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Smart TVs Set To Be Next Big Gadget In OZ

1/17/2011

Smart TVs are set to be hot in 2011 with LG and Samsung set to go head to head in a bruising battle for market share in Australia. 3D, which is now a standard component in most Smart TVs, is set to be relegated down the promotion ladder as TV companies fight it out with a new generation of TVs.
Key to the battle will be content with Telstra yesterday announcing new BigPond Movie capabilities on Samsung and LG TVs.

DigiTimes is forecasting that Smart TV technology will be the focus of the global LCD TV market in 2011 as Samsung Electronics plans to add smart TV functions to all of its 40-inch and larger models.

LG Electronics who has to win back the trust of consumers after being slammed last year for misleading them is looking to be a major player at the expense of several other brands.
Targeting LG in the Australian market is Toshiba who have grown market share at their expense during the past year and have several new Smart TV models coming including TVs that deliver 3D without the need for glasses.

Several market research companies reported that in the 210-million-unit global LCD TV market in 2010, about 21 percent had Internet connections, and the share is expected to reach over 50 percent by 2014.

DigiTimes claims that due to the surging demand, TV vendors are not only competing to see whose products have Internet connections, but also to see whose products are smarter through built-in processors and software with advanced user interfaces, fast content search and connections with other mobile devices. Moreover, vendors are also likely to develop towards LCD TVs with DLNA interfaces, which will allow TVs to display video from PCs or smartphones.

Samsung executives told ChannelNews at CES that the company aims to sell 45 million TVs in 2011, up 12 percent year on year, of which smart TV sales are expected to reach 10 million units. Samsung is more optimistic about the smart TV market in the US and expects the market to reach 20 million units in 2012.

In addition to existing USB and DLNA functions, LG is adding a new Media Link function to its LCD TVs, which will allow users to access content on PCs, as well as transfer and display the content on the TV. LG expects to ship 40 million TVs in 2011.

(From Smarthouse

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Wiring Rules

1/6/2011

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AS/ACIF S009:2006 (PDF, 1030KB)
Companion Guildeline t AS/ACIF S009:2006 (PDF, 440KB)
This Standard applies to the installation and maintenance of fixed or concealed cabling or equipment that is connected, or is intended to be connected, to a telecommunications network, including any cord or cordage, or that part of any cord or cordage, that is connected as fixed or concealed cabling. It does not apply to any electrical power cabling whose primary function is the distribution of AC mains supply, and which is connected to an AC mains supply, but which may also carry telecommunications signals as a secondary function as long as the telecommunications signals originate from the power network or are injected into the power cabling via a compliant interface device.

This edition of the Standard deals with cabling work that was previously exempt from ACMA technical regulation or that was not specifically addressed by previous editions. Refer to Appendix G of the Standard for a description of the changes made to accommodate such cabling and an explanation of how such cabling is captured by the telecommunications legislation.

The Companion to AS/ACIF S009:2006 Installation requirements for customer cabling (Wiring Rules) Industry Guideline provides the differences between the AS/ACIF S009:2001 and AS/ACIF S009:2006 editions to assist training providers, cabling providers and any authors of documents that reference AS/ACIF S009, in identifying the changes that have been made to the Wiring Rules.

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Future TV Will Be Big, Rich and Simple

12/3/2010

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By Marie Jones | Friday | 03/12/2010

The living room of the future will feature one big screen TV, one remote and one set-top box that will allow viewers to connect to the Internet, watch live TV and search for video and movies. And watching content will be as easy as snapping your fingers to turn the television on, or swiping the screen to access your favourite channel to watch sports in 3D without having to wear glasses.

This is the future of TV as envisioned by executives gathered at the Reuters Global Media Summit according to the newsagency.

Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, said the changes could take more than five years to materialise, but there was broad consensus among executives that the experience of TV would grow richer and simpler for viewers.

Citing confusing remote controls as the most frequently mentioned problem with the current TV experience, Time Warner Inc chief executive, Jeffrey Bewkes, said people would not need to have a PhD in device management to use their media products.

Frederic Rose, CEO of French set-top box maker Technicolor, told Reuters: "Today it can often take a dozen clicks to find one news program," he said. "There are too many boxes, too many remotes, and too much hardware."

The problem is made worse by the need for several remote controls. "The typical remote control is not useful for playing video games. The video game controller is not useful for watching films. Neither of those is useful for search. They are dumb controllers," said Bobby Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard Inc, the video game company behind "Call of Duty."

