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Sky TV to offer cable access via broadband in the UK
Unlike its unflinching US equivalents, News Corp-owned Sky TV is readying its service for availability via broadband, rather than solely through traditional cable box delivery. The company announced plans today to bring a mixed on-demand/pay-per-month streaming service to the UK in the coming months -- a move we've yet to see made on this side of the Atlantic from any major cable provider.Sky's first step is competing with the likes of Netflix and LoveFilm with an on-demand video service, as well as a pay-per-month unlimited option. And that service is set to expand not long after the initial "first half of 2012" launch time frame, with sports and entertainment offerings said to be coming "soon afterward."What does any of this have to do with gaming, you wonder? Well, silly, Sky TV is offered via both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and the plan going forward is to continue that support on "a wide range of connected devices, including PCs, Macs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, games consoles and connected TVs." It's unclear how currently available apps will be affected, but we'll assuredly see more from the UK TV provider as we move through the first half of 2012.
Verizon FiOS kicking off Xbox 360 streaming TV with 26 channels for subscribers
Are you ready to watch a limited selection of channels (26) from Verizon FiOS via your Xbox 360? Verizon and Microsoft sure hope so, this morning announcing plans to offer cable access to Xbox Live Gold members who also pay for Verizon's FiOS TV and internet service plans. That's right: if you pay for a subscription to Xbox Live, and pay for a cable TV subscription, and pay for a cable internet connection, then you can watch 26 of your Verizon FiOS channels on an Xbox 360. Hot ... dog? Additionally, Kinect "voice and gesture commands" functionality will come with the service, enabling you to shout, "Why am I paying so much to view something I can already watch on my television?" for instance. New FiOS customers can take advantage of an initial promo lasting until January 21 that discounts Verizon's "Triple Play" internet/TV/phone to $89.99 a month (at least for the first two years), and includes both a free 12-month XBL Gold membership and a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Comcast and HBO are also signed on for as yet unspecified streaming deals with Microsoft. A Bloomberg report from earlier this year indicated that even more content providers had signed on, though Microsoft has only confirmed a handful of said providers thus far.
Boxee Box may integrate live TV via USB dongle, push the definition of 'awesome' to a new level
Google tried it. Countless others did, too. It's largely believed that the single reason Apple hasn't offered up a true television is the impossible nature of dealing with pay-TV providers, and in reality, trying to merge online programming and traditional cable / satellite is a chore that no one seems to be capable of completing. Based on a leaked software build (v1.5) obtained by GigaOM, Boxee is apparently toying with the idea of integrating live TV (as in, "broadcast TV stations") within the Boxee Box's interface; all you'll eventually need is a USB dongle. We're told that an EyeTV One USB TV tuner wasn't recognized -- even in the new software -- and while it was obviously nonfunctional as it stands, the verbiage is quite clear about what's in the pipeline. Unencrypted broadcast signals built neatly within Boxee's heralded, socially-adept interface? Bring it on.
Microsoft integrates live TV from Sky TV, Foxtel and Canal on Xbox 360 -- more providers coming
Microsoft confirmed the recent rumors and announced a new streaming TV implementation for the Xbox 360 today at its pre-E3 2011 keynote. The Kinect and Bing-powered voice search that can pull in content from online sources like Hulu, Netflix and Xbox Live Marketplace, will also work with live TV from IPTV partners. So far that list only includes Sky in the UK, Foxtel in Australia and Canal+ in France, but users there will be able to search across all the services and view them directly through the console itself. There's no word on any US-based partners but if we had to guess AT&T's U-verse will probably be first in line again. One thing you will be able to watch in the US -- PPV UFC fights, streamed directly to the Xbox 360. Update: The official press release is out (and included after the break) where Microsoft mentions its "commitment to expand access to live television programming on Xbox 360 to more providers in the United States and around the world during the upcoming year". While U-verse's Mediaroom underpinnings certainly put it in the lead, we can see others like FiOS or Comcast potentially swooping in as well. Finally, would it be too much to ask for some of this universal search magic to extend to the Media Center extender software as well? %Gallery-125419%
BBC iPlayer to start international rollout with subscription service on iPad
BBC.com managing director Luke Bradley-Jones has dropped some knowledge on the TV-loving world by revealing that the iPlayer's global launch will be on a "pure paid subscription model," which will be followed by partnerships with advertisers on "free" sections of the British TV catchup service. The US is specifically named as one of the first new markets for the venture that is expected to go live in the middle of next year. In addition to knowing you'll have to shell out to get your fix of Top Gear, Doctor Who and, erm, The Foods that Make Billions, you'll also want to be aware that the first platform for the iPlayer outside the UK will be none other than Apple's iPad. What is it with Brits and the iPad?
