World is growing faster to the digital ,through digital world everyone is comfortable because easy portable easy archiveable so now World Digital Library
The World Digital Library will make available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and other significant cultural materials. The objectives of the World Digital Library are to promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research.
The Planning Process
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington proposed the establishment of a World Digital Library (WDL) in a speech to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in June 2005. The Library of Congress is currently engaged in a planning process to determine how this vision can be realized. Participants in the planning process include national libraries and other libraries and cultural institutions from around the world that have expressed interest in joining the project, as well as UNESCO and IFLA. The planning process is being underwritten by a gift from Google, Inc.
UNESCO-Library of Congress Experts Meeting
UNESCO and US Library of Congress host meeting on World Digital Library project01-12-2006 (UNESCO)
The Library of Congress Initiative for a World Digital Library Discussion Paper
Opening Remarks by James H. Billington to the UNESCO-Library of Congress Experts Meeting
Agenda
List of Participants
World Digital Library Web Site Demonstration (PDF, 2.45MB)
World Digital Library Prototype
At the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on October 17, 2007 the Library of Congress, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Brazil, the National Library and Archives of Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library presented a prototype of the future World Digital Library. The prototype features books, manuscripts, maps, films, prints and photographs, and sound recordings contributed by the partner institutions. It functions in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and includes content in additional languages. Other features include search and browse by place, time, topic, type of item, and contributing institution; a “Memory of” section devoted to in-depth exploration of the culture and history of individual countries; and videos by curators that explain why particular primary source documents are important and what they tell us about a culture.
more >>>>
Sources : http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org/project/english/index.html
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Study: Digital universe and its impact bigger than we thought
IT organizations will need to transform their existing relationships with business units,
A white paper released today from IDC revised the research firm's earlier estimates to show that by 2011, the amount of electronic data created and stored will grow to 10 times the 180 exabytes that existed in 2006, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of almost 60%.
By 2011, there will be 1,800 exabytes of electronic data in existence, or 1.8 zettabytes (an exabyte is equal to 1 billion gigabytes). In fact, the number of bits stored already exceeds the estimated number of stars in the universe, IDC stated. And because data is growing by a factor of 10 every five years, by 2023 the number of stored bits will surpass Avogadro's number, which is the number of carbon atoms in 12 grams, or 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.022 x 10^23).
See also: "From bits to yottabytes. How much data is that?"
The study, "The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe," also found that the rate at which electronic containers for that data — files, images, packets and tag contents — is growing 50% faster than the data itself. And in the year 2011, data will be contained in more than 20 quadrillion — 20 million billion — of those containers, creating a tremendous management challenge for both businesses and consumers.
The study is an updated forecast to a white paper released last March.
Along with the new white paper, which was sponsored by EMC Corp., IDC created a "Personal Digital Footprint Calculator," which resides on the same Web page as EMC's worldwide digital growth-tracking ticker, which counts the amount of data created second by second.
"Obviously, none of us will relate to a number with 21 zeros at the end. The way that the ticker is practically blurred at the far end we hope will give people an idea of the pace — of how fast this is happening. In a way, this is the message of the study," John F. Gantz, IDC's chief research officer, said in a recorded interview.
IDC also acknowledged that it underestimated earlier digital data figures for 2007, saying the actual amount of data — 281 exabytes — is 10% greater than it had previously forecasted in the first "Digital Universe" study (see "A zettabyte by 2010: Corporate data grows fiftyfold in three years"). IDC said the bigger numbers were the result of faster growth in digital cameras and televisions, as well as a better understanding of data replication.
The diversity of the digital data that's producing massive growth runs the gamut, from 6GB movies on DVD to 128-bit signals from RFID tags.
Less than half of the digital data being created by individuals can be accounted for by user activities, such as photos, phone calls and e-mails. The majority of the data is made up by what IDC calls digital "shadows" — including surveillance photos, Web search histories, financial transaction journals and mailing lists.
