NevOn

Never mind the Superbowl, what about the 6 Nations Rugby!

What a tremendous weekend for contact sport!

While every American I know was glued to the TV (or plugged in to the net) yesterday for the Superbowl - in case you didn't know, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 - there was some fantsatic rugby going on in Europe throughout the weekend.

Three matches were played between all the participating nations in the Six Nations Championship - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales - all of which were broadcast live throughout Europe on one TV station or another.

I managed to watch some of the Scotland vs France game on Sunday on the BBC. What a treat! And what an upset! Scotland beat France 20-16 in a nail-biting game that confounded the pundits' predictions of an easy victory for favourites France.

If you want to get great background into the teams, with interviews and reports, The Six Nations website offers a series of podcasts complete with RSS feeds so you won't miss any content. And for general news and stories throughout the run of this championship - the highlight of the Rugby Union calendar - you can subscribe to seven RSS feeds: six focused on news about each team plus a catch-all feed that gives you everything.

Working out a fair deal for iPod TV

BBC News: Unions representing Hollywood actors, writers and directors have called for talks over the use of TV shows on Apple's new video iPod. The unions want to ensure their members get a cut of the revenue generated by the sale of TV shows on Apple software.

A new (and clearly disruptive) technological advance enables anyone to watch video on the move, just as you can listen to music and podcasts on the move. While this concept of portable viewing isn't new by any means - portable TVs have been around for at least 30 years - the convergence of the right technology, consumer desire and available content at low cost makes it extremely likely that a major revenue stream for content producers is on the horizon.

And it's perfectly reasonable for anyone involved in producing that content to want to ensure that they receive their fair share of that revenue stream. In the words of Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America (West), quoted in the BBC report:

I'm thrilled by the notion I can watch my shows in the palm of my hand, but I also want to make sure we are paid appropriately.

Let's hope everyone can work out a deal that everyone's happy with, including consumers.

Finally, in case you're wondering what a TV show originally created for viewing on TV would look like in terms of video quality on the small iPod screen, read what CK Sample has to say in his review on The Unofficial Apple Weblog of watching an episode of Lost on his new video iPod. (Summary: not bad at all for $1.99, he says.)

And as you ponder iPod TV and podcasting (as I am, and I don't own a video iPod... yet), think about this from CK:

[...] As a side note, if you are a Lost fan, make sure you check out this week's podcast commentary on the show. Think; you can download the new episode later today in the iTMS. Open the file in Quicktime. Start playing the video and mute it, while listening to Ryan's commentary on the episode. That's nice podcasting sweetness.

The latest ideas in broadcasting, online media and content

The IBC 2005 conference and exhibition opens in Amsterdam today and runs until Tuesday 13 September.

This annual event, organized by the International Broadcasting Convention, takes place at the RAI conference center.

The conference is divided into theme days covering Delivery to the Consumer, High Definition Television, Mobile Applications, Content Production and Protection and D-Cinema. I'll be attending some of the Mobile Applications sessions on Saturday, in particular the session on Content on The Move.

The exhibition features over 1,000 companies showcasing the latest technology and foremost business ideas in broadcasting and media, covering content creation, management and delivery. Big names there include Apple, Motorola, Microsoft, BBC R&D, Sony, DTS, Adobe, Dolby Labs.

I went to the exhibition last year and took quite a few photos. I plan to do the same this year as well as seek some podcasting opportunities.

If any business/tech blogger who plans on being there would like to meet up, let me know.

Speaking of bloggers, a week-long conference about the future of video on the web takes place in Amsterdam next week.

Vlog Europe is a get-together of video bloggers for a week of learning and networking about content, technology and business. Details on the Vlog Europe blog.

Customer service from UPC? Fat chance!

Is waiting a week for your cable TV service to be fixed a reasonable time? Is it right to expect that the cable guy who's coming to fix your service at an appointed time actually shows up? And is it reasonable to expect that, when you call customer service for the third time and they tell you they'll call you back, that they actually do and reasonably quickly?

As a customer of UPC Nederland, I think these are reasonable expectations. But clearly UPC don't think so.

