Blockbuster launches Internet movie downloads to compete against Neflix, others

Blockbuster Inc. will debut a new service Tuesday that delivers movies to your home via the Internet, as the DVD rental giant looks to expand the ways it can provide movies to customers.

The service will be called “Blockbuster on Demand” and requires a box (pictured) made by 2Wire Inc. At least initially, the box is included free if customers rent 25 movies in advance for $99.

No other pricing plans are currently offered, said Jim Keyes, Blockbuster’s CEO. After the first 25 movies are watched, prices will start at $1.99 per film. The box will ship in time for the holidays and can be ordered Tuesday at Blockbuster.com.

Web-based movie delivery is “developing and we’re learning about consumer patterns,” Keyes said. The service “is for early adopters. It’s our goal to gather consumer knowledge to move forward.”

More than 2,000 movies and TV shows will be available at launch time, with more titles to be added later.

Blockbuster has been closing stores over the past year and announced a quarterly loss earlier this month. But losses have narrowed as the chain remakes itself.

"They're operating fewer stores, but they're making more money on a per store basis," Stern Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia told Reuters after third-quarter earnings were released. Blockbuster's shares have been trading for less than $1 since Nov. 11. Shares closed Tuesday at 95 cents.

In some respects, the Blockbuster online delivery service is similar to what Netflix offers.

The Netflix “watch instantly” service can deliver more than 12,000 movies or TV shows through a box that connects to your television. The box is attached to an Internet router or accessed via Wi-Fi to stream movies. (This Eric 2.0 post provides more information on other devices that work with the Netflix Internet service.)

There are three key differences with Blockbuster On Demand, Keyes said.

First, it will offer (mostly) new releases.

“We are focusing on quality vs. quantity,” Keyes said. “The selection will be consistent to what you see in a Blockbuster store.”

A caveat: Once a movie is released to DVD, it will not immediately be available for Blockbuster on Demand. That could take an additional 30 to 60 days for most new releases. “The Dark Knight” will be available immediately, Keyes noted, since Warner Bros. will release the movie for DVD and video-on-demand services the same day on Dec. 9.

“But that’s the exception and not the rule,” he said, noting the studios set separate release dates for DVDs and on-demand content.

Still, it could be months or years before such a title appears on the Netfix Internet service. Netflix wants to keep prices low, so it won’t pay to have new releases as part of its subscription service, the company said in a recent interview.

That leads to the second difference. Blockbuster on Demand is pay as you go, with movies costing between $1.99 and $3.99, Keyes said. You have 30 days to watch the movie, but only 24 hours to finish watching once you start.

With Netflix, you pay a minimum of $8.99 a month to get the Internet streaming service. However, you can watch as much as you want for that price.

Third, Blockbuster and 2Wire also can deliver high-definition video. After a customer orders the movie, it will start playing “by the time your popcorn’s popped,” said Pat Romano, 2Wire’s CEO.

Netflix currently does not offer HD content for its Internet service.

Blockbuster is competing against more than just Netflix. Both Apple and Amazon offer a download service with pay-as-you-go content. But both of those services require a computer as a go-between, at least at this point.

Blockbuster and Netflix, on the other hand, require only a high-speed Internet connection. (You could rightly argue that if you already have a high-speed Web connection, you have the computer needed for the other services.)

Keyes realizes there is a lot of competition to bring movies straight to your TV over the Internet.

“Our competitive advantage is that we already own the customer for home entertainment,” he said. “And we think we can migrate them to other” forms of delivery. “We are encouraging our customers to use multiple channels.”

Blockbuster has 60 million customers; the company won’t break out what services they use. Keyes acknowledges the vast majority come from stores.

Blockbuster offers four channels of delivery, including the Web-based on-demand service.

Store-based DVD rentals and movies by mail are established programs, but Blockbuster is also experimenting with kiosks to deliver movies directly to a portable device.

As the company learns more about customers' behavior over the next six months, Keyes said of the on-demand service, “the offering will transform itself.”

Romano, from 2Wire, agreed. He said his company’s box “is capable” of doing more than movie rentals, “but we want to get feedback and figure out how to grow.

“The platform has the legs for Blockbuster to expand it at will,” he said. The box itself is the size of two boxes of movie candy, a press release describes.

YouTube Live TOKYO: All Systems Go

Uncategorized Dodaj komentarzToday we are pleased to announce that Japan will be hosting its own YouTube Live event on Sunday, November 23, in Tokyo, with the show available to view on the site for an audience across the globe.

