News Blog

Propelled by a servo-actuated two-link tails and flapping pectoral fins, a new breed of robofish programmed to swim in schools may soon be used to track oil spills or wildlife such as whales, according to researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.

By mimicking a fish's natural propulsion mechanics these "autonomous fin-actuated underwater vehicles" are able to swim in any direction, make tight turns, and even go backwards, researchers say. The university is testing three of the vehicles in an indoor freshwater tank equipped with a four-camera tracking system to supplement data collected by onboard sensors.

(Credit: University of Washington)

One of their challenges is how to coordinate the artificial fish so that they work together. But radio signals don't travel well underwater, forcing robots in previous experiments to surface periodically to receive orders from central command or, worse, be being linked by cable.

These fish are more independent--controlling and coordinating their own actions using onboard microprocessor for collecting data and computing control commands, a pressure sensor for gauging depth, and a 3D compass all powered by NiMH rechargeable batteries. When they do need to communicate with one another, they use sonar-like "pings" from acoustic modems.

The three fish in this latest experiment kept it together despite losing roughly half of the information packets, which shows the system is relatively robust. "With a group of vehicles you can get more data collection at the same time than with just one. You get better spatial distribution and cover more area," Kristi Morgansen, a UW roboticist, told New Scientist.

The military thinks it's a good idea too. The U.S. Office of Naval Research wants to fund its own fishy version that would use cameras to gather data and then share the intel via sonar. Eh, herding whales sounds like more fun.

The Pioneer Inno

(Credit: Pioneer)

EMI Group is the latest major music label to reach a settlement with XM Satellite Radio over the Pioneer Inno device, the companies announced Tuesday.

EMI, one of several music labels that filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against XM in May 2006, is withdrawing from the complaint. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The initial lawsuit stems from XM's Pioneer Inno, which has the capability to record and store music delivered over satellite radio. EMI, along with other major music labels, had contended that the device could violate their copyrights.

With the settlement, EMI is joining Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which in December also reached a settlement with XM. Last February, Sony BMG and XM also settled.

Students at one Missouri university don't just have to take surprise quizzes on economics, chemistry, or Spanish these days. They also get pop quizzes on digital copyright law. The online test aims to prevent piracy and violation of copyright laws, and if students want access to peer-to-peer file sharing, they have to ace it.

According to an Associated Press report, the Missouri University of Science and Technology now requires students to correctly answer six questions about digital copyright law before they can use peer-to-peer tools. If they pass the test, they get six hours of access to the software.

Students are limited to eight monthly stints (of six hours consecutive each) with peer-to-peer software during the academic year, and they must take the test each time they want to use it. The school, located in Rolla, Mo., near the Ozarks, introduced the test as an alternative to taking away access to peer-to-peer file sharing from students and faculty.

A fear of lawsuits from the recording industry has prompted many schools to suspend access altogether. In November, Congress began pushing schools receiving federal funding to develop alternatives--such as subscription-based services or technology-based deterrents--to prevent students from engaging in copyright violations and piracy.

In May, a new law passed in Tennessee requiring any higher-education institution in the state to develop and enforce a policy that prohibits its students from committing copyright infringement.

Tim Doty, Missouri S&T campus systems security analyst, told the AP that the school still wanted to allow peer-to-peer access, "but in a controlled fashion. We're providing them the information to make an informed decision."

Doty said the pre-access quiz appears to be the first such test on a U.S. campus, and he says it cut complaints from the recording industry from 200 during the 2006-2007 school year to a mere eight in the school year just wrapping up.

Unlike regular school quizzes, once students pass this one, it's not the end of the story. If Missouri S&T students don't follow the copyright rules, they can lose their Internet privileges or be reprimanded with fines, community service, research projects, or even suspension.

(Credit: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)

New environmentally friendly, nitrogen-based explosives could deliver more of a bang while being safer to handle than traditional charges, according to chemists at the University of Munich in Germany.

When detonated, common explosives now used in military and industrial applications such as TNT and RDX generate toxic gases that pollute the environment. They're also dangerous to handle: They don't like to be dropped or bumped and are super sensitive to electrical sparks.

