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104-584: Music Choice is distributed nationwide by Xfinity , Spectrum , Cox Communications , Verizon Fios , DirecTV and other smaller cable providers. Similar broadcast music services include DMX , Stingray Music (Canadian), Sirius XM , and XITE . Early development Music Choice (formerly known as Digital Cable Radio ) was the first digital audio broadcast service in the world and, under its founder and CEO David Del Beccaro, launched in test markets circa 1987. From its inception as an eight- channel audio service from Motorola 's cable group, Music Choice evolved into

208-497: A cable modem . This fee has been seen by some as unfair, but is waived for customers who buy their own modems. Comcast charges $ 20 for internet installation, but the fee is waived for customers who opt to install themselves. In 2011, Comcast launched its "Internet Essentials" program, which offers low-cost internet service to families with children who qualify for free or reduced price school lunches. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required this budget service as

312-610: A "Car-a-oke" app. Mini karaoke box or karaoke booth is a device similar in shape and size to a phone booth , equipped with a karaoke machine inside. Typically made from soundproof glass, it can be installed anywhere and is suitable for use by one or two people. It is popular in East Asia. The CD+G format of a karaoke disc, which contains the lyrics on a specially encoded subcode track, has heretofore required special—and expensive—equipment to play. Commercial players have come down in price, though, and some unexpected devices (including

416-572: A 24-hour interactive music video cable channel. The network struggled to gain momentum and was eventually rebranded to Music Choice Play on October 15, 2013, then wound down by the start of 2016. As of Fall 2021, Music Choice offers several subscription services which are available through the extended Internet-connected services of cable set-top boxes. A domestic karaoke service providing access to instrumental versions of popular songs sorted into playlists with sing-along lyrics. A service providing calming instrumentals and soothing nature imagery for

520-579: A Regulatory Recovery Fee of varying size(s) with their Digital Basic cable subscription in order to "recover additional costs associated with governmental programs". Since January 2014, Comcast has also charged a Broadcast TV Fee to "defray the rising costs of retransmitting broadcast television signals(sic)." In May 2012, Comcast softlaunched X1 (codenamed "Xcalibur"), a new hardware and software platform for its television services in Boston. It features wider support for internet content and video streaming apps, and

624-504: A bandleader, drummer, and Electone keyboardist, specialized in leading sing-alongs at nightclubs in Sannomiya, the entertainment district of the city of Kobe. He grew so popular that he became overbooked, and began recording instrumentals for clients when he could not personally perform for them. Realizing the potential for the market, he commissioned a coin-operated machine that metered out several minutes of singing time. Like Negishi's, it

728-689: A bandwidth usage cap. Comcast Business services used to be sold exclusively through direct sales employees. In March 2011, Comcast created an indirect sales channel called the Solution Provider Program, a comprehensive indirect channel program that enables telecommunications consultants and system integrators to sell Comcast's services such as Business Class Internet, Voice, and high-capacity Ethernet services to small and mid-market businesses. The program offers recurring commissions for sales partners based on monthly revenue, and Comcast will provide, install, manage and bill for these services. For

832-494: A brief period, until Comcast shut it down around in late 2007. In 2009, after completing transition from their old service, Comcast had 7.6 million voice customers. As of the end of 2013, Comcast Digital Voice had reached 10.7 million subscribers. At the start of 2012, Comcast stood as the United States' third-largest residential line provider, supplying 9.34 million residential lines. Xfinity Voice allows communication over

936-409: A built-in karaoke function. On stereo recordings, one speaker will play the music with the vocal track, and the other speaker will play the music without the vocal track. So, to sing karaoke, users play the music-only track through both speakers. In the past, there were only pop-song karaoke VCDs. Nowadays, different types of karaoke VCDs are available. Cantonese opera karaoke VCD is now a big hit among

1040-474: A cloud server emerged. The earliest cloud based streaming device, KaraOK!, was released by StarHub on 14 January 2010, licensing songs from RIMMS. The use of cloud streaming allows for smaller devices with over the air updates compared to costly and bulky hard drive-based systems. Recisio transitioned into Karafun, an online subscription based system in 2011. In 2015, Singa Karaoke was launched, providing karaoke for Android and iOS mobile devices, in addition to

1144-513: A condition for allowing Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in January 2011. Of an estimated 2.60 million households eligible for the program, about 220,000 households participate in the program as of June 2013. A similar program is available from other internet providers through the non-profit Connect2compete.org. Comcast has stated that the program will accept new customers for a total of three years. In March 2014, as he met with FCC concerning

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1248-677: A deeper technology partnership with Comcast in April 2024, and began rebranding its cable TV and internet products as "Rogers Xfinity" later that year. Beginning in the mid-2000s, the prices of retransmission fees, requirements for cable companies to retransmit television broadcasters content, have become more expensive. These fees (and the arguments over them between broadcasters and distributors) caused blackouts of certain (influential) television programming. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission then reviewed its rules for broadcasters and distributors to make any possible changes to them in response to

