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ABC.com streaming player adds new features

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 5th 2008 at 10:24AM


ABC.com was a leader out of the gate with its online HD player, and this fall it's adding new features to become more appealing in a suddenly crowded environment. "True full screen viewing", closed captioning, better navigation and search tools, plus the ability to easily send, share and embed video clips are all on the way to give things a more Web 2.0 feel. Of course, we wouldn't mind a higher bitrate but that doesn't seem to be in the works just yet. ABC.com says it has the leading online player over other networks like NBC, Fox and CBS with over 300 million episodes served - we guess someone's been using it to keep up with old Lost episodes.

[Via Reuters]

On2 Technologies reveals 1080p hardware video decoder for handsets

by Darren Murph posted Feb 11th 2008 at 1:29PM


On the same day that Texas Instruments chose to showcase a new chip that would enable HD recording capabilities on cellphones, On2 Technologies is taking a moment from its hectic day in Barcelona to trumpet an all new 1080p hardware RTL video decoder. The Hantro 8190 reportedly supports Adobe Flash along with H.263, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark and VP6 video formats, and it can even handle JPEG images up to 16-megapixels. According to On2, the device was created to be easily integrated with ARM, MIPS and "other embedded CPU and DSP cores," and can supposedly decode 1080p H.264 video at 30 frames-per-second using a clock frequency of just 165MHz. As it stands, the Hantro 8190 is currently available for licensing, but only time will tell who's going to bite.

ABC.com's free online HD player is live

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 25th 2007 at 1:31PM

ABC.com's long awaited free "HD" player is finally available on its website, delivering 720p video at 24 fps. Users with a fast PC and at least a 2 Mbps connection can take a look right now, at one episode each of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy. The streaming technology adjusts to available bandwidth, on a 6Mbps cable connection, it kept the HD light in the lower right hand corner lit and high quality video streaming, however if bandwidth drops it can become a pixely mess in a hurry. Check after the break for a few more screens of the player and let us know how its working out for you so far. Good enough that you won't worry about DVR'ing HDTV episodes of Lost anymore, or not quite ready for prime time viewing?

[Via LostRemote]

Continue reading ABC.com's free online HD player is live

On2 Technologies to demo TrueMotion VP6 / VP7 codecs at CES

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2007 at 11:42AM

Likely coinciding with XM's unveiling of its media-packed "infotainment" concept vehicle at CES, On2 Technologies will be showcasing its TrueMotion VP6 and VP7 compression codecs. While On2's codecs have been at work in XM's gadgetry (among other things), On2 is now aiming to take its compression software to the high definition realm as well as beefing up its stake in the portable arena. The VP6 codec will primarily be used in VOD, broadcast, digital video signage, and other bandwidth-constrained networks and mass-market devices for fixed and mobile video; the VP7, however, will demonstrate compression technology at "data rates as low as 2Mbps," which will supposedly allow "greater penetration of high definition video across low cost devices and existing networks for on-demand, broadcast and other streaming applications." The technology could eventually be used to broadcast HD content over 2.5G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks whenever we get displays large enough (and with enough pixels) to view them, but we'd be perfectly content with a little HD streaming on our navigation systems for now.




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