To make them safer and reduce environmental dangers, German scientists have turned to tetrazoles--synthetic compounds that derive most of their explosive energy from nitrogen instead of carbon, as do many conventional explosives. Tetrazoles are already used to generate the gas to fill the airbags in some cars.

Chemists at the University of Munich made tiny bombs from two tetrazoles called HBT and G2ZT, which not only proved more stable than conventional explosives but more powerful as well, according to researcher Thomas Klapötke. Here's a video that shows it in action.

(Credit: Qtrax.com)

Qtrax, the free music site with the questionable history of signing labels, has cut a licensing agreement with EMI Music, the company announced Tuesday.

"EMI's music will be available free to registered Qtrax users for unlimited streaming or downloading to a PC," the companies said in a statement. "(Users) can also load downloaded tracks on up to three portable devices and play them while their membership remains active."

Here's the rub: users must sync their portable device every two months so the number of plays can be counted so that artists are accurately compensated. New York-based Qtrax offers links to online retailers for users who decide on buying the songs.

Qtrax is an ad-supported music and legal P2P site that is best known for an embarrassing episode last January when all four of the major recording companies denied Qtrax's assertion that it had cut deals with them. Since then, the company has been chugging along.

Last month, Qtrax signed a licensing agreement with Universal Music Group, the largest of the four biggest music labels.

Once Qtrax signs the two remaining majors, Warner Music Group and Sony BMG, and has the licenses it needs, executives have said it will offer more than 25 million songs. The company has already signed agreements with the publishing units of the four top labels.

What's right about the service is that it's free. What's wrong is that users can't burn music to disc. However, signing more major labels is a step in the right direction for the company.

Microsoft says that there isn't anything in Windows Vista Media Center that would have stopped users from recording two NBC Universal shows earlier this month.

Microsoft said in an e-mail to CNET News.com on Wednesday that Media Center honors flags sent to protect against the recording of pay-per-view channels or video on demand (VOD). The company said that it doesn't prevent the recording of over-the-air digital or QAM digital broadcasts.

"Windows Media Center currently supports and adheres to CGMS-A," a Microsoft spokeswoman said in the e-mail. "Content distributors use CGMS-A in very limited circumstances, such as to protect programs intended for video on demand. Please note that Windows Media Center does not support Broadcast Flag, sometimes referred to as Digital Broadcast Television Redistribution Control, on ATSC and clear QAM."

A controversy began on May 12, when people who attempted to use Windows Vista Media Center to record digital broadcasts of NBC Universal shows American Gladiators and Medium received a message saying the copyright holder had blocked recording of the shows.

This isn't supposed to happen. Television viewers have the right to record shows (that aren't pay per view or video on demand) for personal use. NBC Universal later acknowledged that it accidentally flagged the shows, but what irked some Vista users is that the block couldn't have been carried out unless Windows adhered to the flag.

NBC Universal also said Wednesday that it had discovered that the flag it sent out was CGMS-A.

"It was a CGMS-A flag, not a broadcast flag, that was inadvertently set on those programs," wrote an NBC spokeswoman. "We're not aware of any other issues since then, and the flags were simply mistakes, not a change in policy here."

So where does this leave us? Right back to where we started, with a major media company and the world's premiere software maker denying blame. On the bright side, if you can call it that, the situation has illuminated just how much control over home recording broadcasters have as the country moves from analogue to digital broadcasting.

"This shows the dangers of having these technologies baked into your devices," said someone who deals with such issues and who asked for anonymity due to potential dealings with the companies involved.

Microsoft's response comes a week after saying it had built technology into Vista that adhered to "flags used by broadcasters" that allowed them to "determine how their content is distributed and consumed."

This set off warning bells to some because it looked like Microsoft was obeying an FCC proposal that would have required software and hardware makers honor restrictions on recording digital broadcasts--or flags--issued by TV networks. The courts threw out the FCC's plan in 2005 so Microsoft wasn't required to adhere to such restrictions.

More than a week later, Microsoft says what it meant was that Vista Media Centers adheres to flags for analog broadcasts. CGMS-A is copy protection for analog TV signals and they aren't supposed to be able to block digital signals. But If nothing in Windows Media Centers was designed to block digital broadcasts and NBC Universal never sent a flag to block digital recording, then how were the shows blocked?

