For all of you out there who are thinking "what's the big deal? We're profeswsionals, like doctors and lawyers" and your thinking this kind of talk is only for some blue collar type, better cast a quick gander toward this: Looks like some other "professionals" weren't too happy either!
That's the prevuew channel..which until recently...hang on to your floppies for this one...RAN ON AN AMIGA!!! yea folks,ye old scrolling graphics was too hard for any other OS to handle.
1. Streaming IP? Done. The whole ATVEF spec. has IPoverVBI (which is for analog) and better, you can mutiplex data into the MPEG-2 stream coming out of an upgonverter, then pull the data into code by reading the PID (for digital).
2. Usage monitoring? Done (suprise!) There's a number of companies that can do this (I know, I wrote the code for my company). With SOME analog and digital, you can have the box read and store channel number, time on channel, then the controller (that's the computer that runs the cable set-tops) "asks" the boxes for the data.
3. TV Guide? Done. There's several versions of this coming. Prevue has an interactive version, and the advanced analog & digitals (should) have built in versions.
4. I'm not going to comment, check out replayTV
5. With the digital compression & motion prediction etc...there'll be several hundred channels available (don't like the angle on the sports show your watching? change channel, get angle from different camera, that sort of thing)
6. Watch? How about PLAY? Put a cable modem into a set-top, and with the right code in the set-top, you could play...
"Content" will likely be the same enhancements that are offered with WebTV(don't laugh). Also, the MSTV sofware will likely allow web browsing via a return path (telco or cable modem, depends on the box).
check http://developer.webtv.net for info on how they do this...
If there's @home service (cable modem) that can be used internally in the box to "fetch" more web info, something that MS will need for the return path...
That wasn't an interactive thing...Some Cable Systems send computer output directly to modulators, to send over TV...If you have a local radar channel (for weather stuff) some of those are done with that.
The Microsoft deal is probably to put the WebTV interface into the set-tops. Microsoft has recently started porting the WebTV software to other boxes (Gen Inst, Sci Atl, etc..) so it looks like this will be some kind of "proof of concept". I noticed that they didn't mention whether it was digital set-tops or analog...the difference being that the digitals are much better with the interactive content than the analogs. I'm just wondering how they're going to do the return-path (that's when you buy something on your TV, how does the box "talk" to the rest of the world). Most WebTV's use a telco (phone line) return... Anyone know what kind of box is in place there? Some interesting links to check out.. http://www.microsoft.com/dtv/ Microsoft's official interactive TV stuff http://www.atvef.com/ The specs for sending web pages over TV The e-mail is drawcab!
You can only watch What? Where?
on
PBS Goes Digital
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· Score: 1
Um, not quite correct on the "only watch on PCs" bit...here's some stuff you might NOT know, tho... 1. Those nifty little personal satelite dishes (DirectTV, Primestar, etc.) are digital signals. How do YOU think there getting 200+ channels in there? Check DirectTV's own tech page 2. YOUR cable company may be getting digital signals! There's a "package" from TCI (or whatever there called these days (Liberty Digital, I think?) called HITS (Head-end In The Sky). What it does is it "takes" three or six or so analog channels, and sends digital signals in place of them. Then, the DIGITAL set top reads the signal, and translates it into a channel that you "see". See the HITS tech page
Thank Goodness someone's paying attention! There's a BIG difference between HDTV and Digital signals. Think of it kind of like squares and rectangles....HDTV is a square (and a rectangle), while digital signals are rectangles (but NOT necessarily squares)!
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For all of you out there who are thinking "what's the big deal? We're profeswsionals, like doctors and lawyers" and your thinking this kind of talk is only for some blue collar type, better cast a quick gander toward this:
Looks like some other "professionals" weren't too happy either!
That's the prevuew channel..which until recently...hang on to your floppies for this one...RAN ON AN AMIGA!!! yea folks,ye old scrolling graphics was too hard for any other OS to handle.
Right. here's what we have now....
1. Streaming IP? Done. The whole ATVEF spec. has IPoverVBI (which is for analog) and better, you can mutiplex data into the MPEG-2 stream coming out of an upgonverter, then pull the data into code by reading the PID (for digital).
2. Usage monitoring? Done (suprise!) There's a number of companies that can do this (I know, I wrote the code for my company). With SOME analog and digital, you can have the box read and store channel number, time on channel, then the controller (that's the computer that runs the cable set-tops) "asks" the boxes for the data.
3. TV Guide? Done. There's several versions of this coming. Prevue has an interactive version, and the advanced analog & digitals (should) have built in versions.
4. I'm not going to comment, check out replayTV
5. With the digital compression & motion prediction etc...there'll be several hundred channels available (don't like the angle on the sports show your watching? change channel, get angle from different camera, that sort of thing)
6. Watch? How about PLAY? Put a cable modem into a set-top, and with the right code in the set-top, you could play...
Yea, so's the Explorer2000 from SA, and the DCT5000+ from GI and the Pioneer whateveritscalled...
"Content" will likely be the same enhancements that are offered with WebTV(don't laugh). Also, the MSTV sofware will likely allow web browsing via a return path (telco or cable modem, depends on the box).
check http://developer.webtv.net for info on how they do this...
If there's @home service (cable modem) that can be used internally in the box to "fetch" more web info, something that MS will need for the return path...
Yea, maybe they'll call it WebTV?
That wasn't an interactive thing...Some Cable Systems send computer output directly to modulators, to send over TV...If you have a local radar channel (for weather stuff) some of those are done with that.
The Microsoft deal is probably to put the WebTV interface into the set-tops. Microsoft has recently started porting the WebTV software to other boxes (Gen Inst, Sci Atl, etc..) so it looks like this will be some kind of "proof of concept". I noticed that they didn't mention whether it was digital set-tops or analog...the difference being that the digitals are much better with the interactive content than the analogs. I'm just wondering how they're going to do the return-path (that's when you buy something on your TV, how does the box "talk" to the rest of the world). Most WebTV's use a telco (phone line) return... Anyone know what kind of box is in place there? Some interesting links to check out.. http://www.microsoft.com/dtv/ Microsoft's official interactive TV stuff http://www.atvef.com/ The specs for sending web pages over TV The e-mail is drawcab!
Um, not quite correct on the "only watch on PCs" bit...here's some stuff you might NOT know, tho...
1. Those nifty little personal satelite dishes (DirectTV, Primestar, etc.) are digital signals. How do YOU think there getting 200+ channels in there? Check DirectTV's own tech page
2. YOUR cable company may be getting digital signals! There's a "package" from TCI (or whatever there called these days (Liberty Digital, I think?) called HITS (Head-end In The Sky). What it does is it "takes" three or six or so analog channels, and sends digital signals in place of them. Then, the DIGITAL set top reads the signal, and translates it into a channel that you "see". See the HITS tech page
Thank Goodness someone's paying attention! There's a BIG difference between HDTV and Digital signals. Think of it kind of like squares and rectangles....HDTV is a square (and a rectangle), while digital signals are rectangles (but NOT necessarily squares)!
And here I thought the only influence Lucas was trying to exert was on the spending habits of 12 year olds!