Broadband

Mark Cuban: How to Make US Broadband Competitive

Authored by Mark Cuban on April 10, 2008 - 8:10am.

There is a dirty little secret in the cable industry. Its being kept secret not by the cable distributors, but by the big cable networks. End this practice and the United States goes from being 3rd world by international broadband standards, to top of the charts and exemplary. Make this change and Net Neutrality becomes a non issue. There is plenty of bandwidth for everyone. What is the dirty little secret? That your cable company still delivers basic cable networks in analog.

Analysis: Building the Digital Superhighway

Authored by Paul Sweeting on April 3, 2008 - 6:17am.
Verizon chairman/CEO Ivan Seidenberg is a smart man, working his way up from splicing line to running one of the world's biggest telecommunications companies. But he needs to brush up on his American history. Accepting the Digital Patriot Award from the Consumer Electronics Assn. last night, Seidenberg lauded the "unprecedented" progress being made in the U.S. in building out broadband networks, nearly all of it accomplished with private capital investment. The only projects of comparable scope and speed, he maintained, were construction of the Interstate Highway system and the Apollo space program, "both of which required billions of dollars of taxpayer money."

Verizon Embraces P4P Over P2P, No Piracy Policing

Authored by Jay Baage on March 14, 2008 - 7:24am.

New York - Broadband provider Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will not be policing its own network for illegal filesharing and reports that a recent test it conducted revealed that the new P4P protocol provides a significant boost in download performance while simultaneously reducing network congestion.

tags: Games | Video | Law | Policy | P2P | Piracy | Verizon | Music | Broadband | Film | P4P |

Report: 72% of U.S. Adults Now Have Broadband Access

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2007 - 12:02pm.

Arlington, Va. - Seventy-two percent of U.S. adults have access to a broadband connection and more than half of American households now subscribe to broadband, according to new research by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

DirecTV, EchoStar to Offer High-Speed Internet Through Clearwire

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 14, 2007 - 11:38am.

Kirkland, Wash. - Clearwire, the operator of a wireless, high-speed Internet access service, announced on Thursday that it has signed agreements with the nation's two satellite TV broadcasters -- DirecTV and EchoStar Communications, which operates the DISH Network -- that will enable the satellite firms to offer high-speed Internet access to their subscribers.

Microsoft, Tech Firms Lobby FCC to Approve Internet-Over-TV Device

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 13, 2007 - 3:14pm.

Washington - A coalition of large technology firms -- including Microsoft, Google, Dell, HP, Intel and Philips -- have asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow unused TV channels ("white space") to be used for distribution of Internet access into homes and offices, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

tags: TV | Broadband | Microsoft | Google | Philips | HP | FCC | Intel | Dell |

Now Is the Time for Blockbuster to Make Its Move

Authored by michael_greeson on January 26, 2007 - 4:26am.
It's time for Blockbuster to get into the online download business. The market is only now emerging and the pickings are slim, but it's not too soon for the company to expand its offerings to include web-based movie downloads and rentals. It could be the only company to offer a true "triple-play" of mail, brick-and-mortar, and online access - a combination that (given innovative marketing) could give a second wind to a dying brand and uniquely position the company for long-term success.

Indie Film Purveyor Sundance Launches Dedicated Channel on YouTube

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 18, 2007 - 1:54pm.

New York - Sundance Channel on Thursday announced that it has partnered with Google's YouTube to make excerpts of its content available on the video-sharing site in 2007. Content will include "Festival Dailies," produced at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and clips from the cable network's original series, films and documentaries. Also available exclusively on YouTube will be a video blog hosted by Crumley and Buice, independent filmmakers who recently screened their latest film within the virtual world "Second Life."

AppleTV - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Authored by michael_greeson on January 12, 2007 - 7:10am.
AppleTV Unwrapped
On January 9, Steve Jobs made good on his 2006 promise to release an Internet TV Adapter (iTVA) and rolled out AppleTV, a set-top box that allows you to stream video from your PC to your TV. This was an important move for Apple and for the entire broadband video industry; one TDG predicted several years ago would likely happen in 2007.

I don't want to talk about the technology behind the AppleTV platform - you've all heard by now that it's an 802.11n-based wireless media hub with a 40GB hard drive and Intel processing, and is capable of streaming video, music, and photos to up to 5 different PCs. You've also likely heard that it will hit the market in February and cost $299 (although those who simply can't wait to say they've bought one can pre-order the devices as of last Tuesday).

