV-centric devices may be due to some of the recent exciting innovations in TV technologies: larger, flatter panels, Internet connectivity, and 3D,” says Inouye. “Aside from the economic/job environment it could be that dedicated portable device markets are simply maturing, or it could be due to the greater competition they face from smartphones and other multi-function portable devices.”

According to ABI Research, CE device vendors can improve their chances of success in this very competitive marketplace by, on one hand, continuing efforts to educate consumers about what they can do with the latest devices, and on the other by striving to keep the user-experience as seamless and painless as possible. Meanwhile, consumer purchases of Blu-ray titles increased 107% in major markets in Western Europe/Japan during the first half of 2010 while combined DVD/Blu-ray units sold were near par with last year, at (-) 1.2%. These are among the findings of the Media Control GfK International research firm, based on actual point-of-sale retail data for the first half of 2010. "The major retail markets for DVD & Blu-ray sales in Western Europe and Japan are showing positive signs of stabilization due to improving declines in DVD sales and growing consumer adoption of the Blu-ray format," said Brad Hackley, President of Media Control GfK USA.

Sony will begin to ship samples of its lineup of silicon tuner modules, which incorporate Sony's silicon turner IC that conform to worldwide broadcast systems. According to the company, in light of the market's transition from coil to silicon tuners, Sony is launching 40 small, high-performance silicon tuner modules, which incorporate its proprietary radio frequency circuit technology. Sony has developed different types of silicon tuner modules including antenna switch models, loop-through function,demodulator models for digital broadcasts, and dual tuner models. By using the new silicon tuner modules, LCD TV and Video recording equipment manufacturers can realize improved production efficiencies. For example, they can reduce the number of necessary components as well as implement common global design for both hardware and software. The modules have been designed to withstand ingress noise from peripheral circuits because it uses Sony's proprietary radio frequency circuit and simulation technologies. In addition, spontaneous-emission noise can be minimized, which simplifies product development. Sony claims the silicon tuner modules are also eco-friendly with low power consumption (40% less than Sony's conventional coil tuner) and standby mode (50mW). In addition, they are immediately compatible with new broadcast systems such as, "DVB-T2" (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial 2). Sony started mass production of silicon tuner modules in 2008 and has cumulatively produced more than 10 million modules (as of June 2010).

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and Netflix, Inc. today announced an expansion of the companies' existing streaming content agreement. The new agreement adds a slate of catalog TV shows available to watch instantly at Netflix and extends the existing license for catalog movies through 2011. As part of the deal, Netflix has acquired streaming rights - for a period of four years - to all 100 episodes of the Golden Globe Award–winning drama series "Nip/Tuck." (Separately, "Nip/Tuck" will air simultaneously in a linear pattern on the cable network Logo via an off-cable syndication deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.) As part of its deal, Netflix has also acquired streaming rights to the series "Veronica Mars," "Pushing Daisies" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," among others. "Our Netflix streaming relationship is a good example of the opportunities the digital space provides to make content available in new ways at appropriate points in the product lifecycle," said Thomas Gewecke, president, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "This agreement establishes an additional stop on the economic chain for our library content while providing consumers with more convenience and choice." Earlier this year, Netflix and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced an agreement under which new release titles on DVD and Blu-ray will be made available to Netflix subscribers after a 28-day window, giving Warner Bros. the opportunity to maximize the sales potential of those titles along with an extended revenue share period and Netflix the benefits of reduced product costs, significantly more units and better in-stock levels four weeks after street date. The agreement announced today does not alter the previous arrangement with regard to the 28-day window for new release titles.

Musical sounds created by longitudinal vibrations within the Sun's atmosphere, have been recorded and accurately studied for the first time by experts at the University of Sheffield, shedding light on the Sun's magnetic atmosphere. Using state-of-the-art mathematical theory combined with satellite observations, a team of solar physicists from the University have captured the music on tape and revealed the harmonious sounds are caused by the movement of giant magnetic loops in the solar corona - the outermost, mysterious, and least understood layer of the Sun's atmosphere. These giant coronal loops have also been observed to undergo periodic (oscillatory) motion, which can be thought of as someone plucking a guitar string (transversal oscillations) or blowing the wind-pipe instrument (longitudinal oscillations). With the length and thickness of the string fixed, the pitch of the note is determined by the tension of the string and the tone is made up of the harmonics of the modes of oscillation. In this sense, the solar atmosphere is constantly pervaded by the music of the coronal loops. The coronal music also provides scientists with a unique and unprecedented tool to study the magnetic solar atmosphere, as the motion of these loops is determined by their local surroundings. This technique is known as solar magneto-seismology and is very similar to the seismology methods used by geologists studying earthquakes. The discovery was presented by the University experts to an audience of MPs both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords at the House of Commons Marquee, as well as and senior scientists representing prestigious institutions such as the Royal Society, after being selected by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. The next step for the team will be to develop cutting edge numerical modelling that will be able to give further insight into the sub-resolution properties of coronal loops, i.e. on spatial scales that are not even observable with the latest high-resolution satellites available to scientist. Click below to hear audio of a 'kink': a transverse oscillation similar to a guitar string being plucked.

The CompactFlash Association (CFA) announced the key development goals for a the new CF5.1 specification. The CF5.1 work group was formed in December 2009 to add functionality to the recently released CF5.0 specification based on the PATA (Parallel ATA) interface while maintaining backward compatibility. The CF5.1 work group met and agreed upon the key development focus issues, which include adding an Ultra DMA mode supporting 167 MB/s. CompactFlash card slots are commonly used in digital cameras, video cameras and other electronic platforms including embedded systems, single board computers, data recorders, heart monitors, defibrillators, and slot machines. Some of the key proposed CF5.1 development focuses include:

- Ultra DMA 167 Mode: Enables the development of higher performance cards while providing backward compatibility.

- Sanitize: Provides an efficient NAND Block Erase of the entire user data area to return the CF card to "fresh" state before reuse or repurposing. Leverages a command defined in INCITS T13 ACS-2.

- Provide Trim Before Write Attribute Protocol:Provides an incremental performance increase by optimizing device physical allocation (allows improved internal data organization).

- Mandatory Write Caching: An enhancement for certain Video Performance Guarantee profiles to improve write performance of CompactFlash cards.

- Operating Temperature Range: n optional card capability to report the operating temperature range of the card. This allows card/camera combinations to enable use in extreme temperatures

Last week at the VidCon 2010 conference, YouTube announced support for videos shot in 4K, meaning that the video giant now supports original video resolution from 360p all the way up to 4K. In December of last year, YouTube announced support for 1080p, or full HD. At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times the size of 1080p. To give some perspective on the size of 4K, the ideal screen size for a 4K video is 25 feet; IMAX movies are projected through two 2k resolution projectors. To see video on the site shot in 4K, please check out the videos in this playlist; each one was created by a filmmaker with access to a 4K camera. (Be warned: watching videos in 4K, even on YouTube, will require ultra-fast high-speed broadband connections). To view any video in a source resolution greater than 1080p, select "Original" in the video quality pulldown menu.

X-Rite, Incorporated will demonstrate for the first time its deep toolbox of solutions to ensure the color quality of produce and foodstuffs at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo 2010. The X-Rite team will show how its instruments and quality control software can be used to measure and monitor the color of a variety of food, ranging from raw fruits and vegetables, prepared foods such as french fries, and foodstuffs made continuously in high-speed production settings such as pasta, chocolate, juices, spreads and baked goods. "Food growers and processors know that the color of their products play an extremely important role in the purchasing decisions of consumers," Annacone said. "As the world's leading designer and manufacturer of color measurement systems, X-Rite now is introducing advanced technologies used in such industries as digital graphics and small appliance manufacturing to the agricultural and the food processing industries." For instance, X-Rite has the only system approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that food processors use to measure acceptable tolerances of orange juice color from a set standard, Annacone said. The system uses X-Rite's Color i5 benchtop spectrophotometer and Color iQC software package to accurately and quickly measure whether liquid orange juice meets the USDA standards. Kenneth Phillips, product manager for Non Contact Industrial Markets, said another X-Rite solution, its VeriColor Spectro spectrophotometer, can be used to monitor subtle shifts in the color of products as varied as baby foods and biscuits. In addition to spectrophotometers, X-Rite will be demonstrating customized color matching cards and other standards that operators can use to quickly determine whether the color of foodstuffs is acceptable. The IFT10 Annual Meeting & Food Expo to be held in Chicago from July 17 to 20.

Blackmagic Design today announced Micro Videohub, the world’s smallest 16 x 16 SDI router with 3 Gb/s SDI, auto switching SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI formats, full SDI re-clocking, USB, ethernet and serial router control is now shipping. Micro Videohub is only 1 rack unit and less than an inch deep. It includes advanced features such as 3 Gb/s SDI, auto switching SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI, as well as full SDI re-clocking at an affordable price. Micro Videohub is perfect for customers who need an incredibly tiny router that also meets tough broadcast technical requirements for performance as well as reliability. Micro Videohub, like all Blackmagic Design Videohub routers, allows for a range of flexible control options. These include the free Videohub software control panels for easy to use icon-based push button control from any computer. Software control is ideal for video editors and designers who are already working on computers and prefer control from their desktops. Videohub routers also support the new Videohub Smart Control hardware control panels, for routing with a push of a button. Videohub Smart Control can be installed under each monitor or deck, so routing is incredibly fast. Micro Videohub also includes a standard serial router control port, that lets system integrators interface to computers for automated routing control systems and integration into broadcast play out servers. The serial router control port uses industry standard protocols, so is easy to use. For developers, the USB interface can also be used, combined with Blackmagic Design’s Videohub SDK for Windows and Mac, so full control of router crosspoint switching is possible. “Now we have a professional router that’s perfect for small facilities or broadcast trucks!”, said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “No other router is so small and so affordable, so I think Micro Videohub is going to help more people than ever to get the advantages of a professional SDI routing switcher in their facility!”

HDBaseT Alliance, the cross-industry alliance formed to promote and standardize the HDBaseTTM technology for whole-home distribution of uncompressed high definition (HD) multimedia content, announced its formal incorporation. The Alliance also announced the finalization of the HDBaseT 1.0 base specification. According to HDBaseT, the development of this cohesive specification is set to transform the digital media ecosystem, allowing consumers to enjoy premium content through unparalleled, uninterrupted HD distribution ‒ without the tangle of cables currently required. HDBaseT enables a network of sources — such as digital video recorders (DVR), Blu-ray disc players, game consoles, PCs and mobile devices — to be connected directly to displays in multiple locations. For instance, a DVR can be connected to several TVs throughout the home, allowing users an independent yet fully compatible experience. HDBaseT LAN based technology makes it possible to cut out the assortment of cables for audio, video, connecting CE devices and even the power source. This form of networking, whether it is done by daisy chaining devices or through star topology, can be applied in both the consumer home and in B2B cases such as digital signage networking. “HDBaseT Alliance’s creation of a unified specification based on HDBaseT technology will raise the bar as the most technologically advanced, unmatched solution for optimum digital media distribution,” said Ariel Sobelman, president and chairman of the HDBaseT Alliance. “HDBaseT technology is poised to become the unrivaled next-generation home networking transport to meet the ever-changing trends in the digital media market.” The finalization of the HDBaseT specification paves the way for HDBaseT embedded products to hit the market. The HDBaseT Alliance anticipates products with embedded HDBaseT technology to be available in the second half of 2010, with the majority of adoption taking place in 2011. The specification will also be available for licensing within the second half of 2010. The Alliance is founded by LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Valens Semiconductor, all of which comprise the HDBaseT Alliance’s Board of Directors.

According to a new report from market research firm Parks Associates, home automation is the next big thing and market penetration could be as high as 20 percent by 2014. To do so however, the home controls market must focus on individual applications, such as entertainment and energy management, to overcome current inhibitors and boost its penetration beyond the present 6% of U.S. households. The firm’s report, Home Systems: Home Controls – Analysis and Forecasts finds low consumer awareness and a shortage of affordable installation services currently hinder widespread adoption. The entry of well-known players, including ADT, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Schlage, will help grow this market, but players should focus their value proposition on specific, easily understood applications in order to build consumer awareness and lay the foundation for future expansion. “Three applications will drive adoption of control systems over the next five years: energy management, entertainment systems and content control, and remote home self-monitoring,” said Bill Ablondi, director, home systems research, Parks Associates. “Consumers see the value in these areas, which, once established, can serve as the base for expanded control systems in the home.” For example, as entertainment controls for home theater and audio systems become more affordable, penetration will expand from 5% of U.S. households to 17% by 2014. These systems can then be expanded to integrate lighting, window treatments, and security controls, a strategy that will help push penetration of control systems overall to almost 20% of households by 2014.

The Microsoft Corp. today announced a new technology aimed at improving the battery installation process called InstaLoad battery installation technology, which allows users to easily install a battery without regard to positive and negative polarity. According to the Redmond giant, never again will people have to squint to see battery installation diagrams — the device simply works regardless if the battery is installed positive-side-up or positive-side-down. Unlike existing electronic solutions designed to address battery-polarity installation, InstaLoad is a mechanical invention that does not drain battery power or require expensive electronic circuitry. InstaLoad battery contacts can be cost-effectively designed into most battery compartments, as it usually requires replacing existing battery contacts with the patented InstaLoad contact design. The technology is compatible with popular off-the-shelf batteries used in products such as flashlights, toys, battery chargers, lighting and most other battery-operated consumer electronic devices that use CR123, AA, AAA, C or D size batteries (disposable or rechargeable) or similar barrel-type battery form factors. Ideal for devices that require frequent battery swap-outs, or are used in less-than-ideal environments, industries that could greatly benefit from this type of timesaving technology based on their environments include law enforcement, military, construction, outdoor sporting and camping. In addition, users of devices with multiple batteries and frequent battery swap-out — including battery chargers, digital cameras, camera flash units and toys — could also benefit. InstaLoad is a patented battery contact design now available for license by third-party device suppliers, with companies like Duracell already lining up to endorse the technology for use in their own products. “Duracell Smart Power is all about making the lives of consumers easier and more efficient as they depend on battery power for the mobile devices that keep them organized and connected while away from the grid. After evaluating Microsoft’s InstaLoad technology, Duracell is excited about the possibilities of incorporating this simplified battery installation technology into future Duracell products, delivering a better experience for our consumers” said Dan McCarthy - Director, Global Marketing, Duracell. A royalty-free license program for accessibility products is also available to provide an additional usability benefit for battery-operated accessibility devices that are designed for people with hearing, vision or learning disabilities. “Microsoft is pleased to offer a royalty-free license program to suppliers and manufacturers for this class of accessibility devices,” said Rusty Jeffress, corporate vice president, Specialized Devices & Applications, Microsoft. “We believe the InstaLoad feature can make a difference in the lives of those people who need and use these products on a daily basis.” More information about the Microsoft InstaLoad technology and Hardware IP Licensing program is available here.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski this week announced Douglas C. Sicker as Chief Technologist of the Commission. Dr. Sicker will reside in the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis and will advise the agency on technological issues. “I am delighted that Dr. Sicker is returning to provide the FCC with his broad and deep knowledge about the communications networks and technologies of today and tomorrow,” said Chairman Genachowski. “His technical expertise will help the FCC pursue policies that spur investment, create jobs, promote innovation, and advance our nation’s global technology leadership.” Currently Dr. Sicker is Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a joint appointment in the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program. He recently served on the Omnibus Broadband Initiative working on matters related to research and development. Prior to this he was Director of Global Architecture at Level 3 Communications, Inc. Before that, Dr. Sicker was Chief of the Network Technology Division at the Federal Communications Commission. He is a senior member of the IEEE, as well as a member of the ACM and the Internet Society. He has chaired and served on the program committees of numerous technical conferences including IEEE, DySPAN, ISART and TPRC. After leaving the FCC, he was the Chair of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council steering committee, an FCC federal advisory committee that focuses on network reliability, wireline spectral integrity and Internet peering and interconnection. Dr. Sicker also served on the Technical Advisory Council of the FCC. His research interests include network and wireless systems, network security, and telecommunications policy. Dr. Sicker has research funded through the NSF, DARPA, the Internet Society and the Federal Aviation Administration. Dr. Sicker holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

The SD Association has announced two new high-speed performance symbols for the fastest SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. The first symbol identifies products with bus- interface speeds up to 104 Megabytes per second for greater device performance. The second symbol identifies SD memory cards and products with a performance option allowing real-time video recording. According to the Association, with more than 2.5 billion SD memory cards in the market today, the new high-speed performance capabilities will co-exist with earlier SD memory cards still used by consumers, as those cards are still interoperable with the newest host devices. New SD memory cards and devices bearing the following new performance symbols may now begin entering the marketplace:

The new Ultra High Speed (UHS) symbol can be found exclusively on SDXC and SDHC products. SDXC or SDHC products with the UHS-I symbol offer the fastest bus-interface speeds available today, capable of supporting data transfer speeds up to 104 Megabytes per second. UHS-I quadruples the existing maximum possible speed of 25 Megabytes per second. UHS bus interfaces are backwards compatible. SDXC UHS-I and SDHC UHS-I memory cards achieve greatest performance when paired with a UHS-I device and allow consumers to record HD resolution videos, plus perform other simultaneous recording functions.

The new UHS Speed Class symbol can be found exclusively on SDXC UHS-I and SDHC UHS-I products. UHS Speed Class 1 designates SD memory cards and products with a performance option designed to support real-time video recording. This symbol will be found on SDXC UHS-I or SDHC UHS-I memory cards. Consumers can realize the full potential of recording real-time broadcasts and capturing videos using a digital video camera by pairing their devices with UHS Speed Class 1 memory cards.

The existing Speed Class symbols for non-UHS SD, SDHC and SDXC products are Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10. They refer to the minimum write speed performance of the memory card. The symbols may be found on memory cards and devices, including video and digital cameras.

Millions of Chinese language users will soon be able to access the Internet using Chinese script following a decision today by ICANN’s Board of Directors to approve a set of Chinese language internationalized domain names. “This approval is a significant change for Chinese language users worldwide,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN. “One fifth of the world speaks Chinese and that means we just increased the potential online accessibility for roughly a billion people.” The new IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and the associated organizations approved by the Board are:

- CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center)
- HKIRC (Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited)
- TWNIC (Taiwan Network Information Center).

The Federal Communications Commission for the first time has released comprehensive information about subscribership to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. Interconnected VoIP service represents an important and rapidly growing part of the U.S. voice service market and the new data will provide the Commission with a comprehensive picture of that market going forward. Interconnected VoIP service enables voice communications over a broadband connection and allows users both to receive calls from, and place calls to, the public switched telephone network, like traditional phone service. Providers of the service include companies like Vonage as well as cable and telephone companies that own their own networks. The new information released today is included in the FCC’s Local Telephone Competition report, which also includes information about more traditional telephone lines provided in previous reports. Because interconnected VoIP subscribers were not comprehensively included in earlier data collections, certain of the report’s summary statistics are not directly comparable to the statistics for earlier dates.

Report highlights include:

- At year-end 2008, there were 141 million traditional switched access lines in service and 21 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions in the United States, or about 162 million wireline retail local telephone service connections in total. Of these, 97 million were residential connections and 65 million were business connections.
- Of the 162 million total connections, 48% were residential switched access lines, 39% were business switched access lines, 12% were residential VoIP subscriptions, and 1% were business VoIP subscriptions.
- Of the 162 million total connections, 45% were residential lines and 28% were business lines owned by incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), while 15% provided non-ILEC residential service, and 12% provided non-ILEC business service.
- Of the 97 million wireline residential connections, 74.5% were ILEC switched access lines, 19.5% were non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 5.8% were non-ILEC switched access lines, and 0.3% were ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions.
- Of the 65 million wireline business connections, 70.1% were ILEC switched access lines, 26.8% were non-ILEC switched access lines, 2.7% were non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 0.4% were ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions.

3D TV and 3D Blu-ray standalone player revenue in the U.S. has exceeded $55 million in the first three months since the launch of these products in February, according to market research company The NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service. “3D TV and Blu-ray players are seeing steady growth even as major product line launches are slated for the coming months,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. As more consumers adopt 3D, the industry can help foster a 3D ecosystem similar to that of HD.” One inhibitor to adoption of 3D TV at home is the need to wear special glasses when watching 3D TV. These glasses can add significant cost and work only with their brand of television. Only 10 percent of consumers surveyed in The NPD Group’s Analyst Poll of NPD Panelists cited “looking silly” as a main concern of the glasses, whereas 41 percent cited not having enough glasses on hand for everyone watching the set. “3D TV will be a premium home entertainment experience in 2010,” said Rubin. “Many consumers have already shown that they are willing to use special glasses to obtain the effects, but want to preserve the social aspect of the group television viewing.”

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the ratification of IEEE 802.3ba 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s Ethernet, a new standard governing 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Ethernet operations. An amendment to the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, IEEE 802.3ba, the first standard ever to simultaneously specify two new Ethernet speeds, paves the way for the next generation of high-rate server connectivity and core switching. The IEEE 802.3ba standard, ratified June 17, addresses challenges such as the growing number of applications with demonstrated bandwidth needs far exceeding existing Ethernet capabilities by providing a larger, more durable bandwidth pipeline, according to IEEE. Collaboration between the IEEE P802.3ba 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s Ethernet Task Force and the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector Study Group 15 is intended to ensure that these new Ethernet rates are transportable over optical transport networks, the organization said. John D’Ambrosia, chair of the IEEE P802.3ba Task Force and director of Ethernet-based standards at Force10 Networks, said through a statement that IEEE 802.3ba would eliminate bottlenecks caused by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications more powerful server architectures by providing a scalable architecture for meeting current bandwidth requirements and laying a solid foundation for future Ethernet speed increases. "This is truly a forward-looking standard that will spur innovation at every point along the Ethernet value chain, as well as providing the essential architecture needed to facilitate greater broadband connectivity on a global scale,"said David Law, chair of the IEEE 802.3 Working Group. "IEEE 802.3ba ensures that we can meet today’s needs while preparing for the next generation of emerging technology developments." IEEE 802.3ba remains compatible with existing IEEE 802.3 installations, IEEE said. The new standard is also expected to generate concrete benefits, such as lowered operating expense costs and improved energy efficiencies, by simplifying complex link aggregation schema commonly used in today’s network architectures, according to IEEE.