Is there a glitch that Microsoft doesn't know about that can be triggered by a CGMS-A flag that prevents the recording of digital broadcasts? Why has Microsoft chosen to adhere to CGMS-A flags?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation isn't waiting for NBC Universal or Microsoft to hand over information. The group that advocates for Internet users has has begun looking for the causes of the block and has asked for help from Vista users to shed light on what's happening.

EFF staffer Danny O'Brien wrote on the group's blog:"We're looking to obtain raw data dumps of the ATSC stream next time your copy of Vista chokes on an over-the-air digital TV feed."

Users of Windows Vista Media Centers who were blocked from recording two NBC shows last week are eager to learn why Microsoft is taking marching orders from broadcasters.

EFF's Danny O'Brien says digital-TV viewers must not lose the rights they owned as analog users.

(Credit: Greg Sandoval)

Microsoft is soon expected to explain why it inserted technology into its Vista operating system that blocked digital-TV viewers from recording their favorite shows. Their current excuse--that Microsoft adheres to regulations proposed by the Federal Communications Commission--makes little sense, as the only rules on controlling recording from broadcast TV were struck down by the courts in 2005.

The controversy began last week, when some Vista Media Center users trying to record from over-the-air digital or basic cable television discovered that they were barred from recording NBC TV shows American Gladiators and Medium.

In what for some was a stunning acknowledgment by Microsoft, the software maker said Windows Media Center honors the flags used by broadcasters to limit recording.

That triggered a wave of speculation. Some people asked if Hollywood had declared war on digital video recorders (DVRs). Some Windows users suspected Microsoft of possibly cutting financial deals with the studios. Others questioned whether a bug within Vista may have caused the block.

To this point, there are more questions than answers. We tried to address a few here.

Are cable and network TV companies trying to undermine the power of DVRs?
There is nothing to indicate that the blocking of the two NBC Universal shows represents some new attempt by the network or the entertainment industry to restrict the recording of over-the-air TV shows. In interviews with CNET News.com, executives of two DVR companies say broadcasters have not pressured them to limit recording--lately, at least.

"I'm not aware of any effort by the industry to prevent people from recording their shows," said Jim Denney, TiVo's vice president of product marketing. He qualified his answer by saying Hollywood doesn't attempt to restrict recording "outside of the regulations already in place, a la CableCard rules." We'll get to those rules later.

One important point to note is that broadcasters frequently block DVRs from recording TV content that isn't broadcast "over the air" (i.e. received by an aerial). Premium cable channels can prevent the recording of movies delivered via video-on-demand, or VOD. But what broadcasters haven't done before is to try to systematically block the recording of content delivered over analog channels or over-the-air digital.

That doesn't mean that they won't, according to Danny O'Brien, a staffer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for Internet users and has launched its own investigation into the NBC block. O'Brien notes that broadcasters have always felt threatened by TiVo and other devices that help viewers skip commercials.

"What the broadcasters and content owners have always wanted is a veto over new technologies," O'Brien said. "They want some way of controlling the powers of devices that they don't like. That's what the fight over the broadcast flag was about."

What is a broadcast flag?
The term "broadcast flag" has taken on several meanings, but it is best known for describing a set of proposals made by the FCC. The commission wanted those that made television software and hardware equipment to honor the flag, a code that broadcasters can insert into the data stream of digital-TV shows that typically place restrictions on the copying of shows.

The courts ruled against the FCC's plan in 2005, saying the regulator couldn't force electronics makers to interpret TV signals a certain way. Since then, those software and hardware companies have had the option of deciding whether to design their systems to obey the broadcasters' flags.

It's important to note that the flag rules were never meant to ban the recording of over-the-air digital broadcasts. They were designed to wall off content, and prevent mass reproduction and piracy. But Vista's remote copy control apparently goes much further and may forbid the recording of broadcast TV shows.

How many people could be affected by this issue?
About 30 million U.S. households are equipped with a DVR, according to research firm Leichtman Research Group. Forrester Research says about a third of the country's households own DVRs and predicts that the percentage will climb to 50 percent by 2010. That number is likely to rise rapidly after February 17, 2009, when all full-power U.S. broadcast television stations will switch from analog to digital broadcasts.

