Now that the World Cup is forgotten about, attention focuses on the 2012 Olympics in London and the BBC will be looking forward two years to how it will bring out the best of this most magnificent display of athletics.

According to the BBC, the opening and closing ceremonies will be filmed in the 3D format but, before things get out of hand, the BBC is quick to point out that it may be filming in 3D but that is not a guarantee that there will be a 3D Channel on the BBC.
What this will mean is that the BBC will be conducting several experiments in the run up the Olympic Games.

There is an issue though, as in order to be able to film in 3D the BBC will have to seek out agreements with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS).

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BBC planning 3D for the Olympics

BT has signed a deal with the Olympic Broadcasting Services London to provide the broadcast network for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games.

What this deal means is that BT will be providing a fibre network connecting all of the event sites to the main media centre in London.

This is not as easy as it may first sound, as the locations for the many events are spread around the country at twenty one different sites.

The network provided by BT will ensure that the millions of viewers around the world will be able to watch all of the events in high definition.

According to the group director of BT London 2012, this is an exciting project charged with delivering the Olympics to the world.

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BT will deliver fibre network for Olympics

Good old Boris has been making speeches again, and this time managing to avoid offending entire counties with dubious comments.

Speaking at a Google organised event, the mayor of London promised that the city would have blanket wi-fi coverage in time for the 2012 Olympics.

The idea is that every lamppost and every bus stop will be set up with a wireless broadband hotspot.

So people queueing for buses everywhere, or people leaning on street lights waiting for certain little ladies to come by, will be able to surf the net on their phone, tablet or laptop while they wait. Or email the little lady in question and ask her where the hell she is.

It’s an ambitious plan, and one that could have far reaching effects for visitors to the Olympics, but more particularly Londoners, who wouldn’t have to worry about the quality of their 3G network any more.

According to a BBC report, twenty-two London boroughs have already signed up for this scheme, with more to follow.

There is some speculation on the net as to whether or not such a scheme would charge for its wi-fi access. Although that being the case, it would seem much less of a boon.

See more here:
Boris Johnson promises London-wide wi-fi for the Olympics

Envivio Inc has announced SilverLive TV, which brings video content to PCs and Macs over both wired and wireless networks.
SilverLive TV is the first solutions based on Microsoft’s Silverlight 3 technology, to deliver premium video services over the Internet to both platforms.
Using Envivio’s video processing enhancements and Digital Rights Management (DRM) interfaces, SilverLive TV [...]

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Envivio Announces SilverLiveTV

The
Open IPTV Forum has published the detailed system and protocol specifications – Release
1 IPTV Solution Specifications – which will enable the widespread deployment of IPTV
services.

IPTV – digital television received through the same technologies used for computer
networks, using Internet Protocol – will revolutionise the way people experience television.
IPTV will provide new interactive services; in addition to the ability to interact
with scheduled programmes, such as voting with their remote control, IPTV also provides
Content on Demand, where users select content items they want to watch at a time of
their choosing. IPTV can be integrated with communication services such as presence
and text messaging, allowing users not only to see if their friends are online, but
also to chat or share information about the show that they are watching on TV, or
receive on-screen notifications about incoming calls or requests for video chat. IPTV
will also allow the integration of mobile and fixed TV.

With the publication of Release 1, the Open IPTV Forum is delivering on its promise
to open up access to the interactive and personalised services offered by IPTV. Together
with the profiles that will be delivered in spring 2009, these new specifications
will allow the industry to deploy IPTV networks and devices that interoperate, while
at the same time offering an evolution path for the future. Such networks and devices
will enable IPTV services that are easy to use as well as attractive to the end-user.

Release 1 is contained in seven volumes of specifications:

• Volume 1 – Overview
• Volume 2 – Media Formats
• Volume 3 – Content Meta Data

Volume 4 – Protocols for Home Network, User-Network and Network-Network interfaces

• Volume 5 – Declarative Application Environment
• Volume 6 – Procedural Application Environment
• Volume 7 – Authentication, Content Protection and Service Protection

These are accompanied by an updated version of the Functional Architecture specification
for Release 1. The documents can all be downloaded from the Forum’s
website.

The Forum will now begin work immediately on Release 2, which is scheduled for completion
by the end of 2009, and will address the issues of interoperability testing and profiling.
The Service and Platform Requirements for Release 2, which will guide the Forum’s
work for the coming year, are also available at the Forum’s
website

A revised version of the Forum’s White Paper, which describes the world of IPTV in
general and the vision of the Open IPTV Forum, now includes a section explaining the
new specifications.

Read more here:
The Open IPTV Forum Publishes: Release 1 IPTV Solution Specifications