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Object From Future

--Origami Ultra-Mobile PC

Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), previously known by its codename Project Origami, is a small form factor tablet PC. It was developed jointly by Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, and others. According to current baseline physical specifications, Windows-based UMPC devices will weigh less than 2 pounds, with a 7-inch screen size. Details of Origami/UMPC were revealed during the CeBit 2006 in Germany, where Asus, Samsung and Founder presented their UMPCs.

UMPC supports mobile-tuned user interface features such as touch, pen, dedicated buttons, and keyboards. Currently UMPCs run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, in the future it will run on Windows Vista. Microsoft also pre-installs a special software called the Touch Pack to optimize the touch screen user interface. DialKeys, the virtual keyboard, is included in the Touch Pack Interface.

On the inside, the UMPC includes a 30-60GB hard drive and Intel Celeron M, Pentium M or VIA C7-M processors. Depending on the configuration, a UMPC could feature GPS, a webcam, fingerprint reader, TV tuner and build-in memory card reader. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet are all supported as well.

The "Origami" project was Microsoft's first step toward achieving a big vision, in which UMPCs will eventually become as indispensable and ubiquitous as mobile phones. In the future, the prices of UMPCs are expected to come down to the $500 range, and battery life is expected to increase from 2.5 hours presently to 8 hours.

Research Questions

BASIC Questions

-What is web2.0? Why web2.0? What is Internet TV?
-What is the difference between the current Internet and Web2.0?
-There are six kinds of TV: Internet TV, P2PTV, HDTV, IPTV, steaming video, Cellphone TV.[1]

English version:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
Chinese version:
http://www.enet.com.cn/article/2005/1122/A20051122474593.shtml

www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.09/tv.html

Current Situation

please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org to find out what you are not clear about.

What is the current technology in TV industry?

 Starting in the 1990s, modern television sets diverged into three different 
 trends:

 --standalone TV sets; 

 --integrated systems with DVD players and/or VHS VCR capabilities built into 
 the TV set itself (mostly for small size TVs with up to 21" screen, the 
 main idea is to have a complete portable system); 

 --component systems with separate big-screen video monitor, tuner, audio system 
 which the owner connects the pieces together as a high-end home theater system. 
 This approach appeals to videophiles who prefer components that can be upgraded 

separately.

Current Technology:
Terrestrial television (also known as over-the-air, OTA or Broadcast TV)
Cable Television (CATV)
Digital TV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television)
All digital TV variants can carry both standard-definition television (SDTV) and High-definition television (HDTV). Other format: eg. Ultra High Definition Video (UHDV)
DTT
Interactive television
eg. VOA (video-on-demand), Enhanced TV (ETV)
Satellite television
Flicker-free
Internet television (Vlogging, Vodcasting, Vodcatching and the Newtube.) IPTV is a part of
Web TV

Important aspects of TV:
1.video monitors
2. connection to computer cases and peripherals

Impacts of new innovation:
PVR (Personal Video Recorder) or DVR (digital video recorder)

When TV programs are produced, how can they be posted to public? How does the workflow works for broadcasting the films to the public?

 Getting TV programming shown to the public can happen in many different ways. 
 After production the next step is to market and deliver the product to whatever 

markets are open to using it. This typically happens on two levels:

1. Original Run or First Run - a producer creates a program of one or multiple episodes and shows it on a station or network which has either paid for the production itself or to which a license has been granted by the producers to do the same.

2. Syndication - this is the terminology rather broadly used to describe secondary programming usages (beyond original run). It includes secondary runs in the country of first issue, but also international usage which may or may not be managed by the originating producer. In many cases other companies, TV stations or individuals are engaged to do the syndication work, in other words to sell the product into the markets they are allowed to sell into by contract from the copyright holders, in most cases the producers.

In most countries, the first wave occurs primarily on free-to-air (FTA) television, while the second wave happens on subscription TV and in other countries. In the U.S. however, the first wave occurs on the FTA networks and subscription services, and the second wave travels via all means of distribution.
First run programming is increasing on subscription services outside the U.S., but few domestically produced programs are syndicated on domestic FTA elsewhere. This practice is increasing however, generally on digital only FTA channels, or with subscriber-only first run material appearing on FTA.

Unlike the U.S., repeat FTA screenings of a FTA network program almost only occur only on that network. Also, affiliates rarely buy or produce non-network programming that isn't intensely local.

Television production
What follows is the standard procedure for shows on network television in the United States.

Someone (called the show "creator") comes up with the idea for a new television series. This consists of the concept, the characters, usually some crew, and sometimes some big-name actors.

They "pitch" it to the various television networks, hoping to find one that's interested. If a network is interested, they will "order" a pilot (a prototype first episode of the series).

To create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series needs to be put together. If the network likes the pilot, they will "pick up" the show for their next season (UK: series). Sometimes they'll save it for "midseason" or request re-writes and further review (known in the industry as "Development hell"). And other times they'll pass entirely, leaving the show's creator forced to "shop it around"' to other networks. Many shows never make it past the pilot stage.

If the show is picked up, a "run" of episodes is ordered. Usually only 13 episodes are ordered at first, although a series will typically last for at least 22 episodes (the last nine episodes sometimes being known as the "back nine", borrowing a term from golf).

The show hires a "stable" of writers, who usually work in parallel: the first writer works on the first episode, the second on the second episode, and so forth. When all of the writers have been used, the assignment of episodes continues starting with the first writer again. On other shows, however, the writers work as a team. Sometimes they will develop story ideas individually, and pitch them to the show's creator, who then folds them together into a script and rewrites them.

