OpenType format in running for MPEG-4 video specification

OpenType format is being considered by the International Standards Organization (ISO) as the basis for a new open font format for handling type within the MPEG-4 video specification. MPEG approved the standardisation of OpenType at the end of July and once the ISO gives the go-ahead in September work can begin on establishing an Open Font Format standard Developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft, OpenType is a cross-platform format, which provides multilingual support and advanced typographic control. It is fully supported within both Mac OS X and Windows. ...more

Pathe publishes to the Net

British Pathe makes all 2,000 hours of published newsreel available online In a project funded by the National Lottery, British Pathe has put all the newsreels and cinemagazines online as digital videos. The archive offers 2,000 hours of footage, more than 90,000 individual items, spanning 60 years from 1910 to 1970. What is available now is everything that was shown in cinemas, which includes the the Wright brothers' first flight and footage of the Titanic. ...more

Broadband users switching from TV to Web

A survey for BTopenworld has found that broadband Internet users are spending more time on the Internet in preference to watching the TV. According to research carried out by Fletcher Advisory, 34 per cent of those surveyed said that time once allocated to the TV is now spent surfing. Over all, broadband users have reduced their TV time by an average of five hours a week. ...more

Pubs go to the net

Internet access in your local pub may be as commonplace as a tray of complimentary nuts on the bar thanks to a new scheme launched by Yava. The company has raised ?20m funding to put coin-operated terminals in pubs all over the capital. The aim is to roll out terminals into 750 pubs, clubs and leisure centres in the UK and 100 of the units are already installed. ...more

IBM spreads grid computing to WebSphere

The latest version of WebSphere Application Server is to include grid computing facilities, IBM has announced. WebSphere Application Server V5.0. ...more