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Past Editions

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- April 8, 2002
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Subscribe for free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Content Producers, Interactive TV Firms Set Content Development Standards
o Game Developer THQ Gets License for Marvel Comics Games
o Major Record Label BMG to Release Promo CDs with Added Copy-Protection
o IBiquity Introduces Digital AM/FM Transmitters for Radio Broadcasters
o IBM Expands Its Digital Rights Management to Video, Text, Streaming
> Digital Media Wire Panel Series: Interactive Television | L.A., S.F., NYC
o Briefly Noted: Microsoft Windows Media - professional edition, Comverse
- BMG Europe, EUniverse - Versaly Games, Sorrent, Sonic Solutions,
MovieTickets.com, Mobile Games Interoperability Forum, HDNet - Middle East
conflict, NDS Group - NDS Communications, iPod hacks, Kazaa - Brilliant
Digital - uninstall, Film directors - DVD format
_____________________________________________

o Content Producers, Interactive TV Firms Set Content Development Standards

Las Vegas -- A group that includes a number of interactive television
firms and entertainment companies that produce 90 percent of all
interactive TV content announced on Monday a set of standards for the
production of interactive TV content. The XML-based standards, announced
from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference taking
place this week in Las Vegas, will enable content producers to develop a
single program or application that will then be compatible with major
set-top boxes and interactive TV operating systems from Liberate, OpenTV
and Microsoft. Initially developed by Los Angeles-based GoldPocket
Interactive, the new content production standards will specify the timing
and content of interactive assets such as trivia games, polls and
interactive advertising. New presentation description standards will
specify the visual elements of the program, the location of these elements
and a method for mapping content to these locations. Content producers on
the advisory committee that came up with the standards included the
American Film Institute, Animax Interactive, Chyron, H Design and
PushyBroad.
http://www.itvstandards.org/iTVPublic/news.aspx
http://www.goldpocket.com
http://www.nab.org/conventions/nab2002/
_____________________________________________

o Game Developer THQ Gets License for Marvel Comics Games

Calabasas Hills, Calif. -- Game developer THQ announced on Monday a
worldwide license agreement with Marvel Comics that covers of the
company's most popular characters and comic book titles. Under the
agreement, THQ gets the exclusive rights to all classic, TV and film
versions of "Captain America," "The Punisher," and "Nick Fury" for every
viable game system including those manufactured by Sony, Nintendo and
Microsoft, as well as PC through 2007. The two companies also said they
will collaborate on "The Call," a new comic book series based on the
adventures of real-life heroes in New York City, that will also feature
characters from its "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" titles. "The Call" is set for
release as a comic in the fall of 2003 and the first video games based on
the series will be released in the spring of 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020408/80200_1.html
http://www.marvel.com
http://www.thq.com  
_____________________________________________

o Major Record Label BMG to Release Promo CDs with Added Copy-Protection

New York -- BMG Entertainment, one of the five major record labels and a
subsidiary of German media firm Bertelsmann, announced on Monday that it
will begin to place copy-protection technology on promotional CDs it
releases in the U.S. Promotional CDs are copies of new releases that are
generally sent to radio stations, music journalists, retailers and others
before they go on sale to the public. BMG did not provide details on which
copy-protection technology would be included on the CDs, but said it was
working with a number of firms on a non-exclusive basis. BMG labels
including Arista Records, RCA Music Group and BMG Music Canada will begin
distributing the copy-protected discs, which will be labeled to inform
recipients of the added security that prevents songs from being "ripped"
onto a computer and further distributed over the Internet. Secure digital
files of the songs will be included on the CDs allowing playback on PCs,
however, as well as the transfer of the album onto a secure portable
player. "We are confident that these real world, non-commercial trials on
promotional CDs will provide valuable feedback as we continue to monitor
technological developments," said Pete Jones, president and CEO of BMG
Distribution and Associated Labels. "Ultimately we hope to arrive at a
copy management solution that offers consumers the experience the artists
create and deserve reward for."
http://www.bmgentertainment.com
_____________________________________________

o IBiquity Introduces Digital AM/FM Transmitters for Radio Broadcasters

Las Vegas -- IBiquity Digital, a developer of digital radio technology,
announced on Monday that broadcast transmission equipment manufacturers
Harris, Broadcast Electronics (BE) and Nautel are now manufacturing the
"exciters" developed by IBiquity needed by radio stations to transmit
their signals digitally. Maryland-based IBiquity's technology allows radio
stations to transmit a CD-quality version of their AM or FM signal
alongside their traditional analog signal, with the added capacity to send
wireless data such as song/artist information, weather or traffic data to
radio receivers. IBiquity said that commercial radios capable of receiving
digital signals will be launched in January 2003 at the Consumer
Electronics Show.
http://www.ibiquity.com/news/news_IBOC_Launch.html
_____________________________________________

