HP Exits Media Center Business, Drops DEC Line
,----[ Quote ]
| HP is pulling out of the Digital Entertainment Center (DEC) business.
| The company that pioneered the living-room form factor for Media
| Center Edition (MCE) PCs has decided to drop the line.
`----
http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/18066.html
Just one among many failures for MCE and MS-IPTV (see below).
Related:
Microsoft shuns IPTV open standards - is a web TV format war brewing?
,----[ Quote ]
| As if consumers didn't have enough to contend with, the fact
| Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent have shunned the Open IPTV Forum
| could mean we'll have another ludicrous format war on our hands.
`----
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10664/1085/
AT&T IPTV now coming to your PC
,----[ Quote ]
| AT&T announced Thursday that its U-verse Internet Protocol television
| service will now allow subscribers to watch live programming on their PCs.
|
| [...]
|
| Access to the new OnTheGo service is limited to computers running the
| Windows XP operating system with Microsoft's Internet Explorer or
| Mozilla's Firefox browser.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6169627.html
AT&T Resumes Rollout for Cable TV
,----[ Quote ]
| But because the software, provided largely by Microsoft Corp., has never
| been deployed on such a large scale, assorted glitches have forced AT&T to
| repeatedly delay and scale back the service rollout even though the
| required network upgrade remains on pace.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070228/at_t_tv.html?.v=2
Microsoft blamed for AT&T TV hiccups
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has a spotty history on the gogglebox. In 1997 it
| spent about $425m to purchase WebTV Networks but failed to
| make the much-hyped phenomenon a success.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37231
Vista testers get unexpected holiday gift: No TV
,----[ Quote ]
| Some people testing Microsoft's Windows Vista got an unexpected
| holiday surprise: their TVs stopped working.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6147259.html
Verizon takes over Microsoft TV code
,----[ Quote ]
| Unhappy over the memory footprint of applications and delays in rolling
| them out, Verizon has ditched some of Microsoft's television software and
| has chosen instead to write its own.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060914-7742.html
Windows Media center crashining at CES 2005
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j7EEbokKLHI
FiOS TV and MSFT: When End-to-End Becomes Best of Breed
,----[ Quote ]
| Quoting: "With the project in danger of running behind schedule, Verizon
| sent its own employees to oversee the work between Microsoft and Motorola.
| Engineers from all three companies had several meetings a day to nudge
| the project along. Eventually, Verizon took over the development of the
| program guide altogether from Microsoft, and ended up writing a new
| version of the software that was less memory-intensive."
`----
http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/laszlo/archives/017055.html
European Operators Select Motorola's Linux-Based IP Set-Tops For IPTV
Services
,----[ Quote ]
| Motorola announced that it has been selected by two leading
| telecommunications providers to supply its Linux-based VIP range of
| IP set-tops for IPTV services.
`----
http://linux.sys-con.com/read/284402_p.htm
Singapore Telecom selects Alcatel-Lucent for IPTV trial
,----[ Quote ]
| I recall last week when a high-level Microsoft executive said to
| me that they were pleased with Microsoft IPTV adaption in North
| America and Europe, but their company needed to find more partners
| in Asia. Well, it didn't take long to see movement on that front.
`----
http://www.digitaltv-weblog.com/50226711/singapore_telecom_selects_alcatellucent_for_iptv_trial.php
http://tinyurl.com/tmlr
European Operators Select Motorola's Linux-Based IP Set-Tops For IPTV
Services
,----[ Quote ]
| Motorola announced that it has been selected by two leading
| telecommunications providers to supply its Linux-based VIP range of
| IP set-tops for IPTV services.
`----
http://linux.sys-con.com/read/284402_p.htm
Electronics firms plan Internet televisions
,----[ Quote ]
| The new televisions will use Linux operating systems instead of
| Microsoft Windows, it added. That feature is aimed at cutting the time
| needed to boot up and reducing the risk of virus infection.
`----
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Parody_of_Al_Gore_Film_tied_0803.html#comments
TV Makers to Collaborate on Internet TV Standards
,----[ Quote ]
| The new sets reportedly will be based on the Linux operating system.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/52614.html
,----[ Quote ]
| The Japanese consumer electronics companies aim to develop
| broadband-enabled televisions that can download and display videos from
| the internet wihtout the need for a separate set-top box or computer.
|
| They plan to establish a common standard for aspects of internet TV,
| based on a Linux operating system.
