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Cable TV iPad apps prove popular with customers
GigaOm has posted some interesting numbers about cable providers' apps that allow subscribers to watch TV right on their iPads. Time Warner Cable stated on its earnings call that its TWCable TV app has been downloaded more than 360,000 times in just under a month. Comcast's Xfinity TV app (out since November) has been downloaded a whopping 1.5 million times, and Cablevision's Optimum app had 50,000 downloads in just five days. All signs are pointing to the fact that cable subscribers love to be able to stream their shows to the iPad. Now, of course there are those pesky lawsuits from content distributors who are attempting to keep their channels off the iPad apps, but thankfully some cooler heads are prevailing. With the impressive download numbers above suggesting that people love viewing their cable TV service on the iPad, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before commercials start appearing that highlight a company's iPad app as a feature of choosing one cable company over another.
Cablevision rolls out Optimum app to iPhone and Android
For cable and satellite television providers, mobile DVR programming capability is arguably the new HD. Well, no, 3D is actually the new HD... but regardless, being able to set up recording from afar is a must-have feature that's being rolled out far and wide. Cablevision is the latest to get into the game this week now that its Optimum app is available both in the App Store for iOS devices and in the Android Market, giving access to channel lineups and listings along with the ability to set up new recordings (either for single episodes or series) and delete stuff you don't want anymore. It might not be quite as trick as Dish Network's Sling integration... but then again, Cablevision doesn't own Sling. So it goes! Follow the break for the full press release.
Comcast, TWC and Cablevision make friendly, team up for NYC-wide WiFi
And Comcast makes three. Two years after Cablevision started rolling out hotspots in the Big Apple and less than a month after Time Warner joined it, Comcast has gotten buddy-buddy with the pair in their efforts to blanket New York City with WiFi. If you subscribe to any one of their data services, you now get free access to all three, and can use your existing login at any Optimum, Time Warner or Xfinity hotspot across the city. In a press release, Cablevision executive John Bickham said the agreement might be "the first of many." We wonder if by banding together, cable might one day compete with the telcos on wireless connectivity, the way they now do with home internet and television services. Still, the best laid plans... Full press release after the break.
Cablevision considering ultra-cheap unlimited cellphone service?
Cable companies have been pushing into wireless with more urgency than ever lately -- take Cox and Comcast, just to name a couple -- and now it seems Cablevision is taking a good, hard look at launching a cellphone service under its Optimum brand. Current service subscribers are being asked if they'd be interested in "unlimited calling, texting, and internet data access" for $29.95 a month, which is ridiculously, mind-numbingly low for such a package if Cablevision is actually capable of delivering. It seems they'll try to bridge the gap by launching the service with a WiFi slant -- presumably using UMA -- falling back to cellular on the road when you're outside the range of one of Optimum's hotspots. They're promising "a variety of smartphone choices that offer features comparable to those offered by iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry," so hey, if the price is right and the service actually works, why not? There's no word on when Optimum might launch this action, but we have a hard time believing many of the people that got the survey actually responded "no." [Thanks, Maikel]
Velodyne gets ready to rumble at CEDIA with new subwoofers
Velodyne sure has been keeping quiet of late, but now we know why -- it's been saving it all up for a CEDIA extravaganza. From the top, it'll be introducing the Optimum-8, 10 and 12 subs, which feature up to 1,200-watts (RMS) of amplification, interactive front panel displays and an automated, one button 7-band equalizer. Moving on, we've got the in-wall SC-600, Class D-powered DEQ-R (in 8-, 10-, 12- and 15-inch models) and the small(er) Impact line, which boasts a 6-inch forward firing driver and an 8-inch down-firing passive driver. Expect prices and availability to surface within a few days.
Cablevision / Optimum coaxing CableCARD users back to HD STB
It seems The Man is still trying to hold CableCARD users down, as just a month after Bright House and Time Warner users in various locales were forced to either revert to a carrier-issued HD STB or lose out on a few HD channels, along comes Cablevision trying to do the same. This time, however, Cablevision / Optimum actually had the nerve to print up flyers and mail 'em out to CableCARD users informing them that they'll need to switch to the box they (likely) intentionally snubbed to begin with in order to catch the high-def action on the Voom HD family. Worse still, it tries to coax said users into ditching their card by offering an HD cable box gratis for a full year. Needless to say, SDV support for CableCARD can't come quickly enough. %Gallery-18706% [Thanks, Ramon]
Buffalo's new 20-inch LCD dons black or white
In case that 19-incher was just a hair too small, Buffalo's cranking out a slightly larger panel in its FTD lineup by offering up the 20.1-inch FTD-W2025ADSR. Aside from the unnecessarily long name, this unit rocks a 16:10 aspect ratio, 1,680 × 1,050 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, and a 160-degree viewing angle. Additionally, you'll find a pair of skull-rattling one-watt speakers, DVI / VGA inputs, and an RoHS-approved logo to keep those energy costs minimized. Buffalo's apparently aiming for the trendy crowd, as it offers the panel in both black and white frames, and while we're not really feeling those feet on the stand, you can pick this one up later this month for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Impress]
