Flash Player Beta Adds H.264, But Is It High-Definition?
A forthcoming update for Adobe's Flash Player 9, the beta testing for which is set to begin today, will incorporate the ability to decode H.264 videos - the Advanced Video Codec portion of MPEG-4, and the same standard currently used by Apple's QuickTime. Adobe's move comes as users of Macs, iPhone, and AppleTV have been noticing YouTube's gradual shift away from Flash video and toward H.264, which some speculate may become a complete shift within months.
While the new Flash version is not getting a new number, it is getting a new code-name: "Moviestar." A check of Adobe's release notes reveals why: The playback module now enables the hardware acceleration mode of many graphics cards, when going to full-screen mode. Earlier versions relied on software acceleration.
Microsoft: Patch Tuesday Didn't Cause Thursday Skype Outage
Yesterday afternoon, Microsoft's security engineers formally ruled out the possibility of its regular monthly "Patch Tuesday" update sequence as having triggered a worldwide outage of Skype VoIP communication service on Thursday, which lasted for about two days.
In a company blog post yesterday morning, Skype engineers disclosed that they suspected a wave of client-side reboots were triggered by Patch Tuesday at roughly the same time. The temporary reduction in P2P traffic capacity that followed, Villu Arak said, triggered a failure of the Skype VoIP network. This was after Arak had blamed an internal server software glitch, during the time of the outage.
MTV Kills URGE, Joins Real on Rhapsody
MTV Networks, RealNetworks and Verizon Wireless announced a joint venture Tuesday morning, which will unite the companies' digital music offerings with Real's Rhapsody service. MTV's URGE service will be shut down, but customers can migrate over to Rhapsody.
The expanded Rhapsody music service will fall under a separate corporate branding, called "Rhapsody America," jointly owned by MTV and Real. MTV will provide music programming from its MTV, VH1 and CMT properties, while Real continues to handle the underlying architecture and music sales.
Atari Set to Bring Classic Games to PSP
Atari said Tuesday that it was in the process of developing a package of classic games playable on Sony’s PlayStation Portable game system, as well as taking those games and ‘evolving’ them into more up-to-date versions which would include up-to-date graphics. The games include Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Battlezone, Centipede, Lunar Lander, Millipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout, Tempest, Warlords and Pong.
"We are looking forward to providing gamers with the experience of the iconic Atari catalog on a handheld platform," said Matt Rush, Producer, Atari, Inc. "Offering these Atari classics in both their elemental and contemporary forms should excite both old-school and next-generation gamers alike." The company also says it is planning to make more than 60 games from the 2600 platform available on the PSP as well, which will include online leaderboards and peer-to-peer wireless compatibility.
Bebo to Integrate Live Messenger, Contacts
Bebo said Tuesday that it had partnered with Microsoft to incorporate Windows Live services into its social networking site, including Windows Live Messenger and Contacts.
The arrangement is the first of its kind between a social networking site and Microsoft. Before, the only integration of this kind with Windows Live was through Spaces, Microsoft’s own service.
Google to Video Customers: We Screwed Up
Google on Tuesday apologized for the way it handled a decision to exit the video sales business, telling customers it has listened to their feedback and wants to remedy the situation. Instead of purchased videos expiring last week, Google will keep them playable for six months.
In addition, the company said it was sorry for offering Google Checkout credits to customers instead of providing them with full refunds. Google took this step because of the hassles in making sure it had customers' latest credit card information, but now says it will refund credit cards for all purchased videos in addition to the Checkout credit. "Our bad," the company acknowledged in a blog post on the matter.
Michael Bay: No Blu-ray? No Transformers 2!
Apparently miffed at Paramount's announcement yesterday that it would only offer movies in HD DVD format and not Blu-ray after testing both formats for a year, director Michael Bay says he will not make a second "Transformers" movie - which may or may not be a bad thing depending on your tastes.
"I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!" Bay wrote in a forum posting on his "Shoot for the Edit" Web site. The response highlights the frustration that both directors and consumers are experiencing with competing high-definition formats.
Canon Debuts 21.1-Megapixel Digital Camera
Canon announced two new digital SLR cameras on Monday, including a model with 21.1 megapixels of resolution.
The high-end camera, which will retail for $8,000, is directed at professionals. It has a five frame-per-second shooting rate, and can be configured in four resolutions, including 5.2, 11.0, 16.6, or 21.1 megapixels. Canon said the camera will go on sale in November.
Wal-Mart Begins Selling Music in MP3
IBM to Beta Test First Desktop Blade Server
In June, IBM announced a fourth-quarter release timeframe for a new class of BladeCenter systems for small and medium business. To make certain its initial rollouts are going the right way, this morning, IBM added that it's launching a beta test program for select BladeCenter S customers, encompassing perhaps dozens of clients in ten countries.
Whereas most SMB servers are based on processor platforms, with a blade cluster, the "platform" stops at the blade's edge. So BladeCenter S will offer clients the extraordinary option of Intel, AMD, or Power processors.
ComScore Changes Search Counting, Google Still On Top
ComScore is changing the way it records market share of search engine to reflect the changing ways consumers are interacting with sites.
The company had previously been counting the number of search queries to determine a search share. However, the company is now changing those methods so it can add figures from other types of search engines -- like those used on auction sites and retailers -- as well as sites like Wikipedia.
Cisco and Microsoft Go Hand-in-hand Their Separate Ways
In a strange public display combining affection and disaffection, Cisco CEO John Chambers and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appeared jointly before a small crowd of select journalists. Between them, there was no major new revelations to announce, though the companies are attempting to publicly demonstrate that major corporations can decide amicably to collaborate in certain areas and maintain a competitive stance in others.
It's not a bad goal: a strategic peace forged between companies that each maintain their respective interests. It's even better when you realize the companies involved have, in the past, strayed out of bounds with their respective competitive strategies (though complaints against Cisco peaked a decade ago).
Paramount Switch to HD DVD Evens the Stakes
Owners of Blu-ray Disc players anxious for the upcoming release of Shrek the Third were shocked to learn this morning it was not going to happen - at least, not for the brand they'd chosen. The Viacom division, which now includes the DreamWorks Animation label, said it has chosen to resume supporting the HD DVD format exclusively, effectively reversing its decision of October 2005 to release in both formats.
The move appears sudden, as only ten days ago video press sources were given notice by Viacom that Shrek the Third and many other titles were being released for both formats on November 13. Now, Viacom plans to formally commence its exclusive HD DVD support with the release of the Will Farrell comedy Blades of Glory on August 28, with Shrek and Transformers to follow thereafter. Those three titles combined garnered $1.5 billion in US box office sales.
Vizio Tops LCD TV Sales in US
Virtual unknown Vizio catapulted to the number one spot in LCD TV sales during the second quarter, data from research firm iSuppli indicates.
According the the report released on Monday, the firm sold some 606,402 LCD TV’s during the quarter, a rise of 76 percent over the previous one. The firm now holds a 14.5 percent share of the market. Samsung dropped to second place, selling 467,210 TVs, although it also saw a quarter-to-quarter increase.
HD DVD: We're Not at War with Blu-ray
As I sat in a Washington, D.C. hotel suite earlier this month demoing and discussing the first network-enabled movie titles with the HD DVD group, one remark struck me: HD DVD says it is not at war with Blu-ray and seemingly has little concern over Sony’s format.
It’s hard to miss the ping pong game of rhetoric between the promotion groups pushing HD DVD and Blu-ray. From sales figures to exclusive deals, press releases are churned out almost daily. The so-called “format war” is Betamax and VHS redux - at least that’s what the media wants you to think.
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