People seem to want their TV with more features, like internet ready, apps, web browser etc. All these extra features are basically already there on computers. Now they want a combination. The connected TV will evolve.
Connected TV and voice remote control seems to be the direction TV makers are pushing their products to because it seems 3D TV fails to excite and gesture UIs are deemed to flop.
One new TV feature that does have most potential is connectivity. Sales of connected TVs are increasing (nearly 50 percent year-over-year unit growth in 2011) and connectivity is beginning to weigh into TV purchase decisions. The technology also has the benefit of timing, hitting the market as viewing habits shift online, content options offered by streaming services expand, and broadband adoption grows. Top-selling brands are currently offering Internet-connected TVs with streaming and apps. Research firm IHS iSuppli estimates the global Internet-enabled TV market will grow nearly 60 percent this year to 95 million sets, far outpacing the TV market overall, which is expected to expand by just 2 percent.
World smart TV sales surge article tells that Smart TVs (tellies with internet connectivity) accounted for almost 20 per cent of the televisions that manufacturers shipped in Q1 2012. Almost 30 per cent of them went into Western Europe, but the world’s biggest IPTV fans are clearly the Japanese: 46 per cent of the TVs that shipped there were smart devices. Also 30 per cent of Chinese buyers snapped up smart TV. More than 2.6 million smart TVs shipped into Western Europe, some 3.2 million into China and under 1 million units to Japan. Moe than 51 per cent of Sony TVs shipped in Q1 were internet connectable. Philips, Sharp and Panasonic scored 36 per cent, 28 per cent and 21 per cent. Still, it’s impossible to yet say how many of these devices are being used for their connected capabilities, but past studies have shown that a significant proportion of smart-TV buyers aren’t making use of the technology or even know what it’s for.
Besides the trend of adding Internet connectivity to TV there is a trend that people use smart phones and tablet computers while they watch TV. Tablets a TV friend: 85 percent of tablet owners use the device while watching shows. Broadcast moves beyond the TV set as 17% of consumers get network content on multiple screens article tells that that TV networks, on average, are reaching more than a quarter of their total audiences via mobile or Internet media, and 11 percent are digital-only consumers. Among news, sports and youth-oriented networks, up to 30 percent of the audience was reached through multiple devices during the five-week study. 61 percent of consumers used the Internet at the same time as they watched TV at some point during the study, and nearly half of those used Facebook.
Remote display technology lets users fully experience cloud content article claims that remote display technology helps bridge the gap between content and user experience. Often, the device where the content ends up is not the most appropriate type of device for viewing, sharing and experiencing it, and that’s just what the user wants to do. An effective way around this dilemma is remote display technology. Several different standard bodies have addressed these needs from different perspectives. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi Display (WFD) and Wireless Gigabit Alliance’s WiGig are some examples of how the industry is addressing this need to wirelessly display content.
In Search of Apps for Television article tells that the same consumers who delight in navigating the iPad still click frustratingly through cable channels to find a basketball game. Their complaint: Why can’t television be more like a tablet? Already, apps for Hulu Plus, Netflix and Wal-Mart’s Vudu streaming service, among others, are built into Internet-enabled televisions. Devices like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 let viewers watch apps that mimic channels. New sets by Samsung and others come with built-in apps loaded with television shows, movies and sports. Apple has a video player called Apple TV with apps. A model built around TV apps could let viewers see their favourite content they want, and let the users to bypass cable subscriptions and all the extraneous channels they don’t watch. And therein lies the tension that has the television industry delicately assessing how to balance the current system with an Internet-based future that some feel is inevitable.