1352-620: A game called Karaoke Callout for the Nokia Series 60 phone. The project has since then expanded into a web-based game and will be released soon as an iPhone application. Karaoke is now available for the Android, iPhone and other playback devices at many internet storefronts. Taxicabs equipped with sound systems and a microphone appeared in South Korea in the 1990s. Chinese automobile maker Geely Automobile received much press in 2003 for being

1456-458: A great deal of friction with Inoue's fellow musicians, who saw it as drawing customers away from them. Nevertheless karaoke spread throughout Kobe, then, over the course of the Seventies, all of Japan as major manufacturers such as JVC began producing their own versions of the singing machine. Karaoke was long performed mainly in bars and hostess clubs in front of other patrons, but in the 1980s,

1560-416: A hand-held Wii style point and click controller with built-in microphone allowing users to select and sing along to thousands of songs from its catalogue. In July 2023, YouTube channel Sing King Karaoke reached 11 million subscribers, making it the largest karaoke channel on the platform. In 2003, several companies started offering a karaoke service on mobile phones, using a Java MIDlet that runs with

1664-412: A heated dispute concerning whether Level 3 would have to pay Comcast to bridge their respective networks, in an agreement known as peering . The disagreement continued as Netflix's current carrier, Cogent Communications , explicitly placed blame for Netflix bottlenecks on Comcast and several other ISPs. In February 2014, after rumors surfaced that Comcast and Netflix had reached an unspecified agreement,

1768-457: A karaoke box is called a KTV. The global karaoke market has been estimated to be worth nearly $ 10 billion. Karaoke's global popularity has been fueled by technological advancements, making it a staple of social gatherings and entertainment venues all over the world. Karaoke machines made their first appearances in Japan in the 1970s. These machines, along with their popularity, spread worldwide in

1872-439: A looping carousel of “Did You Know?” factoids paired with file photos of the artists in question. In the past, the on-screen trivia factoids have been criticized by some as featuring facts that are overtly depressing or deal with death, as a May 2017 HuffPost story cited a number of factoids recalling various illnesses, homicides, and suicides of various musical artists and their close family, friends and partners over an evening of

1976-1373: A multi-platform interactive music network based in New York that reaches millions of consumers across nationwide. Music Choice is a partnership owned by a consortium , including Universal's Comcast , Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016, Cox Communications , EMI Music , Microsoft , Arris International (formerly part of Motorola 's cable technologies division), and Sony Corporation of America . Music Choice launched its first 24-hour interactive music video cable channel, SWRV , in February 2010. Several of its stations are measured through Mediabase and its playlists are accounted for in weekly airplay charts in addition to traditional radio and Sirius XM plays. Music Choice currently offers over 50 linear channels of various music radio formats through digital cable providers. The number of channels available varies by provider. Music Choice offers free video on demand content, including hundreds of music videos from various recording artists, original programs, and artist features. Starting in July 2008, Music Choice released iOS and Android apps. The app requires login with

2080-544: A new 1.2TB data cap will be implemented for all of the remaining areas in the northeast by March 2021. However, it was postponed due to pressure from the Pennsylvanian attorney general due to concerns on how it would impact customers, especially for those working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic . In September 2007, a rumor emerged among tech blogs that Comcast was throttling or even blocking internet traffic transmitted via

2184-479: A new style with private rooms emerged, called karaoke boxes . This became the dominant form of karaoke performance in Japan. In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was awarded the tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other." The patent holder of the karaoke machine is Roberto del Rosario , who is from the Philippines. He developed

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2288-572: A paper booklet. However, he ran into distribution troubles and ceased production of the Sparko Box shortly thereafter. Despite being credited as the first to automate and commercialize the karaoke singalong, Negishi, who died in 2024, never patented his invention. Another early pioneer was Toshiharu Yamashita, who worked as a singing coach, and in 1970 sold an 8-track playback deck with microphone for sing-alongs. In 1971, nightclub musician Daisuke Inoue independently invented his own karaoke machine in

2392-475: A part of the Digital Basic cable subscription) to gain lost profit from paying more expensive fees to retransmit programming content. Comcast's subsidiary, NBCUniversal , was one of several broadcasters party to American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo, Inc. , over the question of whether Aereo is a retransmitter (which would require it to pay retransmission fees). The case was decided on June 25, 2014, in favor of

2496-423: A participating provider's TV Everywhere authentication credentials to use, and the same access is available on traditional desktop/laptop web browsers. Each Music Choice channel is distributed in freeze frame television , with still slides appearing on-screen as the music plays. These slides display banner advertising (the only advertising on the service, as the audio programming airs commercial-free) along with

2600-699: A private network, and a public network with the SSID "xfinitywifi". To conserve bandwidth, these hotspots are capped at 5 simultaneous users. Customers can opt out of providing Xfinity WiFi through either the Comcast website, or by installing a third-party router. Comcast has received criticism for this practice, with critics arguing that the company was abusing customer resources (including bandwidth and electricity) to provide services for other customers, as well as concerns regarding security, and liability for actions performed by users while connected to these home hotspots; in 2014,