Gantz said the impact of the tremendous data growth — even if the data is not being created within the company's four walls — will directly affect CIOs. A CIO in a data center that has been crunching numbers in IBM format for 40 years "may be surprised what will happen" when all of a sudden all the voice calls in the enterprise are stored on disk and all the video cameras that used to be closed-circuit TVs are now digital surveillance cameras forcing you to deal with video files, Gantz said.
Also, much of the data being created by consumers outside of an enterprise's four walls will still force that company to protect the data. "At some point in the life of every file, or bit or packet, 85% of that information somewhere goes through a corporate computer, Web site, network or asset," Gantz said. "The corporation at that point in time has responsibility for that information. This is something that can be lost on the CIOs of the enterprises."
It's not until Viacom sues Google for a billion dollars for the information that its customers are putting on these basically rented electronic storage space[s], and all of a sudden Google has got to fight a lawsuit," Gantz said. "Whether they win or lose, it's hundreds of millions of dollars in lawyer fees. So the enterprise is picking up responsibility for information that's not actually created at the hub of the enterprise."
To deal with this explosion of the digital universe in size and complexity, IT organizations will face three main imperatives:
They will need to transform their existing relationships with the business units. It will take all competent hands in an organization to deal with information creation, storage, management, security, retention and disposal in an enterprise. Dealing with the digital universe is not a technical problem alone.
They will need to spearhead the development of organizationwide policies for information governance: information security, information retention, data access and compliance.
They will need to rush new tools and standards into the organization, from storage optimization, unstructured data search and database analytics to resource pooling (virtualization) and management and security tools. All will be required to make the information infrastructure as flexible, adaptable and scalable as possible.
Also adding to the deluge of digital data being created is the worldwide changeover in the next several years from analog TV systems to digital. According to IDC, the number of digital TVs in the world doubled last year and should surpass 500 million by the end of 2011.
Digital growth's impact on the environment
IDC estimates that the amount of electronic waste being created alongside data is already accumulating at more than 1 billion units a year. Most of it comes from mobile phones, but personal digital electronics and PCs are also greatly impacting the environment.
As the world changes over to digital televisions, analog sets and obsolete set-top boxes and DVDs "will be heaped on the waste piles, which will double by 2011," IDC said. How much power will be consumed by the added data glut is more difficult to determine, but manufacturers developing power-saving chips and users installing power-saving systems, including new cooling and management systems, should help. According to a 2006 study by IDC, server power and cooling costs are escalating rapidly as more powerful servers are being introduced. "Power consumption that was 1 kW per server rack in 2000 is now closer to 10 kW," the study found. "Customers building new data centers are planning for 20 kW per rack."
The main findings of the "Digital Universe" study:
The digital universe is bigger than we thought: 281exabytes in 2007 — 10% bigger than we said it would be last year. Digital cameras and security cameras out-shipped our expectations. The digital universe will grow tenfold in five years. In 2007, the digital universe contained more bits (computer 1s and 0s) than there are stars in the physical universe. While 70% of the information in the digital universe is created by individuals, enterprises have some responsibility or liability for 85% of it (think of Google getting sued by Viacom for $1 billion because of the videos uploaded by consumers). There is now more information created in a year than there is capacity to store it. Responsibility for the information in the digital universe by industry does NOT match IT spend or GDP distribution by industry. A single e-mail with a 1MB attachment sent to four colleagues can generate 50MB of information in the digital universe (based on an IDC-like architecture).
A white paper released today from IDC revised the research firm's earlier estimates to show that by 2011, the amount of electronic data created and stored will grow to 10 times the 180 exabytes that existed in 2006, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of almost 60%.
By 2011, there will be 1,800 exabytes of electronic data in existence, or 1.8 zettabytes (an exabyte is equal to 1 billion gigabytes). In fact, the number of bits stored already exceeds the estimated number of stars in the universe, IDC stated. And because data is growing by a factor of 10 every five years, by 2023 the number of stored bits will surpass Avogadro's number, which is the number of carbon atoms in 12 grams, or 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.022 x 10^23).
See also: "From bits to yottabytes. How much data is that?"
The study, "The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe," also found that the rate at which electronic containers for that data — files, images, packets and tag contents — is growing 50% faster than the data itself. And in the year 2011, data will be contained in more than 20 quadrillion — 20 million billion — of those containers, creating a tremendous management challenge for both businesses and consumers.
The study is an updated forecast to a white paper released last March.
Along with the new white paper, which was sponsored by EMC Corp., IDC created a "Personal Digital Footprint Calculator," which resides on the same Web page as EMC's worldwide digital growth-tracking ticker, which counts the amount of data created second by second.
"Obviously, none of us will relate to a number with 21 zeros at the end. The way that the ticker is practically blurred at the far end we hope will give people an idea of the pace — of how fast this is happening. In a way, this is the message of the study," John F. Gantz, IDC's chief research officer, said in a recorded interview.
IDC also acknowledged that it underestimated earlier digital data figures for 2007, saying the actual amount of data — 281 exabytes — is 10% greater than it had previously forecasted in the first "Digital Universe" study (see "A zettabyte by 2010: Corporate data grows fiftyfold in three years"). IDC said the bigger numbers were the result of faster growth in digital cameras and televisions, as well as a better understanding of data replication.
The diversity of the digital data that's producing massive growth runs the gamut, from 6GB movies on DVD to 128-bit signals from RFID tags.
Less than half of the digital data being created by individuals can be accounted for by user activities, such as photos, phone calls and e-mails. The majority of the data is made up by what IDC calls digital "shadows" — including surveillance photos, Web search histories, financial transaction journals and mailing lists.
Gantz said the impact of the tremendous data growth — even if the data is not being created within the company's four walls — will directly affect CIOs. A CIO in a data center that has been crunching numbers in IBM format for 40 years "may be surprised what will happen" when all of a sudden all the voice calls in the enterprise are stored on disk and all the video cameras that used to be closed-circuit TVs are now digital surveillance cameras forcing you to deal with video files, Gantz said.
Also, much of the data being created by consumers outside of an enterprise's four walls will still force that company to protect the data. "At some point in the life of every file, or bit or packet, 85% of that information somewhere goes through a corporate computer, Web site, network or asset," Gantz said. "The corporation at that point in time has responsibility for that information. This is something that can be lost on the CIOs of the enterprises."
It's not until Viacom sues Google for a billion dollars for the information that its customers are putting on these basically rented electronic storage space[s], and all of a sudden Google has got to fight a lawsuit," Gantz said. "Whether they win or lose, it's hundreds of millions of dollars in lawyer fees. So the enterprise is picking up responsibility for information that's not actually created at the hub of the enterprise."
To deal with this explosion of the digital universe in size and complexity, IT organizations will face three main imperatives:
They will need to transform their existing relationships with the business units. It will take all competent hands in an organization to deal with information creation, storage, management, security, retention and disposal in an enterprise. Dealing with the digital universe is not a technical problem alone.
They will need to spearhead the development of organizationwide policies for information governance: information security, information retention, data access and compliance.
They will need to rush new tools and standards into the organization, from storage optimization, unstructured data search and database analytics to resource pooling (virtualization) and management and security tools. All will be required to make the information infrastructure as flexible, adaptable and scalable as possible.
Also adding to the deluge of digital data being created is the worldwide changeover in the next several years from analog TV systems to digital. According to IDC, the number of digital TVs in the world doubled last year and should surpass 500 million by the end of 2011.
Digital growth's impact on the environment
IDC estimates that the amount of electronic waste being created alongside data is already accumulating at more than 1 billion units a year. Most of it comes from mobile phones, but personal digital electronics and PCs are also greatly impacting the environment.
