Archive for March 27th, 2008
Great. With broadcasters in full-court press mode to get people to make sure their analog TVs get those critical converter boxes before next February - a new Magid study shows that people are… confused. The study found that six out of ten viewers are now aware of the cutover, a huge jump from September when the number was just four in ten. However, the study found that only about one-third knew that some consumers would not be able to get TV without an upgrade. The study also suggested many didn’t know the difference between DTV and HDTV. Anyone want to bet that there are millions of Americans with a digital or HD set that don’t get any HD programming because they don’t know the difference?
March 27th, 2008
Forbes notes that Google has been losing several key staffers to Facebook lately — including engineers, execs and others. One of those that left, engineer Justin Rosenstein described the appeal of Facebook, calling it “the Google of yesterday, the Microsoft of long ago. That company where large numbers of stunningly brilliant people congregate and feed off each other’s genius. That company that’s doing with 60 engineers what teams of 600 can’t pull off.”
March 27th, 2008
CBS Labs has begun streaming select HD video clips on their site at http://labs.cbs.com/HD_video/. The video quality is impressive, streaming with H.264/AVC format at 480p, according to TechCrunch. The player itself reminds me a lot of Hulu, with a clean page that dims when the video starts. I appreciated not having to install a plugin, as I had to with ABC’s video player. While this is a positive step for CBS, it does seem like they are playing catch-up to the other networks’ online streaming efforts.
March 27th, 2008
NBC announced today it would add a mixed martial arts show at 0-dark-30 - “Strikeforce on NBC” will air after Poker After Dark at 2:05am. The move gives NBC 4.5 hours of post late-news programming, with Leno, Conan, Last Call, PAD and Strikeforce.
Also: Jimmy Kimmel Live to air at 11:35pm April 3rd to celebrate its anniversary
March 27th, 2008
DeadlineHollywoodDaily reports NBCU president Jeff Zucker is set to appear in the season premiere of My Name is Earl - recapping the season before the strike. The clip is on NBC.com… and is… something else:
Update: I just noticed that after watching the clip, the first “related video” that comes up is called “Don’t Quit Your Day Job.” Man… those related content engines get better and better all the time.
March 27th, 2008