After the curtain falls on YouTube Live in San Francisco, YouTube Live TOKYO feat. iQ will kick into gear, featuring a mix of the best that Japan’s user community has to offer and performances from topline Asian talent, including a star turn from pop sensation BoA.

Tickets for the event are now available for users resident in Japan through the YouTube Live TOKYO channel . Attendance is limited to 2,000 and tickets will be allocated on a lottery basis – you’ll need to sign up by November 7 if you want to come and enjoy the show.

Stay tuned to YouTube Live TOKYO for developments in the line-up. We’ve got a lot of great acts to unveil between now and the event.

Until then: sayonara!

The YouTube Team

Celebrities recruited for live YouTube event

As if dominating the Internet video world isn't enough, YouTube now aims to up the ante for mass audience online with two live-streamed entertainment events this weekend that will originate in San Francisco and Tokyo.

YouTubeLive! at 5 p.m. Saturday at Fort Mason will team online-made sensations such as Bo Burnham, Esmee Denters and Hollywood Reporter Michael Buckley with a star-studded lineup of musicians and artists known worldwide — including rapper Akon, English music sensation Katy Perry, emcee-turned-producer Will.i.am and director John Chu.

The show will mark YouTube's first attempt at streaming a live show.

But if you're hoping to score a ticket, you're out of luck. Only a few hundred were distributed to the public in an effort to encourage online viewing.

"You can log in on Saturday afternoon and watch these acts come together," said Michelle Covington, a representative of the public relations firm Allison and Partners, which represents YouTube. "YouTube stars will perform. It's basically going to be a great way to bring people together for a free concert over the Internet."

The lineup, selected by YouTube users, takes online interactivity to a new level, organizers said.

"We'd been asking different YouTube community members who they wanted to see," YouTube marketing guru Chris Di Cesare said. "We didn't choose the performers — they did."

Each of the artists, whether their followings are broad-based or strictly

YouTube-based, has in some way interacted with the YouTube community.

"We looked at the most-subscribed channels when selecting our performers," Di Cesare said. "Like Fred (Figglehorn), for example. He's this 17-year-old kid who has a massive following. On the other hand, you have people like Katy Perry, who has her own channel on YouTube where she actually interacts with people."

In total, the 50 performers are responsible for well over 2.5 billion hits on YouTube, according to Di Cesare.

Buckley (YouTube.com/whatthebuck) began posting his thoughts on celebrities and Hollywood two years ago. Since then, he has amassed a following of nearly 6 million fans, who tune into his show every week to hear his thoughts on the latest Hollywood gossip.

"It became something so much bigger than I could've possibly imagined," said Buckley, who will act as a backstage host for the upcoming event. "To say that YouTube has changed my life is definitely an understatement."

The channel will have multiple live streams running simultaneously — one for the main stage and others for different aspects of the event, Buckley said.

Users can switch between streams to catch all of the live action as it happens.

"We've been seeing the community on YouTube get together in cities across the world," Di Cesare said. "We always thought it would be great if YouTube did a global event, so we decided to do it."

BBC One and BBC Two to stream live online from next week

BBC One and BBC Two to stream live online from next week

Watching television programmes over the internet has taken off in the past year since the introduction of the BBC's catchup service, the iPlayer

The BBC is to begin showing all its programmes live over the internet from next week, raising questions about the long-term viability of the licence fee.

Critics said that although viewers would still need to buy a licence to watch programmes on their computers, it would become harder to ensure payment. There are also questions over whether the telephone network could cope with the expected rise in internet traffic.

Sir Howard Davies, the director of the London School of Economics, who sat on a committee reviewing the future of the licence fee at the beginning of the decade, said: “What are they going to do? Seize your computer and look through your history? Can you imagine the licensing people doing that level of enforcement?”

The corporation, which already makes digital channels such as BBC Three and BBC Four available online, announced yesterday that it would complete the picture by making BBC One and BBC Two available from next Thursday.

Watching television programmes over the internet has taken off in the past year since the introduction of the BBC’s catchup service, the iPlayer, which enables viewing of material broadcast in the previous seven days.

Since its launch on Christmas Day last year, some or all BBC programmes have been watched 250 million times. EastEnders, watched by an average of 18.9 million at least once a month on broadcast television, was watched 457,000 times on the iPlayer last month.

The corporation believes that viewing over the internet will not be enough to persuade the public to get rid of their televisions. A spokesman said that the BBC wanted to “offer our licence fee-payers more choice and flexibility” and that the broadcaster “fully expects this to supplement, rather than replace, viewing via traditional broadcast to a television”.

