Cable Coverage of the Inaugural [CableTechTalk]
The historic inauguration of the nation's forty-fourth president, Barack Obama, is tomorrow. And as with any big event, there are many ways to catch all the action from your television. CableTechTalk has all the bases covered. From BET's coverage of the BET Inaugural Ball to Disney Channel's Kids Inaugural: We Are the Future to C-SPAN's and the national cable news networks day-long coverage of all the events, there's plenty of options on your television to see all the festivities.
If you're wanting to catch the inaugural events on your computer, there are several streaming video options from a variety of sources. NewTeeVee has a running list of the web coverage of President-elect Obama's inauguration. Topping that list, with the most extensive online video coverage, is C-SPAN's Mogulus streaming site. C-SPAN and it's great coverage of the inaugural events are brought to you by a coalition of the nation's cable companies. It's a 25 year-old coalition that has made C-SPAN the go-to network for coverage of our nation's leaders.
Enjoy watching history transpire tomorrow as we inaugurate our nation's next president.
Boxee, Used to View Web on TV, Generates Buzz [New York Times]
It's not cable programming, but a small, upstart company named Boxee is aiming to challenge the cable industry by piping broadband video onto television screens using computers and third-party set tops. Boxee is a software product that runs on Apple and Linux computers or it can be run on a more-or-less hijacked basis on an Apple TV set-top. Boxee users plug their broadband-connected computer or Apple TV into their television set, and they've got instant access to a wide range of online video, pictures and music -- right from their televisions. While the Consumer Electronics Show featured some television manufacturers unveiling Netflix enabled televisions this year - allowing streamed viewing of Netflix feature-length titles - Boxee's selling point is that it is free, downloadable software and doesn't charge a subscription.
But, Boxee has its downsides. You have to be fairly technical to install Boxee and connect your computer to a television. And if you're running Boxee on an Apple TV, you have to be prepared to resinsall it every time Apple updates their Apple TV software.
And, oh, one more thing. There's also not a business model for Boxee, so there's not any technical support if something goes wrong and consumers have no idea if Boxee will be around for any period of time.
Cable’s Plans for a National DTV Transition Call Center [CableTechTalk]
One of the most significant concerns leveled by policy makers seeking to delay the February 17th deadline for the digital television transition regards the adequacy of the call centers designed to assist television viewers who aren't prepared for the transition. Frankly it's been a concern of mine, also.
I have previously mentioned that the Obama transition team identified this issue almost the day they started transitioning. Broadcast stations are not equipped nor experienced at handling large volumes of phone calls so the cable industry has agreed, through its trade association, NCTA, to a $20 million DTV call center plan with 7,000 live operators to assist television viewers.
Unfortunately, we have already begun spending those funds to train the operators in case the transition date remains February 17th. If there's a delay in the deadline, the call center will be activated at that time but extra costs will have to be incurred. That's why it is so important that Congress decide this week whether or not to change the date.
NCTA's blog, CableTechTalk has all the details of the plan and a copy of the letter that was forwarded to the Obama transition team.
LCD vs Plasma in 2009 [EngadgetHD]
Are you in the market for a new television in 2009? Maybe you're looking for a new screen for the big football game in a couple of weeks. Still trying to decide between plasma or a LCD display technology? According to Engadget, there are still plenty of great options in either display technology, but LCD competition is driving plasma manufacturers out of screen sizes 42 inches and less. Consumers can still find plasma displays at these sizes, but there are fewer options than there were a few years ago. While plasma may still be the best when it comes to accurate color representation and contrast, LCDs use less power and can provide greater value. Could it be "game over" for plasma displays in the next few years as OLED and LCD LED-backlit displays become more popular choices?
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