Here are some audio and video trends picks for the year 2017:
It seems that 3D craze is over. So long, 3DTV – we won’t miss you – BBC News reports that at this year’s CES trade show, there was barely a whimper of 3D TV, compared to just two years ago when it was being heralded as the next big thing. In the cinema, 3D was milked for all it was worth, and even James Cameron, who directed Avatar, is fed up with 3D. There are currently no major manufacturers making 3DTVs as Samsung, LG and Sony have now stopped making 3D-enabled televisions. According to CNet’s report, TV makers are instead focusing on newer technologies such as HDR.
360 degree virtual reality video is hot how. Movie studios are pouring resources into virtual reality story-telling. 360-Degree Video Playback Coming to VLC, VR Headset Support Planned for 2017 article tells that VLC media player previews 360° video and photo support for its desktop apps, says the feature will come to mobile soon; dedicated VLC apps for VR headsets due in 2017.
4K and 8K video resolutions are hot. Test broadcasting of 8K started in August 2016 in Japan and full service is scheduled for 2018. According to Socionext Introduces 8K HEVC Real-Time Encoder Solution press release the virtual reality technology, which is seeing rapid growth in the global market, requires an 8K resolution as the current 4K resolution cannot support a full 360-degree wraparound view with adequate resolution.
Fake News Is About to Get Even Scarier than You Ever Dreamed article tells that advancements in audio and video technology are becoming so sophisticated that they will be able to replicate real news—real TV broadcasts, for instance, or radio interviews—in unprecedented, and truly indecipherable, ways. Adobe showed off a new product that has been nicknamed “Photoshop for audio” that allows type words that are expressed in that exact voice of someone you have recording on. Technologists can also record video of someone talking and then change their facial expressions in real time. Digital avatars can be almost indecipherable from real people – on the latest Star Wars movie it is hard to tell which actors are real and which are computer-generated.
Antique audio formats seem to be making come-back. By now, it isn’t news that vinyl albums continue to sell. It is interesting that UK vinyl sales reach 25-year high to point that Vinyl Records Outsold Digital Downloads In the UK at least for one week.
I would not have quessed that Cassettes Are Back, and Booming. But a new report says that sales of music on cassette are up 140 percent. The antiquated format is being embraced by everyone from indie musicians to Eminem and Justin Bieber. For some strange reason it turns out there’s a place for archaic physical media of questionable audio fidelity—even in the Spotify era.
Enhance! RAISR Sharp Images with Machine Learning. Google RAISR Intelligently Makes Low-Res Images High Quality article tells that with Google’s RAISR machine learning-driven image enhancement technique, images can be up to 75% smaller without losing their detail.
Improving Multiscreen Services article tells that operators have discovered challenges as they try to meet subscribers’ requirements for any content on any device. Operators must choose from a variety of options for preparing and delivering video on multiple screens. And unlike the purpose-built video networks of the past, in multiscreen OTT distribution there are no well-defined quality standards such as IPTV’s SCTE-168.
2017: Digital Advertising to overtake TV Advertising in US this year article tells that according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Ad Spend” on digital advertising will surpass TV ads for the first time in 2017.For all these years, television gave a really tough fight to internet with respect to Ad spend, but online advertising to decisively take over the market in 2017. For details check How TV ad spending stacks up against digital ad spending in 4 charts.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Micah Singleton / The Verge:
Sources: Spotify is preparing to launch a lossless version of its streaming service called Spotify Hi-Fi; screenshots show it could be $5 to $10 extra per month — The company is A/B testing its pricing strategy on some users — Spotify is preparing to launch a lossless audio version …
Spotify is preparing to launch a Hi-Fi music tier
The company is A/B testing its pricing strategy on some users
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/1/14776780/spotify-hi-fi-preparing-launch-lossless-audio-tier
Tomi Engdahl says:
Police Forget To Turn On Body Cameras. Can Taser’s Connected Holster Fix That?
https://www.fastcompany.com/3068594/the-future-of-policing/taser-connected-holster-automatic-body-camera-recording
A system by police supplier Taser aims to automatically activate the company’s cameras during encounters with the public.
Technology, no matter how smart, only works if you use it, or simply remember to turn it on.
To ensure accountability during police encounters, Axon, Taser’s police body camera division, has announced a small sensor for gun holsters that can detect when a gun is drawn and automatically activate all nearby cameras. The sensor, Signal Sidearm, is part of a suite of products aimed at reducing the possibility that officers will fail to or forget to switch on their cameras during encounters with the public.
Taser also sells sensors that activate the company’s body cameras and dashboard cameras when a police cruiser’s door has opened or its lights have been switched on, as well as a battery pack for the Taser electroshock weapon that prompts cameras to record when the weapon is armed. By activating all cameras within a 30-foot radius, the suite of products can help police create a multi-angle video of a police encounter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Joon Ian Wong / Quartz:
Netflix says its new AI-based video encoding, which matches the level of compression to scene content, delivers higher quality video over slow connections
Netflix’s new AI tweaks each scene individually to make video look good even on slow internet
https://qz.com/920857/netflix-nflx-uses-ai-in-its-new-codec-to-compress-video-scene-by-scene/
“We’re allergic to rebuffering,” said Todd Yellin, a vice president of innovation at Netflix. “No one wants to be interrupted in the middle of Bojack Horseman or Stranger Things.”
Yellin hopes the new system, called Dynamic Optimizer, will keep those Netflix binges free of interruption when it’s introduced sometime in the next “couple of months.” He was demonstrating the system’s results at “Netflix House,” a mansion in the hills overlooking Barcelona that the company has outfitted for the Mobile World Congress trade show.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Napier Lopez / The Next Web:
Prisma, which turns your photos into paintings using AI, launches store to download free filters and a desktop tool to create filters based on other photos
Prisma’s new filter creator lets you copy any art style with AI
https://thenextweb.com/apps/2017/03/01/prismas-new-filter-creator-lets-copy-art-style-ai/
Prisma, that app that turns your photos into paintings using AI, is about to get a ton of new filters.
First off, the app is launching an in-app “store” to download new filters. We say that in quotes, because so far, all the filters are free. Prisma says it will be adding new styles every week, and is looking to ramp up to daily additions. You’ll also be able to rate and share styles in the “near future.”