As the world changes over to digital televisions, analog sets and obsolete set-top boxes and DVDs "will be heaped on the waste piles, which will double by 2011," IDC said. How much power will be consumed by the added data glut is more difficult to determine, but manufacturers developing power-saving chips and users installing power-saving systems, including new cooling and management systems, should help. According to a 2006 study by IDC, server power and cooling costs are escalating rapidly as more powerful servers are being introduced. "Power consumption that was 1 kW per server rack in 2000 is now closer to 10 kW," the study found. "Customers building new data centers are planning for 20 kW per rack."
The main findings of the "Digital Universe" study:
The digital universe is bigger than we thought: 281exabytes in 2007 — 10% bigger than we said it would be last year. Digital cameras and security cameras out-shipped our expectations. The digital universe will grow tenfold in five years. In 2007, the digital universe contained more bits (computer 1s and 0s) than there are stars in the physical universe. While 70% of the information in the digital universe is created by individuals, enterprises have some responsibility or liability for 85% of it (think of Google getting sued by Viacom for $1 billion because of the videos uploaded by consumers). There is now more information created in a year than there is capacity to store it. Responsibility for the information in the digital universe by industry does NOT match IT spend or GDP distribution by industry. A single e-mail with a 1MB attachment sent to four colleagues can generate 50MB of information in the digital universe (based on an IDC-like architecture).
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Drive Maker Western Digital Corp Plans to Cut 2,500 Jobs
Western Digital Corp. said it would slash about 2,500 jobs, as falling demand for computers and electronics hurt disk-drive makers.
The company also lowered its revenue outlook for the current quarter. As a result, the Lake Forest, Calif.-based company said it plans to reduce production and cut operating expenses across the company.
Western Digital will halt most of its manufacturing operations from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. It will also close one of its three manufacturing facilities in Thailand, and close or sell one of two manufacturing facilities in Malaysia.
Western Digital Corp (WDC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said quarterly revenue would miss estimates due to weak disk- drive demand, adding that it plans to halt some operations during the holidays and cut some 5 percent of its workforce to trim costs.
Shares of the world's second-largest maker of computer disk drives fell about 3 percent on Wednesday after it said demand for hard drives in the second quarter that will end on Dec. 26 was "significantly below" expectations.
Western Digital forecast revenue of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion for the period. Analysts surveyed by Reuters Estimates had on average expected $1.97 billion. In October, the company had anticipated revenue of $2.03 billion to $2.15 billion.
The move comes one week after rival Seagate Technologies (STX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) also slashed its outlook for the current quarter and said it will institute a temporary company-wide shutdown.
Analysts blamed the shortfall to weakness in the personal computer market, which like most other industries has seen demand shrink during the global economic downturn.
"Industry pricing is also significantly more competitive than forecasted," the company added in a statement.
To cut costs, Western Digital will halt the majority of its manufacturing operations from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1, reduce worldwide headcount by about 2,500 people, and pare compensation of its executive officers, board and senior management.
The company expects to complete the moves by March and to take combined charges of $150 million in the December and March quarters as a result. It estimated savings of $150 million annually.
"We believe this realignment is the appropriate action given current difficult conditions and expect we will see Seagate mirror WD's actions when it announces its own restructuring plan next month," analyst Avi Cohen, head of research at Avian Securities, said in a client note.
Western Digital's shares fell 25 cents to $12.25 on the New York Stock Exchange, while rival data storage company NetApp Inc (NTAP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares fell 5.7 percent to $13.63. Seagate shares edged 4 cents higher to $4.49.
Last week NetApp said it would close a product line that experienced unexpectedly low demand, and will close a facility in Haifa, Israel, which employs 51 people. (Reporting by Franklin Paul; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Maureen Bavdek)
The company also lowered its revenue outlook for the current quarter. As a result, the Lake Forest, Calif.-based company said it plans to reduce production and cut operating expenses across the company.