In total 25.3 million households pay the television licence, generating £3.37 billion for the BBC. However, one in 20 households dodges the levy, despite an aggressive enforcement campaign in which viewers are told that the list of nonpayers are “all in our database”.

A television licence is required “irrespective of what device you are using – television, computer, laptop, mobile phone or any other – and how you receive programmes, whether by satellite, cable, via the internet or any other way,” according to TV Licensing, the body that collects the fee. It also pays for BBC radio.

There are concerns about the impact that a surge in online viewing could have on the way the internet functions.

Francesco Caio, who conducted a review into the future of the network for the Government this year, believes that there could be medium-term problems because of the extra capacity required for live television.

Mr Caio said: “Online television does not cause any capacity issues for the moment but in three to five years’ time there could be problems that will particularly affect areas of dense population.”

A spokeswoman for Tiscali, the fourth-biggest internet provider, said: “If you download a television programme, it can be done efficiently, in between other network traffic, but streaming a video [showing live before it is completely downloaded] takes up a set amount of capacity – about 300 kilobits a second.” Tiscali believes that broadcasters could pay more to prioritise their content to run smoothly over the internet, although the BBC has shown little willingness to pay.

Mr Caio said that the unwillingness of broadcasters to pay would more likely lead to the cost being borne by consumers through an increased monthly subscription.

“Broadband prices have been falling but I think we could get to the point where the need for investment means that prices of telephone and internet services will start heading north,” he said.

Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, said: “The launch of BBC One and BBC Two online completes our commitment to make our portfolio of channels available to watch on the internet.”

Formally, the BBC plans to run the online broadcasts of its two principal channels for a year but it is unlikely to abandon the experiment.

In any event it has little choice because existing rules mean that any website can transmit the two channels, plus ITV1, Channel 4 and Five, if they have the right technology.

Online broadcasting is also likely to be a boon for technologically sophisticated expatriates and other viewers who do not pay the licence fee.

Although the BBC, like other broadcasters, tries to ensure that its content can be watched only in the United Kingdom, it is possible to buy software that covers up a web surfer’s location, making them appear to be watching in Britain even when they are not.

Wondershare released streaming video recorder to download online TV & streaming video

Wondershare Streaming Video Recorder is a powerful online TV recorder, it can record nearly all the online TV channels, web video, download online TV shows, and even streaming movies transmitted through various network streaming protocols. Wondershare released streaming video recorder to download online TV & streaming video

Wondershare, a leading provider of net media recoding and converting, just released a brand new product named Wondershare Streaming Video Recorder. It’s a powerful software that can download online TV, streaming video, streaming movie, live broadcast, the attached video converter has a well designed converting mechanism which can convert the recorded video files into various regular formats compliable with the most popular digital players as iPod, iphone3G, PSP, Creative Zen, Zune and intelligent mobile phone etc.

Wondershare Streaming Video Recorder embeds more than 1600 Free online TV Channels. Support global online TV channels, including NBC, CBS, BBC, etc.

With it you can easily download your favorite online TV programs, You Tube videos, and other streaming video clips, the embedded video converter can also help you to turn the downloaded video files into WMV, M4V, AVI, MOV, VOB, WMA, MP3, AC3, OGG etc, in both video formats and audio formats.


Key Features

1.Free download online TV and convert into wmv, m4v, avi.
It has an ingenious sniffer which can detect streaming video and audio automatically, if the media file is recordable, the sniffer will bubble out message to note you to record or just skip it. The built in converter can help you convert the recorded files into various media formats you want.

2.Thousands FREE online TV channels handy
Wondershare Streaming Video Recorder has a reserved streaming media sites list, which serves you thousand of online TV and web video URL. With it you can stroll over all those hot sites at ease, music, video clips, TV programs, movies, as much as you can imagine.

3.Download history backup in real time
Every target file’s ID will be displayed and backed up automatically for you to review or re-download. Besides, the downloaded file can be renamed freely as you like, which is convenient for you to make your own media reserve.

4.Multi-functioned video converter
The embedded video converter can convert the recorded media files into various regular formats like MP3, MP4, 3GP, WMV, AVI, MOV, MPG, M4V, OGG, APE, VOB, WMA, AAC, AC3 etc, which greatly satisfies your digital players as iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zune, Creative Zen, and cell phones.