This mind-blowing photo app makes Instagram’s filters look so lame
https://thenextweb.com/apps/2016/07/08/prisma-app-mindblowing/#.tnw_a5UwWyiB
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rich McCormick / The Verge:
Twitter partners with ESL and Dreamhack to broadcast tournaments and e-sports events live starting March 4, will also broadcast 30-minute weekly e-sports show
Twitter partners with ESL and Dreamhack to stream live e-sports
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/14788090/twitter-esl-dreamhack-iem-live-esports-stream
Tomi Engdahl says:
YouTube TV will be huge. Apple must respond
It is the world’s largest online vid-slinger, after all
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/06/google_youtube_tv_apple_response/
When the world’s largest online silo of video content decides to come out and launch its own TV subscription service, including sought after live sports content, it’s not just the traditional pay TV industry which should be concerned, but the streaming giants too. YouTube TV is here and Apple has to return fire.
YouTube’s much anticipated TV service will roll out to the major markets in the US later this spring, and at a premium price point of $35 a month, the new service is a direct threat to AT&T’s Di-recTV Now, Dish Network’s Sling TV, and Sony’s Vue. At present, it will first launch in the US, but Google will be angling to get rights to take this international.
YouTube TV will launch with a skinny bundle of 40 channels combining networks from broadcast and cable, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, Bravo, Disney Channel, Fox News, FX, MSNBC, Sprout and USA Network.
Even at a monthly fee of $35, YouTube TV’s profit will be minimal given the carriage costs of these major networks, but converting just a fraction of its 1 billion viewers to paying members will chip away at the market share of cable and satellite TV. In fact, YouTube also announced this week that it now receives over 1 billion hours of video views on a daily basis. In comparison, Nielsen data suggests the entirety of US TV has a daily viewership of around 1.25 billion hours, a figure steadily dropping in recent years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amagi Takes Video to the Cloud
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/amagi-takes-video-to-the-cloud.html?cmpid=enl_btr_btrvideotechnology_2017-03-06
At the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas in April, Amagi will highlight its cloud-based video offerings, including automated broadcast services, ad insertion and playout.
Amagi’s STORM 3.0 ad insertion solution is now available on the Intel platform. The solution is designed to support multiple interfaces (IP, SDI and ASI), feed formats (SD and HD), insertion formats (video, full screen graphics, scrolls and tickers) as well as multiple channels on the same device. STORM will continue to support standard replacement triggers such as SCTE-35, Packet 31, DTMF cue tones and Amagi Watermark. The platform is compatible with both cloud-based ad insertion and replacement content transported over satellite trickle bandwidth. It’s designed for frame-accurate ad insertion and to manage and monitor the entire workflow through a web-based user interface (UI).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sir Tim Berners-Lee refuses to be King Canute, approves DRM as Web standard
Will decision bring back need to use specific browsers?
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/06/berners_lee_web_drm_w3c/
Sir Tim Berners-Lee has controversially decided to back the introduction of digital rights management – aka anti-piracy and anti-copying mechanisms – as a Web standard.
Writing in a blog post last week, the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) argued that to stand in the way of the new Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) standard was equivalent to being King Canute commanding the tide to halt.
“W3C does not have any power to forbid anything,” Berners-Lee argued. “W3C is not the US Congress, or WIPO, or a court… W3C is a place for people to talk, and forge consensus over great new technology for the web. Yes, there is an argument made that in any case, W3C should just stand up against DRM, but we, like Canute, understand our power is limited.”
Berners-Lee makes a series of arguments for why EME should be approved: including that having a standard allows for greater inoperability; and that it enables the data provided by content use to be limited, improving online privacy.
But the decision has caused uproar
On EME in HTML5
https://www.w3.org/blog/2017/02/on-eme-in-html5/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sonos’ Quest to Unite the Smart Home With Sweet, Sweet Music
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/sonos-playbase-smart-home/
In August, Sonos announced it was working on Alexa integration. It would let millions of Sonos owners control their music with their voice and do all of the pizza-ordering, game-playing, life-improving things Amazon’s voice assistant can do. The move provided a clear indication of where, after 15 years, Sonos sees its future. And yet seven months later, Alexa has 10,000 skills, and Sonos ain’t one of them.
Such an integration could easily exist by now
“Alexa, let me talk to Sonos,”
But you couldn’t choose the song you want to hear, or play it in three rooms simultaneously. And the way you talk to it, especially the part where you must request permission to speak to Sonos, doesn’t feel right to Leblond.
Today, Sonos supports dozens of streaming services, and streaming accounts, and nearly everyone with a Sonos uses it for streaming.
But now the company finds itself in a position familiar to many startups. It has, by any measure, accomplished what it set out to do. People love their Sonos, and its products sell well. But streaming music is easy now; you can do it with a $15 Google dongle. Meanwhile, gadgets like Amazon’s Echo are taking over people’s living rooms.
No, they don’t look or sound as nice as anything from Sonos, but they do the job, they’re a snap to use, and people love using them to play music.
When Spence talks about voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, he’s still talking about music. “We all approach these in different ways,” he says. “Amazon is approaching it like, ‘We want to make Alexa easy so people will order more things.’ Google looks at it and says, ‘We want to make sure people can search the internet.’ We look at it and say, ‘Hey, this is a great way to get your music playing.’” Spence repeatedly mentions “time to music” as a key benchmark for Sonos: How long does it take to go from deciding you want to listen to something and having those silky jams filling the room? Voice assistants shrink the gap.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$50 million startup Doppler Labs is suing Bose for allegedly tricking it into sharing its secret sound technology
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/doppler-labs-bose-lawsuit-here-one-augmented-reality-headphones-2017-3?op=1&r=US&IR=T
Doppler Labs, the California startup behind the Here One earbuds that can warp the sounds of your surrounding environment, is suing audio titan Bose for alleged trademark infringement and what it deems “unfair and deceptive business practices.”
At the center of the allegations are the Hearphones, a pair of in-ear headphones that Bose quietly launched last year and is only currently selling in “limited quantities” in three of its retail stores across the country.
The bulk of the complaint, filed last week in federal court in Bose’s home state of Massachusetts, has to do with the Hearphones name itself
The rest of the suit, however, accuses Bose of exploring a partnership with Doppler Labs specifically to uncover information about the startup’s business plans and augmented audio tech, then allegedly using secret details disclosed in those meetings to help create its own competing product.
Both devices are similar to hearing aids, but more customizable and streamlined through a companion app. However, this kind of augmented audio tech is seen by some as paving the way for headphones that serve as in-ear computers as much as simple audio products. These could ostensibly work in tandem with the kind of augmented reality headsets being pursued by Microsoft, Magic Leap, and other tech firms.
Doppler Labs is in the early wave of companies pushing this so-called “hearable” computing idea.
Bose, the complaint alleges, was one of the first companies to respond, and sent several executives to meet with Doppler Labs and “investigate future business opportunities” a couple weeks later. The complaint alleges that the two companies met again in September, at which time Doppler Labs shared its “proprietary technology, market approach and positioning, product capabilities, and product road map” after Bose purportedly agreed to not disclose or use that info.
According to Doppler Labs, Bose then allegedly mislead the company “as to the state of [its] own product development” throughout this process, then used the info it gained to help create and market the Hearphones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Daring Fireball: Video Pros Moving From Mac to Windows for High-End GPUs
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/5vljzf/daring_fireball_video_pros_moving_from_mac_to/
It shouldn’t matter if Pros aren’t huge money makers anymore for Apple, Apple should be supporting them rather than screwing them and then losing them. You ignore pros and creatives and artists and high end users, aka, influential people, it’s gonna trickle down. When entire industries start shifting to PC, video, film, photography, that’s going to end up being tens of millions of people down the line, people in the industries and young people pursuing that path.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New USB Audio Class For USB Type-C Digital Headsets
How USB audio headsets can be power-competitive with analog and displace the 3.5mm jack.
http://semiengineering.com/new-usb-audio-class-for-usb-type-c-digital-headsets/
The ¼” phone jack was invented more than 100 years ago to connect people using a new invention called the “telephone.” Today, the modern variant – the 3.5mm phone jack – is widely used. As modern mobile phones are used for more than phone calls and do not have room for multiple connectors, a new approach for audio connectivity is needed, so product designers are retiring the 3.5mm jack.
As designers determine their next move, they consider the multiple proprietary and standard USB audio protocols already in use. This article describes the features and advantages of the latest USB Audio Device Class (ADC) 3.0 specification, which will help the industry standardize on one protocol and accelerate consumer adoption. ADC 3.0 enables high quality digital headsets with a local digital signal processor (DSP) for advanced functionality like adaptive noise cancelling, user-defined equalization, and hot-word detect.
Most importantly, compliant ADC 3.0 implementations enable significant system power savings, which are critical to low-power mobile applications. ADC 3.0 is expected to be the new standard for phones using the USB Type-C connector.
USB audio power challenge
Unlike analog headsets, USB audio headsets use isochronous transfers. Isochronous transfers provide the guaranteed bandwidth which is required for audio streams, but at the cost of a higher power consumption.
USB audio power save solution
Isochronous transfers for legacy USB audio occurs every 1ms for Full Speed USB.
Synopsys USB IP supports ADC 3.0
To implement ADC 3.0 in low-power products like phones, tablets or laptops, designers will need an ADC 3.0 compliant host controller with Hardware Controlled Link Power Management capability.
Additional ADC 3.0 features
One well-documented limitation for analog headsets is that audio quality is limited by the choice of ADC, DAC and audio processing in the phone, tablet, etc. Device manufacturers must carefully balance cost, power and quality.
When device manufacturers implement ADC 3.0, there are no analog to digital converters or digital to analog converters in the device. Device manufacturers can concentrate on optimizing power since features, cost and quality have been removed from what they influence.
ADC 3.0 headsets support up to 24bit/192kHz audio format for high audio quality. Headset manufacturers can add a local digital signal processor (DSP) to implement features like microphone beamforming, active noise cancellation, user-defined equalization, hot-word detect, and more.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Encoding.com: Cloud In, Flash Out
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/encoding-com-cloud-in-flash-out.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_2017-03-09
According to Encoding.com, cloud-based media processing is on the rise, and the Flash video format is in decline. The company’s third annual report analyzes trends in video formats for OTT, MVPD, web and mobile distribution. Among the findings:
Cloud-based media processing has grown significantly due to faster transit speeds and other factors.
Flash continued to decline in usage with projections to disappear within 12 months.
VP9 made a strong debut in 2016 as an alternative to H.264, while HEVC decreased this year in usage by 50%.
Despite the excitement around 4k screen resolutions, 1080p continued to prevail.
HLS continued to be the dominant standard for adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming, making up 71% of total ABR processing volume.
Amazon S3 led in cloud storage market share with Akamai following behind.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Filmmakers Take Dutch State to Court Over Lost Piracy Revenue
By Ernesto on March 9, 2017
https://torrentfreak.com/filmmakers-take-dutch-state-court-lost-piracy-revenue-170309/
A coalition of Dutch film and TV producers is following through on their threat to file a lawsuit against the local Government. The filmmakers hold the authorities responsible for the country’s high piracy rates. They claim the government tolerated and even encouraged unauthorized downloading for years and want to see compensation as a result.
Like many other countries around the world, downloading music and movies is hugely popular in the Netherlands.
In part, the popularity was facilitated by the fact that downloading pirated music had long been legal under local law.
This tolerant stance towards online piracy changed in 2014 when the European Court of Justice ruled it to be unlawful. As a result, the Dutch Government quickly outlawed unauthorized downloading.
Dutch filmmakers and distributors previously accused the Government of not doing enough to counter piracy, while threatening legal action.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Sources: SoundCloud has been trying to raise $100M since last summer, without success
SoundCloud needs more money, or it may sell at a fire-sale price
In 2014, the streaming music service thought it was worth $700 million. It could sell for much less.
http://www.recode.net/2017/3/10/14887806/soundcloud-sale-investment
SoundCloud needs more money, or it needs a buyer.
Sources say the streaming music service has been trying to raise more than $100 million since last summer, without success. It has also talked to potential acquirers, including Spotify, without closing a deal.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
In the era of the curated digital feed, readers now experience the day’s stories as a kind of choose-your-own-news adventure — AUSTIN, Tex. — A fascinating story emerged about Netflix last week. — The Daily Mail reported that the streaming television service was developing …
The Choose-Your-Own-News Adventure
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/12/business/media/mediator-personalized-feeds-news-choice-jim-rutenberg.html
A fascinating story emerged about Netflix last week.
The Daily Mail reported that the streaming television service was developing new interactive technology allowing viewers to direct the plots of certain television shows, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style.
The company later told me that the experiment was focused on children’s programming, more as a developmental learning tool than as some new twist on the modern media sphere’s rush to give you exactly what you want when you want it.
No matter how far the experiment goes, Netflix is again in step with the national zeitgeist. After all, there are algorithms for streaming music services like Spotify, for Facebook’s news feed and for Netflix’s own program menu, working to deliver just what you like while filtering out whatever might turn you off and send you away — the sorts of data-driven honey traps that are all the talk at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival going on here through this week. So why not extend the idea to the plots of your favorite shows?
But that’s no big deal anymore — at least if you consider the way people are being primed to shape the arc of the narratives on their highly personalized electronic screens to suit their own tastes, even if it means banishing inconvenient facts.
Understanding how that is playing out more broadly will help explain why you and your aunt’s new boyfriend can see the same events unfold in Washington and have utterly different ideas about what just happened.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How can 30-year-old receivers sound better than new ones?
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-can-30-year-old-receivers-sound-better-than-new-ones/
Since no one listens before they buy, selling today’s receivers is a numbers game, and sound quality takes a back seat.
It’s a strange turn of events, but mainstream manufacturers long ago gave up on the idea of selling receivers on the basis of superior sound quality. I’m not claiming today’s receivers sound “bad,” but since almost no one ever listens to a receiver before they buy one, selling sound quality is next to impossible.
Back in the days when brick-and-mortar stores ruled the retail market, audio companies took pride in their engineering skills and designed entire receivers in-house.
That’s no longer true; the majority of today’s gotta-have features–auto-setup, GUI menus, AirPlay, iPod/iPhone/iPad compatibility, home networking, HD Radio, Bluetooth, HDMI switching, digital-to-analog converters, Dolby and DTS surround processors–are sourced and manufactured by other companies. Industry insiders refer to the practice of cramming as many features as possible into the box as “checklist design.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
UK to block Kodi pirates in real-time: Saturday kick-off
But will it work? We’re about to find out
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/14/uk_new_realtime_live_server_blocking_order/
Last week in the High Court, Justice Arnold agreed to a request from the Football Association and the Premier League, and supported by the BBC, amongst others, that broke new ground, technically and legally.
The order, which has the support of the major UK ISPs, is unusual in several ways. It permits the ISPs to block access to servers (such as those accessed by third-party software addons), rather than a website.
The blocking occurs in real-time, for a few minutes at a time: the duration of a football match. And the order expires in May – when the English football season ends.
It’s also the first time the major ISPs here have agreed to an extension of content-blocking without a fight: BT/EE, Sky and Virgin Media approved the request, and TalkTalk and BT’s PlusNet did not contest the request.
At £10m per Premier League game, the buyers are strongly incentivised not to see unlicensed streaming options, such as modified Kodi-based USB sticks, become more commonplace.
Arnold was convinced of the argument for harm from this:
“There is increasing evidence of football fans turning to streaming devices which access infringing streams as a substitute for paid subscriptions to services such as those offered by Sky and BT. This undermines the value of FAPL’s rights and, if unchecked, is likely to reduce the revenue returned by FAPL to football clubs, sports facilities and the wider sporting community,”
In addition, the offshore operators ignore infringement notifications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I’m Back – Advance – Digital Back for 35mm analog cameras
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samellos/im-back-advance-digital-back-for-35mm-analog-camer?ref=category_recommended
A low cost system to transform your RaspberryPi, Arduino, Genuino, Omega2 to a digital back for 35mm cameras from the 50/60/70s and 80s
Tomi Engdahl says:
Old audio plug is still trying to compete with the USB-C interface
Embedded World, Nuremberg – Austrian mixed-signal circuits and sensors that develops ams has introduced the first of its own connection to the ACI (Accessory Communications Interface) utilizing the product. For the first time can be a standard 3.5 mm audio plug connect the noise canceling headphones that do not require their own separate battery.
ACI-connection of four wire one audio cable is used to transfer power and bi-directional data at up to 16 megabits per second, in addition to the digital audio signal.
When the noise canceling headphones implemented ACI connection, will the headset mode, for example, recognize gestures for sensors, proximity sensor, heart rate monitors, temperature sensors and the like.
Ams: According to the new audioplugi consumes about 60 percent less power than the USBC-type audio connection. This may be one reason to keep the old headphone jack on the bottom of the smartphone.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6006-vanha-audioplugi-yrittaa-yha-haastaa-usbc-liitannan
More:
Accessory Communication Interface
http://ams.com/eng/Products/Sensor-Interfaces/Accessory-Communication-Interface
The Accessory Communications Interface (ACI) invented by ams uses a single wire to carry power and bidirectional data as well as digital audio signals. The ACI solution reduces the size and the weight of accessories by eliminating the battery. Due to ams’ ultra-low latency, ANC is enabled. Additionally, it is possible to use headset-mounted sensors to add various features such as gesture sensing, temperature sensing or HRM. ACI supplies up to 100mA to accessories and enables the use of LEDs for features like illuminated wires or LED displays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gmail can now stream video attachments on the desktop
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/16/14950814/gmail-now-streams-video-attachments
Google’s making a small but helpful change to desktop Gmail today that’ll be useful for anyone who sends or receives video attachments: from now on, you’ll be able to stream them on the page, rather than having to download the file first.
Video attachments can still be downloaded, but clicking on a file will now pull up a YouTube-style video player that’ll let you play the clip back, adjust quality and sound levels, and even stream it to a Chromecast device.
The feature could be particularly helpful when sending small videos captured on your phone, as it’ll save recipients a step or two before watching them. But the feature is still limited by the fact that Gmail attachments can’t exceed 50MB (and only 25MB when sending)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Releases Open Source ‘Guetzli’ JPEG Encoder
https://news.slashdot.org/story/17/03/17/0121218/google-releases-open-source-guetzli-jpeg-encoder?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Today, Google released yet another open source project. Called “Guetzli,” it is a JPEG encoder that aims to produce even smaller image file sizes. In fact, the search giant claims a whopping 35 percent improvement over existing JPEG compression.
Google releases open source ‘Guetzli’ JPEG encoder
https://betanews.com/2017/03/16/google-guetzli-open-source-jpeg-encoder/
Today, Google releases yet another open source project. Called “Guetzli,” it is a JPEG encoder that aims to produce even smaller image file sizes. In fact, the search giant claims a whopping 35 percent improvement over existing JPEG compression. If you are wondering why smaller file sizes are important, it is quite simple — the web. If websites can embed smaller images, users can experience faster load times while using less data.
“Guetzli strikes a balance between minimal loss and file size by employing a search algorithm that tries to overcome the difference between the psychovisual modeling of JPEG’s format, and Guetzli’s psychovisual model”
Tomi Engdahl says:
20,000 Worldclass University Lectures Made Illegal, So We Irrevocably Mirrored Them
https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/03/16/202251/20000-worldclass-university-lectures-made-illegal-so-we-irrevocably-mirrored-them
Today, the University of California at Berkeley has deleted 20,000 college lectures from its YouTube channel. Berkeley removed the videos because of a lawsuit brought by two students from another university under the Americans with Disabilities Act. We copied all 20,000 and are making them permanently available for free via LBRY. Is this legal? Almost certainly.
