can an EPG have superhero powers, Freeview thinks so

I wrote recently of my passion for Television and that story was inspired by an article that I read in the Melbourne Age Green Guide a TV and technology insert and published weekly as a supplement in Thursday’s newspaper’s print edition. Yes I do subscribe to an old school newspaper and while I am on topic I also have a subscription to a popular house and garden magazine so when I talk about media getting paid ,I understand as I do pay, I am not all about the free culture but I am all for a the balanced one. While I am at it also in the mix of media that I pay for is a subscription to Foxtel a pay TV provider in Australia , and so this article  got me thinking about Freeview and the new improved EPG that they have launched and so I decided to explore this a little further.

Freeview is the brand of the free to air digital terrestrial television stations in Australia. It was first launched in 2008 and aims is to unite all of the free-to-air broadcasters into a consistent marketing platform to compete against the new technical landscape that includes PayTV, TiVo and the many other ventures that could potentially derail the current market. Foxtel in particular is perceived as its greatest enemy with over 1.5million subscribers.

Freeview will market its members 15 free to air channels and will produce an electronic program guide (EPG) for technology products, to use this guide manufacturers will need to get their equipment certified and thus will coordinate certification of  televisions, set-top boxes and personal video recorders (PVR) which meet their requirements. The Freeview brand was first launched in November 2008 with commercials promising 15 channels by 2009. Well here we are in 2010, and Freeview have at last delivered a 2^nd generation EPG for use in certified equipment, however it won’t work with most equipment, but it does have one benefit that the other non sanctioned EPG don’t have,  it knows when a show in running late and can adjust recording times on the fly . The network broadcasters have after years of denial of the need for an EPG,  have finally abet reluctantly now all provided a basic EPG. So although it has taken years of legal challenges against the providers of other EPG based on false claims of copyright (abused again) and to be brutally honest nothing more than feet dragging we have arrived here but what does it really deliver and do we need it?.

EPG's are a kind of oxymoron in Australia, well at least when it comes to the free to air networks, as advertised shows often start late and thus often result in you missing the crucial ending of a show that you thought you had previously recorded in its entirety. As I alluded to this seems to only affect free to air broadcasts as Foxtel own channels run to the EPG schedule like a well-timed clock work and therefore I have never missed the end of those shows. So what does this EPG give you that you can’t already get with the current array of choices? Well as I have stated the biggest drawcard if I can call it that, is the on the fly correction of end times of programs running late, the rest is pretty much standard fare however to access this on the fly correction feature technology manufacturers must hobble or disable the very features that you as a user would find useful. So the most useful feature is one that the need for is predicated on the fact that the free to air networks run their shows late , so let's get this right I should subscribe to Freeview certified equipment to negate a problem created by the consortium that markets the solution.  In addition to forgo the ability to do the very things that I feel that are useful like ad skipping and transferring copies of show that I have recorded to other devices or to give to friends or family.

The non sanctioned devices can’t use this the 2^nd generation EPG if they allow such heinous acts such as ad skipping and so I suspect this feature will be one the vast majority of users wont even use because it will never be available. I would also question the need for this new featured EPG as the Australian Communications and Media Authority looks to crack down on the practice of not running to published schedules anyway. Looks like the ACMA see the EPG as a way sneaky way to compete in the market and are not buying this tactic one iota. It is no doubt true that like all other industries that are entering the digital age that the change is disruptive, however preventing people doing what they want is not competition but is instead guilty of trying to stifle it. I think the Freeview idea is sound I however feel that the current methodology is flawed and that the money wasted on this EPG will do little to alter the landscape. Innovative products that deliver the consumer an enhanced experience is the secret to competing not creating a problem and proposing a solution that breaks the functionality that your very customers want. The Freeview EPG is late, hobbled and really nothing more that a man wearing his underwear on the outside thinking he has super powers when the competition are giving away kryptonite.




What do you think does the Freeview EPG sound useful to you? What do you currently use? Please leave me a comment I would love to hear what you have to say.

What will happen when illegal file sharing stops?

What will happen when the very last evil, greedy, self-serving, thieving, file sharing miscreant, a blight on this fine earth and an affront to every decent law-abiding citizen is finally purged from the internet?  What will happen when big media get their way and every non authorised copy of music, video and writings are removed from the internet?  What will happen when mandatory 3 strikes legislation is introduced to all countries worldwide? What will happen when illegal file sharing stops?


The reason I ask such questions is that it appears that the world is quickly moving in this direction, and when the entire scenario presented above become reality, it makes these question more pertinent and the answers all the more important.

I have read countless articles on the plight facing the music, video and content industries as it struggles to survive let alone get paid for all the great and fantastic content that it contributes to our society. I have read of the billions and billions of dollars lost in sales to illegal piracy and the poor creators that can’t even put food on their table. I cry myself to sleep at night worrying if the industry groups such as the RIAA and MPAA will survive such an onslaught that this blatant disregard of copyright has wrought upon them.

So it is so pleasing that the governments have finally begun to act, to stem the tide, to ensure that the wealth and prestige of the anointed few can continue to rape and pillage the unwashed masses. It is enlightening to know, any one caught dealing/stealing non authorised copyrighted content will be charged, fined and banished to a leaper’s colony for their sins and I assume the rest of their nature life.

