archives

o FCC: U.S. High-Speed 'Net Access Rose 158% Last Year
o Russia Won't Prosecute Adobe Hacker Sklyarov
o Iomega Increases Worldwide Layoffs to 38% of Workforce
o Consumer Reports Survey Ranks MSN, AOL Worst Consumer ISPs
o Streaming Services Firm IBeam Gets Extension from Nasdaq
o Digital Sheet Music Firm Net4Music Lays Off 30, Focuses On Subscriptions
o Chipmaker Cirrus Logic to Acquire Video Compression Firm Stream Machine
> DMW Panel Discussion: Microsoft vs. AOL | August 30 | D.C.
> DMW Panel Discussion: iTV | Sept. 5 | New York
o Briefly Noted: Icebox.com - Flextech, OpenTV - Sichuan NTC, Liquid Audio
- Palm, WildTangent - Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, Majestic
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> Job Postings: Client Service Rep., Jr. Web Designer, Editor at Large

> Events/Services: "SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival - Pacific Northwest
Tour," "Free Web Demonstration"

Full Job/Event/Services descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section
or at http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event/Service: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
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o FCC: U.S. High-Speed 'Net Access Rose 158% Last Year

Washington, D.C. -- The number of U.S. homes and businesses with
high-speed Internet connections such as cable modems or DSL increased by
158 percent to 7.1 million in 2000, according to recently released figures
from The Federal Communications Commission. Of the 7.1 million, 5.2
million were residential and small business subscribers. The rate of
growth for DSL subscribers was 435 percent, while the number of cable
modem subscribers increased 153 percent. Although satellite and fixed
wireless connections represented a small number of high-speed subscribers,
the number of lines grew from 50,000 in 1999 to 112,000 in 2000.
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0133.html
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o Russia Won't Prosecute Adobe Hacker Sklyarov

Moscow -- Russian police said they would not prosecute hacker Dmitry
Sklyarov -- who is currently facing trial in the U.S. on criminal charges
under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- if he were allowed to return
home, the Associated Press reported. "If this case was being reviewed in
Russia, we would have nothing against Dmitry Sklyarov," said Dmitry
Chepchugov, head of the Russian Interior Ministry's department for high
technology crimes. Sklyarov was recently released on a $50,000 bond after
being arrested on July 16 at a hacker convention, in connection with
software he wrote that can circumvent the security technology on Adobe
Systems' eBook Reader. Adobe originally asked the U.S. Justice Department
to investigate Sklyarov, but later joined the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, which is defending Sklyarov, in asking for his release and an
end to his criminal prosecution.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,45966,00.html
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o Iomega Increases Worldwide Layoffs to 38% of Workforce

Roy, Utah -- Iomega, a manufacturer of storage devices that include the
Zip and Jaz drives as well as MP3 players, said that it will lay off 1,250
employees, or 38 percent of its worldwide workforce, as part of its plan
to cut costs. The company said on July 19 that it would only lay off
between 800 and 1,100 workers. The layoffs will cut 780 jobs in North
America, 90 in Europe and 380 in Asia. Utah-based Iomega said the
reasoning for the layoffs was due to poor sales of its Zip and Jaz drives.
The company will take a restructuring charge of between $55 million and
$65 million in the third quarter.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010809/lath091.html
http://www.iomega.com
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o Consumer Reports Survey Ranks MSN, AOL Worst Consumer ISPs

Yonkers, N.Y. -- A recent consumer survey from Consumer Reports magazine
ranks Microsoft's MSN and AOL as two of the worst Internet access
providers, the Associated Press reported. The survey was conducted with
1,640 dial-up modem users, and found that the most satisfied customers
subscribe to AT&T WorldNet, BellSouth and EarthLink. Problems with MSN --
which received the lowest overall rating -- and with AOL most frequently
cited were instability of connections and problems with email and customer
service.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6833144.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.consumerreports.com
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o Streaming Services Firm IBeam Gets Extension from Nasdaq