20,000 Worldclass University Lectures Made Illegal, So We Irrevocably Mirrored Them
https://lbry.io/news/20000-illegal-college-lectures-rescued
Today, the University of California at Berkeley has deleted 20,000 college lectures from its YouTube channel. Berkeley removed the videos because of a lawsuit brought by two students from another university under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We copied all 20,000 and are making them permanently available for free via LBRY.
This makes the videos freely available and discoverable by all, without reliance on any one entity to provide them (even us!).
The full catalog is over 4 TB and will be synced over the next several days.
Tomi Engdahl says:
20% of U.S. Pay TV Subs Dissatisfied
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/20-of-u-s-pay-tv-subs-dissatisfied.html?cmpid=enl_btr_btrvideotechnology_2017-03-20
According to Parks Associates, 20% of U.S. pay TV subscribers surveyed say they are dissatisfied with their pay TV service, representing a 100% increase since early 2013. The research house says only one-third of pay TV subscribers are very satisfied with their pay TV service, a drop from 57% who indicated very high satisfaction levels in 2013.
“High satisfaction with pay TV has dropped across all providers,” said Brett Sappington, Parks’ senior director of research. “Telco services have seen the highest drop in highly satisfied customers compared to cable and satellite providers.”
Adoption declines are most notable among younger heads of household; the average age of pay TV subscribers is older now than in 2014.
“A combination of factors, including high monthly fees and a wide selection of OTT services, are pushing consumers away from traditional pay TV”
More than 63 million U.S. broadband households subscribe to an OTT video service, and 36% of U.S. broadband households have at least one streaming media player.
LRG: U.S. Pay TV Shed 795,000 Subs in 2016
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/lrg-u-s-pay-tv-shed-795-000-subs-in-2016.html?cmpid=enl_btr_btrvideotechnology_2017-03-20
According to the Leichtman Research Group, the largest pay TV providers in the United States – representing about 95% of the market – lost about 795,000 net video subscribers in 2016, compared to a pro forma loss of about 445,000 subscribers in 2015.
The top pay TV providers account for 93.6 million subscribers, with the top six cable companies having more than 48.6 million video subscribers, satellite TV services about 33.5 million, the top telephone companies 10.1 million, and the top Internet-delivered pay TV services having about 1.4 million subscribers.
“When analyzing the pay TV market, it is now essential to include Internet-delivered services as part of the industry”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Popular New YouTuber Also Happens To Be Virtual Anime Girl
http://kotaku.com/popular-new-youtuber-also-happens-to-be-virtual-anime-g-1793460026
It turns out that 2017 isn’t only the year of self-driving cars and robots that rap; now, we have virtual anime girl YouTubers.
A.I. Kizuna does everything a meatspace YouTuber would. She debates hot topics like buying friends with money and does Let’s Plays of games like Inside. She talks about furniture she wants and draws silly pictures of cats. She’s even been banned—it was after she joked that, because she’s a hologram, she’s technically naked. Shortly after, her channel was reinstated.
She’s already garnered about 200,000 subscribers.
Perhaps, by the end of the year, we’ll all be interfacing through virtual anime girl software.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using Big Data to analyse images and video better than the human brain
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=173665&CultureCode=en
Improving traffic safety, better health services and environmental benefits – Big Data experts see a wide range of possibilities for advanced image analysis and recognition technology.
“Advanced image recognition by computers is the result of a great deal of very demanding work. You have to mimic the way the human brain distinguishes significant from unimportant information,” says Eirik Thorsnes at Uni Research in Bergen, Norway.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scratch-built Camera Gimbal for Photographer with Cerebral Palsy
http://hackaday.com/2017/03/21/scratch-built-camera-gimbal-for-photographer-with-cerebral-palsy/
We so often hack for hacking’s sake, undertaking projects as a solitary pursuit simply for the challenge. So it’s nice to see hacking skills going to good use and helping someone out. Such was the case with this low-cost two-axis handheld camera gimbal intended to help a budding photographer with a motion disorder.
GENIUS Olympiad 2017 – DIY motorized gimbal for smaller camera – Tadej Strah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L33ztTu-hKo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Steadycam vs Gimbal – What is better?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izboBmIWMKw
an overview about their advantages and disadvantages and show you a lot of footage
Tomi Engdahl says:
Neural Network Composes Music; Says “I’ll be Bach”
http://hackaday.com/2017/03/17/neural-network-composes-music-says-ill-be-bach/
carykh] took a dive into neural networks, training a computer to replicate Baroque music. The results are as interesting as the process he used. Instead of feeding Shakespeare (for example) to a neural network and marveling at how Shakespeare-y the text output looks, the process converts Bach’s music into a text format and feeds that to the neural network. There is one character for each key on the piano, making for an 88 character alphabet used during the training. The neural net then runs wild and the results are turned back to audio to see (or hear as it were) how much the output sounds like Bach.
Computer evolves to generate baroque music!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SacogDL_4JU
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter debuts Periscope Producer API in private beta, letting publishers stream from more devices and services — Confirming earlier reports by The Information andhere at TechCrunch, Twitter officially announced the launch of a new tool for live video aimed at larger media publishers and broadcasters.
In push for more live video, Twitter officially announces the Producer API
https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/21/in-push-for-more-live-video-twitter-officially-announces-the-producer-api/
Confirming earlier reports by The Information and here at TechCrunch, Twitter officially announced the launch of a new tool for live video aimed at larger media publishers and broadcasters. The Producer API, as it’s called, will allow professional publishers to connect their equipment to Twitter in order to stream live video directly to its network.
Twitter had previously launched Periscope Producer last fall, which allows creators to live stream video content from devices like professional cameras, satellite trucks, VR headsets, desktop streaming software and elsewhere. This was a step up from Periscope’s earlier value proposition — individual users “going live” from their phones to stream straight to Twitter. Instead, the software offered a way to use professional equipment in order to stream higher-quality, more polished videos.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your VR Doesn’t Stink (Yet)
http://hackaday.com/2017/03/21/your-vr-doesnt-stink-yet/
What does it smell like when the wheels heat up on that Formula 1 car you drive at night and on the weekends? You have no idea because the Virtual Reality experience that lets you do so doesn’t come with a nasal component. Yet.