The missing link on smart TVs currently has been limited selection of TV programs that mimic the networks’ current fare, but I quess we will see quite soon streaming services that can directly compete against cable and satellite. Millions of Subscribers Leaving Cable TV for Streaming Services. Netflix and Hulu are convincing millions of cable, satellite and telco subscribers to cut the cord and dive into video streaming. 2.65 million Americans have already canceled TV subscriptions between 2008-2011 in favor of lower-cost internet subscription services or video platforms. It is expected that cable companies will try to respond to this by charging consumers an additional “pay per bit” fee on top of the cost of Internet service if one should drop their cable service. Convergence co-founder Brahm Eiley projects that the number of people opting out of TV subscription services will begin to slow in 2012 and 2013 due rising price tag for streaming rights.
It is rumored apple Apple iTV will launch in 2012 or 2013. Apple has been rumored to be working on a proper television set for some time, and it is expected that The Foxconn-Sharp Alliance is all about Apple’s Coming HDTV. OH NO: Apple TV Isn’t Coming Until 2013, Says Research Group article mentions that most analysts say Apple will release an Apple TV this year, but Asian research group CLSA said that it thinks it comes out in 2013. So far Apple’s presence in the living room has been modest, maxing out with the current Apple TV — a small set-top box that is hooked to owners’ existing televisions. HD Guru predicts that Apple will take smart TVs to the next level by providing the biggest and widest selection of TV programming, giving consumers the first real opportunity to “cut the cable.” It is expected that Apple to demo its smart TV OS at WWDC in June. If the rumors are true, Apple will release a television set later this year that it will tout as the most amazing boob tube ever invented. Apple’s TV will be able to access shows from a variety of online sources, including its iTunes Store and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
Maybe Apple Doesn’t Need To Make the TV of the Future. The revolution is already here in form of connected set-top-boxes. Apple Doesn’t Need To Make the TV of the Future tells that the revolution here today is called the Xbox. Microsoft has tried to turn its video-game console into your TV’s best friend. Late last year, the company revamped the Xbox’s interface, adding a voice-search feature through the Kinect motion-gaming add-on. Microsoft is going to bring full Internet Explorer browsing to Xbox 360 with Kinect controls. Microsoft also added dozens of entertainment services to its Xbox Live online plan, including Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, and on-demand video from cable and satellite services around the world. Xbox offers also access to videos from Amazon, HBO, Comcast, or many of the other sources. There’s also the matter of price: An Xbox console with a Kinect add-on sells for $250 and membership to Xbox Live’s Gold plan sells for about $40 a year. Xbox is an effective aggregator, pulling the Web’s competing video services into a single, simple interface. Xbox now used more for online entertainment than online gaming. But Xbox is not perfect, because you still have to choose between different content channels. What if you just want whatever you want, when you want it, on a single device that doesn’t ask you to belong to other paid plans? If Apple can deliver that well, then they have a good market position.
Google has shown to have will to take part in connected TV field. If you don’t succeed, try, try, again. Google TV, take 3 tells that a number major set makers begin to offer HDTVs that use Google’s Internet TV platform. Google TV allows viewers to access Google services such as searches and YouTube videos on their television screens. The TV makers have remained leery, given Google TVs poor track record in Sony TVs, the Sony Blu-ray player and the Logitech Revue, all of which failed in the marketplace in 2011. LG to launch second version of Google TV in USA. Google Introduces Tablet And Streaming Device article tells that Google just introduced Nexus Q streaming device. The Nexus Q is probably best compared to Apple TV, which acts as an interface between content on the cloud and on your devices (phones, tablets, etc.) and your television set and audio systems. Anyone with an Android phone can control it and stream media to it.
Blip sheds partners: No money in Smart TV article tells that dedicated set-top boxes for online video still have a relatively small user base. Some of the bigger CE makers may ship millions of units, but that doesn’t mean that TV viewers are actually engaging with their platforms, save for the occasional use of the embedded Netflix app. With that, Smart TV platform makers are caught in a bit of a bind: Without content, users won’t tune in — and without viewers, content providers don’t see enough value in their platforms.
It seems that year 2012 will be the final nail to the coffin on the old idea that consumers won’t accept premium content distribution over the Internet. Movie distributors make much more money from selling discs to punters than they do selling rental licenses to streaming companies, so there is common interest in them and shops to do something about this development. We thought ‘piracy’ was ruining their businesses, but perhaps it’s just nipping at their profits. A look at the market trends seems to indicate that online streaming services are overtaking conventional media distribution channels such as DVDs and Blu-rays. However, this doesn’t mean that optical media will die out anytime soon. Currently, a large number of consumers don’t have reliable enough Internet access to guarantee a good experience with premium streaming services.
When people get used to get their entertainment from on-line source what to do with the physical media like DVD and BlueRay? Online video is overtaking physical sales article tells that movie watching Americans are spending money on video streaming and downloaded film services than in stores. There will be 3.4 billion legal and paid for movies watched in the US this year, around one million higher than hard copy sales. The total number of movies consumed from services that are traditionally considered ‘home entertainment’ grow by 40 percent between 2007 and 2011, even as the number of movies viewed on physical formats has declined. So-called ‘piracy’ horror stories do not seem to be ringing true.
Warner, Sony commit to UltraViolet in UK article tells Warner Home Entertainment has revealed that all its future Blu-ray Discs will tap into Hollywood’s UltraViolet cloud-based movie locker to provide punters with downloadable copies of films they buy. Buying a movie on a UV-enabled disc gives you free access to the film for streaming and downloading. The system encompasses a host of DRM mechanisms to ensure that any given gadget like connected TVs, media players and such – can access the movies you’ve bought and play them. Walmart offers $2 digital copies of your DVDs article tells that US retail giant is to offer punters digital copies of each of their DVDs and Blu-rays for $2 (£1.27) a pop. Every digital copy is delivered through Walmart’s online streaming service, Vudu. Vudu will tie into Hollywood’s UltraViolet cross-company DRM and cloud-based film storage platform. UltraViolet is all about encouraging folk to buy movies rather than rent them, as many on-line video sources encouraging us to do. The carrot is the flexibiliy to access content you own on almost any device, and to buy from multiple providers without compatibility concerns. The Walmart scheme will encourage folk to gain digital copies without resort to ripping discs or resorting to Torrented pirate copies,
Now a good chunk of video and audio traffic is transported on broadband networks end-to-end in a digital format. When will we be able to stream bluray quality to our homes over an affordable internet connection? Given that a bluray based 1080p movie is about 15GB in size, to stream that amount of data to your house in 2 hours would require an internet connection of about 17Mb/s. The network infrastructure will need an overhaul in 2012 due to the increasing amounts of high-definition video and other traffic.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Nielsen and Twitter Establish Social TV Rating
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/press-room/2012/nielsen-and-twitter-establish-social-tv-rating.html
Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, and Twitter today announced an exclusive multi-year agreement to create the “Nielsen Twitter TV Rating” for the US market. Under this agreement, Nielsen and Twitter will deliver a syndicated-standard metric around the reach of the TV conversation on Twitter, slated for commercial availability at the start of the fall 2013 TV season.
“The Nielsen Twitter TV Rating is a significant step forward for the industry, particularly as programmers develop increasingly captivating live TV and new second-screen experiences, and advertisers create integrated ad campaigns that combine paid and earned media,” said Steve Hasker, President, Global Media Products and Advertiser Solutions at Nielsen. “As a media measurement leader we recognize that Twitter is the preeminent source of real-time television engagement data.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: data caps just a “cash cow” for Internet providers
http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/12/report-data-caps-just-a-cash-cow-for-internet-providers/
Why do so many Americans now live with Internet data caps—and what are these caps doing to the future of broadband? Those are the questions posed by a new paper from the New America Foundation, which wants to shake up the lethargy that has descended over the data caps debate by pointing out just how odd the caps truly are. “Internet service and mobile providers appear to be one of the few industries that seek to discourage their customers from consuming more of their product,” write the paper’s authors. “The reason for this counterintuitive business model is that in the noncompetitive US marketplace, it is highly profitable.”
