North Carolina Representative Mel Watt (D) has announced that he’s going to introduce new legislature before the next Congressional recess that will require broadcasters to pay performers a royalty on all the music that they play. Unbelievably, terrestrial broadcasters in the United States are not currently obligated to do so, thanks to the strong lobbying effort of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Broadcasters in most parts of the world already pay these royalties, and US broadcasters on the Internet, satellite and cable do so as well. …read more
On Monday, the National Association of Realtors released its existing home sales report. While the sales pace of previously owned homes remains 15% higher than it was a year ago, the June numbers reflect a monthly 1.2% decline. …read more
John Amis/APIn this May 30, 2013, file photo, job seekers line up to register to attend a job fair in Atlanta.
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
WASHINGTON – Companies are increasingly confident the economy will grow at a modest pace over the next year and are hiring more, according to a survey of business economists.
Nearly one-third of the economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics said their companies added jobs in the April-June quarter, according to a report released Monday. That’s the highest percentage in nearly two years. And 39 percent expect their firms will hire more in the next six months. That’s near the two-year high of 40 percent reached in the January-March quarter.
The hiring pickup occurred even though sales and profit growth slowed in the second quarter.
Optimism about future economic growth increased. Nearly three-quarters of the survey respondents forecast growth of 2.1 percent or more over the next 12 months. That’s up from two-thirds in the first quarter survey, released in April, and the most in a year.
The quarterly survey’s results echo much of the recent data tracking the economy. Growth has been slow in the past nine months, but employers have added jobs at a healthy pace. Many economists anticipate that the steady hiring will help accelerate growth in the second half of this year.
The NABE surveyed 65 of its member economists between June 18 and July 2. The economists work for companies from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, transportation and utilities, finance, retail and other services.
Among the findings:
– Only about 35 percent of the respondents said sales at their firms increased in the second quarter. That’s sharply lower than the 55 percent who reported rising sales in the first quarter. And 15 percent said sales fell, up from 9 percent in the first quarter.
– Profit growth also slowed: Only 21 percent of respondents said profit margins increased last quarter, down from 29 percent in the first.
– Only 19 percent of economists said their firms were raising wages and salaries, down from 31 percent in April and the lowest proportion since October.
– A small but increasing minority of respondents say that government spending cuts and tax increases have hurt their businesses. Twenty-six percent of the economists said their firms were negatively impacted, up from only 16 percent in April. Still, 74 percent said the government policies had no impact on their businesses, though that’s down from 79 percent three months earlier.
Looking ahead, companies are increasingly concerned about higher interest rates. That reflects the jump in rates that took place following Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments in late May that the Fed could slow its bond-buying program later this year. Those purchases are intended to keep interest rates low.
Assuring members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that he was concerned about the Trayvon Martin case, Attorney General Eric H. Holder on Tuesday condemned controversial ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws for turning too many innocent people into victims. …read more
Nineteen organizations, including a church and gun ownership and marijuana legalization groups, have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. National Security Agency for a surveillance program that targets U.S. residents’ phone records.
The groups accuse the NSA, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of violating their members’ First Amendment rights of association by illegally collecting their telephone call records.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, include the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees, Free Press, the Free Software Foundation, Greenpeace, the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws’ California Chapter, Public Knowledge, and TechFreedom.
The groups object to the NSA’s bulk collection of telephone records, disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in early June. The collection of all Verizon phone records, including records of calls made, the location of the phone, the time of the call and the duration of the call, violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment by giving “the government a dramatically detailed picture into our associational ties,” said Cindy Cohn, legal director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, representing the plaintiffs.