Shown here is an olfactory device that works with Oculus Rift and other head-mounted displays. The proof of concept is hte work of [Kazuki Hashimoto], [Yosuke Maruno], and [Takamichi Nakamoto] and was shown of at last year’s IEEE VR conference. It lets the wearer smell the oranges when approaching a tree in a virtual environment. In other words, it makes your immersive experience smelly.
As it stands this a pretty cool little device which atomizes odor droplets while a tiny fan wafts them to the wearer’s nose.
Brief Demonstration of Olfactory and Visual Presentation Using Wearable Olfactory Display and HMD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCYe4eul3TA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linux-using mates gone AWOL? Netflix just added Linux support
Brace yourselves, netadmins, streamer’s promising more and chunkier vids everywhere
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/22/netflix_on_linux/
If your Linux-using mates suddenly disappear for a day or two, we can explain why: Netflix has just revealed it’s fully and formally available on the OS.
As the streamer points out, Chrome’s worked for in-browser playback since 2014. But not officially.
As of Tuesday, however, “users of Firefox can also enjoy Netflix on Linux.”
Netflix reckons this is “a huge milestone for us and our partners, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Mozilla that helped make it possible.”
HTML 5 had a lot to do with it, too, because by enabling plugin-free video playback it meant Linux users were spared the the recurring security nightmare that is Adobe Flash, which recently made a meaningful Penguin-land after ignoring Linux for years.
“We launched 4K Ultra HD on Microsoft Edge in December of 2016, and look forward to high-resolution video being available on more platforms soon,” the company says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Camera Gimbal for Under 5$
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPU3i_Fo2Pk
Homemade 2 axis camera gimbal for action cameras like,go pro,git1 pro.Its made from 3d printed keychain gimbal(http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1251975)
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY 2-Axis Steadicam Style Camera Stabilizer Gimbal Assembly Instructions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUeVnTLbvD0
DIY Glidecam/Flycam/Skyler style camera stabilizer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRrwsIgKjWE
Tomi Engdahl says:
Homemade Camera Stabilizer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJOX8DWLzGc
The device is known as a gimbal. It functions to hold a camera of any kind in a relatively stable position. The camera can rotate on many different planes while staying level.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Make a Professional Camera Slider (100% DIY!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE37xI14Fyw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Facebook opens Live streaming up to PC users using built-in or third-party cameras, expanding it beyond Pages to all accounts
Facebook now lets you broadcast live video from a PC
Taking on Twitch
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/22/15020458/facebook-live-broadcast-from-pc-computer-game-streaming
Facebook Live is making the jump from phones to computers, as Facebook announced today that it’s opening up its live-streaming service to desktop and laptops in addition to smartphones and mobile devices for all its users.
It’s a feature that’s been available to Pages for a while, but Facebook is opening it up to anyone with a Facebook account. Users will be able to simply broadcast straight from a built-in webcam. More advanced streamers can use external camera hardware or streaming software to make high-quality broadcasts with multiple cameras, on-screen graphics, and title cards.
By opening up computer-based streaming to everyone, it’s clear that Facebook is hoping to take live videos more seriously by making it possible for all its users to create more professional and robust broadcasts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Troy Dreier / Streaming Media Magazine:
Akamai debuts Akamai Media Acceleration, claims it will improve OTT video by bringing broadcast quality to broadband, accelerate game and software downloads
Akamai Intros Media Acceleration for OTT, Video Game Publishers
Turning last-mile delivery problems on their head, Akamai creates a customer-focused method for avoiding video congestion.
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/News/Online-Video-News/Akamai-Intros-Media-Acceleration-for-OTT-Video-Game-Publishers-117028.aspx
Even the most die-hard over-the-top (OTT) video streamers know that broadcast and cable provide consistently better delivery. Hoping to improve OTT quality, content delivery network (CDN) Akamai is launching Akamai Media Acceleration to improve performance for OTT viewers and video gamers, bringing broadcast quality to broadband, it says.
Today’s viewing issues come from network congestion, explains Scott Brown, Akamai’s vice president of product management for media. As viewing shifts online, congestion grows and quality suffers. Akamai’s approach prior to this was to optimize the parts of the network it controls, adding servers and moving them closer to end-viewers. However, this still leaves areas between the edge server and the viewers where Akamai has no control.
The idea behind Media Acceleration is to flip the problem and tackle last mile issues from a user-centric view.
“The technologies are designed to optimize quality during congestion, but also can reduce congestion on the network to improve the viewing experience, extend the life of operator capital investments, and ultimately contribute to sustainable economic models.”
Viewers using Akamai Media Acceleration can expect better viewing quality, reduced buffering, and less bitrate switching, Brown says. This last-mile solution uses the quick UDB internet connections (QUIC) framework as it provides secure transmissions over UDP while letting Akamai use its own congestion control mechanisms.
Vimeo has been testing Akamai Media Acceleration since December 2016
Tomi Engdahl says:
HLS Still “Industry Standard,” Says Encoding.com Report
Though DASH usage went up by more than 50% over 2015, HLS is still the dominant ABR format
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/HLS-Still-Industry-Standard-Says-Encoding.com-Report-116853.aspx
Encoding.com’s Global Media Format Report has become an annual barometer for the streaming industry since its inception in 2015, particularly regarding the adoption and usage of codecs and streaming formats. The 2017 report, which covers Encoding.com’s production in 2016, provided some very interesting insights. I’ll share only a few, so as not to steal the report’s thunder, which you can download yourself without registration.
One of the most significant findings in the report was the decline of HEVC as an output format, from 6% to 3% (Figure 1). Not surprisingly, Encoding.com attributed this in part to licensing issues surrounding HEVC, stating, “we believe HEVC codec license uncertainty and a lack of mobile device compatibility is significantly inhibiting the market from further exploration of this codec and has actually made it retreat.” We’ve covered the mess that HEVC licensors have made in launching HEVC many times, and this is objective proof that it’s actually hindered deployment.
Encoding.com added support for VP9 in 2016, so there are no prior year numbers, but 11% seems like a great start. Here’s what the report says: “Adding support for the VP9 codec in 2016 was followed by very strong adoption and market interest in VP9 as an alternative to H.264, especially for high-volume customers who benefit from the nearly half the data rate at the same quality when compared with H.264.”
HLS is Still the One
In terms of ABR formats, the report labels HLS as “the industry standard,” stating, “HLS remains the most prominent standard, primarily due to its broad device compatibility (iOS, Android), Browsers, and OTT players (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast) and is especially popular with video publishers who require sophisticated DRM or dynamic ad insertion integrations.