Flash memory card maker SanDisk today announced that it is shipping in volume its 1GB “write once read many” (WORM) cards to Japan’s police force. Using the SanDisk SD WORM card, law enforcement officers can create unalterable, permanent photographic records that serve as resources during investigations or as potential evidence during trials. In Japan, where there is no statute of limitations for certain serious crimes, the ability to retain evidence for many decades is a must. Traditionally, forensic images have been stored on 35mm film, which degrades over time, is slow, inconvenient and increasingly difficult to procure. In comparison, digital storage on the SanDisk SD WORM card offers a fast, convenient and readily available alternative. According to SanDisk, the SD WORM card meets the new archival demands for mobility, long-term preservation, data integrity and ease of use. SanDisk's proprietary SD WORM controller technology instantly protects any files written to the device, preventing the alteration or deletion of stored data. The card stores files safely for up to 100 years, as shown by accelerated data retention internal testing, and delivers a lower total cost of ownership compared to other archival media. The company said Japan's police force is one of the first major agencies to adopt this solution, and other law enforcement organizations around the world are qualifying the product as its features are universally valued for securing digital evidence. "Tamper-proof storage protects law enforcement officers by guaranteeing the legitimacy of evidence that we collect and deliver to the district attorney," said Jim Shirk, Captain, Twin Cities Police Authority, Larkspur, California. "An unalterable and highly reliable archive eliminates the chance of accidentally deleting a crucial file, and ensures that evidence is accessible over a long period of time. Adopting this type of storage as our standard archiving media is a necessary step in maintaining a modern and effective police force." Any SD-compatible device can read SD WORM cards, but only hosts with SD WORM-compatible interfaces can write to the card. SanDisk is currently working with leading makers of imaging, audio and video recording devices to implement SD WORM compatibility. Beyond forensic image archiving, SanDisk expects its SD WORM technology to be widely adopted in crucial applications such as audio recording and long-term retention of legal documents and medical files.

Toshiba today announced the launch of an industry forum to promote a new SD card that integrates Wi-Fi wireless communication with data storage capabilities. The "Standard Promotion Forum for Memory Cards Embedding Wireless LAN" (provisional name) has been founded by Toshiba and Singapore-based Trek 2000 International Ltd.. According to Toshiba, as digital cameras achieve huge rates of market penetration, the need for quick and easy way to share photographs has grown. The new card offers an solution that brings new capabilities to the already very popular SDHC format. The card is designed to bring Wi-Fi functionality to digital still cameras that have an SDHC slot. Once in a camera, a card can recognize and communicate with the same type of card in another camera (on a one-to-one basis), and users can exchange photographs quickly and easily. It also allows users to upload and download photographs to and from a server without any need for a cable connection or transfers of the memory card. The new card is compliant with the SD memory card standard, supports IEEE 802.11b/g and has an 8-gigabyte capacity. It can transfer both JPEG and RAW images, the two most widely used digital formats. Toshiba said the company seeks to enhance and expand its memory business by proposing new applications for NAND flash memories. Toshiba and Trek invite digital camera manufacturers and other interested parties in promoting the card and exchanges of technical information toward establishing standard specifications.

Batteries might gain a boost in power capacity as a result of a new finding from researchers at MIT. They found that using carbon nanotubes for one of the battery’s electrodes produced a significant increase - up to tenfold - in the amount of power it could deliver from a given weight of material, compared to a conventional lithium-ion battery. Batteries, such as the lithium-ion batteries widely used in portable electronics, are made up of three basic components: two electrodes (called the anode, or negative electrode, and the cathode, or positive electrode) separated by an electrolyte, an electrically conductive material through which charged particles, or ions, can move easily. When these batteries are in use, positively charged lithium ions travel across the electrolyte to the cathode, producing an electric current; when they are recharged, an external current causes these ions to move the opposite way, so they become embedded in the spaces in the porous material of the anode. In the new battery electrode, carbon nanotubes - a form of pure carbon in which sheets of carbon atoms are rolled up into tiny tubes - "self-assemble" into a tightly bound structure that is porous at the nanometer scale (billionths of a meter). In addition, the carbon nanotubes have many oxygen groups on their surfaces, which can store a large number of lithium ions; this enables carbon nanotubes for the first time to serve as the positive electrode in lithium batteries, instead of just the negative electrode. To produce the powerful new electrode material, the team used a layer-by-layer fabrication method, in which a base material is alternately dipped in solutions containing carbon nanotubes that have been treated with simple organic compounds that give them either a positive or negative net charge. When these layers are alternated on a surface, they bond tightly together because of the complementary charges, making a stable and durable film. Lithium batteries with the new material demonstrate some of the advantages of both capacitors, which can produce very high power outputs in short bursts, and lithium batteries, which can provide lower power steadily for long periods, chemical engineering student and team researcher Seung Woo Lee says. The energy output for a given weight of this new electrode material was shown to be five times greater than for conventional capacitors, and the total power delivery rate was 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries, the team says. This performance can be attributed to good conduction of ions and electrons in the electrode, and efficient lithium storage on the surface of the nanotubes. In addition to their high power output, the carbon-nanotube electrodes showed very good stability over time. After 1,000 cycles of charging and discharging a test battery, there was no detectable change in the material’s performance. The findings, by a team led by Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Yang Shao-Horn, in collaboration with Bayer Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering Paula Hammond, are reported in a paper published June 20 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The lead authors are chemical engineering student Seung Woo Lee PhD ’10 and postdoctoral researcher Naoaki Yabuuchi. Lee says that while carbon nanotubes have been produced in limited quantities so far, a number of companies are currently gearing up for mass production of the material, which could help to make it viable for large-scale battery manufacturing.

AV industry mounting solutions maker Chief, has announced a partnership with SurgeX, the leading supplier of professional AC power conditioning and surge elimination products for the professional audio, video, broadcast and multimedia marketplace. “We are excited to have SurgeX as our new partner,” said Steve Durkee, Vice President, Chief Commercial Products. “SurgeX has a great track record of providing unmatched protection technology and will enable us to help our customers protect and control power anomalies that can adversely affect equipment and system performance in any installation. Bundling SurgeX’s surge elimination products with our Raxxess Series Racks is an excellent way to add value for our customers, ” added Durkee. SurgeX is the leading manufacturer of AC power conditioning and surge elimination products, offering a complete line of AC power solutions for protection, power conditioning, and control of sensitive electrical and electronic equipment. The company’s patented Advanced Series Mode® protection technology is the only product line in the market that absorbs and eliminates surges, rather than using shunt mode surge suppression. SurgeX technology is A-1-1 Certified, is completely non-sacrificial, eliminates surge energy without producing harmful side effects such as ground contamination or common-mode disturbances, and protects AV equipment from AC surges and electrical transients that can disrupt sound quality and digital performance. “The SurgeX products will be a great addition to Chief’s new line of Racks, said Shannon Townley, SurgeX’s Senior Vice President of Sales. “By offering a fully integrated solution to the marketplace we expect customers to save valuable installation time, and enjoy the benefits of the best-bundled power and surge elimination rack solution that’s available today, ” added Townley.

The Federal Communications Commission this week released a comprehensive white paper which provides the capacity analysis behind the National Broadband Plan recommendations for the deployment and operation of a nationwide 4G wireless public safety network that allows first responders to seamlessly communicate across geographies and agencies, regardless of devices. The white paper, titled: “The Public Safety Nationwide Interoperable Broadband Network, A New Model For Capacity, Performance and Cost”, shows that the 10 MHz of dedicated spectrum currently allocated to public safety will provide the capacity and performance necessary for day-to-day communications and serious emergency situations. One study cited in the white paper shows that 10 MHz of spectrum can yield the same capacity as over 160 MHz if the correct technology, architecture, and devices are used. “Our goal is to bring true interoperable mobile broadband communications to America’s first responders,” said Jamie Barnett, Chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB). “The FCC study shows how we can maximize capacity, performance, reliability and resiliency of public safety broadband communications even in the most extraordinary emergencies when life-saving response efforts are underway and communications demands are at their peak.” For the worst emergencies, the FCC has devised an innovative concept of priority access and roaming across the commercial broadband wireless spectrum that will make at least 50 or 60 MHz of additional spectrum immediately available to public safety. The white paper describes how 10, 20 or even 30 MHz of additional dedicated spectrum may not be sufficient to support public safety broadband communications in a major emergency, and how the priority access and roaming exceeds the public safety spectrum that would otherwise be available. Moreover, it provides public safety with dependability and back up support, which does not exist with a purely dedicated network. Barnett noted, “The key is capacity. Spectrum is only one factor. This plan provides extraordinary capacity to public safety, first with a dedicated network, backed with first-in-line privileges for public safety. This plan is like providing public safety with its own expandable, high speed lane, and it is a cost- effective investment in a national asset. Merely allocating an additional 10 MHz to public safety would be like building a separate, stand-alone highway system, and one so expensive that it would not even reach every community in America for years.”

Leaders from the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) and HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology, have agreed to work together to clarify and simplify HDMI integration through a series of educational training seminars aimed at increasing CEDIA members’ knowledge of HDMI technology, its capabilities, and applications. CEDIA recently surveyed its membership to get a better perspective on the issues and concerns members have relating to HDMI implementation and how it affects their business. According to the survey, 66 percent of participants stated that 90 to 100 percent of their installations include HDMI technology. However, many respondents also reported issues. Through this new relationship, CEDIA and HDMI, LLC will work together to provide educational opportunities for CEDIA members on the best practices of HDMI system design and implementation. “The results of this survey point to the reason why CEDIA leadership is committed to working with HDMI Licensing and CEDIA members to improve these issues,” said Utz Baldwin, CEDIA CEO. Developing a training program and delivering solutions that address interoperability issues are two main priorities of the relationship. CEDIA and HDMI, LLC are planning to deliver joint training seminars in major U.S. markets including Los Angeles, CA; Sunnyvale, CA; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; Houston/Dallas, TX; and New York, NY. At the Sunnyvale and New York locations the technician training seminars will be held in conjunction with the adopter and developer focused HDMI Technology Seminars, allowing the program to bridge the gap between product design and the implementation in the home. The dates for all locations are still pending. “Both organizations see the value of building reciprocal training programs and technical references to help CEDIA members succeed in their HDMI installations. We are eager to work with the HDMI organization and provide CEDIA members with a viable solution to help their businesses.”

Color management, measurement and communication technologies company X-Rite has announced that it has been chosen by SkillsUSA Competition to help introduce new color management and measurement skills to the Graphic Communications Competition on both regional and national levels. The Graphic Communications Competition will be one of 96 hands-on skill and leadership competitions, and will include an end-to end real-life production contest during which students will be asked to preflight a job and create production-ready files that match a provided sample. They will then have to demonstrate their pressroom operation skills including offset lithographic press preparation, plate installation and make-ready. Ultimately they will have to produce a four-color job on a two-color press. Other elements of the Graphic Communications Competition include production planning, finishing, an oral professional assessment and a technical knowledge test. Patrick Klarecki, Interim Director at the School of Design and Manufacturing Professor of Printing Management at Ferris State University explains: “This year, we are placing a whole new emphasis on color management. Historically, students had to prepare a 4-color job to be printed on a 2-color press, and that was it. When I came back from the international competition last year, there was a great deal of emphasis being placed on color management and color measurement during prepress and make-ready. It quickly became obvious that the European and the Asian education systems were somewhat further along in the teaching of color measurement by the numbers, even at the high school level. With X-Rite’s assistance, we are now able to introduce these concepts into the offset press operation for the first time here in the national American competition. Now, not only will the student have to run a press, but we are going to ask them to take density readings, L*a*b* color space readings and plot variances every 100 sheets, while the press is running.” As a major sponsor of Graphic Communications Competition, X-Rite has donated seven 528 spectrodensitometers for use during the competition. In addition, X-Rite will present a seminar for the educators to help them develop curricula featuring fundamentals of color management and the use of color measurement tools. X-Rite will also award prizes to secondary and post secondary medal winners including: an i1XTreme package for gold medal winners, ColorMunki Design packages for silver medalists and ColorMunki Create packages for bronze medalists. All participants will also receive X-Rite ColorChecker Passports to help them continue to hone their color measurement skills long after the competition is over. This year’s national SkillsUSA Competition will return to Kansas City June 21-25, 2010 for its 46th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference, a showcase for technical education students from across the United States. More than 14,000 students, teachers, educational leaders, and representatives from more than 1,100 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions will attend the event.

Cablevision Systems Corporation and Bresnan Communications, which is majority owned by Providence Equity Partners, today announced a definitive agreement under which a newly-formed subsidiary of Cablevision will acquire Bresnan in a transaction valued at $1.365 billion. Bresnan is the nation's thirteenth largest MSO with cable operating systems in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah that pass more than 630,000 homes and serve more than 300,000 basic subscribers. Cablevision President and CEO James L. Dolan said: "We believe the acquisition of Bresnan is an excellent opportunity to leverage Cablevision's strong management team and build shareholder value. Bill Bresnan was a cable legend and was close to so many in the industry, including the Dolan family. The Bresnan team has built an impressive cable business that performs well financially, and we look forward to working to enhance those systems further." Upon completion of the Bresnan transaction, Cablevision will gain advanced cable systems serving more than 300,000 basic subscribers through the delivery of high-quality services, including digital television, high-speed Internet and voice, across an upgraded fiber-optic coaxial network. For Bresnan, the transaction highlights its success in developing this market-leading telecommunications company. Financially, Cablevision expects that Bresnan will be acquired by a newly-formed, unrestricted subsidiary of Cablevision with standalone financing. The subsidiary is expected to be financed using non-recourse debt of approximately $1 billion and an equity investment by Cablevision of less than $400 million. "Since the early days of our industry, the Bresnan name has stood for exceptional performance and an unflinching commitment to customers, colleagues and community," said Jeffrey S. DeMond, Bresnan's President and CEO. "I could not be more proud of our team's accomplishments, nor more appreciative of the support of our great partners. Bill Bresnan would have agreed, and I speak for the entire family of Bresnan employees in expressing our confidence that Bresnan will enjoy continued success as part of the Cablevision family of companies." The completion of this transaction, which the company expects to happen in late 2010 or early 2011, is subject to certain customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned a superseding indictment against the largest Taiwanese thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD) producer and seller, its Houston-based American subsidiary, and six of its executives for participating in a conspiracy to fix prices of TFT-LCD panels, the Department of Justice announced today. The indictment, returned last night and filed today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, charges that AU Optronics Corporation participated in a conspiracy to fix the prices of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide from Sept. 14, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2006. AU Optronics Corporation, its American subsidiary, AU Optronics Corporation America, and six AU Optronics’ executives, each a resident of Taiwan, participated in the conspiracy at various times during the alleged conspiracy time period. TFT-LCD panels are used in computer monitors and notebooks, televisions, mobile phones and other electronic devices. By the end of the conspiracy period, the worldwide market for TFT-LCD panels was valued at $70 billion. Companies directly affected by the LCD price-fixing conspiracy include some of the largest computer and television manufacturers in the world, including Apple, Dell and Hewlett Packard. Charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act, the maximum penalty for the conviction of a Sherman Act violation is 10 years in prison, a $1 million fine for individuals and a $100 million fine for corporations. The maximum fines may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. As a result of this ongoing investigation, six companies have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to pay criminal fines totaling more than $860 million. Additionally, including today’s indictment, 17 executives have been charged to date in the department’s ongoing investigation. Charges are the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Field Office and the FBI in San Francisco.

The Panasonic Corporation announced today it will start taking orders for its professional-use ultra-large Full HD 3D plasma display panels (PDPs) on July 1, 2010. The displays include the world's largest 3D plasma display - a 152-inch model, as well as 103-inch and 85-inch models. According to Panasonic, to develop the new professional models, the company has advanced its unique technologies employed in its VIERA Full HD 3D plasma televisions that were launched in the consumer market this year. The technologies include an industry-highest native contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 for excellent black reproduction; a high speed driving technology to achieve the PDP's full moving picture resolution and a crosstalk reduction technology; a crucial requirement for producing clear and crisp 3D images. Panasonic said the newly-developed ultra high-speed drive technology achieves clear and highly detailed 3D video even on the ultra-large panels, while also, the newly developed built-in "professional quality engine" has doubled the color reproducibility with 30-bit processing in comparison to conventional models. Offering a variety of 3D system solutions that will lead to the creation of new businesses, Panasonic continues to fulfill the needs of professional users such as corporations, stores, amusement facilities, educational institutions, art galleries and museums. Panasonic aims to accelerate 3D-based innovation within the global professional markets, in order to lead a 3D industry revolution by creating a new home viewing environment and a new video industry based on its 3D technologies. Shipments of the new displays will start first in the Japanese and American markets in autumn this year followed by other countries soon thereafter. The company will also put these new models on display at InfoComm 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, from June 9-11.

Connectivity solutions provider Gefen this week announced that all its HDMI v1.3 products are now capable of using new Fast Switching Technology (FST). According to Gefen, this proprietary new technology emerged to better handle HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection) handshaking, which in the past could take up to ten seconds in transition when switching between sources. With FST enabled, those ten seconds have been reduced to nearly no delay when switching sources, with high definition video appearing on the screen or display immediately with no latency. “This new FST was initiated based on our customers’ feedback to speed the switching time between HDMI input sources, and make the overall system more user friendly,” explained Hagai Gefen, president and CEO, Gefen. “Though cutting down ten seconds may not seem like a long time, it was presenting challenges to installers when switching from component-based connections to HDMI, and now we have the perfect solution.” FST is currently being implemented on all current and newly developed Gefen products using HDMI specifications.

WHDI LLC, the organization responsible for managing and licensing the WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) standard today announced the technical features that will be included in upcoming versions of the WHDI specification. Significantly, WHDI LLC will release a WHDI 3D specification update that will document WHDI support for all 3D formats required by the HDMI 1.4a specification. This release is targeted for Q4 2010. Currently, WHDI is the leading global standard for the wireless distribution of HD (full 1080p/60Hz) video, enabling the ability to connect HD sources (STBs, Blu-ray players, PCs, mobile devices, game players, etc.) to TVs throughout and across the home. A recent industry report from West Technology Research Solutions (WTRS), a leading wireless industry analyst, stated that WHDI technology will grow from nearly 70% of the 2010 market share for wireless video products to over 75% of the 2015 market. This contrasts sharply with other technologies that could be used for wireless video such as WiDi, WirelessHD and WiGig, where WTRS projects marginal uptake in the wireless video market. The WHDI specification currently supports a high-quality, wireless link which can deliver uncompressed 1080p/60Hz in a 40MHz channel in the 5GHz unlicensed band, conforming to worldwide 5GHz spectrum regulations. Range is beyond 100 feet, through walls, and latency is less than one millisecond. WHDI supports HDCP revision 2.0, providing superior security and digital content protection. Following the 3D update, the next version of the WHDI standard, “WHDI 2.0,” will include the following:

- Full 3D support (in addition to all HDMI 1.4a required 3D modes, WHDI will support the next generation 1080p 60Hzx2 3D format)
- Support for the next generation 2Kx4K HD format with four times the resolution of 1080p (4,096 x 2,160 pixels)
- WHDI-Wi-Fi integration and same channel co-existence
- Mobile device integration through reduced power consumption and footprint

MultiTouch, Ltd., developer of the world’s first modular multi-touch LCD screen for large-scale displays, and Riolab, a leading interactive display production firm, have collaborated on the largest multitouch display ever produced for a World’s Fair. The Wall of Chile (Muro de Chile) for the Chilean Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China features a 4-meter-long (13’) and 1.2-meter-high (4’) display wall that enables visitors to access more than six hours of high-definition video and thousands of photographs from historical archives, including satellite, natural, and terrestrial images that detail Chile’s culture and character. More than 400 authors and hundreds of public and private institutions directly contributed to the wall, which features a large map of Chile as the 16.5 Megapixel main interface, and then offers headshots of 36 people for access to further information. Images and text are uploaded to the Wall of Chile web site, and appear in a grid at the bottom of the screen and are automatically updated every 24 hours. Designed by Francisco Arevalo and his team in Santiago, Chile, with technical integration led by MultiTouch CTO Tommi Ilmonen, the Wall of Chile was developed over a four-month period. The MultiTouch Cell product, a 46-inch stackable LCD display, was programmed using the MultiTouch Cornerstone software, which enables dynamic integration of applications. “The vision of a global interactive experience shared by thousands of people, with information dynamically updated, is what the MultiTouch system was developed to nurture,” said Petri Martikainen, CEO of MultiTouch Ltd. “Working with Riolab, we have implemented a global collaborative display that is the first true massive real-time multitouch installation of its kind for the Wall of Chile presentation.” MultiTouch will demonstrate its MultiTouch Cell product at the Infocomm 2010 convention in Las Vegas, from Wednesday, June 9 through June 11 in Booth #N402 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The wall will appear at the Chilean Pavilion through October 31, 2010. See the Wall of Chile video.