By Stuart Anderson, Contributor If the goal of the new immigration bill was to reduce illegal immigration, then the new legislation provides far too few visas to accomplish that objective. The lack of a legal visa category for the jobs most illegal immigrants fill is a core reason for illegal immigration. Unfortunately, according to the summary released by the Senate bill’s sponsors, there won’t be a chance a reasonable number of new temporary work visas will be issued until at least the year 2020. The bill’s summary states: “Beginning April 1, 2015 . . . The annual cap on the maximum number of registered positions that may be approved each year are limited for the first four years. 20,000 for the first year; 35,000 the second year; 55,000 the third year and 75,000 the fourth year.” Hundreds of thousands of people attempt to enter the United States illegally each year seeking work. As a result, the numbers cited above will be too low, particularly as the economy improves. The lack of legal visas undermines the bill’s determination that America should achieve “operational control” of the border. Whether the number will ever go above 75,000 is anyone’s guess, since the AFL-CIO achieved its goals in the bill of establishing a type of labor czar who will help determine how many workers are needed in America. F.A. Hayek wrote eloquently about the “fatal conceit” of governments acting as if they know information that by its nature they cannot know. The bill’s summary describes the complicated formula under which it might be possible to go beyond 75,000 work visas in a year: “For each year after the fourth year, the annual cap will be calculated according to a statistical formula that takes the following four factors into consideration: the rate of change in the number of new job openings in the economy; the inverse rate of change in the number of unemployed US workers; the percentage change the Bureau recommends the annual cap should increase or decrease; and the percentage difference between the number of W-visas requested in the prior fiscal year compared to the cap in the prior fiscal year.” If you read the summary closely, you’ll notice the number can also go back down the ladder as well, so there’s no guarantee that even 75,000 will endure as the annual cap. Another concern is the Department of Labor has administrative discretion under the new category, as it has with H-2B visas, a category for seasonal nonagricultural workers. DOL so overstepped its authority in restricting H-2B visas that a federal judge recently threw out its regulations. The Hill newspaper (April 11, 2013) reported on a letter sent to House members signed by the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), ImmigrationWorks USA, the International Franchise Association and the National Association of Home Builders advocating a large work visa category. The letter argued, “In the early 2000s, when the economy was booming, several hundred thousand unauthorized workers entered the country every year to fill low-skilled jobs for which there
Monday’s sentiment reading from the National Association of Home Builders came in at the lowest level since October, but the cause of the dip offered some hope that the recovery still has legs.
Want a good way to make a bundle at your corporate job? Leave it and go work for the government. Then come back.
That’s what Lanny Breuer did when he left his job at law firm Covington & Burling — a law firm that worked for some of the nation’s biggest banks — to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). After Frontline broadcast a particularly damning expose criticizing Breuer for failing to prosecute (or even adequately investigate!) Wall Street banks for fraud, he resigned and went right back to Covington & Burling, with a $4 million salary to cushion his fall.
In other words, Lanny Breuer passed through the revolving door between the public and private sectors, in which employees regularly go from one sector to the other and then back again.
Let’s take a look at why this practice should concern investors, even as corporate executives benefit from keeping that revolving door well-greased.
Benefits for corporations Private companies can benefit from having former employees in government positions because they often empathize with their former employers. This makes corporate alumni more likely to approach enforcement and policy making in a way that benefits their former employers.
Also, private companies are willing to pay big bucks for former government workers’ insider expertise and, importantly, the connections of public-sector executives.
Major players There are plenty of examples of major figures who’ve passed through the revolving door and have been accused of questionable behavior as a result of loyalties to their former employers. Here are just a couple.
Before serving as chair of the SEC, Mary Schapiro headed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) — a non-government organization Wall Street set up to regulate itself. During Schapiro‘s time there, she gained the reputation as “a regulator with a light touch ” as the fines levied in 2008 by FINRA dropped by 73% from those levied in 2005 by its predecessor agency, the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). Keep in mind that Schapiro’s tenure overlapped with the Madoff scandal and the 2008 economic crisis, which means she had plenty of villains to chase. When Schapiro was asked to chair the SEC, she got a $9 million sendoff and proceeded to lead the SEC through what some have characterized as a period of wrist-slapping.
Like Lanny Breuer, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was a partner at Covington & Burling, which has served clients like Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Along with Breuer, Holder has been criticizedfor failing to prosecute any mortgage servicing companies, despite significant evidence of possible illegal foreclosures.
Greasing the revolving door What keeps this revolving door rolling? One culprit might be the existence of compensation policies that privilege employees who leave for government positions. For example, Citigroup recently agreed to vest restricted stock and pro-rate incentive and retention awards for Jack Lew when he left his position as chief operating officer of its
The hypocrisy of American academia centers on a craving for donated, capitalist dollars but with no caveats. The miserable state of university and college intellectual achievements runs parallel with the stream of leftist ideology that began back in the 60s, interestingly enough the years when the Bill Ayers/Weatherman group began its reign of in-country terror.