DASH support grew from 10% in 2015 to 21% in 2016, though the MPEG LA royalty on DASH wasn’t announced until November 2016, so any impact this has on DASH adoption remains to be seen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Facebook opens Live streaming up to PC users using built-in or third-party cameras, expanding it beyond Pages to all accounts — Taking on Twitch — Facebook Live is making the jump from phones to computers, as Facebook announced today that it’s opening up its live-streaming service …
Facebook now lets you broadcast live video from a PC
Taking on Twitch
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/22/15020458/facebook-live-broadcast-from-pc-computer-game-streaming
Facebook Live is making the jump from phones to computers, as Facebook announced today that it’s opening up its live-streaming service to desktop and laptops in addition to smartphones and mobile devices for all its users.
It’s a feature that’s been available to Pages for a while, but Facebook is opening it up to anyone with a Facebook account. Users will be able to simply broadcast straight from a built-in webcam. More advanced streamers can use external camera hardware or streaming software to make high-quality broadcasts with multiple cameras, on-screen graphics, and title cards.
By opening up computer-based streaming to everyone, it’s clear that Facebook is hoping to take live videos more seriously by making it possible for all its users to create more professional and robust broadcasts.
And on the gaming side of things, Facebook just became another outlet for gamers looking to attract a streaming audience. In other words, every single Facebook account just became a Twitch account with a massive potential audience already subscribed to your channel.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Deloitte: 49% of Americans Subscribe to OTT
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/deloitte-49-of-americans-subscribe-to-ott.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_2017-03-23
According to Deloitte’s 11th “Digital Democracy Survey,” OTT streaming, binge-watching, multitasking and social network influence continues to accelerate, further challenging traditional pay TV revenue models. The survey was fielded by an independent research firm Nov. 4-16, 2016, and employed an online methodology
“American consumers continued to stream, binge watch and demand more media in 2016. As the growing forces of social media and over-the-top services continue to accelerate, particularly among millennials and Generation Z, the consumer rules,”
49% of U.S. consumers and nearly 60% of Generation Z, millennials and Generation X subscribe to at least one paid over-the-top (OTT) streaming video service. However, the survey notes that despite the growth of paid streaming services, U.S. consumers spend more time streaming video via free services (40%) than paid streaming subscriptions (35%).
74% of consumers across U.S. households still subscribe to pay TV such as cable or satellite, but 66% of subscribers surveyed say they keep their pay TV because it is bundled with their Internet.
The device of choice for key demographics remains split; Gen Z and millennials spend about half their time watching TV shows and movies on devices other than a TV set. Additionally, Gen X favors the TV set by more than 60%, and Baby Boomers watch more than 80% of programming on the TV set.
99% of millennials and Gen Z are multitasking while watching TV, averaging four additional activities, such as texting, browsing the web, using social networks, reading e-mail and online shopping.
More than 50% of Gen Z and millennials use social networks to learn about new TV shows, citing it to be more useful than TV commercials.
33% of millennials and Gen Z get their news primarily from social media, with 21% saying that TV is still their most popular news platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ATSC 3.0: The Impact on Cable Operations
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/03/atsc-3-0-the-impact-on-cable-operations.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_2017-03-23
The broadcast TV industry is just on the verge of completing ATSC 3.0. It is expected that the FCC will give broadcasters the capabilities to transmit ATSC 3.0 video signals via the impending over-the-air spectrum reallocation plan, better known as the “repack.” While the transition to ATSC 3.0 will certainly be gradual, U.S. cable operators are speculating about the implications of the next-gen broadcast TV standard on their infrastructure.
Today, cable operators receive an MPEG-2 transport stream (TS) from broadcasters. Although operators are dealing with different types of transport schemes, such as over-the-air, fiber and satellite, content reception and re-transmission is fairly straightforward. The new world of ATSC 3.0 adds complexity. With ATSC 3.0, there will be no MPEG-2 TS, and IP will become part of both the broadcast and broadband stack. What does this mean for cable operators?
In the beginning, broadcasters will likely simulcast ATSC 1.0 and 3.0, meaning there may be no immediate change needed to cable headends. However, MVPDs will eventually need to make certain infrastructure changes to accommodate ATSC 3.0 transmission. For instance, cable operators will need an ATSC 3.0 standard compliant receiver with an MPEG-2 TS output with HEVC and AAC embedded.
MVPDs that are operating a fiber link will need to make an infrastructure change at the broadcast TV station or in the headend. The local station will need an ATSC 3.0 compliant modulator. Fiber signals are received in the cable headend by a demodulator. This piece of equipment may also need to be upgraded. After the link is demodulated at the headend, it will go into the same ATSC 3.0 to MPEG-2 TS receiver and be muxed in with the other MPEG-2 services as HEVC and AAC streams.
The major piece of equipment that cable operators will all need for the ATSC 3.0 transition is an MPEG-2 TS receiver-converter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
W3C Erects DRM As Web Standard
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/03/22/2131235/w3c-erects-drm-as-web-standard
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has formally put forward highly controversial digital rights management as a new web standard. “Dubbed Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), this anti-piracy mechanism was crafted by engineers from Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, and has been in development for some time,” reports The Register. “The DRM is supposed to thwart copyright infringement by stopping people from ripping video and other content from encrypted high-quality streams.”
It’s happening! It’s happening! W3C erects DRM as web standard
World has until April 19 to make its views known on latest draft
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/22/w3c_drm_web_standard/
The World Wide Web Consortium has formally put forward highly controversial digital rights management as a new web standard.
Dubbed Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), this anti-piracy mechanism was crafted by engineers from Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, and has been in development for some time. The DRM is supposed to thwart copyright infringement by stopping people from ripping video and other content from encrypted high-quality streams.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Error prone, insecure, inevitable: Say hello to today’s facial recog tech
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a database with every human visage
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/22/facial_recognition_tech_questioned/
Facial recognition technology represents a valuable, and likely inevitable, method of identification for cops and Feds. Unfortunately, it’s largely unregulated, error prone, and insecure.
Chaffetz said the technology makes mistakes, with one in seven FBI facial recognition searches incorrectly returning a list of innocent people as matches, despite the presence of the actual matching image in the database. Chaffetz also expressed doubts about the government’s ability to secure such data. “I don’t believe they can keep all this information locked down and secure,” he said.
“Is it the right public policy to populate a database with everybody’s face in it…or [just those] who have ‘earned it’?” mused Chaffetz.