5.Fast record speed & high download quality
It’s tested that completely record a 20M FLV video file costs only half a minute if your bandwidth is enough. The attached Wondershare Player will prove you the download quality is perfect without any loss.

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Seattle's GridNetworks launches "click-to-watch" Web video on Xbox, PS3

After spending two years building infrastructure for quickly delivering video over the Internet, Seattle's GridNetworks today is launching GridCast TV with several Web video sites.

GridCast adds a buttons to Web videos so people browsing at home can click "watch on TV" and have the video streamed across their home networks for playback on an Xbox 360, PlayStation3 or TVs with other systems for connecting to the Internet.

The first time a user clicks one of the buttons, Grid downloads a small application that uses DLNA media streaming standards. Videos are up to 720p resolution depending on the speed of the user's network connection.

Launch partners include Revision3, havocTV and IndieFlix, which earlier used GridNetworks to stream independent videos during the Seattle International Film Festival. Additional channels will be announced soon, executives said.

It's a nice way to get videos from the Web to your television if you have the right setup and you're interested in the content from sites using the technology. I wonder, though, how GridCast will compete with Flash and Silverlight-based TV and movie services including those from Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.com.

Grid Chief Executive Tony Naughtin, who earlier co-founded Internap, said the service was "designed for the living room" unlike Flash, and it gives publishers control over the content they choose to stream with this technology. It's also not exclusive - a Web site could add Grid "watch on TV" buttons and also offer other ways to stream the content around the home.

Other founders and managers of Grid are veterans of RealNetworks and Cisco. It's backers include Comcast, Panorama Capital and Cisco. Naughtin said they may seek a second round of funding in mid to late 2009.

While the consumer-oriented service is surfacing now, the company continues to develop back-end technologies for video broadcasting that will be released later.

Who watches TV on TV anymore?

How’s this for layers of irony: my teenage daughter was in her room recently watching the TV show Gossip Girl on her laptop — let’s not get into exactly how — when I overheard the following line from the show: “Who watches TV on TV anymore?” (A quick Google search reveals I didn’t mishear it).

That’s indeed the billion-dollar question as telecom service providers enter today’s video arena — a market that spans cable, satellite, the Internet and mobile devices. At the TelcoTV show this week, Parks Associates released some video-viewing data showing just how confusing — yet full of opportunity — today’s video market really is.

According to Parks, Internet video viewing is indeed on the rise, but so is the viewing of prime-time TV shows. The research shows that 80% of adults in broadband homes do some form of Internet video viewing. Twenty-six million adult home broadband users are watching streaming TV episodes at least once a month, and about 6 million adults in broadband homes pay for premium Web video content on a monthly basis. At the same time, many of those are catching up on TV viewing they missed — with just over half (52%) watching missed episodes, while 37% liked watching shows for free, and 29% appreciated having fewer ads in Web replays.

Those are interesting numbers, and they point to a clear trend that finds viewers attracted to — and searching out — content across a variety of networks and devices. It’s a blurring of the lines that only will continue.

Just this week, AT&T debuted its VideoCrawler video Web search engine, staking a claim in the growing Web video market. It’s not a stretch to imagine VideoCrawler pulled onto AT&T’s U-verse service; Verizon already is beta-testing just such a service, which it demoed at the Telephony LIVE event last month. Comcast, meanwhile, has been crossing the TV and Web worlds with its Fancast site.

Buzz Watch: Tune In November 22nd for YouTube Live

YouTube is going back to the future with creating appointment TV on the Internet.

YouTube’s Head of Marketing, Chris Di Cesare, talks about how they were urged by the community to do streaming live events. In response, they’ll do doing the first one on November 22nd with three streams from different angles. So what is the event going to be about? YouTube puts it this way: “Part concert, part variety show and part party, YouTube Live will bring together some of the amazing videos and unforgettable individuals that have contributed towards making the site what it is today.” The event will feature Internet-born stars like Soulja Boy Tell'em, Esmee Denters, and "Canon Rock" virtuoso Funtwo as well as Internet-savvy mainstream starts like Will. I. Am and Akon. It is also noteworthy because it's a step away from being just a technology provider to getting into original programming. YouTube will monetize the event with sponsors Guitar Hero World Tour and Virgin America. The sponsors will in turn take advantage of the event by promoting their own YouTube-branded services such as a Virgin America flight with YouTube celebrities. Great idea, but who would want to be stuck next to the crazy Britney guy for two hours on an airplane? Not me. But I bet that it has a certain appeal to some members of the YouTube community. And judging by the buzz the event is getting online, I think that YouTube Live will be a hit.