Report: AT&T streaming TV finally comes to Xbox in November
Remember three years ago, when IPTV for Xbox 360 was first announced? According to leaked memos obtained by Engadget, Americans with AT&T U-verse service will soon be able to enjoy it: The memo reveals that the wait for the Mediaroom service will finally, finally be over on November 7. That's when, the documents say, an Xbox 360 Dashboard app will become available to allow the console to be used as a U-verse set-top box (provided you already have another AT&T-leased receiver or DVR-equipped box in the house). In addition, Engadget received slides like the one pictured above, specifying that only consoles with hard drives will work for the service.
Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly
See this forlorn-looking male model? He's got a lot on his mind. Really, he's just like the rest of us -- a starry-eyed dreamer who's headed to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. To this end, he's shacked up with four fellow photogenic wannabes in a Hollywood crash pad where they'll be webcast 24-7 for Simon Fuller's new Internet-only talent show, If I Can Dream. In addition to weekly episodes broadcast on Hulu, voyeurs viewers will be able to watch the action in the house live, as it goes down. You see, Hulu (who's not had much luck getting a foothold outside of the states) will be streaming the thing to select international markets in an attempt to spread their brand and influence worldwide. Will it work? Who knows? Besides, Jersey Shore is more our speed. PR, video after the break.
Microsoft temporarily suspends Sky Player for Xbox 360
"Very fast," "a dream," "fantastic." It looks like you can add "on hiatus" to the list of superlatives -- at least for the time being. That boffo Sky Player that Microsoft debuted for the Xbox 360? "Suspended." Why, you ask? "Due to an unforeseen technical issue." Luckily for Britons and ex-pats, the £15 monthly service should resume tomorrow, barring any further technical issues. In the meantime, it looks like the poor avatar above will be stuck watching Benny Hill on Netflix like the rest of us. Statement after the break.
Sky Player on Xbox 360 receives first eyes-on analysis
Sky TV has made its arrival on the Xbox 360 today in prompt fashion, with live streaming and on-demand video available, and the keen lads over at Electric Pig already have a preview of the service in action. Their immediate reaction was that the Sky Player interface was "ultra-speedy" and easily navigable using the 360 controller. Streaming at the high-quality setting (alas, there's no HD on offer yet) was also no problem on a 4Mb broadband connection, though they reserve their highest praise for the on-demand content which was pumped through within a couple of seconds of selection and benefits from an "astonishingly well-designed interface." For the full impressions of the subscription-based service, which starts out at £15 per month, hit up the read link below.
Livestation iPhone app promises live TV over wifi
We'll believe it when we see it, of course. Livestation is a service that claims to be "Slingbox without the box." Once subscribed, you can watch television streamed to your computer, via peer-to-peer, from anywhere. And now they're apparently set to announce an iPhone app that will do the same thing. Like we said, it seems like a great idea -- who wouldn't want to watch some TV while waiting for the train or sitting the doctor's office -- but investment money and promises do not a working iPhone app make.Even the Livestation rep says it's still in development right now, and he won't give a date other than "soon." I have no doubt that we'll soon see streaming TV on the iPhone -- with the growing popularity of sites like Hulu and Netflix's own streaming video service, and a similar promise of streaming shows from i.TV, it definitely seems like that's where media is headed, even portable media. But this isn't something to hold your breath for quite yet -- I'm happy with Weatherbug's already-working video weather reports.