o IBM Expands Its Digital Rights Management to Video, Text, Streaming

Las Vegas -- IBM on Monday announced that it has expanded its EMMS
(Electronic Media Management Software) -- a digital rights management
technology -- from a music industry-focused platform to one that now
includes support for securing video, images, text and content delivered
using streaming media technologies. The new EMMS system was created using
open standards including XML and Java, and includes support for devices
like PCs, PDAs, CDs, retail kiosks, set-top boxes, mobile communicators
and video game consoles. IBM is targeting the new software -- due to
become available on April 30 -- to Hollywood movie studios and other
entertainment companies as well as the healthcare, banking and government
services industries. IBM's share price fell over 10 percent on Monday
after the company announced that its first quarter financial results would
fall short of Wall Street expectations.
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/020408/040342.html
_____________________________________________

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> DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE PANEL DISCUSSION SERIES:
"iTV: New Interactive Services Fuel Big Expectations
Slow Market Penetration Raises Questions: How Big is iTV Going to Be?"

Register by clicking on the links below to join leading executives and
professionals at our upcoming iTV breakfast panels in Los Angeles, San
Francisco and New York.

LA: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAitv2.html
SF: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/SFitv2.html
NYC: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/NYCitv2.html

========================================================
LOS ANGELES: Tuesday, April 16, 2002, Four Seasons Hotel, Beverly Hills
========================================================
Moderator: Ken Rutkowski, Founder and CEO, KenRadio.com
Stephen Condon, SVP and CMO, Intertainer
K.C. Hildreth, COO, GoldPocket Interactive
Steve Hoffman, CEO, Spiderdance
Mark Kapczynski, Principal, Media & Entertainment Solutions Group,
Microsoft
David Nathanson, VP of Broadband Strategy & Channel Development, Fox Cable
Networks

Sponsored by: SpyWorm.TV, LARTA
For more information and to register for the Los Angeles event:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAitv2.html

========================================================
SAN FRANCISCO: Wednesday, April 17, 2002, City Club of San Francisco
========================================================
Moderator: Sean Badding, VP and Senior Analyst, The Carmel Group
Martijn Lopes Cardozo, VP of Product Management, GoldPocket Interactive
Mitchell Linden, Head of Operations - North America, BBC Technology
Bill Niemeyer, Founder, Centrimedia (former Director, Strategic Dev.,
Spiderdance)
Peter Schultz, Director of Business Development, PopTV Program, Liberate
Bridget Steele, Business Development Manager, Microsoft TV

For more information and to register for the San Francisco event:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/SFitv2.html

=========================================================
NEW YORK: Thursday, April 25, 2002, Cornell Club of New York City
=========================================================
Moderator: Art Cohen, SVP, Advertising, ACTV
Patrick Donoghue, VP, Interactive Television, Cablevision
Gerard Kunkel, President, WorldGate
Christopher S. Lucas, VP & Exec. Producer, Digital Media Group, Showtime
Networks
Rod A. Nenner, Director, TV & Entertainment Solutions Group, America
Online
Carla Sinatra, Vice President of Business Development, NBC
Todd Krieger, Senior Manager, Business Development, Microsoft TV

Sponsored by: WorldGate, iTV Marketer (http://www.itvmarketer.com)
For more information and to register for the New York event:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/NYCitv2.html

Sponsorships and Inquiries:
Ned Sherman at 323.464.0793 or esherman@digitalmediawire.com
Paul Sherman at psherman@digitalmediawire.com
______________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Las Vegas) Microsoft on Monday introduced new versions of its Windows
Media audio and video technology geared at production professionals,
codenamed "Corona." The company also announced support for the new format
from a number of companies, including Adobe, which will include support
for Corona in its Premiere and After Effects video editing software. Avid
Technology, Creative Labs, Discreet and Thomson Broadcast Solutions will
also integrate Corona into their audio and video products.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020408/sfm095_1.html
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,51621,00.html
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/thirdgen/default.asp

(London) Comverse, a provider of multimedia wireless services to network
operators, said on Monday that record label BMG Europe has licensed both
international and local music content to the company for its mobile music
service. London-based Comverse's VoiCD service offers browsing of
different artists and CDs, ringtones, karaoke singing and other features
for cell phone users.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020408/82131_1.html
http://www.comverse.com/solutions/mob_ent_sol.htm#voicd

(Los Angeles) EUniverse, a network of entertainment-related websites and
newsletters, announced on Monday that it has partnered with wireless
entertainment developer Versaly Games. Under the agreement, Los
Angeles-based EUniverse will provide EUniverse-branded content such as
jokes of the day, celebrity birthdays and sports trivia to Seattle-based
Versaly for distribution to wireless network operators and their
subscribers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020408/lam048_1.html
http://www.versaly.com
http://www.euniverse.com