When philanthropist Thomas Klingenstein got the drift of how Bowdoin College President Barry Mills felt about the evils of conservatism, the wealthy realist took action. ”Diversity of ideas at all levels of the college is crucial for our credibility and for our educational mission,” he said as he commissioned the National Association of Scholars (NAS) to research the Maine colleges’ real diversity composition. “There’s the obsession with race, class, gender and sexuality as the essential forces of history and markers of political identity,” plus the dedication of sustainability of the planet to keep it safe from capitalism. And Klingenstein’s criticism of Bowdoin’s phony dedication to diversity proved correct as the NAS research showed the “college has no curricular requirements that center on the American founding or the history of the nation,” but only courses centered on race, class, gender, or sexuality.
The political imbalance of moving the academic world from one of a collegiate education into one of identity politics and liberal progressivism is ruining America’s very foundations and turning out generations of young people ill-equipped to run or to love the United States. How ironic that the alma mater of the great American author Nathaniel Hawthorne would turn away from honoring the greatness of the very country he said no longer needed to look to Europe for intellectual inspiration. Just consider the audacity of Northwestern University hiring Bernardine Dohrn for its law school to instruct in Family Law or the hiring by the University of Illinois (Chicago) of her husband Bill Ayers to teach much the same subject. Having authored his new progressive educational theories, Ayers initiated the Hyde Park salon that launched Barack Obama’s anti-capitalist, anti-American political career in order to fundamentally change this great nation. And that, they are doing. What kind of example is being given to students who take a course from a woman who, even though she received a law degree from the University of Chicago in l967, was refused admission to the NY Bar?
When the more balanced president of the University of Illinois saw fit not to grant Ayers the Emeritus distinction, the Illini faculty rose up in angst; and now this wise man has been replaced with a left-coast feminist who presided over this past spring’s Sex Week, which paid homage to the Big Orgasm!
Unless parents and big donors unite to stop what is going on across our nation in the name of what is called a university education, we can give up on America once again being called the world superpower. The millions of dollars in debt being carried around by students and their parents are pitiful ransoms of our country’s heritage, brave founders, and brilliant founding documents! The
PropertyInfo Corporation and zipLogix to Provide an Integrated Forms and Transaction ManagementProcess for the Real Estate Industry
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– PropertyInfo Corporation, a Stewart® company, is proud to announce the agreement of zipLogix and PropertyInfo to provide an integrated forms and transaction management system with zipForm®,the industry’s leading formssoftware, and SureClose®, the most widely used transaction management system.
“We are excited to integrate with zipLogix,” said Tom Groom, Senior Vice President, Title and Realty Technology for PropertyInfo Corporation. “We now have the most widely used forms and transaction management systems working together to provide the powerhouse of integrations for our customers. This will mark a truly integrated process for real estate agents and brokers from start to finish.”
“This agreement is synergistic for both our companies and systems,” said Walt McDonald, Chairman of the Board of zipLogix. “Both zipLogix and PropertyInfo are long-standing companies and technology providers for real estate professionals, and our products, zipForm and SureClose, are two of the most long-standing and enterprise-proven systems on the market. We are excited to reveal this streamlined service to our joint customers.”
This agreement marks the beginning of the integration of the systems. A demonstration of the integrated systems will be available at National Association of REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meeting & Trade Expo, May 13-18, 2013.
About zipLogix
The zipLogix family of tech-savvy products is the recognized industry standard for electronic real estate forms and transaction management system that are currently used by more real estate professionals than any other real estate software program. zipForm® is the exclusive and official forms software of the National Association of REALTORS®. zipLogix provides transaction solutions to real estate professionals that enhance the value of services they deliver to their clients while improving productivity and efficiency. zipLogix, a subsidiary of Real Estate Business Services, Inc. (REBS), is a joint venture between REBS and the National Association of REALTORS®. For more information, visit http://www.zipform.com/.
