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Sony's PS3 claims the lead in Netflix streaming, adds VOD from Best Buy's CinemaNow
Sony planned the PlayStation 3 from the start as a movie playing powerhouse, but it may not have predicted so many would end up using it for Netflix streaming. CEO Jack Tretton just hit the stage at the company's E3 keynote to announce it is the leading Netflix streamer, accounting for 30% of the video watched on the service. While this is somewhat surprising maybe it shouldn't be -- consoles far outpace other TV connected streamers in install base, and between the Xbox 360, Wii, and Sony's box, the PS3 is the only one that lets you watch without an additional subscription and in HD. Also announced is a new partnership bringing video on-demand movies from the Best Buy-owned CinemaNow service. With any luck, the retail giant will add a subscription element or partner with Redbox and make this interesting, but until then it's just another footnote on the list of providers currently offered on the PS3.
Samsung's Explore 3D video on demand service hits the US
Well, it looks like folks in the US didn't have to wait that long to get Samsung's new Explore 3D video on demand service after all. Just over a week after launching in the UK, the app has now made its way to capable Smart 3D TVs in the United States, complete with "dozens of pieces of free 3D content," including trailers, music videos and educational content. What's more, while it's limited to free content right now, Samsung says that it will expand into paid content "later this year," and offer feature films from some as yet unnamed major studios (no word on pricing just yet). Full press release is after the break, and the app should be available from Samsung's SmartHub right now.
Comcast brings Xfinity TV VOD to iPhone, iPod Touch, but only on WiFi
Comcast rolled out a v1.5 update today for the iPhone / iPod Touch versions of its Xfinity TV app which allows them to access the video on-demand streaming that has been available on the iPad since February. Just like the iPad however, they'll only work over WiFi -- no streaming over 3G or downloading for offline viewing here, although unlike Cablevision and Time Warner's iPad apps, you don't have to be on your own WiFi for it to work. The slate of content has expanded to include 25 networks and over 6,000 hours of video, so for those confusing times when you're within reach of WiFi but can't get close to a TV, you can still queue up something for viewing. The official Twitter account advises a delete / reinstall for those having issues since upgrading, if you're a Comcast subscriber who hasn't already snagged the free app for its channel changing and remote DVR scheduling capabilities, you can do so at the link below. [Thanks, Nick & Colby]
Samsung's free Explore 3D VOD service lands for British Smart TV owners
Americans eager to get their eyes on Samsung's 3D video on demand service are just going to have keep waiting, but our friends across the pond can break out their active shutter glasses and Santana Champ because Explore 3D has arrived in the UK. While the rest of us are stuck shelling out for Blu-rays and premium cable subscriptions for the luxury of watching videos in all their three-dimensional glory, Samsung Smart TV owners in Britain can now fire up movies, music videos, trailers and other clips for free. The company promised the service would be coming to the US and Europe shortly after its Korean launch in March and plans to expand its library of free titles to over 70 by the end of 2011. So, if you're still excluded from Sammy's free 3D party, relax -- your patience will be rewarded. Full PR after the break.
YouTube adds 3,000 movies for rental from Universal, Sony, Warner Bros. (Update: they're live)
In the midst of a blog post welcoming us to "the future of video" head of YouTube Salar Kamangar confirms that starting today it will add around 3,000 new movie titles for rental in the US, along with reviews and behind the scenes extras. More details are promised to come in another post later today, but right now the video page appears to have the same list of flicks we've seen before so the question of which studios will bite is still up in the air. The rest of the post also mentions the YouTube Next program to push new original content on the site with "much more to come" -- consider the week of Google I/O underway. Update: Additional details have been posted on the YouTube Blog and are also after the break -- NBC Universal, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. are the new studios YouTube is partnering with to add the 3,000 new and catalog releases, doubling the amount previously available. The pricing is $2.99/$3.99 for movies viewable via PC or Google TV (no other device support is mentioned) and the FAQ notes that YouTube supports resolutions up to 4K but "most" of the new additions are sadly in SD, a choice which is apparently up to its partners. Update 2: The YouTube Movies page is updated now, as seen above. There's plenty of well known movies to be seen now replacing the catalog of older and indie movies that filled the page before. Rotten Tomatoes ratings integration is also front and center, while the Extras are on each movies individual page, but really just show a list of related videos on YouTube, while there doesn't appear to be a way to tell if a movies is one of the few in HD before you pay.
Comcast will open up its video on-demand to TiVo Premiere DVRs and offer them for installation
One of the downsides to bringing your own DVR is usually giving up access to any access to your cable company's video on-demand programming, but TiVo has worked out a deal with Comcast to bring its Xfinity VOD to retail TiVo Premiere DVRs. This isn't entirely surprising, given the Comcast On Demand logo that snuck into the original set of screenshots at the Premiere's debut and the other cable companies allowing VOD access like Cox, Suddenlink and RCN. It appears this is going to be a market-by-market upgrade, with the San Francisco Bay Area up first (no word on exactly when) and others to follow. The old Comcast TiVo project is dead, as Multichannel News points out the two companies dissolved their old agreement upon entering into this new one, with Comcast licensing TiVo's IP through 2019. If you're not already living the TiVo lifestyle, Comcast will also start offering the Premiere alongside its own boxes and install them at no extra charge once the service is available. We're still waiting for TiVo to scrub some of the rougher edges off of the Premiere but if you want a bigger hard drive, (partially) HD UI and access to online services all in one box without compromising access to VOD, then this should fit the bill once it arrives.
Comcast is first with VOD from all four major networks, still negotiating for early release movies
Starting Thursday, Comcast will add TV shows from ABC and Fox to its video on-demand library, making it the only provider that offers shows from all four broadcast networks (including NBC and CBS) as soon as the day after they air. There's a list of all the TV shows Comcast will be offering in the press release after the break -- no Modern Family or House? weak -- so the next time you forget to DVR Cops, you're covered. Also, now that DirecTV has broken the seal on premium VOD early release movies, Comcast also mentioned it is still in negotiations to provide similar access to flicks. With no specifics to announce it's possible the pricing or windows could differ from what we've seen so far, so we'll just advise Senior Vice President and General Manager of Comcast Video Services Marcien Jenkes to take a long look at our poll results before signing anything.
DirecTV's $30 per rental premium video on-demand service launches Thursday
If the actual trip to the movie theater was the only thing preventing you from checking out Adam Sandler, Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston in Just Go With It, you can still check it out before it arrives on Blu-ray or DVD starting Thursday thanks to DirecTV's new premium video on-demand service. The Hollywood Reporter mentions Sony's flick will be the first one on the service and is already available for preordering on the new Home Premiere service, available only to customers with the satellite company's HD DVRs, which is about 6 million people. As far as DRM, HDMI is required but only a "digital watermarking technology" is mentioned. The next several flicks planned for the service include The Adjustment Bureau (Universal), Cedar Rapids (Fox) and Hallpass (Warner Bros.); they will be available for two weeks at a $29.99 pricetag, in 1080p with 48 hour viewing windows. Movie theater owners don't seem thrilled by the new service, we guess the next question is whether or not you are -- the poll is after the break.
Want Avatar in 3D without buying Panasonic? It's on HBO VOD
While Panasonic's exclusive hold on the Avatar Blu-ray 3D release still holds, if you want to watch James Cameron's work at home without downloading a rip or snagging a copy from eBay you can get it from HBO video on-demand. It's actually been available since early this month according to posts on AVSForum, where viewers seem to differ on the picture quality, while it's clearly not up to the Blu-ray copy if you're fiending for another trip to Pandora it should get you through. Of course, this just brings us close to par with the UK where the flick aired months ago on Sky 3D, but with licensing deals being what they are, we'll take what we can get for now. [Thanks, Mike]
Theater owners ready to fight over $30, 60-day window VOD movies
While we're not exactly in a hurry to spend $30 each on 60-day delayed movie rentals, theater owners are quite upset by the whole premium video-on-demand plan apparently being pushed by Warner, Sony, Fox and Universal. The most active objector so far appears to be AMC Theaters, which announced yesterday (press release after the break) it would notify studios that it plans to "adapt its economic model" regarding movies bound for p-VOD. What it wants is likely a bigger slice of the revenue and also a heads up on which movies will be getting the earlier releases. Rival theater chains Regal and Cinemark have already expressed plans to cut promotion and screens for movies headed to p-VOD, but without any official announcement it's still not clear which movies those will be. Of course, cutting down promo and screens cuts into the theater's own revenue, so we'll wait to see who blinks first. (Hint: it won't be us -- we wouldn't pay $30 to watch The Adjustment Bureau on Mars, much less in our own living rooms on DirecTV, Vudu or Comcast.)
