Study:
Satellite way up & wired cable way down
Alternate delivery systems are proliferating in American TV
households. Wired cable’s penetration percentage has hit a
nine-year low,
according to a TVB analysis of Nielsen Media Research data for February
2004, but alternatives like satellite continue to grow. Nielsen NTI data
said national ADS penetration reached 18.8 percent in February 2004. This
is an increase
from
16.7 percent from the same time last year. Over the same
period of time, wired cable penetration dropped from 68.6 percent to 67.5.
Wired cable hasn’t seen numbers this low since April 1995. The largest
component of ADS, direct broadcast satellite, now reaches an estimated
17.8 percent, which is
up
from 15.6 percent
in
February 2003.
Is
broadband stealing viewers from TV?
Broadband internet may be
stealing from television broadcasters – stealing viewers, that is. A new
Strategy Analytics survey of 800 European broadband users across seven
countries shows that 56 percent of participants spend significantly less
time watching the tube since subscribing to broadband. The study also
finds that broadband users spend less time using printed media and radio,
though there was also a small percentage that reported an uptick in this
usage because some of it can be found on the web. The report advises TV
programmers and service providers to continue emphasizing iTV services and
digital video recorders to deal with this development.
Surgeons
who do this make better cuts
Sitting around playing video games is not an idle pastime
for surgeons. Researchers have discovered that doctors who spent at least
three hours a week transfixed by their PlayStations made approximately 37
percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27
percent faster than their non-playing colleagues. Laparoscopic surgery,
using a tiny camera and instruments navigated by joysticks outside the
body, can be performed practically anywhere on the body. Dr. James
“Butch” Rosser, who demonstrated the results of his study Tuesday at
Beth Israel Medical Center, said he uses the same hand-eye coordination in
both practices. Rosser is the brain behind a course called Top Gun, which
he developed for surgical trainees to fine-tune their coordination,
agility and accuracy with a video game before stepping foot into the
operating room.
Beer-swilling
Brits enjoy high-speed kicks
A wireless broadband service hopes to close Britain’s
broadband gap via the brewery. Telabria’s RuralMesh service can provide
wireless internet access at speeds and costs comparable to DSL. And where
better to reach the British consumer? Well, the service is attempting to
combine village pubs and mesh networking to lift the launch. Telabria
claims the pub can serve as a hub for more than just social networking; it
can also be a hub for a wireless community-wide broadband service.
Telabria has been on a trial period for the last three months in
partnership with Shepherd Neame, the brewing and pub company. Once it is
wider spread, RuralMesh will provide free web access at the pub, and local
homes and businesses can also sign up for broadband. However, users will
need Telebria’s mesh radio receivers to get online.
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