About PropertyInfo Corp., a Stewart Company
PropertyInfo Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Title Company, delivers state-of-the-art real estate information solutions to the real estate, closing and mortgage industries. As a global provider of online transaction management and e-closing solutions, real estate information services, title/escrow production systems, hosting services, software development and online product distribution via its Web portal, PropertyInfo.com, PropertyInfo provides title and real estate professionals with the electronic data
The first 4G LTE-enabled smartphone that Verizon Wireless launched was the HTC Thunderbolt, which was released back in March 2011. Over the next year and a half, the rest of the Google Android army would follow suit with a slew of LTE devices for Big Red‘s network. While the technology promised incredibly fast speeds, battery life dampened popularity since early LTE phones were prone to running out of juice prematurely.
It wouldn’t be until September 2012 that Apple would launch the iPhone 5, its first LTE smartphone. Many questioned Apple’s competitive prospects in early 2012, saying the iPhone 4S couldn’t compete with newer Android flagships due to the lack of LTE. In technologies where Apple isn’t the first mover, its strategy is to perfect it. In the case of LTE, Apple’s advances in battery engineering allowed the iPhone 5 to maintain respectable battery life.
Speaking at the National Association of Broadcasters conference recently, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam provided some insight into how he was able to talk Steve Jobs into launching an LTE iPhone, even though the device wouldn’t be released until a year after Jobs’ death.
You had me at hello McAdam notes that video content now comprises roughly 50% of all wireless traffic served up over Big Red‘s network. Verizon estimates that by 2017, that figure will climb to nearly 66%. With such overwhelming consumer demand for video streaming, 3G technologies were bottlenecking the experience since most video clips would need to buffer before properly playing back. With 4G LTE, streaming video could be viable.
The executive recalled how he convinced Jobs:
I was really trying to sell him and he sat there without any reaction. Finally, he said, “Enough. You had me at 10 Mbps. I know you can stream video at 10 Mbps.” And Apple’s next phone was LTE.
Naturally, knowing how important video streaming is played a factor in Verizon’s partnership with Coinstar to launch Redbox Instant to challenge Netflix. Redbox Instant still isn’t a match for the dominant video streamer, but it’s a start.
There is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool’s senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple, and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
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This week is the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, with the attendent announcements relating to television distribution. Adobe and Brightcove are both introducing products to facilitate the concept of Television Everywhere, or TVE. But what the broadcast industry considers TV does not include all of the video that is already accessible everywhere through the web. It is the amount and availability of that internet video that is driving the immediacy of broadcasters to embrace TVE. And I think there is a good case to be made that Aereo, the Barry Diller-backed startup that lets people watch live broadcast TV channels (over-the-air or OTA) on internet-connected devices, is about to push Television Everywhere definitively towards ALL Television Everywhere (ATVE!)
This week is the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, with the attendent announcements relating to television distribution. Adobe and Brightcove are both introducing products to facilitate the concept of Television Everywhere, or TVE. But what the broadcast industry considers TV does not include all of the video that is already accessible everywhere through the web. It is the amount and availability of that internet video that is driving the immediacy of broadcasters to embrace TVE. And I think there is a good case to be made that Aereo, the Barry Diller-backed startup that lets people watch live broadcast TV channels (over-the-air or OTA) on internet-connected devices, is about to push Television Everywhere definitively towards ALL Television Everywhere (ATVE!)
College Admissions 2013: Record Rejection Rates, Financial Aid Uncertainty and Waitlist Limbo Mean April Angst for Many Students and Parents
Available for Interview: A Kaplan Test Prep Expert Can Explain the State of College Admissions and What the Options Are for Accepted, Rejected and Waitlisted Students
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– It’s the season of agony and ecstasy for college applicants and their supportive parents. But while many have succeeded in getting into their top picks in a year of record low acceptance rates (e.g. Harvard at 5.8%, Yale at 6.7%, Princeton at 7.3%, Columbia at 6.9%, and University of Pennsylvania at 12.1%), many more applicants are coping with the disappointment of rejection or being in waitlist limbo, wondering what to do next. Meanwhile, even those accepted to their top choice schools are grappling with difficult financial aid-influenced decisions.