(San Mateo, Calif.) Sorrent, a developer of wireless games, announced on
Monday the official launch of the company. The San Mateo, Calif.-based
venture will create sports, game show-themed and action/adventure games
for WAP, Brew, J2ME and i-mode compatible cell phones. The company was
founded by Scott Orr, whose game industry design and executive producer
credits include "John Madden Football," "NHL Hockey" and "Knockout Kings
Boxing." Sorrent has already developed games available for Verizon and
Sprint PCS subscribers, and expects to release additional titles this
summer.
http://www.sorrent.com

(Las Vegas) Sonic Solutions, a developer of professional and consumer DVD
authoring and editing software, announced on Monday the formation of a new
subsidiary, Sonic Studio, LLC, that will take over development, marketing
and sales for its line of professional audio workstations. Marin County,
Calif.-based Sonic Solutions' consumer DVD software is currently bundled
with products offered by companies including Microsoft and Adobe.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020408/82304_1.html
http://www.sonicsolutions.com

(Hollywood, Calif.) Online movie ticket ordering service MovieTickets.com
announced on Monday that it has added 689 former General Cinema and Gulf
States theater screens to its service. The move follows the acquisition of
General Cinema Theatres and Gulf States Theatres by MovieTickets.com
partner AMC Entertainment, and will expand the company's reach in markets
such as Chicago, Boston, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.
http://www.movietickets.com

(Piscataway, N.J.) The Mobile Games Interoperability Forum (MGIF), a group
developing specifications to allow game developers to produce and deploy
mobile games that can be distributed across multiple game servers and
wireless networks, and played over different mobile devices, on Monday
announced the addition of two new sponsors and 12 new member companies.
Joining the MGIF as sponsors are Borland and THQ, and as new members are
Alcatel, atChik, BlueFactory, Comverse, In-Fusio, Integrated Group,
Mforma, Multimedia Technologies Lab, NGame Limited, Purple Software,
TTPcom Denmark and UI Evolution. The New Jersey-based MGIF was formed by
Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Siemens in July 2001.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220982535&ticker=
http://www.mgif.org

(Dallas) HDNet, a broadcaster of all high-definition television
programming on DirecTV, will on Monday begin providing news coverage of
the ongoing Middle East conflict with reports from Ramallah, Jerusalem,
Bethlehem and other key locations. The coverage is being produced for
Dallas-based HDNet by Broadcast News Networks and features reporting from
former CNN correspondent Peter Arnett.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220980378&ticker=
http://www.hdnet.com

(Las Vegas) NDS Group, a division of News Corp. that develops interactive
TV technology, announced on Monday a partnership with multimedia set-top
box developer VBox Communications. The two companies will jointly develop
and market technology that allows PC users to access advanced TV services
from the PC screen using only their connection to the Internet.
Israel-based VBox develops technology such as MPEG-2 decoding, as well as
devices with personal video recorder functionality that can access
Internet-based TV and video-on-demand.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020408/82474_1.html
http://www.vbox.to
http://www.nds.com

(San Francisco) Wired News on Monday reported on the new functions that
hackers are adding to Apple's portable, hard drive-based digital music
player, the iPod. So far, enthusiastic owners of the device have figured
out how to make the iPod work with Microsoft's Windows operating system,
retrieve XML-based news headlines from the Web and display them on the
iPod screen, turn the device into an infrared remote control and program
calendar dates and addresses -- a feature that Apple recently added to the
device itself through a software upgrade.
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,51586,00.html

(San Francisco) ZDNet.com recently published a "how-to" feature that
explains to users how to uninstall the extra software that Los
Angeles-based Brilliant Digital is adding to downloads of the popular
Kazaa file-sharing software. The extra software will eventually be used by
Brilliant Digital to create a separate network on which companies can
place their own secure, copyrighted content or tap the bandwidth of Kazaa
users for distributed computing projects.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-875278.html
http://www.kazaa.com

(Los Angeles) The Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times featured an
article that offered the opinions of such noted filmmakers as Francis Ford
Coppola, Oliver Stone and Baz Luhrmann on the topic of new advances in
film resulting from the introduction of the DVD format. "People have been
talking about interactivity for 30 years, yet nobody knew what it was,
except for video games," filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola told The Times.
"The DVD gives the participant the controls over a movie in a creative
manner."
http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Movies-X!ArticleDetail-55354,00.html
______________________

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Subscribe to Southeast Tech Wire

For Free Subscription:
http://www.southeasttechwire.com

The parent company of Digital Media Wire today launched Southeast Tech
Wire, a sister publication that covers the top technology, venture capital
and Internet stories in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and South
Carolina, with a particular focus on the Research Triangle, Atlanta and
Florida's Technology Corridor. Southeast Tech Wire is written in the same
style as Digital Media Wire, and is also free to subscribers.

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______________________

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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire