You can always count on Japan's NHK to come up with new, exciting and innovative ways to bring us video coverage. The latest project? A wind- and solar-powered robot camera designed for situations such as natural disasters. Loaded with a 1,200 Ah battery, even if the elements don't bless it with sun and air, it can keep filming for two to three days. The combination of wind turbine and solar panels obviously allow it to generate more power than either method on its own, with the turbine reportedly generating 1 kW at 11 m/s wind speeds. A special power-saving mode prevent it draining too fast when full functionality -- such as the built-in wireless, cellular and satellite broadcasting systems aren't needed. Currently the prototype is installed on a rooftop while battery and power-generation are fully tested, but it's hoped that this could lead to further developments for disaster area broadcast equipment. Or -- here's hoping -- power-cut-proof sports coverage.

Filed under: Cameras, HD, Alt

NHK developing hybrid renewable energy-powered video camera for use in disaster areas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hauppauge announces StreamEez to broadcast live HD video

Sure, you can always roll up with a full-blown sat truck or a camera tethered to a ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable, or you can pick up the JVC GY-HM650, which lets you beam those video bytes back to base with any ole hotspot. The company's Mobile News Camera packs a trio of 1/3-inch 1080p 12-bit sensors, a 29-667mm lens, 3.5-inch LCD, SDXC compatibility and HD-SDI outputs, but it also includes WiFi connectivity with FTP server support, letting you record then automatically transmit footage back to a newsroom for editing and broadcast. The camera itself is very compact, considering that it's primarily suited for professional news applications, and also includes all the standard audio hook-ups, like dual XLR jacks, a shotgun mic holder, headphone jack and a separate connector for a wireless mic receiver, along with GPS and Android/iOS app control. JVC also launched another model, the GY-HM600, which offers similar features, save for those wireless connectivity bits. Both cameras look nearly identical, though the company only had the less-abled 600 on display at NAB. That camera will retail for $4,695 when it hits in the fall, while the 650 will cost you $1,000 more, with a winter 2012 shipping estimate. We weren't able to peek at the WiFi model at the show, but you'll be able to get a fairly good idea of how that camera will look in the glass-enclosed HM600 shots below.

Continue reading JVC demos GY-HM600, launches HM650 Mobile News Camera with WiFi and FTP at NAB

JVC demos GY-HM600, launches HM650 Mobile News Camera with WiFi and FTP at NAB originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to CEO Max Haot the logical next step for Livestream -- now well established as a reliable service for bringing live video feeds to the internet -- is just to get more people distributing live video by any means necessary. To that end, the company is jumping into the hardware business with this palm-sized Livestream Broadcaster unit that just went up for preorders a few days ago. With a subsidized price of $495, it connects to video cameras directly over HDMI then reencodes and uploads the video on the fly to the company's servers (unlimited streaming costs $45 per month, each encoder comes with three months free) via Ethernet, WiFi or a 3G / 4G USB dongle. Even on the wireless-internet challenged LVCC floor it was sending several streams and enabling user control via buttons on the unit itself, or remotely from a PC or iPhone / iPad. These boxes are still on target to ship at the end of May and and showed off everything those without the backing of a tech / media conglomerate (cough), like small businesses or independent bloggers, would need to make their productions available for viewing as they happen.

Continue reading Livestream Broadcaster hands-on

Livestream Broadcaster hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livestream Broadcaster pre-orders available now, shipping at the end of May for $495 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, what have we here? Looks as if Samsung's cooking up quite the content partnership here at CES 2012, with Verizon, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Comcast (at least) onboard. From a content creation standpoint, NBC Universal is evidently signed on to crack open its coffers and let the material pour fourth, and we're guessing we'll hear of quite a few more once the announcement gets official. As of now, the so-called N Service looks to be one that'll enable select pay-TV subscribers to stream content onto Samsung devices -- hopefully whilst far, far away from home. At least for FiOS TV users, those who take advantage of N Service will be able to "access live streaming FiOS TV channels, as well as Flex View commercial movies and TV shows from one's Samsung Smart TV or Blu-ray player." It'll obviously work with multi-room households, too. Have a peek at the detail shots below, and keep it locked right here as we learn more.

Samsung N Service unveiled at CES: Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Comcast and Verizon onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we enjoy the NHL Playoffs, the NBC Sports Group (which now includes Versus thanks to the whole merger with Comcast) has announced a 10-year TV deal (rumored to be worth around $2 billion) with the league that keeps NBC and Versus as the exclusive broadcast homes for pro hockey. Beyond just broadcast, the deal also covers digital rights across "all platforms and devices" and includes provisions for more special event games, check the press release after the break for more details. Broadcasting & Cable mentions chairman Dick Ebersol said on a conference call Versus is also due for a rebranding now that the merger is completed, so expect a new channel with the letters "NBC" in it -- lets all hope this works out better than "Syfy" -- sometime soon.

