The idea is simple, but the politics aren't. All white spaces networks do is stick data into the unused frequencies that neighbor television signals, but broadcasters are afraid that TV signals aren't robust enough to handle data being packed in so tightly. This trial will be the first real-world test of that belief.

Hopefully all will go well and the tech will be able to provide rural communities with the broadband they've been hurting for. [Ars Technica]

Image via FutureAtlas

I spent a few minutes planted in front of Panasonic's latest 3D TV hardware, with a similar demo reel to the one Mark saw back at CES, displayed with the same massive technology—Panny's "3D Full HD" system, which imperceptibly flickers between left and right video data channels to maintain genuine 1080p content. Since then, their first 3D Blu-ray player has come out of its shell, albeit in a disguised preproduction form seen above.

I came away from the presentation with a different feeling than Mark did— there were times when the imagery was awkward, but it never felt like "work." It was still clear, though, that some types of content weren't a perfect fit for Panasonic's—and probably anyone else's—3D standard. Deep shots where absolutely everything is in perfect focus, for example, were a little disorienting, and hard to fix my eyes on. The preview for Up! was chock-full of artificial depth of field effects that, despite being programmed for 3D display, somehow felt a little off.

Live filmed events, be it basketball or the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, are where the system really shines. No doubt helped by the fact that the TV was the size of a upturned car, these shots actually feel immersive—the basketball bit honestly gives the feeling of a courtside view, which is completely stunning. This is an effect which it at least seems like moviemakers ought to be able to replicate, once they've gotten used to how to film for 3D.

Therein lies a huge, looming problem: as it stands, the 3D content starts and stops at feature films, and specifically, Blu-ray. That's it. Pressed about the prospect of 3D TV content, Panasonic's VP of Consumer Electronics Bob Perry, couldn't come anywhere close to making promises: from here, it's up to the content providers to decide if they want to give their customers 3D. According to Perry, they will, but the day when cable companies or now-fledgling IPTV firms jump onboard is firmly in the future. For now, the outlook is a lot like it was for full 1080p video back when it first hit the stage: the display tech is ready, but the content won't be there for a while. Remember, there are still only a handful of ways to get real 1080p content on your TV now; 3D, at least for a few years, will be way more niche than a simple resolution bump ever was.

That said, there's still time. Panasonic's mum on release dates, since they haven't even announced a specific product line yet, but the story's going to go something like this: They'll release their first wave of 3D sets next year, all plasma, and all at about 50 inches and up, with accompanying Blu-ray players. And there will be Blu-ray movies to watch on them, but anything beyond that is totally up in the air. One way to look at this is that 2010 will be the year that usable 3D hardware hits the mainstream; another, that 2010 is the year that the content-producing world either chooses to let 3D TVs live, or they don't.

Television broadcast ads during The Simpsons cost $20-$40 per thousand viewers. On the web, the rate jumps to $60.

Shows like The Simpsons and CSI are now commanding higher ad rates on Hulu and TV.com than on television. It's a byproduct viewers being twice as likely to recall web ads than TV ads, according to Neilsen. (Which I would argue is a byproduct of Hulu showing us far fewer ads.)

But before we all declare TV dead, remember that Hulu has only 37 seconds of ads per "30-minute" show while a Fox broadcast includes a whopping 9 minutes of sales pitches. So there's still technically more money in TV, which will change as soon as Hulu begins cramming 9 minutes of ads into each program.

Lots more on the story here: [Bloomberg via PCWorld]

This is a professional broadcast camera that is likely to cost as much as a house, so it's not something you'll be picking up at Best Buy anytime soon. But you can bet that we'll start seeing incredible HD footage like in the below video on sports broadcasts in the very near future. Get ready to analyze the throws of pitchers and quarterbacks in a whole new way. [SprintCam V3 HD via NotCot]

Transition co-chair John Podesta writes to Congress: "We respectively reiterate that only legislation that includes a delay of limited and specific duration will provide Congress and the new Administration a realistic opportunity to resuscitate and modify the coupon program."

Besides all of the vested corporate interests in delaying the shutdown (or not), changing the date that has finally been pounded into the heads of many people (even my mom knows about this thing, at this point) will just create even more confusion.

The digital TV switchover should proceed next month, but with the "nightlight" program the FCC approved that'll leave a warning message up for about a month and immediate, fresh funding for the coupon program, so we can get on with this thing. [WSJ]

The site's totally free, and all you have to do is punch in your address and whether or not you've got tall buildings or giant plants nearby. It'll then give you a list of stations, how far they're broadcasting from your place, what kind of antenna will pick up the best reception for each one, and even where to point your antenna. It's free (along with the channels), so definitely give it a whirl and consider kicking your cable company in ass, like I'd very much like to do to mine right now. [Antenna Web via Lifehacker]

Developers in the Flixwagon lab created the first-ever mobile client that can broadcast live high-quality video from unlocked iPhones to the web. The company wanted to experiment with ways to broadcast live video from the iPhone until the official SDK supports video. Flixwagon plans to continue working with the iPhone SDK in the future so that it can offer this functionality to all users once video becomes a standard iPhone feature.

After Flixwagon is installed on the phone, users can broadcast videos from it to the Flixwagon website with one click. Videos can be watched live or stored for future viewing. Also, they can be embedded in blogs via our flixee widget or uploaded to the user's YouTube account. Users can also easily determine which of their contacts to share each video with.

If you have an unlocked iPhone with Installer in it, you can click here to join the alpha testing. [Flixwagon and Flixwagon iPhone Clips]

Short answer: hot. Long answer: We're not reading the comments of anyone who disagrees. [product via 7gadgets]

In other words, the only reason why you would use this TV is if you really like watching TV on the go and you want to be prepared when analog broadcasts get shut down in 2009. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Insignia]

Granted, this only applies if you're still pulling TV signals from the air like magic with an antenna. If you're already part of the 21st century and have cable or satellite hookups, ignore this and go back to your TiVo. – Matt Buchanan

U.S. Sets Rules for Digital TV Payments [NYT]

Apple is using the NAB show in Vegas next month to make an announcement, but don't get your knickers in too much of a twist about it, say our Bothan spies in the company. The Cupertino company is taking to the floor on Sunday April 15, and there is no new hardware on offer, just new versions of the Pro media software, focusing on the Final Cut Studio suite - which in itself is rather good news.

Steve Jobs' ninja teams usually take the first stall in the South Hall, but this year they are upgrading to a bigger booth. Our sources, however, stress not to expect any radical new hardware until the launch of Leopard... yet they remind us that, with Apple, you never know. Oh, and a direct quote: "The next quarter is really going to be packed with new stuff." So on second thoughts, do get your knickers in a twist. Now. – Ad Dugdale

Apple To Hold Special Event At NAB [MacWorld]

Some of you will be excited to know that Sprint will be broadcasting sixteen hours hours of live coverage from the NFL Network to their cellphone users during the April 29-30 draft, so you can see the draft live when you're in line at the grocery store, or watch clips of the prospective draft picks on demand as you wait for the bus; we're excited mainly because this gives us yet another way to ignore sports.

Got a cellphone? You might see NFL Draft live [USA Today, thanks Schuyler!]