IBC focuses on convergence

The IBC2008 exhibition will address the wave of media technology convergence that is melding once disparate services, technologies and industries into a cohesive amalgamation of devices, ranging from the mobile phone, handheld devices, PCs and television to digital signage, says Broadcast Engineering.

During its conference programme (11 to 16 September) and at its exhibits (12 to 16 September) in the RAI in Amsterdam, IBC2008 will place a special focus on this convergence and the tie that binds this collection of distribution devices together, namely broadcast content.

The show, which traditionally covers all aspects of content creation, management and delivery, will expand its reach to encompass this unfolding convergence.

At the OSCON open source convention in Portland last week, Joe Born, CEO of storage device provider Neuros, explained how Linux-based embedded devices will bring open source to the set-top market and the consumer electronics space, says Ars Technica.

"The conventional view of convergence has largely been surrounding PCs," said Born. "But if you take a step back, you see a lot of things that PC isn't the answer for. Embedded devices still remain cheaper."

The growing ubiquity of Internet-enabled always-on consumer electronics products will change the way that people use technology, Born contends.

The Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament just released an English summary to a recent report on Converging Technologies by Christopher Coenen, says Nanowerk.

Coenen explains that the term "converging technologies" may have been coined in the US in 2001, but discussions and research programmes have now spread to Europe and other parts of the world including Canada, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Conceptions of the term "convergence" are different in the US (nanotechnology, biotechnology, IT, cognitive sciences), Europe (convergence technologies for the European Knowledge Society), Germany (converging technologies for smart systems technology) and other countries, he says.