DirecTV, Comcast, Vudu could start offering 'premium VOD' $30 movie rentals in April
Despite the questionable appeal of watching movies two months after they come out in theaters for $30 a pop, The Hollywood Reporter reports Warner Bros., Sony, Fox and Universal are going ahead with their premium video on-demand scheme. According to the always helpful unnamed insiders, DirecTV will be launching the service nationally at the end of April, with Walmart-backed Vudu and a regional launch by Comcast soon after. Company Town mentions movies like The Adjustment Bureau, Paul, or Just Go With It could be among launch titles. There's no word on DRM although apparently Paramount has taken a pass specifically due to piracy concerns -- theater owners aren't happy either -- so we'll just wait and see if the quality of scene rips suddenly make a jump by this time next month. Either way, expect some new variation of Gregor and his lap giraffe to make an appearance soon.
Samsung launches 3D VOD service in Korea, tells US and Europe to get ready
Samsung's promised 3D video streaming service has gotten the official go-ahead in the company's home nation today, bringing to fruition a content partnership with DreamWorks Animation and breathing new life into many 3DTV sets. The machine-translated press release isn't entirely lucid on what content will be provided when, but it looks like movie trailers, music videos and children's education films will start things off, before full-length features and more are added later on. All the new on-demand media will be accessible via the 3D application on Samsung's Smart TV platform. The United States and Europe are next on Sammy's roadmap for this VOD rollout, but don't fret if yo live elsewhere, the service will be available all around the world in due course.
BBC iPlayer will cost 'fewer than $10' a month for international subscribers
As you know, the BBC's iPlayer online video catchup portal is about to strap its boots on and go international via the iPad some time this year, a subscription service which has now been priced at "fewer than $10" per month. That's the word direct from Mark Thompson, director general of the grand old corporation, who also assures us that the global launch is definitely coming in 2011. iPad and Android apps for the iPlayer were recently launched in the BBC's homeland, so the technical requirements have already been fulfilled -- now it's probably just a matter of dotting some Is, crossing some Ts, and making sure Jeremy Clarkson doesn't score you a lawsuit with his outspoken bravado. [Thanks, Nathan]
iTunes stays on top of growing internet movie business in 2010, but 2011 could be very different
While much of the news lately has surrounded subscription internet movie and TV services the video on-demand market was up nearly 40% last year and is expected to keep growing. According to stats from IHS Screen Digest, video revenue for the Apple iTunes store grew 60 percent last year, but saw its overall market share shrink from 74.4 to 64.5 percent. This is mostly explained as a side affect of the Kinect driving up Microsoft Xbox 360 sales at the end of last year and introducing its Zune store to a new market of families looking for digital entertainment. The up and comer to watch for 2011 appears to be the Wal-mart/Vudu combo, currently fourth in line behind Sony but poised to grow by showing up on more devices and increasing its promotional efforts. Of course, as NewTeeVee points out, the ultimate wild card in all of this is the launch of Ultraviolet buy-once/watch-anywhere DRM later this year (without support from Apple or Disney) and the effect it could have by causing consumers to see digital downloads as a viable option instead of the fragmented mess they are now -- good luck with that. [Thanks, Aaron]
BBC iPlayer app coming to Android as well as iPad by the end of this week (update: iPad version live)
The British Broadcasting Corporation has made its iPlayer app plans that extra bit more official by announcing that iPad- and Android-specific versions of its software will be arriving by the end of this week. The iPlayer is a free TV catchup service hosting the best and most popular (those two being almost mutually exclusive categories) from the BBC's catalog of recent programming, and the new native apps promise to bring that to your portable device in a touchscreen-optimized format with a "simple and intuitive design." The finishing touches are being applied right now and the apps should be with us before the week is through, but the real cause for excitement is that the BBC plans to take the iPlayer out for an international walk, which will likely rely on such platform-specific apps for distribution and the collection of subscription fees. Then we can all watch Question Time together, yay! P.S. - Take note, Android users, that you'll need to have Froyo and Flash Player 10.1 installed on your phone or tablet in order to partake in the new app. Sort of a one step forward, one step back maneuver. [Thanks, Jules] Update: The iPad app is now ready to download in the App Store. Thanks, Tom!