MySpace Launches Primetime Application

MySpace Launches Primetime Application Enabling Users to Watch Full-Length & Short Form Hulu, Warner Bros, MySpace Original and Licensed Content on Profiles and Home Pages
Application Enables Additional Monetization Opportunities On At Least 150 Million New Pages Per Month For Content Partners




LOS ANGELES(BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Redesigned MySpace Primetime Community Also Launching
MySpace today announced the domestic launch of the MySpace Primetime Application ( http://www.myspace.com/primetimeapp). The new, internally developed, application is available free for users to embed onprofiles and homepages with one click of the mouse.
Once embedded, the MySpace Primetime application allows users to search for and watch premium content from Hulu and any of the +150 branded channels on MySpaceTV. All of the content is derived from a partnership with Hulu, Warner Bros, Sony and from MySpaceTV originals, such as Roommates and Special Delivery. The extensive programming is easily found via efficient micro search or intuitive A-Z directory functionality.
The MySpace Primetime Application is free to download for all users. It is ad-supported through the multiple ad-solutions available on MySpace including companion display advertising, tickers, pre-roll, post-roll, amongst others.
"The Primetime Application highlights how professional video content is being voraciously consumed across the MySpace ecosystem, not just within MySpaceTV," said Jason Kirk, VP of Video & Entertainment for MySpace. "Video on MySpace flows throughout the network as there aremultiple entry pointswherevideoscan be discovered, watched and shared including comments, bulletins and MySpaceTV. We believe the 76 million US users spending four hours on the site every month, and the advertisers that rely on our ad-solutions, will be happy with the flexibility of this application."
Here's how users add the MySpace Primetime application to their
profiles/user homepage:

STEP 1: Visit http://www.myspace.com/primetimeapp
STEP 2: Click the "Add this App" button in the top right hand corner.
STEP 3: A pop-up box regarding placement and notification options
appears. Users then choose where they want the application to be
placed on their homepage or profile and how they want it to be
updated, if at all. Once satisfied with their selections, users
click "Add" to continue.
STEP 4: The application will then be added to the area the user
indicated in the previous step.
STEP 5: ALL DONE! Users may now start using the application.

In addition to the MySpace Primetime Application, MySpace has redesigned the MySpace Primetime community (originally launched December 2007) where users are able to watch content such as 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, 24, Heroes, and classic TV programming including Airwolf, Buck Rogers and Kojak powered by a partnership with Hulu. In addition, users may also watch licensed content from over 150 branded channels on the site such as TMZ, BBC Worldwide, The Sony Minisode Network, Sorority Forever, National Geographic and MySpaceTV Original programming including Roommates, Special Delivery and Paul Brogan.

MySpace recently hit an all-time high with domestic unique users and engagement in October according to comScore; seeing approximately 76 million users domestically and 122 million worldwide unique users (August 2008). comScore also reported MySpace surpassed Yahoo!to become the top publisher of online display advertising in the U.S., accounting for 16% of all display ads viewed in June.

FOR almost 50 years Australians faced one of the most limited television channel choices on the planet -- a choice eventually expanded by pay-TV, and

FOR almost 50 years Australians faced one of the most limited television channel choices on the planet -- a choice eventually expanded by pay-TV, and then digital programming -- but now the country is about to enjoy almost unlimited choice with the arrival of IPTV in the lounge room.

IPTV, otherwise known as Internet Protocol TV, has been a buzzword on computers for the past year with the development of services such Joost, Hulu and the ABC's own iView application.

Now experts say the unlimited sourcing of programming from the internet is at hand with new television sets boasting direct-to-the-internet broadband connections. These will allow programming to be streamed to the TV without the use of a computer as an intermediary.

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG are among a handful of manufacturers that will bring the technology to Australia.

Paul Colley, technology communications manager with Sony Australia, says the technology is already available on its Bravia range in the US, and will debut in Australia in the near future.

He says it will give TV viewers to a very different way of accessing content.

Sony launched its Bravia Internet Video Link in the US last year. This allows a TV to stream content such as IPTV and web pages direct from the internet without having to go through a computer.

But Colley says viewers are looking for a different experience through televisions and "don't want to be hunched over a mouse and a keyboard".

Sony's solution has been the development of its Xmedia bar, a navigation tool developed initially for the handheld PlayStation Portable and PS3, which comes with the video link box.

The navigation tool replaces the browser address bar and allows people to surf to regular websites and those offering IPTV feeds in a similar way to browsing through channels.