What should students do and how can parents be supportive of their efforts? Kaplan Test Prep‘s experts offer these words of advice for some common scenarios during the college admissions season:
My top choice school rejected me! Where do I go now? It’sa major disappointment, but with many of the nation’s most competitive schools announcing record low acceptance rates this cycle, you are in good company. Life’s fate will not be determined by having earned more “yes’s” than “no’s.” Ideally you’ve applied to multiple places, including “safety schools,” which should mean you do have options. Focus on your available choices and look at their financial aid packages. Consider whether the school is a “fit” for you academically and for your lifestyle. If cost is a major consideration, you may want to factor in geography with regard to travel expenses.
I’ve been waitlisted. Do I wait? The last thing you should do if you are put on a waitlist is wait. Submit new, relevant information to the college admissions office: midterm grades, awards, new leadership roles, etc. Show them why you are a “must-have student.” It is still tough to get off the waitlist, but taking some concrete steps may increase the odds. However, be conscious that you not go overboard, as you don’t want to cross the line and harass the admissions office. According to a recent National Association for College Admissions Counseling survey, about 55% of waitlisted students opted to remain on …read more
Semtech Partners with Ross Video to Demonstrate 6G UHD-SDI Solutions at NAB 2013
Ross Video has incorporated Semtech products in its openGear 6Gb/s Distribution Amplifier
CAMARILLO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Semtech Corporation (NAS: SMTC) , a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced that it is working with Ross Video and has delivered UHD-SDI components so that the company can develop a UHD-SDI capable distribution amplifier.
Semtech’s 6G UHD-SDI components allow the industry to transport higher resolution formats – both UHDTV and 4k digital cinema. These parts provide twice the density and half the power with outstanding performance all at a substantially lower cost than competitive 3Gb/s multi-link solutions.
Semtech’s Gennum Product Group is showcasing its latest 6G UHD-SDI solutions at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas at its invitation-only VIP suite (booth #N2116). Ross Video is showcasing its UHD-SDI enabled, 6Gb/s openGear Distribution Amplifier in booth #N3808. Also on display is a 6Gb/s fiber-optic link running between the two booths.
“Semtech is privileged to be working with an industry leader like Ross Video to develop next-generation 6G UHD-SDI systems,” said Gary Beauchamp, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Gennum Product Group.
David Ross, CEO of Ross Video, commented, “Partnering with Semtech has allowed us to develop a 6G UHD-SDI solution that helps our customers meet the challenges of new formats like UHDTV and 4k cinema.”
About Semtech
Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, computing, communications and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction. Publicly traded since 1967, Semtech is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol SMTC. For more information, visit http://www.semtech.com/.
About Ross Video
Ross Video creates leading edge video production technology. Ross products are used in demanding environments every day to inform and entertain audiences all over the …read more
Adobe Primetime Launches, Bringing TV Content to Connected Screens
Comcast Cable and NBC Sports Group Sign On As Launch Partners
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference, Adobe Systems Incorporated (NAS: ADBE) today announced the general availability of Adobe® Primetime (formerly “Project Primetime”), the industry’s most advanced TV publishing and monetization platform for programmers and pay TV service providers. The company also announced technology collaborations with dozens of industry leaders, including encoders, cloud platform providers, and content delivery networks (CDNs) to pave the way for TV content across every connected screen. Ecosystem partners include Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cisco Systems, Elemental Technologies, Envivio, Harmonic, iStreamPlanet, RGB Networks, thePlatform and others. Comcast Cable and NBC Sports Group have signed on as first Adobe Primetime launch partners.
Adobe Primetime enables programmers and pay TV service providers to capitalize on the rising consumer interest in watching and engaging with digital video while helping protect and maximize the value of their content. The platform tightly integrates Adobe’s video publishing, player, DRM, advertising and analytics solutions to help eliminate the complexity of reaching audiences across screens and to create great digital video experiences while also offering new monetization opportunities for programmers and pay TV service providers. The seamless tie-in with ecosystem partners offers for the first time a highly scalable and reliable solution that can be implemented consistently across devices and platforms. Adobe Primetime‘s interoperable components can be deployed individually to fit their infrastructure needs or let the full solution handle the entire workflow.