BBC iPlayer app landing on UK iPads this Thursday, US in June
A BBC Interactive Operations Engineer has British hearts all aflutter tonight with a tweet announcing that the iPlayer app for the iPad is ready to roll out this Thursday, February 10th. It's specific to the tablet for now, so no iPhone, and will only debut in the UK, so no BBC America for you just yet, though this is the first step toward making that cozy dream a reality. Taking the BBC TV catchup service into international waters will be done on the basis of a paid subscription model, which should dissuade all the TV License payers in the UK from revolting, but do bear in mind that this upcoming tablet app will only allow content streaming over WiFi. You'll be able to browse the iPlayer over 3G, we're told, but will need to hook up to some roomier wireless pipes to sip the sweet nectar of BBC Entertainment on your iPad (in app form, browser-based options are a whole other matter). Stay tuned for the fully detailed announcement in a couple of days.
Comcast, Time Warner deal ensures TNT, TBS shows for VOD & live streaming
Comcast announced live streaming to its iPad and (upcoming) Android Xfinity TV apps was not far off last month, and now it's announced a new long term deal with Time Warner that brings more content to all of its TV Everywhere-related efforts. That means shows from TNT, TBS, CNN, HLN, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim on Xfinity TV.com, cable VOD and mobile apps and the addition of live streaming video later this year as part of a larger agreement between Time Warner and Comcast. The keen eyed will notice that window of "a few weeks" for the debut of live streaming to iPads has expanded to simply "later this year," let's hope this doesn't slip while the company focuses on other balls in the air like its purchase of NBC, a potential new set-top box interface and apps for Smart TVs.
New DirecTV Cinema Connection Kit hits FCC with wireless in tow
A new version of DirecTV's Cinema Connection kit has just sneakily hit the FCC filed under its OEM name of Wistron NeWeb Corporation. Unlike the current model which required a direct Ethernet connection to work, this unit can act as wireless receiver to connect your individual DirecTV DVRs or an entire whole-home network. That gives users the freedom to access the company's online CINEMAplus library of 4,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost for the service (we're sure DirecTV will find someway to ding you at least for the kit though). To get a glimpse for yourself, check out the gallery below featuring internal and external beauty shots of the device included with the filing, along with key pages from the user manual. Otherwise, let's all give DirecTV a nice slow-clap for entering the world of wireless streaming at its own leisurely pace. %Gallery-115419%
Boxee names Viewster as first global VOD provider, still no word on Netflix
It looks like Boxee may be punting its deadline for Netflix integration again, but it did throw global users a small bone via a new partnership with Viewster to add "premium VOD content." If the Viewster brand doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, we didn't know much about it either. A little sleuthing on its parent company site, though, revealed the service provides access to hit movies and TV shows (some in 720p), as well as day-and-date releases and ad-supported content "wherever possible." The site also boasts the library has 5,000 plus titles, licensed from over 100 suppliers like iTunes, Hulu, Sony, and ironically Netflix -- but that includes short content clips too. Naturally, we wanted to check out available titles for ourselves, but quickly learned that the library can only be browsed on Viewster-compatible devices after registering and providing payment details upfront, which set our scheme sensors a ringin'. Specifics on when Viewster access will appear on Boxee or what pricing will be like is also unknown, so for now feel free to join us in being vaguely underwhelmed after reading the full PR below. [Thanks, PJ]
Amazon rolling out Netflix-like unlimited video streaming for Prime subscribers?
Rumors of Amazon either purchasing Netflix or launching a competing option have been circling and now one of our readers says he's seeing an unlimited video streaming section to complement the current Amazon VOD options. That's a nice bonus for the $79 / year package that currently adds a few free shipping bonuses and it would be cheaper on a yearly basis than Netflix's Watch Instantly ($95.88.) As seen above and in the gallery, it consists of "unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows" with selections that mirror the Watch Instantly catalog closely. Resolution is apparently limited to a "pretty solid" 480p SD, but there's no word on audio or subtitle options. We'll wait to hear if anyone else is seeing a similar page before assuming a wide rollout, but it certainly appears that there could finally be a viable competitor to the Netflix juggernaut. Update: We weren't able to pull up the option on any of our Prime-enabled accounts and from the comments it doesn't appear any of you were either. According to our tipster, the option has disappeared from his page as well. One other interesting note came from commenter vfiz, who found that several variations of the primeinstantvideos.com domain name were registered by Amazon-owned DPReview January 5. %Gallery-115340% [Thanks, Pavel]
