Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Five Sites to watch Anime Online
If you’re an Anime fan, I think you’ll dig these sites. The sites listed offer the ability for you to watch any Anime series online, free of charge. I’ve chose 5 of the best sites and have provided specifics such as OVGuide Rating, whether a login or download is required.
Anivide (anivide.com) - Features Anime series, movies, top lists, music, games and more. Anivide is a nice community for Anime fans.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
NarutoWire (narutowire.com) Find Anime series and movies from A-Z. This site features Anime Lists, Music, a community forum and much more.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
AnimeWoot (animewoot.com) AnimeWoot provides a full listing of series, sorted A-Z. You’ll also find some great Anime movies. They feature forums and an Anime Shop.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
AnimeSeed (animeseed.com) AnimeSeed has a nice search engine and gives you the ability to download. They display the top rated Anime shows on their front page for easy access. Sort by lists, movies, etc. They offer a community forum, gallery for wallpaper, and a store.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
Note: Recommend a popup blocker for the popup ads. Also, some videos were slow to stream.
LiveAnime (liveanime.net) - LiveAnime offers A-Z listing of the top Anime Series. In addition to watching, the site also offers a community forum.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
Note: Recommend a popup blocker for the popup ads.
Anivide (anivide.com) - Features Anime series, movies, top lists, music, games and more. Anivide is a nice community for Anime fans.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
NarutoWire (narutowire.com) Find Anime series and movies from A-Z. This site features Anime Lists, Music, a community forum and much more.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
AnimeWoot (animewoot.com) AnimeWoot provides a full listing of series, sorted A-Z. You’ll also find some great Anime movies. They feature forums and an Anime Shop.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
AnimeSeed (animeseed.com) AnimeSeed has a nice search engine and gives you the ability to download. They display the top rated Anime shows on their front page for easy access. Sort by lists, movies, etc. They offer a community forum, gallery for wallpaper, and a store.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
Note: Recommend a popup blocker for the popup ads. Also, some videos were slow to stream.
LiveAnime (liveanime.net) - LiveAnime offers A-Z listing of the top Anime Series. In addition to watching, the site also offers a community forum.
OVGuide Rating: 4/5
Login: Not Required
Download: N/A
Note: Recommend a popup blocker for the popup ads.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Untapped potential in China media
Most attention last week focused understandably on the 26% collapse in China's exports in February, although there was better news that mainland consumers are still spending as fixed asset investment rebounded.
China's retail sales grew 15.2% in the first two months of the year to 2 trillion yuan ($293.8 billion) while fixed asset investment rebounded 26% from the year-ago period.
While retail sales are not generating the 20%-plus growth we were seeing earlier, there is encouragement the recent surge in bank lending and the stimulus program are having some positive impact.
There had been hopes China's consumers could rescue the world economy by taking up the slack from credit-strapped Americans or Europeans. That's always appeared far-fetched, especially when U.S. retail sales are still more than three times the size of China's.
But it's less of a stretch to see this mainland spending at least put some life into consumer- or stimulus-related stocks.
A key theme this year for investors has been stimulus program beneficiaries -- largely commodities, materials or capital goods makers who stand to gain from infrastructure building.
But as well as erecting new bridges and roads, China is also quickening the build out of infrastructure for a modern digital economy.
For instance, it was the urgent need for stimulus that finally secured agreement on 3G licensing in January after years of procrastination. While there's room for debate who amongst the listed telecom carriers gains from this, China's domestic vendors look to be clear winners as they get the lion's share of contracts.
Indeed, Hong Kong-listed ZTE has put in an impressive run this year with the share price now doubling from its November lows. China's leading telecom vendor Huawei Technologies for now remains unlisted.
As well as building out telecom infrastructure, China wants to accelerate development of its TV industry. This is a sector of keen interest but its political sensitivity means it is difficult to invest in or often understand what's going on.
Strict government controls on content that largely prohibit foreign channels and foreign investment in the sector, as well as significant piracy, mean the TV industry in China is surprisingly underdeveloped. Most of the interesting content is watched on the less-regulated Web using peer-to-peer streaming rather than traditional TV. If you travel to China you may find you have a decent choice of international channels but only because they are allowed in 3-star hotels and above and some foreigner compounds. Elsewhere it's largely CCTV and more CCTV.
Like with 3G, the stimulus program could be hastening infrastructure build outs.
