UN agency approves Super Hi-Vision 8K TV standard

A new high-resolution television format has been approved by the UN's communication standards setting agency. Broadcasts in 8K will offer a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels - roughly the equivalent of a 32 megapixel photo. That is 16 times as sharp as current HD TVs offering about 2MP resolutions.

Japanese broadcaster NHK showed off the technology in London during the Olympics, where audiences said it gave them a sense of being at the events. The firm has developed three cameras that can capture the higher resolution - which it calls Super Hi-Vision - at 60 frames per second but aims to double that to 120 frames per second.

"The experience of viewing and listening to live sports and entertainment coverage is dramatically enhanced by Super Hi-Vision, and Ovum envisages it representing the logical next step in TV transmission technology, following on from regular HD," wrote the consultancies' analyst Jonathan Doran. "In our view, it is a far more significant development than 3D, which offers a limited range of use-cases."

The UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) discussed the standard in May and offered broadcasters the opportunity to file objections. Because no-one did, it sent out letters at the end of last week confirming the format's approval.

A press release from NHK said the specification would "reproduce the feeling of life and offer a sense of being present" in a way that had been impossible to do before. The news was first reported by Techworld. NHK has used a 145-inch (3.7 metre) prototype display co-developed with Panasonic to show off its footage. But it will be some time before such models become commercially available.

TV makers are currently focusing efforts on launching 4K enabled devices offering half the resolution. This is the format currently used by most digital cinema cameras. LG unveiled the biggest 4K television - an 84 inch screen costing more than $22,000. But manufacturers are likely to want to offer 8K screens by 2020 when NHK aims to begin its first experimental broadcasts in the standard. 

The displays would probably remain beyond most people's budgets for more than a decade. "I suspect that we won't see this become available to consumers below $10,000 until 2025," Paul O'Donovan, principal analyst at the tech consultancy Gartner said. "Those will be in sizes 55 inches and above. You will still get a benefit at that size because it offers a greater colour depth and contrast as well as a sharper picture. But when the screens are even larger you get a sense of being there - it's like looking through a window.

"Beyond better looking TV programmes they will also appeal to photographers. Many people have cameras with lots of megapixels and this gives them a way to see their pictures back at the same resolution they took them in."

There are only currently three Super Hi-Vision cameras in existence. NHK says Super Hi-Vision screens will offer users the opportunity to enjoy wider viewing angles in future.

Microsoft switch to replace Hotmail by Outlook.com

Microsoft is overhauling its free webmail service, dropping the Hotmail brand it has used since acquiring the product in 1998, and adopting the name Outlook.com. The revamped service will help sort messages as they arrive and allow users to make internet calls on Skype. It said the move would help tackle the problem of "cluttered" inboxes. The action may also be designed to win over users of Google's rival Gmail service.

Microsoft said that in many cases email had become a "chore" because its users accounts had become "overloaded" with material. Its solution is to automatically sort messages into different areas to distinguish between emails from contacts, newsletters, package delivery notices, social network posts and other identifiers determined by the account holder. In addition it is taking steps to link the Outlook account with other services the user might have subscribed to.

"We are giving you the first email service that is connected to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google, and soon, Skype, to bring relevant context and communications to your email," the firm's Chris Jones said. "In the Outlook.com inbox, your personal email comes alive with photos of your friends, recent status updates and tweets that your friend has shared with you, the ability to chat and video call - all powered by an always up-to-date contact list that is connected to your social networks."

In what may be perceived as a dig at Google, Mr Jones added that the firm would not scan email content or attachments in order to sell the information to advertisers or others. He also announced that web versions of the firm's Office apps were built-in, potentially helping it counter competition from other web-based application suits such as Google Docs and Zoho Docs.

Outlook.com also links up with Microsoft's Skydrive cloud storage, allowing users to send photos and other documents via the service to avoid the risk of going over their attachment size limit. This could pose a threat to the rival Google Drive service as well as Dropbox, Sugarsync and others. Large photos and video can be sent via the firm's Skydrive service avoiding attachment size limits.

Mr Jones said the firm had built a "brand new service from the ground up". But Matt Cain, an analyst at the tech consultants Gartner, played down the suggestion of a major leap forwards. "There really is no new technology here - the filtering tools have been around for some time as well as the social network integration. What is new is the cleaned up user interface, and the marketing spin, and the tight integration with office web apps and Skydrive, and the forthcoming integration with Skype."

Microsoft is offering the service in a "preview" mode for the time being and has not announced an official release date. While it advises users to upgrade, Hotmail subscribers can stick with the old system if they wish - at least for now. Those who do make the change keep their @hotmail, @msn or @live.com email address ending, but can also add an @outlook.com address to their account if they wish.