But still I am left wondering will people suddenly forget that the internet once existed as it once was, will we all pony up down at the local Blockbuster, realize that new film that we wanted to rent is not available to rent for another 6 months so we buy it.

Will we all purge our iPods of all illegal tunes and login to iTunes to legally download and of course purchase our favourite must have eight thousand desert island tracks. Will the older amongst us realize that we really need to update all those VCR and DVD’s to Bluray.

Will we suddenly realize that every article that we read on the internet that is not behind a pay wall was created by a hard-working writer and suddenly send them a micro PayPal contribution.

I am reminded of so many industries that have either disappeared or adapted their business models to changing technology and wonder if they had the clout of the content industries would they really have needed to alter their business at all.

And so the question remains What will happen when illegal file sharing stops? that is what I am waiting for. I don’t know the answer, but I am sure of one thing, we can’t go backwards and so the mystery remains.

taking the all black concept too far; NZ to put the lights out for file sharers for good

Will it go all black in New Zealand for alleged file shares? well it appears it just might if indeed one side of the argument gets their way. In a proposed measure submitted to The New Zealand government by the New Zealand Law Society they have asked for the full disconnection and banning from the internet of repeat infringers of copyright through p2p and file sharing. This is the focus of their submission to the select committee considering a proposed new law to protect copyright holders.

On Wednesday the 4 August 2010 public submissions began before the Commerce Select Committee, which is considering a Bill before the New Zealand Parliament that will strengthen the law on internet copyright protection. The bill is the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill. The legislation amends the Copyright Act 1994 to provide enforcement measures intended to combat unauthorised sharing of copyright material via the internet.

In 2008 a new law was introduced in New Zealand but not brought into force that would have required ISPs to regulate activity by adopting policies to terminate the internet accounts of repeat offenders. This new bill will repeal provisions of that law and instead mandate  the power of the courts to order disconnection of internet access for up to six months where serious offences of copyright infringement has occurred as well as other remedies.

The New Zealand Law Society have sought in their submission a complete internet ban for persistent copyright infringers, which would take away their right to open up an account with another ISP if their original one is suspended. Their submission points out that during the period of a user's internet account disconnection that there would be nothing stopping that person from opening an account with another ISP and immediately continuing to illegally share unauthorised copyrighted work and that the law should be further strengthened by expressly prohibiting any person whose account has been disconnected by a court order to open another account during the period of suspension.

There however is some opposition to any account suspension and InternetNZ did make a presentation to the Committee on 5 August calling on for disconnection to be removed as a penalty. Policy Director Jordan Carter has argued that disconnection needs to be removed from the Bill and that it needs to go on pragmatic and on principled grounds. 

All this however is about the end game if repeat infringers continue to flout the law, the real intention of the bill and its proposed measures are to better educate the public about the problems of illegal file-sharing. The Bill’s general policy statement says that “lack of public knowledge that file sharing may infringe copyright contributes to the prevalence of this activity in the digital environment.”

The legislation sets a regime for infringement notices to be sent within set timeframes to give infringers adequate notice of their offence and the potential repercussions. It is expected that most infringers will be deterred by the first notice and that the more stringent provisions of the legislation only come into play for serious repeat offenders.

This will be an interesting to watch along with Digital Britain and HADOPI France I have mused over this prospect before but seeing misguided action will be interesting indeed.

What do you think is this going to far? Leave me a comment love to hear your views on this one.

another road block removed, the Oz filter must be dead now?

The Australian Liberal Party has announced that the Coalition will not implement the controversial plan for an internet filter if it wins the August 21st election. Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said that a Coalition government would abandon Labor's flawed filter policy. The coalition would encourage parents to take more responsibility for monitoring their children's use of the web, a policy that was in place prior to their 2007 election loss.

I think this is excellent news, and now that The Liberal party has revealed its hand along with the knowledge the Greens whom mostly likely will hold the balance of power in the senate after the August polls it seems this policy is as dead as the dodo. I am not alone in this thinking and Electronic Frontiers Australia have also applauded Mr Hockey’s announcement.

“The Opposition are very welcome among the ranks of those many organisations and individuals that see the filter as a policy failure,”

The governments Communications Minister, Mr Stephen Conroy's office says Labor policy is unchanged and despite this news will still push ahead with its plan. Mr Hockey also indicated that the if unsuccessful at the August 21^st polls that the collation would not support any legislation in the senate, ensuring that a second term Gillard government wouldn't have the numbers required to pass its legislation as the Greens have also shown an unwillingness to support this legislation .

As I have stated the current Australian Government and the Labor party have maintained that mandatory censorship still remains Government policy, however with The Greens and the coalition now both opposing the internet censorship scheme it passing the senate is improbable. One would hope that the government see the wisdom of abandoning this policy and show a real understanding of the issues involved in cyber security and leadership on this in the final weeks of the election campaign I however think the chances are slim.

creative works combined, a new life abounds

There is a lot of talk about people stealing content these days not as much about how much fresh and innovative free stuff that is actually out there.

This is a clip that my brother Poundcore did and animated by Manyfeet Productions. Mark has been working with on line creations for nearly 8 years since he acquired his first computer, and performing live around Melbourne before that.  Your can check out mark at Poundcore here or at South Channel here

I am impressed and hope you lie it.