« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »
March 29, 2006
LifeBlog doesn't use XML RPC
Robert Price - Lifeblog Posting Protocol Example
Alas, after doing a bit of exploring, I see why LifeBlog never worked with my blog(s). It doesn't do XML-RPC. Arrrg..
In any case, detailed on the site above, Robert Price has done the hard work and figured out just what it does and how it can be used. A bit painful but some progress..
Does anyone have a pointer to XML-RPC J2ME code for me?
Posted by vanevery at 09:32 AM | TrackBack
March 26, 2006
Techdirt: Why Aren't The Telcos Paying Google For Making Their Network Valuable?
Techdirt: Why Aren't The Telcos Paying Google For Making Their Network Valuable?
It is true, cable franchises pay the networks for the privilege of carrying them. This is on a per-subscriber basis and allows the television networks to double dip in a sense, get per-subscriber fees as well as ad revenue.
The argument that Google makes the broadband networks valuable is true although there are a plethora of such services, no lack of content which is why the cable co.'s started to pay the networks in the first place.
There is NO WAY the telcos would fall for this (Verizon/CBS stupidity aside) on broadband lines unless they truly still envision the internet as 1,000,000 channels of TV.
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think that Google should pay either. We (the consumers here) are already paying. Unless Google wants to be on the providers home page or portal there is no reason for them to pay.
I hope they do light up all of that fiber they have been buying and route around the telecos and allow me a WiFi Mesh or WiMax connection.
Posted by vanevery at 10:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
TurnHere - Short Films about Cool places
TurnHere.com ~ The video insiders guide to neighborhoods across the world
My good friend Paul is featured pointing out all of the new buildings going up in the area. Nice..!
The site concept is interesting. I am glad to see that niche video content sites are popping up (as opposed to YouTube and Google Video).
I have a couple of problems with how it is built such as there isn't a search box (I want to see all of the Brooklyn films but could find no way to do it). There is no way to leave comments or otherwise say that I like any particular video. Also, this might be a personal bias but I think there is too much Flash used. It is fine to present the videos in Flash but why the rest of the site? Last, I wish they would give me an RSS feed with MPEG-4 videos so I can watch on my new Mini hooked up to my TV.
Overall though, I love it.. Good content!
Posted by vanevery at 08:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Mark Cuban calls bullshit, bullshit
Emmy Advanced Media - Television Business News: Cuban Likes Obesity
Shelly Palmer tells us about Mark Cuban calling out Disney's Preston Padden in obvious over exaggeration..
From the post:
There aren’t many of us who could call bulls__t on Preston Padden–at least not in front of a room full of press and politicos. However, Mark Cuban, CEO of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, did it twice in 10 minutes at the Consumer Electronics Association’s 2006 Entertainment Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. Preston Padden, executive vice president-government relations, The Walt Disney Company, was trying to tell the audience that there had been over six million illegal downloads of Disney’s animated hit movie, “The Incredibles.” Mark wasn’t buying it. “I call bulls__t!” he said, with no small degree of effervescence in his voice. “Maybe if you said ‘Star Wars,’ but ‘The Incredibles’? No way!!!”
Posted by vanevery at 07:53 PM | TrackBack
"HBO busted me for using bittorrent"
Gen Kanai weblog: "HBO busted me for using bittorrent"
HBO is going after users for downloading content using BitTorrent. Here are some stories, letters and so on..
HBO could simply start doing things like simultaneous release (or at least shorten the time), offer it through iTunes and the like and maybe, perhaps just embrace the BitTorrent phenomena and offer access to a good high quality seed for 1 or 2 dollars. Would be cheaper than the lawyers..
Posted by vanevery at 06:33 PM | TrackBack
VoIP Provider Plan Comparisons
Posted by vanevery at 03:37 PM | TrackBack
March 24, 2006
I/ON TV
People With Ideas - Blog Archive - 10-foot “Potato” UI fun
The guys at Open Network Television are hard at work on more great features for their video aggregator I/ON. This time it is a television interface for those of us with Mini's or Windows Media Center's. I can't wait to try it out on my Mini as STB and hope to have some time at some time in the future to start hacking around with the source.
Posted by vanevery at 01:18 AM | TrackBack
Choose your own adventure films
anyfilms.net
I would copy and past some of the text here if the text wasn't in Flash (therefore not allowing me to copy). (With all browsers supporting precise layout and text control, why render these elements in Flash? The other elements I can understand, mostly.)
In any case, this is interesting but I don't get the grid..
Posted by vanevery at 12:41 AM | TrackBack
Cingular jumps on the VOD bandwagon
PDAStreet: News: Cingular Debuts Video-on-Demand Service
More mobile networks launching VOD. You probably know my feelings about these services by now..
I love how most articles about this have the obligatory statement about consumers less than enthusiastic response:
"But are consumers ready to watch mobile video and TV on their small handset screens? According to a new RBC Capital Markets survey of 1,001 Americans, perhaps they aren’t. The RBC study found that three-quarters of those surveyed weren't interested in watching TV programs or movies on their mobile device, let alone using a cell phone for music even."
