Looking ahead: Stay tuned for a whirlwind of activity in technology this year as the Internet, digital entertainment and innovation in general continue to make significant strides. transformation, a trend that undoubtedly will continue in 2007. Video went online in 2006, in more ways than one.
Consumers flocked to YouTube, discovering clips of precocious children and wedding mishaps, music videos from the 1980s, and popular television and movie scenes. Hollywood strove both to protect its copyrighted material and appease consumer demand, and Amazon.com to offer their content online.
The shift continues as Apple Computer Inc., at the forefront of innovation in the digital arena, is expected to release products and announce more Hollywood partnerships next week. Credited with ushering online music into the mainstream with the iPod and iTunes, it now seeks to make online television and movies a regular feature as well.
music and videos, including user-generated clips, will be available on the small screens of cell phones and other mobile devices. high-definition televisions, subscribe to high-definition channels and -- Consumers are game. Not only will they be consuming more entertainment in new and different ways, they'll also be creating more.
Round 2: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD fight heats up The battle between the two new high-definition DVD formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD, moves into the next phase after both sides launched their first salvos in groups sell their respective systems head to head: Microsoft Corp. introduced a $199.
99 HD DVD add-on for its Xbox 360 game console in November, while Toshiba, RCA and LG introduced HD DVD players earlier in the year. Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer and Philips, meanwhile, also rolled out their Blu-ray disc players in 2006. And the Blu-ray camp hopes to hit its competitors with a knockout punch with the release in November of Sony's PlayStation 3, which features a built-in Blu-ray player.
"We hope it gets settled quickly," said Stan Glasgow, president of Sony Electronics. incorporate Blu-ray or HD DVD players. Hollywood will also release more Blu-ray and HD DVD movies this year, than a $1,000 each -- a little more appealing.
Blu-ray claims seven of the eight major Hollywood studios on its side; HD DVD has five on board. It's still a headache to move digital media around the home, but 2007 could see some help for the weary. Apple, which is expected to make a series of new-product announcements at its annual Macworld Expo next week, plans to introduce in early 2007 a device, code-named iTV, that will enable consumers to transfer movies and television shows from computers to television sets.
suit. Because of copyright concerns, it still won't be easy, but expect some significant progress in 2007. YouTube became a household name in 2006, as people passed links to one amusing video clip after another to their friends and colleagues.
also move beyond them in search of regular online episodes. The networks will post more television shows and special features on the Web. More people will than simply goofy "America's Funniest Home Videos"-style clips.
They'll be turning out semiprofessional, scripted series for the Web and attracting regular viewers just as traditional television shows do. to seeing on TV," said Dina Kaplan, co-founder of Blip.tv, which hosts videos online.
"At some point, creating TV shows on the Web will tip over to the More people will watch videos on the go this year, especially as cell YouTube and Revver, and as Apple strikes deals with more Hollywood studios and networks to offer additional movie and television show downloads for the iPod. Less than 3 percent of U.S.
cell phone users subscribe to mobile television and video services on their phones, according to market research firm Telephia. That number will get higher as video-enabled handsets drop in price and more consumers pick them up.
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