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- IBeam, a provider of streaming media services,
announced on Friday that it has been granted an extension from the Nasdaq
National Market regarding its pending delisting from the exchange. The
company's stock has traded below the Nasdaq's $1 minimum for most of the
last four months. The extension is conditional upon a proposed one-for-ten
reverse stock split -- which will be voted on Sept. 12 -- that the company
hopes will boost its share price above $1.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010810/100080.html
http://www.ibeam.com
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o Digital Sheet Music Firm Net4Music Lays Off 30, Focuses On Subscriptions

Minneapolis -- Net4Music, a provider of digital sheet music and music
software, announced on Friday that it will lay off 30 employees in its
sheet music division as it focuses on selling subscriptions to its musical
instrument practice software. The company will reduce costs associated
with engraving sheet music for digital distribution by closing its
engraving plant in Lyon and divesting its plant in Madagascar as well as
its European mail order sheet music business, Partitor.com. The layoffs
will affect all Madagascar employees as well as some in Paris, London and
Minneapolis. Net4Music will take a charge of $400,000 in the third quarter
to account for costs associated with its restructuring. The company will
now focus on its subscription service for SmartMusic Studio, its software
aimed at music educators that helps students learn to play instruments.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010810/102192.html
http://www.net4music.com
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o Chipmaker Cirrus Logic to Acquire Video Compression Firm Stream Machine

Austin, Texas -- Cirrus Logic, a developer of chips for consumer
electronics products, announced that it will acquire Stream Machine, a
developer of video compression technology, in an all-stock transaction
worth $110 million. Beijing-based Stream Machine's video compression chips
are used in DVD recorders, personal video recorders, digital camcorders
and PC video peripherals. This marks the fourth acquisition for Cirrus
Logic in five months, having paid out a total of about $278 million for
the companies.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010809/90377.html
http://www.cirruslogic.com
http://www.streammachine.com
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> Digital Media Wire Presents a Panel Discussion:
"Microsoft vs. AOL: The Battle of the Internet Titans"

McLean, VA | Thursday, August 30th at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

This panel of journalists, policymakers and others will discuss the
increasing rivalry between these two monolithic companies -- and how their
competition will affect the development of the Internet for years to come.
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/DCbattle.html

MODERATOR:
Paul Sherman - Editor | Potomac Tech Wire

SPEAKERS:
Declan McCullagh - Washington Bureau Chief | Wired News
Edmund Sanders - Staff Writer | Los Angeles Times
***Additional Panelists TBA***

MEDIA SPONSOR: Potomac Tech Wire

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/DCbattle.html
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire & iLounge Present a Panel Discussion:
"iTV: Defining the New Face of Television"

NYC | Wednesday, September 5th at the Verizon Headquarters

This panel of players ranging from content providers to middleware
developers will discuss the new face of television, which will include an
amalgam of services like email, IPGs (interactive program guides), PVRs
(personal video recorders), enhanced TV, etc., and what it means for
Hollywood, the tech industry and most importantly, the consumer.
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/NYCitv.html

MODERATOR:
Lydia Loizides - Senior Analyst | Jupiter Media Metrix

SPEAKERS:
Sean Bratches - EVP, Affiliate Sales & Marketing | ESPN
Tim Larcombe - Regional President iTV, North America | AGENCY.com
David Nathanson - VP, Broadband Strategy & Channel Development | FOX
***Additional Panelists TBA***

SPONSOR: Verizon

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/NYCitv.html
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Los Angeles) Web animation studio Icebox.com, which says it will soon
launch a paid Icebox on-demand version of its site, announced that it has
licensed its entire animation library to U.K.-based Flextech, a division
of broadband provider Telwest. Under the terms of the agreement, Flextech
received exclusive rights to Icebox programs in the U.K. and Ireland and
said it will air them on its TV channels and websites. The company will
also produce new animated content with Flextech that is geared toward U.K.
audiences.
http://www.icebox.com
http://www.flextech.co.uk

(Henan Province, China) OpenTV, a developer of software for interactive TV
set-top boxes, said that it has partnered with investment and system
integration firm Sichuan NTC to make its iTV services available to 1.5
million cable subscribers in China's Henan Province. Mountain View-based
OpenTV recently announced a similar partnership with CBSat and Shanghai
Cable Network. The company expects NTC's strategic investments in China to
lead to further iTV deployments.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010808/0446.html
http://www.opentv.com
http://www.ntc-holdings.com/index.htm