"It's just like channel surfing," Colley says. "And one of the wonderful things about the internet is the ability to explore."

Duane Varan, head of the Interactive Television Institute at Murdoch University in Western Australia, says evolving media habits were at the heart of the emergence of lounge room IPTV in the local market.

"The basic principle is that people have a primary need for content and they want it when they want it," he said.

"The big contingent in all of this is the metering of broadband."

Varan says the way in which broadband providers metered their content in Australian was one hurdle to the success of IPTV through TVs.

Another hurdle was the availability of content from overseas portals and the protection of digital rights.

"I think the other problem is region-specific," he says. "Savvy users know how to hide their IP address to get content from overseas, but this is beyond most people."

While there may be hurdles, Varan believes the arrival of IPTV in Australia as a staple alongside free-to-air, digital and pay-TV broadcasters could prove to be a benefit to existing players rather than a drawback.

"What does it (IPTV) do to TV viewing?" he says. "I think it enhances TV programming and it is not taking away.

"Overall, I think it represents good news."

Another benefit that Varan believes IPTV will bring is that it will allow advertisers to more keenly target audiences and individuals in the same way they can now slice and dice demographics online.

"Now you are going to have the ability to adserve, and there are some really interesting cases online already."

He cites the IPTV offering on the ABC network in the US which allows on-demand programming supported by ads and offered with an interactive element.

"On the one hand it is competing with existing advertising, but at the same time it is enabling a different type of advertising program," Varan says.

Sony's Colley agrees that broadband capacity and cost in Australia are among the most significant issues standing in the way of the development of IPTV in the lounge room, but says computer-based photo, video and music libraries are already starting to be networked around the home.

Samsung has launched its second generation TV capable of streaming TV from a PC to the TV, but director of marketing Kurt Jovais says "the holy grail of IPTV is live streaming content over the internet to your TV, like watching the American Superbowl in real-time over the internet in native resolution on your home TV. This will require very fast broadband speeds and most likely a subscription service, but from a device perspective, today's TVs could deliver."

"As we move up in our IPTV capabilities, people will be able to share nearly any content experience over the TV. The amount of available content from anywhere in the world will be astonishing.

"It is also very exciting for the industry, as it is classically disruptive to the existing free-TV and pay-TV business models. It will be a very exciting evolution to be a part of," he says.

How TV Streaming Has Changed How Viewers Watch Their Favorite Programs

TV streaming lets viewers watch their favorite programming in a matter of minutes on their computer. The programs are channel as a continuous stream on the internet. TV streaming is becoming the wave of the future of the internet.

Nowadays, there are different stations that are making their content available on the spot with this type of viewing. They feel that this is a different way for them to get more people online. In turn, when more people are watching tv online, the stations will get additional revenue. This provides the stations with an advantage because for them, the costs of tv streaming are minimal.

Since the word “free” will send anyone running, more people have been flocking to get the live feeds and access the tv streaming on the internet. As long as stations can keep their costs to a minimum, they will reach out to attract more people to watch their favorite shows. All a person needs is a broadband connection and a free media player. Windows Media or Real Player works well with this method.

The portals that are used with this method rely on advertising to keep them afloat. As long as the content has appeal, the stations will be able to provide valuable and interesting viewing to those that are turning to tv streaming. This concept is being used not only in the United States, but around the world as well. The expansion of this method provides an opportunity to serve in niche markets instead of just restricting it to certain areas.

This method allows producers to continue putting more shows and more episodes that people want to watch. Another reason why more viewers are turning to the internet for their favorite tv shows is because the producers know what areas to target. They have become very savvy as far as learning to get an audience for their programming.

TV streaming provides viewers with looking at an improved video screen resolution on their computer. There are so many selections for viewers to choose from and more people are catching on to this new way of watching their favorite programming. A lot of this programming cannot be found on cable or satellite. You would think that with all of the channels that these two main mediums have, people would be able to find whatever they want.

This method has led the way of providing high quality programming free to the viewers. Not only do they get what they want, but they can watch it in the comfort of their own home without having to fight anyone over regular programming from the tv set.

WD TV is better than Apple TV

WD has put a new device on the market, and it’s called the WD TV HD Media Player. It’s a small box that can connect to a TV via HDMI or Composite output cables, and can take most USB external hard drives as input (it should even read USB flash drives as long as they’re formatted in FAT32). Once a device is connected, the WD TV will read the media from that drive (movies, photos, music) and let you browse through them and play them on your TV. What sets this device apart for me is that it has gone beyond other similar devices like the LaCinema Premier, or Apple TV. I’ll explain below.