The executive producer, often the show's creator, is in charge of running the show. They pick crew and cast (subject to approval by the network), approve and often write series plots, and sometimes write and direct major episodes. A whole host of other producers of various names work under him or her, to make sure the show is always running smoothly.

Once the script for a show is written, a director is found for the episodes. The director's job is to turn the words of the script into film. They decide how scenes should be "staged" and where the cameras should be placed; they also often coach the actors, including any guest stars who may be in the particular episode. On television shows, directors are often interchangeable, mainly serving the dictates of the writer.

A director of photography takes care of making the show look good, doing things with lighting and so on.

Finally, an editor cuts the various pieces of film together, adds the musical score, and assembles the completed show.

The show is then turned over to the network, which sends it out to its affiliates, which air it in the specified timeslot. If the Nielsen Ratings are good, the show is kept alive as long as possible. If not, the show is usually cancelled. The show's creators are then left to shop around remaining episodes, and the possibility of future episodes, to other networks. On especially successful series, the producers sometimes call a halt to a series on their own like The Cosby Show and end it with a concluding episode which sometimes is a big production called a series finale.

If the show is popular or lucrative, and a number of episodes (usually 100 episodes or more) are made, it goes into syndication where broadcast rights are then resold.

What are the stakeholders? Who are the key players of “normal TV”?

 Television network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_network

 audiences

Driving Forces

Expectation for higher standard entertainment with reasonable cost

In recent 50 years, people’s living standard has improved a lot due to a lot of innovations and new technologies. Moreover, the cost of applications of these innovations continuously decreases with mass production and fast development of more advanced technology. It seems for sure for people that in the future they can live a more convenient and colorful life with lower cost. They expect they can have entertainment any time they want; they hope to have more channels, more high quality programs, and less advertisement on TV; they hope to be interactive; they hope devices can have more functions: and so on.

Enablers:

o Fast development of technology : The fast development of computer, Internet and broadband communication provides people with more choices for entertainment, while the cost of these application is declining. For example, people won’t be content with passive receiving, they would like to be able to interactive. They would hope TV can do more things, such as surf on the internet, video telephone, etc.

o Increasing importance of entertainment : People nowadays don’t just view work as an important part of life, but also entertainment. They cherish their free time after-work and pursue high standard entertainment. Flexible workspaces save people’s time and enable them to have more time for entertainment.

o Large amount of current home entertainment devices : TV has proved itself as the most common and important home entertainment devices for most households. Computer is also becoming more and more popular. It’s less likely that they will throw their TV, anyway, it has influenced people’s living habit so much.

Inhibitors:

o Technology development doesn’t meet people’s needs .
o People are content with old ways of entertainment, as new innovations doesn’t provide a lot of value.
o Cost of new entertainment is too high

Paradigms:

Old: People would be content with the receiving mode of traditional TV.
New: People would ask more features from TV

Experts:

Sources for additional information about this driving force.

Timing:

Since 1950’s

Web Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tv
http://comm.ccidnet.com/art/1522/20050329/229563_1.html

Continuous exploitation for revenue

More and more families are now connected to the Internet with broadband connection. The broadband Internet access provided capacity of about 256 kilobits per second or more, approximately nine times the speed of a modem using a standard digital telephone line. There is great motivation to provide more through the internet than previous, especially business man who are searching for new revenues all the time.

Enablers:

o Technology development: More and more families are now connected to broadband Internet. However, they haven’t used the full capacity of broadband. Innovations would focus on full exploitation of the idle resources.

o Decreasing profit in TV industry: This drives businessmen to search for new revenue. When there is more can be done with the broadband communication, they would not lose the chance. IPTV was viewed as a way to fully utilize the broadband resources and bring more revenues to more stakeholders. More stakeholders are included in the IPTV industry, such as Program producer, Internet service provider, application service provider, TV network, etc.

o Government Support: Many government support the construction of Internet network. As the exploitation and application of idle broadband resources could bring great revenue, government may also support such development.

Inhibitors:

o No secure technology to provide fully exploitation of the broadband resources.
o Not enough families has broadband connection.
o People are not prepared to pay large amount of money on it.
o Government control the Internet.
o Privacy of multimedia.
o Not enough cost-efficient video content. Traditional TV has already provided a lot of wonderful programs.
o Interest conflict between traditional TV network and new Internet providers.

Paradigms:

Old: People are content with current Internet contents.
New: More contents would be provided through Internet.

Experts:

Sources for additional information about this driving force.

Timing:

Early 2000s

Web Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access
http://comm.ccidnet.com/art/1522/20050405/234031_1.html
http://comm.ccidnet.com/art/1522/20050405/233993_1.html

Governmental control of Internet TV

As broadcasts and videos have great influence on people’s thought. Some governments may censor the contents of those programs. In the extreme, they may prohibit Internet TV.

Enablers:

o Contents of Internet TV are not healthy, may there be a lot of porns, violences.
o Some people use Internet TV to spread anti-government ideas: If this happens, governments may think about prohibiting Internet TV.
o No technology to censor and control contents of Internet TV: if governments don't have certain technology to censor the contents, they may prohibit it and make it illegal.
o Dealing with interest conflict: if the development of Internet TV influences government’s or state-owned property’s interest, government would enter.

Inhibitors:

o People in the country fight against government’s control.
o World-wide avocations of democracy.
o Internet TV industry is quite profitable, and has a lot of stakeholders .

Paradigms:

Old: Internet TV would develop freely.
New: Government control.

Experts:

Sources for additional information about this driving force.

Timing:

Recent years.

Web Resources:

comm.ccidnet.com/IPTV1/