Skinkers LiveStation: P2P live TV broadcasting service demoed
In the live television streaming / placeshifting realm, Sling Media is likely the first name to come to mind, but now a new competitor is gearing up to enter the market sans the use of a box. Based on the Microsoft Silverlight platform, London-based Skinkers is in the early stages of readying a new product dubbed LiveStation, which looks to provide users with live television access on their internet-connected machine via a basic P2P setup. During an interview with Matteo Berlucchi from Skinkers, he did mention that the program would remain in beta for "the next few months" as kinks were gradually worked out, but also noted that it would be Mac and PC compatible when launch day comes. Go on, hit the read link to hear it from the developers mouth.[Via TechCrunch]
LG gets ready to rumble live mobile TV
LG is prepped to do for live TV what the Rumble Pak did for game controllers. That's right, LG is partnered with MBC (think NBC, with an "M") to deliver what they've dubbed "3D broadcast technology" in S.Korea. No, we're not talking about TV mapped along the ol' X,Y, and Z axes. Instead, the duo is hawking two dimensions of image and a third D of haptic feedback. By using "control signaling technology," broadcasters can rattle your phone just as the ball is buried in the net during the latest World Cup qualifier. They can even flash LEDs in sync with the ensuing melee of drunken fisticuffs. Best of all (we think this is good news), the technology is not limited to S.Korea this time; it's patented in 20 countries and is "applicable to all mobile broadcast methods" including DMB (of course), MediaFlo, DVB-H, and presumably any annoyingly late-to-the-game version of mobile DTV the ATSC folks might spew forth. [Via Telecoms Korea]
ACOGITO's Roaming Machine handles placeshifting, DVR duties
Hot on the heels of two other placeshifting technologies comes ACOGITO's Roaming Machine, which reportedly does quite a bit more than similar alternatives that port your television shows to wherever you may roam. In addition to being a self-proclaimed "HD set-top-box" that pulls double duty as a DVR, this dashing thin device can channel your programs to your laptop or mobile through MPEG-4 / H.264 encoding, and relies on the firm's "patented Remote Control eXtensible Mark-up Language (RCXML) technology for a set of command protocols for remote viewing." Additionally, you'll find a trio of units to handle ATSC / NTSC, DVB-S / DVB-T / PAL, and of course, an IP rendition for the unbiased set. Notably, the company also brags about its LCD HDTV (affectionately dubbed the RoamingTV) which touts a built-in placeshifter, and while pricing and availability deets aren't available for either, you can purportedly catch both of these technologies at this year's NAB event.[Via MobileMag]
ATSC developing its own mobile DTV broadcasting standard
Squarely falling into the "you've got to be kidding" category, the Advanced Television Systems Committee has just announced that it will be developing its very own standard to "enable broadcasters to deliver television content and data to mobile and handheld devices via their DTV broadcast signal." In case you weren't aware, the world is quickly becoming over-saturated with hordes of other mobile television protocols, and just like the other guys, the forthcoming ATSC-M/H standard will be backwards compatible, which will allow "operation of existing ATSC services in the same RF channel without an adverse impact on existing receiving equipment." Among the services it hopes to channel are ad-supported (free to the user) television broadcasts, elusive "real-time, interactive services," subscription-based TV, downloadable content for on-demand playback, and there's even the potential for "real-time navigation" niceties in the future. Still, we're sure the standard will find a way to operate just fine, but unless a bidding war breaks out and the cost for mobile TV plummets due to all this competition, we're not really sure all these like-minded options are entirely necessary.[Via MocoNews]
LG / Harris announce In-Band mobile DTV system
Ah, yet another technology that looks oh-so-promising from the onset, but quickly becomes dulled when wading through the technical jargon required to understand it. So is the case with digital television broadcasting, but Harris Corporation and LG Electronics don't seem to mind the complexities involved in establishing a new In-Band Mobile DTV service, as the duo has just announced the means to allow broadcasters to "create new markets and revenue streams" -- but besides all that -- give the end-user yet another option when it comes to TV on the go. Reportedly backwards compatible with A-VSB transmission and receiving equipment, the forthcoming Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) applications should theoretically allow DTV broadcasters to beam signals to set-top-boxes in the home and mobile devices simultaneously via the same antenna. Additionally, this technology enables HD programming to hit the couch-dwelling customers, while bandwidth-starved cellphone users will still get vanilla SD content without relying on new (read: pricey) hardware on the broadcasting end. Unfortunately, we've no idea when mass deployment of this stuff is scheduled, but you can still look forward to "field testing results" as well as mysterious "extra details" to be divulged in a few short weeks.
YouTube Mobile to launch in May / June?
For those of you looking to get in on the YouTube Mobile bandwagon without switching over to a Verizon Wireless handset, the wait is almost over. According to GigaOM, YouTube already has plans in motion to bring a cellphone-friendly rendition of the video-browsing website to more mobiles once the firm's exclusivity agreement with Verizon comes to a close. Apparently, YouTube engineers have already been "working closely with other mobile carriers and handset makers such as Nokia" in order to hopefully provide a seamless experience when it finally goes live. Initially, the site will be more of a "best of" gallery to work out the kinks, but it should eventually offer up the same content as its non-mobile counterpart. Expect a launch "around May" for European users, while we Americans will likely be waiting until June.
Honestech MY-IPTV kit streams TV to your handset / PDA
Considering the vast amount of WiMAX / 4G talk that's been circulating at CTIA, it's about time we saw a manufacturer stepping up and giving us one more reason to pay attention. Breaking into Sling's stomping ground, Honestech's MY-IPTV kit consists of a USB 2.0 TV tuner and a piece of software that enables your 3G smartphone or WiFi-connected handset / PDA to watch live television and change the channels remotely. Additionally, users can access their television streams on any internet-connected lappie whilst pretending to pay attention in quarterly meetings, and for devices with enough computing power (and storage space), PVR capabilities are available. As expected, the kit will play nice with Windows XP and Windows Mobile operating systems, and it should be available real soon for $99.99 to $149.99 depending on extras.
