Page 4 Soul InFo-Tech February 3, 2008
Soul Page 5
Future of TV
Television is changing, with a raft of new services, delivered over new platforms,
DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK!
B Y Tby
Compiled
E
Sandrina Abeywardene
set to transform the way we watch
RoboForm2Go
Digital
HIGH DEFINITION RoboForm2Go is a secure password manager and form filler. It stores
Digital TV can be sent through an aerial, all your login information and can run directly from a USB drive. Once
Nature programmes have leapt at the chance to use High satellite, cable or phone line, and to watch it you launched, it attaches itself to Internet Explorer (or other IE based
definition need a set-top box or a built-in decoder in your browser) and allows you to login to your sites with a single click from
High definition television, or HDTV, is TV set. the toolbar. When you remove the USB drive from the host computer, no
a new format for watching programmes, As well as extra channels, digital also provides traces of Pass2Go are left behind. The program can also store personal
offering sharper, clearer and brighter improved quality, electronic programme guides data for automatic form filling or reference (credit card numbers, social
pictures and better sound. and interactive features via the red button, like security, driver license numbers etc.). Pass2Go uses AES encryption and
You need an HD-ready TV and an HD voting or extra coverage such as Ashes highlights. password protection to secure your data on the USB drive. The auto-
set-top box or decoder to receive the While analogue signals work by transmitting login features work in Internet Explorer and IE-based browsers, however
programmes, which are sent through digital sounds and pictures as continuously varying you can also access your stored data from the program interface on any
signals. waves, digital information is sent as compressed computer, regardless of any browser. The free version allows you to store
Televisions are considered HD-ready if the computerised pulses of information, coded as 1s up to 10 logins.
screen has enough pixels to display a high and 0s.
definition picture and must be capable of Because these signals take up much less space Download at : http://www.roboform.com/download.html
displaying pictures with either 720 or 1080 than analogue, more channels can be squeezed
Mobiles linked to
vertical lines. into the same airwaves.
The programmes themselves must be
made and transmitted in HD.
disturbed sleep
ON DEMAND
Internet
names for
“On demand” means
being able to throw MOBILE
away the TV schedule
and watch what you Mobile phones
AsIA
want, when you want. can now be
Dedicated services used to watch
- such as HomeChoice television on
and BT Vision in the the move.
UK - send shows and High-speed
films over a broadband connections on
connection to the TV via the 3G network
a set-top box. enable pockets of
Or viewers can watch information to be watched on mobiles, but this bears
at leisure on a computer, with many US networks already offering a heavy load on network.
hit shows online and UK broadcasters fast catching up. Competing technologies (DAB-IP and DVb-H) are The .asia regional internet domain has domain extends from Australia to the
being trialled by phone manufactures to let more officially opened for business, with big Middle East. In all, 20 organisations that Using a mobile phone were placed in the same
people watch the same shows simultaneously. firms expected to grab addresses. run country code domains have signed up before going to bed could conditions, but given only
stop you getting a decent “sham” exposure.
All mobile operators offer some sort of video Governments and companies can now to back the .asia registry.
night’s sleep, research Those exposed to
PERSONAL service, with some now able to receive tv register interest in specific domain The .asia domain is the second regional suggests. radiation took longer
VIDEO programmes. As well as mobile phones, watching names, such as www.namehere.asia. domain to go live following the European The study, funded by to enter the first of the
RECORDERS shows or video podcasts on iPods and other MP3 Companies will be able to register .eu suffix which started selling in April mobile phone companies, deeper stages of sleep,
players is becoming increasingly popular. domains for which they own a trademark 2006. Other regional domains for Africa suggests radiation from and spent less time in the
Personal video and governments will get a chance to and Latin America are expected to the handset can cause deepest one.
recorders (PVRs) record earmark those on a reserved list. follow. insomnia, headaches and The scientists
digital television The general public will get a chance to Despite the diversity of languages confusion. It may also cut concluded: “The study
straight onto computer- snap up their own .asia domain when the spoken in Asia, all the domains offered our amount of deep sleep indicates that during
like hard drives. landrush starts in February 2008. initially will be written using the Latin - interfering with the laboratory exposure
TV MEETS COMPUTER alphabet which is already used in body’s ability to refresh to wireless signals
They let you pause,
rewind and replay action Connecting your TV to your computer, or just having
Wide reach established generic domains such as itself. components of sleep
on screen while you are Work to create the .asia domain began .com and country codes such as .uk. The study was carried believed to be important
one machine that does both things, is expected to be out by Sweden’s for recovery from daily
recording a programme in 2000. The DotAsia Organisation won At the same time that the sunrise
big. Karolinska Institute and wear and tear are
- allowing for time-shift official approval to set up the domain period for .asia begins, net address
This will open up a huge library of video from the Wayne State University adversely affected.”
viewing of live TV. in mid-October 2006 and the first .asia overseer Icann (The Internet Corporation
internet to watch on your TV as well as using the in the US. Funded by the Researcher Professor
PVRs have built-in domains should go live on the internet in for Assigned Names and Numbers) is
computer’s memory as a PVR. Mobile Manufacturers Bengt Arnetz said: “The
programme guides, March 2008. starting trials of a system that will
There is some way to go before the technology and Forum, the scientists study strongly suggests
making it easier to Unlike other administrators of net let net addresses be written in local
usability are slick enough to make it truly viable, but studied 35 men and 36 that mobile phone use is
choose what to record. Some domains, the DotAsia Registry plans to alphabets.
Microsoft’s Media Centre has made a start. women aged between associated with specific
models let you tell them to use an auction to determine who gets Icann will trial addresses written in
Apple will bring out its iTV, doing a similar thing, early next year. And games 18 and 45. Some were changes in the areas of
always record your favourite domains wanted by more than one Arabic, Persian, simplified Chinese,
consoles such as the Xbox 360 let you download shows to watch on TV. exposed to radiation the brain responsible
soap, or tape all programmes organisation. The highest bidder will win traditional Chinese, Russian, Hindi, equivalent to that for activating and
A device called the Slingbox could really shake things up, beaming your home
on a specific subject. the right to the contested name. Greek, Korean, Hebrew, Japanese and received when using a coordinating the stress
TV signal to any computer wherever you are in the world.
The geographical reach of the .asia Tamil. mobile phone, others system.”