The arguments presented here aren’t novel, but they do act as a fine summation of the anti-cap position (and the report is only 13 pages, making it a quick read).
The truly curious thing about the entire debate has been the way in which caps have mostly remained steady for years, even as the price of delivering data has plunged. For example, paying for transit capacity at a New York Internet exchange costs 50 percent less now than it did just one year ago, and many major ISPs aren’t paying at all to exchange data thanks to peering. So why don’t prices seem to fall?
The authors of the new paper contend that all explanations are more or less hand-waving designed to disguise the fact that Internet providers are now raking in huge—in some cases, record—profit margins, without even the expense of building new networks.
The concern here isn’t just that Americans will spend too much for Internet access, but that they will also find themselves deterred from using hot new services thanks to concerns about data usage. Such limits could encourage users to adopt ISP’s own unlimited services for telephone and television, for instance, rather than those services delivered over the Internet. “Over the longer term,” was how it 2011 Credit Suisse presentation put it, “consumption based billing could reduce the attractiveness of over-the-top video options (e.g., Netflix and Hulu).” Critics have long speculated that this was in fact the ISP plan all along.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Study: Most of the features will be wasted on smart TV
Research firm NPD’s recent research , however, reveals that most new TV applications are left unused. Network users, about 60 percent use it alone video or television streaming.
Smart TV applications are mainly used for streaming services such as Netflix. Only about 10 percent of its vision by switching the Internet users browses the net, play games, or use it to access social media, PC Magazine writes.
Earlier this year, NPD’s study reported that less than half of the smart TV owners have even connected their TV to net.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/tutkimus+suurin+osa+alytelevisioiden+ominaisuuksista+menee+hukkaan/a866740
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Few Using Smart TVs to Full Capacity
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413565,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121
Smart TVs sound great in theory, but few people are actually getting the most out of their Internet-connected television sets, according to a new report from the NPD Group.
“The Internet-connected HDTV screen has so far failed to break beyond the bounds of its TV-centric heritage, with little use for the big screen beyond the obligatory video services,” wrote John Buffone of NPD’s Connected Intelligence group in a blog post published Wednesday.
While about 60 percent of Smart TV owners are using their sets to access Over-the-Top (OTT) video services, very few are taking advantage of available apps like Twitter and Facebook, or using their TVs to browse the Web, according to NPD.
A wide array of available products such as Xbox SmartGlass, Samsung AllShare, and Apple AirPlay are perhaps causing more confusion among consumers than offering distinctly useful services, the analyst said. Buffone’s advice to OEMs and retailers: “[F]ocus less on new innovation in this space and more on simplification of the user experience and messaging if they want to drive additional, and new, behaviors on the TV.”
Tomi says:
‘Connected’ TVs Mostly Used Just Like the Unconnected Kind
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/12/27/2135242/connected-tvs-mostly-used-just-like-the-unconnected-kind
Wired’s headline on a story based on the same information puts things more bluntly: “No One Uses Smart TV Internet Because It Sucks.”
live online says:
Kudos on the content.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jan 1, 2013 – 7:00AM PT
Inside Intel’s TV service: No CES announcement, but plenty of juicy details
http://gigaom.com/video/inside-intels-tv-service-no-ces-announcement-but-plenty-of-juicy-details/
No, Intel won’t be announcing its TV service at CES. But the company is definitely getting closer to revealing what it’s been working on, and a number of juicy new the details about the project, which has been developed stealthily, do sound intriguing
Both Forbes and TechCrunch reported this past weekend that Intel may announce its much-rumored TV service at CES next week. I’ve been told by a knowledgeable source that this is inaccurate, and that there won’t be any announcement or other kind of public appearance in Vegas.
Intel has been building its secret new TV platform inside a nondescript office building tucked away between two parking structures in a corner of the Intel Campus in Santa Clara, California.
The project, which has been dubbed Intel Media, is run like a startup in stealth mode.
At the center of Intel’s efforts is a set-top box manufactured by Intel and possibly Intel-branded as well. The device will be sold on Intel’s website as well as through retail partners.
Of course, Intel’s box will compete with a plethora of other devices at these stores, none of which are selling particularly well.
But Intel Media won’t be just about that one single box. The company’s goal is to deliver its video service to all screens, including tablets, PCs and mobile phones.
It’s a big bet on Intel’s future… which is uncertain
One source told me that as of six months ago, Intel had already spent $100 million on these efforts. Another estimated that the total spent on these efforts could end up being an order of magnitude higher.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connected consumer 2013: how 2012 laid the groundwork for change
http://pro.gigaom.com/2012/12/connected-consumer-2013-how-2012-laid-the-groundwork-for-change/
Summary:
Many of the biggest stories in the connected consumer space occurred mostly offstage in 2012. Apple conducted behind-the-scenes discussions about rolling out new media services in 2013 and beyond. Google spent much of 2012 in difficult negotiations, primarily with policymakers and antitrust authorities in the U.S. and Europe. Microsoft released Windows 8 and its first home-brewed tablet, the Surface RT. Overall, 2012 saw important groundwork laid for potentially significant advances in the connected consumer space. The year 2013 should be eventful.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s Push Into Web TV Hits Delays
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887323635504578215692892912404-lMyQjAxMTAzMDAwMjEwNDIyWj.html
Intel Corp.’s effort to develop an Internet-based TV service and associated hardware is taking longer than expected, people familiar with the company’s plans say, in part due to delays in reaching content agreements with media companies.
The chip maker’s surprise interest in the crowded pay TV business was disclosed last March by The Wall Street Journal, which reported Intel had told media companies it hoped to launch a service by the end of 2012. The timing now seems uncertain.
Intel, whose chips serve as calculating engines in most computers, has long hoped to move its technology into TVs or set-top boxes. Along the way, it has teamed up with other technology companies seeking to exploit the Internet to offer consumers more content options.
The company faces no shortage of skepticism, in part because it has little experience in trying to provide products directly to end users. “Intel can help with a lot of the heavy lifting in technology,” said Richard Bullwinkle, Rovi’s former vice president of strategy and innovation. “But if they think they are going to take on the device that the consumer uses they are wrong.”
Meanwhile, content licensing is seen as another stumbling block. Entertainment companies are typically loath to strike deals with Web TV services, fearing they could undercut the existing lucrative pay TV ecosystem.
One executive at a big TV company said last month that he didn’t want to be among the first to negotiate a deal with Intel for fear of disrupting his relationship with existing distributors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Nielsen report showed that in fourth quarter 2011, the number of people paying for TV dropped 15 million or 1.5 percent, and the number of cable subscribers dropped by 2.9 million.[21]
A 2012 Deloitte report said 9 percent of TV households dropped cable in 2011 and 11 percent planned to.[22] Sanford Bernstein estimates 400,000 dropped pay video services in second quarter 2012, up from 340,000 in 2011. One reason for the drop is college students going home for the summer, and the companies make up for the loss in other quarters. However, the number of new homes paying for TV is less than the total number of new homes.
Although the number of subscribers usually increases in the third quarter, in 2012 only 30,000 added pay TV, according to the International Strategy & Investment Group. Cable lost 340,000 (with Time Warner accounting for 140,000 of that number) and satellite gained only 50,000; telephone companies added 320.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multichannel_video_programming_distributor#Cord_cutters
Tomi Engdahl says:
Television programs are shown live online: “We want to expand the supply”
German television first channel, publicly funded Das Erste, has begun to offer their TV programs over the network stream. Streaming covers almost the entire channel. There are exceptions, because of all the programs permissions do not allow the network presentation.
German online magazine Golem.de ‘s interview with Das ersten spokesman says that the network stream was started in response to Germany at the beginning of renewed television license fee.
