January 25, 2010
Volume XXIX, Issue 6
The DCIA Welcomes 9X9 Network
Please warmly welcome 9x9 Network to the Operations Group of the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA). We look forward to providing valuable services to this newest DCIA Member and supporting its contributions to commercial development of the distributed computing industry.
9X9 Network exemplifies the next generation of TV platforms known as "Cloud TV." The 9x9 Cloud TV architecture consists of three elements: the 9x9 Player, 9X9 Interactive Program Guide (IPG); and 9X9 Network.
The 9X9 Player is a media player with a one-button channel browsing user interface (UI); analogous to traditional television's 10-foot UI and designed for use in a living room. There are three form factors of the 9x9 Player: TT8 - Windows-based evaluation software for users to experience a subset of 9x9 on their PCs; TT80 - Windows-based software equipped with a remote control paired with a wireless universal-serial-bus (USB) receiver to turn video surfing on the PC into a one-button "flippable" TV-watching experience; TT8000 - an Internet protocol (IP)-based set-top box (STB) with built-in storage and with a high-definition-multimedia-interface (HDMI) connection to a TV.
The 9x9 IPG is an interactive programming guide on an open platform for any user to set up his/her TV channel line-up from hundreds of available TV programming channels on the 9x9 Network. Unlike traditional TV electronic program guides (EPGs), the 9x9 IPG allows users to continually personalize their favorite 81 channels from either the 9x9.tv portal or their remote controls. Programming channels on 9x9 are edited by 9x9 Curators from content supplied by 9x9 Content Providers. Curators are qualified persons or businesses committing to continually collect, group, edit, organize, and share relevant content on certain topics.
For user generated content (UGC), anyone who knows how to use e-mail and popular social networks (such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Plurk, etc.) to send videos via uniform-resource-locator (URL) links or attachments can automatically become a TV channel in the 9x9 Player of his/her followers/friends/recipients. Conversely, 9X9 users can set-up their 9x9 Players as followers/friends/recipients of their favorite people and institutions on popular social networks. This function is called SocialCast.
9x9 Network is a managed peer-to-peer (P2P) content delivery network (CDN) to deliver cached videos up to 1080p globally. Behind the scenes, the 9x9 Network integrates session-initiation protocol (SIP rfc 3261) and private tracker-based BitTorrent protocols to operate as the most cost effective and high performance CDN. The "Cloud" nature of 9x9 Network allows a "Virtual multiple system operator (MSO)" to be enabled on 9x9 Network in just a matter of weeks. For example, traditional media organizations, Internet service providers (ISPs), universities, retail chains, multi-level marketing companies, etc. can each own and operate (O&O) their multi-channel cable TV services to serve their individual market needs.
In short, 9x9 Network offers content providers, curators, advertisers, and end-users a Cloud TV platform which truly leverages the nature of the Internet and redefines the media landscape.
Oversi Wins Red Herring Global Top 100 Award
Oversi, the global leader in high-performance Internet video and P2P caching solutions, has been named a winner of the Red Herring Global 100 Award. Red Herring presented the Award in recognition of the leading private companies from North America, Europe, and Asia, celebrating these start-ups' innovations and technologies across their respective industries.
David Tolub, Oversi's President & CEO, said, "We are very honored to be named a winner of this prestigious global award and I'm proud of the Oversi team. With expertise, determination and a proven commitment to customers, we've succeeded in building one of the leading technology companies worldwide. Thanks to the team, Oversi continues to show rapid growth and innovation with a clear vision of the solutions required for the fast-evolving online video market."
"Choosing the best out of the previous three years was by no means a small feat," said Alex Vieux, Publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed down our list from 1,200 potential companies to 200 finalists. Trying to get it down to 100 companies was a task upon itself. The top 100 companies who were chosen should be extremely proud, the competition was difficult."
Red Herring's Global 100 list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Google, Yahoo, Skype, Netscape, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.
Red Herring's editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the "buzz" and make the list an invaluable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the greatest business opportunities from around the world.
Oversi offers a breakthrough multi-service platform for accelerating delivery of over-the-top (OTT) content, including Internet video, P2P, and other media applications. Oversi's video cache and P2P cache solutions enable service providers to cope with the huge traffic load on their networks while significantly improving subscribers' quality of experience (QoE). By assuring QoE, Oversi's solutions open up new monetization opportunities and facilitate the delivery of tiered services, increasing average revenue per user (ARPU). Oversi systems are deployed in service provider sites around the world. The company has offices and representatives in EMEA, the US, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
PlayFirst Celebrates Series Fifth Year with Explosive New Title
PlayFirst, the leader in interactive entertainment for women, has released Diner Dash 5: BOOM!, the fifth major title in its award-winning "Diner Dash" series. In this innovative new game, Flo's diner accidentally goes "boom," and it's up to the player to help rebuild a customized diner. With more than a 1,000 possible combinations, each advancing level allows players to earn tips for the purchase of fixtures, decor, and more - ultimately creating a one-of-a-kind diner. The final stage of the game will be a unique experience for every player.
To celebrate five years of "Diner Dash," PlayFirst will offer "Diner Dash 5: BOOM! The Collector's Edition" starting February 16th with a PC and Mac version for $19.99. The standard edition of "Diner Dash 5: BOOM!" for PC and Mac will launch approximately 2 weeks later for $6.99.
The special Collector's Edition will include exclusive bonus features and game play including: 5 advanced levels of exclusive "Diner Dash 5: BOOM!" game play; a strategy guide walkthrough to reach expert level; a behind-the-scenes digital art book (sketch art and production concepts); animated screensaver and wallpapers; and a 'Flo Over Time' historical retrospective.
"When 'Diner Dash' exploded on the scene five years ago, it was an instant blockbuster, breaking new ground in casual games and defining the time-management category,' said Kenny Shea Dinkin, PlayFirst's Chief Creative Officer. "With this fifth sequel we wanted to make sure we were keeping the series just as fresh with new ideas and innovative game play and not relying on the same old stuff: so we blew up the diner! Players of 'Diner Dash 5: BOOM!' will need to seat, serve, and save the day through fifty outdoor levels across DinerTown's wacky neighborhoods before they see their diner rebuilt to their personalized specifications."
Since the debut of the franchise in 2004, the "Diner Dash" series has been downloaded more than 550 million times across the globe, making it one of the most popular and recognizable gaming franchises of all time. "Diner Dash" and Flo have both evolved to be successful brands on multi-platforms including mobile, iPhone, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, WiiWare, and Nintendo DS.
PlayFirst VP of Sales & Business Development, Rich Roberts, co-chairs the DCIA-sponsored P2P-for-Games Working Group (PFGWG) with Solid State Networks' CEO Rick Buonincontri.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 The questions I've been asked the most this week relate to the net neutrality rulemaking process now underway at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Please scroll down to access four new reports expressing the viewpoints of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), telecommunications industry, broadband advocates, and entertainment interests on this important issue.
As noted last week, the DCIA was among several thousand entities that submitted comments to the FCC in the matters of Preserving the Open Internet (GN Docket No. 09-191) and Broadband Internet Practices (WC Docket No. 07-52).
Our submission centered on the P4P Working Group (P4PWG), an initiative that the DCIA has sponsored and facilitated since July 2007.
P4P is defined as a set of business practices and integrated network topology awareness models designed to optimize ISP network resources and enable P2P based content payload acceleration.
The intention of establishing the P4PWG was to formulate an approach to P2P network traffic management as a joint optimization problem. The objective of certain participating ISPs, for example, was to minimize network resource utilization by P2P services. The objective of certain participating P2P software firms, conversely, was to maximize throughput. The joint objective of both ISPs and P2P software developers was to protect and improve their customers' experience.
At its highest level, the P4PWG represents the opportunity for partnerships among ISPs and P2P networks to address this. There are currently more than 50 active participating companies in the P4PWG representing ISPs, P2P software distributors, researchers, and service-and-support companies. In addition, there are now approximately 50 observers, representing vendors, cable multiple system operators (MSOs), content providers, and other interested parties.
P4P has been successfully field-tested by AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon Communications, among other broadband operators, working with Pando Networks and Yale University; and key results of these trials have been published.
Our concern was that the uncertainty associated with the Commission's current rulemaking process has caused US-based industry participants to curtail their participation in the P4PWG, an important and effective process, which had been addressing key areas of broadband network resource utilization and related P2P software functionality, and to reduce their involvement to a wait-and-see status until this can be clarified.
To be sure, the DCIA strongly supports the FCC's principles that emphasize the importance of an open Internet as a vehicle for empowering consumers, putting users at the forefront of deliberations as to whether broadband networks are operating appropriately, without discriminating against institutional users of network resources; and whether such applications and services, as well as content providers themselves are operating appropriately, without abusing these network resources.
But now we would also like to voice our concern about the filings submitted by entertainment industry representatives. It would be a huge mistake to associate online copyright infringement concerns in any way with network management practices.
They are entirely separate, as expressed in our contribution to Collective Rights Licensing at the ISP Level as well as many similar writings on this subject matter.
An analogy would have been having the FCC impose restrictions on video cassette recorders (VCRs), which the motion picture industry unsuccessfully attempted to do after the advent of that technology and prior to its development of an unprecedented home-video revenue stream.
The parallel here is that the entertainment industry once again is lagging technological innovation in its adoption of business models to take advantage of enormous improvements in quality, cost, and speed of content delivery. P2P and cloud distribution have the potential to take most of the expenses out of the distribution channel for music, movies, and games. Distributed computing represents the most disruptive change ever to present itself to Hollywood.
Perhaps a more pointed analogy would have been having the FCC impose restrictions on travel related e-commerce, which the travel agency industry, had it responded like Hollywood, would have unsuccessfully attempted to do after the advent of online applications enabling consumers to obtain airline tickets, car rentals, hotel reservations, etc. in a more frictionless manner than had ever existed before.
The parallel is that the travel industry, if it behaved like the entertainment industry, would have insisted that online travel applications only present rudimentary information and offer phone numbers to licensed travel agents to conduct any actual sales transactions. Along with this, the industry would have sought to outlaw Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, etc., as well as criminalize the millions of users of these sites.
The FCC has an important role to play in ensuring that the Internet continues to develop to its fullest potential as an open, competitive environment for innovative services that will benefit consumers.
P4P can provide the way to solve a pending bandwidth crisis before it becomes a serious threat and provide a means to collaboratively and cooperatively address future capacity concerns. There is the potential to have carrier-grade P2P with P4P, which in turn can open opportunities for innovative new services, once it has been established that the fastest path from point A to point B on a network is via P4P-enhanced P2P.
But this and countless other technological efforts focused on improving the efficiency and performance of the Internet stand to be hijacked and derailed if their purpose must be subsumed to anti-piracy considerations.
This is not to say that helping the entertainment industry develop new business models that will work with digital distribution technologies is unimportant. It is extremely important. But it is totally different from the subject of network neutrality.
Benefits to consumers from P4P will include faster downloads, higher quality of service (QoS), and potential assurances of not being subject to service interruptions or degradation. P4P can enable content delivery that is more efficient for both the consumer and the network operator compared to alternative architectures.
The DCIA recommends that the Commission encourage network operators, Internet companies, content rights holders, consumer groups, and other interested parties to discuss a variety of reasonable network management practices using private sector forums such as the P4PWG as well as public platforms.
It would not be inappropriate for ISPs to receive appropriate compensation from content providers using P2P for the services and delivery enhancements that ISPs may offer to them through capabilities like P4P. Alternate, flexible financial arrangements may assist ISPs by providing the appropriate financial incentives to add significant capacity for such services in better alignment with traffic demands.
The DCIA recognizes that, given the inherent dynamism and rapid growth of the Internet, flexibility is a critical component of network management. Therefore, the FCC should avoid adopting strict network management rules that could preclude new opportunities for collaboration and new business models between ISPs and application providers that would help to improve the experience of end-users accessing the applications and content of their choice over the Internet.
Uncertainty associated with the Commission's current rulemaking process in this area has caused US-based industry participants to temporarily reduce their active involvement is an important and effective process, which had been addressing key areas of broadband network resource utilization and related P2P software functionality under the auspices of a voluntary private sector initiative, and to slow the pace of progress.
Once again, we respectfully request that the FCC act to provide the needed clarity. Share wisely, and take care.
LimeWire Promotes Zeeshan Zaidi to Chief Operating Officer
Zeeshan Zaidi has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) for LimeWire, it was announced this week by CEO George Searle, to oversee day-to-day operations as well as support continuing growth and expansion.
Prior to being elevated to COO, as Head of Global, Zaidi has been responsible for developing and executing a global strategy for LimeWire.
Zaidi was COO and Head of Business Development for NABBR, the online media startup that distributes premium entertainment content and brand advertising to a Gen Y audience, prior to joining LimeWire.
Prior to joining NABBR, Zaidi was Vice President of New Ventures for SONY BMG Global Digital Business Group. There, he was charged with developing and launching new businesses and developed revenue streams using subscription, retail, and advertising models, leveraging the assets of all of Sony BMG's US labels as well as catalog inventory.
He was Vice President, Digital Business Operations for RCA MUSIC GROUP prior to joining SONY BMG Global Digital Business Group. He oversaw the digital business of the RCA Music Group (RMG), which included RCA Records, Arista Records, J Records, and RCA Victor. In this position, Zaidi was responsible for the commercial exploitation of RMG's frontline and catalogue content in all digital formats, including digital downloads, streaming subscriptions, mobile formats, video-on-demand, and online radio.
Prior to RCA Music Group, Zaidi was Senior Director, Marketing for ARISTA RECORDS (BMG). In this position, he was responsible for all New Media Marketing and Partnership Marketing for Arista artists including: Avril Lavigne, Usher, Santana, OutKast, Pink, Sarah McLachlan, Whitney Houston, and many others. Prior to that, he was Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Development for Bertelsmann from October 2000 to April 2002.
Zaidi graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with an AB in Economics from Harvard University in l996. He received his MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and a law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2000.
As the world's most popular file-sharing application, LimeWire boasts over 50 million unique monthly users and approximately 5 million active users at any given moment. It is reported that up to 18% of the computers worldwide have LimeWire on their computers. In addition to the LimeWire file-sharing program, the company introduced the LimeWire Store in 2008.
LimeWire Store sells high quality DRM-free MP3 downloads a la carte and through low-cost subscription plans. Its digital music offering has grown to include more than 4 million recordings by today's top indie artists and music legends.
Largest Ever Cloud Computing Deal Inked
Excerpted from Federal News Radio Report
It's being called the largest ever cloud computing deal in history. Panasonic and IBM have inked a deal that will see the electronics company replacing Microsoft Exchange for IBM's LotusLive service. According to ITProPortal, Panasonic will also use LotusLive services for social networking among employees, partners and suppliers.
Many analysts are now wondering - will 2010 truly be the year of the cloud?
Garnter, the IT research firm, thinks so. The company has made a bold prediction that 1/5 of all businesses will own no IT assets buy 2012. ChannelWeb reports that the company thinks this is being fueled by a number of factors including cloud computing and cloud-enabled services and virtualization.
Microsoft and HP are also teaming up to help enterprises with cloud computing. Techtree reports that the two companies plan to invest $250 million and will build joint solutions based on existing industry standards. The model is infrastructure-to-application and they plan to introduce new offerings over the next three years.
SAIC is buying CloudShield Technologies. In a recent press release, Science Applications International Corporation said the purchase will, "enhance SAIC's cyber-security offering, and help the company bring to market deep packet inspection (DPI) solutions for high speed networks, enabling it to meet emerging customer requirements in US federal government and commercial markets." The acquisition is expected to close by mid-February of this year.
New York State is looking at cloud computing. Government Technology reports that the NY CIO and Office for Technology announced a request-for-information (RFI) session regarding cloud technology. It's going to happen in Albany January 28th. They're looking at services for hosted database management systems, security tools, and more complex applications such as human resource management, financial management, and case management.
Grid Computing and the Future of Cloud Computing
Excerpted from Enterprise Storage Forum Report by Jennifer Schiff
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of grid computing, a type of distributed computing that harnesses the power of many computers to handle large computational tasks, was all the rage, at least among organizations with high-performance computing (HPC) needs. One of the most notable projects to make use of grid computing was SETI@home, which utilizes thousands of Internet-connected computers to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Yet despite the promise of grid computing and the efforts of major vendors such as Sun Microsystems, IBM, and HP, grid computing failed to catch on in mainstream enterprises, remaining mainly the province of governmental and scientific institutions with data-intensive storage and computing needs and few users. Enterprise uses have been more along the lines of R&D and data-intensive financial simulations instead of the mainstream data centers the technology's proponents had hoped to win over.
Now enterprises are embracing a similar technology: cloud computing and services such as Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3), which provide companies with scalable, high-speed data storage and services at an attractive price.
Can cloud computing succeed where grid failed and find widespread acceptance in enterprise data centers? And is there still room for grid computing in the brave new world of cloud computing? We asked some grid computing pioneers for their views on the issue.
While there are many similarities between grid and cloud computing, it is the differences that matter most. Grid computing is better suited for organizations with large amounts of data being requested by a small number of users (or few but large allocation requests), whereas cloud computing is better suited to environments where there are a large number of users requesting small amounts of data (or many but small allocation requests).
"Grids are well suited for complex scientific work in virtual organizations," explained Wolfgang Gentzsch, who was behind Sun's grid efforts and now sits on the Board of Directors of the Open Grid Forum and is an advisor to the EU DEISA project. Clouds, on the other hand, are well suited for simple work such as many short-running jobs, he said.
Another key difference between the two: grids require batch job scheduling or sophisticated policies for allocating jobs, while clouds do not. Also, by their nature, clouds do not require as large an upfront investment, as the cloud provider is responsible for running and maintaining servers.
"If you have computations that are large and portable, have stringent performance requirements, and can be done on a best-effort basis submitted to a batch queue, then I'd say traditional grid computing is for you," said Kate Keahey, a scientist in the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory who frequently writes about grid and cloud computing. Argonne was the birthplace of grid computing and the Globus project, the de facto grid computing standard.
"If, on the other hand, your computational needs are small, or very large but only occasionally, or irregular/bursty in general, or unpredictable, or exhibiting fast/irregular growth, then I would say go for cloud computing because each of these patterns will either keep your data center idle at times, or not give you the economy of scale to amortize the investment in running a data center," she said.
However, she said, "If you have a steady, predictable stream of large computations that does not vary or fluctuate much, forget either cloud or grid computing and buy yourself a large data center and just keep filling it. You will have economy of scale enough to pay for your data center."
Microsoft Bangs Drum for Cloud Legislation
Excerpted from ChannelWeb Report by Kevin McLaughlin
Security, privacy, and data governance are all issues that need to be worked out if the cloud computing market is ever to move past its current Wild West status. And according to Brad Smith, Microsoft's General Counsel, the US government needs to address the situation with new legislation.
In a speech Wednesday at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, Smith called on Congress and the Obama administration to draw up a "Cloud Computing Advancement Act," a piece of legislation that would provide clear rules and policies around cloud computing in order to protect consumers and stimulate the market.
"We need to build confidence in the cloud," Smith said at the event. "We need Congress to modernize the laws, adapt them to the cloud, and adopt new measures to protect privacy and promote security."
Although the technology behind cloud computing already has a high level of security, the cloud also creates bigger targets for hackers and thieves, according to Smith. "We can't close our eyes to that reality. There is no benefit in underestimating the savvy of potential attackers," he said.
Earlier this week, Smith made his case in the Huffington Post, citing Google's security breach in China earlier this month as a prime example of the security risks associated with cloud computing.
"We need a safe and open cloud - a cloud that is protected from the efforts of thieves and hackers while also serving as an open source of information to all people around the world," Smith wrote in the blog post.
While it may seem ironic for Microsoft to be petitioning for government involvement, the company has made big bets on cloud computing and stands to gain much from the market's expansion. Microsoft launched its Windows Azure cloud computing platform January 1st and will start charging customers on February 1st. The software giant also offers the Business Productivity Online Suite, which includes hosted versions of Exchange, Sharepoint, and Office Communications Server.
If the government doesn't get involved in addressing cloud computing's challenges, the industry's march to the cloud could be a slow one, Smith suggested. "Failure to do so is likely to slow industry development and consumer adoption, thus inhibiting the full growth and potential of cloud computing."
Download Transmission 1.80 Final for Mac OS X
Excerpted from Softpedia Report by Filip Truta
Originally developed by Eric Petit, Transmission is a BitTorrent client similar to the very popular Vuze. The P2P file-sharing application has select code licensed under the liberal MIT License, but is generally licensed under the GNU General Public License. The program boasts a simple, intuitive interface designed to integrate tightly with any operating system (OS). Transmission is a Universal Binary, suitable for both Intel and PowerPC Macs.
Transmission runs natively on Mac OS X, seamlessly configuring your network, banning peers who send corrupted data intelligently, using protocol encryption and built-in Peer Exchange. It also allows you to efficiently ration commodity, only slowing down your system when you actually focus on it.
With the release of Transmission 1.80 final, support has been added for magnet links, and trackerless torrents. The ability to find more peers by announcing to each tier in a torrent's tracker list, rather than only one, is now available as well. Those maintaining the software have improved IPv6 support, PEX sharing with other peers, and enabled a faster management of large peer lists. Transmission should also use less central processing unit (CPU) when making encrypted handshakes to peers, and filter bad Internet protocol (IP) addresses a tad better, these being just a few of the general changes (all platforms) listed in the release notes.
As usual, Mac-specific changes are listed separately, with the change-log saying that a redesigned trackers inspector tab has been set in place with favicons and copy-paste functionality, which pastes lists of multiple trackers. Other changes include: message log stores all messages and does real filtering; Quick Look restored on Snow Leopard; moving data and incomplete folder are now handled by libtransmission; improved reveal in Finder functionality on Snow Leopard; various smaller behavior and interface tweaks; German and Simplified Chinese localizations; removed Turkish localization because of lack of localizer.
Zyxel Updates Popular NAS Drive with Media Sharing Goodness
Excerpted from TechRadar Report by Rik Henderson
An update of the NSA-220, the "Plus" edition of Zyxel's network attached storage (NAS) box offers the option of greater capacity (up to 3 TB) and is Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) 1.5-certified for compatibility with a vast array of modern media devices.
It doesn't come with hard drives (it's just a shell) so you'll have to add one or two yourself (it can take two drives of up to 1.5 TB each).
The box sits on your home network via Ethernet cabling and also has two universal-serial-bus (USB) 2.0 connections for hook-up with further external hard drive/memory sticks - files on which can be automatically copied across at the press of a button.
Other features include an auto-upload mode for photos and video to Flickr and YouTube, a BitTorrent client, and software to perform complete back-ups of your system.
Access to the 220Plus is via HTML (webpage) and is nicely spaced-out and easy to navigate, as long as you're fairly computer literate.
While basic, the BitTorrent client does a good job and maintains a decent speed of download. It also places files in easily identifiable folders, which can then be transferred to other shared folders.
It's a doddle to set up, from fitting the internal hard drives (into two bays) to creating shares and linking it with iTunes and other software.
You will have to remember hard drives need to be acquired separately, adding a fair whack to the cost (depending on the capacity).
Also, the graphical user interface (GUI) and auto back-up software is only PC-compatible - no Mac support here, folks.
Boxee Box Brings the Web to Your Television
Excerpted from Asylum Report
Hey, tech companies? Can we put a moratorium on stupid names for new gadgets? Boxee initially started out as an open-source application that managed all of your media needs in one place on your computer.
But with the Boxee Box - which will be sold by D-Link - it will serve all of your streaming needs: Just hook it up to your TV and use your local WiFi so that you can stream anything from your hard drive or anywhere online - including subscription services like MLB games and Netflix. Plus Boxee's free software has a built-in BitTorrent client, so you can keep adding to your video collection.
We like the look - it won't clutter up your entertainment center and does the slanty-cube thing everyone loves. The Box should be available this summer for around $200.
LANoi Pro Provides Remote Access over the Net
Excerpted from Enterprise IT Planet Report
LANoi pro helps simplify networking in an otherwise complex world of Internet protocol (IP) addresses, ports, router port forwards, and dialog boxes, all of which confuse and sometimes even prevent the user from properly enjoying the features required to remotely access personal computers (PCs) over the Internet.
LANoi is faster when compared to other applications since it entirely works by means of P2P technology without any relay/proxy servers. Moreover, to use LANoi you don't have to pay a monthly premium or even furnish lengthy details for registration. While most remote access application works over IPv4, LANoi is first ever remote access software to work over IPv6, which has enough address space to assign a globally unique address to any Internet-connected pc.
LANoi pro is basically a utility software, which enables you to stay in touch with your family and friends through the Internet. The software is a clever integration of already available applications that supports remote access through such tools as Windows Desktop Connection, Windows Remote Assistance, and Windows Media Streaming. Since it runs as a Windows NT service, you can now reboot the system and login back to the operating system (OS).
To connect to a remote PC, the user first needs to create an invitation file through an invitation wizard, which also provides the user with a password. The person with the right password and invitation file alone gets to gain access to the application session shared by the invitation creator. For example, if a user wants to have a gaming session with Tetris, the user needs to create a session with ports used by the Tetris game such that only those ports are available for the invitees connecting using the application software. This way the invitees only get to access specific sessions like gaming or chatting and are denied access to other sessions using the same invitation file.
Ad-Supported Music Service Guvera Raises $20 Million
Excerpted from Online Media Daily Report by Gavin O'Malley
Ad-supported music service Guvera has closed a second round of funding worth $20 million from AMMA Private Investment, an Australian consortium of private angel investors.
The news comes on the heels of a major licensing deal with Universal Music Group (UMG). The Australia-based service is seeking to establish its US presence, and as such, opened its first New York office late last year.
Guvera is betting on the success of a distinctly advertiser-friendly business model. When users register with the service, they are asked to provide some standard personal information like location, age and gender, along with favorite music, movies, sports, and even holidays.
Users can then search for the names of various bands, songs or genres, at which point Guvera returns a list of advertiser-sponsored channels with matching tracks. Once they pick a channel, they can stream or download other music paid for by that brand.
Guvera's proprietary algorithms not only help users find music they are likely to enjoy, but they help advertisers identify particular songs they should sponsor to more effectively reach target audiences.
To date, the privately held Guvera has raised a total of $30 million from AMMA Private Investment over the past two years. In addition to UMG, Guvera has licensing deals with EMI, among other labels.
Yet growth rates related to digital music activities appear to be leveling off, according to a recent report from Forrester. Despite the best marketing efforts of companies like MySpace and Pandora, mainstream Americans still have not taken to streaming music services, according to a survey of some 4,600 Americans, along with 13,000 Europeans.
Indeed, only 18% of US online adults listen to free streaming music online on a regular basis, a percentage that has remained fairly constant over the past few years. Meanwhile, only 3% of US consumers have downloaded a music app for their phone.
Leibowitz Gives Strong Support to FCC's Net Neutrality Proposals
Excerpted from Broadcasting & Cable Report by John Eggerton
The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) network neutrality proposals got a strong shout-out from Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who said that transparency and the open Internet are "critical" to consumer-friendly broadband service.
His remarks came at an FCC workshop January 19th focusing on the FCC's proposal to add a new transparency principle to the Internet Openness policy statement the Commission's democratic majority argues needs to be expanded and codified.
Leibowitz said that effort to expand and codify the principles was necessary because, without it, "Those principles are not certainties in the Internet of tomorrow." He also said the FTC would be teaming up with the FCC to insure openness.
"I welcome the FCC's involvement in this area. If this principle of transparency and disclosure is promulgated, I look forward to a close working relationship between our agencies that leverages the expertise of both on behalf of consumers."
Certainty, he argued, would be good for business as well as consumers, since bright lines could also protect reasonable network management from challenges. "Clear rules of the road, by the way, are a much better defense against a public outcry over a questionable practice that sometimes forces companies to backtrack on important investment decisions - long after those decisions have been made," he said.
He even invoked Comcast's top policy executive. David Cohen, pointing out that he had noted in a recent blog posting that, "We are all obviously better off having 'clear rules.'" To be fair, Cohen also said the company was not convinced the rules should be expanded or codified in the first place, but that if they were they should also be clear.
Leibowitz told the workshop crowd, which included four of the five Commissioners and a visiting Canadian telecom official, that while reasonable network was important he also thought "some form of anti-discrimination" language was critical. He also warned against selective reading of a 2007 FTC broadband report. That report cautioned against broad restrictions in an "unsettled, dynamic environment," but it also said to do nothing would be a problematic option, he pointed out.
He also said the report may have overstated competition based on FCC numbers that counted as served any zip code with as few as one Internet customer, and anticipated competition from new sources other than cable and telephone wired service that have not substantially materialized.
He said that wireless broadband may become a game-changer, as the FCC has predicted, "but that day has not yet arrived." But Leibowitz also distanced himself from the more extreme gloom-and-doom rhetoric of network neutrality rule proponents as well as opponents.
"You have really begun to cut through the dystopian futures envisioned by each side of the net neutrality debate if the other side's policy prescriptions are adopted," he said. "You seem to be headed toward a reasonable, thoughtful, pro-consumer middle ground."
Net Neutrality: Needless Yoke or New Opportunity?
Excerpted from Computer World Report by Hugh Framingham
The FCC's net neutrality proceeding represents huge opportunities for network operators and equipment manufacturers to demonstrate that differentiated speed and service quality in vertically integrated networks will promote - not diminish - investment, innovation and consumer welfare. The FCC is doing a public service by looking into Internet network management practices and user rights at this time. Even if some laissez-faire proponents may regard the proceeding a bit like Damocles' sword, all parties agree that the Internet is well beyond alpha-numeric e-mail. The FCC needs new rules to sensibly administer the evolving multimedia-rich, P2P, mobile, fast-changing Internet environment.
To date, network operators decide on their own whether to comply with voluntary net neutrality standards. The voluntary standards call for operators to allow subscribers to send and receive any lawful content, run any lawful applications and services, and to connect devices to their computers, laptops and mobile phones; as long as those devices do not damage providers' networks. In FCC parlance, this is "subscriber choice" - it is left to the subscribers to decide what they will do, providing it is legal.
Now the FCC is evaluating whether to put rules in place making it impossible for broadband network operators to decide on their own whether or not to honor subscriber choices; that is, to change these voluntary standards into mandatory ones. The FCC is also determining whether to require network operators to treat lawful content, applications, and services similarly, by prohibiting the preferential treatment of traffic from wholly owned or affiliated organizations (the non-discriminatory standard).
What's more, the Commission is considering whether to make operators disclose network management information so users can ascertain if they are getting the services they are paying for and to ensure operators are not manipulating their networks to favor services of wholly owned or affiliated organizations (the network management standard).
While many network operators view mandatory neutrality standards as onerous, there is opportunity in the timing. The rule-making is transpiring just as technology innovations and investment are driving explosive growth in peripheral applications and content. During the late 90s into the first decade of this century, investment flowed into broadband phone and cable networks. Market liberalization of local telephone markets, legislated in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, combined with cable's design and adoption of next-generation network architecture to migrate subscribers from one-way cable television to voice, data, video and Internet service bundles, as well as to interactive programming and content.
As telco and cable deployed more and more broadband capacity, users found increasing value in browsers, search engines and, significantly, applications to communicate and to consume and to create content, which they could make and share. Concurrently, the demand for mobile connectivity played a key role driving wireless investment and consumers started to trade Bell monopoly, wireline sound quality for mobility and efficiency and for voice-over Internet-protocol (VoIP) price savings.
Wireline and wireless network investment enabled video file sharing. Packet technologies improved to keep abreast of ever more robust Internet traffic. Networks operators invested in these innovations to compete for subscribers. Equipment manufacturers supplied the hardware to enable deployment of the functionlities. The FCC net neutrality inquiry enables network operators and equipment manufacturers to point these crucial network operator and network equipment innovation and investment contributions out to the FCC, because as the market administrator, the commission has an obligation to stimulate investment and innovation in order to generate aggregate demand.
Flexible net neutrality policy, permitting different pricing for various levels of service quality and speed, would enable the commission to sustain end-to-end connectivity, an Internet standard, and to promote innovation and investment with regulatory certainty for the mobile, robust emerging Internet. It would also pave the way for more revenues all around for all market participants.
Broadband Advocates Tell FCC to Stay Out Of Copyright Enforcement
Excerpted from Daily Online Examiner Report by Wendy Davis
The FCC's net neutrality proposals aren't just triggering pushback by Internet service providers (ISPs). Broadband and consumer groups also are alarmed by some of the fine print in the FCC's 107-page notice of rulemaking.
Specifically, a coalition of six advocacy organizations - including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Public Knowledge - is concerned that the FCC has gone astray by considering what role ISPs should play in stopping copyright infringement.
The FCC's proposed neutrality rules would require ISPs to allow consumers to access all lawful content. But the FCC proposals contain an exception for "reasonable network management" - which it said included the prevention of unlicensed transfers of copyrighted material.
The advocacy groups argue in comments filed late last week that there's no reason for such an exception because the proposed regulations themselves apply only to lawful material.
What's more, they say, any FCC stamp of approval of techniques aimed at combating infringement could result in blocking of authorized material. "ISPs are poorly placed to determine whether or not transfers of content are infringing or otherwise unlawful, a task generally reserved to attorneys, courts, and law enforcement," the groups argue. "An exception permitting overbroad mechanisms would encourage ISPs to use systems that would encourage more false positives - and thus more blocking of lawful transfers of content - than otherwise."
Not surprisingly, Hollywood and the record labels argue the opposite. In separate filings made late last week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ask the FCC to prod ISPs to develop anti-infringement policies.
"In the absence of clear guidance from the Commission, ISPs - fearful of government reproach - may be reluctant to take advantage of the best available tools and techniques" to address online content infringement, the MPAA asserts.
The RIAA, meanwhile, appears to downplay the dangers that lawful content will be blocked, arguing that "perfection is not required" when ISPs attempt to prevent infringement.
Entertainment Industry's View of Net Neutrality
Excerpted from TechDirt Report by Mike Masnick
With comments due last week on the FCC's proposed new net neutrality rules, we've already covered some of the filings, while noting the problems of carving out a special exemption for copyright. But, of course, that special exemption for copyright means everything to an entertainment industry that has no interest in adapting its business models.
Both the RIAA and MPAA filed their own comments, which were pretty similar, and equally misleading. The RIAA's filing repeatedly referred to copyright infringement as "theft" (you would think lawyers would know better) and insisted not just that there should be a copyright exemption, but that the FCC itself should require ISPs to act as copyright cops. The MPAA's filing is almost a carbon copy of the RIAA's. There is very little difference between the two.
But if you want to see an even more extreme argument, check out the filing from the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), which has been running around aimlessly screaming that network neutrality would mean more unauthorized file sharing.
In the SGA's filing, it claims that net neutrality wouldn't solve any actual problem, and the real problem is the inability of songwriters to get paid in the way they used to, back in the idyllic days before the Internet existed. So they'd much rather that the FCC break the Internet in order to bring back those days. That's a bit of a paraphrase, but it's really not that far off.
The language used by the SGA goes even beyond that of the others, referring to things like "rampant looting" and insisting that with net neutrality, we would face the end of songwriting. Seriously. While the SGA claims that it wants to promote new innovation and technology, it appears to only mean technology that can be used to block file sharing. It's very excited about those technologies, and not at all concerned about all the technologies (even the ones used by lots of folks every day) that would be broken without a neutral Internet.
Not that any of these filings are all that surprising, but it does show how low the entertainment industry has decided to stoop in trying to get others to bring back old business models, rather than adapt to the changing times.
Verizon Is Not Booting File Sharers Off Network
Excerpted from Broadband Reports by Karl Bode
Yesterday, we directed your attention to a CNET article that claimed Verizon had started kicking accused file sharers off the Internet, after agreeing with the RIAA and MPAA to send DMCA warning letters. But in subsequent conversations with Verizon, Broadband Reports has learned that Verizon is neither booting people from the network for excessive use, nor has it booted any users who receive one-too-many DMCA letters.
In fact, Verizon spokesperson Bobbi Henson tells us she was misquoted by CNET, and that while the company reserves the right to boot heavy users or copyright infringers from the network, it hasn't. "I'm not aware that we've ever terminated anyone's account for excessive consumption, although we reserve the right to do so," says Henson about the quote, reiterating that Verizon has no bandwidth caps. "That part of the CNET story is wrong. I did not say 'we've cut people off;' I said we reserve the right to do so." So Verizon isn't booting heavy users off the network, but is it booting customers off for trading in unlicensed copyrighted files? Nope.
"This is not an automatic 'three strikes' graduated response program," insists Henson of the company's DMCA letter-forwarding campaign. "This program has been effective in reducing instances of repeat notices and has not resulted in the termination of any Verizon customer's service," she says.
"Our goal is to protect our customers' privacy and due process rights while recognizing the importance of copyright protection," she says. "We believe our program reflects a reasonable approach and is working very well." The letters sent to users inform them that "should we receive additional notifications alleging that you have engaged in online copyright infringement, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your Verizon Online account." Verizon's revamped copyright website doesn't even go that far, making no reference to account suspension.