2704-567: A proposed class action lawsuit was filed in California, citing violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and similar state laws for these reasons. Comcast defended the service by stating that the public Wi-Fi is firewalled from devices connected to the in-home network, was designed to have minimal bandwidth impact to "support robust usage", and that customers would not be liable for the actions of other users, as abusers can be traced by means of

2808-454: A remote control with voice recognition input. X1 was scheduled for nationwide availability by the end of 2013. Comcast has licensed the X1 platform as middleware to other providers, including Cox Cable (as "Cox Contour"), and Canadian providers Shaw (as "Shaw BlueCurve TV"), Rogers (as "Rogers Ignite TV") and Vidéotron (as Helix TV). Rogers (which had meanwhile acquired Shaw) announced

2912-742: A result, karaoke games were considered little more than collector's items until they saw release in higher-capacity DVD formats. Karaoke Revolution , created for the PlayStation 2 by Harmonix and released by Konami in North America in 2003, is a console game in which a single player sings along with on-screen guidance and receives a score based on pitch, timing, and rhythm. The game soon spawned several follow-ups including Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2 , Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3 , Karaoke Revolution Party Edition , CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution: Country and Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol . While

3016-476: A text file containing the words and a MIDI file with the music. More usual is to contain the lyrics within the same MIDI file. Often the file extension is then changed from .mid to .kar, both are compatible with the standard for MIDI files. Researchers have also developed karaoke games for cell phones to boost music database training. In 2006, the Interactive Audio Lab at Northwestern University released

3120-498: A vulnerability that when exploited, falsely reported that all was well. The wireless motion sensors Xfinity Home used could also be easily jammed, and thus disabled, by radio frequencies. On April 6, 2017, Comcast launched Xfinity Mobile , a mobile virtual network operator ( MVNO ) on the Verizon mobile network . Xfinity Mobile provides prepaid (with users able to purchase data in 1 GB bundles) and monthly unlimited plans, with

3224-605: A web browser product for a subscription fee. Other similar service providers include Smule and Starmaker. In August 2017, ROXI home music system launched in the UK, and later that year in the US, providing on-demand music streaming and a karaoke singalong feature called Sing with the Stars. ROXI matches songs in its cloud based licensed music streaming catalogue to a lyrics database to provide real time scrolling on-screen lyrics. The music system also uses

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3328-509: A week, commonly with high-end sound equipment superior to the small, stand-alone consumer versions. Dance floors and lighting effects are also becoming common sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple television screens around the bar. A basic karaoke machine consists of a music player, microphone inputs, a means of altering the pitch of the played music, and an audio output. Some low-end machines attempt to provide vocal suppression so that one can feed regular songs into

3432-416: Is a paid software by bank transfer pay 500 THB and send to E-mail for activate license key and also can play same with All In One Karaoke Player. and in 2008 eXtreme Karaoke changed from License file to HardLock (USB Dongle) the price is 2,000 THB for software. In 2006, Recisio was founded as a downloadable karaoke software In 2010, a new concept of home karaoke system through the use of live streaming from

3536-731: Is a premier sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series . They sponsored NASCAR Cup Series driver Carl Edwards in 2016 at Richmond Raceway . Edwards won the race with a bump and run on teammate Kyle Busch . They also have sponsored both NASCAR Cup Series drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace on 23XI Racing promoting Xfinity Mobile and Xfinity 10G, and since 2020, has sponsored the Xfinity 500 . Xfinity and its parent company, Comcast, were sued in August 2016 in King County Superior Court by

3640-507: Is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone . Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. In recent times, lyrics are typically displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol, changing colour, or music video images, to guide the singer. In Chinese-speaking countries and regions such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore,

3744-617: Is an Internet division established in 1997 been serving the public online since 1998. They released the first karaoke player that supports MP3+G and now the KDX2000 model supporting karaoke in DIVX, Format. One of long-running karaoke device is the DVD, HDD karaoke system, that comes with thousands of songs which popular in business such as karaoke machine rentals and KTV bars, and became popular in Asia, especially

3848-426: Is based on the same principle and is also able to adjust the pitch of the song to match the singer's vocal range. This crude approach results in the often-poor performance of voice removal. Common effects are hearing the reverb effects on the voice track (due to stereo reverb on the vocals not being in the center); also, other instruments (snare/bass drum, bass guitar and solo instruments) that happen to be mixed into

3952-409: Is done by center channel extraction, which exploits the fact that in most stereo recordings the vocals are in the center. This means that the voice, as part of the music, has equal volume on both stereo channels and no phase difference. To get the quasi-karaoke ( mono ) track, the left channel of the original audio is subtracted from the right channel. The Sega Saturn also has a "mute vocals" feature that

4056-440: Is pre-programmed and may be limited to a genre so that they cannot call up an obscure national anthem that none of the participants can sing. This game has come to be called "Kamikaze Karaoke" or "Karaoke Roulette " in some parts of the United States and Canada. Many low-end entertainment systems have a karaoke mode that attempts to remove the vocal track from regular audio CDs, using an Out Of Phase Stereo (OOPS) technique. This