So the real reason for this particular OpEd? The often nauseating level of presumption extended to Apple by the public media and (in many cases) the analytical community. It's as if everything that Apple touches will not only turn to gold but fundamentally redefine how we experience media[1].

MySpace, National Television Academy Partner on Broadband Emmys

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 9, 2007 - 2:01pm.

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s MySpace social networking site announced that it has partnered with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which produces the Emmy Awards, on the 2007 Broadband Emmy Awards.

tags: Video | TV | Broadband | MySpace | Emmys | NATAS |

Ex-Viacom Exec Launches Internet TV Venture; Raises $8 Million in First Round

Authored by Jay Baage on January 4, 2007 - 2:20pm.
New York - Herb Scannell, a former vice chairman of MTV Networks and former president of Nickelodeon Networks, unveiled Next New Networks on Thursday. The new company plans to put more than 30 of what it calls "micro-television networks" on the Internet. The company also announced that it raised $8 million in its first round of venture capital, led by Spark Capital.

In-Game Ad Firm Exent Appoints Alan Snodgrass as President

Authored by dmw on January 4, 2007 - 11:51am.
Exent Technologies, a global market solutions provider for broadband-based monetization of PC and video games, has appointed longtime Intel executive, Alan Snodgrass as its President. In this role, Alan will oversee all of Exent’s business operations from the company’s North American headquarters, in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Alan will play a key role in further driving to market Exent’s established EXEtender product line and our newly launched AdMuse in-game advertising product line,” said Zvi Levgoren, CEO, Exent Technologies in a statement.

Road Tales From The Venice Project - "Dude, Where's My Router?"

Authored by Jay Baage on December 20, 2006 - 12:17pm.
CORRECTED & UPDATED
Fredrik de Wahl, CEO of the Venice Project, the much discussed internet TV project that was initiated by Kazaa and Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, ran into some unexpected car trouble last night. Dirk-Willem van Gulik says on the company blog that in spite of the main router breaking in the process of setting up a new datacenter, the beta version of their Internet TV service "should be up and running just before Christmas."

Associated Press: Slower Upload Speeds Affecting Web 2.0 Applications

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 19, 2006 - 1:09pm.
New York - The Associated Press on Tuesday reported on how the imbalance between download and upload speeds offered by broadband providers is detracting from user experience now that uploading and sharing videos, music and photos is common practice. In some cases, download speeds provided to subscribers are 10 to 15 times faster that upload speeds. "The system is a hangover of the old mass media days," technology analyst Paul Saffo told AP. "Some consumers are uploading a tremendous amount of information and that's the thing the establishment just doesn't get."

Skype to Add Broadband TV to Internet Telephone Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 18, 2006 - 6:27am.

London - Skype, a provider of Internet telephone services, plans to launch a broadband TV service next year, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

tags: Video | Tech | P2P | TV | Broadband | IPTV | VOIP | Skype |

Report: 78% of Active U.S. Internet Users Now Have Broadband at Home

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 13, 2006 - 12:43pm.

New York - More than three-quarters of active Internet users in the U.S. now have broadband access at home, according to a new report from Nielsen/NetRatings.

tags: Broadband | Metrics | Nielsen | DSL |

Orb Networks Releases Upgrade to PC-based Place-Shifting Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 4:06pm.
Emeryville, Calif. - Orb Networks on Thursday introduced Orb MyCasting 2.0, an upgraded version of its free service that lets users stream all of their PC-based media, including live and recorded TV, on any Internet-connected device. The application allows access from Windows XP PCs to music, photos, videos, documents, podcasts and other digital media, as well as live and recorded TV, provided users also have installed a TV tuner card on the PC.

AT&T Offers New Broadband Subscribers Free Vongo Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 4:04pm.
San Antonio, Texas - AT&T on Thursday announced a promotion that will provide new subscribers to its AT&T Yahoo broadband service with a 30-day free trial of Vongo, the Internet video-on-demand service from Starz Entertainment.

AOL Website to Stream Free, Ad-Supported Documentary Films

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 3:50pm.
New York - AOL on Thursday announced the launch of True Stories, a new website that will showcase feature-length documentary films.

Report: Internet Video Revenues to Pass $7 Billion in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 3:40pm.
Dallas - Annual U.S. revenues from Internet video services, which include user-generated content as well as TV shows and movies, will exceed $7 billion by 2010, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates.