CNM Short Takes

Recordable DVD to overtake CD-RW sales by 2004, says IDCMarket analyst IDC says consumers will buy far more DVD-ROMs than CD-ROMs by 2004. Current sales are less than US$2 billion and more than US$3 billion, respectively, of manufacturers’ revenues. In 2004, DVD-ROM units will generate almost US$4 billion vesus only US$400,000 for CD-ROM drives. Higher storage densities and richer multimedia possibilities are being cited as evidence for the claim. Book your .ca name todayInternic.ca, a registrar of Canadian top-level .ca domain names, is taking pre-bookings for the monikers in anticipation of eased restrictions on Internet domain names. The service is free and registrants are only charged if they are given the name. Internic says when restrictions are eased this fall, anyone will be allowed to have a .ca name. McGill University netcasts live concert from Asia to CanadaMcGill University is claiming the first intercontinental netcast of a live concert complete with Dolby surround sound and full-screen video. The concert by a McGill jazz combo was timed to coincide with the Internet Global Summit in Japan. Eventually, say researchers, they hope to create a virtual reality environment for musicians. Pixel, Digital Advertising Network strike dealPixel Systems Inc, Montreal, and Digital Advertising Network (DAN) have signed a deal whereby DAN will use Pixel’s technology to deliver content and advertising to DAN’s network of full motion electronic displays in shopping malls across Canada. Pixel will provide secure satellite-based transmission, monitoring, booking and scheduling of advertising content to DAN’s installed base of displays. Communicate.com wins OTC listing through takeoverCommunicate.com, Vancouver, has engineered a reverse takeover of asset-less Troyden Corp which trades over-the-counter as TRYD. Troyden has been seeking a partner for months. Certain officers and directors of Troyden have resigned their positions, and will be succeeded by the appointment of Communicate.com’s management team. Blood n’ guts earn R-rating for Soldier of FortuneBritish Columbia has become the first jurisdiction in North America to restrict access to video games after slapping a restricted rating on Soldier of Fortune, meaning those under 18 years of age are unable to rent it. Players of the game can "enact gory violence that results in the horror of evisceration, decapitation, dismemberment and victims burning to death," according to B.C.’s director of film classification. The province is looking at implementing a rating system for all video games. Wireless delivers on the promise of daily insult jokesBell Mobility has added several new wireless Internet sites to its mobile browser service. The sites include a golf information service, recipes and a daily humour site with several categories. NOW Magazine has also been added with a wireless edition, in addition to toronto.com and montrealplus.ca. "These services add an important entertainment component to Mobile Browser and enhance our customers’ overall wireless Internet experience by offering them personal leisure-time information when they need it, wherever they are," says VP Charlotte Burke. Maritime companies joinforces to further ITVInfoInteractive Inc has won a new customer for its Internet caller ID software. Innovatia Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aliant Inc, will buy the package this fall for its interactive television portal now under trial in Moncton NB. By the end of 2000, Innovatia says more than 80,000 customers in Atlantic Canada will have access to the service. Early in 2001, InfoInteractive expects to sell an expanded package to the maritime telco including call waiting, caller log, the call forward to voicemail or even transfer a cell phone call to another line or PC. The Internet results are inMedia Metrix, the Internet’s equivalent to the Neilson ratings, has weighed in with May’s statistics. In Canada, the top web sites for visitors were Microsoft sites, followed closely by the AOL network, Yahoo sites, Lycos and Excite@Home, which received a combined 11.9 million visits from home users during the month. JAWS wins security MOU from CA-based isolver.comJAWS Technologies Inc, Toronto, has signed an MoU with California-based isolver.com to integrate JAWS’ security products into isolver’s universal shopping cart technology. Isolver has developed software which stores multiple customer selections from several sites and then finishes the purchases with a single transaction. By August 1, it’s expected that JAWS and isolver will sign a partnership agreement that will see the Toronto company providing all of isolver’s security. PC video software available for trial downloadMGI Software Corp, Richmond Hill, has announced a 30-day test version of its VideoWave III video editing software, aimed at consumers. The new software is the latest of the company’s offerings, which include 14 different imaging technologies for stills, video and DVD. InSpeck boasts work on X-Men blockbusterMontreal-based InSpeck Inc, which uses non-laser technology to digitize 3D images, says it’s responsible for digitizing the actors in this summer’s X-Men movie. The company used its 3D Body Builder to scan the complete bodies, then its 3D-DF dual field digitizer and 3D Capturor to digitize the heads of the actors. The company’s digitizers obtained both the 3D geometric information as well as the full colour texture. Enron, Telus experiment with video over phone serviceEnron Broadband Services, Telus Inc and Blockbuster Inc have announced a trial of streamed, real-time video broadcast to 5,000 customers in early 2001. The trial will use Telus’ ADSL network and a DSL-enabled set top box. If trials are successful, Telus will launch a broadband commercial video-on-demand service on its Internet portals that will be adapted for broadband customers. The companies plan to offer content such as video, audio, animation, concerts, sports and other live events. The companies say consumers will be able to choose from an extensive library of videos through their televisions and enjoy a better than VHS-quality viewing experience. BC government lends helping hand to IVL TechnologiesThe British Columbia government has lent $4.5 million to Victoria-based IVL Technologies. The loan will help the company develop new voice-modeling technology and expand its markets. The company makes interactive musical products and components. Its specialty is digital signal processing of the voice where the pitch of a singer’s voice is shifted to create five-part harmony from the melody – technology used in karaoke systems and will have applications for video games and the Internet, say company executives. Alias/Wavefront ports popular software to Linux platformAlias/Wavefront has announced plans to port its popular Maya 3D graphics application to the Linux platform, much to the delight of industry leaders. The software is slated to be available for Red Hat Linux 6.2 on Intel IA32 processors in early 2001. Details on pricing and availability are not yet available. ITV to reach 100,000 Canadian homes next year, says reportA new Angus Reid study predicts that as many as 100,000 Canadian homes might be hooked up to interactive televisions as soon as next year. The report cites bigger screens and ease-of-use as two of the most important reasons why ITV should prove popular. The report indicates that a surprisingly high level, 58 per cent, of Canadians are aware of the service, and that four per cent are "very likely" to subscribe to the service in the next year, and 17 per cent are "somewhat likely" to do the same. NFB needs funding to broaden video-on-demand serviceThe National Film Board has reportedly applied to CANARIE Inc for $500,000 in funding to develop Cinéroute 3. Current versions of Cinéroute offer around 800 films from the NFB’s library to approximately 100 educational and other institutions, but not to the general public. New funding would help the project offer its content to a broader audience using cable modems and satellite technology. The project is a partnership between CANARIE, the NFB and Réseau interodinateurs scientifique québécoise.

CNM Short Takes

News | 07/26/2000 4:00 am EDT

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