HD1080i De-mystify HDTV 1080i ::: know why before you buy

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Chrome Webm and h.264

YOUTUBE WEBM HTML5 - SPEED CONTROL

Notice that the Video below on YOUTUBE is all HTML5 and uses some cool features of that player and WEBM… Plus some so cool new stuff such as : PLAYBACK SPEED 2x to 1/4 speed, nice quality and small file size.

Play this one at 1/2 speed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TshFWSsrn8 at 2:48 it really blows your mind how amazing the driving is.


CLICK ME using CHROME 9

Right-click that YouTube video – its not flash, its About HTML5. or Save Video As. No Flash 10 notice.

I cant edit with blogspot's editor anymore. its junk.


Sunday, December 26, 2010

Google TV - Android meets the big screen

GOOGLE TV IS AMAZING

Android for Google TV is rather amazing, its ability to hook a lot of sources quickly is nothing short of impressive. There was no equivalent to benchmark such devices

We got the Sony 46" Google TV and the Logitech Revue, they are in fact the first of their kind as a consumer product.

In too many ways its not possible to even assess it without a couple months of living with it.
All other systems that claim "Internet" are really not open to the whole web, but have the same behavior as Apple products with closed VPN type access to apps that must be "signed and credentialed" by the manufacturer.

Google TV is therefore the First OPEN yet dedicated-to-TV embedded system of its kind. Basically it took guts to launch this platform and it only gets better from here.

Stats-wize there is a rather large difference between the Logitech Revue and the Sony 46" TV... The Sony has 3.7 gigs of ram available to it, the Revue has barely 700 megs.

DESIGN FOR TV
http://code.google.com/tv/web/docs/design_for_tv.html
One of the problems inherent in any open system that can go anywhere into the web... there will be problems with content and page code, and of course, Flash. The iPad is probably the worst at this... where Steve Jobs says "It Just Works" but users say "It just works Badly" and Apple basically levys a demand to the world that all websites should be changed to HTML5 just to deserve the attention of an iPad owner. Time has shown that arrogance to fail the smell test totally. In some ways the Google TV situation falls into this paradigm, where you can go anywhere but "Designed for Google TV" is a desired outcome as presented by Google.

We did a lot of testing and page creation, hybrid stuff with both std HTML, Javacript HTML5 for CSS and canvas tricks and combinations of both. We will roll out some demos in 2011.

This below is at http://s4.madmenmag.com for Google TV - note that its full screen flash and runs quite well in Android. This was a real project for AMCTV found at
http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/season-4-fashion-gallery/




A hybrid Google TV site is here : http://the-charlie-hotel.com Charlie Chaplin's bungalow compound in Hollywood, with flash , html and wordpress. Boht Sites use Level 3 CDN and Google Analytics, powered by engines suited to google TV use-case. ( Arrow Keys on remote will turn pages.. etc ) - we found Flash to run rather well when done properly.

Android or Google TV software is quite good and they have a lot to be proud of in how well they attended to interface handling with 3rd party hardware makers. We think the problems lie soley with the CPU SOC chosen.

We ran cold on one issue only .. the Intel Atom Processor is just not powerful enough and they knew it going in. For 1920 x 1080 screens you must deliver performance in full screen bitmap movements and that will stress the SOC solution the Atom has. The Intel Atom line is basically inexpensive SOC that runs in about 10 watts... good for battery powered low performance netbook-like systems, but not appropriate for always-on Plugged in HDTV loads where battery consumption is not an issue.

We suggest Reading this FAQ before seeing our upcoming posts
http://code.google.com/tv/web/faq.html



Note:
We have had a few posts here from contributors, they have been removed, and no longer will this blog be supported by any other than the one author owner of this site. For the record, we do not concur with Walt Mossberg's assessment that Google TV is not ready for Prime-Time and a geek-only system. The Software is quite good and will very likely get much better... but some of the baked-in hardware issues will need adressing in future iterations of the system as a whole.

Friday, September 03, 2010

INTERNET HDTV

Apple Just announced the new Streaming Apple TV, commencing the battle for big screen eyeball time. Disclaimer: ( we have the Samsung Internet TV, it rules our Lab at the moment ) Apple offers nothing that we dont already have.

We found this article and CTN said ok to copy - here is that in part from
http://ctndigital.com/ctnd/hdtv/

The next target for consumer attention is:
The Internet Connected HDTV


We already know how to navigate and get this to work, this is not a revolution, it is an unstoppable evolution that will happen in a competitive battle for your living-room entertainment investment. It is a new reason to get the most out of your biggest screen and every mega-corp on the planet wants you to desire their entertainment engagement source.
This could change everything, in a home venue
on the largest screen available
where hours are spent every day
by millions of people
who are internet connected already.

The key here is Already Connected
the benefit is HDTV CONNECTED – RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX



Closeup of a Samsung TV Remote for Internet Connected TV
with Widgets and APPS, wired and wireless.


The top right button basically says it all… what we have done is get connected, scale to fill the screen, network to global CDN delivery in the millions, and craft a very low-friction navigation outcome that maximizes sticky-time for the best user experience.