According to a recent report from market research firm Research and Markets, the global consumer electronics industry is set to witness phenomenal growth in the near future after the moderation of tough economic conditions. The prospective growth in the consumer electronics industry could be attributed to revolutionary technological developments. The digital technology revolution has enabled the industry to make profit from the growing interaction of digital applications, such as camcorders, DVD player/recorder, digital camera, etc. With these technological advancement, the global consumer electronics industry generated revenue of around US$ 694 Billion in 2008. The report, “Global Consumer Electronics Market Forecast to 2013” has predicted that the global consumer electronics industry will grow at a CAGR of around 5% during 2010–2013. During this time period, we expect that 3D TV will experience the highest CAGR of around 118% because manufacturers begin to implement 3D as a standard feature in their HD flat-panel product lines. The report also found that the American region (mainly the US) is driving the global consumer electronics industry, closely followed by the EU. However, the growth pattern will change in future, with the emergence of Asia Pacific as the major contributor for the industry due to increase in demand from the developed countries. For instance - India is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 19% during 2010-2013. The firm also expects that the continuous development of digital technologies will add new features and improve quality of electronic devices. Moreover, the connectivity and mobility also play a vital role in accelerating the industry growth rate as younger generation is fascinated by such features. These factors indicate that the consumer electronics industry has bright future ahead, particularly in countries like China and India where the economy is moving at a fast pace.

Panasonic Corporation announced it establishes a Panasonic 3D Innovation Center in Japan today to accelerate the development of its 3D business, a technology that is expected to create a whole new video culture and industry. This center will serve as a contact point for customers related to the 3D business by coordinating the various departments within the Panasonic Group, in order to provide said customers with optimum solutions in this business. Through this initiative, Panasonic aims to achieve growth in its network AV business, one of the company's key business fields, and contribute to the expansion of the 3D industry as a whole. In this year said to be the "First Year for 3D" and with the commercialization of a series of 3D products for consumer use, Panasonic foresees the expansion of 3D technology not only within the audiovisual field, but also into a diverse range of industries that will include healthcare, education, and arts. Panasonic expects 3D technology will, like IT technology, serve as a key structural element expanding within a wide range of social infrastructure. With such a trend, the industry will require a wide range of End-to-End technology solutions ranging from 3D contents to device solutions. To acknowledge the movement, Panasonic's 3D Innovation Center will make use of the technologies and know-how cultivated up to now for a swift and targeted contribution. This center will exercise the comprehensive strengths of the Panasonic Group to the greatest, properly applying corporate resources and building an organizational structure in aims to supply total solutions to its 3D customers including corporations, other organizations, and specialists. It is scheduled to become fully operational on July 12th of this year, focusing its current activities within Japan.

Specifically, the center will focus on the following three key areas:

1. Total coordination of the 3D business, from contents production to device solutions, to help customers create and maximize their business opportunities

2. Supply a production/communication/viewing workflow for 3D contents to realize a high-quality, comfortable viewing environment

3. Innovation in both software/hardware and systems through above activities, and also targeted marketing innovation for the benefit of the customer

Kodak announced today the addition of two new films to its VISION3 family of motion picture products, reaffirming the company's commitment to film. The stock additions include a medium-speed, tungsten-balanced color negative camera film, and a color intermediate film optimized to work with digital post production technologies. KODAK VISION3 5213/7213 is a 200-speed, tungsten balanced film. According to Kodak, it features extended latitude, enabling cinematographers to record more details in highlights, and delivers finer grain for natural-looking images in the darkest areas. The emulsion is optimally designed for both controlled interiors and challenging high-contrast exteriors, and is available in all formats (65 mm, 35 mm, Super 16 and Super 8). Cinematographers who have tested the film report that it records cleaner whites and deeper black tones, offers enhanced latitude, and provides richer color saturation and natural skin tones. The new 5213/7213 stock joins the KODAK VISION3 500T 5219/7219 and 250D 5207/7207 camera negative films. The new intermediate film provides an improved bridge between KODAK negative films and KODAK print films. KODAK VISION3 Color Digital Intermediate Film 5254/2254 is designed for use with contemporary film recorders – both laser recorders and numerous CRT recorders that are still widely used in the marketplace. The imaging characteristics of this new intermediate film enhance the speed and efficiency of DI post production while rendering noticeably sharper images that more faithfully represent the intentions of filmmakers. KODAK VISION3 technology, introduced in November 2007, offers increased exposure latitude and color detail with noticeably reduced grain, especially in the brightest highlights and darkest shadows. The product line also produces cleaner film-to-digital transfers for post production. “Our customers demand the very highest image quality, and these new Kodak films help them achieve their creative visions better than any other image capture medium today,” says Kim Snyder, president of the Entertainment Imaging Division, and vice president of Eastman Kodak Company. “Our actions continue to demonstrate that Kodak remains committed to motion picture film, with more advances on the way.”

Today the Federal Communications Commission released the results of a survey on the consumer broadband experience. The survey found that 80 percent of broadband users in the United States do not know the speed of their broadband connection. The survey is part of the agency’s overall broadband speed initiative, which involves several bureaus and offices and is being coordinated by the Commission’s Consumer Task Force. Through the initiative, the agency will also measure the actual speeds that consumers receive and compare them to the speeds that broadband providers advertise. The survey found that no demographic group had good awareness of their home broadband speed (the survey asked specifically about download speed). But there were some demographic differences. For example, 71 percent of men do not know what speed they’re getting, while the figure is 90 percent for women. With respect to age, 73 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 do not know their home broadband speed, while the number goes up to 88 percent of people age 65 and over. Most Americans are satisfied with the broadband speed they are getting. Fully 91 percent of broadband users say they are “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the speed they get at home. The comparable number for mobile broadband, which is not yet technologically capable of thesame speeds as home broadband, is 71 percent satisfaction. As a point of comparison, 92 percent of cell phone users are very or somewhat satisfied with their cell phone service overall. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Speed matters. The more broadband subscribers know about what speeds they need and what speeds they get, the more they can make the market work and push faster speeds over broadband networks.” Today, the Consumer Task Force announced a new initiative that will help the FCC determine the broadband speeds consumers are getting in their homes, a key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan. the FCC is asking today for 10,000 volunteers to participate in a scientific study to measure home broadband speed in the U.S. Specialized hardware will be installed in the homes of volunteers to measure the performance of all the country’s major Internet service providers across geographic regions and service tiers. Anyone can register as a volunteer for this national test at www.TestMyISP.com. Volunteers will be able to track the performance of their own broadband service, as well as providing valuable data for the FCC, Internet service providers, and the public at large.

Corning Incorporated this week introduced its new Corning G-2000 green laser at the Display Week 2010 conference. According to Corning, the G-2000 green laser demonstrates the industry’s highest commercially available performance in optical power, efficiency, and bandwidth. As a result, it is well suited to meet the demands of the growing market for portable microprojection devices. Advancing from the company's first commercially deployed synthetic green laser for microprojection - the G-1000 - the G-2000 green laser is 30% brighter, 60% more efficient, and offers 20% better bandwidth than its predecessor. As microprojection moves toward mass adoption in the consumer electronics industry, performance requirements are becoming increasingly demanding. Device makers want projectors with brightness of greater than 10 lumens, wide-video graphics array (WVGA) resolution or better, and at least two hours of battery life. Generating 80mW of optical power enabling up to twenty lumens projection the G-2000 green laser meets the demands of future devices. “The microprojection market presents a very large opportunity for our customers. That’s why the development of a winning light-source solution — one that is bright, small, and easy on a battery – is so important,” said Thomas Mills, general manager, Green Lasers, Corning New Business Development. “The G-2000 is brighter, faster, and more efficient than any other green laser commercially available today. With these benefits, it can provide our customers a much needed competitive edge over alternative solutions, like LED-based projectors.” The Corning G-2000 green laser is currently being sampled by customers. Commercial production is estimated to begin later in 2010.

Sony announced today that it developed a super-flexible 80 μm-thick 4.1-in 121 ppi OTFT-driven full color OLED display which can be wrapped around a thin cylinder such as a pencil. According to the company, to create the display, Sony developed OTFTs with an original organic semiconductor material (a PXX derivative) with eight times the current modulation of conventional OTFTs. This was achived due to the development of integration technologies of OTFTs and OLEDs on an ultra-thin 20 μm thick flexible substrate (a flexible on-panel gate-driver circuit with OTFTs which is able to get rid of convetinal rigid driver IC chips interfering roll-up of a display) and soft organic insulators for all the insulators in the integration cuircuit. By combining these technologies, Sony successfully demonstrated the world's first OLED panel which is capable of reproducing moving images while being repeatly rolled-up - around a cylinder with a radius of 4 mm - and stretched. Sony said it will proceed with the development of the solution / print based process which manufactures display devices from organic materials that are easily dissolved in common solvents. This process requires fewer steps, and consumes materials and energy more efficiently - thus has a smaller environmental footprint - compared to the conventional high temperature vacuum semiconductor process which use inorganic, silicon materials. Sony also said it will continue to improve the performance and reliability of its new flexible organic displays because the application of these developments are expected to yield thin, light-weight, durable and mobile devices with enhanced form-factor. Sony will unveil the results of this development on May 27 at "SID (Society for Information Display) 2010 International Symposium" in Seattle, WA (May 23-28).

In an effort to break the global dominence of Adobe System's Acrobat software, San Francisco based Nitro PDF Inc. this week announced the release of Nitro PDF Reader, a free PDF viewer that also offers free PDF creation. According to the company, users of Nitro PDF Reader can add comments, annotations and markups for digital collaboration, fill and save PDF forms, stamp signatures, extract text and images, and type text directly onto the PDF file. "Nitro PDF Reader aims to revolutionize the PDF reader category, second only to web browsers in world popularity, with class-leading functionality and a ground-breaking user experience," said Chris Dahl, Nitro's CTO. "This was the next logical step for Nitro as we continue to amass the largest user base of free PDF software outside of Adobe and the technology we've developed for our premium products. This is our vision to provide a no-strings-attached, truly free PDF reader that does everything we believe users want and nothing they don't." While Nitro is already selling professional PDF software that competes with Adobe, the reader released on Tuesday is the first free offering to let users do more than simply read and print such files. The Nitro Reader interface is instantly familiar for Microsoft Office users, with visual representations of tasks and tools. The product also offers users customizable security
controls, including the option to completely disable JavaScript and individually manage PDF files' interactivity with and access to the Internet. Features include:

- 100% compatibility with other leading PDF readers and editors, including the Adobe Acrobat family of products.
- Context-intelligent UI and tools to allow navigation panels to appear only when relevant to the PDF file opened,
and move/select tools know when user is selecting text or images.
- Fill-in and save forms to easily bypass the process of filling, printing and then scanning for electronic delivery or archival.
- PDF File Creation from any existing software, using customized and preset output controls from within Nitro PDF
Reader or instant, one-click drag-and-drop creation onto the desktop icon.
- Typing tool to easily type text directly on any page, anywhere in a PDF file.
- Premium collaboration tools for comment and review, using sticky notes and text markup capabilities such as highlight, cross out or underline, reply to individual annotations and comments and sort individual users' contributions.
- Sign PDF files inapplication
without the need to print and password-protect multiple users' signatures.
- PDF Preview for email clients that integrates a preview window in Microsoft Outlook (Vista and later) to instantly view the content of PDF attachments without saving and opening the file.
- Snapshot tool that copies a selected area on any page directly to clipboard to easily repurpose any PDF content
for only what is needed.
- Disable JavaScript functionality to prevent unauthorized access to your computer via malicious coding in PDF
files.
- Restrict web access capability that allows a list of specified web sites to interact with PDF files opened or
completely restrict internet activity from within all PDF files.

Broadcast Australia has become the first to broadcast three-dimensional television (3D TV) signals terrestrially over the air. The trial 3D TV service was switched-on in Sydney by Broadcast Australia and in Brisbane by TX Australia at 12am May 19. The landmark 3D broadcast service launches a two-month trial undertaken by Nine Network Australia and SBS Corporation. The service will be turned-on progressively in seven major Australian cities over the next few weeks. As transmission partners in these cities, Broadcast Australia and TX Australia will deliver to Australian fans up to 15 matches from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, plus three rugby league matches from the 2010 State of Origin Series between NSW and Queensland, live in 3D. In a fast-tracked engineering project, Broadcast Australia has modified several of its broadcast transmission systems to support the 3D TV signal, which is encoded using the latest MPEG-4 compression standard and utilises a side-by-side ‘frame compatible’ 3D transmission technique. These systems have been integrated into Broadcast Australia’s Network Operations Centre (NOC) in Sydney, for 24-hour monitoring and control of the 3D signal. The spectrum used for the trial is one of the ‘unassigned’ UHF channels in each city—in Sydney, it is the same channel vacated on 30 April 2010 by Broadcast Australia’s ‘niche TV’ trial service. “Broadcast Australia is thrilled to be involved in this trial and to broadcast the first-ever 3D TV content via terrestrial means,” said Broadcast Australia’s Managing Director Graeme Barclay. “We applaud the ACMA’s decision to grant the temporary license to Nine and SBS jointly, allowing Australia to help demonstrate the future possibilities for new broadcast technology platforms. It is this sort of innovation that highlights the need to reserve new broadcast spectrum for new broadcast services in the Government’s forthcoming spectrum plan.” The first live 3D free to air TV broadcast will take place on 26 May, when the first State of Origin match is scheduled to be played in Sydney. This will be followed by two more State of Origin matches and up to 15 World Cup soccer matches until the trial ends in mid July.

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted rules that will make available 25 megahertz of spectrum for mobile broadband service in much of the United States, while protecting adjacent satellite radio and aeronautical mobile telemetry operations. According to the FCC, mobile broadband promises to be a significant contributing factor for economic growth and job creation in the 21st century. To promote mobile innovation and investment, the National Broadband Plan recommends that the Commission make 500 megahertz of spectrum available for broadband use in the next 10 years, including 300 megahertz for broadband use in the next five years. The Report and Order adopted amends the Wireless Communications Service (WCS) rules to immediately make 25 megahertz of spectrum available for mobile broadband services. The existing WCS rules constrain operations to fixed services, but the Commission found today that those rules can be revised to allow mobile broadband services without risking harmful interference to neighboring operations. To provide certainty for licensees while maintaining high-quality satellite radio services to the American public, the Commission adopted rules permitting the use of terrestrial repeaters by Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) licensees at the same time. The Commission also adopted enhanced build-out requirements for WCS licensees, to ensure that the promise of mobile broadband is realized. These requirements are designed to spur investment that will promote the deployment of innovative mobile broadband services across the country.

Together, the Orders establish a regulatory framework for the co-existence of WCS and SDARS licensees in the 2.3 GHz frequency band in the following manner:

The Sony Corporation and Google Inc. have announced an alliance to provide a range of new entertainment experiences that combine Google’s open-source Android OS platform with Sony's line of consumer electronics for the home, mobile and personal product categories. As the first step in this collaboration, Sony will introduce “Sony Internet TV,” the world’s first TV to incorporate the "Google TV" platform. Through an easy-to-use interface, consumers will be able to search and access content from their TVs and across the Internet – a rich Internet experience on consumers’ TVs. According to Google, the two companies are also exploring extending the alliance in connection with Sony’s wide range of entertainment assets to establish new forms of cloud-based user experiences. “The combination of Sony’s industry-leading product design, engineering and development expertise with the flexibility and growth potential of Google’s innovative, open-source Android platform will provide consumers with a world of new and exciting Internet user experiences. Through this alliance, Sony will deliver new levels of connectivity and Internet integration across our range of assets and product categories,” said Howard Stringer, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation.“Sony Internet TV” is scheduled to first launch in the U.S. the Fall of 2010 with the lineup featuring both a standalone TV model and set top box-type unit incorporating a Blu-ray Disc drive.

Panasonic has achieved the cumulative sales quantity for its dual-wavelength high-power laser for DVD recorders to 300 million units in April, 2010. The production of dual-wavelength high-power laser started the first time in the industry in June 2006. Now, under the favorable demand of the personal computers, Panasonic said that it would increase monthly production to 25 million units (300 million annually) for the latter half of this fiscal year. According to Panasonic, the dual-wavelength high-power laser has been highly reputed for its quality and stable supply. The device offers several advantages in comparison to the use of single wavelength lasers as it combines two laser wavelengths, an infrared beam (with a wavelength of 780 nm, for CD use) and a red beam (with a wavelength of 650 nm, for DVD use), in a single chip. As result, light source point adjustment is unnecessary, the optical pickup system can be simplified, and the number of peripheral parts can be halved. These benefits helped dual-wavelength lasers capture a high share of the total market for DVD recorder pickups and achieve the sales of 300 million units in the four years since production started. In fiscal 2010, production will be doubled to 25 million units per month to meet the market demands supported by the robust business of personal computers in the BRICs markets. This volume represents more than 80% of the projected total market size for DVD recorder pickups. Panasonic said it hopes that this production plan will fulfill customers' demands and contribute to the steady growth of the laser disc market.

In an effort to bring together the elements needed – materials, technology and equipment – to mass produce OLED displays, delivering higher performance at a lower cost, DuPont and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd., have announced a strategic alliance to develop integrated manufacturing equipment for printed organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. OLEDs are displays in which pixels are created using thin films made of emissive organic materials. Compared with liquid crystal displays (LCDs), OLEDs can have much higher contrast ratios, lower power consumption (because pixels draw power only when they are in use), faster response time, and eliminate the need for the backlight and color filter. Small-size active matrix OLED displays have recently become available from several manufacturers, but the current high-cost of manufacturing limits market adoption, and constrains OLED manufacturing for large size displays. The companies are developing integrated coating and printing equipment for the fabrication of OLED displays from solution, an approach which is unique in the industry and can significantly reduce manufacturing costs for OLED displays. DuPont brings to the alliance its distinctive small molecule-based OLED solution materials and proprietary process technology from which excellent performance has been obtained in testing. Dainippon Screen has developed a unique printing technology, called nozzle printing, in which the OLED materials can be printed accurately at very high speed. The goal of the partnership is to develop integrated OLED printing and coating equipment that will significantly reduce the production costs of flat panel displays, with the aim of extending OLED technology to large size displays and making them cost-competitive with LCDs. The companies have been working together over the past three years to jointly develop nozzle printers as an efficient method for printing OLED displays from solution. The first production scale printer is currently being constructed. "The flat panel display market is about $100 billion annually and growing. DuPont is applying its science to make possible more vivid displays that are lower cost than current LCD displays,” said David B. Miller, group vice president, DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies. “We are excited to combine our strengths with Dainippon Screen’s unique printing technology to bring to market the core technology that will enable improved high definition televisions and other flat panel displays."

While dismissed by many as a technology on its last legs, Plasma TV Q1 2010 sales results once again proved the skeptics wrong. Quixel Research’s Q1 2010 USA Large Area Display Report revealed that unit sales of Plasma TVs grew 14% from Q1’09 to Q1’10 or a larger volume increase than the LCDTV 40”+ category for the same time period. “Plasma TV sales are still strong because they provide a great value, and when consumers do a little homework, they understand that Plasma TVs offer picture quality that is just as good and sometimes better than LCDTVs,” stated Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel Research’s principal. “It also helps that almost all the Plasma TVs available today are offered by top tier brands and for many consumers that seals the deal.” The overall Large Area Display category was up 7% in units year to year, with LCDTV 40”+ volumes increasing 6% for the same time period. Typical seasonal decline and a recessionary marketplace were the primary contributors to the 32% Q2Q unit shortfall for the Large Area Display category in Q1’10. From Q4’09 to Q1’10, LCDTV volumes were down 24%, Plasma TV volumes were down 46% and MicroDisplay Rear ProjectionTV volumes were down 21%. Revenues for the Large Area Display category were off 32% Q2Q but had a softer landing Y2Y with a 13% declined from Q1’09 to Q1’10. Increased sales of 55” and 60” models were the fuel for the LCDTV category and overall Large Area Display category in Q1’10. Sales of 55” LCDTVs were up close to 600% Y2Y and down only 7% Q2Q. Signaling a major shift, 55” LED models outsold 55” CCLF models for the first time during the quarter.

The WirelessHD Consortium has announced immediate availability of the WirelessHD 1.1 specification. First announced this January at the Consumer Electronics Show, this next generation WirelessHD specification enables HDTVs, Blu-ray disc players, PCs and portable devices to transmit, share and display content in billions of colors with 60 GHz wireless lossless A/V support as well as instantaneously transfer large multi-gigabyte media files among a variety of devices. According to the Consortium, this update ensures WirelessHD technology will continue to extend its utility and evolution ahead of future consumer demands. Supported by more than 45 global technology industry leader, products implementing WirelessHD 1.1 technology will be backward compatible to those products using WirelessHD 1.0 technology.

The WirelessHD 1.1 specification includes the following updates:

- Optimized architecture to handle multi-gigabit data rates for A/V streaming and file transfer
(Wireless Personal Area Networking or WPAN) at lowest link power.
- Highest data rates: The next generation specification increases the data rate to 10 – 28 Gbps, an unprecedented level of wireless bandwidth. This will support the demands of future high definition display devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates, as well as high speed data applications.
- 3D over WirelessHD: The new specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for WirelessHD-enabled devices.
- 4K resolution support enables devices to support HD resolution four times beyond that of 1080p. This feature allows the WirelessHD interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters.
- WPAN Data support: Connected devices that include this feature supports sync’n go file transfers for portable and fixed devices. This new specification also provides for IP connectivity for Internet access and networking of WirelessHD devices.
- Portable device support: The scalability of WirelessHD technology has been extended to support lossless video streaming in low-power portable devices such as portable media players, netbooks and smartphones.
- HDCP 2.0 content protection over WirelessHD: In addition to DTCP, both the current and future versions of WirelessHD will include support for HDCP 2.0 content protection. WirelessHD is the only standard to support both streaming and copying of multimedia content.

Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. and Tokyo Institute of Technology today jointly announced the collaboratively development of ultra high capacity tape media featuring a capacity of over 50 TB per standard tape cartridge. The joint team demonstrated a world-record areal density of 45.0 Gb/in2 in linear formatted perpendicular magnetic recording media. This technology enables a capacity of more than 50 TB per standard tape cartridge - 33 times larger than the capacity of the latest available LTO Ultrium 5 data cartridges. The coating type media, which is made by coating the magnetic powder on the base film, is commonly used for archive in public libraries, public records offices and the long-term storage. In order to increase the capacity of these type of media developers had to create an ultra-thin film with magnetic particles sized below 10nm. This was very difficult to achieve using coating methods. Hitachi's super-high density nanometer-sized magnetic film was developed by combining Maxell's tape medium design/evaluation technologies and a new thin-film formation method (Facing Targets Sputtering method), developed by associate professor Shigeki Nakagawa and team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The method allowed Hitachi to make a large-capacity magnetic tape with ultra-small magnetic particles (less than 10nm). As a result, the areal recording density of the new tape medium reached the 45.0 Gb/in2. Using this film in typical data tape cartridge media offers a capacity of 50TB per cartridge or even more. Hitachi confirmed a linear recording density of 531 kbpi and a track pitch of 300 nm without cross-track interference using a newly designed tester. Hitachi will present these developments at the 9th Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Conference (PMRC 2010; May 17 - 19, 2010, Sendai, Japan).

The Sharp Corporation has developed a 3D camera module for mobile devices capable of capturing high-definition (720p) 3D video images, what the company claims is an industry first. 3D images are composed of two views taken using two cameras that simultaneously capture separate images for the right and left eyes. Consequently, a 3D camera requires peripheral circuitry to apply image processing to the two images, for example, to adjust color or to correct positioning between the images from the two cameras. Manufacturers have thus been pursuing designs that reduce the size and weight of 3D cameras and seeking ways to shorten their development period. The current 3D camera module developed by Sharp incorporates functions to process the image data output by the left and right cameras, including Color Synchronizing Processing to adjust color and brightness, Timing Synchronizing Processing to synchronize the timing of the video signals, and Optical Axis Control Processing to correct positioning. In addition, Fast Readout Technology rapidly transfers video data from the image sensor, enabling 3D images to be captured in high-resolution HD mode. Further, in developing this camera module, Sharp applied high-density mounting technology nurtured over long years of experience in camera module development to achieve a compact form. Embedding this camera module in mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones will contribute to the development of a wide range of new, innovative communications tools. In the future, Sharp will be opening up new 3D markets based on 3D display technologies, including small/medium-size and large-size 3D LCDs, as well as on 3D input device technologies such as 3D camera modules. The company said it will start shipping samples of the new module in July. Mass production of these modules will begin within 2010.

CBS Corporation and FOX Broadcasting have rejoined the National Association of Broadcasters, the companies announced this week. The announcement also includes the return of CBS's 29 television stations and 130 radio stations into NAB membership, as well as the 27 owned-and-operated Fox Television Stations and the MyNetworkTV programming service. As the primary advocacy organization in Washington for over-the-air broadcasters, NAB represents the interests of thousands of local radio and television stations, and now the following television networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ION Media Networks, Telemundo, and Univision. In regards to the announcement, Jack Abernethy, Chief Executive Officer of Fox Television Stations, commented: "The interests of our industry, our company and our viewers are best served by speaking with one voice on Capitol Hill, at the FCC and in the Courts. We look forward to working with Gordon Smith and the other member companies of the NAB toward our common goal of enhancing the enduring values of over-the-air television." "As the media landscape evolves ever more rapidly, over-the-air broadcasting faces a number of clear opportunities and some significant challenges," said Martin D. Franks, Executive Vice President for Planning, Policy and Government Affairs, CBS Corporation. "One of the very best ways to address these issues is through a resurgent NAB under Gordon Smith's leadership. We look forward to adding CBS's voice to NAB's efforts to preserve and enhance broadcasting on behalf of the public we serve." As part of today's announcement, Franks and Abernethy will serve as CBS and FOX's members of the NAB Board of Directors. "Today is a great day for broadcasting, for NAB, and for the tens of millions of Americans who rely every day on CBS, FOX and other broadcast programming for highly-valued content," said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. "Both CBS and FOX currently have superb advocacy arms in Washington. We are delighted by their vote of confidence in the NAB team, and we look forward to presenting a seamless display of broadcast unity inside the Beltway. Our challenges are many, but the mission of free and local broadcasting remains a worthy cause."

Global media and entertainment tracking service Media Control GfK, announced today the release of its 18 Territory 2009 Year End Summary and 2010 Home Video Forecast Report. "Despite global declines in DVD sales, the local economies of the international markets were not all down in 2009," said Brad Hackley, President of Media Control GfK USA. The report notes that 33% of the international territories experienced either positive or flat DVD & Blu-ray annual revenue performance in 2009. Germany and Sweden led all territories, followed by Switzerland and Australia. However, other leading markets, the U.K. and Japan, mirrored the U.S. with double-digit sales declines from the prior year. Other notable findings from the report estimate the number of Blu-ray units sold through to consumers is expected to increase this year on average nearly 70% across the key international markets. Media Control GfK's 2009 Year End Summary and 2010 Home Video Forecast Report provides estimated unit sales and gross consumer spending on DVD, Blu-ray, UMD & VHS for 18 territories. Media-Control GfK will release its International 3D and VOD forecast later this year.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying it was “in the public interest,” has approved a request by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) to permit recent movies to be sent directly to American households over secure high definition transmission lines from their cable or satellite providers prior to their release on DVD or Blu-ray. “This action is an important victory for consumers who will now have far greater access to see recent high definition movies in their homes. And it is a major step forward in the development of new business models by the motion picture industry to respond to growing consumer demand,” said Bob Pisano, President and Interim CEO of the MPAA. “We deeply appreciate the recognition by the FCC that recently released movies need special protection against content theft when they are distributed to home televisions.” Specifically, the issue before the FCC was a request by the MPAA for permission to use selectable output control (SOC), which would allow televisions with digitally secure interfaces to receive high- definition content from a cable, satellite or IPTV provider, before its release on DVD or Blue-ray. Using SOC protects content because during the broadcast it essentially disables non-secure, analog outputs to avoid illegal circumvention and distribution of copyrighted material. In its order, the FCC said: “On balance, this limited waiver will provide public interest benefits — making movies widely available for home viewing far earlier than ever before — without imposing harm on any consumers.” “The first, and best way to view movies will always be in movie theaters — and nothing can replace the pleasure this brings to millions and millions of people all across our country and the globe,” Pisano said. “But for those people unable to make it to the theater and interested in viewing a recently released movie, thanks to the FCC, they will now have a new option. For other consumers who prefer standard, linear, on-demand or DVD or Blu-ray options, these services will be unchanged.”

The NEC Corporation announced today the development of a video content identification technology that the company claims detects illegal copies of video content uploaded to the Internet in a matter of seconds. This technology generates a fingerprint (video signature) to identify video content then compares video signatures to the signatures of original content in order to detect copies or altered versions. Therefore, altered video content, such as caption overlays, camera captured copies and analog copies, can be quickly and accurately detected. NEC's video content identification technology features the following:

- Accurate detection of copied or altered video content:
Video signatures are extracted for each frame based on differences in the luminance between sets of sub-regions on a frame that are defined by a variety of locations, sizes, and shapes. Video signatures represent a unique fingerprint that can be individually detected frame by frame. This technology is capable of accurately detecting video content with that was created with such, editing operations as analog capturing , re-encoding and caption overlay, which was conventionally very difficult to detect.

- A high detection rate and low false positive rate for all video contents:
By estimating confidence of signatures generated from each frame and using the confidence for sequence identification, the technology achieves a high detection rate with a very low false positive rate. These technologies achieved an average detection rate of 96% at a very low false alarm rate of 5ppm (5 in one million) through tests conducted by the international standardization organization.

- Detection of short video scenes:
Due to the high identification capability of signatures, the technology is capable of accurately detecting video scenes as short as 2 seconds (60 frames), which was formerly impossible when using conventional methods.

- Compatibility with home PCs:
By designing a compact signature size of 76 bytes per frame, the storage memory required for the matching process is minimized. As a result, a home-class PC can match approximately 1,000 hours of video in 1 second.

Blackmagic Design Inc. today announced that Deluxe Digital Media, a subsidiary of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, has purchased and installed the company’s high-end Linux GPU-based DaVinci Resolve system at its Sherman Oaks facility. Deluxe Digital Media is one of the leaders in providing digital technology to the worldwide film industry. Deluxe provides a wide range of digital workflow solutions from HD telecine dailies to video mastering and is among the top companies offering telecine and digital cinema services. The Resolve will provide the ability to color correct in the 4K environment, and will be added to their existing suite of Resolve 2K systems. Resolve also handles real time grading of raw RED files. The addition of the new Resolve upgrade will allow Deluxe’s Sherman Oaks facility to improve workflow efficiency and productivity between projects working within different resolutions. “Our relationship with Blackmagic and their products has been excellent. The Resolve has allowed us to significantly enhance our flexibility and provide services we did not offer previously,” said Gray Ainsworth, Sr. Vice President of Operations for Deluxe Digital Media.

Video, audio and multimedia processing equipment maker TV One has announced that the company has extended the previous 2 year product warranty to a new limited product warranty of 5 years on Corio2 based products in the C2, 1T-C2, CX, A2, or S2 series. Dan Gibson, Vice President of TV One states, "The Corio2 product line has a track record with field proven results, and a solid reliability factor, and we now want to extend to our customers this 5 year warranty to further enhance the value of our products and to demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction." TV One also has increased the One Task product line (1T series) and all LCD monitors with a 3 year limited warranty. According to TV One, the new warranty periods are effective immediately.

According to a recent Yankee Group survey, consumers are beginning to consider over-the-top solutions, gaming consoles and other connected devices not only as supplements, but as viable alternatives to pay TV subscriptions. Yankee Group predicts that in the next 12 months, 1 in 8 consumers will cut or reduce their pay TV service and get their video elsewhere. The explosion of connected consumer devices that function as part of the video ecosystem is creating a new threat for pay TV operators. Like the concern over cord-cutting in voice services—and more recently with data services—video service providers in North America and Western Europe are facing consumers potentially cutting off pay TV service in favor of over-the-top (OTT) options. Admittedly, this is a small phenomenon now, but a number of recent transactions and news items point to a shift in consumer thinking and a rise in what the group calls “coax-cutting.” We believe we will see a gradual shift toward more potential coax-cutters due to the following trends:

- The introduction of connected TVs in 2010 and beyond
- The escalation of pay TV prices as operators continue to wrestle with higher programming fees
- The increased proliferation of connected consumer devices that can function as set-top boxes (STBs)

Industry-funded nonprofit home entertainment advocate Digital Entertainment Group, has announced the creation of a 3D Working Group to promote the latest developments in 3D home entertainment. Currently the Working Group includes representatives from DEG members Microsoft, Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Entertainment Group. According to DEG, the 3D Working Group’s efforts will embrace all of the 3D compatible products and content that will soon be available via a number of platforms, including Blu-ray 3D, cable, satellite and the Internet. This will enable both retailers and consumers to better understand each platform’s benefits, while creating a united messaging strategy that properly positions and promotes 3D at home. The new Working Group will coordinate consumer messaging with the DEG Communications Committee and create consumer education materials, including a glossary of 3D terminology. Additional initiatives will include helping to merchandise 3D at retail and exploring potential connectivity issues and audio enhancements with other industry groups. “The opportunities for 3D entertainment at home are virtually endless,” said Kris Brown, Chair, DEG 3D Working Group and Vice President, Worldwide High Definition Marketing, Warner Home Video. “We have a full agenda working with key industry companies in support of 3D and look forward to having our team help deliver the excitement of 3D to consumers.” To help drive this concept, the DEG will host a special 3D Forum on June 2 in Los Angeles. It will focus on the key factors affecting 3D development, distribution and deployment over a variety of consumer electronics and IT devices.

Technology giants HP and Palm, Inc. have announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors. According to the companies, the combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets. Palm’s unique webOS will allow HP to take advantage of features such as true multitasking and always up-to-date information sharing across applications. “Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market.” Under the terms of the merger agreement, Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger. The merger consideration takes into account the updated guidance and other financial information being released by Palm this afternoon. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of domestic and foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Palm’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close during HP’s third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2010. Palm’s current chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

Renesas Electronics this week announced the company's first blue-violet semiconductor laser diode with a wavelength of 405 nm and a new structure incorporating an optical waveguide into the semiconductor device, which enables high power output. According to the company, the new blue-violet semiconductor laser diode, part number NV4A61MF, can be used for Blu-ray disc recording and playback, and features a new inner-stripe structure in which the optical waveguide that substantially influences the quality of the laser diode is incorporated into the semiconductor. In this new structure, the optical waveguide is fabricated on a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate with approximately ten times improved accuracy and 20 percent increased heat dissipation compared to the conventional devices, in which the optical waveguide is formed on the surface of the laser chip. With this innovative structure, the new device provides offers high optical power output of 350 milliwatts (mW) suitable for 8x Blu-ray disc recording even at temperatures of up to 85°C. The current and optical output characteristics also provide excellent linearity from the low-output range through the high-temperature, high-output range. The new structure also reduces laser noise (output fluctuation) that occurs during playback to less than one third of the company's existing devices, realizing 5 decibel per hertz (dB/Hz) improvement. The Blu-ray disc drive market has been expanding rapidly as Blu-ray recorders achieved widespread adoption and increasing numbers of Blu-ray disc drives being incorporated in flat-screen TVs and PCs. The market is expected to grow continuously, with sales of 100 million units in fiscal 2011, growing by 150 percent from the previous year. Of these, the number of recorders, which require high output lasers, is expected to amount to 30 million units. The new NV4A61MF blue-violet laser diode is currently available for samples, priced at US$20 per unit. Mass production is estimated to begin in August, 2010 and is expected to reach 1,000,000 units per month by second half of CY2011.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced the launch of a Spectrum Task Force to advance the FCC’s spectrum agenda and promote collaboration across the agency. Julius Knapp, Chief of the Office of Engineering Technology, and Ruth Milkman, Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, will co-chair the cross-agency working group. “To lead the world in mobile, the FCC must ensure that our nation’s spectrum is being put to its highest and best use,” said FCC Chairman Genachowski. “Maximizing this essential 21st century resource will create jobs, drive economic growth, and encourage innovation and investment. The FCC’s National Broadband Plan lays out a comprehensive roadmap for promoting greater spectrum efficiency and flexibility, and ensuring sufficient spectrum for broadband. The Spectrum Task Force will keep us on this charted course.” The Spectrum Task Force will play a critical role in the execution of the spectrum recommendations in the National Broadband Plan, including long-term spectrum planning. The Task Force will include the Chiefs of the Enforcement, International, Media, and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureaus, as well as the Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis.

IBM scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on one grain of salt. According to IBM, the scientists accomplished this through a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex — 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil — to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometers at greatly reduced cost and complexity. This patterning technique opens new prospects for developing nanosized objects in fields such as electronics, future chip technology, medicine, life sciences, and optoelectronics. To demonstrate the technique's unique capability, the team created several 3D and 2D patterns, using different materials for each one as reported in the scientific journals Science and Advanced Materials:

- A 25-nanometer-high 3D replica of the Matterhorn, a famous Alpine mountain that soars 4,478 m (14,692 ft) high, was created in molecular glass, representing a scale of 1:5 billion.
- Complete 3D map of the world measuring only 22 by 11 micrometers was "written" on a polymer. At this size, 1,000 world maps could fit on a grain of salt. In the relief, one thousand meters of altitude correspond to roughly eight nanometers (nm). It is composed of 500,000 pixels, each measuring 20 nm2, and was created in only 2 minutes and 23 seconds.
- 2D nano-sized IBM logo was etched 400-nm-deep into silicon, demonstrating the viability of the technique for typical nanofabrication applications.
- 2D high-resolution 15-nm dense line patterning.

With Ki Pro compatibility, Avid Media Composer and Symphony customers will be able to:

- Record hours of pristine Apple ProRes 422 QuickTime media to a removable storage module with built-in FireWire800 for immediate editing and file access on OS X
- Record natively to Apple ProRes 422, ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422 (Proxy) and ProRes 422 (LT) for full raster 10-bit 4:2:2 HD/SD
- Bridge proprietary compression schemes by recording to edit-friendly Apple ProRes 422
- Connect any digital camera via SDI or HDMI, or any analog camera with multiple input options
Convert in real time from SD to HD, or 720 to/from 1080, in full 10-bit quality
- Extend client review capabilities with simultaneous recording to camera and Ki Pro
- Extend productive life of existing cameras and embrace future workflows with powerful conversion capabilities
- Use built-in wireless 802.11 and Ethernet for complete control via a web-browser or iPhone
- Leverage new capabilities planned for summer 2010 including support for 8-channel embedded SDI audio, gang recording with multiple Ki Pro devices via web-based UI and RS 422 device control
“Opening up the Avid workflow to read native ProRes QuickTime files directly through the Ki Pro gives our customers access to new ways of working that increase productivity and reduce costs,” said David Colantuoni, senior product manager, Avid. “AJA Ki Pro is a great option for new workflows and empowers our customers to have more flexibility across their project pipelines.” AJA Ki Pro support within Avid systems is planned for availability in June 2010. The AJA Ki Pro has supported direct recording of Apple ProRes 422 QuickTime files within Apple Final Cut Pro since its release in 2009.

Paris based lcatel-Lucent today announced that its research arm, Bell Labs, has successfully demonstrated a technology that boosts the transmission speeds achievable over just two digital subscriber lines (DSL). In a lab test of “DSL Phantom Mode”, Bell Labs achieved downstream transmission speeds of 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) over distances up to 400 meters (or 100Mbps at 1km). At its core, DSL Phantom Mode involves the creation of a virtual or “phantom” channel that supplements the two physical wires that are the standard configuration for copper transmission lines. Bell Labs’ innovation and the source of DSL Phantom Mode’s dramatic increase in transmission capacity lies in its application of analogue phantom mode technology in combination with industry-standard techniques: vectoring that eliminates interference or “crosstalk” between copper wires, and bonding that makes it possible to take individual lines and aggregate them. “We often think of the role innovation plays in generating technologies of the future, but DSL Phantom Mode is a prime example of the role innovation can play in creating a future for existing solutions and injecting them with a new source of value,” said Gee Rittenhouse, head of Research for Bell Labs. “What makes DSL Phantom Mode such an important breakthrough is that it combines cutting edge technology with an attractive business model that will open up entirely new commercial opportunities for service providers, enabling them in particular, to offer the latest broadband IP-based services using existing network infrastructure.” According to Bell Labs, further research is being conducted to refine deployment models and determine a specific set of customer premises equipment (CPE)-models compatible with the DSL Phantom Mode technology.

This week, as part of Panasonic's group-wide commitment to taking the lead in bringing forth green innovation in the world as well as becoming the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry in Latin America, Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Corporation of Latin America (PLA) announced the Eco Ideas Declaration for the region in Playa Matapalo, Costa Rica. Panasonic is striving to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronic Industry with a global perspective by 2018, the 100th anniversary of its foundation. To achieve this goal, the company is pursuing its Eco Ideas for Lifestyles by promoting sustainable and comfortable green lifestyles as well as Eco Ideas for Business-styles with aims to reduce the environmental impact of its operations to a maximum extent and spread technologies and ideas that are brought forth through such reduction efforts. According to the company, Panasonic is combining these environmental efforts and business growth. "There is a greater awareness of environmental issues in Latin America, the region rich in nature such as rain forests in Amazon and Central America," said PLA Chief Executive Officer Hidetsugu Uji. "To help conserve the natural environment, Panasonic pledges to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 percent from manufacturing and double the sales of our industry-leading environment-conscious products. We will also encourage Panasonic employees to lead the conservation efforts in cooperation with local communities."

Mr. Uji further outlined the goals for Latin America under the declaration as follows:

- Eco Ideas for Lifestyles: Panasonic aims to double the regional sales of Superior Green Products by March 2013 in comparison with the level of the fiscal year ended March 2010. Superior Green Products, internally certified by Panasonic, are those that have achieved the industry's top environmental performance in terms of energy saving, effective utilization of resources and the management of chemical substances.

- Eco Ideas for Business-styles: Panasonic seeks to cut CO2 emissions by 10 percent in the region by March 2013 compared to the levels of the fiscal year ended March 2006. It will also designate an Eco Ideas Factory in the region by March 2012 as a model factory to implement Panasonic's environmental strategy that is focused on the two key themes: Eco Ideas for Lifestyles and Eco Ideas for Business-styles. The factory will play a pivotal role in spreading Panasonic's Eco Ideas through promoting participation in environmental communications and eco activities by its employees and the local community. Panasonic employees in Latin America will contribute to local communities by taking initiatives in driving environment-conscious and awareness activities together with the residents.

