Anti-counterfeiting is a key part of HDMI Licensing Administrator's efforts to ensure licensed and compliant products, CEO Rob Tobias said in an interview Friday. Consumers can scan a QR code and holographic image on packaging to determine if a product at retail is legitimate, he said. The organization works with international law enforcement and customs officials to do factory raids, product seizures and takedowns of counterfeit product listings on e-commerce and social media sites, Tobias said. The HDMI Forum released HDMI 2.1 last year, and products are widely available that support the latest HDMI spec features, including 4K, 8K and dynamic HDR.
Deluxe acquired Sundog Media Toolkit, said the digital content production company Thursday. U.K.-based Sundog markets an automated, cloud-based platform that creates specialized multi-format, multi-language files for theatrical distribution and streaming platforms.
Gracenote introduced live sports widgets to help smart TV and car manufacturers enable dynamic sports experiences, it said Wednesday. A smart TV maker can present previews of upcoming games featuring a viewer’s favorite teams followed by updates during game play, it said. Notifications can be created to direct viewers to a game broadcast or stream on a preferred service, said the Nielsen company. A connected car can display scores optimized for viewing easily on vehicle infotainment screens, it said. At launch, sports widgets will cover major North American sports leagues and international football leagues.
LG Electronics is buying a majority interest in TV data and measurement specialist Alphonso, said LG Wednesday. It plans to use Alphonso software and services within its “broad range” of home entertainment products, especially smart TVs. LG is making the investment through its U.S.-based Zenith technology, and Alphonso will continue to operate as an independent business under its current brand and leadership.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued an advisory Thursday reminding emergency alert system participants of compliance obligations. The 2019 national EAS test identified several issues “that impair dissemination of EAS messages,” the advisory said. They include following up on messages that don’t meet EAS accessibility requirements, ensuring equipment is monitoring and transmitting, and complying with reporting procedures, the advisory said. “Failure to comply with the EAS rules may subject a violator to sanctions including, but not limited to, substantial monetary forfeitures.”
Comments are due March 8 on 2019's changes to Copyright Act Section 119 statutory licenses concerning DBS retransmission of TV stations, said a Copyright Office notice of inquiry in Wednesday's Federal Register. The agency wants feedback on such issues as whether Satellite Television Community Protection and Promotion Act changes mean households that previously didn't receive local network stations from their satellite provider now receive them and if DBS operators still are relying on amended Section 119 licenses to provide distant-into-local network retransmissions.
The Copyright Royalty Board Tuesday announced proceedings for determining “reasonable rates and terms.” Copyright royalty judges will determine “reasonable rates and terms for making and distributing phonorecords” Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2027. Judges will also determine “reasonable rates and terms for the use of certain copyrighted works by public broadcasting entities” for the same period. Deadlines to participate in the proceedings are Feb. 4.
Subscription VOD services had big growth last year, but they have far less daily traffic than Netflix, meaning many could lose many of those subscriptions when "normal" life returns and people have less time and money for streaming, nScreenMedia analyst Colin Dixon blogged Sunday. Netflix and Amazon Prime are likely to retain subscribers, but others need to bring more value in 2021, such as through original content, he said.
CTA quietly listed Microsoft President Brad Smith as a CES 2021 keynoter on the virtual event’s schedule, but his appearance is “not part of our larger contractual agreement” with Microsoft, emailed an association spokesperson Monday. CTA previously resisted saying whether Microsoft’s “cloud platform provider” contract terms to run CES 2021 as a virtual event included an agreement for Microsoft to keynote the show (see 2010190043). Smith’s prerecorded keynote on “The Promise and Peril of the Digital Age” is scheduled to begin streaming Jan. 13 at 9 a.m. EST. Smith will examine “the dual use of technology” as an “extraordinary tool that powers economies” but also a “formidable weapon that can undermine democracy and fundamental human rights,” says a conference description.
Dish Network is blaming North Carolina's Capitol Broadcasting for three local stations going dark. In a news release Tuesday, Dish said WRAZ Raleigh, WILM-LD Wilmington and WRAL-TV Raleigh were subject of ongoing carriage negotiations, and Capitol didn't accept an extension offer. Capitol didn't comment Wednesday.