CSFB highlighted in a recent note that there has been an acceleration in the pace of analog cable TV network upgrades as lending to the sector is increased due to stimulus directives. There are now around 45 million digital cable households in China. This translated into above-expectations results from infrastructure provider China Digital Media
Another reason for interest in the TV sector is potential exposure to the mainland consumer.
With retail sales still pretty strong, it appears advertisers are still willing to spend to reach the mainland wallet. Last week CTR Market Research released a forecast that measured advertising spending will grow between 5% and 8% in 2009 in China. Again that's slower than last year's double-digit growth but stands out next to the declines expected in Hong Kong or the U.S.
In terms of TV broadcasters, it's again difficult to find investable exposure due to the regulatory restrictions.
But the prospect of reaching a billion-strong audience means interest remains strong.
Many expect the reason Want Want noodle king, Taiwanese billionaire Tsai Eng-meng recently bought into Hong Kong's struggling ATV Channel is to exploit its ability to broadcast into neighboring Guangdong. If Beijing's relations with Taiwan improve further, perhaps more can be done with unlisted ATV in China.
The one foreign satellite channel that has a real cross-China footprint is Hong Kong-based and listed Phoenix Satellite TV. On Friday it released results with sales growing 18% to HK$1.39 billion, showing media spending looks to be in relatively good health. (News Corp, the publisher of this report, holds a minority share. It sold 20% to China Mobile in 2006.)
More disappointing was that its bottom line only grew 2.9% to HK$286 million due to a spike in costs.
The company did not give a forecast for 2009 but the fact advertisers have few other places to go to replicate its footprint mean it is in a fairly enviable position.
Ultimately how regulation develops will determine the pace of investment in China's TV future and whether Phoenix starts facing more competition.
Opening up and stimulating China's media industry would also help fill the hole in the economy left by vanishing exports.
China's retail sales grew 15.2% in the first two months of the year to 2 trillion yuan ($293.8 billion) while fixed asset investment rebounded 26% from the year-ago period.
While retail sales are not generating the 20%-plus growth we were seeing earlier, there is encouragement the recent surge in bank lending and the stimulus program are having some positive impact.
There had been hopes China's consumers could rescue the world economy by taking up the slack from credit-strapped Americans or Europeans. That's always appeared far-fetched, especially when U.S. retail sales are still more than three times the size of China's.
But it's less of a stretch to see this mainland spending at least put some life into consumer- or stimulus-related stocks.
A key theme this year for investors has been stimulus program beneficiaries -- largely commodities, materials or capital goods makers who stand to gain from infrastructure building.
But as well as erecting new bridges and roads, China is also quickening the build out of infrastructure for a modern digital economy.
For instance, it was the urgent need for stimulus that finally secured agreement on 3G licensing in January after years of procrastination. While there's room for debate who amongst the listed telecom carriers gains from this, China's domestic vendors look to be clear winners as they get the lion's share of contracts.
Indeed, Hong Kong-listed ZTE has put in an impressive run this year with the share price now doubling from its November lows. China's leading telecom vendor Huawei Technologies for now remains unlisted.
As well as building out telecom infrastructure, China wants to accelerate development of its TV industry. This is a sector of keen interest but its political sensitivity means it is difficult to invest in or often understand what's going on.
Strict government controls on content that largely prohibit foreign channels and foreign investment in the sector, as well as significant piracy, mean the TV industry in China is surprisingly underdeveloped. Most of the interesting content is watched on the less-regulated Web using peer-to-peer streaming rather than traditional TV. If you travel to China you may find you have a decent choice of international channels but only because they are allowed in 3-star hotels and above and some foreigner compounds. Elsewhere it's largely CCTV and more CCTV.
Like with 3G, the stimulus program could be hastening infrastructure build outs.
CSFB highlighted in a recent note that there has been an acceleration in the pace of analog cable TV network upgrades as lending to the sector is increased due to stimulus directives. There are now around 45 million digital cable households in China. This translated into above-expectations results from infrastructure provider China Digital Media
Another reason for interest in the TV sector is potential exposure to the mainland consumer.
With retail sales still pretty strong, it appears advertisers are still willing to spend to reach the mainland wallet. Last week CTR Market Research released a forecast that measured advertising spending will grow between 5% and 8% in 2009 in China. Again that's slower than last year's double-digit growth but stands out next to the declines expected in Hong Kong or the U.S.
In terms of TV broadcasters, it's again difficult to find investable exposure due to the regulatory restrictions.