Our cable TV service conked out last Tuesday. Switched the TV on at lunchtime to catch the news, and no signal on any channel. A check of things showed that everything was connected up correctly and the VCR and DVD player worked fine, just no TV signal via the cable.

So we called UPC customer service on their 10 Eurocents a minute support line. Amazing response from that department - they said first thing to do is to go around the neighbourhood asking the neighbours if they have cable TV service or not. If yes, then connect another TV to make sure it's not a fault with the first TV. Well, maybe our demographic isn't the right one for UPC, but we have only the one TV.

To cut a long story short after that nonsense, we made an appointment for the cable guy to come. The earliest time was yesterday between 8 and 1.

He didn't show up.

Another conversation with customer support yesterday afternoon revealed that while our appointment was "in the system," the news of that appointment hadn't reached the cable guy. The helpful customer service representative said he'd investigate and call me back.

He didn't call.

Fox journalist says 'Terrorism ok in Paris'

The London bombings yesterday are fresh in everyone's minds. Now, 38 dead and over 700 seriously injured. The death toll will probably rise.

You wouldn't wish that on any other city, would you? Paris, for example?

Yet that is a growing reaction to John Gibson, a Fox News journalist in the US, and what he talked about in a piece published on 6 July, the day before the London bombings. His peculiar story about London winning the 2012 Olympics includes this comment:

[...] It would have been a delight to have Parisians worried about security instead of New Yorkers. It would have been exquisite to watch. But, alas, they picked London. I like the Brits. I like London. I hate to see them going through all this garbage when it would have been just fine in Paris.

In an eye-opening and insensitive diatribe entitled "missed opportunity," Gibson actually writes gleefully about how the French would pay off terrorists and how terrorism would be ok if it happens in Paris.

Then, in another piece published yesterday, Gibson says this:

The bombings in London: This is why I thought the Brits should let the French have the Olympics - let somebody else be worried about guys with backpack bombs for a while.

You are a sick man, Mr Gibson. You call yourself a commentator?

Loic Le Meur's outrage at Gibson's trash piece speaks for all decent people everywhere, whatever their nationality.

Fox News - your reputation is worth nothing if you continue to publish trash like this. How important is reputation to you?

There are some things, Mr Gibson, you cannot write about the way you have done and not expect revulsion as a reaction. You owe France an apology. London, too.

Related NevOn post:

• Safe and back in Amsterdam

BBC blogs the G8

Newsnight, the BBC's flagship news and current affairs TV programme in the UK, will be blogging the G8 summit in Scotland on 6-8 July.

Actually, that's not strictly true. Although Newsnig8t (that word really needs to be in colour so you can better spot the "g8" in there) clearly is a BBC-approved blog, it's run by Newsnight's correspondent Paul Mason. On the Newsnight website, it's referred to as "Paul Mason's G8 blog."

You'll probably think I'm just splitting hairs here. Ok, main point - there's no question, it's a great example of the growing willingness by more mainstream media journalists to embrace tools like blogs to complement traditional news and information channels. As has been clear for some time now, the BBC has been grasping new media channels like blogs, RSS and podcasts with a vengeance, and enabling more journalists to use those channels.

What I find quite interesting is that Paul's blog is a hosted TypePad blog, complete with RSS and trackbacks that you find on nearly every TypePad blog (like mine, for instance). The only thing it doesn't have is direct commenting on the blog. Instead, you're directed to a comments page and form on the Newsnight website.

In any event, it's another good move by the BBC to enable this.

(Hat tip: Joel Cere)

In-flight live TV coming

First, there was the expansion of in-flight wi-fi so that you could remain connected to the net on your flight across the Atlantic or Pacific. Do your email, surf the net, write your blog. Even use Skype.

Here's what's coming next, according to a PC World report:

The Connexion by Boeing in-flight Internet service is to shortly begin live TV programming on some Singapore Airlines flights. This is the first time such a service will be available to commercial airline passengers, according to an announcement by Connexion by Boeing this week.

The service will deliver BBC World, EuroNews, Eurosportnews, and, depending on flight origination, U.S., European, or Asian editions of CNBC, to suitably equipped planes and passengers with laptop PCs who have signed up for the Connexion service, according to the announcement. MSNBC programming will also be available for domestic flights in the U.S., Boeing says.

