Hardware
Supremes Won’t Hear Cablevision Case, Hello Remote DVRs!
Cablevision can do a victory lap today as the Supreme Court decided to not hear the appeal over the cableco’s remote storage (or “network”) DVR. The decision paves the way for DVR functionality and storage to move from a set-top box in a user’s home to Cablevision’s facilities, where users would access and control recorded content remotely through their TV sets.
The case against Cablevision was brought on by a group of Hollywood studios and networks who claimed that the technology violated their copyrights. After years of working its way through the legal system, the Supreme Court asked the Justice Department to weigh in on the topic in January. In May, the Solicitor General recommended the Supremes not take up the case, and it looks like that advice was heeded.
Kodak’s Theater HD Player Needs Better Connections
Kodak isn’t necessarily the first company you’d think would make a set-top box that’s designed to get your multimedia content off your computer and onto your TV. But that’s exactly what the company’s Theater HD Player does. The device, which hit store shelves earlier this year, is easy to use, has a cool gyroscopic remote, and is now available for a lower price. Sounds like a winner, right? Well, not exactly.
The HD Theater Player itself is a slim box that is a breeze to set up: It connects to your TV via component video, s-video or HDMI — though only the component video cords are included. It also connects to your home network wirelessly or via a wired connection, but — again — you’ll have to supply the Ethernet cord yourself.
Nintendo Wii Gets CinemaNow Movies…in Japan
While Nintendo’s Wii has proven itself to be a formidable gaming platform, it lags behind the competition when it comes to offering video content. But that is about to change. Kind of. In Japan. Sonic Solutions announced today that it is partnering with Fujisoft to bring Hollywood movies to the Nintendo Wii game consoles in Japan.
Movies will be delivered through Sonic Solutions’ Roxio CinemaNow, and Paramount has signed on as the first Hollywood studio to provide new release and library titles through Fujisoft’s “Minna no Theater Wii” (Everyone’s Theater Wii).
Game consoles aren’t just for gaming anymore, as movie delivery via the devices is set to be a big business. In-Stat predicts that game consoles will remain the dominant delivery platform for web video to TV sets, with more than 10.7 million game consoles to be used as “web-to-TV mediation devices” in the U.S. by 2013.
Nintendo’s competition may not have the install base that the Wii has, but Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 are ahead in terms of video delivery. Microsoft in particular announced a slew of new video features for its game console at E3 this year. The Xbox 360 will be getting 1080p movie streaming, social viewing features, and gestures control.
Vizio Adds Facebook and Twitter to TV Sets
Remember when you’d plop down in front of the television to veg out and do nothing? Well, those days are numbered as TV manufacturers cram more interactive features into their sets. Case in point: Vizio today announced that consumers will be able to access eBay, Facebook and Twitter through its new televisions.
Multichannel News reports that the sets will come with integrated wireless 802.11n dual band and Ethernet networking interfaces to connect to the Internet. And to make tweeting about what you are watching that much easier, Vizio’s remotes will have a built-in QWERTY keyboard.
In addition to the new things you’ll be able to do with your TV, Vizio announced a number of new content partnerships to expand what you’ll watch. Showtime, Vudu, Revision 3, Rallypoint Sports, and Radiotime will all deliver content to the TV sets. Showtime will provide video extras, trailers, and select episodes of its programming. These content noobs will join the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster and Pandora, which already announced deals with Vizio.
Net-connected TVs are the new norm as just about every manufacturer including Sony, Samsung, LG and Pioneer gets into the game.
The Netflix Box That Never Was
We’ve written a lot about how we like Netflix’s approach to streaming content to your TV. The company’s decision to partner with hardware companies instead of building its own box was a smart one that positions it for life after rent-by-mail DVDs. But that wasn’t always the plan. The Wall Street Journal has a big piece on Netflix today that talks about how the company arrived at its current strategy — and how much it could be costing Netflix just to keep the content flowing.
The Journal writes:
After Netflix introduced its streaming service, Mr. Hastings assembled a team that came up with a prototype — a small, square metallic box that would access the Web through a consumer’s broadband connection, let viewers navigate a list of Netflix movies by remote from their couches, and sell for under $100.
But Netflix pulled the plug shortly before it was to be unveiled to the public, with company execs fearing that a Netflix-only service wouldn’t fly with consumers. The project was given to startup Roku, which sells a small, square box that puts Netflix streaming content on televisions for $100, but with Amazon VOD, and other partners to come.
While the box may sell for just $100, keeping content piped in costs considerably more. An unnamed source tells the Journal that Netflix spent roughly $100 million last year to license titles for its streaming service. To put that in perspective, if true, that $100 million got Netflix around 12,000 back catalog movie titles and TV shows. While the service’s offerings are getting better, Netflix will need to cough up some more money to get movies out of the so-called “HBO hole,” which locks up the exclusive rights to films for pay TV channels. Netflix has floated the notion of charging a premium for this content, but hasn’t formally announced any intention to do so.
Iogear’s Wireless Kit Gets It (Mostly) Right
I’ve been looking for a product that will let me take the video from my PC and watch it on my TV, and I have a few requirements: I want it to be easy to set up, easy to use, and I want it to deliver good-looking video. Iogear’s Wireless Audio/Video Kit mostly succeeds, and does so while eliminating one of my biggest pet peeves: wires.
As its name implies, the Wireless Audio/Video Kit connects your TV and PC wirelessly. You attach a wireless USB transmitter to your PC (Windows only), and a wireless receiver to the VGA or DVI port on your TV. You also connect a wireless audio receiver to your TV or stereo system. The set-up process was a breeze, especially when compared with the challenges I’ve faced with other products, like the ZvBox, which was designed to connect your computer to your TV using your cable wiring.
Pure Launches Flip Channels for Easier Video Sharing
Pure Digital (now part of Cisco) released an update to the FlipShare software found on Flip video cameras this evening that allows users to share videos online through Flip Channels.
Channels let you collect, post and share videos shot with your Flip camera. Using the FlipShare desktop app, users create a channel, add the email addresses of the people they want included and drag and drop the videos to be shared. The desktop software then automatically uploads the video to FlipShare.com. Once it’s fully uploaded, an alert is sent out to people you’ve designated with a link to watch the video on the PC, iPhone and eventually TVs.
Vid-Biz: Wimbledon, Broadcom, CNN
iStreamPlanet to Stream Wimbledon; company will work with Microsoft on content acquisition, encoding and distribution of the tennis grand slam tournament. (release)
Broadcom Chips Selected for Net-Connected LG TVs; company’s BCM3549 digital TV (DTV) system-on-a-chip will be integrated into the sets. (release)
CNN Gets Twitterpated (Twitterhated?) Over Iran Coverage; lack of election stories send Twitter-sphere into action, calling the cable news outlet. (The New York Times)
Is Hulu “Anti-American?” Wall Street analysts say that putting premium studio and network content online for free harms the value of that content and trains consumers to think they are entitled to watch professional content online without paying for it. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
YuMe Raises $2.9 Million; video ad network takes $2.9 million of a $4.5 million round of equity. (VentureBeat)
ABC News Collecting Questions Online for Interview With the President; starting tomorrow, ABCNews.com will take your questions about health care for its “Questions for the President; Prescription for America” show. (ABCNews.com)
Axelist Heading to TV; site which calls itself “America’s Complaint Department” partnering with Prometheus Entertainment to create a half-hour show. (Variety)
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