4160-406: The @Home Network , which sold internet service through Comcast's cable lines. The agreement continued after @Home's merger with Excite . When the combined company Excite@Home filed for bankruptcy in 2002, Comcast moved their roughly 950,000 internet customers completely onto their own network. Along with the price of internet subscriptions, Comcast charges users an additional $ 14.00/month to rent

4264-558: The BitTorrent protocol . Comcast vehemently denied the accusations of blocking traffic, stating that "Comcast does not, has not, and will not block any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services", and that "We engage in reasonable network management". After more widespread confirmation that Comcast was throttling BitTorrent traffic, Comcast said it occasionally delayed BitTorrent traffic in order to speed up other kinds of data, but declined to go into specifics. Following

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4368-618: The Comcast Corporation . It is used to market consumer cable television , internet , telephone , and wireless services provided by the company. The brand was first introduced in 2010; prior to that, these services were marketed primarily under the Comcast name. As of 2023 its CEO is Dave Watson, its chairman is Brian L. Roberts , and its CFO is Catherine Avgiris. Xfinity went from US$ 23.7 billion in revenue in 2007 to $ 50.04 billion in 2016. In February 2010, Comcast began to re-brand its consumer triple play service offerings under

4472-494: The Sega Saturn video game console and XBMC Media Center on the first Xbox) can decode the graphics; in fact, karaoke machines, including video and sometimes recording capability, are often popular electronics items for sale in toy stores and electronics stores. Additionally, there is software for Windows, Pocket PC, Linux, and Macintosh PCs that can decode and display karaoke song tracks, though usually these must be ripped from

4576-556: The "Xfinity 10G Network" branding in this manner. On December 20, 2023 it was revealed that an Xfinity data breach had exposed the personal data of 35.8 million people, including usernames, passwords, and answers to security questions, due to a vulnerability in the Citrix software used. Karaoke Karaoke ( / ˌ k ær i ˈ oʊ k i / ; Japanese: [kaɾaoke] ; カラオケ , clipped compound of Japanese kara 空 "empty" and ōkesutora オーケストラ "orchestra")

4680-500: The 1980s. The machines were mainly featured in lounges, nightclubs , and bars. In-home karaoke machines grew in popularity once they were combined with home theater systems . Over time, karaoke has evolved with digital music, video games , smartphone apps , and online platforms, allowing users to sing anytime and anywhere. Beyond leisure, karaoke is used for professional training in music and public speaking, highlighting its broad appeal and impact on popular culture. From 1961 to 1966,

4784-436: The 3D format. In addition to residential consumers, Comcast also serves businesses as customers, targeting small businesses with fewer than 20 employees and mid-sized businesses of 20–500 employees. In 2009, Minneapolis–Saint Paul became the first city in which Comcast Business Class offered 100 Mbit/s Internet service, which includes Microsoft Communication Services. Comcast Business Class Internet service does not have

4888-519: The American TV network NBC carried a karaoke-like series, Sing Along with Mitch , featuring host Mitch Miller and a chorus, which superimposed the lyrics to their songs near the bottom of the TV screen for home audience participation. The primary difference between karaoke and sing-along songs is the absence of the lead vocalist. Sing-alongs (present since the beginning of singing) fundamentally changed with

4992-563: The CD first, and possibly compressed. In addition to CD+G and software-based karaoke, microphone-based karaoke players enjoy popularity mainly in North America and some Asian countries such as the Philippines. Microphone-based karaoke players only need to be connected to a TV—and in some cases to a power outlet; in other cases they run on batteries. These devices often support advanced features, such as pitch correction and special sound effects. Some companies offer karaoke content for paid download to extend

5096-557: The FCC's designation of Comcast Digital Voice as an information service exempted it from telecommunications service regulations on traditional landline. Comcast also said that because Comcast Voice was a separate service, it was unfair to directly compare the data for Comcast Voice with the data for other VoIP services. Because telephone services over VoIP are not automatically tied to a physical address, Xfinity Voice utilizes E911 to help 911 emergency service operators to automatically locate

5200-440: The FCC's then current regulatory policy. The court suggested instead of its current framework, the FCC move to a common carrier structure to justify its enforcement. As of February 2014, the FCC has announced a new justification, but avoided the more extensive regulation required by the common carrier framework. In 2010, Netflix signed an agreement with Level 3 Communications to carry its data. Shortly after, Level 3 entered

5304-695: The Internet. Karaoke devices in the 2000s saw a shift towards the use of hard drives to store large collections of karaoke tracks and touch screen devices that allows users to select their songs. This trend was driven by the declining cost of hard drive storage and improvement in touchscreen technology in the consumer space. In 2005, Freeware Karaoke software from Thailand on Windows "All In One Karaoke Player" Version 2.0 has released It can play all MIDI Karaoke file (.MID, .KAR, .RMS etc.), Video Karaoke file (VCD, MP4, DVD, MPG, DAT, WMV) and Audio Karaoke file (MP3, OGG+HotBeat) In 2006, first released of eXtreme Karaoke

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5408-586: The National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) ruled that Comcast's marketing of its broadband service as the "Xfinity 10G Network" was misleading, as " 10G " could be insinuated as referring to 10 gigabit service. This service is not available to all households as it requires installation of a fiber optic local loop , as DOCSIS isn't capable of 10 gigabit end-user speeds. In January 2024, Comcast agreed to stop using