ISP Stands Up for Torrent Site Owner's Privacy
Excerpted from TorrentFreak Report
The Swedish Internet service provider (ISP) TeliaSonera is refusing to comply with a court ruling ordering the company to hand over information identifying the owner of SweTorrents. Instead, it has appealed the decision, arguing that the verdict is in violation of the European data retention directive and claiming that SweTorrents doesn't host any copyrighted files.
In conjunction with the local anti-piracy outfit Antipiratbyran, three movie companies took legal action last year in an attempt to obtain the personal details of the owner of the SweTorrents BitTorrent tracker.
They asked the Sodertorn District Court to demand that TeliaSonera give up the information because SweTorrents was infringing on their copyrights. The application was made under the iPRED legislation introduced earlier that year, which was put in place to make it easier for copyright holders to track down and identify potential copyright infringers.
In December, the Court ruled in favor of the movie companies and ordered TeliaSonera to hand over the requested information to Antipiratbyran. Claiming that the ruling violates the privacy of one of its customers, the ISP decided to appeal the decision.
In its appeal, the ISP argues that iPRED is in direct violation of the EU's data retention directive, under which the privacy of the SweTorrents owner would be protected. According to TeliaSonera's lawyer, the directive applies to this case even though it hasn't yet been implemented by the Swedish government.
"The protection of privacy contained in the directive prevents the application of the Swedish iPRED law in this case," TeliaSonera's lawyer Patrick Hiselius said in a comment.
TeliaSonera further notes that in its ruling the District Court speaks of "the material that is uploaded on the website," even though there is no copyright material on SweTorrents, only torrent links. Therefore, it appears that the Court's ruling is "based on faulty technical knowledge," according to the ISP.
If TeliaSonera's appeal is successful, the new iPRED law will be crushed, which would be a huge setback for the anti-piracy outfits that lobbied long and hard to get it passed.
Spotify Seeks Reconciliation with Oxford
Excerpted from Softpedia Report by Giorgiana Bursu
It is already a well-known fact that Spotify, one of the leading services in the field of music streaming, has been banned at Oxford University. University representatives explained their decision by stating that the streaming app was excessively used by students, thus taking up too much bandwidth that could not be otherwise accounted for. Needless to say, students on the campus were not too pleased with the decision.
The same prompt reaction came from Spotify officials, who declared that they started discussions with Oxford authorities to restore music-streaming access as soon as possible. "It's important that we offer a high-quality service that gives our users instant access to music, but equally we're working constantly to optimize our technology to ensure everyone can enjoy Spotify."
The exact number of Spotify users on Oxford's campus has not been revealed so far. Also, it seems that Spotify has not received any similar complaints from any other university, despite the fact that it is currently being used by almost 7 million users all around Europe.
The streaming service is based on a P2P architecture that uses each connected computer as a server that helps redistribute music efficiently. Speaking strictly, it appears that Oxford has not banned all services based on P2P, since some of the applications still function, and Skype and World of Warcraft have found a way to bypass the ban.
However, it is worth mentioning that the British university only applied the Spotify interdiction on its own network, the one that can be used free-of-charge by any student while in the libraries, halls, or other communal spaces. In other words, all those who are using mobile Internet or are located in private residences can still enjoy the music-streaming app.
"University rules and regulations apply to all P2P software (which Spotify is) and are there to protect the network from excessive bandwidth usage," wrote Stuart Lee, the Director of Computing Systems and Support at Oxford University Computer Services.
Coming Events of Interest
MIDEM & MidemNet - January 23rd-27th in Cannes, France. MIDEM is where music professionals from across the industry meet face-to-face to do business, analyze trends and build partnerships. MIDEM brings together music leaders looking for concrete solutions and insights. MidemNet's renowned digital business conference program is now included free with your MIDEM registration.
Vator Splash Event - February 4th in San Francisco, CA. Vator, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to broadcast themselves, is holding its inaugural Vator Splash Competition to find 10 promising early-stage start-ups to present at this special event. Enter the competition today using the 25% discount code: VatorDCIA.
Cloud Computing Forum - February 10th online. Open source software developer Red Hat will host an online forum on open source cloud computing. The forum will include technical presentations from across the cloud computing industry, as well as discussions on current challenges and solutions offered by open source technologies.
paidContent 2010 - February 19th in New York, NY. Join paidContent.org for its first namesake conference with senior business leaders representing publishers, content technology companies, investors, analysts, and leading members of the press and blogging community to discuss the most pressing business issue of our day.
10th Annual Digital Music Forum - February 24th-25th in New York, MY. The only event in the United States that brings together the top music, technology, and policy leaders for high-level discussions and debate, intimate meetings, and unrivaled networking about the future of digital music.
P2P & CLOUD MARKET CONFERENCE - March 9th in New York, NY. Strategies to fulfill the multi-billion dollar revenue potential of the P2P and cloud computing channel for the distribution of entertainment content. Case studies of sponsorships, cross-promotion, interactive advertising, and exciting new hybrid business models.
Media Summit New York - March 10th-11th in New York, NY. MSNY is the premier international conference on media, broadband, advertising, television, cable & satellite, mobile, publishing, radio, magazines, news & print media, and marketing.
Cloud Computing Congress - March 16 in London, England. A practical guide on cloud computing for business - the value proposition, and the impact on the IT function. Building and managing applications in the cloud - how to manage and control applications and resources in the cloud environment. Security, testing and management of cloud infrastructures.
Cloud Expo - April 19th-21st in New York, NY. Co-located with the 8th international Virtualization Conference & Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City with more than 5,000 delegates and over 100 sponsors and exhibitors participating in the conference.
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