As for Window users, more than 140 million copies of the Vista operating system have been sold, Microsoft said last month. Both Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate contain Media Center, though a tuner is needed to record from TV.

What companies have acknowledged honoring copy controls?
It's unclear whether any other software or hardware makers follow a policy similar to Microsoft's.

O'Brien says companies that do "should come clean" and let consumers know that they could be buying a product that may limit their ability to record.

How do CableCard rules apply?
A CableCard is an interface that enables U.S. consumers to view and record digital cable TV. It allows people to bypass set-top boxes and watch cable broadcasts on DVRs, computers, and TV sets, provided that they have been sanctioned by CableLabs.

CableLabs, a consortium created by the cable industry, must certify all CableCards. Microsoft's Vista operating system supports CableCards, and this can effectively turn a sanctioned PC into a DVR.

CableLabs require CableCard-equipped devices to come with DRM and adhere to commands from broadcasters. Those commands include "copy never," "copy once," and "copy freely." Typically, consumers bump into these flags only when trying to record video-on-demand or pay-per-view programming from premium cable channels. VOD is often protected with a "copy never" or "copy once" command.

To date, it is unclear whether any broadcaster has intentionally tried to use the "copy never" or "copy once" commands to limit recordings from over-the-air digital or basic cable. It's safe to say the practice isn't common. But EFF says the block of American Gladiators proves that it can be done, and O'Brien expects that broadcasters will be under pressure to try it in the future.

Do DVR owners have any rights?
You bet. "You have a fair-use right to record TV content, as specified by the Supreme Court in the now-famous Betamax case," O'Brien said.

"The important thing to remember," he added, "is that digital-TV viewers must not lose any of the rights they owned as analog users."

(Credit: Redlasso.com)

Three of the largest broadcast TV networks have sent a cease-and-desist letter to RedLasso , a little-known but rapidly growing video syndication site.

Fox News Network, NBC Universal, and CBS sent a letter on Monday, accusing the company of "building a business based on the unauthorized syndication of" the content owners' news, sports, and entertainment shows.

RedLasso records TV shows and then indexes clips so users can find, pull, and embed them on other Web sites. Reporter Liz Gannes over at Newteevee.com saw this one coming. Two weeks ago, Gannes noted that RedLasso had grown from 2 million unique users in November to 24 million in April.

Gannes wrote: "Now might be a pretty good time to get permission."

She added later that RedLasso executives told her they were on good terms with broadcasters. The executives' assertions, however, are untrue, the networks said in their letter to RedLasso. In the letter, the entertainment companies wrote that such statements "falsely convey an affiliation...when there is none."

At a time when the networks are giving their content away for free, one has to wonder why RedLasso would even get into this business. Anyone can go to Hulu and grab embed code for many NBC Universal shows without violating the law.

I was in Los Angeles for the Digital Hollywood conference earlier this month and there was plenty of discussion about the influx of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs moving in to make deals with the studios. The big entertainment companies were more open to cutting deals than ever, insiders told me.

They also said that partnerships awaited those that could help the entertainment industry solve problems of advertising, marketing, and syndication on the Internet.

Executives from King of Prussia, Pa.-based RedLasso were unavailable for comment.

Disclosure: CBS has agreed to acquire CNET Networks, publisher of News.com. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

ESPN brings its venerable brand to consumer electronics.

(Credit: espnremote.com)

We got an e-mail Tuesday announcing that ESPN's Wi-Fi remote was going on sale just in time for Father's Day. The remote is simply called ESPN The Ultimate Remote, which shouldn't be confused with another heady remote, Logitech's The One.

While The Ultimate Remote did make an appearance at CES in January, we really hadn't heard anything about it. It looks somewhat like one of Logitech's last-generation Harmony remotes, but it's apparently made by tvCompass, "a provider of digital media solutions."

On paper anyway, ESPN The Ultimate Remote looks like a serious contender. The release notes that the remote not only "manages your home-theater components, set-top boxes, and IP equipment with intuitive 'location-free' setup using a standard wireless connection," but you also get one-touch access to Internet content with an electronic program guide (EPG) for TV listings, a weather widget, mobile Internet browsing, and e-mail and text messaging. The only thing missing seems to be an RF option for accessing components hidden in a cabinet or a closet.

The remote's list price is $300.