But the prospect of reaching a billion-strong audience means interest remains strong.
Many expect the reason Want Want noodle king, Taiwanese billionaire Tsai Eng-meng recently bought into Hong Kong's struggling ATV Channel is to exploit its ability to broadcast into neighboring Guangdong. If Beijing's relations with Taiwan improve further, perhaps more can be done with unlisted ATV in China.
The one foreign satellite channel that has a real cross-China footprint is Hong Kong-based and listed Phoenix Satellite TV. On Friday it released results with sales growing 18% to HK$1.39 billion, showing media spending looks to be in relatively good health. (News Corp, the publisher of this report, holds a minority share. It sold 20% to China Mobile in 2006.)
More disappointing was that its bottom line only grew 2.9% to HK$286 million due to a spike in costs.
The company did not give a forecast for 2009 but the fact advertisers have few other places to go to replicate its footprint mean it is in a fairly enviable position.
Ultimately how regulation develops will determine the pace of investment in China's TV future and whether Phoenix starts facing more competition.
Opening up and stimulating China's media industry would also help fill the hole in the economy left by vanishing exports.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ready for March Madness
THIBODAUX – After an early season 74-68 loss at Southeastern Conference opponent Mississippi State, Nicholls State coach J.P. Piper heard something an opposing coach had never told him before.
Nicholls State guard Justin Payne (right) receives a good luck from a fan as the team prepares to board a bus on Tuesday afternoon for the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. Looking on is center Chris Paige.
Abby Tabor/Staff
“The (coach) at Mississippi State shook our hands after the game and said, ‘Hey, you guys are going to win your conference,’” Piper recalled. “I got on the bus and thought that that was a strong statement. I (didn’t) know if we could win our conference. An 8-8 record would be tremendous looking at where we’ve been. But he obviously saw something, and he’s been at this a little longer than I have.”
The Colonels did Piper better. Four better to be exact, finishing Southland Conference play at 12-4 and missing out on the regular season title by finishing a game behind Stephen F. Austin.
On Thursday, the No. 2 seeded Colonels (19-10 overall, 12-4 SLC) will get a chance to begin proving Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury right, opening the Southland Conference tournament against No. 7 Texas State (14-15, 7-9) at noon at The Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
The winner of the tournament, which concludes with Sunday’s championship game slated for a noon tip-off , gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
But while a win Thursday puts Nicholls into Friday’s semifinal game, Piper, named the SLC Coach of the Year on Tuesday, is stressing that his team keeps its focus on Texas State.
The Bobcats beat the Colonels in a 71-66 overtime game in February.
“I’m excited and a little anxious about it,” Piper said. “I’ve never experienced it at this level. But you’ve got to focus on 40 minutes of basketball and not everything around it. If you start talking on Thursday about March Madness, and whether we’ll get a 15th or 16th seed if we win, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. You’ve got to focus on Thursday.”
With the earlier loss to Texas State, Nicholls shouldn’t have any problem not looking past the Bobcats. In fact, some players feel the loss to Texas State could provide extra motivation.
“I think we’ll come into the game with a chip on our shoulder,” senior point guard Justin Payne said. “We’re looking forward to stepping up to that task and just trying to handle up on them. They’re a really good team, and we have a lot of respect for them, but we know what we’re going (to Katy) to do.”
Freshman Chris Iles, who is from nearby Houston, said the Colonels have played with that attitude all season.
“Yeah, we’re going out with a chip on our shoulder like we have all season,” Iles said. “We’re not going to change anything. We’ve been winning like this, so we’re just going to keep doing what we do.”
Meanwhile, the Colonels will try to prevent Texas State from doing what it does -- score a lot of points.
The Bobcats lead the SLC, averaging 81.7 points per game, with Brandon Bush’s 17.7 points per game leading the way. The Bobcats also give up a second-worst 77.2 points per game, still, Nicholls wants to avoid a high-scoring contest, opting for more of a defensive battle.
“Texas State is a direct contrast to the way we like to play the game,” Piper said. “They are going to be an up-tempo team that wants to score in the 80s and 90s, and obviously, we’re not that. We want the game in the 50s and 60s, so it’ll be a little bit of a battle of wills.”
And, despite the earlier loss, Piper loves the match up against Texas State.
“If I could have picked who we played, I’d prefer to play a team who had beaten us in a close game,” Piper said. “I think this sets up well to really have our guys keyed in and motivated to try to get a little revenge. I think that works in our favor a little bit.”