`----
http://informitv.com/articles/2006/08/05/internettvplans/
BT Vision is go
,----[ Quote ]
| "We think most people are well behind us," said BT retail CEO
| Ian Livingstone. It was even able to wheel out ever erudite
| Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to eulogise the importance of an
| event "that fundamentally changes how consumers are entertained".
| BT chose Microsoft to provide the software powering Vision.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/04/bt_vision_launch/
Beeb breaks out with Windows WMA protection
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a press release from Sonos, the blokes over
| at the Beeb have decided to jump ship for relying on
| Realplayer for web content, and have switched over
| entirely to the Windows-friendly WMA format. Now
| that the BBC has made The Big Switch, BBC radio
| stations will be received automatically for users
| of wireless music and radio provider Sonos.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35282
French Broadcaster Chooses Windows Media
,----[ Quote ]
| The initial, broadcast site delivers beautiful Windows Media Video
| streaming--and not in some little box. France24 shows how
| companies can innovate around Windows Media formats. I'm rather
| surprised there is no Microsoft press release trumpeting the
| Windows Media broadcasts.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/web_services_browser/french_broadcaster_chooses_windows_media.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
Nortel not the only winner at Telus IPTV deal
,----[ Quote ]
| But now it is back as the main contractor in an IPTV deal at Telus - a move
| that sees the Alcatel system thrown out or sidelined, the Microsoft Alcatel
| partnership that is dominating tier one telcos, snubbed, and a number of
| the small fry of the IPTV market getting access to the tasty 5.5m Telus
| customers this system is aimed at.
|
| [...]
|
| Faultline gave a heads up about this contract in May, when we heard that
| Microsoft's solution was internally rejected.
|
| [...]
|
| "To facilitate the rapid adoption of additional third party applications
| as they emerge, it is imperative that the environment be open and
| standards-based."
|
| The significance of this contract is that all the big guns from
| Microsoft, Alcatel, Lucent and Siemens were in the bidding and fell by
| the wayside and that Nortel was able to leverage its strength as an
| IP player.
|
| [...]
|
| If that results in any new business for Cisco then acquisition of
| Minerva can't be too improbable, and then it would own an end to end
| IPTV system, with or without Microsoft middleware.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/24/nortel_telus_iptv_deal/
Intel Wants Its Cake Both Ways
,----[ Quote ]
| I'm a big fan of open standards myself, and would be happy to see
| Apple's closed platform opened up so I could buy songs through iTunes
| and play them on my Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) Zen media player. Intel
| is in a position to push Apple into licensing its FairPlay digital
| rights management scheme to Viiv devices. Giving Apple a free pass
| while everyone else is supposed to get in line makes Intel look like
| a wishy-washy turncoat that doesn't really believe in its own product.
|
| [...]
|
| ...Which will it be, Intel: open or closed? Standardized or
| proprietary? Chocolate or strawberry?
`----
http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06101016.htm?source=eptyholnk303100&logvisit=y&npu=y
Microsoft partners with major players on IPTV Edition-powered SoC STBs
,----[ Quote ]
| With Zune and Vista hogging all the headlines these days, you may
| have forgotten that Microsoft is also hard at work pushing its IPTV
| Edition software platform into living rooms around the world, so the
| software giant decided to take the Broadband World Forum Europe in Paris
| as occasion to remind us just how committed it is to TV over the
| internet.
`----
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/10/microsoft-partners-with-major-players-on-iptv-edition-powered-so/
Completely Mind-Blowing! LinuxMCE ROCKS!
,----[ Quote ]
| Unlike its nearest competitor, Windows MCE, LinuxMCE is free, open
| source software, built on top of the Ubuntu operating system and
| features an innovative 3D user interface (which you've got see in
| action to believe) for superior media navigation...
`----
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/3683/completely_mind-blowing_linuxmce
LinuxMCE 1.0 launched!!!
,----[ Quote ]
| LinuxMCE is a free, open source add-on to Ubuntu including a 10' UI,
| complete whole-house media solution with pvr + distributed media,
| and the most advanced smarthome solution available. It is stable,
| easy to use, and requires no knowledge of Linux and only basic
| computer skills.
`----
http://linuxmce.com/
re-build MythTV Linux PVR eats Windows MCE for breakfast
,----[ Quote ]
| Basically this is an unpack-and-plug-in solution to your media
| streaming/live TV pausing/scheduled recording needs. Yes, you
| could build your own Linux box and install MythTV, but this saves
| you all the effort, is cheaper than a Windows Media Centre and
| gives you access to a vast range of fan-programmed add-ons.
`----
http://www.slashgear.com/pre-build-mythtv-linux-pvr-eats-windows-mce-for-breakfast-152985.php
Linux as a Media Centre
,----[ Quote ]
| As far as comparing Mythtv to Windows Media Centre, there is really
| no comparison, Mythtv is in a class of its own and puts WMC to shame
| in almost every department possible. This is the sort of application
| that could introduce Linux to many new users and households. Well done
| Isaac and the rest of the team, keep up the good work.
`----
http://www.linuxforums.org/multimedia/linux_as_a_media_centre.html?
|
|