(Redwood City, Calif.) Digital music distribution provider Liquid Audio
said that personal digital assistant maker Palm will license its
technology that lets manufacturers develop digital music players
compatible with its handheld devices. Palm has also licensed Redwood
City-based Liquid Audio's commerce software, which will give Palm users
access to a Web page that lets them download music.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010809/sfth072.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com

(Redmond, Wash.) WildTangent, a developer of streaming media technology
for graphics and video games, said on Friday that Sony Pictures Digital
Entertainment has licensed its technology for use across its entire
organization. Redmond-based WildTangent's technology allows interactive
multimedia content to be streamed and cached on a user's machine with
minimal wait. Sony said it will use the technology in its units that focus
on digital character animation, online entertainment and Internet
marketing.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212220040&ticker=
http://www.wildtangent.com

(San Francisco) Salon.com ran a feature story on Friday about Electronic
Arts' recently released online game Majestic, which includes an interview
with the game's creator, Neil Young. The game attempts new levels of
immersion for video games by contacting players via phone, fax, email and
instant messages. After a free month's trial, the game is accessible only
by purchasing a $10 monthly subscription to EA.com's online games
offering.
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/08/10/majestic/index.html
http://www.ea.com/worlds/games/pw_majstc00/hatted_mj20_age.jsp

===================================================
Job Postings:
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> Verance, Client Service Rep. (Western Region) - Los Angeles

Responsible for the day-to-day servicing of the advertiser/agency client
base, which includes training clients in all aspects of utilizing the
various Media Information Group systems and product offerings, encoding
content, utilizing the website for registering content, producing and
understanding reports and utilizing these reports to further their
respective business. Minimum 3 years advertising industry-related
experience.
Send resumes to: jobs@verance.com
http://www.verance.com
______________________

> Maxim Online, Jr. Web Designer - New York City

Must have experience with Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML, Fireworks, and
understand multiple browser and platform issues. Responsibilities include:
designing marketing contests and advertorial projects; designing party
pages to promote magazine events; designing banners to promote marketing
and editorial projects; and maintaining subscription pages throughout the
Maxim website.
Send resumes & URLs to: maximonlinejobs@hotmail.com
http://www.maximonline.com
______________________

> CNET Networks, Editor at Large - San Francisco

This newsroom leader is expected to write an average of 1-3 stories per
day if needed, and on a more analytical & exclusive basis than the average
reporter's assignment. Other duties include proposing and writing Special
Reports, news analyses, features and investigative stories. This position
also plays a key role at budget meetings, performs editing functions as
needed and serves as a mentor for less experienced reporters.
Send resumes to: careers@cnet.com and seanl@cnet.com
http://www.cnet.com

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Events/Services Postings:
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To Post Events/Services: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> 9th Annual SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival - Pacific Northwest Tour: Aug. 3-13

SHORT MOVIES! Dreamspan presents the 9TH Annual Short Attention Span Film & Video Festival. Shortspan is a non-stop two hour program of ALL NEW
two-minute-or-shorter films, including Michael Moore's "Testify," Canadian
David Weir's collaboration with Douglas Coupland, "Night Shift"-- and 57
more shorts! The tour kicks off in the Pacific Northwest and will travel
to 30 North American cities! Pac NW tour dates are:

VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Blinding Light Cinema - August 3rd and 4th - 8:30PM
SEATTLE, WA: 911 Media Arts Center - August 9th and 10th - 8PM
PORTLAND, OR: Northwest Film Center - August 12th and 13th - 7:30PM
http://www.dreamspan.com/shortspan
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> Free Web Demonstration: Learn How A Federal Agency Saved $36 Million

Leading organizations are saving millions by more effectively managing
their company's diversified operations and scarce resources. With Pacific
Edge Software's project portfolio management solution, you'll get a clear
snapshot of your business, enabling you to balance strategic and tactical
requirements, so you can make informed business decisions. For more
information on how you can better manage your business, please visit
http://www.pacificedge.com/campaigns/digitalmedia
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Copyright 2001 Digital Media Wire