Das Ersten live steam is located at http://live.daserste.de
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/televisiokanavan+ohjelmat+nakyvat+suorana+verkossa+quothaluamme+laajentaa+tarjontaaquot/a868034?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-04012013&
Tomi Engdahl says:
HBO Inks Exclusive, 10-Year Deal With Universal To Keep Content Out Of Netflix’s Hands
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/06/hbo-inks-exclusive-deal-with-universal-to-keep-content-out-of-netflixs-hands/
Tomi Engdahl says:
HBO extends Universal deal, keeping films from Netflix
http://news.yahoo.com/hbo-extends-universal-studio-deal-keeping-films-netflix-201204480–finance.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Opera Makes A Run For The Living Room With New TV App Store, SDK With YouTube Leanback Support
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/07/opera-makes-a-run-for-the-living-room-with-new-tv-app-store-sdk-with-youtube-leanback-support/
Opera has long harbored ambitions to bring its technology beyond mobile and the desktop and into the living room. Just in time for the start of CES, the company today unveiled its new TV app store and framework, as well as its new Devices SDK. These, Opera says, will “make all the world’s living rooms more comfortable” and bring “solutions for improving TV surfing” to “millions of living rooms all across the globe.”
“The future of the web on TV involves more contextualization. People are looking for rich content options in the context of what they’re watching,” says Lars Boilesen, Opera’s CEO in a statement today. “By syncing TV content with smart apps, we can now truly bring more lean-back interactivity to living rooms around the world.”
To do this, the new Opera TV app framework includes an increased selection of HTML5-based apps and a side-by-side feature that allows viewers to ” use apps in the context of what they’re watching.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
FAVI smacks your dumb TV with £30 Android SmartStick
El Reg tests Raspberry-Pi-media-player-for-the-lazy
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/08/favi_stick/
FAVI has brought out an Android stick that turns “any TV into a Smart TV”, that’s the pitch, and it’s not far wrong as long as your TV has HDMI, you have a nearby port where you can juice up the dongle via mini-USB – and if you don’t mind pushing an arrow around the screen every now and then.
The FAVI SmartStick is an Android PC-on-a-stick with a 1GHz ARM processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes with 4 or 8GB of storage and packed with a dinky remote control starts at $49.99 – which works out around £30 at today’s rates -
But as a video device the stick works perfectly. Android 4.0 is skinned with a TV-happy interface, allowing left/right/up/down navigation from the remote and while the device defaults to 720 the resolution is easily upped to 1080. Google Play is preinstalled so new apps can be easily downloaded, though many (such as NetFlix) don’t support direction-based navigation so one is obliged to shuffle an arrow around the screen or buy some form of air mouse.
The stick also includes Android’s web browser,
The problem with Smart TVs is the bet one has to make on the platform – many of us hang on to our sets for half a decade despite the industry’s attempts to get us into annual upgrades. Adding changeable intelligence is easy, and a thirty quid stick is more sustainably upgraded next year. So as long as your Wi-Fi coverage is very good, and you don’t want Bluetooth, an Android stick might be a good way to go.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel confirms partnership with Comcast, brings Xfinity TV viewing to Intel-based devices
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/intel-confirms-partnership-comcast-xfinity-tv/
Well, there’s no new set-top box box per se, but most of those rumored Intel / virtual cable TV details have come true here at CES. Intel just announced a new partnership with Comcast, which will enable Xfinity TV viewers to watch television on Intel-based devices in the home. According to Intel, the collaboration will enable users to tap into Xfinity TV on “IP set-top boxes, Ultrabooks, Intel-based all-in-one PCs, tablets and smartphones, as well as smart TVs in the home.” It’s like Tru2way, but slightly less restrictive.
It appears the box itself is actually being produced by (recent purchaser of Motorola’s set-top box business) Arris.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung tries to do it all with new Smart TV interface, lets older sets upgrade with Smart Evolution Kit
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/7/3845610/samsung-new-2013-smart-hub-tv-interface-hands-on-smart-evolution-kit
Smart TVs universally have horrible interfaces, and it seems like Samsung knows that its prior efforts haven’t been up to par. The company has shown off its new user interface for 6400 series and up TVs here at CES, and after spending time with it we’re glad to report that the old design has been tossed out of the window for one that takes a bit of inspiration from the Xbox 360.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES: CEA boss pushes for ‘ninja’ innovation approach
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2234873/ces-cea-boss-pushes-for-ninja-innovation-approach
LAS VEGAS: THE HEAD of the Consumer Electronics Association is calling on small firms and startups to help drive innovation in the market.
Speaking at the 2013 CES conference, Gary Shapiro said that firms should rely on their own ingenuity and push for less government involvement in the sector. He said that firms should evolve a “ninja” mentality, aiming to be self sufficient and relying on maximizing resources.
Other items on the CEA’s agenda include efforts to stop “patent troll” litigation campaigns and further efforts to cooperate with studios and media companies to develop platform-neutral cloud services
Tomi Engdahl says:
Certified BitTorrent Box Brings uTorrent to Your TV
http://torrentfreak.com/certified-bittorrent-box-brings-utorrent-to-your-tv-130109/
The first ever certified BitTorrent Android box goes on sale today, allowing users to stream files downloaded with uTorrent wirelessly to their television. The new set-top box supports playback of all popular video formats and can also download torrents by itself, fully anonymously if needed.
With a quarter billion active users a month BitTorrent is without a doubt the most used file-sharing platform.
The vast majority of these BitTorrent users download video files, but despite these staggering statistics it can still be quite cumbersome to play downloaded files on the old-fashioned TV.
The first ever certified Android-powered BitTorrent box aims to change this. After the initial December launch was delayed, the BBK BitTorrent box officially goes up for sale today.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chasing Netflix, Intel, AT&T, Verizon & others lose their collective mind
http://gigaom.com/2013/01/09/chasing-netflix-intel-att-verizon-others-lose-their-collective-mind/
The new, new thing to do these days is to launch a new streaming video service to compete with Netflix and Amazon. Intel, Walmart, AT&T, Sony, Verizon.. the list of me-too offerings is getting longer. The problem is that they aren’t really better than the incumbents.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Streaming hits – 2012 edition
http://www.tnl.net/blog/2013/01/12/internet-vod-2012-movies/#sthash.xcl5Bztz.dpbs
This year saw the rise of a potential competitor to Netflix in Amazon Prime, as the retail giant started offering an all-you can-eat buffet of movie and TV shows. For each movie of the top 100 movies at the box office, I pulled data on for streaming info on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top Gear isn’t TV, not when it’s on YouTube
Ofcom overrules streaming regulator
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/18/atvod_top_gear/
Ofcom has overruled its appointed VOD regulator in deciding that chunks of Top Gear and BBC Food channel programmes found on YouTube don’t constitute TV-like services and thus fall outside regulation.
Ofcom is arbiter to the increasingly tortuous process of deciding what gets regulated, having appointed ATVOD (a private company) to deal with video-on-demand role as it tries to cope with the increasing fragmentation of television and the regulatory environment within which it exists.
ATVOD charges for registration, £10,000 for companies worth over £26m, and registration is obligatory so the decision about which services fall within its remit are far from academic.
But both cases are symptomatic of the difficulties in controlling media in an internet age. We (almost) all agree that some level of regulation is required to control content, ensuring the protection of children and editorial independence, but the practicalities of doing that are still a work in progress
Tomi Engdahl says:
Time Warner Cable to Netflix: We want your 3D films, not your network
Vid service: You want our content, you’ll need our CDN
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/21/netflix_twc/
Internet video service Netflix is apparently refusing to provide HD content – which includes its 3D and Super HD movies – to networks which refuse to be a part of its Open Connect content delivery network, prompting cries of partiality as private networks spread.
Netflix doesn’t charge for interconnection of Open Connect; although there may be some overhead for connecting companies, the idea is to get the traffic off the public internet and save everyone money. But Time Warner Cable doesn’t feel that way and is publicly complaining that it is being blackmailed into interconnections it doesn’t want.
Netflix responded that peering, connecting directly to the company’s Open Connect network, is free, and it will even provide free caching servers to ISPs which have rack space available, but that’s ultimately because direct connections save Netflix money by avoiding the public internet and the costs associated with it.
Peering is free to ISPs consuming more than 2Gb/sec of Netflix traffic most of the time (95th percentile).
Video delivered over the internet is rarely as good as that received over a cable or broadcast, simply because the bandwidth available between source and display is either guaranteed or exceeds the requirement to such an extent as to be moot. Netflix reckons its HD content needs 5Mb/sec, within the grasp of most decent broadband connections, but the last mile isn’t necessarily the slowest part of the link these days.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Germany’s RTL pulls free-to-air channels off terrestrial TV
It’s like ITV leaving Freeview
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/21/rtl_dtt/
Germany’s largest commercial broadcaster is getting out of broadcasting, on Earth at least, citing spiralling costs and an uncertain future as mobile phone operators grab all the good spectrum.
Broadcasting on Germany’s terrestrial platform apparently costs “many times” what satellite transmissions do, and with satellite and cable so dominant, the terrestrial system accounts for less than 5 per cent of RTL’s viewers. But it’s uncertainty about the future that has pushed the company out as mobile operators keep pushing TV around, the firm says.
Analogue TV has already been squeezed to make space for telephony, permitting the “digital-dividend” sell-off for 4G telephone networks
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix Accused Of Bullying ISPs And Discriminating Against Users
Time Warner Cable has accused Netflix of bullying Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and discriminating against their own users. The new Open Connect Content Delivery Network (CDN) is what is getting Time Warner Cable so upset and they believe that Netflix is in the wrong for how they implemented this new CDN program last year.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) says that requiring companies to participate in the Open Connect program is discriminatory to both companies and Netflix users
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/490128/netflix-accused-of-bullying-isps-and-discriminating-against-users/#mqT3ZUsXiIM8xAo5.99
Tomi says:
Finland: YLE TV channels to Internet possibly as early as this year
There are still at least copyright issues.
YLE radio channels are already available on the Internet, and now aims to do the same for the TV channels. Broadcasting, however, remains to be determined by a number of legal issues, it has to ensure that all programs can be found in the online distribution rights.
YLE can not broadcast its programs exclusively via broadband distribution, because it does not go to all people. So far, only a terrestrial antenna distribution reaches all people in Finland.
Silvo believes it is possible that in the future channel may appear only through the Internet. It is, however, far ahead.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2013012216588974_uu.shtml
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Tomi Engdahl says:
The Economics of Netflix’s $100 Million New Show
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/02/economics-netflixs-100-million-new-show/61692/
With Netflix’s foray into original, high quality programming today, the streaming TV network wants to turn into the HBO of Internet TV, but can the network afford it? Putting together a big production with famous actors like House of Cards costs a lot of money—$100 million for two 13 episode seasons, to be exact—and Netflix CEO Reid Hastings says he plans on making five new shows like that per year, he told GQ’s Nancy Hass.
Exclusive Content Is King: Like HBO, Netflix is moving away from buying content because it would rather draw addicts, who have just one just-for-Netflix show that prevents them from canceling.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
You just have to accept the fact that usually first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just
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In some cases when you have good motivation (a good idea for the article and strong intention to start writing on it immediately), you might be able to start productive work immediately (you had already spent that 10-15 minutes or more on getting your mind on right mood while doing some other things…)
This 10-15 minutes of time from starting to become productive is quite typical for many other mentally demanding tasks like writing, programming, solving hard engineering problems etc.. It is just what it is, nature of the human mind and the task you are performing, and you have to accept it. There are no easy tricks I know to get past it.