July
FCC News Michael Powell Speaks at The Media Institute Published On: April 28, 2022 On: April 28, 2022, NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell
participated in a virtual Q&A at The Media Institute on the state of the cable industry, the future of gigabit networks, net neutrality, rural broadband, and more. Check out some of the highlights below: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, an unprecedented number of people quickly transitioned their work, school and personal lives to be entirely online. Thanks to the decades of investment and thoughtful network planning, America’s broadband networks were a success story. With the influx of federal infrastructure dollars, the U.S. has an historic opportunity to accomplish universal broadband
IN THIS ISSUE NCTA President speaks...............................1 NextGenTV at NAB......................................2 Free Photoshop...........................................3
And the Winner is.........................................4 Top 5 Video Editing Apps.............................5
Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, there has been renewed discussion around the FCC starting yet another net neutrality rulemaking. Hear Powell’s thoughts on how that is counterproductive and ignores the reality of the marketplace. As broadband infrastructure projects ramp up, how do agencies define broadband, and how do they define unserved versus underserved? Powell talks about the importance of consistency among federal agencies and warns against setting a standard that will benefit those who already have broadband at the expense of the truly unserved who are the most in need. View the full article at:
https://www.ncta.com/whats-new/michael-powell-speaks-at-the-media-institute
MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATES NextGen TV Slowly Finds Its Direction By Gary Arlen
Originally published May 31, 2022 Transportation, education and maybe a few public-sector projects — but relatively scant video ventures — are emerging as the first marketplace realities for Next Generation TV. Although the barrage of supply-side promises from the usual gang of ATSC 3.0 supporters persisted during April’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, actual demand-side implementations are still largely dreams of the future. Nonetheless, the convention’s parade of announcements and progress reports indicated the array of NextGen TV promises is starting to materialize. In particular: • Sinclair Broadcast Group plans to field-test video and data features at electric vehicle charging stations in Florida (in collaboration with USSI Global); • BitPath is introducing its NavPath venture for “precision positioning” and plans to roll out services in Portland, Oregon, and Las Vegas; • Gaian Solutions is adding 3.0 interactive education features on Curious Crew, a kids show on PBS station WKAR East Lansing, Michigan. Moreover, NextGen TV cheerleaders in Las Vegas were ecstatic about a new deal with MediaTek, the semiconductor maker known for its systems-on-a-chip (SoC) technology, which will work with the Pearl TV consortium on a “FastTrack to NextGen TV” project. The goal is to accelerate TV set makers’ production of NextGen TV receivers and related devices, including mobile receivers. Throughout NAB Show, Pearl and other NextGen TV promoters made note of the growing sales of ATSC 3.0-equipped TV sets, which are expected to account for 2% of total U.S. TV sales (4.5 million units) this year, according to the Consumer Technology Association’s latest forecast. CTA predicts sales of such sets to rise to 10% next year and reach an “inflection point” (19% or 15.7 million units) in 2024. Full article available at: https://www.nexttv.com/features/nextgen-tv-slowly-finds-its-direction
Adobe plans to make Photoshop on the web free to everyone For now, it’s testing a freemium version in Canada Originally published by Jacob Kastrenakes June 14, 2022 Adobe has started testing a free-to-use version of Photoshop on the web and plans to open the service up to everyone as a way to introduce more users to the app. The company is now testing the free version in Canada, where users are able to access Photoshop on the web through a free Adobe account. Adobe describes the service as “freemium” and eventually plans to gate off some features that will be exclusive to paying subscribers. Enough tools will be freely available to perform what Adobe considers to be Photoshop’s core functions. “We want to make [Photoshop] more accessible and easier for more people to try it out and experience the product,” says Maria Yap, Adobe’s VP of digital imaging. Adobe first released its web version of Photoshop in October, delivering a simplified version of the app that could be used to handle basic edits. Layers and core editing tools made the jump, but the service didn’t come anywhere close to including the app’s full breadth of features. Instead, Adobe framed it primarily as a collaboration tool — a way for an artist to share an image with others and have them jump in, leave some annotations and make a couple small tweaks, and hand it back over.