Samsung Electronics today week announced the industry’s first production of 20 nanometer (nm) class NAND chips for use in Secure Digital (SD) memory cards and embedded memory solutions. According to Samsung, this technology will allow the introduction of 32 gigabit (Gb) MLC NAND and will expand the company’s memory card solutions for smart phones, high-end IT applications and high-performance memory cards. Mr. Soo-In Cho, president, Memory Division, Samsung Electronics, said "In just one year after initiating 30nm-class NAND production, Samsung has made available the next generation node 20nm-class NAND, which exceeds most customers requirements for high-performance, high-density NAND-based solutions." He added, “The new 20nm-class NAND is not only a significant step forward in process design, but we have incorporated advanced technologies into it to enable substantial performance innovation.” Samsung’s 20nm-class MLC NAND has a 50 percent higher productivity level than 30nm-class MLC NAND. The write performance of a 20nm-class-based, eight gigabyte (GB) and higher density, SD card is 30 percent faster than the 30nm-class NAND and it delivers a speed-class rating of 10 (read speed of 20MB/s, write speed of 10MB/s). By applying cutting-edge process, design and controller technology, Samsung also has secured reliability levels comparable to 30nm-class NAND. The company said it is now shipping SD card samples to customers, that are built with 20nm-class 32Gb NAND, and will expand production later this year. Memory cards based in the 20nm-class will be available from 4GB through 64GB densities.

Global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, Anton/Bauer has turned 40. Now a Vitec Group brand, Anton/Bauer was first founded in 1970 when Anton Wilson, a former ABC cameraman and George Bauer, an electrical engineer formed a partnership to furnish the broadcast industry with reliable battery power. Prior to Anton/Bauer’s entrance to the market, dependable power solutions were almost non-existent. Using Anton’s real-world experience, Bauer was able to engineer the powerful solutions that pioneered the industry’s first smart chargers and digital batteries, yielding the company several patents for its advanced technology. From there, Anton/Bauer progressed to develop its signature InterActive digital batteries featuring the industry’s first viewfinder fuel gauge – a major innovation for the company. “It is truly thrilling to see what Anton Wilson and George Bauer were able to accomplish for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, and we are proud to continue their tradition of excellence,” says Michael Accardi, president, Anton/Bauer. “From humble beginnings as a partnership between an engineer and a cameraman, to worldwide success as the standard for battery power solutions in a wide variety of industries – Anton/Bauer has broken new ground in developing multi-chemistry battery solutions and really led the way for continued growth in the market." In 1997, Anton/Bauer was acquired by the Vitec Group, joining the ranks of other industry-renown brands serving the broadcast industry. Today, Anton/Bauer is headquartered in Shelton, CT, with major regional offices in Europe and Asia.

Hitachi Ltd. has developed a positive-electrode material that can double the life of the company's industrial lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable battery using a manganese positive-electrode material. According to the company, the life of the battery was extended by replacing part of the manganese contained in the positive-electrode material with another element to stabilize the crystal structure and adding an acid-resistant composite oxide (an oxide that contains more than one metallic element) to the positive-electrode material to reduce the elution of manganese into the electrolyte. Hitachi prototyped a battery cell with the new positive-electrode material and concluded that it is possible to realize a battery whose capacity decreases at half the rate and whose life is twice as long (more than 10 years) compared with the company's existing battery cell. The material is expected to be used for storing electricity at renewable energy-based power plants such as wind-power plants as well as for supplying electricity to electric motor-driven construction machines, which can reduce CO2 emissions. This time, Hitachi prototyped the battery cell in collaboration with Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co Ltd. Li-ion rechargeable batteries are used mainly for consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones and mobile PCs. And many of them use a positive-electrode material composed mainly of cobalt (Co), which is a scarce resource. As an increasing number of Li-ion batteries are used for applications other than consumer electronic devices (e.g. electric hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles), the procurement of cobalt will become an issue. Therefore, Hitachi had an eye on manganese, which is abundantly available, as one of the candidates for a positive-electrode material composed mainly of a metal element other than cobalt. The company has been researching, for example, a lithium-manganese spinel material (LiMn2O4, which has a spinel structure. Though LiMn2O4 features a high operating voltage and is suited for storing electricity, its capacity lowers due to charging and discharging. It is possible to stably supply the new positive-electrode material at a low cost because it is composed mainly of manganese. Hitachi plans to enhance the performance of the battery cell by further improving the new positive-electrode material and the composition of the electrolyte in the aim of expanding its business of storage battery-related products.

Sony Corporation this week announced its "Road to Zero" global environmental plan. The plan, which includes a long-term goal of achieving a zero environmental footprint by 2050, uses backcasting methods to set specific mid-term environmental targets for the next five years in line with that goal. Sony's definition of zero environmental footprint is not only limited to the neutralization of carbon emissions, but also extends to waste and use of finite materials such as oil-derived virgin plastics. Targets are based on four environmental perspectives - climate change, resource conservation, control of chemical substances and biodiversity - across all product lifecycle stages, from research and development to recycling. The mid-term targets will be implemented globally across the Sony Group beginning in fiscal year 2011 (April 2011), and will extend through the end of fiscal year 2015 (March 2016), at which time new targets for the following 5 years will be set.

MatroxMatrox this week at NAB 2010, booth SL3920, demonstrated the new Matrox Multi input/output cards which, according to the company, bring a new level of channel density to Mac Pro and Apple Xserve systems. In a single PCIe slot, a Matrox Multi card provides up to four independent inputs or outputs with up to 16 embedded audio channels per SDI stream. User-selectable combinations of 3G, HD, SD, and Dual Link are supported. The Matrox Multi cards are designed to let users get the most from the valuable expansion slots in Apple systems and eliminate the expense of multiple systems in many applications. The features of the Matrox Multi cards make them the ideal choice for capture/playout servers, clip and still stores, character generators, graphics/production servers, and automation/master control units. The Matrox Multi cards are supported by the Matrox Software Development Kit (SDK) for Mac.

Key features of Matrox Multi cards for Mac:

- Single-slot, 3/4 length PCI-e x8 card fits into Mac Pros and Apple Xserve systems
- Video inputs: up to four multi-rate 3G/HD/SD SDI or two 3G level B, or two Dual Link, or two video + key
- Video outputs: up to four multi-rate 3G/HD/SD SDI or two 3G level B, or two Dual Link, or two video + key
- 10-bit hardware scaling engine supports up to four HD streams or eight SD streams
- 16 embedded audio I/O channels per SDI stream
- 4 unbalanced analog audio channels for monitoring
- Support for SDI ancillary data - ATC, AFD, CC
- Analog blackburst reference input (tri-level or bi-level) with loopthrough
- Automatic video bypass and A/V watchdog support
- Auto-detection of input video resolutions
- Onboard live video mixer with zero frame delay
- One analog LTC input
- RS-422 port for device control

The Matrox Multi is available in three different versions: Matrox Multi-Ingest - four-channel 3G/HD/SD input card, Matrox Multi-I/O - simultaneous, independent two-channel input and two-channel output 3G/HD/SD card, and Matrox Multi-Playback - four-channel 3G/HD/SD output card. Matrox Multi cards along with the SDK are available to developers now. Shipments to end users will begin in June 2010.

Markertek is at the NAB Show this week showing off what's new from us as well as some of the biggest names in the industry. We've brought our VPTR Series Mobile Video & Audio Production Trailer to the show, booth C5343, and new must-have solutions from Sescom, TecNec and Delvcam. If you can make it to NAB 2010, stop by and say hello, we would love to see you!

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has expanded its line of CMOS image sensors to include two new CMOS image sensors – the S5K6A1 and the S5K5B3 - for use in notebook computers and other devices requiring video capture. According to the company, Samsung’s new 1.3Megapixel (S5K6A1) and 2.1Megapixel (S5K5B3) imagers were developed with a strong emphasis on high-performance, real-time high-definition (HD) images at up to 30 frames per second (fps) at full resolution for internet video/image sharing and high quality VGA resolution for applications requiring video conferencing. “HD capable imagers are fundamentally changing the way consumers interact with their computers, making webcams a ‘must have’ feature in today’s notebooks and personal computers for high definition multimedia usage,” said Dojun Rhee, vice president, System LSI marketing, Samsung Electronics. “With an industry attachment rate of over 70 percent, we are fully committed to supporting this market segment with our advanced CMOS image sensors to provide consumers with quality images for video conferencing and sharp HD images.” The new imagers sensors support multiple platforms architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces. Using an embedded solid state auto focus enhanced depth of field (EDoF) function, the S5K5B3 imager is also designed to allow bar codes and business card reading without needing mechanical autofocus support, which is more costly and a larger module form factor. Samsung has already started shipping samples of the new CMOS sensors, and plan to begin volume production in the second quarter of 2010.

This week, HP announced that researchers from HP Labs, the company’s central research facility, have proven the existence of what had previously been only theorized as the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering. This scientific advancement could make it possible to develop computer systems that have memories that do not forget, do not need to be booted up, consume far less power and associate information in a manner similar to that of the human brain. In a paper published in today’s edition of Nature, four researchers at HP Labs’ Information and Quantum Systems Lab, led by R. Stanley Williams, presented the mathematical model and a physical example of a “memristor” – a blend of “memory resistor” – which has the unique property of retaining a history of the information it has acquired. Leon Chua, a distinguished faculty member in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department of the University of California at Berkeley, initially theorized about and named the element in an academic paper published 37 years ago. Chua argued that the memristor was the fourth fundamental circuit element, along with the resistor, capacitor and inductor, and that it had properties that could not be duplicated by any combination of the other three elements. Building on their groundbreaking research in nanoelectronics, Williams and team are the first to prove the existence of the memristor. “To find something new and yet so fundamental in the mature field of electrical engineering is a big surprise, and one that has significant implications for the future of computer science,” said Williams. “By providing a mathematical model for the physics of a memristor, HP Labs has made it possible for engineers to develop integrated circuit designs that could dramatically improve the performance and energy efficiency of PCs and data centers.”One application for this research could be the development of a new kind of computer memory that would supplement and eventually replace today’s commonly used dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Computers using conventional DRAM lack the ability to retain information once they lose power. When power is restored to a DRAM-based computer, a slow, energy-consuming “boot-up” process is necessary to retrieve data from a magnetic disk required to run the system. In contrast, a memristor-based computer would retain its information after losing power and would not require the boot-up process, resulting in the consumption of less power and wasted time. Another potential application of memristor technology could be the development of computer systems that remember and associate series of events in a manner similar to the way a human brain recognizes patterns. This could substantially improve today’s facial recognition technology, enable security and privacy features that recognize a complex set of biometric features of an authorized person to access personal information, or enable an appliance to learn from experience.Williams is the founding director of HP Labs’ Information and Quantum Systems Lab, which is focused on turning fundamental advances in areas of mathematics and physical science into technologies useful for HP. For the past 12 years, Williams and his team have conducted primary scientific research into the fundamental limits of information and computing, which has led to a series of breakthrough discoveries in nanoelectronics and nanophotonics.

Emmy-award-winning high speed imaging systems manufacturer, Photron USA has announced that the company will demonstrate the new Fastcam BC2, a high quality, high definition, high speed video camera designed specifically for the broadcast market. Applications include television broadcast, commercials, sports OB, and big-screen motion picture production. Drawing on knowledge gained from over thirty years experience in high speed imaging technology, including Academy and Emmy awards for technical achievements, and providing full 1080 HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) at frame rates up to 2,000 frames per second (fps), the Photron Fastcam BC2 HD has been engineered to provide what Photron calls high quality, artifact free images, and set a new standard in high speed digital imaging. Andrew Bridges, Director of Sales and Marketing for Photron USA announced "From the 12-bit four mega pixel (2,048 x 2,048 pixels to 1,000 fps) advanced CMOS sensor to the camera's dual 'always live' HD-SDI outputs, the BC2 HD has been engineered to meet the requirements of a very demanding industry that has been forced to compromise for too long." The BC2 HD is compatible with Sony HD viewfinders, ARRI Matte boxes, and is available with industry standard PL and B4, Nikon F and Canon EF lens mounts, an ARRI broadcast tripod plate, and Photron's rechargeable battery packs/belt. The company plans to unveil the new camera at NAB Show 2010, April 12-15, booth # SL1514.

The NAB Show has announced the participants in a session titled "Putting the Final Touches on Next-Generation EAS." A joint presentation of the show's Broadcast Management Conference and Broadcast Engineering Conference, the session kicks off with opening remarks by Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator of the National Continuity Programs (NCP) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The panel discussion, lead by moderator Larry Walke, associate general counsel, NAB, will make clear the important role that broadcasters play in Emergency Alert Systems (EAS). The session will also elaborate on whether station responsibilities could change as the government implements the next generation of EAS. FEMA is rolling out a new Common Alerting Protocol that will allow the same warning message to be delivered for many different warning systems, and the FCC is exploring a new process of required annual nationwide EAS testing. Attendees will learn more about these developments and what the impending changes could mean for broadcasters. Penn's opening remarks will focus on the implementation of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and its impact on the EAS and broadcasters. Penn began serving in his current position in September 2009 when he joined NCP after retiring from the U.S. Army as a Colonel. His military career included senior staff positions, leadership of an advisory team in Iraq, and brigade and battalion commands. Penn's association with FEMA began in 2004 when he served as the Defense Coordinating Officer (DCO) for Florida. There he was part of the FEMA emergency response team, responsible for all Department of Defense assets, providing millions of pounds of relief supplies and other forms of support to assist the Florida emergency management effort. He also served as the DCO the following year in support of Mississippi's efforts during hurricane Katrina. According to NAB, the session will also feature initial remarks by Rear Admiral (Ret.) James Barnett, chief, FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Panelists for the session include Antwane Johnson, FEMA division director and program manager; Suzanne Goucher, president and CEO, Maine Association of Broadcasters; Thomas Beers, chief, FCC Policy Division and Wade Witmer, FEMA deputy division director. The session takes place Wednesday, April 14 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced two new media specifications that use Blu-ray Disc technology to provide targeted functionality for commercial and consumer applications. The BDXL specification, which is targeted primarily at commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archiving needs, will provide customers with write-once options on 100GB and 128GB capacity discs and rewritable capability on 100GB discs. The discs reach these capacities by incorporating three to four recordable layers. A consumer version of BDXL is also expected, particularly in those regions where BD recorders have achieved broad consumer acceptance. “Professional industries have expressed a desire to find optical disc solutions that enable them to transition away from magnetic media for their archiving needs,” said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair. “Leveraging Blu-ray Disc to meet this need provides professional enterprises with a compact, stable and long term solution for archiving large amounts of sensitive data, video and graphic images using a proven and widely accepted optical technology.” The Intra-Hybrid Blu-ray Disc (IH-BD) incorporates a single BD-ROM layer and a single BD-RE layer so as to enable the user to view, but not overwrite, critical published data while providing the flexibility to include relevant personal data on the same physical disc. This allows for consumer specific applications where combining published content with related user data on a convenient, single volume is desirable. Both the ROM and the RE layers on IH-BD discs provide 25GB of capacity. Because both BDXL and IH-BD are specially designed formats with specific market segments in mind, newly-designed hardware is required to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media. However, because the new media specifications are extensions of current Blu-ray Disc technology, future BDXL and IH-BD devices can be designed to support existing 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs. The specifications for the new BDXL and IH-BD are expected in the next few months.

Osaka based, Sharp Corporation has developed a 3D touchscreen LCD that can switch between 2D and 3D modes. Users can view 3D images without the need to wear special glasses, making the LCD ideal for mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones. According to the company, the newly developed 3D display which features the industry's highest brightness uses a parallax barrier system to display 3D images. This parallax barrier, which has a series of vertical slits, is incorporated into an ordinary LCD to control the path of light reaching the right and left eyes, thus creating a sense of depth. However, the conventional 3D LCD with this system had difficulty in displaying high quality images in 3D mode. Sharp said it significantly improved image quality by achieving both high brightness and low crosstalk thanks to advances in CG-Silicon technology and optimization of the parallax barrier. Advances in CG-Silicon technology have shrunk the wiring width within the LCD panel, allowing more light to pass and doubling the brightness (to 500 cd/m2, the industry's highest) compared to conventional models. Additionally, optimizing the parallax barrier design has increased the efficiency of light, thereby dramatically reducing crosstalk. Also, the thickness of the LCD module is about the same as conventional 2D displays even though it is a touchscreen display. As 3D images can be displayed in both portrait and landscape screen orientations, it is ideal for sophisticated mobile devices such as smartphones. The company has also developed a non-touchscreen 3D LCD and is scheduled to start mass production in the first half of fiscal 2010.

International research firm Parks Associates finds consumer interest in Web-on-TV applications is so strong that households are making their own connections via PCs and game consoles. From 2008 to 2009, the number of U.S. households using Web-connected game consoles increased by 64%, and the number connecting a PC to a TV increased by 36%, according to the firm’s latest report Digital Lifestyles: 2010 Outlook. “Many households are working with devices they already have to get the connected-TV experience, which shows strong future demand for connected TVs, Web-enabled Blu-ray players, and networked digital media players such as Apple TV and Roku,” said Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates. Over three-fourths of U.S. households with PC-to-TV connections and one-third of Xbox 360 owners are using these connections to stream online video. These households, as they extend online video and other Web experiences to the TV screen, are laying the foundation for future behaviors with connected CE and entertainment services. “Manufacturers and service providers should examine these consumer behaviors closely, so they can match their current and future connected offerings with actual demand without pricing themselves out of the market,” Scherf said.

The One Laptop per Child Foundation (OLPC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help provide every child in the world access to a modern education, and Pixel Qi Corporation, maker of high-performance, low-power displays, have signed a permanent and royalty-free cross-licensing agreement that will allow both organizations to deliver products incorporating the world’s most advanced screen technology. As a result of the agreement, OLPC receives full license to all Pixel Qi “3qi” screen technology, including 70+ patents in process and all current and future IP developed by Pixel Qi for multi-mode screens. According to the company, Pixel Qi is leading the design of new screens for OLPC’s next-generation XO laptops. The agreement also calls for Pixel Qi to receive full license to the dual-mode (indoor and outdoor) display technology used in the XO. “A huge barrier to getting computers to mass use in the developing world is limited access to electricity. Pixel Qi is designing new screens for OLPC that will keep laptops going even longer between recharges and excel in long-form reading while providing color and video,” said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child. “Furthermore, we are not aware of any blanket technology license of this scale of current and future inventions by a commercial firm to a non-profit humanitarian effort and hope to set an example for other corporations to follow.” Mary Lou Jepsen, founder and CEO of Pixel Qi, added, “OLPC’s focus on the need for low-cost, low-power devices led me to invent power-efficient LCD screens that are optimized for reading. Commercial tablets, notebook computers and smart phones have precisely the same needs. This is one of the few examples in which cutting-edge computer technology first deployed for developing nations benefits the developed world as well.”

Search engine start-up Yebol has announced the conclusion of its beta test period and the launch of its semantic search engine, Yebol.com, to provide users with a search technology platform aimed at better results. With its July 2009 beta launch, Yebol unveiled leading semantic-decision search technology. According to the company,this advanced application of algorithms paired with human knowledge results provides the first truly human-like world's knowledge base and makes it possible to generate richer, more comprehensive search results displayed on a single page. Since July 2009, Yebol has progressed from these raw initial advances and has focused on providing the internet user with the best search experience available, better than the current indexed formats of most major search engines. Previously, search engines have vied to provide one of two primary search experiences, namely: (1) the "homepage" format, which expresses a comprehensive categorical summary about any given search term, and (2) the absolute relevance format, which seeks to return highly targeted results precisely matching the intent of the user, no more, no less. Yebol's effort to reconcile these two formats hinges on its new user interface, leveraging its technology to achieve results containing not only the most complete selection of information on a search topic, but also the most relevant based on user intent. To fully achieve this, Yebol adapted its user interface, by pioneering a categorical tree system, capable of expressing a true homepage for any given search term, while also visually displaying results matching user intent. A single decision search result parsed into a tree format yields a compendium of a topic, in categoric summation. Another breakthrough has been the progression from covering 10 million search terms to now generating its dynamic results for any conceivable search term. "In order to win user trust, we knew our format had to apply to all possible search terms," said Hongfeng Yin, Yebol Founder and President. "Google's success in search has been in no small part due to consistency of results – users know what they are going to get each and every search. Yebol is now equally as reliable, but offers a far richer results return, versus Google's indexed approach. Yebol provides more comprehensive and more accurate results." Yebol's format utilizes a combination of patented algorithms paired with human knowledge to build a revolutionary Web directory for each search term. Instead of the endless pages of seemingly random links generated by other search engines, Yebol automatically clusters search results into highly-concentrated and well-organized groups of term-specific categories. The user interface then edits these groups of categories and generates a display of the results in an easily utilized results tree. The resulting single page snapshot allows users to quickly scan hundreds of types of accurate results to find exactly the information they are seeking. The technological backbone of Yebol is fluid and dynamic. Every facet of its algorithm system and user interface is scalable. Says Yin, " Yebol is geared to generate knowledge-base results not only for all possible current search topics but also to adapt itself to process and include new search topics as they develop in the future." While Yebol was initially developed for the English language market, Dr. Yin said its functionality allows it to be applied to any language and work is underway to complete these bridges. "There is no reason why Yebol cannot provide the same exact user experience to internet users in every language," said Dr. Yin. "Ideally, we would like to see our format provide a significant portion of the search engine service to every country in the world, allowing it to be a point of technological union, a common search tongue so to speak, as everyone learns to search for and process informational results in a similar way."

