Audio Video News

Last week, thebroadscreen.com announced that it has laid all of the groundwork to begin MPEG-2 production of digital news and entertainment over what it terms "broadband Internet connections." The company says that the format will be dubbed iDVD (Internet Digital Video Disc), and is intended to be downloaded into the new DVD-RAM recorders or played live over cable and DSL connections.

Along with MPEG-2 production using encoder software developed by Digigami, thebroadscreen.com claims it will incorporate Flash technology developed by Macromedia. According to the company, the same "channel" concept used in cable and satellite TV will be incorporated into thebroadscreen.com's website, "giving potential viewers even more choices in how to spend their viewing time as well as revolutionizing the way people interact with the entertainment and advertising presented."

Thebroadscreen.com says that the first entertainment offering will be through the K9 and Explorer Channels, which will present a half-hour documentary on the Redstone Sled Dog Races to be held February 19th in Redstone Colorado. Other channels planned include the Ski and Snowboard Channel, the Children's Channel, CNC Citizen's News Channel, Interactive Gamer, and iDVD Music Videos.

Thebroadscreen.com's Randy Miller states that, "unlike [current] cable or satellite, which provides a month of entertainment selections at best, offers no interactivity with advertisers or the program itself, and can be called static entertainment, all of our entertainment offerings will be archived for future download and will include links, forms, and other ways to interact with the content and advertising, which will provide for a rich, dynamic online experience."