The TV service will be expanded to other airlines later this year, the company says, without giving further details.

Reuters also has a report on this.

With your headphones on, it'll be the perfect antidote to all your fellow travellers talking on Skype :)

Rocketboom yeah!

I have to agree with Shel - Rocketboom is very cool!

Listeners to yesterday's edition of the Hobson & Holtz Report will have heard Shel waxing lyrical (or, at least, enthusing wildly) about Rocketboom.

What is Rocketboom? It's TV news, but not as we know it, Jim.

Presented by Amanda Congdon (shown in the screenshot), it's a daily vlog - informal, irreverant, cheeky, funny and well worth the 3 minutes.

To use Rocketboom, your browser will need the Apple Quicktime plug-in. Tip - if you don't want to install that bloatware, a great alternative is QuickTime Alternative. All the functionality, none of the headaches. (Also give Real Alternative a go for those websites that still use Real.)

Prince of Wales "momentary lapse"

Just catching some of the TV coverage of today's marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, I saw a brief BBC TV interview with the Prince's communications secretary, Paddy Harverson.

Amongst the tame chit-chat about today's event (eg, was the Prince feeling nervous and how many letters of support there have been from the public) came an interesting comment regarding the Prince and a press photo call last month.

The Prince and his two sons took the photo call while on holiday in Switzerland. Posing at the resort of Klosters, an ill-at-ease Prince muttered, "Bloody people. I can't bear them" in reference to the assembled press photographers and reporters, which was picked up by microphones. He also muttered, "I can't bear that man. I mean, he's so awful, he really is" in reference to BBC reporter Nicholas Witchell.

I remember thinking when I saw the broadcast: I bet the communication people will be cringing about this! It is bound to be spread across all the papers the next day (it was), presenting yet another potential PR headache for the royal communicators. It's not really much different from a commercial scenario - you organize the event and your client spokesman royally (pun wholly intended) screws it up in some way.

So the interesting comment from Harverson in today's BBC TV interview was his reference to that event by saying the Prince had a "momentary lapse." He said it with a broad smile on his lips, but that smile didn't touch his eyes.

Probably all he could say publicly, really.

I wonder what he's thinking about Prince Charles' latest gaffe - shaking hands with Robert Mugabe at the Pope's funeral yesterday.

See also: Royal wedding press pack (PDF).

TV moves to the internet

BBC News: MTV is launching a free "channel" on the internet that will show some of the station's TV programmes, including reality hit The Osbournes. The MTV Overdrive website will let users with high-speed computer connections watch music videos and extended programmes on demand. The website is currently being tested and will launch fully on 25 April.

A Reuters report yesterday said the new MTV offering will host continuous MTV News updates, artist interviews, music videos, live music performances, original and newly created short-form programing, MTV and MTV2 show footage, movie trailers and more.

The report quotes MTV Networks president Van Toffler saying, "It's about time we caught up with the demands of young people," and characterizing the free service as a hybrid of short-form linear viewing with an on-demand experience, noting that the technology previously had not been available for MTV to offer this type of programing.

Just as mainstream print media is getting into new media channels like blogs to fully engage with their readership, so mainstream broadcast media is now beginning to embrace ways of reaching their audiences in ways that appeal to those audiences. Plus, of course, recognizing the definite shifts in how people want to consume their news, information and entertainment, especially youth audiences.

Here in The Netherlands my ISP, XS4ALL, has started new trials of broadcasting television via broadband. In an announcement yesterday, XS4ALL said:

In co-operation with Stichting DSL tv, XS4ALL is beginning a third six-month trial of television via (A)DSL. At the end of the trial a decision will be taken on whether DSL-TV will be introduced as a standard service.

The previous trials revealed a sustained high level of interest in television via DSL. In 2002, DSL-TV was viewed through more than 68,000 DSL connections; in 2003, the figure exceeded 170,000.

Since the last trial the potential for viewing television via DSL has increased considerably: the bandwidth of many DSL lines has more than doubled and it is easy to connect a television to a PC.

The latest Dutch internet TV experiment is a paid-for service (you have to subscribe) and includes mainstream media channels CNBC, Euronews and Travel Channel.