Continue reading NBC Sports Group locks up NHL broadcasts for 10 years, plans to rename Versus

NBC Sports Group locks up NHL broadcasts for 10 years, plans to rename Versus originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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High Definition television might be over 10 years old, but it is hardly perfect. Which makes us wonder on this Sunday afternoon, has broadcast HD picture quality gotten worse or better over the years? Sure, we've seen some especially heinous acts by DirecTV with its HD Lite, and then there was Comcast's shameful compression, and more recently there have been plenty of complaints about AT&T's U-Verse. But overall we wonder, has it gotten better or worse?

Poll: Has broadcast HD picture quality gotten worse over the years? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, this sure marks a change of tone for LG. After taking the cautious approach and throwing out a single 3D TV model in 2009, the Korean manufacturer is now boldly predicting sales of 400,000 3D units in 2010 and 3.4 million in 2011. To make it all happen, the company has announced it will introduce a "wide range" of 3D TV sets measuring between 42 and 72 inches diagonally, with flagship models among them. Furthermore, LG's new partnership with SkyLife will see both companies investing in 3D content creation, as the digital satellite broadcaster will be pitching in $25 million. Naturally, this Korean push is merely a prelude to a planned assault on American and European markets next year, which LG expects will jump all over 3D given its internal survey data indicating 58 percent of people want an extra dimension to their viewing experience. What we're most excited about, though, is the "ultra-slim" bezel you see in the picture -- it is no accident or mere prototype, and its minimization is part of LG's effort to maximize immersion. We like it, 3D or not.

LG expects to sell 3.8 million 3D LCDs by 2011, partners with Korean broadcaster SkyLife originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love him or hate him, it seems destined that the FCC's Julius Genachowski will leave as big of a mark on the agency he's leading -- if not bigger -- than his predecessor Kevin Martin did, because he's hell-bent on shaking up the wireless airwaves and landlines he oversees in some pretty huge ways. Pushback from broadcasters is apparently quite strong, but he's reiterated at a conference today that he intends to investigate freeing up TV spectrum for to make room additional wide-area wireless services, a move that certainly seems to make sense on the surface considering that universal broadband to the home -- which could carry all the TV you'd ever need -- is also high on Genachowski's to-do list. The Universal Service Fund, which every American phone subscriber pays into and partly finances rural landline telephone operations where profits are harder to come by, is looking like a ripe target for renovation to bring broadband into the fold, theoretically making high-speed data more accessible to folks of all demographics and geographical affinities. Like the TV spectrum move, the USF realignment is meeting its fair share of detractors -- mainly among rural landline operators who rely on the funds for operation, of course -- but we're definitely gaining confidence that this dude isn't taking "no" for an answer in the long term.

FCC boss keeps driving home the 'spectrum, spectrum, spectrum' message for wireless broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The major US broadcasters are evolving into multi-platform TV distribution networks in a "land-grab" attempt to replicate their traditional channels business online.
So much so that the online web-based TV services of the four major US TV networks – together with Hulu, the joint venture between NBC Universal, News Corporation and Disney - accounted for 53 per cent of an ad-supported US online TV market, according to a report from Screen Digest.

It's taken a while but HDTV seems to have firmly established itself in the UK - underlined by the latest surge in subscriber numbers for BSkyB.
The satellite broadcaster has seen its HD base leap to more than one million subscribers - up 32 per cent on the previous quarter and more than double the 465,000 who signed up last year.

I-Movix has launched the first broadcast-integrated, native HD, ultra-slow-motion solution offering frame rates of 500 to 1,000 fps with instant replay.
The new SprintCam V3 HD produces slow-motion output equivalent to 20 to 40 times slower than normal speed, which the Belgian company says makes it the most advanced HD system available with full broadcast integration.

Filed under: Industry, Camcorders

Taking time off of its always-impressive Super Hi-Vision program, Japan's NHK took the wraps off its latest development, a wireless broadcast camera capable of less than 33ms delay per frame. Apparently current tech has about a .5 second lag time, but this one updates microwave tech to millimeter waveband, letting it switch between wired and wireless cameramen with no interruption. The cameras already got put to use in the 59th NHK Kohaku Utagassen music show, don't be surprised to see a lot more freely moving camera jockeys at live broadcasts in the U.S. very soon.

NHK shows off new wireless HDTV broadcast camera originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A bill intended to delay the US's transition to digital TV has been defeated in the House of Representatives.
An estimated 6.5 million Americans are not yet prepared for the switch, which now reverts back to the original date of 17 February.

Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, OTA, New content

No one ever said the spoils of high-definition came free, and no one knows that better than Dutch commercial broadcaster SBS. The outfit is reportedly holding its hand out and covering its face while asking for payments between €2 to €3 per year, per subscriber, from cable operators in order to pay for HD broadcasts. That's according to Eric Eljon, MD of SBS Productions, who hopes to begin high-def simulcasts within a few months should a deal be reached. In The Netherlands today, there is no license fee at all, with the public broadcasting system paid for out of the general budget; additionally, there's currently no way to recoup the massive increase in cost when switching to HD via advertising alone. C'mon, cable carriers / consumers -- just think of the HD starved children.

