TV |

Flat-screen TV prices Going South Big time

September 26, 2010 by Elias Shams Leave a comment

If you plan to buy a flat screen TV, wait a few more months as their prices are diving down big. According to the research firm DisplaySearch, by the end of this month, LCD TV prices will be about 5% lower than they were at the same time last year,. But a tailspin will start in October: In the last three months of the year, the firm forecasts that prices will keep falling until they bottom out at 12% below 2009 levels. Read more of this post

Filed under Tech Tagged with DisplaySearch, flat screen TV, Flat-screen TV prices, LCD panels, LCD TV panels, LCD TV prices, LCD TVs, TV

How and where to watch the World Cup 2010 in Washington, D.C.

June 11, 2010 by Elias Shams 3 Comments

My guess is that the World Cup will be watched mostly online or via our smartphones this year. With games airing live on cell phones and computers, the World Cup will certainly get more online coverage than any major sporting event yet. Watching highlights the next day on TV or YouTube will suddenly seem like a downright ancient way to keep up with the action.

When the soccer tournament begins Friday, the Washingtonians can follow the action from an array of mobile and Web applications and share in triumph and heartbreak across social media. Here are ways to watch and monitor the World Cup this year: Read more of this post

Filed under Apps, Dining, Web, Wireless Tagged with 19th, 2010 World Cup, ABC, Arlington's Summers Restaurant, Babylon Futbol Cafe, Bars and Restaurants in DC, Biergarten Haus, El Patio, ESPN, ESPN Soccer, ESPN3.com, Fado Irish Pub, Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle, Football365, Ghana Cafe, Goal.com Mobile, iPhone Apps ESPN 2010 FIFA World Cup app, Live updates, Lucky Bar, Molly Malone, online, smartphones, South Africa 2010, South Africa 2010 Tracker, South Africa Essentials, The Guardian World Cup Fans Network, TV, watching world cup, world cup, World Cup 2010, world cup destinations in dc, World Cup Essentials, World Cup Factoids and History, world cup trivia challenge, World DroidCup, World Football Live, YouTube

Verizon’s FiOS In Washington D.C.

June 4, 2010 by Elias Shams 4 Comments

Verizon, hoping to give customers new reasons to keep wireline voice service, is marketing an IP-based FiOS Digital Voice phone service in Washington, D.C.

Good luck with that! With the recent 4G WiMax Clearwire just rolled out in DC as well as VoIP services already offered by Comcast, RCN, and Vonage, why bother with the landline anymore?

FiOS Digital Voice provides 21 features, including live call-screening, a Web-based call manager utility and caller ID on TV. The service is currently available in FiOS markets in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and California.

Like other traditional phone companies, Verizon has also been steadily shedding traditional phone lines, as have other telcos, with the rise of wireless phones and cable telephony services. Verizon had about 18 million residential access lines in service as of the end of March — down 11.9% from 20.3 million lines a year earlier. Read more of this post

Filed under Business & Finance, Tech Tagged with 4G WiMax Clearwire, caller ID, Comcast, Digital Voice phone service, FiOS Digital Voice, FiOS Digital Voice line, FiOS triple- or quad-play, fios tv, IP-based FiOS, Landline, live call-screening, rcn, telcos, TV, Vonage, Washington D.C., Washington DC, Web-based call manager utility, wireline voice service

The First D Day in Tech – Apple Overtakes Microsoft on Wed 4 p.m. US EST May 26th 2010

May 26, 2010 by Elias Shams 6 Comments

Did anyone watch the market today? Apple’s market capitalization hit $227.1 overtook Microsoft’s $226.3 Billion. As a stock holder of both companies since late 90’s, this is the first time. Congrats Apple!

what does this mean?

Apple, the maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads, and iMorethings to come, is now the world’s most valuable technology company today 4:00 p.m US EST Wed May 26^th, 2010.

I remember the time I bought apple’s stock in 1997 around $22 and stayed in low $20’s for years. Apple’s Board had pushed out Steve Jobs at the time, and the company was widely believed to go bust. Read more of this post

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Social TV on the Rise

April 28, 2010 by Elias Shams 11 Comments

by Elias Shams
Not surprising, but an interesting study of television, radio and online media by RTDNA and Hofstra University reveals use of social media in TV newsrooms is on the rise.

77% of TV newsrooms now use twitter, with 36% of newsrooms claiming they use the microblogging service “constantly.” Another 35% say they use it daily, 16% use it periodically and 13% claim not to use it at all. However, only 20% have a facebook Page. read more…

Filed under Online Media, social media Tagged with cnn. bbc, crowdsource, facebook, facebook fan page, Hofstra University, microblogging, Mobile Devices, newsroom, on the Rise, Online Media, radio, Robert Papper, RTDNA, social media, social revolution in Iran, social tv, study, Television, TV, TV Newsrooms, twitter

Is TV About To Be Gone with the Web?

April 14, 2010 by Elias Shams 18 Comments

by Elias Shams
If not gone, they will have at least web connectivity in a few years.

An estimated 800,000 U.S. households ditched their cable, satellite or telco TV subscription services for online options such as Hulu, Netflix, broadcaster Websites, or Apple’s iTunes last year. The number could double to 1.6 million by the end of 2011, according to a new study by Convergence Consulting Group.

I can totally see how this number will be jacking up as more and more viewing options become available online – things like hulu or tablets. Not to mention our experience of dealing with less advertising watching movies or TV shows online compare to TV. I wonder how long that lasts. read more…

Filed under Online Media, Web Tagged with apple TV, Apple’s iTunes, att, broadcaster Websites, Comcast, Convergence Consulting Group, ditching cable, ditching satellite, ditching telco TV, Ditching TV for Web, FCC, google, Hulu, Net Neutrality, Netflix, no more TV, Sprint, tablets, Telco, TV, TV is dead, TV subscription, tv.com, verizon, watching TV via Web, Web

The Good The Bad and The Ugly Of The National Broadband Plan

March 26, 2010 by Elias Shams 18 Comments

I am half way through the 376-page National Broadband Plan document that FCC submitted to The Congress a few weeks ago, and I already, sense that we will be watching the 21th century version of the classic 1966 movie – The Good The Bad And The Ugly soon. To enjoy reading the post, you may want to play the clip below as you scroll down. There is no need to watch the video, as it is only the sound track

Laughing Our Way Through Politics – Our Jon Stewart & Bill Maher

January 6, 2010 by Elias Shams Leave a comment

I have learned the best way to address sensitive issues related to politics, religion, etc is often through humor. Liberals have nailed this format, with real star power in the form of Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Steve Colbert, both on TV and on the radio – as in Air America.

My two favorites have to be Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Bill Maher of Real Time with Bill Maher I only wish they were Washingtonians so we could relate to them more via my blog.

But hey, Jon is a New Yorker, so close enough. Besides, most of their best coverage takes on politics and politicians in Washington, dc. And, THAT, my friends, must be reason enough to cover them in a blog dedicated to our nation’s capital.

I have decided to add more juice to my blog by posting Stewart and Maher‘s best clips on weekly basis. So, if you missed it on HBO or The Daily Show, you can catch it here. And we can go nuts on the comments section together.

Here is a classic old one from Bill Maher: