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CE 3100-powered Gigabyte / Yahoo! widgets box eyes-on
A lot has changed in the TV widget world since we first caught wind of Intel's CE 3100 processor and Gigabyte's connected box that took advantage of it. Mainly, a metric ton of new players have emerged, and many companies are simply shoving the widget functionality within the HDTV and bypassing the extra set-top-box altogether. Nevertheless, Gigabyte had its Yahoo! Widgets box (the MD300) on hand this year at CeBIT, so we sashayed over to snap a few shots. At this point, it's tough to say just how viable this thing is. On one hand, it'll be nice to give existing HDTV owners the option of adding access to widgets; on the other, Gigabyte has to know that the appeal is limited now that almost every HDTV hitting the market has this functionality baked right in. Have a peek below, won't you?
Hulu returns to boxee via RSS feed support, in flies App Box and Auto Update
Before we get you all excited, we'll quote boxee's ending of its announcement before anything else: "This is a bleeding edge release, not for the faint of heart since it didn't go through much testing." If you're the brave type, you're going to want to install the latest version of boxee this instance, as it not only brings back Hulu (in a sense), but it also throws in a boxee application market (App Box) and a much-needed Auto Update feature that will inform you automatically of future builds. So, you're hungry for more on that Hulu bit, right? This version of the application brings along a built-in RSS reader optimized for video, and obviously, it fully supports Hulu's public RSS feeds. Needless to say, we're loving the direction this little app is going, so make sure you give it a go and report back with any praises or complaints.
Lots of Hulu content comes to Dailymotion
See this sense of friendship? We admire it. Rather than keeping all of its content to itself, Hulu has decided to shake hands with online video portal Dailymotion in order to give its viewers access to loads of Hulu material. A newly reached distribution agreement will give Dailymotion's audience "access to an additional 40,000 premium videos from Hulu's online video library, including full-length episodes from major television studios, full-length feature films from major film studios, as well as news and other content from more than 130 content providers." The new videos from Hulu will be slotted into Dailymotion's channels (Funny, Film & TV, Music, Sports & Extreme), and by using the company's own Videowall, Videozap or Jukebox, viewers will also be able to program Hulu content into their own channels and playlists. No wonder pay-TV providers are hastily trying to get in while the gettin' is good.
Analyst: Nearly half of broadband households are interested in Internet TV
We guess it just depends how you ask the question. Parks Associates new white paper From Boob Tube to YouTube: Consumers and TVs breaks down consumer interest in all the new features popping up in televisions of late, like VOD access and various widget services, finding almost 50% are interested in "premium web content" like TVs and movies delivered through a set-top box, and 33% showing interest in widgets. VP of Parks Associates Kurt Scherf sees this as just the beginning, with customers making hardware purchasing decisions and subscription choices based on the availability advanced video services. So far so good, but we guess the real test comes when these new TVs hit the shelves later this year.[Via Hometoys]
DirecTV shows interest in internet TV initiative, TWC chief gets even more serious
We heard that the cable industry (or at least TWC and Comcast) could begin offering up a lot of pay-TV content to subscribers via the web by this summer, but frankly, we didn't believe it. But thanks to new quotes from Time Warner chief executive Jeff Bewkes and DirecTV CEO Chase Carey, you can safely put us in the "believer" camp. Reportedly, TWC is looking to provide pay-TV content via the internet and even on mobile devices for no extra charge. Bewkes even noted that "everything on television should become available to [customers] on broadband for free," which is pretty amazing for a cable guy to say. DirecTV also seems kosher with the idea of giving in before customers simply jump ship, with its head honcho intelligently stating that "in the past, when a company tries to stop or block something from happening, it's usually failed." Oh, and this whole regime could totally be the shot in the arm mobile TV providers have been yearning for.Read - TWC names TV-by-internet offeringRead - DirecTV following suit
ZillionTV brings ad-based streaming content to the television
Just in case hooking up ZeeVee's ZvBox and getting access to all available online media is too difficult, there's ZillionTV. This admittedly interesting startup is looking to pick up where Hulu, ZeeVee, Netflix Watch Instantly and all the rest have left off by bringing true on-demand content to one's television (read: not PC or mobile device) for almost nothing. For a one-time fee of "under $100," users will be given a ZBar and a ZRemote, both of which enable interaction with the VUI interface. Put as simply as possible, ZillionTV is hooking up with ISPs, content producers and advertisers in order to bring loads of popular material to the TV sans a subscription, though you will have to watch ads (which are optionally customizable to preferences) in order to play along. The company asserts that SD quality content can be achieved with a 3Mbps connection, while HD material will need upwards of 7Mbps. Currently, a beta program is ongoing, but a nationwide launch is expected by Q4. To be frank, this whole setup is rather complicated, so we'll point you past the break for a more detailed breakdown.%Gallery-46534%
Verismo's VuNow internet TV platform gets props from CableLabs
Ready or not, Verismo Networks' VuNow internet TV platform is making its way out. After ambushing the OEM market earlier this year, the company is now proudly announcing new praise from an unlikely suspect: CableLabs. As the story goes, executives from the CableLabs Forum voted VuNow as the "best new product idea" during so-called "informal polling" at a meetup in Colorado Springs. At first glance, one might wonder why cable proponents would be supporting a platform that needs no subscription, but considering that Comcast and Time Warner Cable (and likely others) are already looking to wrap internet content into pay-TV bundles, we suppose it's no longer a shock. The whole cable-internet media relationship is about to get a lot more interesting.
Big Cable's take on internet TV could land as early as summer
It was but days ago that we first caught wind of Big Cable's plans to bite a chunk out of the online TV pie, and now we're already hearing that things could be ready to roll by summer. According to undisclosed sources quoted by Reuters, both Comcast and Time Warner Cable are heading up talks with major content providers like Viacom and Discovery Communications. We're told that their plans are at "different stages," but pay-TV subscribers could be tuning into bonus coverage on the web or via smartphone "as soon as this summer." Tick, tock...
More details on Comcast's On Demand Online internet TV offering
We heard late last week that Time Warner Cable and Comcast were looking to bring more online content to their loyal customers, and now the latter is bursting at the seems to tell us more. The company pinged us to say that "essentially, it is working with programmers (cable networks) to try to bring more content that is currently not online to the web," and while it's obviously early in the process, the initiative is being called On Demand Online for now. Basically, it's about bringing on-demand content to the web, and ultimately, anywhere you want to watch. Comcast will be utilizing technology from thePlatform, and while it's not going into detail just yet, it seems pretty stoked about the challenge of bringing new content to the web. We only hope that this doesn't slip into any sort of "exclusive" deal that limits content that would've otherwise been shot for free to all, but we guess only time will tell.Read - PCWorldRead - thePlatform
Study shows Europe slow to bite on internet TV viewing
Given just how few Europeans are actually biting on pay-HDTV, we suppose we're not too surprised to see the results from Parks Associates Research's latest study. In looking at a number of European nations, the firm found that some 80 percent of broadband households "prefer a more traditional option for viewing video, including going to the cinema or watching a DVD." John Barrett, director of research at the company, noted that it "will be difficult for companies to sell video streams and downloads to consumers in Europe when there is this undercurrent of reluctance." Of course, we're not sure we believe all this doom and gloom -- surely it's just a matter of time before Euro cable companies are pulling the same trick as Comcast and TWC are looking to do. Or, so we hope.
Philips Net TV rumored to go live in April
We've been hearing about Philips' attempt to jump on the burgeoning connected HDTV bandwagon for nearly a year now, but at long last, it seems like the company will finally be making it happen -- months after everyone else stole the thunder at CES. At any rate, Pocket-lint has it that the aforesaid outfit is readying its Net TV application -- which should be included in its 8000, 9000 and Cinema 21:9 HDTVs -- for an April release. The program will purportedly bring the web's best content to your HDTV through an easy-to-understand user interface, and the WiFi capability means that you won't have to run an Ethernet cable to your set. Like most everything Philips does in the HDTV / home entertainment space, we suspect this will also be limited to Europe, but a boy can dream, can't he?[Via ShinyShiny]
Cable companies work to bring new online content to pay-TV subscribers
In an effort to maintain relevancy during a time when online TV viewing is on the rise, a number of big name cable companies are looking to throw in online companion packages to sweeten the pay-TV equation. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that top cable providers (namely Comcast and TWC) and TV networks are looking to assemble a large swath of online programming -- some of which has been previously unavailable -- and deliver it only to subscribers. As it stands, loads of shows are available right now for free via Hulu and broadcast websites, but some channels without online portals can only be caught via cable. From what we're gathering, it seems that these operators could be working to bring some of that content to the web, essentially providing a means to tune into a Comcast or TWC lineup without having to be in front of the set-top-box. Update: Due to some quotes taken out of context, we have revamped our story above to show a clearer picture of the cable companies' intentions.
Microsoft's Silverlight to deliver NCAA March Madness on Demand in HD
Fantastic news, cube dwellers -- you can finally put that office T1 to use this year, as CBSSports.com has inked an agreement with Microsoft that will enable it to provide a 1.5 megabits per second stream of March Madness. In other words, you'll be able to watch the 64 most deserved teams scrap it out online in HD for that all important National Championship. Employers, hear this: just go ahead and give your folks a few days off. It's not like they'll be even remotely productive with MMoD coming at 'em in high-def.[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Verismo's VuNow internet TV platform ambushes OEM market
If you're still resisting the onset of the internet TV revolution, we're here to inform you that your efforts are in vain. Shortly after launching a dedicated box at CES, Verismo Networks has announced an OEM program that's apparently drawing lots of attention from manufacturers of TVs, optical media players, AV receivers, etc. Essentially, the company is looking to get its open VuNow platform, which pulls in content from around the web, onto other standalone boxes and integrated within future devices -- much like Netflix's Watch Instantly has done, and exactly like we saw at CES with Netgear. And don't think the cash flow stops at the consumer level, as there are also opportunities within education and medicine sectors for institutions seeking a streamlined way of distributing learning materials. Watch out, pay-TV -- we've got options here, and we aren't afraid to use 'em.
Move Networks streams over 100 million hours of HD video in 2008
Move Networks has a pretty amazing statistic to share with the world: in 2008, it streamed over 100 million hours of high-definition content, and that's compared to 180 million hours of total content. Additionally, it experienced a 100% growth in the amount of people watching internet television, and if you're wondering why figures from this company are notable, have a listen. It's responsible for streaming 60% of the most popular TV shows and 11 or the top 20 primetime TV shows including Fringe, Lost, Gossip Girl and Ugly Betty. Even Bill Bradford, Chief Product Officer of Fox Digital Media, noted that it has seen "tremendous growth in its audience since partnering with Move Networks to deliver its programs online." No wonder TV manufacturers are champing at the bit to get online video portals on their sets.
Amazon Video On Demand content comes to Panasonic TVs
Hooking up with digital content distributors is definitely the thing to do here at CES, and you ought to know that Panasonic isn't leaving Vegas without a partner of its own. In between announcing snazzy new HDTVs and a litany of camcorders, the company has proudly announced a partnership with Amazon that will bring Amazon Video on Demand material to VIERA Cast TVs. The service is expected to launch early this year, and quite honestly, we're hoping that this isn't the only release of this kind. For Panasonic's sake.
Netgear unveils Internet TV Player, Digital Entertainer Elite with CinemaNow
We've now got a content provider giving support to Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite, and that honor goes to CinemaNow. At today's overly-enthusiastic press conference -- seriously, they threw apples, footballs, and a beer can at certain points -- the company showed off the pay-per-view service on both the aforementioned media streamer as well as the new, much smaller Internet TV Player that's coming this summer for $199. It's very lightweight and has an HDMI output alongside two USB 2.0 ports. It's got YouTube support as well as North American, Europe, and Asia internet TV. The upscaled video looked good, although nothing that's gonna replace your HDTV anytime soon. One very nice feature is support for torrents that you can trigger remotely for download to the player (presumably on an attached disk drive here, as there's no internal storage from what we can tell). No word on codec support, but if they're touting torrents, we're hoping for at least some DivX / XviD and MKV love. The much larger and heavier granddaddy Elite, whos specs we've already heard care of the FCC, is coming February for $399. A fun little feature touted in the presser allows you to pause a video on one TV and watch it on another -- provided you've got a separate Elite unit connected to each. The bad news? Neither device supports Hulu or Netflix, although a rep told us that they're kinda sorta looking into adding the latter sometime in the future. %Gallery-40862%%Gallery-40863%
Internet media viewing on TVs set to surge by 2013
So, here's an interesting take. ABI Research is forecasting that the amount of online programs watched on the TV (as in, not on the computer monitor) will grow from 563 million viewers in 2008 to 941 million by 2013. There's no doubt that web-based content is catching on, though we suspect it'll need to be easily piped to the traditional television set for those in past generations to really take it seriously. To that end, it's anticipated that operators as well as console manufacturers and the like will make it increasingly easier to access internet TV via Netflix, Hulu and related portals. Can you imagine a day when your favorite programs, even NFL games, are beamed directly to a website that's easily accessible via a web-to-TV liaison such as the ZvBox? We know, bandwidth is a serious issue, but the concept alone should be enough to make traditional MSOs sweat.[Via VideoBusiness, image courtesy of ZatzNotFunny]
HDi streaming technology could open up "virtual cable television"
FilmOn.com may not have the name recognition in America as does YouTube and Hulu, but its creator could be making a name for himself with the online video portal's underlying technology. Alki David founded FilmOn some three years back, and has since developed an advanced streaming protocol dubbed HDi (no, not that HDi). The technology could eventually be used to deliver high-definition cable TV programming and other video-on-demand options around the globe without any lag or stutter; we're even told that Britons could catch the local news in Iowa if the ideal scenario comes to fruition. So far, David has inked deals with a number of content providers, though only Turner Network Television was specifically named. FilmOn is expected to showcase its "virtual cable television" tech to BT next month, which could certainly accelerate the expansion of HDTV by enabling it to flow over existing internet delivery pipes. Consider our interest markedly piqued, especially for HD-deprived souls overseas.
boxee alpha opens up on Mac, Ubuntu January 8; Windows invites to follow
Six months and 150,000 signups later, boxee is preparing to move from alpha to beta status, ready to drop any unsent invites on all interested parties by the 25th ahead of the open alpha period starting January 8, 2009. While OS X / Apple TV / Ubuntu have been the required attire so far, Windows users won't be out in the cold much longer, as CEO Avner Ronen revealed in comments on the boxee blog that the Windows alpha program will start "early 2009" with thousands of invites sent out every week. That enough to pique your interest in this media streaming set-top box software?[Via A VC]