According to market intelligence company iSuppli, subscribers in China to Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) will double in 2010, the result of an official government push to accelerate convergence among the country’s various telecommunications, broadcast and Internet operators. Subscribers in China to IPTV delivered via the Internet and broadband networks will jump to 8.5 million in 2010, rising by a hefty 96 percent from 4.4 million in 2009, according to iSuppli Corp. And while growth rates during the next three years will not equal the 2010 peak, IPTV development will continue to acquire impressive momentum, reaching expansion rates as high as 51 percent, iSuppli estimates. By 2014, IPTV subscribers in China will exceed 31 million. “The rise in IPTV subscribers in 2010 and beyond will be driven primarily by deployments among China’s broadcasters, which hold the prized IPTV licenses,” said Loren Zhao, an analyst for iSuppli’s China Research. “Despite a policy by the State Council of China in January 2010 encouraging the country’s telecom carriers, broadcast operators and Internet firms to enter one another’s fields and provide services, the three-way convergence policy is skewed against telecom carriers. Unlike the broadcast operators, which are allowed a wider leeway in the range of services they offer, telecom carriers face strong regulation, can participate only in radio and television transmission and are proscribed from taking part in the content integration and broadcast sectors.” IPTV services currently extend to more than 20 provinces and cities in China, but IPTV subscribers are concentrated in only a few areas. Out of the country’s 22 provinces, no more than eight count greater than 100,000 IPTV subscribers. Furthermore, fully 56 percent of total IPTV subscribers are to be found in just three locations: China’s largest city of Shanghai, as well as the two densely populated provinces of Jiangsu in the east and Guangdong in the south. In spite of the uneven distribution of IPTV subscribers, the players in the China IPTV market are raising their 2010 targets and hope to spread their services to more provinces in 2010, iSuppli believes. Several drivers will push IPTV growth from now to 2014, including Beijing’s continuing advancement of its triple-play convergence policy, the ongoing competition between telecom carriers and broadcast operators to carve out their own territories and the strategy among the players to bundle wireline and wireless broadband with IPTV services.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce & Director General Suresh Kumar, a top official from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC), will discuss the President's National Export Initiative (NEI) at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. His address will focus on how International Trade Administration and the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service are supporting efforts to reach the President's goal of doubling exports in five years and supporting 2 million jobs. In his address, Kumar will offer an overview of the government programs and assistance available to U.S. companies interested in expanding exports into new markets. Kumar's diverse experience includes 15 years as a popular news and sports anchor on national television in India and 30 years as an international businessman culminating in his tenure as head of Worldwide Pharmaceuticals for Johnson & Johnson. Kumar oversees the U.S & Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS). The extensive worldwide network of the USFCS extends to 109 offices across the U.S and 127 offices overseas in 77 countries. USFCS is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Government that supports and provides customized solutions to U.S. businesses so that they can compete and win in the global marketplace. Recognized as the electronic media industry venue with the highest potential for export opportunities, the NAB Show once again has been selected by the U.S. Commercial Service to participate in the International Buyer Program (IBP). Through the IBP program and its globally integrated network, the U.S. Commercial Service helps small and medium-sized U.S. businesses expand their global reach and awareness. Twenty-four officers from U.S. posts around the world will be available at the NAB Show to assist U.S. companies with their export needs. Another 50+ delegation leaders from the private sector are escorting international delegations, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Nordic Region, Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam, to the show. The session is part of the DoC's Showtime Program at the NAB Show and will take place Wednesday, April 14. The NAB Show will take place 10-15 April, 2010 in Las Vegas (exhibits open 12 April).

As demand has increased for digital video storage, including high-definition (HD) video, and as the variety of video-systems configurations increases, long time storage maker Western Digital today expanded its line of hard drives for AV/DVR and surveillance applications to include small form factor, 2.5-inch SATA hard drives. According to WD, the new AV-25 hard drives provide high reliability with a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of 1 million hours and are engineered specifically for demanding, always-on multimedia streaming applications, while running at cool and quiet temperatures. In addition to high reliability, the hard drives meet the demanding requirements of the AV/DVR and surveillance markets by offering customers universal compatibility, low power consumption and the ability to simultaneously record multiple audio and/or high-definition video streams. Western said the new WD AV-25 hard drive is ideal for applications such as DVRs (digital video recorders), digital video surveillance and other small form factor environments where power consumption and 24x7 reliability are critical. "Customers that market audio and video recording applications, such as DVRs, media centers and mainstream surveillance systems, often require 24x7 operation from hard drives," said Jim Welsh, senior vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. "WD AV-25 hard drives are designed to withstand these demanding environments and offer consumers a small form factor solution that consumes less power, generates less heat, and operates quietly and, most importantly, reliably." The WD AV-25 hard drive is offered in capacities of 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB and 500 GB, and is available now ranging from $50.00 USD to $80.00 USD depending on capacity.

Digital storage maker Imation today announced it has partnered with ENCRYPTX Corporation to develop and market secure CD-R, DVD-R & Blu-ray optical media with EncryptDisc technology. Under the agreement, the companies have incorporated the ENCRYPTX EncryptDisc AES 256-bit encryption and burning technology into a line of secure, printable optical media products from Imation. According to Imation, CD-R and DVD-R media with EncryptDisc technology integrate an encryption and burning application manufactured onto the disc. EncryptDisc uses highly secure, government-grade AES 256-bit encryption that is FIPS 140-2, Level 1 validated, NIST SP 800-57 compliant. The technology prevents users from writing files in the clear; files are automatically encrypted when being burned. Integrated password recovery and optional remote administrator password recovery service ensure authorized users can recover forgotten passwords securely. In addition, a built-in password attack self-defeating mechanism prevents brute force attacks to crack the disc password. The discs can be left open to allow users to add new content or edit files and incrementally burn these changes through the EncryptDisc application, or finalized as a Read Only disc with decryption access. An optional EncryptDisc Administrative Console, either hosted or installed, allows IT or Security Administrators to disable lost or stolen discs, recover passwords for users, and have full forensics audit tracking of disc content. Additional policies can enable in-network and out-of-network access, reauthorization intervals, strong passwords, and periodic password changes. "As the global leader in optical media with more than 50 years experience helping commercial users and government agencies to store and protect their critical data, Imation is excited to announce this important product development and marketing relationship with ENCRYPTX," said Keith Schwartz, director of strategic growth for Imation's global commercial business. "EncryptDisc technology addresses the needs of government, business, and medical users who require a highly secure way to transport, share, and archive sensitive data on optical media. It is another important offering in Imation's growing portfolio of secure storage products designed to help our customers more fully protect their critical storage assets and ensure compliance with increasingly stringent security and regulatory requirements." According to the companies, EncryptDisc is being launched this week at the FOSE/GOVSEC show in Washington DC, March 23-25, in the Cyber Security Pavilion, Booth 1135.

On March 17, the Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Lighting and Technology Corporation, a Toshiba group company, marked the end of production of general-use incandescent bulbs, a product which Toshiba was first to manufacture in Japan and that it has produced for 120 years. The company decided to focus on environmentally friendly lighting in 2008, and since then has been advancing a transition to new lighting products, particularly LED lighting. Toshiba has a long history of innovation in lighting. In 1890, Ichisuke Fujioka, one of the leading engineers at the time, established Hakunetsu-sha & Co., Ltd., one of the companies that eventually merged in Toshiba, as Japan's first manufacturer of incandescent lamp bulbs. From an initial production of only 10 bulbs a day, production climbed to a peak of 78 million a year, and cumulative shipments to date add up to 4.07 billion bulbs. In the wake of the oil shocks of the 1980s, Toshiba developed the world's first ball type fluorescent lamp in 1980. The company has subsequently developed smaller, more power efficient products with longer life, with the result that the production volume of general incandescent lamp has been declining since around 2000. In 2007, Toshiba created much more efficient and environmentally friendly LED lamps for general use, and is now promoting replacement of incandescent lamps. The end of production of general-use incandescent bulbs comes a year ahead of the original plan and marks the end for a total of 103 products, and it is expected to bring down CO2 emissions by 430,000 tons a year against the benchmark year of 2008, when Toshiba manufactured some 20 million units a year. Though it will continue to produce specialty incandescent bulbs, Toshiba said it will now direct its attention to further promoting LED lighting.

The Federal Communications Commission this week delivered to Congress a National Broadband Plan setting an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future - robust, affordable Internet. “The National Broadband Plan is a 21st century roadmap to spur economic growth and investment, create jobs, educate our children, protect our citizens, and engage in our democracy,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “It’s an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues.” “In every era, America must confront the challenge of connecting the nation anew,” said Blair Levin, Executive Director of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative at the FCC. “Above all else, the plan is a call to action to meet that challenge for our era. If we meet it, we will have networks, devices, and applications that create new solutions to seemingly intractable problems.” Titled Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan, the Plan found that while broadband access and use have increased over the past decade, the nation must do much more to connect all individuals and the economy to broadband’s transformative benefits. Nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today, and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband even if they want it. Only 42 percent of people with disabilities use broadband at home, while as few as 5 percent of people living on Tribal lands have access. Meanwhile, the cost of digital exclusion for the student unable to access the Internet to complete a homework assignment, or for the unemployed worker who can’t search for a job online, continues to grow. Other gaps threaten America’s global competitiveness. A looming shortage of wireless spectrum could impede U.S. innovation and leadership in popular wireless mobile broadband services. More useful applications, devices, and content are needed to create value for consumers. And the nation has failed to harness broadband’s power to transform delivery of government services, health care, education, public safety, energy conservation, economic development, and other national priorities.

The Plan’s call for action over the next decade includes the following goals and recommendations:

• Connect 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-
per-second service, building the world's largest market of high-speed broadband users and ensuring that new jobs and businesses are created in America.
• Affordable access in every American community to ultra-high-speed broadband of at least 1 gigabit per second at anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and military installations so that America is hosting the experiments that produce tomorrow's ideas and industries.
• Ensure that the United States is leading the world in mobile innovation by making 500 megahertz of spectrum newly available for licensed and unlicensed use.
• Move our adoption rates from roughly 65 percent to more than 90 percent and make sure that every child in America is digitally literate by the time he or she leaves high school.
• Bring affordable broadband to rural communities, schools, libraries, and vulnerable populations by transitioning existing Universal Service Fund support from yesterday’s analog technologies to tomorrow’s digital infrastructure.
• Promote competition across the broadband ecosystem by ensuring greater transparency, removing barriers to entry, and conducting market-based analysis with quality data on price, speed, and availability.
• Enhance the safety of the American people by providing every first responder with access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable public safety network.

Kawasaki, Japan based NEC Electronics announced yesterday that it plans to double production of its USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) host controller, the world's first, and is expecting to reach monthly production of two million units starting April 2010. The device (µPD720200) is a host controller for PCs and other digital consumer devices and is based on the Intel xHCI specification, supporting SuperSpeed USB transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps) of data, which is up to 10 times faster than previous Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) transfer speeds. NEC Electronics' host controller is the first commercially available SuperSpeed USB product certified by the USB-IF, and mass production began in September 2009. To meet the increasing market demands for USB 3.0-compatible PCs, NEC Electronics already has shipped three million units of its µPD720200 host controller. Thanks to USB-IF's strong commitment and promotion for the adoption of SuperSpeed USB , this milestone was achieved just six months after the availability of this device, while the company's USB 2.0 host controller took approximately one and a half years to reach 3 million shipments, by comparison. NEC Electronics expects industry adoption of its USB 3.0 host controller to accelerate, and therefore decided to boost its production volume sooner than planned to address the increasing demand. "The strong sales of NEC Electronics' USB-IF certified host controller clearly indicates the extraordinary adoption of SuperSpeed USB into consumer products," said Jeff Ravencraft, president and chairman, USB-IF. "Introduced just over a year ago, SuperSpeed USB has become the world's most widely watched technology, dramatically enhancing the speed with which consumers can transfer their data by providing the fastest USB experience available." According to NEC, as of February 2010, the company has shipped a total of 180 million USB-related products including the xHCI host controller in support of SuperSpeed USB. In addition to the xHCI host controller, the company has been receiving orders for USB 3.0 system-on-a-chip (SOC) design solutions that feature the company's USB 3.0 intellectual property (IP) core. ″We are very pleased to continue to contribute to the promotion of the USB standard and technology. Moreover, it is very exciting to push the standard and technology up to the next level, the 5 Gbps SuperSpeed USB era, with NEC Electronics' host controller,″ said Osamu Matsushima, general manager, Industry and Network Division, NEC Electronics Corporation. As a core member of USB-IF, NEC Electronics intends to continually dedicate itself to achieve advancement and standardization of USB.″

Researchers at MIT have taken an important step toward creating tiny circuits using molecules that automatically arrange themselves into useful patterns resulting in chips smaller than traditional manufacturing processes can support. The features on computer chips are getting so small that soon the process used to make them, which has hardly changed in the last 50 years, won’t work anymore. One of the alternatives that academic researchers have been exploring is to create tiny circuits using molecules that automatically arrange themselves into useful patterns. Currently, chips are built up, layer by layer, through a process called photolithography. A layer of silicon, metal, or some other material is deposited on a chip and coated with a light-sensitive material, called a photoresist. Light shining through a kind of stencil — a “mask” — projects a detailed pattern onto the photoresist, which hardens where it’s exposed. The unhardened photoresist is washed away, and chemicals etch away the bare material underneath. The problem is that chip features are now significantly smaller than the wavelength of the light used to make them. Manufacturers have developed various tricks to get light to produce patterns smaller than its own wavelength, but they won’t work at smaller scales. The obvious way to continue shrinking chip features would be to use beams of electrons to transfer mask patterns to layers of photoresist. But unlike light, which can shine through a mask and expose an entire chip at once, an electron beam has to move back and forth across the surface of a chip in parallel lines, like a harvester working along rows of wheat. “It’s like the difference between writing by hand and printing a page all at once,” says Karl Berggren, the Emanuel E. Landsman Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, who along with Caroline Ross, the Toyota Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, led the new work. The slow, precise scanning of electron-beam lithography makes it significantly more expensive than conventional optical lithography. Berggren and Ross’ approach is to use electron-beam lithography sparingly, to create patterns of tiny posts on a silicon chip. They then deposit specially designed polymers — molecules in which smaller, repeating molecular units are linked into long chains — on the chip. The polymers spontaneously hitch up to the posts and arrange themselves into useful patterns. The trick is that the polymers are “copolymers,” meaning they’re made of two different types of polymer. In their attempts to segregate themselves, the different types of polymer chain arrange themselves into predictable patterns. By varying the length of the chains, the proportions of the two polymers, and the shape and location of the silicon hitching posts, Ross, Berggren, and their colleagues were able to produce a wide range of patterns useful in circuit design. One of the two polymers that the MIT researchers used burns away when exposed to a plasma (an electrically charged gas), while the other, which contains silicon, turns to glass. The glass layer could serve the same purpose that a photoresist does in ordinary lithography, protecting the material beneath it while that around it is etched away. According to the researchers, much more work is required before self-assembling molecules can provide a viable means for manufacturing individual chips. In the meantime, Ross and Berggren are working to find arrangements of their nanoscale posts that will produce functioning circuits in prototype chips, and they’re trying to refine their technique to produce even smaller chip features. The new findings were published in a paper that appeared this week in Nature Nanotechnology.

This week at ShoWest 2010, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. announced it is working with Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios to deliver a new audio format, Dolby Surround 7.1. The company said the new format comprises 8 channels of audio and has the following channel layout: Left, Center, Right, Low-Frequency Effects (LFE), Left Surround, Right Surround, Back Surround Left (new), and Back Surround Right (new). Dolby Surround 7.1 provides content creators four surround zones to better orchestrate audio channels in a movie theatre environment. The four surround zones incorporate the traditional Left Surround and Right Surround with new Back Surround Left and Back Surround Right zones. The addition of the two Back Surround zones enhances directionality in panning 360 degrees around the theatre. In order for exhibitors to deliver the new format, Dolby will be providing Dolby Surround 7.1 playback capabilities in the Dolby CP650 and Dolby CP750 digital cinema audio processor lines. According to Dolby, Surround 7.1 brings a more exciting sensory experience to audiences for 2D and gives content creators control over audio placement in a theatre when mixing 3D movies. The ability to compose audio with visual elements of 3D allows content creators to immerse the audience deeper into the movie with dramatic realism. "For 40 years Dolby has not only provided content creators with the tools to create a more realistic audio experience, but has also enabled the exhibitor to deliver audiences the ability to experience the content as the creator intended," said Page Haun, Senior Director, Marketing, Cinema Market Segment, Dolby Laboratories. "The release of Toy Story 3 in a discrete 7.1 mix will raise the bar for movie theatre owners and their patrons." At ShoWest, Dolby is demonstrating to exhibitors a discrete 7.1 mixed demo reel of past Pixar movies to showcase the advanced audio solution. After the show, exhibitors will be able to access the content to test and demonstrate in their theatres. Disney and Pixar have stated that Dolby Surround 7.1 will be launched in select theatres with the release of Toy Story 3 in 3D this June. ShoWest 2010, currently underway, runs March 15 - 18, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Sony Corporation has announced the development of a RGB laser light source module suitable for large screen projectors such as digital cinema projectors. The module, , among the industry's smallest, incorporates high power lasers of the three primary colors: Red, Green and Blue (RGB) with a combined output power of 21W (equivalent to 5,000 lumens), in a single package measuring just 530cc. The newly developed RGB laser module uses semiconductor diodes for the red and blue lasers, and a compact, high power solid-state SHG laser for the green. Both the red and green lasers were developed internally by Sony. The three lasers generate output power of 10W for red, 6W for green, and 5W for blue, resulting in a total of 21W. Furthermore, energy conversion ratios for the lasers range from 15 to 22% (18% on average), representing extremely high efficiency for power visible lasers. This high energy conversion ratio also realizes low energy consumption within the module itself. This module can be used as the light source for a range of projectors, from 1,000 lumen home theater projectors to 10,000 lumen large screen projectors, and even digital cinema projectors. According to Sony, this is due to the scalability of the module design, which outputs collimated light beams for each of the three colors, enabling multiple modules to be stacked. When used in place of the xenon lamps which are the light source for projectors today, this module realizes the following key advantages based on the strengths of its advanced laser technology:

1. Realizes high light output power of 21W with a package size of just 530cc.
Semiconductor diodes are used for the red and blue lasers, while a compact and high power solid state SHG laser is used for the green. Both the red and green lasers were developed internally by Sony. The output power of the three lasers are 10W for red, 6W of green and 5W of blue, realizing a total output power of 21W.

2. Low power consumption achieved through high energy conversion efficiency. Realizes energy conversion ratio of 15 to 22% (18% on average), representing very high efficiency for high power visible lasers. In the red and blue semiconductor lasers, this is achieved through the high quality of the semiconductor laser crystal, and thermally efficient laser chip mounting technology. In the green laser, it is achieved through a proprietary laser structure which enhances wavelength conversion efficiency. As a result of these developments, low power consumption of 110W at 5,000 lumen output has been achieved. Furthermore, the reduction in heat emissions resulting from this high efficiency enable the cooling mechanisms required for the operation of the lasers to be simplified and reduced.

3. Extended lifetime of over 10,000 hours. A further advantage of this laser-based light source is that it delivers a lifespan of over 10,000 hours (between 3 to 20 times longer than xenon lamps). By limiting the need for lamp replacement and exchange, this enables maintenance costs to be reduced.

Following consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD), the team developing the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan has included a recommendation that the DoD equip select military installations with ultra high-speed broadband connections that would provide military personnel and their families with improved access to enhanced broadband connectivity. “The nation’s military installations house, train, educate, heal, and support tens of thousands of service personnel and their families,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “These military communities should be first in line to benefit from the latest technologies and ultra high-speed connectivity. This initiative also has the potential to help spur development of the next generation of broadband applications that take advantage of ultra-high speeds.” "I'm extremely pleased that the National Broadband Plan will recognize the central role that communications technologies play not only in the training and education of military personnel, but also in that of their families," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Network and Information Integration)/DoD Chief Information Officer Cheryl J. Roby.” The FCC’s Plan outlines strategies for providing robust, affordable broadband to the entire nation and integrating broadband fully into the American economy and the daily lives of Americans. The DoD and FCC have discussed the merit of this proposal and agree this particular recommendation will be aligned with the missions of the Armed Forces. The recommendation reflects a tactic in the plan to investigate using federal facilities as a powerful way to push broadband more deeply into all corners of the nation. Military installations typically already have broadband connectivity but are ideal communities for ultra high-speed broadband connectivity, due to their scale and the variety of services they provide to military personnel and their families. The National Broadband Plan will recommend that the Defense Department create a task force, in consultation with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to make recommendations on the selection, level of connectivity, and applications that could be deployed and supported. The military would retain operational control over the requirements and project implementation. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a National Broadband Plan to Congress that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability, and the use of broadband to advance solutions to national priorities.

