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by Richard Blackwell
The Globe and Mail
Jan 6, 2005
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Need lots of distractions to quell those
raucous kids fidgeting in the back seat of your minivan on the way to
Grandma's house? Well, there may be some help on the horizon, now that
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. says it will add video transmissions to
its U.S. pay-radio system in 2006.
In another splash of technology convergence that is seeing the boundaries
melt between all forms of electronic communications, Sirius said yesterday
that in the second half of 2006 it will add two or three channels of
video content to the lineup of about 120 channels of digital music,
talk and information that it already beams by satellite to more than
one million subscribers in the United States.
The video channels, aimed primarily at children, will be compatible
with rear-seat video players now installed in many cars. Sirius said
auto makers that are already installing satellite radios in their vehicles
have shown great interest in adding video. The video channels were announced
at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The announcement came on the same day that electronics maker Delphi
Corp. said it will work with cable company Comcast Corp. to create a
system that will transfer video programming from a car owner's home
to a back-seat video device.
To develop its system, Sirius will work with Microsoft Corp. and make
use of Microsoft's Windows Media Video 9 technology.
That technology allows streams of video signals to be compressed, so
they can be broadcast from the Sirius satellite to a car receiver without
taking up as much "bandwidth" as traditional television signals.
Consequently, there won't be any degradation of the audio channels coming
from the same satellite, Sirius said.
"It's a brilliant idea [because] mobile video is one of the hottest
categories there is," said Kaan Yigit, president of Solutions Research
Corp. in Toronto. "This is more evidence of the mobile entertainment
revolution that's picking up speed. For a long time radio was the only
portable medium, but now TV, Internet and gaming are all becoming portable,
accessible and interactive."
But don't hold your breath if you're expecting to see the new system
in Canada soon, as our slow-moving regulatory system has yet to adapt
to the quick-changing technology environment.
While Sirius wants to start up satellite radio service in Canada, its
application does not include video, so even if the firm gets the nod
from the CRTC it could be years before cartoons are beamed directly
into your back seat.
Sirius, in conjunction with its partners Standard Broadcasting Inc.
and the CBC, was one of three applicants that presented a subscription
radio proposal to the CRTC in November. Another was a joint venture
between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. satellite
radio company, and entrepreneur John Bitove Jr. The third was a land-based
digital distribution system jointly proposed by CHUM Ltd. and Astral
Media Inc.
The decision on who will be licensed is expected in April. But Kevin
Shea, who heads Sirius Canada, said yesterday that his company's CRTC
application is strictly for an audio service, so any video upgrade would
require an entirely new application. "We need time to think it
through" before contemplating any additional services, he said.
Mr. Shea said he thinks technology is moving faster than the CRTC can
keep up with, although he also suggested that the commission is well
aware of that fact and is trying to deal with it. "I think the
issue for the commission is how they get to a place where they can [make
decisions] with more speed, or determine that there are certain areas
in the marketplace they're not going to regulate."
In the United States, most pay services are unregulated, making it easier
for companies to introduce new radio or television technology as soon
as it is ready. And while the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
is increasingly cracking down on "obscene" content among conventional
broadcasters, pay services can include almost anything in their lineups.
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