Posts Tagged: recording

Recording the Olympics, Part II

Posted August 7th, 2008 | Category: Media Business.

Alex has looked into more of the technical details behind how NBC is streaming the Olympics, and has made an interesting discovery. Apparently the stream formats are different for live streams vs. pre-recorded streams. This means that you can make digital recordings of live events, and record from the screen for “rewind” or cached events. Below is his technical summary.

The Silverlight NBC Olympics server uses Windows Media Player for live streams and VP7 for prerecorded videos. VP7 is the format used by web sites like abc.com or fox.com and can provide very high quality (lossless) video compression including HD. The problem with this format is that it cannot be reliably streamed for longer periods of time like the live broadcasts. The math used to compress the video and the audio does not allow recovery when packets are lost which results in out of sync audio. Currently Windows Media Player is the only format that can do this. The live stream Olympics can be recorded with WM Recorder or Replay Media Catcher but the prerecorded clips can only be recorded with WM Capture.

FAIR USE? Sort of.

Posted February 28th, 2007 | Category: Media Business.

Ars Technica has a nice analysis of the new pro-consumer FAIR USE bill being proposed in the USA. It’s a start, but there’s still a long way to go before true “fair use” recording rights are protected.
Basically, the bill gives hardware companies an exemption, but does nothing for software. To me, it seems like a way to get the content companies and the hardware companies on the same side, and then crush the software companies, where all the true innovation is taking place.
Go read the entire article.

New First-ever Streaming Flash Video and MP3 recorder

Posted February 20th, 2007 | Category: Applian Software.

Forget the XM and Sirius merger, the really big news is Replay Media Catcher, a hot new utility that captures MySpace video and MP3s, as well as lots of other premium audio and video content from sites like ABC.com, NBC.com, and thousands more. The technological breakthrough is the ability to capture streaming Flash, which nobody has been able to do before. Go to www.replay-media-catcher.com to download a free trial copy and check it out!
Here’s the official press release if you’d like to learn more:
New Streaming Media Recorder Captures Previously Unrecordable Online Video and Audio
February 21, 2007, San Anselmo, CA – Applian Technologies today announced the release of Replay Media Catcher, the first ever Online Video and Audio recorder for streaming Flash and MP3 sites. Replay Media Catcher allows customers to capture perfect digital reproductions from previously unrecordable premium destinations like ABC.com, NBC.com, MySpace™ and thousands of others, as well as popular places like YouTube™ and Google Video.
Replay Media Catcher uses a simple one-click recording interface. Customers just click the Start Recording button, and then play the streaming Flash video or MP3 audio to capture. Once Replay Media Catcher detects the media stream, it will continue to save a playable video or audio file on the PC hard drive, and the customer can then go in search of other media to record. Replay Media Catcher is able to record multiple streams simultaneously, limited only by the speed of the customer’s internet connection. Also included is FLV Player, which lets customers watch their recorded videos.
“Replay Media Catcher is the first ever production software to be able to capture RTMP Streaming Flash streams used by many of the top-tier content sites,” said Bill Dettering, CEO of Applian Technologies. “These unprotected, unencrypted files have been previously impossible to record for your personal use, and now Replay Media Catcher makes it possible to archive and enjoy more great online video without having to be connected to the internet.”
Replay Media Catcher is ready for download and immediate purchase from replay-media-catcher.com for $39.95. A free demo is also available. Replay Media Catcher requires a PC running Windows.
About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies was started by Bill Dettering in 1997. In 2001, Bill created Replay Radio to be able to record and enjoy his favorite radio programs during his long daily commute to Silicon Valley. Now, several years after the launch of Replay Radio, Applian is recognized as the global leader in online recording software. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay AV 8, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com.

YouSendIt and Applian Partnership

Posted January 24th, 2007 | Category: Applian Software.

Replay A/V is going to have an interface to YouSendIt, so you can send recordings to yourself from one PC to another device. How cool is that!
Here’s the Press Release:
YouSendIt, Applian Partner to Record and Deliver Large Streaming Media Files Via the Web
Partnership Allows Customers to Retrieve Recorded Online Media Anywhere
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & SAN ANSELMO, Calif. — YouSendIt, Inc., the leader in web-based file delivery for business and Applian Technologies, the global leader in software products for recording streaming media, today announced a partnership that will allow Applian customers to retrieve their recorded media anywhere they have Internet access. The combined offering will enable users to capture, convert and send media with Applian’s Replay A/V 8 and YouSendIt’s Web based file transfer service.
The YouSendIt Plug-In for Applian’s Replay A/V 8 is the first to allow users to send streaming media files directly from within the application. Customers can set up file transfer to start automatically after the recording is completed.
“YouSendIt is known to be very easy to use,” says Ivan Koon, CEO, YouSendIt. “The integration into Replay A/V 8 allows users to send files directly from within the application, eliminating the pain associated with using FTP or burning a CD and sending it via overnight mail.”
“We are excited to partner with YouSendIt — building the ease of use, speed, reliability and security of YouSendIt’s solution into Replay A/V 8 will help our customers record, convert and then retrieve their favorite recordings anywhere they have Internet access,” said Bill Dettering, CEO, Applian. “The combined solution will be the most powerful and versatile recording program on the market. Our customers will now be able to enjoy their favorite shows wherever and whenever they like.”
Replay A/V makes it easy to record all types of online media. Several hundred thousand Applian customers already benefit from the ability to record almost any streaming audio and video instantaneously, or schedule recordings to happen automatically later. The integrated Replay Media Guide lets users pick shows to record with a single click. Replay A/V is the only software that combines Stream Capture, Audio Recording and an Enhanced Podcast Client in one easy-to-use interface.
The Replay A/V YouSendIt integration will allow users to receive captured streaming media files anywhere. For example, a home PC can record a radio show, and customers will be able to listen to that show while at work or travelling.
Replay A/V with YouSendIt service will be available in March 2007, with a beta version in February.
About YouSendIt
YouSendIt is the leader in file delivery for business. The company is based in Mountain View, CA and offers professionals in small and medium businesses a reliable solution to move and track large files. Proprietary technology and enterprise-level server farms on both coasts guarantee excellent response and reliability. YouSendIt offers three business subscription plans and a pay-per-use plan, in addition to a free service. With over two and a half million registered users from 220 countries, YouSendIt transfers over 1 million files per day — over 400 million to date. YouSendIt is led by its CEO, Ivan Koon, former SVP, Enterprise Intelligent Documents Business Unit at Adobe, and funded by Alloy Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds.
For more information and to send a big file via YouSendIt, please visit http://www.yousendit.com.
About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies is recognized as the global leader in software products for recording streaming media. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com
Contacts:
YouSendIt,
Inc. Florian Brody,
650-265-0520 (Media) Sr. Director Marketing Communications [email protected] or Atomic PR (for YouSendIt) Mike Barash,
415-402-0230 (Media) [email protected] or Applian Technologies Leslie Bee,
415-608-2263 (Media) Director of Marketing [email protected]

Fair Use Threatened

Posted September 21st, 2006 | Category: Media Business.

I received this email from Jake Fisher of iPac today, and I’m taking the liberty of reprinting it in full. It’s an important topic – the Big Media companies are threatening to take away our Fair Use recording rights.
Here’s the letter in full:
Dear IPac supporter,
In June we brought attention to S1RA (The Section 115 Reform Act), which
has the laudable goal of bringing mechanical licensing into the 21st
Century. However, buried deep within the legislation was a provision that
required all incidental copies of a song to have their own separate
license. In other words, a copyright holder could charge you for every
copy that exists in a caching server, your ISP’s own cache, or even the
buffer on your computer. It’s double dipping, redefining fair use, and now
it’s back and worse than ever. S1RA lives on under the title of the
Copyright Modernization Act of 2006. Sounds ominous enough. It still
includes all the terrible provisions of S1RA by taking aim at Internet
radio and satellite radio by gutting the Audio Home Recording Act, which
explicitly allows devices to time-shift radio.
CMA is trying to elbow itself into law by wrapping itself in a good bill:
the Orphan Works Act of 2006. This bill is an important piece of
legislation that removes significant hurdles that artists have to jump to
create their art. Right now, with our over-reaching copyright regime, if a
documentary film makers wants to include an image, film clip, or song in
their work, but no copyright holder can be found, the film maker is out of
luck. OWA allows the artist to include the work, assuming they employed due
diligence to track down the copyright holder, and would severely limit any
damages stemming from an infringement suit if the owner suddenly
reappeared.
However good the Orphan Works Act is, S1RA is worse and negates the
benefits that come from OWA. We cannot sacrifice our technological future
by imposing an innovation tax on internet and satellite radio.
For a FAQ on CMA and to find out how to stop it please see:
http://ipaction.org/campaigns/cma/
Thanks very much for your continued support of IPac.
Sincerely,
Jake Fisher
Executive Director
IPac

PC Mag Editor not happy about Sling Encryption

Posted July 23rd, 2006 | Category: Media Business.