The National Association of Broadcasters announced today the debut of a new digital video workflow presentation stage, complete with a networking lounge and series of mini sessions, which will be held on the show floor at the 2010 NAB Show. Located in the South Lower Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Post Pit brings together user groups and individuals who use post-production and other digital story-telling software and hardware products on display at the NAB Show. Produced in partnership with Final Cut Pro User Group (FCPUG) Network SuperMeet, fxguide, Digital Production Buzz and Future Media Concepts (FMC), Post Pit will offer attendees and exhibitors an interactive experience in which to showcase creative content, while top talent take the stage to share tips and tricks to aid digital video creators and editors in navigating the various tools used in the trade. "We applaud NAB's decision to add the Post Pit as an exciting new venue to the NAB Show exhibit hall and appreciate our active role in providing speakers from within our community as highlights to the Post Pit schedule," said SuperMeet co-producers Daniel Berube (Boston FCPUG) and Michael Horton (Los Angeles FCPUG) in a joint statement. "We expect the networking prospects and guru talk offered within the Post Pit to be a big draw for content creators and digital filmmakers. Think of the Post Pit as our central gathering spot for the creative community at this year's NAB Show," they said. A networking lounge within Post Pit will provide an intimate space for attendees to meet with other content professionals, see interactive demonstrations and mingle with a broad representation of vendors including Adobe, Avid, AJA Video, Blackmagic Design, Canon, GenArts, Inc., The Foundry and JVC. Post Pit will also feature networking receptions during the day and after hours. "We're targeting serious production pros," said fxguide Co-Founder Mike Seymour, whose Post Pit program addresses high end digital capture to final feature film post production. "We've lined up directors and visual effects supervisors to share real world production techniques using the latest gear." The 2010 NAB Show runs April 12-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you’re one of the 57 million Americans who ride a bike, mapping your daily commute, exploring new trails, and planning recreational rides just became a little bit easier. Unveiled at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, Google announced today that it has added biking directions in the U.S. to Google Maps. The new feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing suggestions – similar to the directions provided by the driving, walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and destination and select “Bicycling" from the drop-down menu. You will receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly terrain whenever possible. You can also access the other features in Google Maps, such as Street View, so you can tell exactly where you might need to turn on your route or preview how wide a bike lane is, and Local Search, so you know where you can take a water break or where the bike shops are along your route. Biking directions provides time estimates for routes based on an algorithm that takes into account the length of the route, the number of hills, fatigue over time, and other variables. According to Google, thousands of miles of trails in the US have also been added directly onto the map. This helps cyclists better plan their routes, and can also expose the availability and convenience of bike trails to a new audience. Google has partnered with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit that creates networks of trails from former rail lines, to provide information on bike trails in more than 150 cities. “The demand for trail maps and information has never been higher, especially as more people recognize biking as a viable, inexpensive and healthy alternative to driving,” says Rails-to-Trails President Keith Laughlin. “Sharing our trail data is an exceptional way to introduce the world to what 150,000 RTC members and supporters already know—biking is the ideal way to get where you’re going. The addition of biking directions to Google Maps makes life easier for bikers, whether they are commuting to work or biking for fun, and it can introduce our network of trails to a whole new audience of cyclists-to-be.” Biking directions is currently in Beta available on desktop versions of Google Maps for the United States, but a mobile version is planned.

According to the latest data from digital marketing intelligence and measurement company comScore, U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January with Google Sites ranking as the top U.S. video property with 12.8 billion videos. YouTube.com accounted for nearly 99 percent of all videos viewed at the property. Hulu ranked second with 903.1 million videos, or 2.8 percent of the all online videos viewed. Microsoft Sites ranked third with 491.8 million (1.5 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 435.5 million (1.3 percent) and Viacom Digital with 361.2 million (1.1 percent). More than 173 million viewers watched an average of 187 videos per viewer during the month of January. Google Sites attracted 136.5 million unique viewers during the month (93.9 videos per viewer), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 51.5 million viewers (8.5 videos per viewer) and CBS Interactive with 41.2 million viewers, (5.3 videos per viewer). The average Hulu viewer watched 23.5 videos during the month, representing an all-time high for the property. In January, Tremor Media ranked as the top video ad network with a potential reach of 86 million viewers, or 49.6 percent of the total viewing audience. BBE ranked second with a potential reach of 78.3 million viewers (45.2 percent penetration) closely followed by Advertising.com Video Network with 77.9 million viewers (45.0 percent). comScore also noted that the top video ad networks in terms of their actual reach delivered were: BrightRoll Video Network with 27.2 percent penetration of online video viewers, SpotXchange Video Ad Network with 19.8 percent, and Tremor Media Video Network with 16.6 percent. 135.4 million viewers watched 12.7 billion videos on YouTube.com (93.4 videos per viewer) while the average Hulu viewer watched 23.5 videos, totaling 2.3 hours of videos per viewer. The company also noted that the duration of the average online video across all properties was 4.1 minutes.

The Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Thomson Licensing, Toshiba Corporation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have announced that the companies have commenced a worldwide joint licensing program. Known as the BD4C Licensing Group, which begun on March 1, 2010, the group will offer licensing for Blu-ray ("BD") and DVD patents essential for BD decoders, BD encoders, BD players, BD read-only discs, BD recordable discs, BD drives, BD/DVD hybrid discs and BD recorders ("BD Products"), including BD Products that incorporate DVD functionality. According to BD4C, potential licensees will benefit from one-stop shopping for the essential patents owned or controlled by the four companies, which will facilitate the development of the BD market. The license portfolio consists of BD and DVD patents, owned or controlled by the four companies, that are essential for BD Products. Licenses for the portfolio will be available for products that comply with the specifications for the BD formats promulgated by the Blu-ray Disc Association. The group said interested parties are also free to negotiate separate license agreements, rather than taking a single portfolio license, with each of the four companies, which have committed to provide such licenses for their respective essential patents under fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms and conditions. The companies have authorized Toshiba to act as licensor for the BD4C Licensing Group in licensing their essential BD patents for this joint licensing program. Royalties under the terms of the portfolio license will be as follows:

HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification, this week announced, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, the release of HDMI Specification Version 1.4a featuring key enhancements for 3D applications including the addition of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content as well as the addition of the 3D format referred to as Top-and-Bottom. The latest HDMI Specification adds key enhancements to support the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into the home including the addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification as well as the addition Side-by-Side Horizontal and Top-and-Bottom mandatory formats for broadcast content. According to HDMI with the addition of these two mandatory formats, the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a provides a level of interoperability for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection allowing devices to speak a common 3D language when transmitting and receiving 3D content. The complete HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, along with the 1.4a version of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS), is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet. An extraction of the 3D portion of Specification Version 1.4a is available for public download on the HDMI Web site. The purpose of the extraction document is to provide public access to the 3D portion of the HDMI Specification for those companies and organizations that are not HDMI Adopters but require access to this portion of the Specification. "We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content," said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. "When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs." HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the Specification Version 1.4a to build and sell products that are compliant with 1.4a as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a. This also applies to legacy set-top boxes that may have upgraded to use Specification Version 1.4 signaling.

Cupertino, California based Apple Inc. this week filed a lawsuit against fellow consumer electronics and smartphone maker High Tech Computer (HTC), for infringing on what Apple calls 20 patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware. "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." According to HTC, the Taiwanese company, the world’s largest maker of smartphones that use Google’s Android mobile operating system, including the Nexus One, has been building mobile devices including smartphones for 13 years, “and so HTC is not only a mobile technology innovator, [we] also hold a large number of patents,” the company said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Apple’s filing includes smartphones from HTC that use Google’s Android OS as well as some that run Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS. HTC will work with the U.S. justice system to protect its own innovations and rights, it said, adding that it does not believe the Apple lawsuit poses a threat to its business in the short-term. Apple is credited with having reinvented the mobile phone in 2007 with its revolutionary iPhone, and again in 2008 with its pioneering App Store, which now offers more than 150,000 mobile applications in over 90 countries. Over 40 million iPhones have been sold worldwide. It is not unusual however, for technology companies to file lawsuits against each other. As popularity of smartphones increase, smartphone vendors have been actively filing lawsuits. Sometimes for legitimate claims and sometimes as a ploy to harm a rival’s business. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone vendor, sued Apple last October over the alleged infringement of 10 patents. Apple turned around and sued Nokia over claims of its own.

Hollywood's hopes for a future built on digital film downloads have been severely undermined by new research showing cooling consumer demand for movies online. The film industry was banking on digital distribution eventually replacing the income it generates from sales of DVDs, which have been in steep decline for the past two years. But while sales of digital films rose sharply in 2007 and 2008 growth stuttered in 2009, according to a recent report by Screen Digest. The media research group had forecast total online movie sales in the US of $360m for 2009, based on the sharp growth of 2007 and a near doubling of sales in 2008 to $219m. Yet after a slowdown in the second half of the year, US revenues for 2009 were substantially lower than forecast at $291m. "The market just cooled off," said Arash Amel, a research director with Screen Digest. "This wasn't caused by economic factors . . . the level of interest in digital downloads just isn't there." He believes consumers have been deterred by an array of competing online platforms that prevent viewers from watching digitally downloaded films on the devices of their choice. A consumer buying a film from Apple's iTunes store is unable to watch it on their Microsoft Xbox console, for example. "Digital downloading is characterised by its restrictions – it's all about what viewers can't do, rather than what they can do,"added Mr Amel. Hollywood has moved to address problems associated with digital distribution yet the industry is divided on the best way forward. Disney has created Keychest, which it describes as "enabling technology" that allows consumers to buy a film once and watch it anywhere. But the rest of the industry is supporting the rival Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem coalition, which is backed by Sony Pictures. With no immediate solution in sight, the Screen Digest report is likely to make grim reading in Hollywood. The private equity and hedge fund money that poured into the industry fuelling a production boom has evaporated following the financial crisis, leaving the studios desperate for new revenue sources. While studios have made efforts to cut the pay offered to top stars, the number of films going into production in 2009 fell almost 20 per cent to 520 and is forecast to fall again this year. Screen Digest has slashed its growth forecasts for digital film sales by 30 per cent after the smaller-than-expected rise last year. 

South Korean giant, Samsung Electronics this week announced it has begun mass producing a super-wide LCD panel for out-of-home advertising and informational displays. The new 43-inch LCD panel produces images with a panoramic aspect ratio of 4:1, compared to conventional standard (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) panels. Featuring Full HD-ready (1920x480 resolution), this new super-wide panel can be utilized in subway stations, airports, shopping malls and schools, where existing standard panels are unable to effectively deliver information. In addition, the Samsung super-wide digital information display (DID) panel allows for effective delivery of related information in various formats through split screens. With the capability to run three VGA (640x480) screens at once or individually, the panel can present different combinations of video and text in contiguous displays. According to Samung, the company has already converted some of its facilities to mass-produce the super-wide LCD panels. It expects to produce 12 super-wide LCD panels per substrate on its 7th generation production line. According to DisplaySearch, a global market research firm, the market for DID LCD panels is expected to grow from 1.33 million in 2010 to 6.57 million units in 2015. It is also projected that LCD panels will account for nearly 90 percent of the DID market in 2015.

According to a new survey conducted jointly by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism, the overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) currently use multiple platforms to get their daily news. The internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio. Getting news online fits into a broad pattern of news consumption by Americans; six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day. The internet and mobile technologies are key in understanding how people’s relationship to news is changing. According to the report, in today’s new multi-platform media environment, news is becoming portable, personalized, and participatory:

• Portable: 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones.

•Personalized: 28% of internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and on topics that particularly interest them.

•Participatory: 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

In a step toward comprehensive reform of Video Relay Service (VRS), the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau issued a Declaratory Ruling to reaffirm the FCC’s rules and policies concerning VRS reimbursement and calling practices, and maximize efficiency and effectiveness of this program to ensure that the communications needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers are met. VRS is a form of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) that enables deaf and hard-of hearing persons who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with voice telephone users through video equipment, rather than through typed text. Video equipment links the VRS user with an operator who understands ASL and can serve as an intermediary between a person using ASL and a hearing person using his or her voice. Because the conversation between the VRS user and the operator flows much more quickly than with a text-based TRS call, VRS has become an enormously popular form of TRS. However, the Commission also recognizes that VRS is vulnerable to both fraud and abuse. As the Commission moves forward with VRS reform to address these issues, it emphasizes that the Commission is committed to ensuring that VRS continues to be readily available in accordance with the Act for those who depend upon it to access the nation’s telephone system. Bureau Chief Joel Gurin said: “Today’s action is a first step in fixing a system that is broken. It is essential to keep VRS on a sound footing. Consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing have come to rely on VRS as a service that lets them communicate easily, fluently, and expressively. The Telecommunications Relay Service Fund was established to support exactly that kind of communication. But the Fund can’t be used to support practices that are designed only to increase payments to VRS providers, rather than providing a necessary service for people who need it. We’re taking a strong first step today to stop these practices and ensure that the Fund is always used to benefit the deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers it was designed to help.” In the Declaratory Ruling, the Bureau addressed three specific reimbursement and calling practices. Specifically, the Bureau emphasized that:

· Calls made by or to employees of VRS providers and their subcontractors are not eligible for compensation from the TRS Fund on a per-minute basis. Instead, costs of these calls are compensable as a business expense – and only if the VRS provider can demonstrate that they are legitimate business calls. In the past, some providers sought compensation for these costs twice, both at the per-minute rate and as business expenses
submitted to the Fund administrator. The ruling emphasizes that these costs are compensable only as business expenses, that the expenses must be justified, and that the costs cannot be recovered twice.

· VRS Voice Carry Over (or VCO) is a service that allows a person who is deaf or hard of hearing to use his or her own voice to speak to a hearing party on a VRS call. The VRS
operator will then translate the hearing person’s response into ASL for the deaf person on the call. It is possible to abuse VCO to make free long distance calls between two
people using their voices. Today’s ruling states that such calls cannot be paid for by the Fund.

· VRS calls that both originate and terminate outside of the United States are not compensable from the Fund.

New York based, Cablevision Systems Corp. this week announced the development of what the company calls a new, first-of-its-kind service, named PC to TV Media Relay, that will allow its digital cable customers to relay whatever information or images currently appear on their computer screen to their television in real-time, without any additional equipment in the home. Cablevision says the service will enable the customer to securely send information on their PC in real-time through Cablevision's network facilities to a dedicated channel viewable only by that customer. The service eliminates the need to change input settings on the TV, or the need to purchase and install additional equipment. A simple one-time software download to the computer will enable the PC to TV Media Relay service. According to the company, some example uses of the new service include:

• Personal stored media such as photos, home videos and music
• Internet content including streaming video sites and audio such as Internet radio
• Some productivity applications including email, documents and spreadsheets
• And, other Desktop applications such as widgets

At the end of 2008, the outlook for 2009 TV sales worldwide was radically scaled back after the global economy suffered a massive setback. The expected downturn in consumer demand seemed likely to make 2009 a bleak year for TV shipments. However, shipments far exceeded initial expectations as consumers snapped up discounted products. According to a recent report from DisplaySearch, global TV shipments grew 2% overall to 211 million units, and flat panel TV technologies like LCD enjoyed better growth in 2009 on a unit basis than during 2008, rising 37% vs. 34%, respectively. The final quarter of 2009 showed even stronger year-over-year (Y/Y) unit shipment growth, rising 17% Y/Y overall with LCD TVs climbing 50% Y/Y, the strongest growth in LCD TV units since Q4’07, although Q4’08 was very weak. Strong flat panel TV shipment growth in emerging markets like China (more than 100% Y/Y) led the flat panel share of total annual TV shipments to pass 75% for the first time, with more than 90% of all TV revenues. One of the key drivers of growth was the acceleration of average selling price erosion driven by cost reductions at the component level, but also by decreasing margins at the brand and retail level. Coupled with greater consumer price sensitivity that resulted in much slower average screen size growth, the global volume-weighted ASP declined more than 8% worldwide and fell as much as 24% Y/Y for LCD TVs, the largest decline since DisplaySearch began tracking the TV marketplace. “The better-than-expected 2009 results clearly demonstrate that consumers still have a strong desire to purchase flat panel TVs, but at the same time are willing to shift their buying behavior to match their budget in a recession-plagued year,” noted Paul Gagnon, Director of North America TV Market Research for DisplaySearch. “We saw a lot more compromise on size and features in 2009, with a greater number of consumers perhaps opting to upgrade smaller secondary sets and postpone getting a larger living room set than we would have seen in a normal economy.” Samsung achieved their highest revenue share ever, reaching a record 23.6% of global TV revenues in Q4’09. This high revenue share is the result of being the global leader in units as well as having a strong mix of larger screen sizes as well as leading positions in advanced technologies like LED backlit and high frame rate LCD TVs, all of which support higher average prices. Samsung has been #1 in both TV units and revenues worldwide every quarter for more than three years now, achieving a 22.6% share of 2009 full year TV revenues. LGE was the #2 brand worldwide in TV shipment revenues and demonstrated the strongest annual growth among the top five brands, an indicator of the aggressive market share growth campaign the brand undertook in 2009. Sony was #3 in global TV revenues during Q4’09 at 11.5%, up sharply from 9.9% in Q4’09, as sales for Sony surged during the holidays, typically a strong quarter for the company. Sony had the largest Q/Q shipment growth among the top five in Q4’09. However, Sony’s full year 2009 total TV revenue share was down almost 2 percentage points from 2008, to 11.5%, and is at the lowest level since 2005 when it last led the overall TV market. Panasonic and Sharp ranked fourth and fifth for global revenue, respectively.

Retail giant, Walmart announced this week a definitive agreement to acquire VUDU, Inc., instant access provider of digital movies and TV shows directly through broadband connected televisions, Blu-ray players and set top boxes. Currently, VUDU has licensing agreements with almost every major movie studio and dozens of independent and international distributors to offer approximately 16,000 movies, including the largest 1080p library of available video on-demand movies. According to VUDU, the company will continue developing entertainment and information delivery solutions such as VUDU Apps, a platform that delivers hundreds of streaming Internet applications and services to TVs and Blu-ray players with built-in Internet connectivity. Since its founding in 2004, the company has partnered with some of the biggest names in Internet and media entertainment to offer applications on its platform including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, The New York Times and The Associated Press. "We are excited about the opportunity to take our company's vision to the next level," said Edward Lichty, VUDU executive vice president. "VUDU's services and Apps platform will give Walmart a powerful new vehicle to offer customers the content they want in a way that expands the frontier of quality, value and convenience." VUDU, based in Santa Clara, Calif., will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart. The company is not disclosing financial terms of the agreement as the acquisition is not material to its first quarter earnings for fiscal year 2011. The deal is expected to close within the next few weeks.

The National Association of Broadcasters has announced the 2010 NAB Show will debut Destination Broadband, a dynamic new exhibit area focusing on advances and applications for broadband technology. Featuring more than 50 leading-edge companies and a presentation theater, Destination Broadband will examine the entire online video experience within the broadband ecosystem from back end infrastructure to revolutionary technologies for the home. According to NAB, a pavilion within Destination Broadband will feature three specialized areas - Broadband Innovations, Mobile Solutions and Broadband Lifestyles, a living room-like setting for consumer products and services. The pavilion will comprise more than 25 companies showcasing the latest in content delivery network solutions, online video, IPTV, video streaming and advertising and monetization platforms enabled by broadband. "The ability of broadband technology to increase audience reach across multiple platforms, expand monetization options and make anytime, anywhere content a reality will profoundly impact the future of media and entertainment," said NAB Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations Chris Brown. "We are excited to present Destination Broadband as a showcase for the companies that are leading innovation in this important area."

Some of the companies featured in Destination Broadband include:

AdJuggler, Inc.
Level-3 Communications
Ankeena Networks
Limelight Networks
AT&T
Opera Software
Backchannelmedia
MobiClip
Brightcove
Neulion
Cisco
TVUNetworks
Digisoft tv
Vericorder Technology
Internap
Verizon Wireless

Thanks to its huge sales and high memory usage, Apple Inc.’s iPhone is expected to generate insatiable demand for NAND-type flash memory in 2010, helping to strain supplies for the year, according to market intelligence company iSuppli Corp. Partly owing to demand driven by the iPhone and competitive products, global NAND flash revenue will rise to $18.1 billion in 2010, up 34 percent from $13.5 billion in 2009, according to a preliminary forecast. This compares to a 14.8 percent increase in 2009. “An average of 35.2Gbytes of NAND will be used in each iPhone sold in 2010, iSuppli estimates,” said Michael Yang, senior analyst for memory and storage at iSuppli. “Furthermore, iPhone shipments are set to rise to 33 million in 2010, up 31.5 percent from 25.1 million in 2009. With the iPhone already the largest application for NAND, this huge growth is likely to lead to some periods of undersupply for the year.” Beyond the smart-phone segment, a number of other new products are driving the NAND market in 2010, including eBooks and tablet PCs. However, while eBooks such as the Amazon Kindle may follow a similar growth path as Apple’s iPods, they don’t use nearly as much NAND flash memory. eBooks contain a mere 512MBytes to 2GBytes of embedded NAND included in each device. And although density will no doubt grow in the coming years as wireless Internet enables more features and functionality, NAND usage in eBooks will remain low in 2010, iSuppli predicts.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and redbox today announced a new multi-year distribution agreement that will make Warner Bros. new release DVD and Blu-ray titles available to redbox customers after a 28-day window. The agreement also marks the end of the lawsuit that redbox filed against Warner Home Video in August 2009. According to redbox, the new arrangement provides the company with reduced product costs, sufficient quantities of product and optimal stock levels four weeks after street date as well as extends redbox’s access to Blu-ray titles, which redbox is currently testing in select markets. The agreement also provides Warner Bros. the opportunity to maximize the sales of new release titles as well as video on demand and other forms of digital distribution. “This agreement enables redbox to fulfill our commitment to providing consumers affordable and convenient home entertainment,” said Mitch Lowe, president, redbox. “By agreeing to a delayed release date, redbox can now acquire Warner Home Video titles at a reduced product cost, preserving value for our consumers and increasing customer access to Warner titles at redbox locations nationwide.” Warner Home Video and redbox will be implementing delayed availability during the month of March and will reach a four-week window by March 23, 2010. The new agreement will run through January 31, 2012. Redbox has also agreed to destroy Warner Home Video content following its life span in kiosks.

