Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
Yesterday’s announcement by AT&T offering a great site where you could watch online shows was just a tip of the iceberg. Here’s 25 Places to Watch the Fall TV Season Online
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
Kudos to AT&T, who is announcing today the launch of AT&T Entertainment – a new website that lets you watch streaming TV shows and movies on your PC for free. Any online user in the U.S. – whether or not they are an AT&T customer – can visit the site and watch free online content.
AT&T Entertainment has popular content from ABC and NBC Universal (through an agreement with Hulu), CBS Interactive and MTV networks.
This launch is part of AT&T’s three-screen strategy to deliver quality video content to consumers across the TV, PC and wireless phone.
Is AT&T disrupting itself?
Yes, and in a positive way. It is clear that the shift to more web based content makes sense and that offering customers great content, associated with AT&T is a way to keep and grow a customer base.
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
the new boxee API enables developers to build and publish apps for boxee users. while people are working on a variety of boxee apps, the folks from boxee thought it would be a good idea to provide some extra incentive for the developers.
the boxee dev challenge will have 3 categories: Video, Music and Photos.
in each category we will have a People’s Choice award and a Judge’s Choice award:
People’s Choice Award: Drobo
Judge’s Choice Award: Sony Bravia XBR9 46″
the deadline for submitting your application is June 14th at 11:59pm PT, but they encourage you to submit early and often as they’ll be talking up cool applications as they come in.
voting will take place between June 15th – June 22nd.
on June 23rd they will have a boxee event in San Francisco (RSVP here) announcing the People’s Choice and our esteemed judges will choose a winner from the 10 most popular apps in each category.
the judges at the event will be:
Veronica Belmont - Tekzilla, Qore
Ryan Block - GDGT, former EIC Engadget
Avner Ronen - boxee founder and CEO
couple more judges (we are interviewing prospects: Obama, Oprah, AplusK)
looking for more info on how to develop boxee apps: check out http://developer.boxee.tv and take a look at the sample app (we will publish additional sample apps). please submit your app to dev_challenge@boxee.tv.
whether you’re a developer or just a boxee fan, they’re looking forward to seeing you @ the event. RSVP here.
* the challenge is open to residents of the milky-way galaxy except for employees of boxee, and any other organizations involved in sponsoring the contest, as well as their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, and those employees’ immediate family and household members. exceptions extend also to those who think they might become a boxee employee, or an employee of the aforementioned parent, subsidiary, affiliated, or succesor companies in the future. “Immediate family members” of employees shall mean their parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, pets and spouses. “Household members” of employees shall mean people who share the employee’s residence at least three months a year sleeping on a couch or a bed (blow up mattresses do not ap.)
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
Even though I am sure we are going to get through this financial mess, economic reality does set it and there are times when families or individuals need to cut back on their cable / IPTV bills.
If you decide to totally unplug from TV here are some other alternatives Some are free.
Some cost money.
Your mileage may vary.
If you need to totally unplug, then give it a try for a month and see if you can do something else, like reading! Personally, I can see giving up TV, but not DSL for the family.
If it’s just you, then get a wireless aircard so you can have broadband access at home and wherever you go.
Here are some choices:
AppleTV: I’ve got an AppleTV device and I really like it. I find myself watching YouTube videos, including my own, on my big screen (free) and renting movies from Apple, instead of from AT&T, as they are less expensive. Also, you can port your movies for viewing on your computer or your iPhone for when you travel.
Hulu. I’ve noticed that I’ve started to watch The Daily Show on Hulu rather than on my big screen. Sometimes I just need a break at work and want to see an episode, or part of an episode I missed. Hulu’s interface is great and easy to navigate.
Joost. The new and improved Joost is somewhat akin to Hulu. In its opening pitch, they are even talk about "social stuff" so I supposed they are trying to help like minded viewer communities.
DailyMotion They bill themselves as being about finding new ways to see, share and engage your world through the power of online video. You can find – or upload – videos about your interests and hobbies, eyewitness accounts of recent news and distant places, and everything else from the strange to the spectacular.
Vudu. You still have to buy the $299 set top box, but can rent movies for $1.99 each. I guess it saves a trip to the video store and is less than renting a video from AT&T.
Netflix. No web access required. You get your videos in the mail. Or, you can buy their $99 set top box from Roku and download their movies.
PrimeTimeRewind.com. This is from my pal, Jeff Pulver, who’s always out there on the next thing in disruption. Jeff’s site is really cool because, like its name, you can get free prime time shows and re-wind them. Hate to miss Family Guy? No problem, Jeff’s got ‘em.
These are just a few samples of the best of the best.
If you are hunkering down, but still want to scale back on your monthly bill, try going to a less expensive package. In the case of U-verse pricing, you can save money by going from the U400 to the U100 package.
Packages start at $44 per month.
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
There’s been quite a bump in readership and media coverage because of my coverage on the first AT&T WiFi / Starbucks store in San Antonio.
While I am very excited about the notion of having free WiFi at Starbucks, there is more to the story here. From the start, I have always felt that AT&T was about to give me more than just an alternative to cable.
Starting next month, I will be going on my third year of writing from the mind’s eye of the consumer of what it’s like to be a ‘three screens" customer.
I hope my perspectives are helpful to you and welcome your continued participation in the conversation.
My instinct tells me that I am just getting going…..
Photo by Alan Weinkrantz (c) 2008 – All Rights Reserved
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
Charles Arthur from Guardian is telling us why ISPs are mad as hell. Well I guess they will get madder as we march forward with Unifying all communications.
What’s happening is this: people are going directly to the iPlayer page and watching programmes. They’re not using the peer-to-peer version; Bummer! too much hassle, and it uses up too much processing power. Here are the latest Latest figures, (Over 3.5 million programs have been streamed or downloaded on demand via the BBC iPlayer within a fortnight of its marketing launch on Christmas Day.) covering the first month of operation.
My ISP must be happy, I watch BBC over the satellite, which is also by the way a service from my provider!
Charles’ report.
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
IPTV supported by G-Cluster is providing on demand games over broadband and settop boxes.
Gamotopia: Amino unveils world’s first integration of the G-cluster
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
Industry-Leading Compression and Multiplexing Solutions Enable Sun Direct TV to Quickly Offer Direct-to-Home Service to 40 Million Homes
New Delhi, India – Convergence India 2008 Booth #B-24 – March 19, 2008 – Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Sun Direct TV Private Limited has deployed Harmonic’s market-leading digital video solutions for India’s first MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast service. Harmonic has enabled Sun Direct TV to quickly offer its new DTH service to 40 million homes in southern India by providing a rapidly deployable, end-to-end solution encompassing the latest generation DiviCom® Electra® encoders, DiviTrackIP™ statistical multiplexing, the ProStream™ 8000 digital mosaic solution and NMX Digital Service Manager™. Sun Direct TV’s new service was launched in early 2008 with 120 standard definition (SD) channels, and the operator plans to add high definition (HD) video in the near future.The world’s leading satellite video service providers—including seven of the ten largest DTH operators—use Harmonic’s advanced IP-based solutions to deliver ultra-high quality video at ultra-low bit-rates. The Electra encoders are used as part of a statistical multiplex to enable Sun Direct TV to maximize service-carrying capacity by optimizing bit-rates based on content complexity, while providing superior video quality for a compelling viewing experience. The ProStream 8000 digital mosaic solution is also being used by Sun Direct TV to add digital audio channels to its DTH line-up.
"Sun Direct TV’s launch of India’s first MPEG-4 DTH service reflects our commitment to bringing the best and most advanced video service to our customers," said Tony D’Silvia, Chief Operating Officer for Sun Direct TV. "Harmonic’s innovative video delivery technologies are well regarded around the world. The compression efficiency of the Electra encoders makes it possible for us to provide outstanding picture quality at lower bit-rates, but most importantly, Harmonic’s quickly deployable IP-based solution played a key role in enabling the rapid launch of our DTH service."
"Sun Direct TV is a dynamic operator with great vision," said Raymond Tse, Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales for Harmonic Inc. "By leveraging the latest in MPEG-4 technology, Sun Direct TV is able to deliver digital content much more efficiently and cost-effectively, resulting in greater bandwidth utilization and a highly competitive digital video offering. With this deployment, Sun Direct TV assumes a clear technology leadership position in India’s DTH market."
Harmonic’s IP-based DiviCom Electra H.264 encoders deliver up to four full resolution and simultaneous low resolution channels in one rack unit, offering operators a dense, high performance solution that significantly reduces energy consumption. Harmonic was the first solution provider to introduce IP-based statistical multiplexing with DiviTrackIP, offering operators more flexibility in their video networks by eliminating the need for encoders to be physically co-located. Sun Direct TV’s network is provisioned and managed by Harmonic’s service-centric and user-friendly NMX™ Digital Service Manager.
Visit www.harmonicinc.com for more information.
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
March 12, 2008, 07:00 (CET) Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has been selected to act as end-to-end IPTV systems integrator, solution provider and business consultant for tier one Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE SA).
The integrated IPTV solution for OTE comprises of headend systems from Tandberg Television, part of the Ericsson group, middleware application, content distribution platform and a customized and flexible consumer portal. The solution will also involve complete implementation and integration of tools for operational management.
Ericsson was chosen for its proven ability to deliver a complete IPTV solution that meets the market demands.
The IPTV solution will enable OTE to offer new and sophisticated services to its consumers. The initial offer will include a wide variety of broadcast channels, video on demand, electronic program guide, and personal video recorder capabilities.
Jan Wäreby, head of Ericsson’s multimedia business, says: "We are proud that OTE has chosen Ericsson. This is a major step for Ericsson and OTE in the new multimedia arena, where IPTV is playing a key role."