[Thanks, Wouter]

Netherlands' SBS seeking nominal yearly fees to pay for HD broadcasts originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The upcoming US presidential inauguration will be broadcast in Europe in high definition for the first time ever following "unprecedented demand" from broadcasters.
Eurovision is to offer European broadcasters access to full HDTV coverage of the ceremony, Barack Obama's speech and motorcade beamed from cameras on location in Washington DC.

Filed under: DIY, Industry, Misc, Cable, Fiber, Internet, OTA, Satellite

It's bound to have crossed your mind a time or two: "Could I ditch my pay-TV and still stay entertained?" With the advent of HTPCs and boxes such as the ZvBox, entertainment truly has been disconnected from the coaxial jack that sits quietly behind your TV. Practically every broadcast network (and even a few cable channels) places their hit shows online for viewing, and a whole litany of other internet TV portals are but a URL away. A mettlesome AP writer decided to give it a go for a week, abstaining from live broadcast TV, cable and pay-per-view content; in essence, she survived solely on internet media and Netflix. The nicely journaled experience is a must-read, as it details what she did with her newfound free time and how she coped without the luxuries of DVR and limitless content. At the end of the seven days, she concluded that she could indeed live sans pay-TV so long as she had good broadcast reception, but she still couldn't answer the all-important "but, would I want to?" On that note, would you?

Could you live on online TV / Netflix alone? One gal found out. originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, Sports

We know, they're essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but there's something about these "top lists" that just warms our hearts. Arlen Schweiger over at Electronic House took a long, hard look back at all the sports he consumed over the course of this year in order to compile a best-of-the-best list for HD content. We don't want to give away any spoilers before you give the read link a visit, but let's just say "Texas tips Oklahoma," "Giants Freeze Packers" and "Celtics Return to Glory" are scattered about in there somewhere. And while we're on the subject, what's your top 10 high-def sports list of 2008?

Top 10 HD sports broadcasts of 2008 -- do you agree? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DiBcom has launched an HD-ready digital terrestrial decoder in a USB key device that gives viewers free high-def content on their PCs.
The French mobile TV hardware maker claims the device is a world first - other manufacturers are already offering USB devices that receive over-the-air HD broadcasts although not in such a small package.

Filed under: Industry, OTA, New content

Now here's a trend we can really get behind. Just weeks after four French national channels decided that the grass was greener (or at least clearer) on the high-def side, a trio of Dutch broadcasters have announced their intentions to follow suit. Beginning in Q2 2009, Nederland 1, 2 and 3 will begin broadcasting in high-definition, and initially 15% of all primetime content will be shot in HD; the rest will "upscaled to HD," which frightens us just a wee bit. We're also told that carriage negotiations are already underway with "all major distributing platforms including cablers UPC and Ziggo," but only time will tell if anyone is willing to sacrifice the bandwidth for the sake of high quality.

Dutch public broadcasters hitting the HD switch in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Other formats, Other hardware

The world needed another mobile TV standard about like it needs another hole in the ozone layer, but regardless of that, we've still got broadcasters backing MPH. We originally heard that said protocol was being tested by Raleigh's WRAL back in July, and since then, a whopping 800 local stations (which make up the Open Mobile Video Coalition) have joined in to work out the kinks. Currently, the general consensus is one of satisfaction, with the group now hoping to "prove the viability of the proposed system before the ATSC." If all goes well, a candidate standard will be ready to present next month, which "would keep handset manufacturers on schedule to have commercial devices available by the holiday 2009 shopping season." OMVC is also planning a multi-station demo at CES in January, so you can bet we'll be there giving it a run for its cheddar.

[Via RCRWireless]

TV broadcasters pleased with MPH mobile TV test results originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Polls, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Primetime, BBC HD

Election Night 2008 brought about an unprecedented amount of HD coverage, and while we're all in absolute agreement that CNN's "holographic" interviews were the comedy for the evening, we're interested on your take on how networks as a whole did with their high-def presentation. Was CBS' polished graphics set enough to overcome those embarrassing audio gaffes? Did ABC / FOX have the edge? Where did you find yourself tuned to most of the night? Drop your vote (hey, there's a concept!) below.

Poll: Which election night broadcast impressed you most? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, Sports

Rest assured, Canadians -- your tax dollars are hard at work. So long as you consider the delivery of more HD hockey "work," that is. Believe it or not, the taxpayer-funded CBC has thrown down nearly $24 million on a pair of broadcasting trucks "so it can show hockey games and cultural events in high-definition." According to CBC spokesman Jeff Keay, it decided to purchase them because doing so provided "better value for the taxpayers" given that it would "cost more to lease them." Granted, it does cost around $55,000 total to broadcast a hockey matchup in high-def, but still, $24 million is a lot of cheese. Ah well, one more reason to buy into HD, right? Wait, you sort of already have if you're Canadian...

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

Taxpayer-funded CBC spends $24 million on HD broadcasting trucks originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Catalan public broadcaster TV3 has halted its HDTV transmissions via digital terrestrial.
The broadcasts were the first of their type in Spain.