The LaCie product, for example, doesn’t play as many formats as WD TV, and can only support NTFS and FAT32 file systems.

You’re limited in the amount of content you can play with LaCinema Premier, since the drive is integrated within the device itself, and because not as many video formats are supported (see the specs on the LaCie website). That means you have to lug the whole thing from your home office to your living room, re-connect it at each place, and copy files onto it when you want to refresh its inventory. The remote also leaves something to be desired (too many buttons).

I know and like Apple TV myself, having bought one and configured it for my parents, but frankly, I find it overpriced and under-featured. The more you use Apple TV, the more limitations you find:

It has an internal hard drive that syncs with content over a wireless network, which means you have to wait forever to get a movie onto it. The drive can also fill up quickly, depending on which size you pick. (Yes, you can also connect it via a Gigabit network, if you’ve pre-wired your living room and home office with Gigabit wires already — but most people have not.)
You can stream to it, but then you always have to keep iTunes open, and it’s a hassle to remember that, especially when you’ve just sat down on the living room couch and turned on the TV.
You also need to be able to troubleshoot WiFi issues in case you’re not getting enough bandwidth and Apple TV playback stutters.
You have to add every single video clip you want to play on Apple TV to the iTunes library, and I don’t care for that sort of thing. I just want to store my stuff in folders and browse it from a device (like WD TV).
Apple TV has a USB port on the back, but you can’t use it for anything but “diagnostics” unless you hack the device. This is stupid. I can’t use the port to connect Apple TV to my computer and copy content onto it, I can’t use it to connect an external hard drive to it and have it read the content from it (like WD TV), and it just sits there, unused, unless I pay for a hacking device like aTV Flash.
It overheats like crazy. It can burn your fingers if you’re not careful.

I love the design of Apple TV and its diminutive remote. I love the fact that I can swap remotes between it and my laptop if I want to. I think the on-screen menus are well done. I also like the fact that it can stream Flickr photos and YouTube videos, but these extra functions are just that: extra-neous. It simply cannot do its basic job well, and that is to play my media conveniently.

I’m not alone in being frustrated with it. Steve Jobs recently said he’s not sure what to do with Apple TV. What also speaks volumes about his stance on the device is the fact that it’s not listed in the Mac product lineup on Apple’s website. It sits off to the side in a section of its own, and you have to do a search for “Apple TV” in order to find it.

For one thing, Mr. Jobs, you can stop being so greedy in your approach to the device and let people use the USB port on the back. Or how about letting people stream Netflix videos with it, so they don’t have to buy a separate device? I’m a Mac user and have a Netflix account. Until Netflix release Roku and opened up its streaming program to Mac users, I was in the dark. You probably don’t want to do these things because it’ll cut into your video rentals and purchases, and you like that extra revenue stream, but the fact remains that sales of the device will always remain low if you insist on hamstringing it.

The WD TV Player, on the other hand, is made to suit most people. It has a USB port where you can connect most external hard drives. It will read NTFS, FAT32, and HFS file systems too. (I found that out from WD Support, because the info isn’t listed among the specs. They pointed me to KB article #2726.) There seems to be an issue with HFS+ file systems, but they’ll still work, only differently. I’ll have to look into that later.

Also not listed among the specs is an Optical Audio port, but when I look at the back of the device, it seems to me I can see one there.

To me, WD TV is the long-awaited answer to my media player needs. At around $99 (street price), this is one device that will make its way to my Christmas stocking pretty soon, because I’ve got a Drobo full of content I’d like to play my way, not to mention that I also have two WD Passport drives.

I may even get one for my parents, to replace their Apple TV. They’ve had to keep their Drobo connected to their iMac in the home office, with iTunes open, all this time, just so they could watch a movie or two from the Drobo. That’s not right. Once I get the WD TV, I can take their Drobo, put it in the living room, and hook it up right there, without worrying about WiFi, streaming, iTunes, and a whole bunch of nonsense. Apple dropped the ball with Apple TV, and WD picked it up and started running with it.