Ericsson offers an end-to-end IPTV solution consisting of IPTV middleware, video on demand, network-based PVR, IPTV headends, content protection, IPTV infrastructure, systems integration and IPTV applications such as games. Ericsson has to date signed more than 180 IPTV contracts. Those include commercial contracts, trials, IPTV System Integration projects, IPTV headend contracts and IPTV infrastructure contracts for access, metro transport and IP Edge.
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
In a couple of weeks you will be able to sit on your couch and, with Apple remote, rent a movie or purchase a TV episode or stream video from youtube.
iWantmygTV: Apple TV 2.0 Cheaper Easier And Ready For IPTV
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
Santa Clara, Calif. and Marina Del Rey, Calif. — January 3, 2008 — Macrovision® Corporation (NASDAQ: MVSN) and CinemaNow (www.cinemanow.com), a digital entertainment innovator delivering high-quality Hollywood movies and TV shows across multiple platforms, today announced that the two companies have integrated their technologies to enable consumers to acquire premium video content and download it directly from CinemaNow to a Macrovision-enabled consumer electronics devices such as digital television sets (DTV), set-top boxes (STB), and network attached storage (NAS) devices.
With this technology integration, consumers can expect to register their Macrovision-enabled hardware at CinemaNow.com, allowing them to watch one of the largest online selections of movies, TV shows and music videos on their television by using the selected device. Macrovision’s technology will also enable the devices to find, stream and playback other personal content stored anywhere on the home network.
"CinemaNow is dedicated to providing access to great entertainment wherever our customer is, in the living room or on the go," said Curt Marvis, CEO of CinemaNow. "Making sure our service is readily available on as many devices as possible is part of that mission, and that’s why we’re collaborating with Macrovision."
The technology integration combines Macrovision’s Connected Platform technology and CinemaNow’s proprietary digital entertainment distribution technology. Macrovision’s Connected Platform is a comprehensive and flexible software solution that enables consumer device manufacturers to develop consumer entertainment products that can acquire streamed music, photos and video from PCs and networked storage devices. It is a component of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard and is compliant to the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard.
"CE manufacturers are realizing that content is king and their devices are only as good as the content that they can access," said Eric Free, EVP and general manager of Macrovision’s Embedded Solutions Business Unit. "Through teaming up with CinemaNow, we’re providing CE manufacturers with new services that simplify the process of acquiring content for the home and enriching consumers’ experience with digital entertainment."
Consumers want access to a large selection of downloadable content to be viewable on a wide variety of high-end consumer electronic devices. However, because most of these devices are limited to playing back DVDs or previously recorded programming, consumers are not always able to view their choice of content on their preferred device. Macrovision and CinemaNow’s integration will help bridge the gap between the PC and living room experience by connecting these devices.
Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com
The IPTV service that I am using, Joost had many widgets added during the course of testing. Last we reported that our Joosting has taken us the way of Mebo. Joosting have been a way of catching many of catching old full length TV Episodes. But now it is different, it is just like turning on youe satellite TV, many a channels, many a programs and of course Ads come up in the place. I have found the service to be a fine product. Here is the news release about the coke bubbles. Happy Joosting.
Nov. 15, 2007 – The Coca-Cola Company’s European team announced that it has released the first commercial widget for Joost™ , the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service.
The widget, called Coke Bubbles, allows people to personalize and share specific moments from Joost with their friends. When the Coke Bubbles widget is installed in Joost, people can comment about specific scenes in a show by sending a Coke Bubble to anyone in their email address book. Coke Bubble recipients receive an email alerting them to the scene, and when they visit Joost to watch the scene, their friend’s comment will appear in a transparent bubble on the screen.
“In creating Coke Bubbles, we wanted to give people a widget that would recreate the experience of chatting together with friends while watching TV– free from the constraints of time and space,” said Stafford Green, head of interactive marketing for the Coca-Cola European Union Group. “We are always striving to become enthusiastic investors in interactive community innovations, and creating the first commercial widget has been a fun, collaborative project for both The Coca-Cola Company and our friends at Joost.”
In addition to the launch of Coke Bubbles, the Coca-Cola European Union Group and Joost have announced a partnership to help widget developers create and launch more widgets and interactive innovations. Details of the initiative, including contest rules, guidelines and prizes will be disclosed at the first Joost Developer Days, which take place in London on Nov. 16, Amsterdam on Dec. 1 and New York on Dec. 7.
Thomas Barker, co-developer of the Coke Bubbles widget, said, "We’re delighted to be able to work with The Coca-Cola Company to bring something so simple yet useful to the Joost community. The technical depth of the Joost platform has given us real scope to create a rich user experience."
Mike Volpi, chief executive officer of Joost, said, “Introducing our first commercial widget marks an important milestone for Joost. We already have hours of great programming on Joost, and now, with Coke Bubbles, people are able to ‘curate’ and share their viewing experience. We look forward to working with The Coca-Cola Company, the developer community and all of our partners to make Joost even more customizable.”
Coke Bubbles beta version is publicly available for download now at http://www.cokebubbles.com. Developers interested in attending one of the Joost Developer Days should email dev-workshop@joost.com.
