Military-grade video enhancement technology for cell phones

MotionDSP, an emerging leader in digital video enhancement, has announced the company’s patented, military-grade video enhancement technology - now available for cell phones.

The Ikena video processing technology can take bad mobile phone video and rather dramatically enhance it using an algorithmic technology originally developed for the US military. The technology has been enhances since its first genesis at University of California, Santa Cruz and has been optimized or consumer video usage - particularly mobile phones, although it can enhance any video from any source.

Students Make Cell Phone Movies For Class Credit

How's this for a class project? Make a movie only using cell phones. That's what students at Boston University are doing for credit, reports The Associated Press.

"The exercise is part of a class created through a partnership with cellular company Amp'd Mobile and taught by director Jan Egleson. During the semester, the students will produce a series of short episodes that eventually will be distributed by the company for its cellular customers."

Switzerland Tests Mobile TV Service

Swisscom Broadcast is starting trials of Mobile TV later this week, in a trial that is due to run until the end of January, reports Cellular News. "During the trial, some 200 people in the city of Berne will be testing mobile TV via DVB-H technology.

... During the trial, the participants will have a Nokia N92 mobile phone at their disposal on which up to 17 TV channels and three to four radio channels can be received depending on the mobile operator. An electronic programme guide will help them make their choices.

In June this year, Italy became the first European country to make mobile TV commercially available via DVB-H. Trials are currently being carried out in many countries apart from Switzerland - in Europe these include Belgium, Germany, Spain, the UK and Poland."

Call to Citizen Reporters. Video the Vote November 7

The goal of Video the Vote is to protect the vote by being the eyes and ears where ballots are cast and counted on Election Day. To participate, all you need is a video camera, a cell phone, and the ability to get to problematic places on Election Day, should something happen. [via Bring it on!]

In their own words:

"We will document and report any irregularities that occur at polling places and boards of elections while they are happening, enabling the media and public to watch-dog the electoral process across our country.

In 2000 and 2004, problems plagued the polls in different parts of the country: long lines, eligible voters turned away, voter intimidation, misallocation and malfunctioning of voting equipment. They were underreported on Election Day. Days and weeks later, a more complete picture of voter disenfranchisement emerged—but it was too late. The elections were over and the media had moved on.

Starting this election, citizen journalists—people like you and I—will document problems as they occur. We'll play them online, spread word through blogs and partner websites, doing our part to make sure the full story of our elections is told.

Watch promotional video on YouTube

Burglars caught in the act on mobile phone

WatchNET has launched a security system that allows homeowners to monitor CCTV footage of their houses on their mobile phones, reports The Guardian. If an intruder is detected, the system can send an alert by text message or email.

"John Ellison, 52, was on holiday in Marbella when he received a message on his mobile that his burglar alarm in Lancaster had been set off. He was able to see police arrive at his home and arrest the burglars.

In related news, last week, AT&T Inc. announced it was introducing a home monitoring service that includes live video surveillance on a computer or cell phone .

YouTube users may be breaking the law

Internet law experts have called for Australian copyright laws to be amended so amateurs can post online videos of themselves miming pop songs without risking prosecution, reports ABC.net.au via digg.

"This would make it safe for a 12 year old girl to upload a video of herself lip-syncing the latest Shakira pop song onto YouTube and not being served with a copyright infringement notice."

Hikikomori: "Today video phones are very popular so we don't have to meet"

"Today video phones are very popular so we don't have to meet."

A quote from a post on we-make-money-not-art.com, about a video documenting Japan's Hikikomori.

Hikikomor is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive adolescents and young adults who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement due to various personal and social factors in their lives.

One psychologist has described the condition as an "epidemic", which now claims more than a million sufferers in their late teens and twenties, reports the BBC.

Mobile User generated content set for major boost

User-generated content and communities on mobile will be worth $13.1bn (£6.95bn) within five years, according to a report by Informa Telecoms & Media and the Mobile Entertainment Forum, reports NMA.

"The value of the sector will be boosted by big online players like MySpace, Bebo and YouTube going mobile, according to the report.

MySpace and Bebo are working on their mobile strategies with no specified roll-out date, while YouTube has yet to announce any mobile plans."

Not so clever thief tags film "robbery" on Youtube and ends up in jail

The Times Online reports on cameraphone footage showing a robbery taking place which led to the arrest of the culprits, after they posted it on YouTube using the keyword "robbery". Not so clever.

"... The 19 seconds of film, captured on a mobile phone and showing the robber, his friends, the theft and the escape, provided police with all the evidence they would ever need.

... In the film he is shown reaching out and snatching the bemused woman's glasses before sprinting off down the pedestrianised street. The final shot shows one of the group still filming with a smile on his face as those around him guffaw with laughter".

View video on YouTube

Nokia Release Mission Impossible III on MiniSD

In a Hollywood first, Nokia today announced the launch of the full length blockbuster movie M:i:III on memory cards exclusively with the Nokia Nseries to coincide with the film's DVD release [via AllAbout Symbian]

"The full length film, which is supplied on a 512MB miniSD card, runs at 25 frames per second, and you can rewind, fast forward, stop and continue watching the movie anytime.

The action-packed feature film will be offered as part of the Nokia N93 sales package with no additional cost to consumers. It will be available in Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

... The movie cannot be played on the PC nor can it be copied to another memory card."