Comcast Cable has incorporated several of Adobe Primetime‘s modular components across certain XFINITY Web properties to deliver and monetize IP-delivered video and give their subscribers access to their favorite content via these properties. Comcast is leveraging a broad range of Adobe Primetime capabilities, including the player, DRM, ad insertion, ad serving, and analytics – in various configurations. NBC Sports Group also launched with Adobe Primetime, and now uses the solution to offer live sporting events, including Major League Soccer (MLS) and National Hockey League (NHL) games, as well as Golf Channel content across devices. Consumers are able to watch the content live and on demand.
One Format, Every Screen
To help content owners and distributors more efficiently bring more content to more devices, Adobe Primetime provides a single publishing workflow with one video format (HLS) and one DRM …read more
Adobe Reports Mobile Video Views Up 300%; New Record Set for TV Everywhere Adoption
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference, Adobe Systems Incorporated (NAS: ADBE) today released a broad set of industry data and insights about online video and ad consumption. Key findings in the Digital Index report show that TV Everywhere adoption increased 12-fold; mobile video viewing grew by 300%; Facebook users are seeing twice the level of engagement with video over non-video content; and pre-roll ads now account for 82 percent of all video ad impressions in long-format content.
“We are at a watershed moment when it comes to engaging with video content and ads online,” said Jeremy Helfand, vice president, Video, Adobe. “Consumption of digital video, and especially broadcast content, is growing at a staggering rate and consumers expect to be able to view their favorite content on any connected screen.”
The analysis of video consumption behaviors was based on close to 20 billion video starts, 10 billion ads served by Adobe media customers and the analysis of more than 450 million Facebook posts in 2012. The full report can be downloaded here. For additional insights, visit the Adobe Digital Marketing Blog. Key highlights include:
TV Everywhere Adoption
2012 was a record year for TV Everywhere adoption in the U.S. The number of authentications increased 12-fold in 2012 compared to the previous year, with events like the Summer Olympics, March Madness, UEFA Euro 2012 soccer and the NBA playoffs driving TV Everywhere use.
Video Consumption by Device
Mobile video starts have risen more than three times since the previous year, increasing from three percent to 10.4 percent. 89.6 percent of the video consumption is still taking place on desktops. When broken down by mobile device, tablets are growing the fastest in terms of mobile video usage.
The weekend is the preferred time to watch videos on tablets with Sundays producing 17 percent of video starts on a tablet. Mobile video consumption is spread throughout the week with peaks on Monday, Thursday and Sunday at 16 percent.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.62% to 14,704 points as of 1:25 p.m. EDT, led by the technology sector. The S&P 500 is up 0.53% to 1,571.
Today’s Dow leaders Today’s Dow leader is Microsoft , up 4%. This morning the FairSearch coalition, a group of 17 companies led by Microsoft, announced that it had filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging anticompetitive strategies by Google‘s Android. According to the group’s statement, “Google’s predatory distribution of Android at below cost makes it difficult for other providers of operating systems to recoup investments in competing with Google’s dominant mobile platform.” The group alleges that while Google gives its operating system away for “free,” in reality companies who want to use it must preload Google apps onto the phones, thus giving Google an unfair advantage that has helped Google acquire 70% of the smartphone market and 96% of the mobile search advertising market.
Google is already in hot water with EU regulators over its desktop search practices, which Microsoft and the FairSearch coalition complained of to the European Commission in 2010. Microsoft needs all the help it can get in the mobile-operating-system market. As of February, Microsoft is fourth in the U.S. among smartphone operating systems with a 3.2% market share.
Second for the Dow today is Intel , up 3.4%. Yesterday, at the National Association of Broadcasters conference, Intel unveiled its next-generation Thunderbolt interface technology, codenamed Falcon Ridge. The new Thunderbolt runs at 20 Gbs, twice the speed of its predecessor. Initial production is expected before the end of the year and will ramp up in 2014.
