“Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to pay more than $510 million to end patent-infringement suits filed by TiVo Inc. and ActiveVideo Networks Inc. that targeted features of its FiOS TV service,” according to Bloomberg.
Verizon is expected to pay TiVo at least $250 million to end the dispute over DVR services. The New York-based company will also pay CloudTV developer ActiveVideo more than $260 million over the VOD feature.
As part of the agreement, Verizon will also pay license fees for “every Verizon DVR subscriber beyond a predetermined level.”
The trial was scheduled to start in a Texas federal court next week. TiVo was claiming three patent infringements, including one involving the time warp system that was the basis for the legal battle with Dish, settled last year.
Had TiVo won the case, Verizon could have been forced to remove DVR service from FiOS TV (Dish had been ordered to remove the function prior to its settlement).
“[Verizon] reported having 4.5 million FiOS Video connections at the end of the second quarter,” notes the article. “The wireline division, which includes the FiOS TV, phone and Internet services, generated $40.7 billion in sales last year and FiOS accounted for 65 percent of that division’s profit.”
PayDragon initially targeted L.A. food carts when it launched earlier this year as a mobile payment and order pickup solution for those wanting to avoid lines. Now the mobile payments app is going national with its one-click shopping tool called Checkout.
“Checkout gives PayDragon users the ability to buy grocery store items and non-perishable goods that hit the doorstep two days later, with no shipping fees and no minimum order requirement,” explains Digital Trends.
“We started with food trucks and beating that line,” says CEO and founder Hamilton Chan. “It’s called internally displaced purchasing.”
Users can scan an item with Checkout’s barcode reader and order it (there’s also a search feature if the barcode isn’t readily available). “Chan describes it as a great reorder method,” notes the post. “See that almost-empty toothpaste container in your bathroom? Scan, order, and it’ll be on your front step in two days.”
More than 40 L.A. restaurants and food carts are already using the app with a reported 60 percent return rate. PayDragon sees sports stadiums as a logical next step, where fans can use the app for ordering from their seats and avoiding lines. But first, the primary objective is increased consumer traction.
“We feel like people haven’t cracked the nut about mobile payments, so we just want to get people to use mobile to buy everyday things,” says Chan. “We intend to make money longer term, and use that consumer affinity to move products for brands and manufacturers.”
Shazam announced it is expanding its second-screen service in the U.S. to support nearly all channels with a new focus on Facebook and Twitter integration. The company also announced that it has exceeded a quarter of a billion users globally.
“In addition to expanding Shazam for TV, Shazam is also enhancing its social features for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android devices,” notes the press release. “When Shazamers activate the Shazam Friends feature in the app, they can see what their Facebook friends are tagging, and now they will be able to make comments about their friends’ tags in the app.”
“With the activation, people’s tags will appear on their Facebook profile in their timeline, enabling people to discuss with their friends in Facebook what they are watching or listening to,” explains the release.
As a second-screen tool, Shazam users can access information related to featured music, cast members, related trivia, celebrity buzz and more. It can be also be used during sports broadcasts to access scores, stats and schedules.
“According to industry studies, 86 percent of smartphone owners use their mobile device while watching TV and, with our expansion into television, we’ve seen a surge of activity due to recent Shazam-enabled events such as the NBC Olympic broadcast, where more than one million people tagged the closing ceremony,” explains Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher.
“We think that broadening our television service and offering more comprehensive social features will continue to drive activity and engagement,” he adds.
CBS will launch a major social media campaign this week to garner buzz for its fall line-up of returning and new programs.
“Fans will gain access to stars and producers of shows like ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Person of Interest’ and ‘Vegas’ during the East Coast premieres,” notes The Hollywood Reporter.
“Hosted by CBS Connect Lounge, viewers can communicate with talent through Facebook and Twitter during specific times during the week,” explains the article.
Additionally, a Web series called “Fall Premiere Show” will preview the fall schedule, recap earlier seasons, include behind-the-scenes features and offer interviews with actors.
“The combination of this network and Twitter can either be looked at as a case of CBS trying to get in touch with a younger demographic — or, alternatively, a sign that Twitter and Facebook are now firmly mainstream enough that their own demographics are shifting upwards in age,” suggests Digital Trends in a related post.
THR has the full schedule for CBS Tweet Week, including the people who will be participating.
Fox is turning to Twitter’s “expanded tweet” feature to help launch its TV programming.
“The social media platform will be one of the digital hubs for a full-episode preview 11 days ahead of the third-season premiere of the Fox comedy ‘Raising Hope,'” reports Variety.
“While the episode will be available on other platforms, only Twitter users who retweet will be rewarded with a video message from the series’ cast thanking them for spreading the word,” explains the article.
The premiere can be viewed within a tweet without having to access an outside link. “That feature can be accessed either on Twitter.com, its mobile website or apps for Twitter access via wireless devices like the iPad app, which was reintroduced earlier this week as part of a broader redesign of the service,” notes Variety.
Fred Graver, head of TV at Twitter, is looking to make the service more than just a referral source and second-screen companion, but does not suggest any type of fundamental repositioning. “It’s not like we’re getting into the distribution business,” says Graver. “That’s not what this is about.”
Enhancing Twitter with new exhibition features could deliver advertising revenue beyond the text-only “Promoted Tweets.”
The “Raising Hope” premiere will also be available via Fox.com, the show’s Facebook page, Hulu, on-demand and authenticated websites for pay TV distributors.
Apple announced it will shutter its social music tool Ping by the end of the month.
In its place, Apple will integrate Facebook features into iTunes, providing users the opportunity to “like” or “share” items in the store.
“You don’t need hindsight to figure out why Ping didn’t work — the most obvious problem with the service was that it didn’t sync up with the world’s most popular social network,” reports AllThingsD.
“But now Facebook and Apple have worked out their differences, and there’s no need to keep Ping on life support anymore,” notes the post.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook: “We tried Ping, and I think the customer voted and said ‘This isn’t something that I want to put a lot of energy into.'”
YouTube has unveiled an iPhone app that allows users to stream content optimized for their devices, while providing YouTube parent Google the opportunity to generate revenue through ads.
The third-party app, which replaces Apple’s own YouTube platform, will also offer YouTube the ability to expand content options by adding major labels and other publishers that had opted out of the ad-free version.
“One of the app’s most notable new features, if you can call it that, are ads,” reports GigaOM. “Launching its own app means that YouTube can now monetize its videos on the iPhone. For YouTube, this means making more money with mobile: The site also announced Tuesday that it now clocks 1 billion mobile views every single day.”
“Other features include easier sharing through Twitter, Facebook and Google+, as well as the ability to leave comments on a video while you’re still watching it,” notes the post. “YouTube’s iOS app also supports AirPlay mirroring.”
The iOS app is optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch; an iPad version is in development.
“Olive” has already made history as the first feature-length film shot exclusively on a smartphone. Now co-directors Hooman Khalili and Pat Gilles hope to “democratize distribution” as they aim to rethink methods for distributing independent films.
“The movie probably has the connections to make that happen — after all, one of its executive producers, Chris Kelly, is also involved in the ‘indie Netflix’ site Fandor and movie distribution start-up GoDigital,” reports TechCrunch. “Kelly was formerly Facebook’s chief privacy officer, and he isn’t [the film’s] only link to Facebook — Randi Zuckerberg also has a small part.”
The movie — shot on a Nokia N8 fitted with a special 35mm lens, and featuring Gena Rowlands — has completed production, but is being recut with four new Dolly Parton songs.
Although the directors are considering a limited theatrical release, their focus is elsewhere. “Khalili suggests that a a low budget, independently-produced movie with a sincere message just isn’t a good fit for Hollywood executives, but it does play well with the elderly, soccer moms, children, and people of faith,” explains the post.
The new version will debut this month at Stream, “the annual ‘unconference’ organized by advertising conglomerate WPP and hosted by WPP CEO Martin Sorrell and investor Yossi Vardi,” reports TechCrunch.
Khalili hopes to screen the film at the Dubai Film Festival, and then target video/digital distribution — bypassing theatrical, the importance of which he argues is overstated. “Khalili’s more excited about figuring out the right way to release ‘Olive’ with a big push through video on demand — hopefully before the holiday season, which is really the perfect time to watch the film.”
The post includes a one-minute trailer of the film.
“International markets are fueling the growth of theatrical 3D, while consumers and programmers seem to be awaiting the arrival of glasses-free TV to fully embrace the format at home,” reports Variety.
During a presentation at this week’s 3D Entertainment Summit, IHS Screen Digest senior analyst Richard Cooper explained that approximately 60 percent of screens worldwide have made the digital conversion, largely driven by 3D.
“In North America, 3D exhibition is maturing,” notes the article. “About 44 percent of digital screens in North America are 3D-capable, below the world average, but that’s because much of the world is still converting and will install 2D-only screens after its 3D capacity is in place.”
Outside the U.S. the number of 3D screens increased 51 percent year-on-year to reach 27,000. China remains a strong driver of 3D expansion and while international adoption remains high, content remains low.
“Cooper said that while 3D feature production is down from its 2011 peak, films in an expanding number of genres are being produced in 3D, and the mix of 3D films is coming to resemble the mix of the entire market — an indication that the format is maturing,” Variety writes.
In terms of home entertainment, 3D TV is slightly ahead of HDTV over time, but more content is needed. “3D will remain a niche market in all markets in which it touches,” Cooper said. “One of the biggest barriers to 3D adoption is it remains very event-based viewing. Consumers and programmers are waiting for that revolution: autostereo 3D.”
Networks are reluctant to pay for 3D, but electronics makers such as Samsung and LG are paying for 3D content for their VOD promotional channels.
Canon will ship its new EOS 6D in December for $2,099 (body only) — the company’s first DSLR with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS.
The compact 1.7-pound camera will also be offered with a zoom lens for an additional $800. Although lighter than the 5D, there’s no fold-out arm for the viewfinder and no built-in flash. Users will need to rely on the SD card since there’s also no Compact Flash.
“Like the 5D Mark III (and its predecessor, the popular Mark II), the EOS 6 is a full-frame camera (meaning the CMOS image sensor is as large as a frame of 35mm film),” explains Mashable.
“The megapixel count is slightly less (20.2 MP instead of 22.3), though it’ll be tough to tell the difference,” adds the post. “The 6D also packs the relatively recent DIGIC 5+ image processor, which gives it a speedy continuous shooting rate, at 4.5 frames per second.”
The DSLR records 1080p video at 30 frames per second and 720p at 60 fps.
“For still pics, the 6D has an HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode, which captures three different exposures of the same shot and combines them for better detail and color,” notes Mashable. “There’s also a Multiple Exposure mode that lets you merge up to nine different pics into the same image, no Photoshop required.”
Director and Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Vincent Laforet has published an extensive review of the new Black Magic Cinema Camera.
The Pros: beautiful images, great detail, sensor that provides filmic look, overall design, price (under $3,000).
The Cons: sensor size, ergonomics, awkward position of start/top button, lack of interchangeable battery and hot shoe.
In an update to his review, Laforet notes that Black Magic Design has announced an MFT version to launch in December.
“That camera will sport a Passive Micro Four Thirds mount that can be adapted to use with PL Lenses,” he writes. “This new mount means that a much larger series of lenses will now work with this camera and in effect changes my opinion on the lens limitations.”
“The MFT version of this camera will likely make a lot more sense for most users than the EF in my opinion,” he adds.
The Associated Press Video Hub is now out of beta, offering 24/7 news videos. Content is curated from the Internet and supplemented by the AP’s archives.
AP is hoping the service will help recruit publishing clients. The UK’s Daily Telegraph has signed on with a significant investment in production equipment.
“TMG’s existing three-camera studio will now be able to stream directly to the Web as a story breaks,” reports TheNextWeb. “Used in conjunction with a series of new content deals, this will give the Telegraph’s digital subscribers access to key live events as they unfold.”
In 2003, AP became one of the first to launch a live news service. “Today, around 200 broadcasters use it as a live video source, tapping AP’s coverage to bring news and analysis to their own viewers,” notes the post.
“AP Video Hub is already proving itself as an indispensable tool for online news providers,” says Sue Brooks, AP director of video transformation. “The addition of live content will enable our customers to create even richer storytelling experiences for their customers.”
“Move over, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Valve Software today revealed a new television-friendly version of its massive Steam digital video game distribution service,” CNET reported last week. “Aptly named Big Picture, the new view transforms Steam into a more polished experience for the big screen.”
The new interface allows users to purchase and play 2,000-plus games on big-screen TVs. The interface also has its own browser for playing Web-based games.
“The browser features reticle-based navigation (meaning players move a scope around to zoom or scroll); cloud-saved favorites; and tabbed browsing,” explains CNET. “For those wanting to ditch keys completely, Big Picture offers Daisywheel, a directional-based keyboard that supposedly makes it easier to type with a controller.”
“PC gaming continues to be the leading edge of entertainment, whether it’s social gaming, MMOs, graphics hardware, free-to-play, or competitive gaming,” notes Gabe Newell, president of Valve. “With Big Picture for Steam, we are trying to do our part to give customers and developers what they want — their games, everywhere, optimized for the environment in which they are playing.”
According to Valve, the PC version is available in beta, with a Mac version coming soon. The CNET post includes a Steam promo video.
The Google Fiber IPTV project in the Kansas City area will offer channels from Disney and Turner Broadcasting as part of its new service.
“Google Fiber TV service already includes almost two hundred channels, but we’ll continue to add more over time,” notes Larry Yang, senior product manager, Google Fiber. “And since our TV service runs on a gigabit network, we can offer access to all our HD channels for no extra charge.”
According to Advanced Television, the new channel offerings include: ABC Family, ABC News Now, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, Ovation, SOAPnet, TBN, TBN Enlace and Velocity.
As previously reported, Starz and Showtime are already offered as optional add-on packages.
“Customers taking the Gigabit + package can add on 17 Starz channels for an additional $10 per month,” notes the post. “They can also add on 11 Showtime channels for an additional $10 per month. Popular Hispanic channels will also be available for an additional $5 per month, including Univision Telenovelas, Bandamax, and Telehit.”
Nikon has finally announced its $2,099 (body only), full-frame, 24-megapixel D600. The new DSLR costs considerably less than the D800.
“As such, the D600 — which offers similar build quality and operational ergonomics as the popular DX-format D7000 — is hugely significant,” reports Digital Photography Review.
“It matches or exceeds the pixel count of every other full-frame DSLR bar one (the D800) at the sort of price point that up to now, has been almost exclusively the preserve of high-end APS-C cameras.”
The review notes that users will be impressed with the new camera’s “5.5fps shooting at full-resolution, 100 percent viewfinder coverage, full HD video capture with an option to record uncompressed footage via HDMI and customizable 39-point AF system.”
The review provides detailed specs and side-by-side comparisons to the D7000 and D800.
“It’s interesting to note, too, that with the D600, Nikon has significantly undercut Sony’s recent full-frame offerings — the SLT-A99 and Cyber-shot RX1, not to mention presented a daunting challenge to arch-rival Canon,” according to the review.
