Highlights From The Int'l Consumer Electronics Show

NeuLion Unveils New IPTV Set-Top Box At CES Show In Las Vegas

NeuLion last night in at the Int'l Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas unveiled a new IPTV set-top box that ports online video content onto large-screen televisions in full HD standards up to 720p and 1080i. The box, to be sold through NeuLion’s content partners such as the NFL, NHL and colleges at a $125 price point starting in March, seeks to provide a meaningful link between the Internet and TV in which content available only on the Internet can also be consumed on TV with no degradation of video quality. To that end, the device is expected to be sold foremost internationally and to displaced fans domestically purchasing online out-of-market video subscription packages. “This is the bridge between having the lean-in and lean-back experience,” said Chris Wagner, NeuLion VP. “This really works best for a vertical play, but that’s the point. A cable or satellite operator is thinking horizontally, what is going to appeal to the broadest audience. The Russian hockey league, for example, is never going to get carriage on a Time Warner system in New York. But with all the people in the New York market of Russian heritage who might be interested in that content, you can now think about building a business in which these people can now watch these games on their big screens.” The new HD box also takes advantage of NeuLion’s efforts in adaptive video streaming in which typical buffering of online video is replaced a continuous stream of content that may vary in video quality but never is interrupted.

EA Sports To Create And Support Area In Sony's PlayStation Home Virtual Community

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Sony Entertainment and EA Sports yesterday announced a partnership in which the video game publisher will create and support an area with Sony’s PlayStation Home, an online virtual community powered by the gaming console that is now in beta development and somewhat resembles the well-known Second Life. EA will create a series of free, casual multi-player games for the PlayStation Home including racing and poker games, and also use the virtual space to promote its existing physical game releases and sell some advertising placements. “This is not about replicating the stand-alone products online,” said Robert Burnett, EA Sports Senior Producer. “Quite the opposite. But what it does is also allow us to break out of the typical 12-24 month development cycle where we build a game, release it, get some feedback and then go back and start over again. Here we have an opportunity to have a constant connection with our consumers, and be responsive to what they’re after.” PlayStation Home’s beta has been downloaded more than 3.4 million times according to Sony executives. The EA Sports Complex on PlayStation Home is targeted to launch this spring.

MAKING THE ROUNDS: Appearances by sports executives and players were rife throughout Las Vegas for CES, with Panasonic showcasing former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and USOC CEO Jim Scherr, NBA partner Haier featuring an appearance by Pro Basketball HOFer Clyde Drexler, with fellow enshrinees Bill Walton and Robert Parish set to follow this weekend, and MLB sponsor Sharp scheduling appearances by seven active players, including Red Sox DH David Ortiz, Yankees P Joba Chamberlain, Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez and Brewers 1B Prince Fielder. Sharp additionally held a private party Thursday night in which attendees could get photographed with the players, with Chamberlain by far attracting the most fan interest (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).

WORKING TOGETHER: Ortiz and Chamberlain appeared on CNBC's "Closing Bell" Thursday to promote their appearance at CES on behalf of Sharp. Ortiz, asked if the business of baseball has seen a boost because of advances in technology, said, “I think so. … Everything happens so fast in the game and the better picture you have (helps).” Chamberlain, who said the appearance marked his first involvement with Sharp, added, “With all the technology going on, you can actually feel like you’re there and feel involved.” Chamberlain said of CES, “It’s kind of breathtaking to see everything come to a head. … It’s going to be exciting to look around, and I brought my checkbook just in case” (“Closing Bell,” CNBC, 1/8).