The WD TV supports the following file formats:

Music: MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC, FLAC, Dolby Digital, AIF/AIFF, MKA
Photo: JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
Video: MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, MKV, MOV (MPEG4, H.264). It will play MPEG2/4, H.264, and WMV9 videos up to 1920×1080p 24fps, 1920×1080i 30fps, 1280×720p 60fps resolution. That’s awesome.
Playlist: PLS, M3U, WPL
Subtitle: SRT (UTF-8)

You can buy the WD TV Player from:

Amazon: WD TV HD MEDIA PLAYER; USB 2.0/HDMI/COMPOSITE A/V

The end of TV: Boxee + Apple TV + Hulu

With the latest release of boxee(http://www.boxee.tv/) we’ve enhanced the experience, offering our alpha testers the ability to stream TV Shows, Movies and clips from sites like CBS, Comedy Central and Hulu. we think it is a big step towards making boxee a true alternative to expensive Cable/Sat subscriptions, as well as to those who revert to downloading pirated content. by making shows like CSI, Southpark or Heroes available for instant streaming, in good quality and with limited commercial interruptions we believe CBS and Hulu are helping make paying for Cable or pirating content both irrelevant.

while we don’t currently have a formal relationship with either content provider, we know that partnerships like these are what people want (x# of requests and counting). we hope to work closely with them in order to improve the experience and bring more content with even better quality to our users.

if you’re an alpha tester please tell us what other shows, services, content you’d like to see as part of boxee. Send me an email at launch_pad@rocketmail.com

if you’re a content owner/aggregator and would like to have your content on boxee please contact us. boxee is an open-platform and we’ll work with you to bring your shows, movies, music, and business model to it.

AT&T to try limits on monthly Internet traffic

NEW YORK -
AT&T Inc., the country's largest Internet service provider, is testing the idea of limiting the amount of data that subscribers can use each month.

AT&T will initially apply the limits in Reno, Nev., and see about extending the practice elsewhere.

Increasingly, Internet providers across the country are placing such limits on the amount of data users can upload and download each month, as a way to curb a small number of "bandwidth hogs" who use a lot of the network capacity. For instance, 5 percent of AT&T's subscribers take up 50 percent of the capacity, spokesman Michael Coe said Tuesday.

But the restrictions that Internet providers are setting are tentative. And the companies differ on what limits to set and whether to charge users for going beyond the caps.

Starting in November, AT&T will limit downloads to 20 gigabytes per month for users of their slowest DSL service, at 768 kilobits per second. The limit increases with the speed of the plan, up to 150 gigabytes per month at the 10 megabits-per-second level.

To exceed the limits, subscribers would need to download constantly at maximum speeds for more than 42 hours, depending on the tier. In practice, use of e-mail and the Web wouldn't take a subscriber anywhere near the limit, but streaming video services like the one Netflix Inc. offers could. For example, subscribers who get downloads of 3 megabits per second have a monthly cap of 60 gigabytes, which allows for the download of about 30 DVD-quality movies.

The limits will initially apply to new customers in the Reno area, AT&T said. Current users will be enrolled if they exceed 150 gigabytes in a month, regardless of their connection speed.

"This is a preliminary step to find the right model to address this trend," Coe said. The company may add another market to the test before the end of the year, he said.

Customers will be able to track their usage on an AT&T Web site. The company will also contact people who reach 80 percent of their limit. After a grace period to get subscribers acquainted with the system, those who exceed their allotment will pay $1 per gigabyte, Coe said.

Comcast Corp., the nation's second-largest Internet service provider and AT&T's competitor in Reno, last month officially began a nationwide traffic limit of 250 gigabytes per subscriber. Comcast doesn't charge people extra for going over the limit, but will cancel service after repeated warnings. Previously, it had a secret limit.

Two other ISPs, Time Warner Cable Inc. and FairPoint Communications Inc., are planning or testing traffic limits as low as 5 gigabytes per month, which is easily exceeded by watchers of DVD-quality online video.

Among the largest ISPs, Verizon Communications Inc. is a holdout, and has said it does not plan to limit downloads.

Live Wire

Yet another video service bites the dust as Y! Live is pulled by Yahoo; meanwhile YouTube has announced that it is going to start experimenting with live streamed events on its service this month.

But the leaders in terms of live streaming services remain Ustream and Mogulus.

In many sectors, live is a powerful driver of audience but only as long as the audience know where and when to look. The key to the use of live events within Internet TV seems to be consistent - same time, same place every day or every week.

I've seen many channels struggle with live events because they're done ad hoc and every time an audience needs to be built from scratch.

There is one technology which I've yet to see implemented and that's relaying - where one PC takes a live feed and sends it to another PC, which then sends it on further down the line. I suspect it's a technology we'll see very soon that enables streams to be broadcast around georestricted rules.