Western Digital will halt most of its manufacturing operations from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. It will also close one of its three manufacturing facilities in Thailand, and close or sell one of two manufacturing facilities in Malaysia.
Western Digital Corp (WDC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said quarterly revenue would miss estimates due to weak disk- drive demand, adding that it plans to halt some operations during the holidays and cut some 5 percent of its workforce to trim costs.
Shares of the world's second-largest maker of computer disk drives fell about 3 percent on Wednesday after it said demand for hard drives in the second quarter that will end on Dec. 26 was "significantly below" expectations.
Western Digital forecast revenue of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion for the period. Analysts surveyed by Reuters Estimates had on average expected $1.97 billion. In October, the company had anticipated revenue of $2.03 billion to $2.15 billion.
The move comes one week after rival Seagate Technologies (STX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) also slashed its outlook for the current quarter and said it will institute a temporary company-wide shutdown.
Analysts blamed the shortfall to weakness in the personal computer market, which like most other industries has seen demand shrink during the global economic downturn.
"Industry pricing is also significantly more competitive than forecasted," the company added in a statement.
To cut costs, Western Digital will halt the majority of its manufacturing operations from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1, reduce worldwide headcount by about 2,500 people, and pare compensation of its executive officers, board and senior management.
The company expects to complete the moves by March and to take combined charges of $150 million in the December and March quarters as a result. It estimated savings of $150 million annually.
"We believe this realignment is the appropriate action given current difficult conditions and expect we will see Seagate mirror WD's actions when it announces its own restructuring plan next month," analyst Avi Cohen, head of research at Avian Securities, said in a client note.
Western Digital's shares fell 25 cents to $12.25 on the New York Stock Exchange, while rival data storage company NetApp Inc (NTAP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares fell 5.7 percent to $13.63. Seagate shares edged 4 cents higher to $4.49.
Last week NetApp said it would close a product line that experienced unexpectedly low demand, and will close a facility in Haifa, Israel, which employs 51 people. (Reporting by Franklin Paul; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Maureen Bavdek)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
High-Definition Home Entertainment Connectivity by Valens Semiconductor
Valens is a fabless semiconductor company enabling simplified long-reach wired connectivity of uncompressed high-definition (HD) multimedia content.Valens' patent-pending HDBaseTTM technology is the first to enable long-reach wired connectivity of uncompressed HD multimedia content over a single standard Cat-5e/6 cable
At the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place January 8 - 11 in Las Vegas, Valens will introduce HDBaseT(TM) technology in South Hall 2, Booth 27006. Valens is working towards creating HDBaseT as the new digital connectivity standard for HD multimedia distribution by overcoming the limitations of current wired and wireless technologies, while ensuring content rights for Hollywood studios and other content providers.
Valens is headed by Dror Jerushalmi, who was previously Director of Business Development at Saifun (NASDAQ:SFUN), VP Marketing at Emblaze Semiconductors, and VP Business Development at Tioga. Valens' founding team also includes Eyal Massad and Eyran Lida, who were part of the founding team of Mysticom, a developer of high speed communication integrated circuits. Additional team members include former Mysticom and TranSwitch employees.
According to Dror Jerushalmi, CEO of Valens, "In addition to enabling the company to accelerate product development this investment represents a significant vote of confidence in the company's solution. Valens' product line meets an increasingly growing need in the consumer electronic market."
Dr. Eyal Kishon, Founder and Managing Partner of Genesis Partners, stated, "Genesis Partner has been following Valens' development since our early seed investment in company 6 months ago. Valens has assembled an exceptional team of entrepreneurs with a proven track record. The company is developing an innovative offering that addresses a growing market. We are very excited with this partnership and believe in the company's potential to become a dominant player in this market."
Eitan Dekel, a Partner at Magma, stated, "The high definition video technology space creates an environment for creativity and tremendous growth potential. Valens' experienced entrepreneurial team has the opportunity to penetrate this market with unique technology, and we are pleased to partner with them in order to realize this potential."
About Genesis
At the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place January 8 - 11 in Las Vegas, Valens will introduce HDBaseT(TM) technology in South Hall 2, Booth 27006. Valens is working towards creating HDBaseT as the new digital connectivity standard for HD multimedia distribution by overcoming the limitations of current wired and wireless technologies, while ensuring content rights for Hollywood studios and other content providers.
Valens is headed by Dror Jerushalmi, who was previously Director of Business Development at Saifun (NASDAQ:SFUN), VP Marketing at Emblaze Semiconductors, and VP Business Development at Tioga. Valens' founding team also includes Eyal Massad and Eyran Lida, who were part of the founding team of Mysticom, a developer of high speed communication integrated circuits. Additional team members include former Mysticom and TranSwitch employees.
According to Dror Jerushalmi, CEO of Valens, "In addition to enabling the company to accelerate product development this investment represents a significant vote of confidence in the company's solution. Valens' product line meets an increasingly growing need in the consumer electronic market."
Dr. Eyal Kishon, Founder and Managing Partner of Genesis Partners, stated, "Genesis Partner has been following Valens' development since our early seed investment in company 6 months ago. Valens has assembled an exceptional team of entrepreneurs with a proven track record. The company is developing an innovative offering that addresses a growing market. We are very excited with this partnership and believe in the company's potential to become a dominant player in this market."
Eitan Dekel, a Partner at Magma, stated, "The high definition video technology space creates an environment for creativity and tremendous growth potential. Valens' experienced entrepreneurial team has the opportunity to penetrate this market with unique technology, and we are pleased to partner with them in order to realize this potential."
About Genesis
PartnersGenesis Partners is a leading Israeli venture capital firm focused on early stage companies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sectors. Established in 1996, Genesis Partners manages over $500 million in capital commitments across three funds, and has made over 70 investments with 26 successful exits. Genesis Partners has strong ties to the Israeli entrepreneurial community and the global technology industry, and a strong team of venture professionals with extensive experience in venture capital, technology, operations and entrepreneurship. For more information, please visit www.genesispartners.com.
About Magma Venture Partners
About Magma Venture Partners
Magma Venture Partners is a venture capital fund specializing in Early Stage investments in the Israeli related communications and semiconductor industry, the largest sector within technological investments in Israel. Magma invests in fields such as: wireless networking, network infrastructure, communication technology semiconductors, security and data storage, and software applications. Magma Venture Partners currently manages US$180 Million in two funds, Magma I and II. Magma I was established in 1999 and raised 75 million dollars and Magma II was established in 2006 with US$ 105 Million. The Fund's four partners include: Yahal Zilka, Modi Rosen, Shraga Katz, and Eitan Dekel. For more information, please visit www.magmavc.com
About Valens Semiconductor
Valens Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company, enables the distribution of multimedia content in the high growth HD home entertainment market through HDBaseT(TM) technology. Valens' HDBaseT technology is the new digital connectivity enabling simplified long-reach wired connectivity and simultaneous distribution of uncompressed video, audio and Internet via a single LAN cable. Founded in 2006, Valens is a privately held company with financial backing from leading Israel-based venture capital firms Genesis Partners and Magma Venture Partners. The company has offices in Israel and Washington state, USA and representatives in Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea. For more information, please visit http://www.valens-semi.com/. Sales Contact:
Micha Risling
VP of Marketing
+ 972 (0) 9 7626900
Micha.risling@valens-semi.com
Media Contact:
Jennifer Hicks
ink Communications for Valens
+ 31 (0) 611 278 358
+1 617 959 7794 in North America
Jennifer@theinkstudio.com
About Valens Semiconductor
Valens Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company, enables the distribution of multimedia content in the high growth HD home entertainment market through HDBaseT(TM) technology. Valens' HDBaseT technology is the new digital connectivity enabling simplified long-reach wired connectivity and simultaneous distribution of uncompressed video, audio and Internet via a single LAN cable. Founded in 2006, Valens is a privately held company with financial backing from leading Israel-based venture capital firms Genesis Partners and Magma Venture Partners. The company has offices in Israel and Washington state, USA and representatives in Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea. For more information, please visit http://www.valens-semi.com/. Sales Contact:
Micha Risling
VP of Marketing
+ 972 (0) 9 7626900
Micha.risling@valens-semi.com
Media Contact:
Jennifer Hicks
ink Communications for Valens
+ 31 (0) 611 278 358
+1 617 959 7794 in North America
Jennifer@theinkstudio.com
Tune tv to Digital
Time is almost over before old-style broadcast TV, now federally mandated digital transmission, and the government said Monday it is funding local assistance centers in San Francisco and other cities to help viewers who are struggling to cope with the transition.
The community-based programs will provide services such as hands-on instruction in installing digital converter boxes to elderly, low-income and non-English-speaking residents. Neighborhood organizers such as Anni Chung, CEO of Self Help for the Elderly in San Francisco, had been trying to meet those needs on their own. Now, with funds from a government grant, a San Francisco community center will be able to translate instruction booklets for Chinese speakers and help homebound seniors who can't come in for a workshop on the digital box, she said.
"With this grant, we can hire installers to go to their homes," Chung said.
The $1.6 million grant will be administered by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that had been urging the government to support on-the-ground services for vulnerable consumers for more than a year. The organization has been racing to line up community groups to do the work since it received the grant Nov. 21, said spokesman Mark Lloyd.
Due to the challenging timeline, the Leadership Conference fund cannot yet identify the local groups that will host DTV Assistance Centers in San Francisco, Oakland, and six other U.S. metropolitan areas. The centers themselves won't open until January.
The program is part of an eleventh-hour effort by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to reach consumers at risk of seeing their TV screens suddenly blink into electronic snow on Feb. 17. That's when most broadcast stations will be required to switch off their analog transmitters in favor of a digital signal that can't be picked up by older televisions.
The conversion offers potential boons to viewers, the electronics industry and the government. TV watchers are being promised higher-quality images and sound; the government is auctioning off $20 billion in rights to the old analog frequencies to wireless broadband companies such as Verizon; and electronics manufacturers have a chance to sell new TVs with a built-in capacity to pick up digital signals. Cable services, which can carry the digital signal into old-style TVs, also are mining the opportunity to sign up new customers who watch only over-the-air broadcasts.
Those die-hard consumers can still receive digital TV free with their old TV and rabbit ears, but they need to buy a digital converter box. The government dedicated $1.5 billion to a coupon program to help on-air viewers pay for the boxes. But only $5 million was originally earmarked for educational outreach efforts to help consumers navigate the technological challenges of the transition.
TV stations, broadcasters' groups and other trade associations have pitched in with on-air public service announcements worth roughly $1 billion. However, faced with data indicating that some people weren't getting the message, or couldn't understand it, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration diverted an extra $5 million to grassroots community programs such as those being organized by the Leadership Conference. The agency, which administers the DTV coupon program, also awarded a $2.7 million grant to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
Making the transition
-- For more information on the conversion, call (888) 388-2009. Translators are available.
-- Hearing-impaired customers should call (877) 530-2634.
-- More information can be found online at www.dtv2009.gov.
-- Supplies are limited of the $40 federal voucher intended to defray the cost of the converter box that makes analog TVs work. Coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed. Requests must be received by March 31, but people are urged to apply as soon as possible. You can apply for a coupon online or by phone at the above numbers. No more than two coupons per household are permitted.
E-mail Bernadette Tansey at btansey@sfchronicle.com.