Regardless of who the Colonels would have drawn, though, they likely would have been pumped, returning to their first conference tournament since the 2000-01 sea-son.
“Everyone’s pretty excited,” senior Ryan Bathie said. “We can’t wait to get there and finally see what it’s all about. Everyone’s been pretty calm, but I think we just can’t wait to get out and start playing. We’re going to be pretty jacked up. We’re looking to get that first win of the tournament.”
FOLLOWING THE COLONELS
The opening round of the tournament will be streamed live on the Internet on SLC NOW, a subscription-based video and audio streaming channel on www.Southland.org. The price for all games is $12.95 or $5.95 per men’s first round game.
Semifinal games on Friday will be broadcast on Southland TV, as well as made available on ESPN FullCourt, www.ESPN360.com and SLC Now.
Sunday’s tournament championship game at noon will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Nicholls State guard Justin Payne (right) receives a good luck from a fan as the team prepares to board a bus on Tuesday afternoon for the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. Looking on is center Chris Paige.
Abby Tabor/Staff
“The (coach) at Mississippi State shook our hands after the game and said, ‘Hey, you guys are going to win your conference,’” Piper recalled. “I got on the bus and thought that that was a strong statement. I (didn’t) know if we could win our conference. An 8-8 record would be tremendous looking at where we’ve been. But he obviously saw something, and he’s been at this a little longer than I have.”
The Colonels did Piper better. Four better to be exact, finishing Southland Conference play at 12-4 and missing out on the regular season title by finishing a game behind Stephen F. Austin.
On Thursday, the No. 2 seeded Colonels (19-10 overall, 12-4 SLC) will get a chance to begin proving Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury right, opening the Southland Conference tournament against No. 7 Texas State (14-15, 7-9) at noon at The Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
The winner of the tournament, which concludes with Sunday’s championship game slated for a noon tip-off , gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
But while a win Thursday puts Nicholls into Friday’s semifinal game, Piper, named the SLC Coach of the Year on Tuesday, is stressing that his team keeps its focus on Texas State.
The Bobcats beat the Colonels in a 71-66 overtime game in February.
“I’m excited and a little anxious about it,” Piper said. “I’ve never experienced it at this level. But you’ve got to focus on 40 minutes of basketball and not everything around it. If you start talking on Thursday about March Madness, and whether we’ll get a 15th or 16th seed if we win, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. You’ve got to focus on Thursday.”
With the earlier loss to Texas State, Nicholls shouldn’t have any problem not looking past the Bobcats. In fact, some players feel the loss to Texas State could provide extra motivation.
“I think we’ll come into the game with a chip on our shoulder,” senior point guard Justin Payne said. “We’re looking forward to stepping up to that task and just trying to handle up on them. They’re a really good team, and we have a lot of respect for them, but we know what we’re going (to Katy) to do.”
Freshman Chris Iles, who is from nearby Houston, said the Colonels have played with that attitude all season.
“Yeah, we’re going out with a chip on our shoulder like we have all season,” Iles said. “We’re not going to change anything. We’ve been winning like this, so we’re just going to keep doing what we do.”
Meanwhile, the Colonels will try to prevent Texas State from doing what it does -- score a lot of points.
The Bobcats lead the SLC, averaging 81.7 points per game, with Brandon Bush’s 17.7 points per game leading the way. The Bobcats also give up a second-worst 77.2 points per game, still, Nicholls wants to avoid a high-scoring contest, opting for more of a defensive battle.
“Texas State is a direct contrast to the way we like to play the game,” Piper said. “They are going to be an up-tempo team that wants to score in the 80s and 90s, and obviously, we’re not that. We want the game in the 50s and 60s, so it’ll be a little bit of a battle of wills.”
And, despite the earlier loss, Piper loves the match up against Texas State.
“If I could have picked who we played, I’d prefer to play a team who had beaten us in a close game,” Piper said. “I think this sets up well to really have our guys keyed in and motivated to try to get a little revenge. I think that works in our favor a little bit.”
Regardless of who the Colonels would have drawn, though, they likely would have been pumped, returning to their first conference tournament since the 2000-01 sea-son.
“Everyone’s pretty excited,” senior Ryan Bathie said. “We can’t wait to get there and finally see what it’s all about. Everyone’s been pretty calm, but I think we just can’t wait to get out and start playing. We’re going to be pretty jacked up. We’re looking to get that first win of the tournament.”