Maria Yap
In the months since, Adobe has made a handful of updates to the service, and it’s also started to open it up beyond collaboration use cases. Before, someone had to share a document to the web from the desktop app, but now, any Photoshop subscriber can log in and start a new document straight from the web. Adobe’s goal is to use the web version of Photoshop to make the app more accessible and potentially hook users who’ll want to pay for the full version down the road. The company has taken a similar route with a number of its mobile apps, including Fresco and Express. The web version of Photoshop is a particularly important offering since it opens one of the company’s most powerful tools up to Chromebooks, which are widely used in schools. “I want to see Photoshop meet users where they’re at now,” Yap says. “You don’t need a high-end machine to come into Photoshop.” Adobe didn’t provide a timeline on when the freemium version would launch more widely. In the meantime, the company is continuing to update Photoshop for web with more tools, including refine edge, curves, the doge and burn tools, and the ability to convert Smart Objects. The web version is also getting mobile support for reviewing and commenting on images. Full article available at:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/14/23162580/photoshop-web-free-freemium-version-adobe
2022 HOMETOWN MEDIA AWARD WINNERS The 2022 Hometown Media Awards received almost 1,000 entries. They all are submitted and evaluated on several factors, including budget, experience and subject. The Alliance for Community Media appreciated everyone’s time and energy put into creating their productions and submitting them into this awards program. The ACM also thanks the volunteer judges for sharing their knowledge, expertise and time to evaluate the entries. The judges review the submissions from their assigned category, score accordingly on a rubric and provide feedback to all entries which request commentary on their submissions. The programs entered for the 2022 Hometown Media Awards had their first telecast on a local cable access channel or their initial stream/web distribution on or between January 1 - December 31, 2021. The ACM is honored to announce the winners of 2022 Hometown Media Awards listed below. The 2022 winners are all invited to the 2022 Annual Conference’s Hometown Media Awards Celebration on Wednesday, June 29. This event will take place during the ACM’s Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. Some of the winners include: ABOUT ACCESS & EMPOWERMENT WINNERS About Access & Empowerment Access Center Professional: Paul in the Studio - Paul Snyder, Alan Cunningham, Roger Lindala, Katie Foster, Northwest Access TV About Access & Empowerment Independent Producer: Speak Mpls - Jeff Strate, Bloomington Community Access Television, SWTV About Access & Empowerment Student: When I Speak Freely by BennyFL- Team Hercules Youth, WPAA-TV ACCESS PROGRAM PROMO Access Program Promo Access Center Professional: Forks Over Fitchburg Access Program Promo Community Radio: Radio Access 102.5 FM Producer Liner - Roger Marks and Ben Smith, Radio Access 102.5 FM Access Program Promo Independent Producer: IN THE KNOW WOMEN’S SHOW PROMO - Darleen Adkins, Executive Producer, Thurston Community Media Access Program Promo Student: No Need To Knock- Team Hercules Youth, WPAA-TV COMMUNITY IMPACT WINNERS Community Impact Access Center Professional: One Bullet, Many Lives - a Short Film - Christopher Bowden, Director/Producer, HC Media Community Impact Community Radio: Community Voice PHL Talk Show - Jeffrey Jones & Jacquelyn Jordan, PhillyCAM Community Impact Independent Producer: Alcohol Poisoning: When Drinking Turns Dangerous - Sandy Austin Goldstein and Scott Allo, Newington Community Television Community Impact Student: BHS Students on Remote Learning - BHS Media, BevCam The complete list of this years winners can be viewed at:
https://www.allcommunitymedia.org/Foundation/Foundation/Hometown_Media_Awards/Winners/2022_Winners.aspx
Video Editing Apps Magisto This app allows you to make incredible videos without ever leaving your smartphone in three easy steps, and helps organize your footage in a video that best delivers the message you have in mind.
For more information, visit: https://www.magisto.com/ Splice This app allows you — as the name suggests — to splice together different video clips on your phone to create a moving collage. You can also use the app to trim and edit different pieces of video and customize transition lengths from one scene to the next. For more information, visit: https://spliceapp.com/ Adobe Premiere Rush (staff pick) This free mobile and desktop video editing app is perfect for creative people on the go. Wherever you are, from your phone to your computer, you can shoot, edit, and share high-quality videos. Fun, intuitive, and as fast as social media, it’s the easiest way to star in your followers’ feeds. For more information, visit:
https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere-rush.html
Blender This app is more than just a video editor: It’s a full-blown 3D animation suite, which allows for modeling, rendering, motion tracking, and more. Features include: transitions, speed control, filters, adjustment layers, and more. There are also multiple slots available for adding video clips, audio clips, images, and effects. For more information, visit: https://www.blender.org/features/video-editing/ PowerDirector This app has a suite of creative design tools just for Android and desktop users. Developed by CyberLink, the app can help you create 4K-quality videos from footage taken with numerous devices.
For more information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/PwrDrctrEditor