15,322 Entries
In an old Monty Python sketch that no one but me seems to recall, an imaginary high-rise apartment building is kept erect by the fact that all the building’s residents believe it to exist. If anyone falters in the delusion,…
What it is: XTV is NDS’s personal video recorder software that it markets to cable, broadcast and satellite providers rather than directly to consumers as competitors such as TiVo do. “We are a technology supplier to the broadcast industry. We…
Title: Director of narrowcast services for Harmonic in Sunnyvale, Calif.Background: Mr. Ben-Natan joined Harmonic’s research and development division in Israel five years ago as a developer of new video transmission platforms. He moved to the United States two years ago…
CBS’s ‘Big Brother’ vs. NBC’s ‘Lost’ premiere To blunt NBC’s upstart 8 p.m.-to-9 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, Sept. 5 premiere of the new reality series “Lost,” CBS is upping the ante by opposing it with an episode of “Big Brother 2,”…
PBS station KCET-TV, Los Angeles, will work with three other PBS stations in California to produce a news affairs show focusing on California issues. KCET is still in the research and development phase on “California Connected,” a weekly one-hour prime-time…
It wasn’t a good week for the ol’ Ruminator, primarily because I saw “American Pie 2.” The original, of course, was a huge hit starring Bill and Monica in sophomoric and tawdry shenanigans. The sequel, this time starring the Congressman…
Optimedia International, a subsidiary of Publicis S.A., has picked the shows on ad-supported cable it thinks will most likely be hits this fall. “Combat Missions,” the upcoming Mark Burnett series on USA; “Women Docs,” the new reality series about female…
Microsoft’s upgrades UltimateTV serviceMicrosoft’s UltimateTV, a personal-video-recording service sold with DirecTV’s satellite television receivers through retail sales outlets, has added a couple of enhancements to its PVR offering. The new features include a “keep until” option that lets viewers store…
Personal-video-recording technology developer CacheVision is planning to commence market trials of its service with several cable operators early next year, said Stevan Eidson, CacheVision’s vice president of marketing. The company, which was formed last year as a joint venture between…
Before the 2001-02 prime-time schedules came together last May, there was widespread pessimism about the season even getting off the ground. Threatened actors and writers strikes gave way to the harsh realities of a worldwide advertising slump, costing the networks…