Gadget and Techno Updates
Posts tagged digital
NPD says Blu-ray, DVD videos still dominate over digital
Apr 19th
The NPD Group in a new study suggested that Internet video had done little to dislodge Blu-ray and DVD as the dominant forms for movies. About 78 percent of the money spent on watching at home in the US was spent on one of the two disc formats exclusively while 15 percent were spending it on a hybrid service with both Internet and physical rentals, like Netflix. The remaining seven-plus percent accounted for every other digital and pay-per-view service combined, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and cable or satellite watching.
Viewing habits were also consistent. About 77 percent of Americans More >
RCA ships pocket TVs with digital TV/Mobile DTV tuners
Apr 12th
RCA has announced that it is ready to ship several portable TVs that can be used to watch digital TV broadcasts or Mobile DTV feeds. The offerings include three standalone models with 3.5- or seven-inch displays, along with a tuner for car infotainment systems. The larger DMT270R centers around a seven-inch LCD with 800×480 resolution, with a built-in battery claimed to extend past four hours of viewing.
The smaller variants integrate 3.5-inch LCDs with 320×240 resolution, while four AA-size batteries are claimed to reach the same viewing time as the larger counterpart. The DMT335R provides basic TV functionality, however users More >
NPD: Netflix at 61% of digital video services, Apple just 4%
Mar 15th
Netflix now has a dominant share of the online video on demand business, according to new NPD data. The subscription streaming service has 61 percent of all the movies downloaded or streamed in January and February. Apple, despite iTunes’ reputation, was at just four percent and tied with both DirecTV and Time Warner Cable.
Comcast’s Xfinity service was actually higher at eight percent in spite of being limited to those on one cable provider.
Analysts at NPD believed the gap came from not just prices but the experience. Apple’s store has a much wider selection of up to date titles, but More >
Napster pioneer may buy Warner label to push digital music
Mar 12th
Napster founder and early Facebook shepherd Sean Parker is helping to make a bid that may see him having some control over one of the very music labels that tried to shut him down, insiders said late Friday. He was reportedly teaming up with investors Ron Burkle and Doug Teitelbaum to buy Warner Music Group. While his own personal worth wouldn’t be at stake, AllThingsD understood his interest was in a letter attached to the start of the bidding process.
Warner has been looking to sell itself and has been asking for a minimum offer of $ 2.5 billion.
The motives behind More >
Western Digital to snap up Hitachi GST for $4.3 billion
Mar 7th
Western Digital said on Monday that it was buying Hitachi Global Storage Technologies for the equivalent of $ 4.3 billion. The move includes a combination of $ 3.5 billion in cash as well as shares worth about $ 750 million. The deal will see the WD name remain but see Hitachi GST’s CEO Steve Milligan join WD as president.
John Coyne, Western Digital CEO, argued that the move was chiefly for scale. The two would form a larger competitor and would have the advantage of better research and a wider range of products. Hitachi has focused on fields such as More >