Blu-ray, DVD, HDTV, Video info and more at WesleyTech.com

RealDVD bested in MPAA match up

Two years ago, the MPAA sued RealNetworks over their RealDVD software, which allowed for backing up DVDs to a hard drive, claiming an infringement of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Last August, the MPAA prevailed in the case against Real. The Judge in the case made a very cryptic comment in the decision stating:

Had Real’s products been manufactured differently, i.e., if what happened in Vegas really did stay in Vegas, this might have been a different case. But, it is what it is. Once the distributive nature of the copying process takes hold, like the spread of gossip after a weekend in Vegas, what’s done cannot be undone.

After months of deliberation, Real decided not to appeal the decision, and paid $4,500,000 to the MPAA for legal fee reimbursement. They also shut off their online metadata service.

From the judge’s comments, it seems this decision affects software which could lead to distribution of the content. This may favor Kaleidescape’s argument considering their closed-architecture does not allow for data on their servers to be accessed except by associated Kaleidescape players.

It also seems to target a retail software, and should be a pronouncement on personal Fair Use.

Viacom pulling shows from Hulu

Imagine for a minute you are an executive at a cable TV network. You have a couple programs which are so popular they are a mainstay in popular media. Imagine these shows were available online on one of the most popular video websites around. These programs were also so popular they were consistently amongst the top performers on this site, and the ad revenue also made it quite profitable.

With all of this success, why would you decide to take the program off of this website?

Earlier this week, Viacom pulled Comedy Central videos off Hulu effective March 10th. Amongst the titles include the two shows I’m referencing above: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. The Daily Show has long been a powerful satire program in the United States, and Stephen Colbert of the The Colbert Report has been performed at the 2006 White House correspondents dinner for President Bush, and President Obama has appeared on his show once, and even mentioned him by name to the NASA astronauts when they were installing Colbert’s eponymous space tread mill on the International Space Station late last month. Both shows have been in the top 15 popular shows on Hulu for almost two years.

While shows come and go on Hulu all the time, these two shows have been so consistent that the Senior Vice President of Hulu, Andy Forssell, bade them a fond farewell.

So why did they do it? There isn’t any clear indication, but the parting seems amicable. Over the past few years there has been so much volatility in the entertainment market that companies are struggling to maintain ownership of their property, so it’s possible they feel these programs are so powerful they won’t lose the viewership and that the viewers will follow them to their own website where they have complete control over them, and only the expense they already incur on their site.

Whatever the reason, I was hoping for more aggregation of video content, not less. But I guess that’s what the Boxee Box was created to fix.

Control4 adds apps

The affordable home automation firm Control4 has gone several years with a very basic graphic user interface (GUI) offering simple control to everyone. Earlier this year they unveiled a new GUI based on Adobe Flash which offers much more customization abilities.

One new feature is the ability to download and install applications (apps) on the home automation system which can then be accessed from anywhere in the home where a Control4 interface is installed, even from wireless touch panels. These apps add control features, such as power monitoring, but also entertainment and communications apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Some apps are free, and others cost a few dollars.

From the looks of it, Control4 has found a great way to perhaps deliver online video throughout a home in a very simple way – or even out on the patio with a wireless touch panel.

Check out this video provided by CEPro.

Walmart to purchase Vudu

Three years ago, Walmart partnered with Hewlett-Packard to provide movie and television program downloads. This venture was canned within 10 months’ time. Now that video streaming has become much more widely accepted, Walmart appears to be leveraging what market share Vudu has to get back in the game.

Vudu launched in 2006 and has since gained partnerships with most Hollywood studios, as well as many independent providers, but they have also blown through most of their venture capital and have been looking for a buyer. With big players such as Netflix, Sony, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Best Buy competing for the online video market, Vudu has been struggling to keep up. The Walmart acquisition makes for a good match, bringing the quality-leading service (Vudu) with the market-leading retailer.

