HdIptv
Latest
National Lampoon's original content arrives on Dailymotion in HD
Fans of acquiring their HD content via the internet have one more reason to celebrate today, as National Lampoon Inc. has agreed to place some of its original content on Dailymotion in glorious high-definition. Reportedly, both firms will "share in advertising revenues generated by the additional content," and while it seems that not all programming will be available in HD, at least some of the "premium" stuff will. No word on when the new material will start showing up, but the sooner the better, we say.
TVTonic internet TV portal gains five HD channels
Heads-up, TVTonic viewers -- your favorite internet TV portal just got a touch more appealing, as it landed an agreement with ON Networks to acquire five new HD channels. Among the newcomers are Golf Tips with Joe Beck, On Dating, The Parent Code, Backpack Picnic and Bif! Bam! Pow! Wow!. For those interested in taking TVTonic for a spin now that HD programming is on tap, you can surf on over to its website or install the application for free on any PC running Windows Media Center, XP or Vista. %Gallery-16032%
NEXT.TV portal promises hundreds of TV channels, movies
Good news for those looking for a new online venue to catch TV shows, movies and all sorts of other content -- there's yet another alternative in town, and it goes by the name NEXT.TV. First and foremost, we're quite pleased to see that this portal is compliant with PCs and Macs, and it seems that this venture is seeking to be your one-stop shop to online entertainment. The service, which is currently shipping on select HP Pavilion laptops, is all set for a public launch in March, and will purportedly provide access to "over 100 free, ad-supported channels" including CBS, Hearst, HSN, TV Guide, Showtime, Endemol, Fremantle and National Lampoon. Additionally, folks will soon be able to rent or buy "high quality, ad-free versions" of many titles from studios such as Fox, Disney, Lionsgate, MGM, New Line Cinema, Paramount, etc. No word on what exactly will make up those "hundreds of hours of HD content" just yet, but you can certainly consider our interest piqued.
HD movie downloads to trump Blu-ray / HD DVD? Not so fast.
We'll be the first to say we truly hope that HD downloads -- be it on one's computer or main HDTV -- take off, but we're not so certain the technology is poised to overtake either Blu-ray or HD DVD anytime soon. A opinionated piece over at Economist takes a look at the current state of the format war, and interestingly enough, even goes so far as to call both HD discs "interim solutions, if even that." Apparently, it expects both formats to soon be "eclipsed" by some alternative, most likely the instantly gratifying downloadable movie offered up by various carriers in the form of HD VOD. Of course, we also expect this outlet to gain traction once broadband speeds ratchet up across the nation, but our main beef with the article comes with the proclamation that "[HD DVD and Blu-ray] are marginally better than upscaled DVDs." We've expressed our true feelings about upconverting DVD players before, and quite frankly, unless one hooks up their high-definition movie player with composite cables, we simply can't see anyone not being able to tell the difference. [Image courtesy of GenerationMP3, thanks Paul F. and Daniel D.]
Simpel Session '08 streamed live in HD for first time
Unfortunately, the partners involved in streaming Europe's largest BMX and skateboarding event to 118,000 online onlookers in HD waited until after the event to brag about how well everything worked, but hey, at least we've got reason to believe that next year's shindig will be handled similarly. Reportedly, the three-day Simpel Session '08 was streamed live in high-definition over the web on Freecaster.tv for the "first time in the event's seven-year history." Also of note, it seems the team is now getting set to migrate all of its H.264 content to the new Flash 9 player, which should indeed allow it to "reach the widest possible audience with its state of the art action sports content." First we get the X-Games in HD, and now this -- life's pretty good for extreme sports fans, eh?
New York's Plaza Hotel getting 60 HD channels, not a dime cheaper
If you were sold on the fantastic HD system seen in the soon-to-open Water Club hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, you'll likely be booking your next stop to New York City at Plaza Hotel. Sure enough, Guest-Tek has been contracted to install the very same free-to-guest OneView Media Platform in the aforementioned NYC hotspot, which will soon give guests access to some 60 high-definition channels delivered via IPTV. Additionally, each of the 282 rooms will have access to a "large library" of HD video-on-demand content, and patrons can even use the AMX touch panel to "control their entertainment system, room lighting and temperature, and to order theater tickets, room service or restaurant reservations." Needless to say, we can't really see a reason to ever leave this situation until your checkout day arrives, but then again, we wouldn't want to be footing the bill for the stay, either.
KoldCast TV readies for launch, promises HD content over the internet
Ever since we pondered on whether HDTV would elevate the standard for PC content a few months back, we've been thoroughly pleased to see a few outfits emerging and at least attempting to bring online HD streaming to the forefront. Granted, the outlet as a whole has quite aways to go, but it seems that KoldCast TV is hoping to really give high-def junkies a reason to hop online. The site, which is slated to go live next week, will offer up a variety of original short programs aimed at 18 to 25 year-olds, and will include everything from comedy to sports on its 40 channels. Regretfully, we've no clue exactly what resolution(s) will be offered, but it's probably worth bookmarking and hitting up next week just to check out the quality.
Will HDTV elevate the standard for PC content?
Getting video feeds over the 'net is hardly a problem these days, but fetching honest-to-goodness HD footage is far less common. Granted, we've seen HD IPTV options crop up here and there, but finding new, unique HD programming streams online is more the exception than the rule. Still, the continual growth of HDTV over cable, fiber and satellite makes us wonder if PC content won't be forced to measure up or get disregarded. Of course, there's always the issue of bandwidth to deal with, but considering just how many individuals are now looking to the internet for at least some of their television needs, it just seems like a matter of time before we'll be watching more than previously aired online versions of our favorite nighttime dramas in high-definition. Or, at least we hope.[Image courtesy of ABC]
Visionmill cranks out HD IPTV channel, more to come?
While the mega-corporations are making this whole HD IPTV thing look easy, it's hard out here for an entrepreneur trying to launch his own gig. Rob Draper, an internationally acclaimed cinematographer, envisions IPTV as the future of television delivery, primarily because advertisers can focus their marketing to select channels / websites rather than just blasting ads out to everyone as they do now, theoretically wasting resources on folks who will shun their offerings anyway. After a failed attempt to make Visionmill, his own IPTV service, "a source of programming for TV food channels" and to turn Camden, Maine a "TV production hotspot," he branched out on his own and created SingleMalt.tv, which is dubbed the "world's first internet TV channel devoted to single malt Scotch whiskey." More important, however, is the fact that everything on the site is shot and delivered in crisp 720p, and while it may be hard to convince Mr. Draper to venture somewhere other than the beautiful hillsides of Scotland to set up shop, there could be more channels in the future as his startup blossoms -- but for now, we can all raise our glasses to 720p over the 'net, eh?