Earlier this week, a new Swedish movie called “Förortsungar” opened at cinemas in Sweden. But already five days prior to its official premiere the movie was pre-launched on cell phones - thanks to Swedish telecom operator Tele2.

AT&T launches video monitoring service

AT&T Inc. is introducing a home monitoring service that includes live video surveillance on a computer or cell phone, as well as lighting controls and detection sensors for motion, temperature changes and flooding. [via the Associated Press]

"The cellular feature is limited to mobile phones from Cingular Wireless.

...While a wide array of remote surveillance technologies have been available for some time, the AT&T system integrates a variety of capabilities and adds some novel features. There's no need, for example, to leave a home computer running to operate the system."

Nielsen to use psychoacoustic encoding to to know what TV show you're watching on your mobile device

Earlier this month Network World's Phil Hochmuth profiled Nielsen's efforts to figure out what people are watching on their iPods and other mobile devices. The Unofficial Apple Weblog reports.

"Until now, the Nielsen box would be bolted to your TV and hardwired into the electronics to know exactly what you are viewing, but since home electronics have changed so much this is no longer a viable option. So Nielsen has partnered with content creators to use psychoacoustic encoding to let Nielsen figure out what you're watching.

Disapointingly, psychoacoustic encoding has nothing to do with psychic readings, but is simply an audio signal that is encoded into the television program, enabling Nielsen to look for this signal and find out what you're watching. "

Veeker's instant video messaging

Mobile Crunch has posted an exclusive first look at the newly launched mobile video site Veeker reports Federated Media.

"Veeker is basically instant video messaging.

The most basic use case is to shoot 60 seconds of video from your mobile phone and upload this video to Veeker in the form of an MMS. Within about 60 seconds your video is on the Veeker portal where, depending upon whether you sent it to one of three addresses is visible only by you visible to you and your contacts, or made available for viewing by anyone who visits Veeker and is inclined to check you out. [Full feature review here]

Face-Tracking Technology for Cell Phones

Yesterday, FotoNation unveiled Face Tracker, the world’s first face-detection and tracking technology for camera phones, reports Gearlog.

"Face Tracker "detects the presence and position of a subject’s face at up to 30 frames per second during image capture, enabling the optimal setting of exposure, focus and color balance, according to the press release.

At the Mobile Imaging Summit, FotoNation demonstrated simultaneous tracking of up to 8 faces on a camera phone. Previously only available in digital still cameras.

In addition to aiding in proper focus, exposure and color balance, the demonstration featured automatic image orientation, face cropping, and face thumbnail generation for use in the phone’s contact address book."

Software generates video news bulletins

This is a little off this blog's usual subject, but it's really interesting. Researchers say software that automatically generates timely video news bulletins, presented by computer-animated characters, could revolutionise current affairs broadcasting, New Scientist reports.

"The system, called News at Seven, can produce reports tailored to a person's particular interests, from world affairs to celebrity gossip.

Using keywords entered by the user, the program selects news site RSS feeds and specific stories to focus on. "The stories are edited for length, and changed to make them more colloquial and suited to speech," says Hammond.

The next step is to extract further key terms from these reports and use these to search for supplementary images and videos on sites like YouTube and Google Video. Technorati and Google Blog Search are also used find opinionated blog posts related to the topic of the broadcast. "The software looks for words and phrases indicative of emotional impact," Hammond explains."

Verizon Wireless to Use Flash Technology

The Washington Post reports that Verizon Wireless is deploying ""Flash Lite for Brew" technology to boost the visual sparkle of graphics, animation and video delivered to its cell phones - and hopefully spur more customers to buy that content.

"The handset's software will be upgraded over-the-air with an automatic download when a customer accesses Flash-enabled content."

Talent agency gunning for Web video stars

United Talent, one of Hollywood's top five talent agencies has created an online unit devoted to scouting out up-and-coming creators of Internet content--particularly video--and finding work for them in Web-based advertising and entertainment, as well as in the older media. [via News.com/NYT ]

"The goal this time around, executives say, is not only to recruit the next generation of television and film writers and directors from the relative obscurity of sites like YouTube and Revver. It is also to help the major Web portals that are hungry for original content to find the creative people they need--just as movie studios have long turned to talent agencies when looking for new directors, screenwriters and actors."

... Above capture of Paxilback on YouTube - a parody of Justin Timberlake's music video Sexyback- was scouted by United Talent. By the time the agents arranged a meeting five days later with Paxilback's creators, an LA group called People Food, the video had been seen 600,000 times.."

China Sets Technical Standard For Content on Mobile Devices

China said it has set a technical standard for broadcasting multimedia content such as television programs to mobile devices, in a move to boost the provision of mobile-TV services, reports the WSJ.

"The home-grown standard "is very important for the growth of our indigenous industry and multimedia broadcasts for mobile devices," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said on its Web site. The statement didn't give a name for the new standard, or provide further details."

Comic strip on Photojournalism by Aaron Johnson

A wonderful comic strip by Aaron Johnson on Photojournalism posted on WhatthteDuck.

Student Social Net Goes Mobile

Juice Wireless, a company that lets its users post photos, text, and videos to weblogs and Internet profiles, said Tuesday it is teaming up with College Tonight, a new social network that aims to keep college students plugged in to their campus’s social scene. Red Herring reports.

"Members of College Tonight will be able to use Juice Wireless’s networking and mobile content-sharing service, JuiceCaster.