A NEW MARKET, DISRUPTIVE OF CLASSIC TREATMENTS and BEHAVIORS.

IT BEGINS WITH CONVERGENCE OF HDTV AND WEB.

There is actually a long list of benefit to user-engagement outcomes that span a variety of affinity behaviors. The first thing to do right, is make the experience a destination-quality outcome that can become sought-after. The initial enablement for HDTV networking is through the existing mechanisms of initial access.



WIDGETS AND APPS
At this time all internet connected HDTV widgets are limited, typically Netflix Vudu and weather, and boring, do not offer any "window shopping" options, in the perfect place for a LOOKBOOK to offer high resolution on-demand detail, Video, and interactive elements.
There is also a new and fresh market for backstory and celebrity content that showcases and promotes major film and TV events. This type of engagement is built to be extended, video enabled and interactive and include fullscreen advertiser placements. Showcase books are something we already do and the HDTV is where it belongs, these and Magalog lookbooks are likely to be the first of what you will see.

DO EVERYTHING RIGHT - BE UNIQUE
Change the Paradigm to magazine pages that deliver video on page turn, no press to play required. ( during use, Pause / Play is allowed ) such that the user engagement is initiated from the first moments of exposure, The screen is in motion, reading for drill-down can be by Column Glide of the up-down arrow keys using font sizes similar to that of a channel guide listing and easily read – leading to drill-down value when it suits the need. Promotion and advertiser benefits are designed into the process of engagement.

This offers a solution for those promotional needs that do not feel right in the hyped QVC false urgency of the moment, or infomercials that have very low credibility, and most importantly, puts the viewing audience in control of content selection. Since the default action is to "turn the page", the user only has to click one button to choose to move forward, keeping the experience as simple as is possible.

EARN AND KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE
With a Remote Control as the interactive tool, the engagement paradigm has fundamentally changed. The viewer may leave the page and turn forward while they stay in your content and do not leave your "channel"… In the BOOK context -- The next page is an arrow click, and CTN does what it takes to deserve more dwell-time and attention capture with each LOOKBOOK page. http://madmenmag.com

KNOW WHO THEY ARE
Tracking via internet tools already used, all are available, and with partnering, subscriber information is matched with time-spent-on-page data to reveal measurable ROI, along with the existing social network tools for posting interest snippets to FACEBOOK and TWITTER, ( already inherent in CTN PageBlend )

Nearly all current bluray players now offer internet connectivity, removing the barrier to entry caused by buyer resistance to HDTV upgrades, and these run from $89 to $199. This device solution has the benefit of optional memory and firmware upgrade enhancement, support unique device subscriber services. Game consoles include these same features.

CONNECTED BUYERS in a Lean-Back context
The "Hit-or-Miss" nature of TV screen time gave rise to saturation advertising … that is now being replaced by On-Demand access offering far better Ad Spend cost performance, in a natural fit.The HD FULL SCREEN treatment furnishes the best of all worlds, available when the user seeks it and actually desires the content and in that context yields a far greater impact Q than any other option available.


This Includes Full Extras DVD streaming as a page turning book with behind the scenes and character backstory, a catalog of desired items, a tour of a destination location, any product that HD detail benefits from such as jewelry items to motorcars to Publications and catalogs.
Downloadable fullscreen books that enhance the entertainment experience and can be further monetized by ad insertions – purchased for HDTV using internet connected solutions should be available soon.


FALL and Holiday Season 2010
Every HDTV maker is refreshing their lines with Internet TV. By November Net Connected TV will be Standard. In these bluetooth remotes, everything we need is more than already there. Visio launched The Internet TV and APP store in January 2010. Right now all Internet TV Makers are actively seeking engaging content for the VPN ( virtual private network ) of the Internet connection they offer. In some cases HDTV makers are actively funding developers to gain content-driven traction to draw audience to the APP stores that are all Brand-Centric "Walled Garden" implementations at this time.



Something for everyone .. with QWERTY KEYS – such remotes offer search and form filling options, SHOP and buy processes. For the bookshelf below the Bookends act as slider left right for category selection horizontal scrolling

Select and hit "OK" is the DVD navigation paradigm and pretty much eliminates the learning curve problem of how to navigate. Page-turn HD magazines with video and shopping links will be one of the next good reasons to want all this.

CTN BOOKSHELF

click to view


BLUETOOTH REMOTE CONTROLLERS
are devices you may already own. These systems allow for any bluetooth touchscreen to download an APP that acts as a remote. iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone, Any Android Phone, Logitech, and will easily reach out to Panasonic VIERA, Sony BRAVIA, VISIO, SAMSUNG and more. DLNA – Anynet support network-aware connectivity to home networks at the router and wireless access point is growing also.

For HDTV there is a void of quality designed-for-HD content – provisioning a fresh visual source to find there is a wide open opportunity for entry and emergence of fresh new paradigms, already launch enabled and promotable in widgets and apps that at this time are rather lame and do not meet expectations. That is about to change. Compelling, HDTV exclusive APP delivered wide-angle of reach and content will rule this space as… the next attention-getting content battleground for media will happen in the living-room… you already own the internet connection… control it with a click and prefer that experience to the non-interactive behaviors of cable tv.

EVERY HDTV AND INTERNET TV SOLUTION HAS ITS OWN PORTAL
All these islands of access to the web are special cases, subscriber managed in some way and roped off from the real web. Most On-screen App Stores are category-based, Pandora Twitter Facebook and Netflix, with some gallery and YouTube in the mix. None of it has a Home Theater look and feel, or any unique outcomes to look forward to. Whomever creates the most desired HDTV NET PORTAL wins, and currently that is a wasteland of whatever the HDTV makers can get, which isnt much… yet. Anything substantive will stand out in such a situation as we have now.


ENABLEMENT MATTERS – THE OPPORTUNITY IS NOW
.
The solution has to be easy and immediate, very visually attractive, impose no huge "Search Load" to find. The problems facing HDTV makers is they have very little in the way of compelling content reasons to go there and use that INTERNET BUTTON for it.

RISE ABOVE THE MUNDANE
It is important to provide multiple compelling reasons to visit interactive content on a home HDTV that must compete with laptop and desktop user experiences. Youtube is NOT a destination. Vudu Hulu and Netflix are about the best of all you can get right now. We Need more.

BEING ON THE CURVE
To be on the adoption curve at the hockey-stick inflection point where exponential growth begins, you have to be ready, and connect the dots of supply/demand nodes for every point in the path that leads to the customer touch-point. This means design for digital screen, visuals for todays standards of recognized excellence, and showmanship that keeps them there once you have them.



Internet Portal Access built into TV with wireless "n" is the primary path to ubiquity, Blu-ray players and DVR boxes will also do this, and emerging iTV, BOXEE, Google TV REVUE systems will be 99 bucks and sit in every Wallmart and BestBuy right next to the HDTVs that fill entire walls. Many will be totally wireless "n" and configure themselves for immediate use with a single OK button push. That is done and happening now.

This alternative solution means replacing the existing HDTV is not required, just a one-time cost to extend the value of a broadband connection into the living-room. many people are doing this for themselves already, forging the increased adoption rate, blogging the experience, and its very much positive. All this is happening faster than we would have predicted.

By 2011 the critical mass of user-base for HD enabled Net connected content will be like a super-massive black hole that brings the quality content into its orbit. The initial marketspace to date has been acting as a natural filter for higher-end preferences, and as is aways the case, it will expand to include larger and more diverse audiences. The difference will be that there will be almost too many ways to get Net-Connected content to an HD screen, a situation never before present in the entertainment spectrum. This makes for a very competitive landscape based on what is actually available for content and exclusive value added.

We believe highly interactive HD quality content in the living-room will be one of the better and more sought-after validations of Internet TV, and entry to this space is already enabled in our PageBlend System.

The cross-section of device platforms supporting Flash 10.1 is going to grow dramatically in the very near future. PageBlend is already capable of supporting these new device implementations.
When the ability to see internet-based entertainment includes basic local news and On-Demand specific offerings ( Sports perhaps? ) then the conversion away from 100+ per month fees commanded by Cable will seem foolishly expensive.
We are acting on this now.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Retro Anaglyph 3D for BARNEYS NEWYORK

Thursday, July 22, 2010

SAMSUNG - 3D Ad Projection in Amsterdam

Monday, July 19, 2010

New TV HD - AMC RUBICON



Intelligence - Spies ... loads of very cool stuff. This is where having HD to see details is the way to see the clues ...



Before you see Rubicon - go here:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/

AMC RUBICON - perfect timing -Get an insiders look at the presskit EPK
http://amc.ctnhd.com/rubicon ( top secret stuff just for my readers, by yours truly)

http://amctv.com/originals/rubicon

So is it possible that some of our intelligence community reports to a shadow new world order government that even they dont know about? Henry Bromell is the eveep on this, and he is brilliant, created this as a fascinating tour through such conjecture, and we agree and love the quality and rendering of AMC in HD, everything you see is related to something, and they promise it will not be "dumbed down".

You all know, i never rave about any shows, its all the tech in this blog... except for this time... Finally TV that doesn't suck. Save the date - Aug 1st, Sunday Night at 8pm on AMCHD.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

IPTV - coming this week

GOOGLE I/O is today - and Adobe, Sony, Intel all have plans for you and it is not 3D.

Convergence is something i have railed on about for years, put that flatscreen to proper use, and YouTube owner GOOGLE is about to release the hounds and commence doing it.

The reason may not be what you think... free TV? , big YouTube videos? Nah... its all about the advertiser, you know the stuff TiVo enabled you to DVR and skip over?

I think this doesnt raise or lower the bar for TV tech and its network opportunity, it widens the bar, the reach, to the point where YOUR cat coughing-up a hairball in 720p home video could well be a hit on IPTV. No Kidding ... this is finally the year.

SKYPE - Facebook - Yahoo - all there, all simple widgetized reasons to explore your inner couchpotato self with all the poeple you have somehow friended. Personally, i want to see more indie rock videos, not made by famous bands, not played by global rockstars, but performed by all those talented people out there that can do noteworthy music and have a pal with an HDCAM.


Panasonic ( which BTW makes very good stuff ) is onto the Skype also.