CTA wants EPA to scrap considering tighter limits against disabling energy-saving automatic brightness control (ABC) features for TVs to qualify for Energy Star V8.0, it told the agency in comments posted last week. CTA used its first known comments in the 10-month-long proceeding to “caution” EPA to “resist the temptation to micromanage the functionality of televisions.” EPA said it wants to release V8.0's final draft by mid-month (see 1701300015). Samsung faulted the methodology of EPA tests the agency described during a May 15 webinar in which six individuals were asked to give "subjective luminance preferences” (see 1705160048): "Such a small sample size is not sufficient to make any determinations about representative consumer preferences." The Natural Resources Defense Council sees no “evidence that justifies allowing TV manufacturers to automatically disable” ABC in most situations. California utilities also were supportive.
After shutting operations over a “cash flow issue,” high-end video software and hardware company Kaleidescape is looking to restore faith in the brand, CEO Cheena Srinivasan told us. Its “bold new mission” is to make Kaleidescape the “pre-eminent platform for that time when the studios are ready for premium VOD and day and date,” he said Thursday. Troubles date to STMicroelectronics shutting down its set-top box division in January 2016, along with production of chips for Kaleidescape's Ultra HD movie player. More recently, the company also restructured its relationships with the movie studios, including Sony and Warner Bros., the CEO said.
The FCC Media Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology set aside a block of days at the end of June for ex parte meetings on ATSC 3.0, said a public notice Friday. “Given the interest in this proceeding, we have determined that it would be efficient for the Commission staff to set aside a specific period.” Staff will be available for ATSC 3.0 ex parte meetings roughly three weeks after the June 8 due date for reply comments in the 16-142 proceeding, June 27-30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the notice said.
IDTechEx sees virtual- and augmented-reality headsets becoming a $37 billion global market by 2027, Harry Zervos, principal analyst, told a Thursday webinar. The research firm forecasts 220 million devices will ship in 2027, 130 million of them for VR, the rest for AR, he said. IDC Thursday reported VR and AR shipments jumped 77.4 percent in Q1 to 2.3 million units, forecasting 2017 triple-digit growth. A "challenge is the slow growth in content that appeals to a mass audience, combined with the confusion associated with a lack of cross-platform support," the researcher said.
Netflix in the U.S. is no longer focused on shifting viewing to online, but cares more about making hit content, since the over-the-top wave "has already crested and is no longer a source of growth," The Diffusion Group's Joel Espelien blogged Tuesday. Pointing to lukewarm reviews of the service's $60 million original movie War Machine, starring Brad Pitt, he said there's no precedent for what kind of subscriber and market reactions to expect "when a big budget Netflix original inevitably bombs." The post said Netflix's move from licensing content to producing its own is logical, but it carries challenges. Less than half of U.S. households are Netflix subscribers, meaning a big segment of the population is "essentially shut out of the conversation" about the over-the-top service's content, Espelien said: That makes it "highly unlikely that such a movie could ever attain iconic status," especially since straight-to-app movies lose the benefit of the communal audience response that comes from going to a theater.
A virtual reality device must have the ability to “blend the real-world elements into the virtual world, and enable natural interactions with the digital content” if it’s to be considered “fully immersive,” blogged Achin Bhowmik, general manager of Intel's Perceptual Computing Group. “Rather than just watching the concert, imagine dancing with your friends in attendance and experiencing the same excitement from your living room through lifelike visuals, sound, touch, haptics and complete freedom of movement!” he said: “The future of immersive VR experiences will provide an indistinguishable merging between real and virtual experiences with compelling sensory-based content. This journey will certainly take time and a lot of hard work.”
Unless the movie industry implements a premium VOD viewing window, theater owners and studios risk losing their audiences altogether, nScreenMedia's Colin Dixon blogged Monday. He said some studios looked into the idea, but theater owners remain rightfully concerned about the threat of home entertainment. However, consumers increasingly replace the time spent watching movies with binge-watching of TV shows, said the analyst.
Samsung partnered with the UFC, X Games and Live Nation to stream live sports and music events through the Gear VR platform, said the company in a Tuesday announcement. VR Live Pass on Gear VR events will be available through the Samsung VR app beginning Saturday, said the company. The events, free to Gear VR users, include UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway, a featherweight boxing match on June 3; X Games Minneapolis, July 13-16, featuring BMX riders and skaters; and an unidentified international music artist in concert on an undisclosed date in August. Gear VR users will be given a “live pass” to shows with access to action shots and “extreme close-ups,” said Samsung. The platform is available in 45 countries.
Acting Media Bureau Chief Michelle Carey will be permanent chief, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced Thursday. She had "started the agency’s review of its media regulations, advanced the next-generation transmission standard for TV broadcasters, worked to revitalize AM Radio services, and eased burdens on noncommercial broadcasters,” Pai said. Before becoming acting chief after the departure of Bill Lake, Carey was deputy chief for six years, the release said. Carey is a former senior adviser at NTIA, held senior positions in the Wireline Bureau and was a senior legal adviser to then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
A plastic-covered paperboard album set to hold CDs and DVDs is classifiable as a duty-free album for collectibles, not as a storage container or box file, Customs and Border Protection said in a recent tariff classification ruling: The album set, imported by Target, is a composite good made up of three album binders and a slipcase, each made of paperboard coated in polyvinyl chloride.