5512-501: The Philippines. This device also provides MIDI format with on-screen lyrics on a background video and scoring after you sing, the score will appear from 60 (lowest) to 100 (highest) based on timing and pitch. The earliest karaoke-based music video game , called Karaoke Studio , was released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1985, but its limited computing ability made for a short catalog of songs and therefore reduced replay value. As

5616-469: The State of Washington (AG Ferguson, Washington's Attorney General) for 100 million dollars over claims that Comcast violated the state's Consumer Protection Act 445,000 times over its Service Protection Plan by overly charging for call service fees, knowingly using improper credit screening practices, and by lying about the costs of its Service Protection Plan to 49,660 customers on support calls. The amount that

5720-602: The Time Warner Cable merger, Comcast vice president David Cohen told reporters that the internet essentials program will be extended indefinitely. At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Comcast unveiled a new software platform for its Arris 1682G and Cisco 3941T/3939 modems, which would offer a redesigned configuration interface, support for remote setup and management via an Xfinity mobile app, and enabling integration of supported smart home devices with other Xfinity platforms such as Xfinity TV. The new platform launched under

5824-540: The Xfinity account they used to sign into the network. The lawsuit was taken to arbitration. In the wake of Hurricane Irma , all Xfinity WiFi hotspots in Florida were opened to non-Comcast subscribers. Initially, Comcast had a policy of terminating broadband customers who use "excessive bandwidth", a term the company refused to define in its terms of service, which once said only that a customer's use should not "represent (in

5928-453: The announcement of an official investigation by the FCC, Comcast voluntarily ended the traffic discrimination. The FCC investigation concluded that Comcast's throttling policies were illegal. However, after filing a lawsuit in September 2008, Comcast overturned the illegality of its network management in 2010, as the court ruled that the FCC lacked the authority to enforce net neutrality under

6032-516: The brand xFi in May 2017. Comcast also unveiled the xFi Advanced Gateway, a new router designed to facilitate faster Wi-Fi speeds, including support for 802.11ac Wave 2, as well as internal support for Bluetooth Low Energy , Thread , and Zigbee for finer integration with Internet of things devices, and support for an accompanying line of Wi-Fi extenders (manufactured by Plume). In December 2022, Comcast announced that it had trialed symmetric, 10-gigabit service using DOCSIS 4.0; this service

6136-406: The broadcasters in a 6–3 decision. Comcast has a home security and home automation service known as Xfinity Home in some of its service areas. The service has a burglar and fire alarm, surveillance cameras, and wireless motion sensors put on doorways and windows to detect when said doorway or window was opened, and to detect when someone was in a house when it was vacant, However, Xfinity Home had

6240-579: The center get removed, degrading this approach to hardly more than a gimmick in those devices. Recent years have seen the development of new techniques based on the fast Fourier transform . Although still not perfect, the results are usually much better than the old technique, because the stereo left-right comparison can be done on individual frequencies. Early karaoke machines used 8-track cartridges (The Singing Machine) and cassette tapes , with printed lyric sheets, but technological advances replaced this with CDs, VCDs , LaserDiscs and, currently, DVDs. In

6344-420: The city of Kobe . His biggest contribution was understanding the difficulty amateurs had in singing pop songs, recording his own versions of popular songs in keys that made them easier for casual singers. As such he also included a rudimentary reverb function to help mask singers' deficiencies. For these reasons, he is often considered to be the inventor of the modern business model for karaoke, even though he

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6448-535: The companies confirmed that Netflix was paying Comcast to connect to its network. The details of the agreement are not public, and speculation disagrees about whether the agreement is a precedent against net neutrality , or a continuation of normal peering agreements. Xfinity Voice (formerly Comcast Digital Voice ) is a Voice Over IP cable telephony service that was launched in 2005 in some markets, and to all of Comcast's markets in 2006. Comcast's older service, Comcast Digital Phone, continued to offer service for

6552-522: The company stated that "more than 99 percent of our customers do not come close to using a terabyte." The decision to raise the cap came following implication of increased scrutiny surrounding them by the FCC: in its approval of Charter Communications ' purchase of Time Warner Cable , the Commission stipulated that Charter must not implement caps. As previously, a $ 10 overage fee is charged for every 50 GB above

6656-704: The customers unknowingly paid for the plan from 2011 to 2015 was 71 million dollars. However, when asked for recorded customer service calls discussing the Service Protection Plan, Comcast said that it was "too burdensome". Eventually it gave 4,500 samples of the requested calls, but was accused of deleting many other calls by Washington. In response, Comcast said that it was "not under any obligation to preserve them" and that it deleted customer service calls routinely. It accused Washington of only "listening to 150 calls when we gave 4,500 of them", and said that "customers receive an email confirmation when they sign up for

6760-464: The elderly in China. Since 2003, much software has been released for hosting karaoke shows and playing karaoke songs on a personal computer. Instead of having to carry around hundreds of CD-Gs or laserdiscs, karaoke jockeys can rip their entire libraries onto their hard drives and play the songs and lyrics from the computer. Additionally, new software permits singers to sing and listen to one another over

6864-410: The first quarterly gain in customers since their peak occurred in the fourth quarter of 2013. As of the end of 2013, Comcast had a total of 21.7 million cable customers. The average cost of Comcast's Digital Basic cable subscription had increased 72% from 2003 to 2012. In the fourth quarter of 2015, Comcast got 89,000 new video subscribers. This was their highest gain since 2007. Comcast also charges

6968-412: The first to equip a car, their Beauty Leopard , with a karaoke machine as standard equipment. Europe's first commercial "karaokecab" which was a London TX4 taxi with a karaoke machine inside for occupants of the cab to use to sing whilst in the cab. The idea and installation were made by Richard Harfield of karaokeshop.com and was featured on Channel 4's Big Breakfast and several German TV stations featured

7072-448: The fonts of most stuff have been changed to Graphik , as opposed to it originally being Graphik Compact. As of the writing of this message, they have since reverted it back due to issues with broadcasting on Cable TV . As of November 5th, 2024, the aspect ratio was briefly changed to 16:9 on most cable providers. As of November 10th, 2024, it was reverted back to 4:3. In February 2010, Music Choice launched SWRV (pronounced 'swerve'),

7176-406: The high-profile blackouts. Comcast has had ten year agreements with CBS Disney , and Fox Broadcasting Company for distributing and reproducing content. The financial details of the deals are not known. Due to retransmission fees becoming more expensive every year, broadcasters pay more expensive substantial fees for retransmitting broadcast television . Comcast instated Broadcast TV Fee (as

7280-702: The initial launch of the Solutions Provider Program, Comcast enlisted three national master representatives— Telarus , based in Salt Lake City, Utah ; Intelisys, based in Petaluma, California ; and Telecom Brokerage Inc (TBI), based in Chicago . Sub-agent sales partners must work with one of these three partners in the early stages of the program. Xfinity currently sponsors the NASCAR Xfinity Series and

7384-513: The internet using VoIP , but uses a private network instead of a public IP address , which allows Comcast to prioritize voice data during heavy traffic. In technical terms, on Comcast's Hybrid Fiber Coaxial network, calls are placed into individual Unsolicited Grant Service flows, based on DOCSIS 1.1 Quality of service standards. For the customer, this has the benefit of preventing network congestion from interfering with call quality. Other, non-Comcast VoIP services on Comcast's network must use

7488-414: The introduction of new technology. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, stored audible materials began to dominate the music recording industry and revolutionized the portability and ease of use of band and instrumental music by musicians and entertainers as the demand for entertainers increased globally. This may have been attributable to the introduction of music cassette tapes , technology that arose from

7592-787: The karaoke's sing-along system in 1975 and is recognized as the sole holder of a patent for a karaoke system in the world. Shortly after the development of the LaserDisc , Pioneer started to offer Video Karaoke machines in the 1980s. These are capable of displaying lyrics over a video that accompanies the music. In 1992, a scientist named Yuichi Yasutomo created a networked karaoke system for Brother Industries . Called tsūshin karaoke  [ ja ] ( 通信カラオケ , lit.   ' communications karaoke ' ) , it served up songs in MIDI format via phone lines to modem -equipped karaoke machines. This new technology swept Japan; by 1998, 94% of karaoke

7696-499: The karaokecab. Granada TV also featured the cab, which is now in its 4th vehicle and operates in Bolton , Greater Manchester as Clint's Karaoke Cab. Karaoke is often also found as a feature in aftermarket in-car DVD players. In 2010, karaoke taxis were available in London, England in the 'Kabeoke' fleet of private hire vehicles. Tesla 's newer cars have an infotainment system that features

7800-680: The late 1980s and 1990s, Pioneer Electronics dominated the international karaoke music video market, producing high quality karaoke music videos (inspired by the music videos such as those on MTV ). In 1992, Taito introduced the X2000, which fetched music via a dial-up telephone network. Its repertoire of music and graphics was limited, but its smaller size and the advantage of continuous updates saw it gradually replace traditional machines. Karaoke machines which are connected via fiber-optic links enabling them to provide instant high-quality music and video are becoming increasingly popular. Karaoke direct

7904-403: The latter throttled after 20 GB of use. The service is sold exclusively to Comcast internet subscribers, and includes access to Xfinity WiFi. Analysts perceived Xfinity Mobile as being a response to AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV , which added the national satellite provider alongside its existing wireline and wireless services, and an increased push towards mobile television . In

8008-429: The lawsuit; Stingray responded: “Given the significant inroads that Stingray has made in the U.S. market [Comcast expansion] with its industry-changing technology, Stingray believes that Music Choice’s complaint is without merit and primarily motivated by competitive concerns rather than a desire to protect its intellectual property.” Music Choice's lawsuit against Stingray disputed a number of U.S. Patents pertaining to

8112-571: The limit, and customers can purchase an add-on for "unlimited" data, but its price was increased to $ 50. In October 2016, Comcast announced that bandwidth thresholds would be implemented in the majority of its markets (outside of New York and the northeast) beginning November 1, 2016. The data usage plan does not currently apply to the Gigabit Pro tier of service, Business Internet customers, customers on Bulk Internet agreements, and customers with Prepaid Internet. On November 23, 2020, Comcast announced

8216-417: The lower priority public IP addresses. This separation of traffic into separate flows, or Smart pipe , has been criticised as a violation of net neutrality , whereby all data traffic should be treated equally— dumb pipe . The practice was questioned by the FCC in 2009. In their response, Comcast stated that services that use telecommunications are not necessarily telecommunications services , and said that

8320-503: The machine and remove the voice of the original singer; however this was, historically, rarely effective. Most common machines are CD+G , Laser Disc , VCD or DVD players with microphone inputs and an audio mixer built in, though VHS VCRs are sometimes used. CD+G players use a special track called subcode to encode the lyrics and pictures displayed on the screen while other formats natively display both audio and video. Most karaoke machines have technology that electronically changes

8424-409: The monthly limit. If a user exceeded the cap three times within six months, the customer's residential services may have been terminated for one year. A spokesperson stated that this policy had been in place for some time, but was the first time Comcast has announced a specific usage limit. As the cap provoked a strongly negative reaction from some, Comcast decided to modify its policy in 2012. Under

8528-440: The name Xfinity; Comcast Digital Cable was renamed "Xfinity TV", Comcast Digital Voice became "Xfinity Voice", and Comcast High-Speed Internet became "Xfinity Internet". The re-branding and an associated promotional campaign were scheduled to coincide with the 2010 Winter Olympics . The rebranding was characterized by the media as an effort to sidestep the negativity of the Comcast brand. Time considered Xfinity to be among

8632-463: The need to customize music recordings and the desire for a "handy" format that would allow fast and convenient duplication of music and thereby meet the requirements of the entertainers' lifestyles and the 'footloose' character of the entertainment industry. The karaoke-styled machine was developed in various places in Japan. Even before the invention of the first machines, the word "karaoke" had long been used in Japan's entertainment industry to refer to

8736-430: The network's programming. The color coding on the channel can be blue, pink, green or yellow depending on the dayparts. In 2021, these Music Choice channels has a photo slideshow, that still changes the picture appearing on-screen as the music plays, and the music artist, song and album from top or bottom/up or down. Around October 18th of 2024, the design has changed very slightly. Corners of most elements were rounded, and

8840-568: The new system, the cap was replaced with a data threshold and increased to 300GB in some markets, and consumers who exceed this threshold are charged $ 10 for every 50 GB above the limit. Customers could purchase a $ 30 add-on for "unlimited" data. In a leaked memo, Comcast employees were instructed to state that the policy is for "Fairness and providing a more flexible policy to our customers", and not for controlling network congestion. On April 27, 2016, Comcast announced that it would raise its data threshold in trial markets to 1 TB by June 2016;

8944-400: The on screen formatting of Stingray Digital's music channels. On August 29, 2016, Stingray countersued Music Choice calling the patent lawsuit a "smear campaign". In 2018, A2IM CEO Richard James Burgess accused Music Choice of trying to solicit artist and label support to deceive Congress into reducing artists royalties paid by Music Choice. The criticism came as Music Choice publicly opposed

9048-562: The original Karaoke Revolution was also eventually released for the Microsoft Xbox console in late 2004, the new online-enabled version included the ability to download additional song packs through the console's exclusive Xbox Live service. A similar series, SingStar , published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, is particularly popular in the European and Australasian markets. Other music video game titles that involve singing by

9152-477: The passage of the Music Modernization Act , which ultimately was signed into law on October 11, 2018. On April 10, 2019, SoundExchange filed a lawsuit against Music Choice for underpayment, following an audit of Music Choice's royalty statements. Xfinity Comcast Cable Communications, LLC , doing business as Xfinity , is an American telecommunications business segment and division of

9256-469: The pitch of the music so that amateur singers can choose a key that is appropriate for their vocal range, while maintaining the original tempo of the song. (Old systems which used cassettes changed the pitch by altering playback speed, but none are still on the market, and their commercial use is virtually nonexistent.) A popular game using karaoke is to type in a random number and call up a song, which participants attempt to sing. In some machines, this game

9360-661: The player include Boogie and its sequel Boogie Superstar , Disney Sing It , Get On Da Mic , the Guitar Hero series starting with World Tour , High School Musical: Sing It! , Lips , the Rock Band series, SingSong , UltraStar , and Xbox Music Mixer . An Xbox Live App with the same name created by iNiS and powered by The Karaoke Channel/Stingray Karaoke was released on 12 December 2012. The app uses Unreal Engine 3 . Many VCD players in Southeast Asia have

9464-559: The protection plan". The lawsuit lasted until June 2019, when a King County court judge, Judge Timothy Bradshaw, ruled in favor of Washington State and against Comcast, ordering Comcast to pay 9.1 million dollars in penalties in addition to providing restitution to customers within 60 days. Xfinity and its parent company Comcast were sued through putative class action on June 19, 2018, by Illinois customer Elizabeth O' Neill, over accusations of opening Xfinity Mobile accounts for customers without their consent, and failing to notify customers when

9568-470: The purpose of karaoke but as home theater systems to enhance television watching to "movie theater like quality". Home theater systems took off, and karaoke went from being the main purpose of the stereo system to a side feature. As more music became available for karaoke machines, more people within the industry saw karaoke as a profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. It is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights

9672-523: The purposes of relaxation. A service providing immediate access to any song in the Music Choice library, along with playlist creation, device downloads, and song skipping abilities. In June 2016, Music Choice filed a lawsuit against Canada-based Stingray over patent infringement. The lawsuit occurred one month following the announcement that Comcast, half-owner of Music Choice, had chosen instead to offer Stingray Radio . Music Choice drew criticism with

9776-530: The same accounts were infiltrated without their authorization to buy new cell phones from Comcast's website. They had done this by using information from the customer's already established internet and cable accounts. The case was ruled to be solved in arbitration in accordance with the subscriber agreement she had agreed to. In 2023, Comcast began to market all Xfinity broadband services as "the Xfinity 10G Network", in relation to its recent introduction of 10-gigabit fiber service for business customers. In 2024,

9880-495: The sole judgment of Comcast) an overly large burden on the network". Company responses to press inquiries suggested a limit of several hundred gigabytes per month. In September 2007, Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas said the company defined "excessive use" as the equivalent of 30,000 songs, 250,000 pictures or 13 million emails in a month. Comcast introduced a 250 GB monthly bandwidth cap to its broadband service on October 1, 2008, combining both upload and download towards

9984-484: The song library in microphone-based karaoke systems. CD+G, DVD, VCD and microphone-based players are most popular for home use. Due to song selection and quality of recordings, CD+G is the most popular format for English and Spanish. It is also important to note that CD+G has limited graphical capabilities, whereas VCD and DVD usually have a moving picture or video background. VCD and DVD are the most common format for Asian singers due to music availability and largely due to

10088-589: The source of the 911 call. Voice calls are delivered as a digital stream over the Comcast network, signal is converted to analog plain old telephone service lines at the cable modem, which outputs on standard physical analog style RJ-11 ports. This is separate from their former offering of "Comcast Digital Phone" which is not VoIP. The Digital Phone terms of service is still up which clearly defined this service as Circuit Switched. Comcast's cable television customers peaked in 2007, with about 24.8 million customers. Comcast had lost customers every year since. However,

10192-423: The third quarter of 2018, Xfinity Mobile surpassed 1 million subscribers. On May 18, 2020, Xfinity Mobile announced plans with 5G data. Comcast ran a 3DTV channel known as Xfinity 3D from February 20, 2011 until December 16, 2014, on Xfinity cable systems. The channel mainly featured NBC Sports and Universal Pictures content in the format, along with content from other studios and demonstration films in

10296-518: The use of instrumental recordings as backing tracks in situations when a live band could not be arranged for a singer. Japanese engineer Shigeichi Negishi , who ran a consumer electronics assembly business, made the first prototype in 1967; He subsequently began mass producing coin-operated versions under the brand name "Sparko Box," making it the first commercially available karaoke machine. For media, it used 8-track cassette tapes of commercially available instrumental recordings. Lyrics were provided in

10400-448: The worst corporate renamings of all time, asking "Will the name change work? Probably not, but at least it'll sound a bit edgier when you're put on hold...with Xfinity." Comcast is the largest provider of cable internet access in the United States, servicing 40% of the market in 2011. As of July 26, 2018, Comcast has 26.5 million high-speed internet customers. Comcast began offering internet services in late 1996, when it helped found

10504-405: Was based on an 8-Track cassette deck, and Inoue called it the "8 Juke." Inoue loaned the machines to establishments for free in exchange for a portion of the monthly earnings from the machines. He placed the first 8 Jukes in Sannomiya's "snack bars," but they initially failed to take off. Inoue then hired hostesses to ostentatiously sing on them, which successfully sparked interest. This also caused

10608-553: Was being sung on networked karaoke machines. As an early form of music on demand, it could be called the first successful audio streaming service. It also allowed for big data analysis of songs popularity in realtime. Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and other countries all over the world. In-home karaoke machines soon followed but lacked success in the American and Canadian markets. When creators became aware of this problem, karaoke machines were no longer being sold strictly for

10712-587: Was deployed for selected Gigabit Pro fiber business customers in June 2023. Comcast operates a network of public Wi-Fi hotspots for Xfinity internet subscribers known as Xfinity WiFi, which consists of a mixture of hotspots installed in public locations and businesses, and those generated by supported Xfinity home gateways on an opt-out basis. Users on the "Performance" tier or higher receive unlimited usage of these hotspots after signing in with their Xfinity Account. By default, all dual-band Xfinity home gateways operate both

10816-413: Was not the first to create a machine and did not, like Negishi or Yamashita, file a patent. Music has long been part of Japan's nightlife, and particularly so in the postwar era, when a variety of establishments such as cabarets and hostess clubs emerged to serve the needs of salarymen unwinding and entertaining clients. Music, whether performed for listening or singing along, played a key role. Inoue,

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