At the CES expo earlier this year, Vudu announced many new hardware partners and a new app service. It will be interesting to see how Walmart will leverage Vudu within their consumer electronic products from various manufacturers. The retailer has exclusive products made for them from companies like Sony; it makes sense they will add the Vudu app to the exclusive products at a lower price point than the competition. Walmart has been focusing on electronics every aggressively for the past few years, so they do have the ability to make a huge play into the video streaming market.

It seems one of the factors holding Vudu back was the hardware costs considerably more than comparable products. Walmart has the ability to subsidize the hardware for market penetration.

Because online media is “in the cloud” we’re not asked to make a commitment with one provider over another. The hardware prices have come down so much, or is included within HDTVs or Blu-ray Disc players, that even a hardware investment is negligible.

The iPad is a Crestron touchpanel

When Apple introduced the new iPad, I wrote it would make a cheap touchpanel. Today, I received the following announcement from Crestron:

The hot new Apple iPad is a full 2-way Crestron touchpanel – available the same day it ships from Apple. Immediately take advantage of the free Crestron Mobile app (currently available from iTunes) to transform your iPad into a complete home automation touchpanel, or use the Crestron Mobile Pro app to turn the iPad into a entirely customized user interface while enjoying the sleek, stylish Apple look, right from day one.

Use existing Crestron software tools to create GUI designs and seamlessly integrate with any Crestron control system, including Prodigy. Use the vast library of free Crestron graphics or produce custom images desired. Browse, select and play songs and movies; control lights and adjust temperature, all from the iPad.

The iPad connects to the Crestron controller via WiFi or 3G network the same way the iPhone or iPod touch does today. Simply add complete Crestron control to any room in the home, or take advantage of the 3G iPad for control anywhere, whether in the car, on vacation or at the office.

Crestron is committed to offering great solutions for integrating Apple products into the home. Create touchpanel interfaces with XPanel for Mac to take full Crestron control from any iMac or MacBook. Convert your iPod into a Crestron controlled media server using the Crestron Interface for Apple iPod (CEN-IDOCV), Crestron iServer (CEN-ISERVER) or the Prodigy Interface for Apple iPod (P-IDOCV). Crestron Mobile lets you use the iPad, as well as iPhone and iPod touch, to take complete control of any system, anywhere.

Check out the complete Crestron line for Integration with Apple Products at www.crestron.com/apple.

Panasonic Blu-ray/VHS combo baffles

Question: What do Demi Moore, Fred Thompson, and Panasonic’s newest Blu-ray Disc player have in common? Answer: They’ve all played a VHS tape.

The Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray Disc player also plays VHS cassette tapes. This makes as much sense as recording cable shows on a VCR (as one recent client asked to do). No, it makes less sense because this VHS player won’t even record – it only plays!

As mind-blowing as this product’s mere existence is, what’s more discombobulating is the fact that Amazon is selling it for $139 with free shipping. Pretend the VHS player isn’t attached and it’s one of the best deals I’ve ever seen on a BD player … ever.


Included on the player is an SD memory card slot; USB port; upconversion to 1080p for DVD and VHS; 7.1 channel audio decoding with bitstream output over HDMI (including DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD); and, internet video streaming from Amazon, YouTube, and more. Quite a fully-featured player, with VHS to boot.

Maybe my mother-in-law can use this…

Netflix Watch Instantly to get surround sound

If for no other reason than I spent all of last weekend sitting on my sofa with a chest cold, I sure have been using my Netflix instant queue an awful lot lately. The video quality has been improving, and the high-definition video content looks very comparable to HD cable (like Heroes, for example, which is available the following day after it first airs on NBC), but I have been missing out on surround sound. Netflix currently provides only stereo audio on streaming video. While the timing of this development hasn’t been confirmed, it will be some time this year.

Netflix uses the Microsoft Silverlight video player, which supports up to 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound audio. Netflix is on task to add surround sound and closed captioning this year, but unfortunately 1080p video will have to wait for now. It had previously been announced plan that Netflix would add 1080p video this year, but later claimed that was a mistake. Video now peaks at 720p with a 5Mbps internet connection.