Who You Gonna Call?

Computer hardware giant, PNY has teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment to announce the release of a new 2GB USB flash drive preloaded with the 80’s comedy classic, "GhostBusters". According to PNY, in addition to the preloaded movie, the drive will hold 12 hours of video play, 33 hours of music and 1080 images (depending on compression and resolution settings). The two companies claim that this marks the first time for the release of a full length movie via a USB flash drive. Andy Armstrong, UK, Managing Director for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said, “Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is delighted to partner with PNY to offer the first full length movie preloaded on a USB flash drive and ready to play on your PC/Laptop. We are committed to giving the consumer more choice in how to experience their movies either at home or on the go.” No immediate information on pricing and availability has been released.

Better Living Through DVRs.

According to a new survey commissioned by digital TV technology provider, NDS, more than 80% of American DVR owners say they can’t live without a Digital Video Recorder. The survey, which had an international audience of just over 1,000 DVR owners in Australia, Italy, the UK and the U.S. asked users to rank the DVR in terms of relative importance among their household appliances. Americans rank the DVR as the third most indispensable household item, after only the washing machine and the microwave oven. The other countries involved also ranked the DVR as the third most important appliance except for Italy which ranked it forth after the hairdryer. The survey also reveals that it seems owning a DVR can make for a happier, less stressful home life. 81% of respondents with families believe that having a DVR has improved family life – allowing for more time to eat dinner together, fewer arguments over what to watch and more family time around the television. Having a DVR also seems to improve relations between the sexes, with respondents who have partners saying that using a DVR has improved their relationship with their partner (79%). “The results show how fast the DVR has become an indispensable part of many people’s lives in the US,” said Steve Tranter, Vice President, Broadband and Interactive Delivery, NDS Americas. "And if having a DVR also makes relationships with partners and immediate family less stressful and happier, it’s got to be a good thing.” See the full report here.

Hyundai Booth Raided at IFA.

Monday, at the 2008 IFA in Berlin, German customs police raided and seized the contents of the exhibit booth of Hyundai IT Corporation. The raid, which occurred during show hours in front of visitors, left the booth with nothing but wires and cables hanging. A German court had ruled that Hyundai and other companies were using and marketing unlicensed patented technology at the annual event. The court then authorized 69 raids. Norbert Scheidhauer of Berlin's customs investigation office would not name the other companies that were to be raided but did say that 170 televisions, 140 MP3 music players, 21 mobile phones and 57 DVD recorders had already been seized since the IFA event began on August 29th. "Hyundai had the chance today to show us that it had paid for the licenses - then we would have gone. But that was not the case. They could not prove they had paid so we took the devices away," Scheidhauer said. Hyundai has not commented on the raid but Scheidhauer added that they could challenge the seizures in a German court. IFA, the world's largest consumer electronics fair concludes September 3, 2008.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Top ABC Reality Show 'Moves That Bus' with Markertek !

Geneva, NY - Markertek is the television industry field location technology source for display and monitoring equipment. We just supplied broadcast LCD monitors to the field set of Extreme Makeover - Home Edition at it's production location presently filming in Geneva, NY. The show is a heartwarming philanthropic ABC reality television series in which a specially chosen family has their house, including all rooms, exterior and landscaping, made over by a team of builders and designers in 7 days while the family goes off on a dream vacation. The Emmy Award-winning show is one of ABC's top-rated series and has become very popular due to its family oriented theme and the chance to radically change people’s lives. Markertek is proud to provide production solutions to television field operatives like Makeover which bring reality entertainment to prime time with a positive message.

Latest 'World's Thinnest Display'.

In the on-going battle for the title of 'world's thinnest display', Sony has emerged as the latest victor. The 40 inch, KDL-40ZX1 LCD television is a mere 9.9mm thin and weighs just 26 pounds. The display supports 1080p resolution and according to Sony, features 120hz MotionFlow for improved image quality in fast-moving sequences. In addition to a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a very decent 178 degree viewing angle, the ZX1 also includes a wireless HD base station. The base includes 3 HDMI ports, 2 component, a S-Video, VGA input, USB 2.0, LAN, a phone jack and allows wireless transmission to the display from as far as 20 yards. The world's current title-holder will be available in Japan this fall with a street price of approximately $4500.

Most Stations Ready for DTV Transition.

With just a little less than six months to go, a report by the FCC’s Media Bureau shows that over 96 percent of active full power television stations are either fully operational with digital service or are on track to have their full digital service operational by February 17, 2009. According to the report, 1,002 stations (56 percent of a current total of 1,798 active television stations) reported that they have fully constructed their post-transition DTV facilities and are ready for the DTV transition, while 41 percent of stations (736) have not completed construction yet but report making appropriate progress and expect to be operating their full digital service before February 18. There are however, 56 stations (roughly three percent) which will take advantage of the flexibility offered by the Commission in the Third DTV Periodic Review Report and Order and will be serving at least 85 percent of their service population on February 17, 2009, with final digital operations beginning sometime thereafter. Just one station forecasts that it will not be able to complete construction of its full digital facility until a few days after the transition date and will be dark for this brief time. Full power stations must terminate analog broadcasting no later than 11:59:59 pm on February 17, 2009, and broadcast only digital signals as of February 18, 2009.

Phillips Brings 3D to Blu-ray.

Phillips Electronics has announced that it will demonstrate 3D content on Blu-ray at IFA 2008. According to the company, the demonstration is geared to show off the company's new 2D-plus-Depth format which can be added to Blu-ray to immerse the viewer in a 3D experience. The 3D data format, developed by Philips 3D Solutions, is in the form of 'image+depth' (2D-plus-Depth). The depth information indicates the position of each 2D image pixel on the depth axis in or out of the screen plane. Rendering of 9 different views out of the 2D-plus-Depth data is done within the display by means of integrated hardware. These 9 views are spatially dispersed in front of the display by a micro lens layer. Using the 2D-plus-Depth format will allow viewers to watch the films either on stereoscopic displays, with the traditional red/blue glasses, or on auto-stereoscopic 3D displays which do not require the use of special glasses. Although Phillips currently manufactures a line of auto-stereoscopic 3D displays used mainly for digital signage, gaming applications in casinos, and 3D visualization, the company aims to bring this technology to the home. Jos Swillens, CEO of Philips 3D Solutions said "This demonstration of 3D on Blu-ray is a clear proof point of the flexibility and sustainability of our 2D-plus-Depth content format. It can bring high quality 3D content to the home on a variety of displays and offers a solution to the need for interoperability in 3D." IFA 2008 runs from August 29 - September 3 in Berlin, Germany.

Markertek Welcomes to the Family this Week:

Talk Radio Network
KSOL
Kinemetrics
Direct Shopping Network
Fresno State Music Dept
!mpossible Pictures
Yale School Of Drama
North American Theatrix
LA X-102FM
Maui Classic Charters
CBTV-17
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Radio Disney Chicago
KCDH TV-4
Nissan North America
 

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