The Internet currently uses IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), which uses 32-bit numbers, allowing for the availability of a total of 4 billion IP addresses.
According to experts, about 94 percent of those addresses have already been allocated, and the Internet may run out of IP addresses by 2011, at least under the current IPv4 system.
A new system, IPv6, would use 128-bit numbers, allowing for an almost infinite amount of IP addresses. So far, however, adoption has been slow.
If adoption of the new system doesn’t happen soon, Google Internet evangelist Vint Cerf warns that a “black market” for IP addresses would start, taking “away from the decentralized nature of the Internet.”
“Without IPv6, the Internet’s expansion and innovation could be limited,” also notes American Registry for Internet Numbers president and CEO John Curran. “Delaying IPv6 deployment may strain the work of Internet operators, application developers, and end users everywhere.”
Google is one of few companies that already puts all its services on the IPv6 protocol, with Facebook being another notable company.
Verizon and Comcast, two of the largest ISPs, have begun testing the protocol, as well.
Result for: comcast
Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), the syndicate of technology, cable and entertainment companies has introduced their long awaited cloud-based digital locker today, dubbing the service Ultraviolet.
Consumers would create an Ultraviolet account which would allow them to purchase movies, TV shows and music and access it from any web-connected device like HDTVs, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles.
DECE consists of Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Cox Communications, Fox Entertainment, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Lionsgate, Microsoft, Motorola, NBC Universal, Netflix, Nokia, Panasonic, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Toshiba, and Warner Bros.
The group expects to launch the service later this year, and any device manufacturer, entertainment producer or other company “that want to offer the UltraViolet service would have to license its technology specifications from the consortium,” says IW.
Licensing requirements will be “as light as possible,” however.
The two notable names missing from the list are Disney (who is creating a rival system; Keychest) and Apple, which already has iTunes as a “digital locker” for content played back on iPods, iPads, and iPhones.
Result for: comcast
Comcast has denied today that is has any connection to RightNetwork, a start-up venture that will launch in the Republican states and will “reflect and reinforce their perspective and worldview.”
The large ISP had been identified as a key partner, and The Huffington Post went as far to call the new venture “Tea Party TV,” alluding to the extremist anti-tax protesters.
Comcast vehemently denies: “The blog reports that Comcast is an investor in, or partner of the RightNetwork are inaccurate. We have no partnership with this venture and have no plans to launch or distribute the network,” says Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury.
Khoury does admit that they met with RightNetwork reps.
RightNetwork has since taken down the quote that they have partnered with Comcast, but the independently owned media company will debut sometime in 2010.
You can check some trailers of the programming here: http://rightnetwork.com/