FOLLOWING THE COLONELS
The opening round of the tournament will be streamed live on the Internet on SLC NOW, a subscription-based video and audio streaming channel on www.Southland.org. The price for all games is $12.95 or $5.95 per men’s first round game.
Semifinal games on Friday will be broadcast on Southland TV, as well as made available on ESPN FullCourt, www.ESPN360.com and SLC Now.
Sunday’s tournament championship game at noon will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Watching Web TV on WOWTV
The new WOWTV Global site offers viewers a selection of free and premium TV shows and movies for online video streaming via broadband internet access. It’s launched by M2B World Asia Pacific, U.S. subsidiary of Amaru Inc. It’ll provide worldwide access to its library of licensed online video content.
According to the company, Viewers can choose from various program genres including movies, documentaries, fashion, drama series and lifestyle. All programs are available on-demand and can be viewed from anywhere in the world. It's at: http://www.wowtv.com.
Viewers will be given a choice between watching free videos of full-length TV shows and free movies or premium programs at affordable pay-per-view prices.
While YouTube leads the market, Hulu is another online video service that offers TV shows and movies at Hulu.com. It was founded in 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp.
Online video market is getting hot, as content consumption has been constantly increasing. According to research form comScore, U.S. Internet users, for example, viewed 14.8 billion online videos during Jan. 2009. YouTube got 91% of the incremental gain in the number of videos viewed versus December, as it surpassed 100 million viewers for the first time.
Another report by research firm Nielsen says that viewing of video on television, Internet, and mobile devices – the Three Screens – continues to increase. It says the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month. Internet video and mobile video are the new attractions. Americans who watch video over the Internet consume another 3 hours of online video per month and those who use mobile video watch nearly 4 hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.
WOWTV Global’s content includes free and premium movies starring top Hollywood stars like Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Morgan Freeman, and Sissy Spacek.
Also available are online TV shows featuring the latest news and specials on the fashion industry’s icons such as Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, Anna Sui, Paul Smith, Tom Ford, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Giselle Bundchen, Naomi Campbell and others.
Some of the lifestyle and variety videos on WOWTV Global's online TV videos include the travel series “Estelle’s Paradise.” It’s presented by Latin supermodel Estelle Reyna.
M2B is also planning to extend the new community features on their Singapore site to the new global site. These features will allow registered members to create their own profile, share their favorite video list, upload their own user-generated videos and network with other members.
Member registration is free.
The company plans to roll out customized sites in China and India. These will include a large selection of free movie and TV series videos online.
According to the company, Viewers can choose from various program genres including movies, documentaries, fashion, drama series and lifestyle. All programs are available on-demand and can be viewed from anywhere in the world. It's at: http://www.wowtv.com.
Viewers will be given a choice between watching free videos of full-length TV shows and free movies or premium programs at affordable pay-per-view prices.
While YouTube leads the market, Hulu is another online video service that offers TV shows and movies at Hulu.com. It was founded in 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp.
Online video market is getting hot, as content consumption has been constantly increasing. According to research form comScore, U.S. Internet users, for example, viewed 14.8 billion online videos during Jan. 2009. YouTube got 91% of the incremental gain in the number of videos viewed versus December, as it surpassed 100 million viewers for the first time.
Another report by research firm Nielsen says that viewing of video on television, Internet, and mobile devices – the Three Screens – continues to increase. It says the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month. Internet video and mobile video are the new attractions. Americans who watch video over the Internet consume another 3 hours of online video per month and those who use mobile video watch nearly 4 hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.
WOWTV Global’s content includes free and premium movies starring top Hollywood stars like Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Morgan Freeman, and Sissy Spacek.
Also available are online TV shows featuring the latest news and specials on the fashion industry’s icons such as Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, Anna Sui, Paul Smith, Tom Ford, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Giselle Bundchen, Naomi Campbell and others.
Some of the lifestyle and variety videos on WOWTV Global's online TV videos include the travel series “Estelle’s Paradise.” It’s presented by Latin supermodel Estelle Reyna.
M2B is also planning to extend the new community features on their Singapore site to the new global site. These features will allow registered members to create their own profile, share their favorite video list, upload their own user-generated videos and network with other members.
Member registration is free.
The company plans to roll out customized sites in China and India. These will include a large selection of free movie and TV series videos online.
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