In order to allow consumers to watch shows, play games, write e-mails, video chat with friends, read the newspaper or shop online for groceries, all from one central TV screen, consumers would want a single remote control that would allow them to navigate across media. Consumers would also require their entertainment devices to offer plug-and-play capability without requiring constant calls to a helpdesk.

Anne Sweeney, chief of Walt Disney Co's ABC, offered some clues as to what consumers expect down the road.

"I've seen more than one kid go up to the television set and try to move something, or I've seen them try to change the channel by swiping their hand," she said at the Media Summit. "These behaviors are so quickly learned."

Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc predicted that the television itself would become "a very large-format flatscreen television in the living room that is almost like wallpaper" offering high quality and very high definition.

(From Smarthouse)

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Microsoft TV Vs Google And Apple TV Coming Soon

12/2/2010

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As Google TV comes under pressure due to poor sales and content bans by US TV networks, Microsoft has finally decided to jump into the TV market and is currently in discussions with the same networks that rejected Google.

Microsoft who are currently struggling in the mobile phone market, is looking to create a new subscription-based TV service on its Xbox gaming console that would rival efforts by Sony with their PS3 Google andApple.

The move is surprising as Microsoft has had a TV element with their Windows OS Media Centre offering for over five years but has failed to do anything with it. In Australia Media Centre has no music store and limited content.

Microsoft's latest efforts come as competitors to Microsoft including Google and Apple try to redefine living room entertainment. At the same time Companies like Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic are starting to deliver IP enabled TV's that can stream content from the likes of Telstra BigPond and several other providers.

Reuters claim that one scenario under consideration by Microsoft is to create a new TV service on its Xbox gaming console that would establish a "virtual cable operator." The service would charge a monthly fee for access through the Xbox to networks such as ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN or CNN, all networks that are set to be made available to several operators in the subscription and IPTV markets.

Other options include allowing consumers like Foxtel subscribers, to use the Xbox to watch shows with more interactive functions. Viewers could, for instance, message with friends over the console while viewing their favourite shows.

Speaking at the Reuters Global Media Summit on Monday, News Corp Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said the arrival of alternative TV services gives cable and broadcast networks yet another way to reach fragmented audiences.

"The emergence of platforms like that -- from people like Microsoft which is really more a theory at this point, or Netflix -- increases the value of content and brands and those who create the content and channels that actually the business and drives consumer demand," Carey said.
(From Smarthouse)

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Use your smartphone as a fiber optic tester

11/30/2010

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In most cases, the tool used as a fiber optic tester is either an ooptical optical-loss test set (OLTS), visual fault locator, or a higher-end device like an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR). But according to a "tech topic" recently posted on the Fiber Optic Association's Web site, the smartphone in your pocket can act as a fiber optic tester, in a pinch and for certain functions.

Chris Hillyer of the Northern California Sound & Communication JATC provided the tip to the FOA. According to Hillyer, "Your cell phone camera's image sensor can read IR light. it uses this technology to help take pictures at night. In the advanced audio and CCTV field they have been using the smartphone camera to troubleshoot problems in IR communications.

He further explained that the human eye cannot see the infrared (IR) light emitted by a remote control, for example. When such a device did not work correctly, we'd have to assume that either the batteries had worn out, or the remote's IR transmitted or receiver did not work properly. Now, he points out, you can use the camera on your smartphone to see the IR light emitted by the transmitter. To do so, follow these steps.

Turn on your phone's camera function.
Point it to the remote control.
Push any button on the remote control.
The IR light will show on the camera's screen.

Great - it works on a remote control. How does that relate to fiber-optic testing? Hillyer further explains: "You follow the same princples. Let's say you wanted to see if a fiber port was energized. You can either use the card that is supposed to show you in a few seconds whether or not the port is hot. Or, you could plug in your power meter, which you either may not have handy or you may not be able to find its card. Just pull out your smartphone, turn on the camera, and hold it over the port. If it is hot you will see a bluish white dot in the fiber bulkhead."

The image at the bottom of this screen, supplied by Chris Hillyer and also available for viewing on the FOA Web site, shows such a bluish white dot in an 850-nm fiber bulkhead.

Hillyer says he found his camera phone to be very sensitive at 850 nm, but less so at 1300 nm (like all semiconductor detectors, he points out). "Our phone could still see 1300 nm sources at around -20 dBm, making it very useful even for LED sources, and of course, perfect for lasers," he concluded.

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