The GAO reviewed the FBI’s Next Generation Identification-Interstate Photo System (NGI-IPS) and found that the agency failed to publish data on the privacy risks, failed to adequately evaluate the error rate of the technology, and failed to assess the accuracy of systems operated by external partners, such as states and other federal agencies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Fritz / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Hollywood studios may soon release new movies for video-on-demand fewer than 45 days after their big screen debut, priced between $30 and $50
From Multiplex to Living Room, in 45 Days or Less
https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-multiplex-to-living-room-in-45-days-or-less-1490532001
Hollywood studios are planning to move ahead with ‘premium’ video-on-demand, making major movies available to home viewers only weeks after they hit theaters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Film studios are going to revolutionize the entire industry – movies at breakneck speed to home
The movie mobile movie theater to your TV has traditionally been long. Now, the waiting time being considerably shortened. The matter told the Wall Street Journal, was anonymous sources.
The disagreement is at least how fast movies service would come. Options include at least a 30-45 day premiere, 17 days after, or even only 10 days from the first theater show. price of a single movie is estimated at around $ 30-50.
At the moment, the movie premiere takes an average of 102 days to the fact that the movie can enjoy the home theater. Now the studios are doing a service which new films could be considered as early as 45 days after the premiere – or even before. WSJ’s sources, no longer is a question of when, and under what conditions the service starts.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/elokuvastudiot-aikovat-mullistaa-koko-alan-leffat-pikavauhtia-kotikatsomoihin-6636096
More:
From Multiplex to Living Room, in 45 Days or Less
Hollywood studios are planning to move ahead with ‘premium’ video-on-demand, making major movies available to home viewers only weeks after they hit theaters.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-multiplex-to-living-room-in-45-days-or-less-1490532001
Tomi Engdahl says:
Are streaming sticks the present and future?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4458147/Are-streaming-sticks-the-present-and-future-
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish music sales already 75 per cent digital sales
Sound recording sales in Finland tax-free total value of wholesale sales last year was 36.7 million euros, tells the Music Producers – IFPI Finland ry statistics compiled by the member companies. Growth amounted to 1.6 per cent from the previous year, writes Kauppalehti.
The income received through digital music services grew by 75 per cent of the total market sales of phonograms. Music downloads, sales decreased by 31 per cent, but the growth of streaming services, 25 percent of digital sales pulled
Streaming Services account for the year 2016 recording the total value of sales rose by 72 per cent.
Physical recorded music sales fell during the year 2016 by 31 per cent compared to 2015.
The creative sector wants to YouTube and Facebook-like services within the scope of the copyright compensation.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/suomen-musiikkimyynnista-jo-75-prosenttia-tulee-digista-markkinajohtaja-vaihtui-6636473
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung is building 4K LED movie theater screens
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/3/28/15091668/samsung-cinema-screen-led-4k-theater
Movie theater projectors might soon have some competition from a big name in the display business. Samsung unveiled its new Cinema Screen today, which is an LED, 4096 x 2160 (4K) resolution screen designed specifically for theaters. The 34-foot screen delivers High Dynamic Range content and can reportedly display movies at a brightness level 10 times greater than standard cinema projectors. Samsung says its display fits the changing demands for theater spaces in that it could be used for viewing not only movies but also sporting events, concerts, gaming competitions, or corporate events.
Really, this display is making me question everything I know about movie theaters. I’ve never thought about why we have projectors over LED screens; it’s just a fact I accepted as truth.
Samsung’s display is much smaller than most movie theater projections.
Samsung hasn’t yet released pricing details.
Tomi Engdahl says:
About 90% of Smart TVs Vulnerable To Remote Hacking Via Rogue TV Signals
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/17/03/29/2018240/about-90-of-smart-tvs-vulnerable-to-remote-hacking-via-rogue-tv-signals
A new attack on smart TVs allows a malicious actor to take over devices using rogue DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial) signals, get root access on the smart TV, and use the device for all sorts of nasty actions, ranging from DDoS attacks to spying on end users. The attack, developed by Rafael Scheel, a security researcher working for Swiss cyber security consulting company Oneconsult, is unique and much more dangerous than previous smart TV hacks. Scheel’s method, which he recently presented at a security conference, is different because the attacker can execute it from a remote location, without user interaction, and runs in the TV’s background processes, meaning users won’t notice when an attacker compromises their TVs.
About 90% of Smart TVs Vulnerable to Remote Hacking via Rogue TV Signals
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/about-90-percent-of-smart-tvs-vulnerable-to-remote-hacking-via-rogue-tv-signals/
Current smart TV hacks aren’t not really “dangerous”
Until now, all smart TV exploits relied on attackers having physical access to the device, in order to plug in an USB that executes malicious code. Other attacks relied on social engineering, meaning attackers had to trick users into installing a malicious app on their TV.
Even the mighty CIA developed a hacking tool named “Weeping Angel,” which could take over Samsung smart TVs and turn them into spying devices. But despite its considerable human and financial resources, the CIA and its operators needed physical access to install Weeping Angel, which made it less likely to be used in mass attacks, and was only feasible if deployed on one target at a time, during carefully-planned operations.
Because of the many constraints that come with physical and social engineering attacks, Scheel didn’t consider any of them as truly dangerous, and decided to create his own.
Scheel’s attack is remote, no user interaction needed
Scheel’s method, which he recently presented at a security conference, is different because the attacker can execute it from a remote location, without user interaction, and runs in the TV’s background processes, meaning users won’t notice when an attacker compromises their TVs.
Furthermore, Scheel says that “about 90% of the TVs sold in the last years are potential victims of similar attacks,” highlighting a major flaw in the infrastructure surrounding smart TVs all over the globe.
At the center of Scheel’s attack is Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV), an industry standard supported by most cable providers and smart TV makers that “harmonizes” classic broadcast, IPTV, and broadband delivery systems. TV transmission signal technologies like DVB-T, DVB-C, or IPTV all support HbbTV.
Scheel says that anyone can set up a custom DVB-T transmitter with equipment priced between $50-$150, and start broadcasting a DVB-T signal.
Rogue TV signals could deliver malicious HbbTV commands
Scheel developed two exploits he hosted on his own website, which when loaded in the TV’s built-in browser would execute malicious code, gain root access, and effectively take over the device.
For his first exploit, Scheel used CVE-2015-3090, which is one of the Flash zero-days leaked in the Hacking Team 2015 incident. After coding and successfully testing the exploit, Scheel realized that not all smart TV browsers come with the Flash Player plugin enabled by default.
Because of this, Scheel developed a second exploit, which exploited an older vulnerability in the Array.prototype.sort() JavaScript function, support by all browsers, even by those shipped with smart TVs.