The Federal Communications Commission has made what the agency calls an important step toward promoting competition and innovation in the video distribution market by establishing a process for considering, on a case-by-case basis, complaints about the availability of terrestrially delivered, cable- affiliated programming, addressing what is commonly referred to as the “terrestrial loophole.” These new rules allow DBS providers, telcos and other competitors to obtain more of the “must have” programming they need to offer viable alternative video packages to consumers and an opportunity to file complaints if the programming is withheld. The Order promotes competition, fosters innovation and empowers consumers, all while creating a fair process for the Commission to handle pending and new claims in a speedy and just manner. The Order concludes the Commission has authority under Section 628(b) of the Communications Act to take action if a cable operator engages in unfair acts with respect to terrestrially delivered, cable- affiliated programming that significantly hinder a multichannel video programming distributor from providing satellite cable programming to consumers. The Commission adopts a rebuttable presumption that an unfair act involving a terrestrially delivered, cable-affiliated regional sports network has the purpose or effect set forth in Section 628(b). The Order adopts rules permitting complainants to pursue program access claims similar to the claims they may pursue involving satellite-delivered, cable-affiliated programming. Because the claims involving terrestrial programming require an additional factual inquiry regarding whether the unfair act significantly hinders the complainant from providing satellite cable programming to consumers, additional time will be given to present rebuttal information. The Commission has before it a number of specific complaints alleging that cable operators have significantly hindered competition by withholding from their rivals terrestrially delivered regional sports networks. The Order does not decide those complaints but describes how they can be handled going forward. It provides that complainants may continue to pursue their complaints as filed. If, instead, a complainant wants a currently pending complaint to be considered under the new rules, it may submit a supplemental filing alleging that the defendant has engaged in an unfair act after the effective date of the rules. The Order also establishes procedures for the Commission’s consideration of requests for a temporary standstill of the price, terms, and other conditions of an existing programming contract by a program access complainant seeking renewal of such a contract. "Today’s action represents a major step toward realizing the promise of a competitive marketplace for video services -- while also supporting innovation in the video marketplace. Our new rules are structured to preserve incentives for cable operators to develop innovative programming such as local news networks. The new rules also create a fair process for the Commission to adjudicate claims" said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in an official statement.

Satellite pay-TV provider, DISH Network along with Oberon Media and The Tetris Company, this week announced the launch of Tetris TV, a new interactive TV game service. According to DISH, Tetris TV features two popular Tetris games: Marathon and 40-Lines. Marathon has 15 challenging levels of game play, and 40-Lines is a race to clear 40 lines in as fast a time as possible. With a 25 year history, the Tetris game continues to be one of the most widely recognized video games of all time. According to some researchers, the game is an excellent tool for neuroscience research and has been used in over 30 scientific studies. Research published in 2009 in BMC Research Notes found that study participants who played Tetris showed increased brain efficiency and, relative to controls, an increase in brain tissue. "Working with Oberon Media to release Tetris TV allows us to reach millions of our fans in yet another way," said Henk Rogers, CEO of Blue Planet Software, the company that manages the exclusive licensing rights to the Tetris game. "Interactive TV is an exciting venture for us, as we're always hoping to give Tetris players a unique way to enjoy the game on their own and while interacting with each other. What's better, a study published this year by BMC Research Notes showed how playing Tetris can create positive changes in our brains--so we're happy to say that now, with the release of the Tetris TV service, TV could be good for you!" DISH said future releases of the Tetris TV service will allow subscribers to be able to compete with other DISH Network subscribers by posting their names and scores to national leader boards managed by Oberon Media's iTV community as well as tournaments and prizes for top players. Tetris TV is currently available to all North American DISH Network customers for $2.99 per month. Oberon said it is planning to roll out the service with additional partners worldwide.

As mobile phones and digital devices have become higher-performance and continuously feature higher functionality in recent years, there has been demand for A/D converters that are concurrently compact and more power-efficient. In digital equipment, the A/D converter often accounts for a large share of the equipment's total power consumption, making it an obvious target for technologies that can reduce power consumption. Most A/D converters used in digital devices and mobile phones today are pipelined A/D converters used to amplify signals. Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. last week announced the development of a successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter) that detects variations in electronic characteristics and automatically compensates for them, achieving performance on par with existing pipelined A/D converters, while reducing both the size and power consumption by 90% or one-tenth (1/10) that of previously-developed A/D converters. Smaller, more efficient A/D converters have ramifications beyond the performance of the A/D converter itself. The system LSI device that the A/D converter is a part of can also be made smaller and more power-efficient, having a significant effect on the power efficiency of the device overall. According to the company, the new SAR A/D converter features 10-bit resolution and a 50 megasamples-per-second (MS/s) conversion rate. This attained the lowest power consumption (highest power efficiency) of any A/D converter in this class of 820 µW. Fujitsu said it will proceed to further develop this technology for application in digital home appliances, mobile phones and digital TV tuners and will also work on adapting the technology to further miniaturization processes, and plans to use the technology in various other analog circuits as well. Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11.

Despite the growing amount of video available online, less than 8% of U.S. broadband households are considering canceling their pay-TV services in favor of online video, according to a recent report from research and analysis firm Parks Associates. According to Parks, the results from the report, All Eyes on Video are in line with previous Parks Associates studies, which do not show an appreciable likelihood of subscriber churn in favor of online video services. A 2008 study reported 11% of U.S. broadband households were considering canceling pay-TV services, and in an earlier 2009 survey, the number was 10%. The report found approximately 5.5 million homes would be open to canceling pay TV due in part to the availability of online video. At the same time, one-half of these households are also considering a switch to a new pay-TV provider, indicating the primary threats to companies such as Verizon, Comcast, DirecTV, and Cablevision are still their traditional competitors. The households likely to switch or cancel their services watch a whopping 10 hours of online video each week, much higher than typical video consumers. They express strong interest in having online access to pay-TV channels (e.g., TV Everywhere), which highlights an opportunity for traditional pay-TV providers to solidify their base through the deployment of such features. Offline video consumption is also higher. Their median number of DVD rentals from the last six months is 18, compared to two rentals among other households. "The threat of cannibalization is real but misunderstood," said John Barrett, director, research, Parks Associates. "Nobody is going to rely on online video alone—households likely to cancel their TV services are going to use a mixture of online video, free-to-air broadcasts, and DVDs, including rental services such as Netflix and redbox." Barrett also discounted the immediate threat of migration to online video. "Very few households have made the switch, a sign that the alternative is not yet compelling. Just 0.5% of broadband households (350,000 homes) had pay TV, cancelled it, and now watch five or more hours of online video per week. People who have made the switch to online video are few in number, and they don’t watch much TV anyway." All Eyes on Video surveyed U.S. and Canadian broadband households to gauge current consumer usage and attitudes for advanced video devices and services. Parks Associates will release results and analysis of the Canadian survey late February 2010.

Everything giant, Google has announced this week that the company is planning to build and test its own ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. At a speed of 1 gigabit per second, the fiber-to-the-home connections from Google will deliver Internet connectivity nearly 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. According to Google, its goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone. The company has urged the FCC to look at new and creative ways to get there in its National Broadband Plan. Here are some specific things Google has in mind:

Next generation apps - We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.

New deployment techniques - We'll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.

Openness and choice - We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.

Nintendo of America Inc. and Netflix, Inc. have announced an agreement that will allow Netflix members who are also owners of Nintendo’s Wii home console to instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix directly to their televisions. The partnership between the two companies will extend the reach of content streamed from Netflix farther than ever before, thanks to the mainstream popularity of the Wii console. Wii remains the fastest-selling home console in history, and according to Netflix, reaches more consumers than any other device that currently supports streaming movies from the company. In December 2009, Nintendo sold well in excess of 3 million Wii consoles in the United States. “Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet.” To enable their systems to stream content from Netflix, Wii owners will need a Netflix instant-streaming disc for the Wii console, which will be available at no additional cost to Netflix subscribers. The free disc looks and operates the same as a disc-based Wii game, and the entire user experience and is intended to feel natural and intuitive to Wii console owners. Using the Wii Remote controller, members will be able to choose a movie or TV episode to watch from their instant Queues or pick one directly from any of the lists. They will also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies, and will have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding their selection. While no exact date was mentioned, Netflix said it is scheduled to go live on the Wii console this spring in the United States at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.

This week, Sharp Corporation and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. signed a settlement agreement to end ongoing patent infringement disputes over LCD panels and modules. Since 2007, each company had brought lawsuits against the other in the U.S., Japan, Korea, and Europe, alleging that each company infringes on the other's patents for LCD panels and modules. In March 2008, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) instituted an investigation based on a complaint filed by Sharp. Sharp's complaint alleged violations of its LCD patents and was seeking to ban the imports of certain liquid crystal display devices and products produced by Samsung into the United States. The Commission later announced in favor of Sharp. As a result, the Commission banned the unlicensed entry of Samsung's LCD devices, including specific display panels and modules and products to the U.S.. Samsung was also not allowed to advertise and distribute products that infringe Sharp's patents. The latest lawsuits were filed against Sharp for "infringing 3 patents related to liquid crystal technology," with Samsung not willing to disclose more details. However, based on this settlement, all lawsuits will be promptly withdrawn, bringing an end to all patent infringement litigation between the two companies. According to Sharp, this settlement will allow the two companies to mutually utilize the disputed patents relating to LCD panels and modules, owned worldwide by each company. The company said it will continue to further strive for innovation in the field of advanced LCD displays to meet market demand.

Tokyo based Sony Corporation today announced the development of millimeter-wave wireless intra-connection technology that realizes high speed wireless data transfer inside electronic products such as television sets. By replacing complicated wires and internal circuitry with wireless connections, this technology enables a reduction in the size and cost of the IC and other components used in electronics products, delivering advantages such as size and cost-reduction and enhanced reliability of the final product. The advancing functionality of today's electronics products requires ever increasing quantities of internal data transfer. Once wired connections approach the limit of their data capacity, additional circuitry is required to facilitate larger data transfers, however this leads to the issue of increasingly complicated IC packages, intricately printed circuit boards, and larger IC sizes. According to Sony, this new wireless intra-connection system is based on millimeter-wave wireless data transfer technology. Millimeter-wave refers to electromagnetic waves with a frequency of 30GHz to 300GHz, and wavelength between 1mm to 10mm. With their high frequency, millimeter-waves are suited to ultra high speed data transfer, while a further advantage is their ability to transfer data using only very small antennas. The high frequency technologies used in this system also draw on the company's years of experience in the field of wireless communications and broadcast products. Specifically, Sony has integrated highly energy efficient millimeter-wave circuits on 40nm-CMOS-LSIs (with an active footprint of just 0.13mm2 including both the transmitter and receiver), to realize high speed, 11Gbps data transfer over a distance of 14mm using antennas approximately 1mm in size. By replacing physical circuitry in electronics products with high speed wireless connections, this new data transfer technology reduces the number of wired connections and minimizes IC use, to simplify the IC package and printed circuit board. Furthermore, because the data transfer occurs without contact, this enhances the reliability of movable and detachable parts within the product. Sony said it will proceed with efforts to adopt this technology in a range of electronics products, while continuing its development to meet ever-increasing data-rate requirements. The new technology will be presented at ISSCC 2010, to be held in San Francisco, California from February 7th - 11th 2010.

In a just-published paper in the magazine Science, IBM researchers demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far for any graphene device - 100 billion cycles/second (100 GigaHertz). This accomplishment is a key milestone for the Carbon Electronics for RF Applications (CERA) program funded by DARPA, in an effort to develop next-generation communication devices. The high frequency record was achieved using wafer-scale, epitaxially grown graphene using processing technology compatible to that used in advanced silicon device fabrication. "A key advantage of graphene lies in the very high speeds in which electrons propagate, which is essential for achieving high-speed, high-performance next generation transistors," said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president, Science and Technology, IBM Research. "The breakthrough we are announcing demonstrates clearly that graphene can be utilized to produce high performance devices and integrated circuits." Graphene is a single atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a hexagonal honeycomb-like arrangement. This two-dimensional form of carbon has unique electrical, optical, mechanical and thermal properties and its technological applications are being explored intensely. Uniform and high-quality graphene wafers were synthesized by thermal decomposition of a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. The graphene transistor itself utilized a metal top-gate architecture and a novel gate insulator stack involving a polymer and a high dielectric constant oxide. The gate length was modest, 240 nanometers, leaving plenty of space for further optimization of its performance by scaling down the gate length. It is noteworthy that the frequency performance of the graphene device already exceeds the cut-off frequency of state-of-the-art silicon transistors of the same gate length (~ 40 GigaHertz). Similar performance was obtained from devices based on graphene obtained from natural graphite, proving that high performance can be obtained from graphene of different origins. Previously, the team had demonstrated graphene transistors with a cut-off frequency of 26 GigaHertz using graphene flakes extracted from natural graphite.

Outdoor advertising firm, CBS Outdoor and 3D display and visualization product maker N4D have teamed up to launch Grand Central Station's first 3D digital signage campaign. A first in digital outdoor advertising, the centerpiece of the campaign is a 14 foot screen displaying commercials in physiologically correct 3D. According to CBS Outdoor, brand ambassadors will be distributing special 3D glasses to the approximately 70,000 commuters that pass by the display every day. N4D estimates that over 1,000,000 viewers will see the 3D spots, which feature a voice-over performance by Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. To develop the famous Manhattan terminal's 3D display, N4D partnered with digital projection experts Christie and Lightspeed Design Inc's DepthQ. Christie is providing a true high definition 3D active stereo projector, the Christie Mirage HD6. CEO of N4D, Clif Parker explained "N4D's goal is to change the way the world views information. N4D's 20 years of research offer a new paradigm - 3D for extended daily use. This 3D technology provides CBS Outdoor with a definite edge in the signage industry. It also ensures that their customers and viewers of the 3D advertisements will enjoy the world's most comfortable 3D experience." There will also be 3D dioramas scattered throughout the station that will be running throughout the day and appear dimensional to the naked eye, giving the impression you can see around certain elements of the creative. The campaign, which will span the entire month of February, includes more than 100 pieces of client media elements throughout the station. The 3D commercials will be shown daily from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM while other broadcast commercials will be shown at all other times.

- Continuing the work of the National Broadband Plan and broadband map;
- Implementation of a spectrum inventory initiative and emergency response interoperability
center;
- State-of-the-art consumer information programs, seizing the opportunities provided by new
media and advanced information technology;
- New investment in the people and technology necessary to overhaul the agency’s antiquated
systems for data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination;
- New expertise and new tools required to ensure that the FCC is able to be a model of excellence, openness, and transparency domestically and internationally.

The request would also provide funds to cover mandatory increases in salaries and benefits and inflationary increases for contractual services. The complete copy of the Commission’s FY 2011 budget submission is available on the FCC’s Web site at: www.fcc.gov.

Improved navigation - The NAB.org redesign boasts improved navigation that helps users find content faster, including new Radio and Television pages accessible from the main navigation bar.
Legislative and regulatory issues pages - An online Advocacy section, featuring an overview of key regulatory and legislative issues, is now accessible from the main navigation bar. Updated content from the NAB.org Newsroom, including news releases and position statements, is seamlessly integrated into each issue page.
Newsroom upgrade - News releases, position statements and multimedia resources, including high-resolution photographs, are accessible in the NAB.org newsroom. New to the online newsroom is a filter function that allows visitors to view news releases related to a specific topic or issue. Visitors can also subscribe to a RSS feed for updated NAB news releases and legal filings.
NAB member offerings - NAB members will be given password-protected access to exclusive member-only content, including newsletters and counsel memos.

According to the association, these latest changes are just a few of the significant enhancements it has planned for the site, and there are plenty more coming in the next few weeks. In the meantime, the NAB asks that you please feel free to share your comments, suggestions and questions by emailing them at nab@nab.org.

A U.S. team is on-the-ground in Haiti evaluating the status of the country’s communications infrastructure and services following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th. The team was deployed in response to a request from Director General Montàigne Marcelin of Conseil National des Télécommunications (Conatel), the communications agency in Haiti, in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “The resilience of the Haitian people through this devastating disaster has been remarkable,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, M.D. “The ability for the government, small businesses, medical providers, relief workers and families to communicate easily is essential going forward. We appreciate the generosity of the FCC to immediately lend its expertise in assessing the damage and working alongside the Haitians to accelerate the rebuilding.” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “I am grateful that the FCC can lend a helping hand in the Haitian relief effort by providing on-the-ground support and expertise. The FCC team, led by International Bureau Chief Mindel De La Torre, will continue to work with Conatel and local Haitian telecommunications providers to come up with practical and sound options for restoring communications services to the people of Haiti.” Speaking from Port-au-Prince, Ms. De La Torre said, “After seeing the destruction of the country, and particularly the telecommunications infrastructure, I have a much better understanding of the monumental task to keep communications up and running in such a difficult environment. What is clear is that the communications sector is making a huge difference on a day-to-day basis for Haitians struggling with tremendous personal and property losses. We are honored to be working hand-in-hand with Conatel on the critical task of restoring communications services to our neighbors in Haiti and to all sectors of the country’s economy.” International Bureau Chief De La Torre, along with Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) Chief Engineer, William Lane, Ph.D., is working closely with Conatel to identify the communications needs and priorities of the Haitian government, to assess damage to key communications facilities and services, and to evaluate options for restoration of services. In addition to the IB Chief and PSHSB Chief Engineer, the FCC team includes three staff who initially deployed to Haiti days after the earthquake to support a FEMA Mobile Emergency Response Team, two additional FCC engineers, and two industry experts. Combined, the communications sector assessment team brings decades of technical, regulatory and disaster- recovery experience across the communications sector to the people of Haiti. The FCC will provide periodic updates on the team’s activities on the “Helping Haiti” blog at www.fcc.gov/blog.

• Ads that run early in the game are better remembered and better liked than those airing later in the game.
• A “winning” spot can vary depending on an advertiser’s goals and target demographics.
• Traffic to advertiser Web sites spiked on the day after last year’s Super Bowl.
• In the last five years, the biggest Super Bowl advertiser is Anheuser-Busch, which spent over $100 million on its Bud and Bud Light brands alone.
• Motion Pictures form the biggest category of ad spending, which leads to an immediate surge in online buzz for the advertised films.

“This survey reinforces the value of the Super Bowl as a marketing bonanza, featuring one of the most receptive TV audiences in the world,” said Randall Beard, executive vice president of Nielsen IAG. “With so many viewers waiting for the pitch, the pressure is on advertisers to create and place ads that will have a lasting impact.” According to Nielsen, results were based on a sample of over 25,000 households in Nielsen’s Homescan panel. This year's big game (and commercials) airs Sunday, February 7, 2010.

AJA Ki Pro Tapeless Video Recorder In Stock!

Post-production redefined...during production.

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comScore's qSearch analysis is based on the five major search engines including partner searches and cross-channel searches. Searches for mapping, local directory, and user-generated video sites that are not on the core domain of the five search engines are not included in the core search numbers...

• Clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances.
• Take back and recycle their products responsibly once they become obsolete.
• Reduce the climate impacts of their operations and products.

A perfect score is 10.0 -The latest rankings are as follows:

Nokia (7.3)
Sony Ericsson (6.9)
Toshiba (5.3)
Philips (5.3)
Apple (5.1)
LG Electronics (5.1)
Sony (5.1)
Motorola (5.1)
Samsung (5.1)
Panasonic (4.9)
HP (4.7)
Acer (4.5)
Sharp (4.5)
Dell (3.9)
Fujitsu (3.5)
Lenovo (2.5)
Microsoft (2.4)
Nintendo (1.4)

According to Greenpeace, each score is based solely on public information on the companies website. Companies found not to be following their published policies will be deducted penalty point in future versions of the guide. The guide is updated every few months. The current edition was published on January 7, 2010.

• Free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls
• Pay Calls to landline or mobile phones
• The option to receive inbound calls via a user's online Skype number
• Skype voicemail
• Being invited to participate in voice conference calls with up to 24 other parties

To conduct a Skype video call on a VIERA CAST HDTV, a specially-designed Panasonic camera, which is sold as a separate accessory, is connected to the television. The camera includes a microphone system that can easily pick up sound from couch-distance. According to Panasonic, it will deliver up to 720p high definition video quality depending on the consumer's internet bandwidth. "The addition of Skype to our VIERA CAST offerings truly takes HDTV connectivity to a whole new level," said Bob Perry, Vice President, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "VIERA CAST was created to offer Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners a new level of entertainment by giving them access to some of the most popular content-driven web sites. Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now not only share photos and videos online; with Skype they can also talk to family and friends from the comfort of their living room." The new televisions are expected to be available spring 2010. The International Consumer Electronics Show runs January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Belden’s new Solar Cable family features:
• 18 to 8 AWG, single soft annealed tinned stranded copper
conductors
• XLPE insulation and sunlight-resistant Black PVC jackets
• Temperature rating from -40o C to 90o C
• Maximum Operating Voltage; 600 or 1000 VRMS (UL PV) or 1000 VRMS (CSA RW 90). Optional construction available for 2000 VRMS RHW-2
• Standard Lengths of 1000 ft (304.8 m) and 5000 ft (609.6 m)

In addition to being rated UL Type PV (photovoltaic) UL 4703 and USE-2, Belden’s new Solar Cables are meet VW-1 flame test, are CE approved and RoHS compliant. "Our new line of Solar Cables is just the beginning, signaling an ongoing plan to develop and bring to market additional green technology products over the coming months. All of our alternative energy solutions will, of course, reflect Belden’s long-standing commitment to quality and consistency in product design and manufacturing.” added Koditek...

The WiGig version 1.0 specification includes the following key elements...