The community-based programs will provide services such as hands-on instruction in installing digital converter boxes to elderly, low-income and non-English-speaking residents. Neighborhood organizers such as Anni Chung, CEO of Self Help for the Elderly in San Francisco, had been trying to meet those needs on their own. Now, with funds from a government grant, a San Francisco community center will be able to translate instruction booklets for Chinese speakers and help homebound seniors who can't come in for a workshop on the digital box, she said.
"With this grant, we can hire installers to go to their homes," Chung said.
The $1.6 million grant will be administered by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that had been urging the government to support on-the-ground services for vulnerable consumers for more than a year. The organization has been racing to line up community groups to do the work since it received the grant Nov. 21, said spokesman Mark Lloyd.
Due to the challenging timeline, the Leadership Conference fund cannot yet identify the local groups that will host DTV Assistance Centers in San Francisco, Oakland, and six other U.S. metropolitan areas. The centers themselves won't open until January.
The program is part of an eleventh-hour effort by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to reach consumers at risk of seeing their TV screens suddenly blink into electronic snow on Feb. 17. That's when most broadcast stations will be required to switch off their analog transmitters in favor of a digital signal that can't be picked up by older televisions.
The conversion offers potential boons to viewers, the electronics industry and the government. TV watchers are being promised higher-quality images and sound; the government is auctioning off $20 billion in rights to the old analog frequencies to wireless broadband companies such as Verizon; and electronics manufacturers have a chance to sell new TVs with a built-in capacity to pick up digital signals. Cable services, which can carry the digital signal into old-style TVs, also are mining the opportunity to sign up new customers who watch only over-the-air broadcasts.
Those die-hard consumers can still receive digital TV free with their old TV and rabbit ears, but they need to buy a digital converter box. The government dedicated $1.5 billion to a coupon program to help on-air viewers pay for the boxes. But only $5 million was originally earmarked for educational outreach efforts to help consumers navigate the technological challenges of the transition.
TV stations, broadcasters' groups and other trade associations have pitched in with on-air public service announcements worth roughly $1 billion. However, faced with data indicating that some people weren't getting the message, or couldn't understand it, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration diverted an extra $5 million to grassroots community programs such as those being organized by the Leadership Conference. The agency, which administers the DTV coupon program, also awarded a $2.7 million grant to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
Making the transition
-- For more information on the conversion, call (888) 388-2009. Translators are available.
-- Hearing-impaired customers should call (877) 530-2634.
-- More information can be found online at www.dtv2009.gov.
-- Supplies are limited of the $40 federal voucher intended to defray the cost of the converter box that makes analog TVs work. Coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed. Requests must be received by March 31, but people are urged to apply as soon as possible. You can apply for a coupon online or by phone at the above numbers. No more than two coupons per household are permitted.
E-mail Bernadette Tansey at btansey@sfchronicle.com.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Digital Mammography World Markets
The women’s mammography segment is poised for a major new phase of growth fueled by the availability of new technology coming out of the computer and digital areas and the higher interest of individual patients and general healthcare consumers to take charge of their own health status. Continuous improvements in technology are resulting in a growing number of new imaging diagnostic tests that combine high levels of accuracy with rapid, easy-to-use product formats. Digital mammography is driving more screening programs. The emphasis in this report is on those companies and products that are actively developing and marketing clinical laboratory instrumentation and reagents and supplies for performing diagnostic tests on conditions specifically related to women’s health. This study concentrates on the mammography market segment in large worldwide markets such as the U.S., Japan and Europe. Certain areas that are not covered include what is generally characterized as digital imaging techniques instruments and reagents, PACS or other data storage methods, or other medical imaging technologies, although many of the instruments, reagents and techniques in the mammography market segment are intimately associated with these broader areas. Specialty areas in medical imaging are touched upon, since these segments are frequently a part of the overall analytical focus of companies marketing general mammography equipment. However, no effort is made to quantify the size of this broader market.
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