Even better is the confusion over plans and pricing:
"It is not to be confused with Cingular's MobiTV-run television offering, which delivers live television broadcasts over the operator's standard 2.5G or EDGE network - 70 to 135kbps. MobiTV costs $9.99 per month and requires a data plan, ranging in price from $4.99 for 1 MB to $19.99 unlimited.
The new service is free to Cingular customers with an unlimited $19.99 per month Broadband Connect plan, which also includes all-you-can-eat messaging and image sharing. As a premium offering, the HBO channel costs an extra $4.99 per month."
Posted by vanevery at 12:18 AM | TrackBack
Mobile Games Tied with Live TV
Startup to Wed Mobile Games, Live TV Shows - Yahoo! News
Very interesting:
AirPlay Network Inc. said it will introduce a lineup of cell phone games tied to live television broadcasts. While watching TV, subscribers could use their cell phones to compete against others in "real time" by predicting plays in sports, choosing winners on reality TV shows or picking answers on game shows.
Posted by vanevery at 12:08 AM | TrackBack
March 23, 2006
'The Fourth Screen' Mobile Media Festival
The4thScreen.com :: global mobile media festival
This festival looks very interesting. They are pushing people to think about the phone in a different way, not just as a television that is carried in your pocket as it seems the providers are pushing for:
'The Fourth Screen' Global Mobile Media Festival will focus on the mobile phone as an emerging social, cultural and technological phenomenon.
We invite artists, technologists, and other creative thinkers to submit creations, inventions and concepts in two categories:
1/ moving images: videos made with mobile phone, movies, animation and games intended for mobile delivery
2/ wise technologies: software art, software and hardware that proposes new uses for mobile multimedia communication, applications that have positive cultural, social and economic impact in diverse cultures
Posted by vanevery at 01:17 PM | TrackBack
March 18, 2006
Multiuser WordPress
WordPress Multiuser
From the site:
WordPress MU is multi-user version of the famous WordPress blogging application. It is ideal for people wanting to offer a hosted version of WordPress.
This is what I should get up and running for MobVCasting.
Posted by vanevery at 03:40 PM | TrackBack
March 16, 2006
Revolutionary or 20 years too late?
Turning the Television Into an Electronic Easel for Future Mondrians - New York Times
Posted by vanevery at 04:18 PM | TrackBack
Windows XP on Mac
Windows XP on Mac solution posted - Engadget
Be interesting to see if someone does something with this commercially. For instance, Mac Warehouse selling dual boot Apple machines... Wonder what Apple would do?
Posted by vanevery at 04:13 PM | TrackBack
March 15, 2006
Axis 214 PTZ Camera, a dream come true..
I have been waiting for one of these for years. A network PTZ camera that does true standards based streaming. Most of the others from Linksys, DLink and so on seem like they fit the bill but their flavor of "MPEG-4" is only codec deep (if even that) and requires playback to be handled with their proprietary ActiveX or Java players.
Not so with the Axis 214 which not only serves true MPEG-4 content but it is playable with QuickTime and any other player that can handle a standard RTSP MPEG-4 stream. This also means that the streams can be reflected by QuickTime/Darwin Streaming Server to allow for a much larger audience than the camera itself can handle.
Unfortunately, getting it to work with the QuickTime Streaming Server but in the end it was well worth it.
In the interest of saving the rest of the world some time I am posting an email message from Kyle Robertson from Apple's Streaming Server User's Listserv that was immensely helpful.
Continue reading "Axis 214 PTZ Camera, a dream come true.."
Posted by vanevery at 09:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 11, 2006
New WordPress Plugin for Embedding QuickTime movies
QuickTime Embedding WordPress Plugin
I got tired of my XML-RPC posts with QuickTime movies messing up the design of my blog. WordPress automatically would add end param tags and paragraph breaks and all of that inside my Embed and Object tags.
Check it out
Posted by vanevery at 11:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 06, 2006
Map of Public Access TV Stations around the country
The Geography of Community Media | Mapping Access
Amazing how many there are. What can be done with a network of this size?
Posted by vanevery at 12:52 PM | TrackBack
March 03, 2006
Mobile video: Get started with the QuickTime for Java API
Mobile video: Get started with the QuickTime for Java API
From the article:
In this article, I'll first suggest some practical (and potentially very popular) uses for mobile video, and then present two programs to get you started using the QuickTime for Java API to create video content for the iPod. These programs let you easily add captions to existing video files and convert legacy video files into an iPod-compatible format. At the end of the article, I'll leave you with some example code that you can use to learn more about manipulating videos using the QuickTime for Java API.
Posted by vanevery at 03:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 02, 2006
Eclipse, J2ME/MIDP 2, Mac OS X
ECLIPSE/MpowerPlayer
Looks like suitable instructions for getting J2ME MIDP 2.0 development going on the Mac with Eclipse using the Mpowerplayer SDK.
This has been a long time in coming.. Let's hope it works..
Posted by vanevery at 08:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 01, 2006
QuickTime and Flash
QuickTime and Flash 5
A bit old but a good description of how to work with Flash and QuickTime. Includes a crazy demo movie