Chirp app sends smartphone data via 'digital birdsong'

An app that transmits data via a burst of "digital birdsong" aims to simplify the way users share images and other files between smartphones. Chirp plays a two-second long noise that sounds as if it was made by a robotic bird. When heard by other devices it triggers a download. The software was developed by Animal Systems, a spin-off business from University College London (UCL).

It is free to use, but companies will be charged a fee for add-on services. At the moment users are limited to sending pictures, website links or 140-character text messages. These appear in a feed similar to Facebook's timeline. Other applications such as Android Beam, Bump, Datasync and Dropbox allow users to swap material via bluetooth, wi-fi or links to cloud-based storage.

But Chirp has the advantage that it can quickly send data to multiple devices at once without them needing to be either paired or have a wireless connection. If recipients are offline their devices will remember the "chirp" and download associated content later.

"We solve the problem of having to pair devices to move data. It's fairly novel to be able to transmit information to anyone who is in earshot - a large number of devices can share the same information at the same time using sound. You can also use it as a device shifting mechanism. In the future you will be able chirp yourself a link to a map from your laptop." Mr Bergel says Chirp's distinctive sound allows it to work at low volumes in relatively noisy locations such as pubs, clubs or busy streets.

It can also work over public address systems or radio transmissions - potentially allowing broadcasters a way to send up-to-date pictures or links to background information; or an advertiser to send coupons or snippets of a song or promotional video. Animal Systems subscribes to a "blacklist" service to prevent users transmitting known pornographic or illegal-content website links. However, it does not plan to moderate other material.

The application works by uploading a user's material to the firm's servers. The data is then identified with a 50-bit address space: one of trillions of available identifiers. This location is then sent to the sender's device. When the user presses a button in the app it plays an audio-encoded version of the address.

Data has long been passed between machines in the form of sound, including recordings on tapes used to load programs into 1980s home computers and early modems dialling into networks. Even so, 

Having launched the app the five-man team behind it will now focus on offering premium services to marketers and other businesses. Mr Bergel said these could include:

A guarantee that uploaded content would be permanently kept on the firm's servers.

Access to analytical data letting firms track whose devices have "listened" to their chirp.

The ability to send video messages that play within the Chirp app.

Mr Bergel said the ultimate goals was to see manufacturers pre-install Chirp on handsets.

However, he must first convince users that they need the service at a time when wi-fi, 4G data and advanced bluetooth connectivity are becoming increasingly common. For now Chirp is only available as an iPhone app. An Android version is promised "soon".

Warning about online fraud as information theft rises

Fraudsters traded 12 million pieces of personal information online between January and April this year, according to research. The figure represents a threefold increase on 2010.

Credit-checking company Experian, which produced the figures, said the increase was partly due to consumers having a growing number of online accounts. Consumers now have an average of 26 separate online logins but just five different passwords.

Experian said many people were unaware their identity had been stolen until they were refused credit cards or mobile phone contracts. It advised people to change their passwords regularly and make them more complicated so they are harder for fraudsters to crack.

Two thirds of people have accounts they no longer use but have not closed down, leaving them vulnerable, the research found. This was borne out last week when hackers broke into Yahoo's servers and stole 450,000 passwords, many from defunct accounts. Those who had been victims of the growing issue of identity fraud suffered:

Refusal of loans or credit cards (14%)

Debts being run up in their name (9%)

Refusal of mobile phone contracts (7%)

Being chased by debt collectors for money they did not owe (7%)

Every week brings fresh headlines about stolen IDs. Last week, alongside the Yahoo hack, it was revealed that one million user IDs had been stolen from the Android forum and graphics hardware maker Nvidia said 400,000 passwords had been stolen from its forums.

This led Microsoft to reveal that 20% of Microsoft account logins are found on lists of compromised credentials as a result of hacks into other websites. Writing on the Microsoft blog, Eric Doer said "These attacks shine a spotlight on the core issue - people reuse passwords between different websites."

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD PASSWORD!

Use a password checker to see whether your password is strong or weak

Strong passwords contain a mixture of letters and numbers, the more random the better

Users worried about remembering obscure passwords can use random password generators

Online random password generators should not be used for secure services such as bank accounts

Using first letters of a speech from Shakespeare or a favourite poem offers one way to keep it obscure but memorable

It is OK to write passwords down as long as the paper copy is kept safe

Avoid dictionary words, words spelt backwards, sequences or repeated characters

Never use personal information such as date of birth,National ID, Driving License No etc