In other Intel news, yesterday the company announced that it is shipping samples of its new “Avoton” system-on-a-chip. It also announced that the chips will be included in Hewlett-Packard‘s new Project Moonshot servers, which will be available later this year. This is welcome news for Intel investors, as it shows the company has a headstart on ARM in shipping 64-bit server chips. ARM is not expected to start shipping until 2014 or 2015. For more on Intel, Fool analyst Anders Bylund recently laid out the case for owning Intel stock.
While Caterpillar’s results remain to be seen, over the long term it’s important to consider what really matters for the stock. Caterpillar is the market share leader in …read more
Semtech Enables the Future of Video Transport with New 6G UHD-SDI Platform On Display at NAB 2013
Semtech’s presence at NAB 2013 highlights six new 6G UHD-SDI solutions for broadcast
CAMARILLO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Semtech Corporation (NAS: SMTC) , a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced six new 6G ultra-high definition-SDI (UHD-SDI) components. These 6G UHD-SDI parts allow the industry to build systems to transport higher resolution television formats – both UHDTV and 4k digital cinema.
These new parts provide twice the density, half the power and outstanding performance all at a substantially lower cost than competitive 3Gb/s multi-link components. Semtech is working closely with key broadcast equipment manufacturers such as Evertz, a leading maker of products that encompass all aspects of broadcast production, which is now using 6G UHD-SDI components.
Semtech’s Gennum Product Group will be showcasing its latest 6G UHD-SDI solutions at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas in booth #N2116, at their invitation-only VIP suite. Evertz is also at NAB in booth #N1503.
Semtech is announcing the GS6042 adaptive cable equalizer; the GS6080 and GS6081 cable drivers and the GS6050, GS6051 and GS6052 reclockers. With this comprehensive family of 6G UHD-SDI components, customers are in a position to design UHD-SDI capable products today. Semtech’s customers at NAB will be launching a multitude of different products enabled by Semtech’s 6G UHD-SDI technology.
“Semtech has a history of innovating in the videomarket. We are focused on providing solutions to address the challenges presented by UHDTV and 4k. We have worked with several key customers to ensure these products meet the demanding market requirements and are pleased to work with Evertz to address its next-generation product needs,” said Gary Beauchamp, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Gennum Product Group.
Eric Fankhauser, Evertz Vice President Advanced Product Development said, “We are always looking for the latest technology to incorporate into our products. Semtech’s 6G UHD-SDI components allow us to solve our technical challenges.”
The new 6Gb/s products from Semtech are pin-compatible to prior Semtech 3Gb/s products allowing customers an easy transition to higher data rates. Key Semtech personnel will be on hand at the NAB show to discuss details around specific product launch timing, pricing and detailed features.
Semtech Partners with Utah Scientific to Demonstrate New 6G UHD-SDI Video Transport Platforms at NAB 2013
Utah Scientific has incorporated Semtech 6G UHD-SDI platform products in its 4K routing switcher
CAMARILLO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Semtech Corporation (NAS: SMTC) , a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced it has delivered 6G UHD-SDI components to Utah Scientific and worked with the company on its development of the new UHDTV version of its Utah-100/UDS routing switcher.
Semtech’s 6G UHD-SDI solutions allow industry companies like Utah Scientific to transport higher resolution formats – both UHDTV and 4K digital cinema. These solutions provide twice the density, half the power and outstanding performance all at a substantially lower cost than competitive 3Gb/s multi-link solutions.
Semtech’s Gennum Product Group will be showcasing its latest 6G UHD-SDI solutions at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas in booth #N2116, at an invitation-only VIP suite. Utah Scientific will be demonstrating its UTAH-100/UDS 4K routing switcher in booth #N4607.
“We are pleased to work with Utah Scientific to help enable its 6G UHD-SDI routing switcher for demonstration at NAB,” said Gary Beauchamp, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Gennum Product Group.
Jeff Levie, CTO of Utah Scientific, said, “The UTAH-100/UDS 4K router is the result of our close cooperation with Semtech’s Gennum Product Group, who is rolling out a family of UHD-SDI components for the new signal formats. By working closely with component suppliers, we are able to offer our customers the solutions they are looking for as they incorporate the latest technologies into their routing infrastructure.”
About Semtech
Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, computing, communications and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction. Publicly traded since 1967, Semtech is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol SMTC. For more information, visit http://www.semtech.com/.