From Stu, one of our best customers and sources of information:

Jim Louderback, the editor of PC Mag, made a mention that his favorite add-on no longer works. He was referring to your Slingbox recorder. This was done on his podcast – What’s New Now? (July 21)

Looks like Sling is going to be facing more competition – not just from Sony’s LocationFree, but also new companies called HAVA and AirEpoch. It’s going to be hard to maintain the encryption policy, especially if the competition is open to recording.
I predict that there will be a permanent recording solution for Slingbox devices by January 1, 2007. Or even earlier if they want to HAVA good Christmas season.

Another great reason to record Sling streams

Posted July 21st, 2006 | Category: Media Business.

Here’s an At-Large Recorder customer who used At-Large Recorder and Slingbox to record closed-circuit surveillance video:
“I love the software and it helped catch a break-in at my house. Turned it over to the authorities.”
– Art Gimpleton
This is one example of a very good use of recording technology via a vis Sling.

Sling and Applian in PC Magazine

Posted July 19th, 2006 | Category: Media Business.

We’re still hoping Sling comes up with a way to work with us so their customers can make recordings for their personal use.
In the meantime, PC Magazine has hooked onto the story:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1991289,00.asp

Slung Out To Dry

Posted July 13th, 2006 | Category: Media Business.

Most hardware companies are delighted when a third party develops a complementary product for their platform. Apple, Microsoft, and many other companies have an active ISV (Independent Software Developer) recruitment effort, as they realize the benefits of others working on their behalf (for free) to make their products better.
When we developed our SlingBox device recording product, we kind of expected the same red carpet treatment. The SlingBox device is a terrific piece of hardware that attaches to your TV, and lets you watch it remotely from anywhere with a high speed internet connection. Sony has a competing product called LocationFree, and if I were competing with Sony, I’d want to do everything possible to make my product stand out.
Sling’s reaction was not what we expected.
First of all, they had an issue with the product name, as it used the letters “sling” in it. Kind of a trademark deal. Our conversation went something like this:
Us: “Can we license the “Sling” part, and pay you a royalty on each copy sold.”
Sling: “No.”
Us: OK, how about changing the name to “SBox Recorder.”
Sling: “too close.”
Us: “Hmmm… how about “S Recorder. “
“Still too close.”
“OK, we’ll call it “Blake’s recorder” or something. ” (Blake is the CEO).
Long pause. “Well, I guess that would be OK.”
Sling: “Your trade-dress is too much like our product – you need to change it, too.” (Our UI was red and grey, in the shape of a Slingbox device.)
Us: “OK – we’ll change the shape to a parallelogram.”
Sling: “No – the angles would be similar.”
Us: “You’re kidding…. OK – we’ll make it a rounded rectangle then.”
Sling: “You’ll have to change the colors, too. Don’t use either red or grey.”
Us: “You’re messing with me now.”
Sling: “No – we need to strongly defend our trademark and trade dress.” (At this point, it was Sling’s IP lawyer in this exchange. She was very polite, and was just doing her job. It’s still pretty ludicrous.)
Us: “bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb”
Anyway, we went ahead and complied with their requests, and came out with At-Large Recorder. Definitely no trademark issues there. I thought we were in the clear and good to go.
Today we learn Sling is encrypting their stream transmission, thereby rendering our product inoperable in its present form.
I actually talked with Blake – Sling’s CEO – when we first launched and he was very cordial, although slightly annoyed. Said something about “getting a phone call” about our product. And brought up the trademark issues. That was about it.
So – what’s the deal?
Theory #1: Sling is pushing into uncharted legal territory – removing the geographical limitations on TV viewing isn’t taken very well by Major League Baseball, to name one. Anything they can do to reduce their legal risks may be a part of the strategy.
Theory #2: Sling is going to produce their own recording add-on.
Theory #3: Don’t know. Leave a comment and tell me your theory. Sling representatives are particularly welcome to respond.

Update: Sling responds, and we dig deeper.

Update #2: Digg this story.

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