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DMW Interview: Peter Price, President & CEO of The NATAS

Authored by Scott Goldberg on August 16, 2007 - 1:17pm.
Peter Price, President & CEO of The NATASPeter Price was named President and CEO of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in February, 2002.  He has expanded the role of the National Television Academy as a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry.  Last year the Academy created a new Emmy Award for video content on new delivery platforms, including the Internet, mobile phones, iPods, PDAs and similar devices.  Price also spearheaded the development of the Business & Financial Reporting Emmy Awards, and he expanded the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards, one of the Academy’s oldest ceremonies honoring patent holders of television technology, to recognize the technical applications of patented technology via the New Media Technology Awards.  I sat down with Peter to discuss his current job, and get his perspective on new media.
tags: Video | TV | Newspapers | Film | Digital | Technology | Media | Television |

Camera & Monitoring Company says it can Combat Bridge Failures

Authored by dmw on August 3, 2007 - 9:57am.

A key to preventing tragedies like the Minnesota bridge collapse is surveillance, says Aging Infrastructures, a company that’s a division of Sensible Security, which sets up cameras and monitoring systems like GPS to gauge the health of things like bridges, road and other structures.

tags: Law | GPS | Technology |

Panmure Gordon to Purchase ThinkEquity

Authored by Scott Goldberg on February 20, 2007 - 9:59am.
Panmure Gordon logo London – Panmure Gordon & Co., a UK investment bank, has agreed to purchase ThinkEquity, a US investment bank, for $62.3 million.  ThinkEquity has focused on high-growth sectors including telecommunications, media, and technology.  Panmure will fund the deal with 8.9 million shares of its stock, and about $32 million in cash.
tags: Investing | Acquisitions | Technology | Panmure Gordon | ThinkEquity |

Former Gracenote CEO Launches MOG Online Music Community

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 20, 2006 - 12:03pm.
Berkeley, Calif. - The former CEO of CD identification technology firm Gracenote on Tuesday announced the launch of MOG, an online music destination that allows users to compare their musical tastes with an online community.
tags: Launches | Music Launches | Internet | Music | Technology | Online Communities | MOG | David Hyman |

Software, Device Makers Adopt eBook Technology Standards

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 20, 2006 - 11:59am.
New York - The International Digital Publishing Forum (IPDF) announced on Tuesday that major software developers and device manufacturers have agreed to support its new e-book standards, which aim to resolve file interoperability and production issues hampering growth of the industry.
tags: Internet | Software | Publishing | Technology | eBooks | Standards | IPDF | OEBPS | OSoft.com |

Mobile Ad Technology Provider TXT4 Raises $2.2 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:34am.
Oxford, England - TXT4 Ltd., a London-based provider of mobile response technology to advertisers, announced that it has raised $2.2 million in venture capital financing. TXT4 provides software to manage advertising response using text messaging. Oxford Capital Partners and Noble Fund Managers led the round. TXT4 said it would use the investment to grow sales and marketing and increase technical resources. The latest cash injection follows a £250,000 investment by The Capital Fund last December. TXT4 has offices in Australia, France, Germany and Ireland.
tags: Raise | Provider | Mobile Ad | Technology | TXT4 |

On2 Technologies Introduces Mobile TV Streaming Technology

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2006 - 10:09am.
Barcelona - On2 Technologies, a developer of video compression technology, on Tuesday introduced its On2 TrueMobile Video mobile video streaming technology. Built on On2's VP7 video compression, the technology enables live and video-on-demand streaming over 2.5G and 3G mobile networks to Symbian and Windows Mobile-based handsets and mobile devices. On2 said Chinese mobile TV service provider CTTNet is among the first customers for On2 TrueMobile Video.
tags: Mobile TV | On2 | Introduce | Stream | Technology |

MeeVee Granted Two Patents on TV Search Engine Technology

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2006 - 5:14am.
Burlingame, Calif. - MeeVee, a developer of personalized TV search engine technology, announced on Monday that it has been granted two patents for its television search technology. The company said the new patents cover its method of tagging video content with descriptive metadata and searching the metadata to identify television programs, program segments and video content of interest to viewers.
tags: MeeVee | Technology | Engine | Patent | Grant |

Hollywood, Technology Firms Team to Educate on TV Parental Controls

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 19, 2006 - 3:33am.
Washington - A group that includes Hollywood movie studios, TV networks, consumer electronics firms and cable and satellite TV providers on Thursday announced an effort to educate parents on existing technologies that can be used to control what their children watch on TV. Led by former Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) head Jack Valenti, who testified about the effort before the Senate Commerce Committee, the group includes the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB); the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA); major television networks; the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA); satellite providers DirecTV and EchoStar; and the Ad Council. "Polls show that some 70 to 80 percent of parents believe there are programs on TV unsuitable for children," Valenti testified. "The same percentage also report they do not want government to step in and fix this problem. From these facts about the public's revealed opinion, we present a common sense plan that will convey to American parents that they have, right now, all the weaponry they need to control all the TV programming that enters their home." The group will spend between $250 and $300 million to produce and air ads on the V-chip, satellite and cable channel blocking, and TV ratings system. The campaign will also include educational and instructional materials distributed in electronics retail stores, and outreach to religious and parents' advocacy groups.
tags: TV | Technology | Parental Controls | Hollywood | Educate |

Gracenote Raises $10.9 Million, Acquires Technology from Philips

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 1, 2005 - 6:42am.
Amsterdam -- Gracenote, a provider of song identification technology, announced that it has raised $10.9 million in its fifth round of venture capital financing from existing investors. The company also announced that it will acquire audio identification and fingerprinting technology from Philips, which will make an equity investment in the company. Berkeley, Calif.-based Gracenote paid an undisclosed sum for Philips' technologies; the companies will also enter into a long-term research and development pact. Gracenote said the acquisition would further extend its lead in the digital entertainment technology market and allow it to expand into significant new markets, including chip-based recognition, embedded technologies for devices such as car stereos and music and advertising monitoring.
tags: VC | Philips | Technology | Acquisition | Gracenote | Acquires |

U.K. Government Approves BBC Technology Sale to Siemens

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 28, 2004 - 9:28am.
London -- U.K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has approved the sale of BBC Technology to Siemens AG, a German engineering and IT firm, for 2 billion pounds ($3.6 billion). Siemens will now provide the BBC's technology unit with a wide range of services covering IT, business systems, application development, network servers, telephony and even broadcast technology. In a letter sent to BBC Technology staff last Friday, Jowell said that she had found "no legitimate reason" to stop the sale, which the BBC claims will save it more than 30 million pounds ($54 million) a year in IT costs. Even so, local trade union BECTU, which has opposed the sale since its proposal last November, lamented Jowell's decision, saying it was "certainly not good" for the BBC in the long term. "This isn't just the BBC selling off one of its Crown Jewels," said BECTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Morrissey in a statement. "It's a case of handing its central nervous system over to the private sector."
tags: Deals | BBC | Technology | Siemens | U.K. Government |

L.L. Bean Sues Four Rivals for Using Claria's Pop-Up Ad Technology

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 18, 2004 - 8:12am.
Portland, Maine -- Clothing retailer L.L. Bean on Tuesday sued four competitors who use controversial pop-up ad delivery provider Claria's service -- which serves ads for the competitors when they visit L.L. Bean's website -- the Associated Press reported. The suit says Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, Atkins and Gevalia have infringed on L.L. Bean's trademarks with the practice. "Using our trademarked name as a trigger to which you want to serve your ads causes customer confusion and crosses the line into trademark infringement," L.L. Bean vice president for e-commerce Mary Lou Kelley told AP. Claria, formerly known as Gator, has contended in past lawsuits brought over its technology that only consumers who freely choose to download the software that serves the competitors' ads actually see them.
tags: Technology | L.L. Bean | Claria's Pop-Up |

Google Buys Personalized Web Search Technology Developer Kaltix

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 30, 2003 - 9:37am.
Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine firm Google announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Kaltix, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based start-up developing personalized and context-sensitive search technologies that make it faster and easier for people to find information on the Web. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Google and Kaltix share a common commitment to developing innovative search technologies that make finding information faster, easier and more relevant," said Google co-founder and president of products Larry Page. "Kaltix is working on a number of compelling search technologies, and Google is the ideal vehicle for the continued development of these advancements."
tags: Google | Technology | Web Search | Kaltix |

Philips to Offer Music Playback, Security Technology to Internet Retailers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 26, 2003 - 10:27am.
Amsterdam -- Philips Electronics said on Friday that it is developing digital music playback and security technologies that it will offer to online music retailers, Reuters reported. "We are in discussions with parties that want to develop music download sites," Philips' Larry Blanford told Reuters. Philips also said it will not support Microsoft's Windows Media technology in its music initiatives, with Blanford adding, "we need a technology that works, that is available to everyone, managed in a fair way and not constrained to any particular group." http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3515236  http://www.philipsusa.com
tags: Music | Security | Philips | Technology | Playback |

Technology Publication Red Herring Re-Launched Online by New Owners

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 25, 2003 - 10:41am.
Mountain View, Calif. -- After closing its doors and then being acquired by entrepreneur Alex Vieux in April, technology publication Red Herring was re-launched on Thursday, promising to deliver 90 new online stories each month, and research and events in the future. Former Business 2.0 editor-in-chief James Daly will lead the new editorial team, which will also include former Upside Magazine editor-in-chief Richard Brandt. Corporate sponsors for the publication's re-launch include Network Appliances, British Telecom, Logitech and Symantec; former Yahoo CEO Tim Koogle is among the company's directors. "When the previous owners announced they were closing the publication's doors in March, I felt strongly that losing the Herring would be a blow to the IT community," said Vieux. "We re-evaluated elements of the business that hadn't kept pace with today's economic realities and are now building on the brand's strong foundation to create a network of online content, research and events that offer a broader perspective on the global technology sector."
tags: Online | Technology | Publication | Red Herring |