Samsung’s “Free The TV Challenge”

In addition to throwing some ad dollars at their “Free The TV Challenge“, Samsung has also been generating some media buzz. This past weekend I heard mention of the contest on one of WCBS-AM’s business reports.

For those of you who have not heard, Samsung is running a contest for developers to write applications for Samsung’s line of HDTVs and Blu-ray players that share common programming interfaces for third-party video, gaming and internet-based apps.

You can read the original press release here, and the one about the August 31st “Developer Day” here.

Next on FiOS: Holographic TV ?

In a CNET article, Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir said his company has been playing around with sending holographic images of someone’s head across its FiOS network. OK, that is a bit out of context but Kheradpir said this could be a very useful application for doctors and other medical professionals.

Verizon recently announced that it had field tested the first ever 1Gbps link to a business using Verizon’s existing FiOS infrastructure. According to CNET, Kheradpir has also been testing the 1Gbps service in his home. On a tour of his home earlier this month, he said that holography is the type of application that would require these higher speed connections.

3D Tennis Added to US Open Coverage

According to this release from the USTA, CBS will be providing 3-D coverage of some Center Court matches from the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open. As of now, some matches will be available on DirecTV’s n3D channel with the possibility of carriage on some cable systems.

And according to Broadcasting & Cable, CBS Sports Exec VP of Operations and Engineering Ken Aagaard says that the network plans to produce the middle weekend – Saturday, 9/4 through Labor Day, 9/6 – and the final weekend – Saturday, 9/11 & Sunday, 9/12 in 3-D. According to B&C, CBS has secured a sponsorship deal with Panasonic, who also underwrites DirecTV’s n3D channel.

UPDATE (9/2): It looks like 3-D coverage will be exclusive to DirecTV.

H.264 vs VP8

MPEG LA fired another salvo in the H.264 vs VP8 war today by announcing that it will continue to offer a royalty-free license for their AVC/H.264 codec patents to sites that offer free video streams to consumers. Implied, but not specifically stated due to the legalese involved is that the license will be in perpetuity.

NewTeeVee suggests that this is in response to the growing acceptance of WebM, the open-source set of standards backed by Google and soon to supported by Firefox 4.

(Thanks to philiphodgetts.com.)

TV Should Create Its Own Online Store

On BNET, Catharine Taylor gives four good reasons why the TV networks should bypass iTunes and create their own online store. (The main point being that it would allow the nets to set the price of a show.)

READ THE COMPLETE POST HERE.

The Future of News

You would think that having worked in the news business that I would have known sooner about this ten show series produced by the Newseum and currently running on some PBS stations. Unfortunately I just discovered it a few days ago.

You can find the show synopsis here and the Future of News blog here.

(Shown: John King of CNN and Steve Grove of YouTube from Episode 10.)

Bowl Numbers Up: Nets Last Hope ?

Nothing new here. The overnights merely confirm what the pundits have been saying: that DVR-proof live TV events will be the only savior of the once “big three” nets.

The game had the best fast overnight numbers since the 1987 game between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos.