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Cox Communications talks up new On Demand platform
We've yet to see this for ourselves, but tipster Adam has informed us that Cox Communications is talking up a new On Demand platform via commercials. In fact, the spots have also led us to believe that a new software update will soon be available for the carrier's set-top-boxes, presumably one based on the Aptiv platform. Pictured above is a quick snap of what the future VOD system will look like, though we're sadly unaware of whether this rollout will be hitting everyone or just a select few. Couldn't hurt to ping your local office and ask, though.[Thanks, Adam]
Sky admits that HD Sky Player is coming, just not yet
Sky's web-based Player is a fine tool for catching Premiership football and the like, but the omission of HD is a sad one. With tons of other online video portals out there making the jump to high-def, there doesn't seem to be a valid excuse for Sky to wait hesitantly on the sidelines. According to Director of OnDemand Griff Parry, HD streaming channels via the internet "are coming," but the current player will remain SD only for the "foreseeable future." When asked why that was, he proclaimed that Sky couldn't "deliver it reliably to the majority of people." In other words, it would rather play things safe and deliver a consistent product rather than field the scads of troubleshooting calls from folks unable to remedy dropped frames. Sigh -- another opportunity pushed aside for the sake of convenience.
Cox brings 19 HD VOD channels to San Diego, California
Hate to get you all riled up for nothing, San Diego, but Cox is dropping a whopping 19 new high-def channels in your area. Too bad every last one of them is simply an HD On Demand channel. The carrier is now touting that locals have 67 HD channels to flip through, which is factual per se, but hardly indicative of the actual situation. Ah well, VOD is better than zilch, we suppose.
LodgeNet and LG collaborate on in-room interactive EPG
We already knew that LG and LodgeNet were pretty well in bed (in a hotel bed, at that) together, but now the relationship is rounding second and heading briskly for third. The two have just announced plans to develop an Interactive Electronic Program Guide (IEPG) as "the first in what is expected to be a series of in-room interactive applications based on the new Pro:Centric standards-based platform." The plan will also work to eliminate pricey set-top-boxes from the equation, and if all goes well, it will be compatible with "a range of existing LodgeNet free-to-guest (FTG) TV and video-on-demand solutions." Also of note, Pro:Centric could eventually provide guests with all sorts of interactivity that is traditionally reserved for more luxurious venues, but we still have serious doubts that they'll ever install HDTVs with accessible HDMI ports for connecting our own paraphernalia.
AT&T brings U-verse Weather On Demand to Los Angeles and Columbus
Hey, remember that AccuWeather portal that launched earlier this month on AT&T's U-verse? Looks like the outfit is on the rollout train, as it's bringing the service to U-verse TV subscribers in both Columbus, Ohio and Los Angeles, California. For those unaware, the free Weather On Demand service is an "interactive feature that allows U-verse TV customers to find the weather information they want, in the city they want, at the time they want -- all at the touch of a button." 'Course, you could just look outside and / or trust the weatherman, but where's the fun in that?Read - Columbus rolloutRead - Los Angeles rollout
AT&T launches AccuWeather portal on U-verse TV
If you've been waiting (and waiting) for a few more value-added features to hit U-verse TV, you're in luck. Assuming you're located in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis or San Diego, that is. AT&T and AccuWeather.com have jointly launched a weather on demand feature in the aforementioned cities, and there are plans in place to spread it across the entire U-verse network by 2009. Just as it sounds, users will be able to use Weather On Demand in order to fetch the latest forecast at the press of a button, and of course, it's completely free.
Amazon Video On Demand officially live on BRAVIA Internet Video Link
We knew good and well it was coming, but Sony finally spilled the beans on bringing Amazon Video On Demand to BRAVIA Internet Video Link users. For folks with compatible Sony BRAVIA televisions equipped with the optional BRAVIA Internet Video Link, they can now tap into "tens of thousands of premium movies and TV shows," and additionally, they can now stream high-definition content from Dailymotion and other providers at no additional cost. Huzzah!
Canal+ launches Catch-up TV video-on-demand service
By now, we've all heard of Start Over (right?), but Canal+ is introducing some new terminology overseas with its Catch-up TV service. For Le Bouquet subscribers that own a Dual-S set-top-box with an ADSL connection and an external hard drive (got all that?), they can seemingly enjoy programming aired earlier on-demand without having to worry over "traditional timetables and reruns." Generally speaking, a show stays available for between seven days and a month after it's first shown, and of course, this material will all be delivered via broadband. Not a bad sounding setup, if we should say so ourselves.[Via BroadbandTVNews]
Amazon Video on Demand for BRAVIA Internet Video Link open for business?
Amazon's latest video delivery service is apparently live for Sony Bravia Internet Video Link-equipped customers. A reader reports that after a rather low key system message and reboot the Amazon Video on Demand logo added itself to his streaming options, joining YouTube and other providers available since the $299 add-on launched back in April. Amazon's website still lists shows it as being in beta, but they're probably just too busy with Home or those HD TiVo downloads to bother dropping a line. Anyone else noticing a new option on the XMB lately?[Thanks, Jared]
Cablevision adds Versus / Golf Channel content to VOD lineup
Outside of the Planet Green HD addition, Cablevision subscribers haven't had a whole lot to applaud over recently. For fans of Golf / Versus, however, we reckon you all can stop moping around and point your remote to an all new video-on-demand outlet. Starting this week, the carrier will begin offering its iO TV digital cable customers free access to VOD content from Versus and Golf Channel, but sadly, none of it will be shown in high-definition. Maybe one day...
Voom goes HD VOD
We're still not sure how the Voom / DISH Network spat will end, but Voom is moving on, unveiling a companion HD VOD service for the Voom HD and Rush HD channels it distributes around the world. There's apparently no word on any operators actually signing on to the service yet, but once available viewers can expect just five hours of content per month. Hopefully that number can grow as the channels add more original content, but if it doesn't, we don't see too many people beating the door down asking for this on demand network to be added.
TiVo to offer up on-demand movie rentals from Disney
TiVo's been offering up movie rentals for a solid tick now, but it finally landed an agreement to include flicks from Walt Disney Studios. Coming soon to Series2 and Series3 HD DVRs, users will be able to view a variety of SD rentals (with select films available in HD) for 24-hour blocks of time. The partnership encompasses TiVo, CinemaNow and ABC, but strangely enough, that's about all the details that any of those firms are dishing out right now.[Via CNET]
ITI Neovision's N brings 1080i porn-on-demand to Poland
Hold onto your trousers folks, as ITI Neovision's quizzically named N is bringing HD porn to Polish subscribers anytime they want. The service, which is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe, enables customers to select, purchase and view 1080i XXX-rated titles on-demand. According to a local, the first two flicks to surface are Sensual Dolls and Born To Be Sexy, both of which sound like surefire winners if that's what you're into. No word on how pricey each selection will be, but feel free to test the service out and let us know how it shapes up if you're so bold.[Thanks, Arsenal]
Verizon adds ON Networks HD VOD shows
Not letting Comcast steal all the VOD news at The Cable Show, Verizon announced it's added high definition video on-demand content from ON Networks. The free HD VOD content includes all the shows you may have seen on TVTonic or AppleTV, like Backpack Picnic, Golf Tips with Joe Beck and Proper Ollie. FiOS subscribers can look forward to 1,000 HD VOD titles each month by year-end, according to Verizon, it already offers access to more than 10,000 on-demand titles with 70% available for free. All those shows should be available right now, so feel free to grab the remote and take a look.
Fuse HD VOD channel coming to Comcast
Fuse is coming to Comcast subscribers via an HD video-on-demand offering starting in July, with original series, interviews and music videos. The Cablevision-owned network's all-high definition content goes live to approximately 7 million digital cable customers, with Comcast the first provider signing up for the service. We don't know how USA TODAY's content will tie into it, but there's a few more HD choices in the bin for you.
