The HDBaseT Alliance releases a Power Over HDBaseT (POH) addendum to the HDBaseT 1.0 specification-- delivering 100 W of power as well as audio, video, ethernet and control signals over a single cable.

POH technology delivers power to TVs and other devices over distances of up to 100m using either Cat5e/6 cable with standard RJ-45 connectors.

This way the HDBaseT "5Play" feature set is complete, the Alliance says.

The POH addendum should reduce CE installation costs (eliminating the need for an electrician) while helping manufacturers design thinner and more cost-effective devices by eliminated AC-to-DC elements.

Go HDBaseT Alliance Adds "POH" Capabilities to 1.0 Specification

Netflix will keep the DVDs after all-- and abandons the controversial plans to spin off DVD rentals into "Qwikster," resulting in... no more changes (other than the previous unpopular changes to pricing structures).

The news comes through a surprise blog update from CEO Reed Hastings.

"It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs," Hastings writes.

Announced just 3 weeks ago, the plan was to have "Netflix" handle streaming video-on-demand, while "Qwikster" was to handle DVD-by-mail-- a move described as either a stroke of genius or simply idiotic, depending on who you were talking to.

Can we conclude Netflix will arrive on European shores in complete form once it launches over here in 2012? No word about that yet, unsurprisingly.

Go DVDs Will Be Staying at Netflix.com

Go Netflix Splits in Two

Home control system maker Control4 announces a change in leadership, naming Martin Plaehn president and CEO following the retirement of ex-CEO and company co-founder Will West.

Plaehn is a former RealNetworks executive, with whom he has 7 years experience in leadership roles including its gaming and SaaS (Software as a Service) business units.

He also served as CEO at cloud computing firm Bungee Labs and 3D digital content creator Viewpoint Digital.

West will step down to serve as chairman and Chief Strategic Officer.

Under Plaehn Control4 hopes to continue pushing the home control envelope, as well as taking the platform to both high-volume service providers and the cloud.

Go Control4 Names Martin Plaehn President and CEO

After launching its licensing program this summer, this autumn consumers in USA will be able to buy select movies and TV shows with UltraViolet rights.

According to the consortium Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, UltraViolet combines cloud access with multiple content services for devices. If successful, UltraViolet will carry over into AV integrator’s use of content for certain corporate situations, product demos, cinema, staging, and in some specific cases in digital signage.

This unified set of standards for the digital distribution of premium content, branded under UltraViolet is supported by Sony, Intel, Cisco, HP, Microsoft, Adobe, Comcast, Fox, NBC Universal, Netflix, Warner Bros. and more.

Who’s against it? Apple, of course. And Disney (who has its own propriety system).

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (proposed ATSC standard for delivery of non-live content to both fixed and mobile broadcast receivers) says receivers will now be built to support different codecs, compression, and container file formats that define how video, audio and subtitles may be stored (and played back in sync) via compliant files like AVC, MP3 and DTS-HD audio— and now UltraViolet’s Common File Format (CFF)

The UltraViolet CFF may look like just another format (like MPEG, AVI, Quicktime) but it carries encryption for use with multiple DRM systems: from the device, it can manage and protect rights, control content usage, and authentic/authorize devices.

Companies like DTS (multi-channel cinema system) and Digital Rapids (software-downloads industry) will start providing Ultraviolet-compatible content development tools.

Does Ultraviolet have the industry support and technology to change how content is protected? We are close to finding out…less than a year, in our opinion.

Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation (wavelength shorter than visible light, but longer than X-rays) with frequencies higher than those that humans can identify as the color violet. Presumably the brand Ultraviolet should imply the technology is embedded and invisible to the user (unless content rights are “ultraviol-ated.”)

Ultraviolet radiation is invisible to the human eye, so most people don’t know the benefits and are only aware of UV from sunburn. DRM works in kind of the same way as UV spectrum: content users don’t often see the benefits (but there are many) and are only aware when they themselves get burned.

Go Our Earlier Article Explaining Ultraviolet