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Posts with tag OnDemand

DirecTV Begins Testing On-Demand Services

Satellite-based television provider DirecTV recently began beta testing new on-demand technology that enables viewers to browse, select and watch movies, tv episodes, and other content.

While on-demand features have been available for years with cable providers such as Comcast, they have not been available through DirecTV, due to the one-way nature of satellite TV. By combining a digital video recorder (DVR) and a broadband (high-speed Internet) connection, DirecTV is finally able to provide on-demand functionality, and the company plans to launch the full service this spring with about 3,000 titles.

Although Comcast trumps DirecTV in the on-demand arena -- the cable giant currently gives subscribers access to over 10,000 titles with no delay -- DirecTV is still the undisputed leader in HD programming.

From tgdaily and The Wall Street Journal


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New Machine Prints Books On Demand for $3


Imagine this: You need a copy of 'The Great Gatsby' for a class. You've gone to three book stores and you've found 'The Beautiful and Damned' and 'The Last Tycoon,' but no 'Gatsby.' Thats when you notice an Espresso Book Machine. You wander over, scroll through a list of available titles, and "Ah Ha!" ... 'Gatsby.' Fifteen minutes later you have a perfect copy of 'The Great Gatsby' printed up and in your hands.

This isn't how it works just yet, but such a scenario is not far off. One of these Espresso Book Machines has been set up in the Midtown branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL) as a demonstration of the technology. Developed by Jason Epstein and Dane Neller, the machines have also shown up at the bookstore of the World Bank, in Washington D.C., and at the Bibliotheca in Alexandria, Egypt.

This machine would be particularly useful for rare books, out-of-print titles and limited-run novels. Since the machine is made from primarily off-the-shelf parts, it is relatively inexpensive (estimates are in the $20,000 range). Books cost about $3 to print on the machine.

From The New York Times

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