2008 is set to be a very exciting time for the once-dowdy national broadcaster ABC. Amongst new areas for the ABC in 2008 announced by Managing Director Mark Scott are: the establishment of a 24/7 Continuous News Centre (CNC), the launch of 60 new local online sites, with broadband content, feature stories, pictures, videos and audio reflecting local events and culture, news, weather and sports coverage, ABC shop downloads where consumers can log on and order or download some of the latest ABC content, and most interestingly, ABC Playback, Australia’s first Internet TV service with full screen quality pictures.

While each of the other servicesare more common in this market already (albeit, from other parties), ABC Playback is looking to be Australia’s most comprehensive Internet TV foray to date. Instead of operating as a video-on-demand website or portal, the three channels will operate as more conventional television, but accessible via the Internet. Continue reading…

We always seem to hear on the news about the newest innovations with a product like the iPod, and subsequently how much Apple’s stock is soaring. However, following is a cautionary tale about the downsides of innovating, takin’ it to tha’ streets, and crumbling dismally.

Word is that the cost to Toshiba of losing the High Def Disc format war is going to cost them 100 billion yen (US$986 million) for last year alone! That’s ahellavalotta Big Macs (at least 260 million-ish, just in case you were wondering)!

Despite this, Tosh will still be booking a small net profit for the year, mostly on the back of other products it manufactures like microchips and NAND flash memory.

Today’s edition of Convergarama looks at the evolving capabilities of the PS3. So far, it can be used for gaming, DVD/Blu Ray player, media extender, media hub, web browser, and ‘SlingBox’, amongst other things. One of the next pieces of kit to be coming to the PS3’s arsenal is the PlayTV device. This will effectively allow you to use your PS3 as a PVR, even having the functionality to record one program and watch another at the same time. Not only that, by using the Remote Play feature, you will be able to watch Free to air digital broadcasts from your PSP anywhere you have WiFI access. And, because it’s being developed to be compatible with European DVB-T standards, it is ideally suited to also be ready for Australian viewers a little later this year. The inital release date was pencilled in for March, but we’re guessing a mid-year launch.

Check out the PlayTV demo video after the break.

Continue reading…