24 spin-off The Rookie: Day 3 Extraction hits online, VOD and DirecTV
Fiending for some Jack Bauer ticking-clock action? 24 won't be back until 2009, but Degree is continuing its series of digital shorts based on the series, The Rookie: Day 3 Extraction. Focused on CTU agent Jason Blaine, this season is made up of six 3- to 4-minute episodes with Jason trying to rescue his boss from a drug cartel, and will be available on VOD and online in HD with 5.1 surround sound. We couldn't find the HD versions just yet, but the first installment is available via Comcast's On Demand under Searchlight or on DegreeRookie.com today, and on DirecTV April 7 on channel 115.[Via BusinessWire]
Netflix talks 'Instant Viewing' for Mac
There are a few companies who, through their products and services, have earned a special place in my heart. Apple is one (obviously), as well as Amazon, New Balance, Nintendo, and Netflix. Netflix, in case you haven't heard of them, makes money via a subscription model. You pay a monthly fee and that gives you access to their monstrous DVD catalog. Pick a DVD and they'll mail it out to you in a nifty envelope that also serves as a the return envelope.Alright, so now we all know what Netflix is, why the heck am I blogging about it on TUAW? You might recall that Netflix has recently started streaming movies for members via their website. This feature is called 'Watch Now,' and appears on any movie that has been digitized for streaming. Sadly, this very cool feature is only available for PC users. The dev responsible for this feature posted about why Mac users are left out of all the fun.It basically comes down to the fact that there is no movie studio approved way to wrap these streams in DRM, so the movie studios won't let it happen on the Mac. FairPlay is mentioned, but as we know Apple isn't licensing that. Luckily, the solution might be coming from an unlikely source: Microsoft. Silverlight, Mircosoft's answer to Flash, uses Microsoft's DRM which the studios do approve of. Silverlight is still in beta (for both Macs and PCs) but it does look very promising (and on my Intel Mac it was pretty peppy).Thanks, Mike.
Cox initiates HD VOD rollouts with HD Movies on Demand
We knew it would just be a matter of months before Cox Communications found the means to offer up HD video-on-demand -- after all, you can't lag behind your main competitors for too long without stepping up, right? Nevertheless, the company has announced that customers in San Diego can now access "more than 20 high-definition titles" via the HD Movies on Demand channel, and the library of HD flicks should hopefully grow as time goes on. On deck to receive the HD VOD luxuries are Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City, with other unnamed markets to get tapped "later this summer." So, for those San Diegans looking for a good HD movie to soak in on Independence Day, why not give Cox's latest offering a whirl and tell us how it goes?
Upcoming PC game download service to give away lifetime subscription
3D virtual gaming community A World of My Own (AWOMO), set to launch later this year, has announced a partnership with Game.co.uk to give away a free lifetime subscription to one lucky beta tester. The site, which bills itself as "the iTunes for games", promises to deliver streaming PC games through the service's 3D virtual world. Sign up as a tester and when AWOMO launches one lucky name will be drawn to receive the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque Golden Ticket, good for free games as long as the recipient lives. Or until the robot armies crush us all.
UK residents petition BBC to make new on-demand TV service cross-platform
This one goes out to all the UK TUAW readers in the audience: apparently, the BBC is planning to launch a smashing new on-demand, online TV service. Everything sounds super-duper until the minor detail of being Windows-only. This of course ruffles more than a few feathers, especially since the BBC purports to provide "services for everyone, free of commercial interests and political bias," so residents have created a petition to help the BBC see the error of their ways. The petition is open to UK residents only, and August 20th, 2007 is the deadline for joining the fight.While I don't have many details on why exactly the BBC has gone Windows-only with this online venture (for now), my first guess is that they're using Microsoft's DRM. Hopefully, with the DRM discussion finally rising up the ranks to those who need to can actually do something about it, petitions like this and the bad decisions that inspire them will cease to exist.Thanks Graham
