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10 Online/Mobile Video Items from CES Worth Noting
Happy Friday. Below are 10 interesting CES news items related to online and mobile video that hit my radar this week, but that I didn't have an opportunity to write about. There were many more cool things coming out of Las Vegas, and on so on Wed, January 19th TDG's Colin Dixon and I will present our next complimentary webinar, "Demystifying CES 2011" to review everything more fully. Mark your calendars, registration will be open shortly.
Intel "Insider" Movie Service unveiled - Intel unexpectedly launched its own online movie service as part of its "Sandy Bridge" chip announcement. The world probably doesn't need another service, but when Intel soon enabled is "WiDi" wireless display to project content to HDTVs, Insider will get more attention.
EchoStar acquires Move Networks assets - an inglorious ending for early leader in adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming. As CDN prices plummeted and ABR competition emerged, Move's service was over-priced and marginalized.
Funai integrates ActiveVideo Networks into connected devices - The first integration of AVN's "CloudTV" into connected CE devices allows interactive streaming content to be delivered in standard MPEG format.
Orb BR launches - Orb Networks launches "Orb BR," a disc that inserted into connected Blu-ray players or PS3 that allows viewers to access content from the full Internet. Cost? $19.95. Waiting to try one out, this could be a winner.
Comcast and Time Warner Cable service coming directly to Sony and Samsung TVs - Hate that cable set top box? Soon Comcast subscribers will be able to buy a connected Samsung TV and access the full Xfinity TV channel lineup. Similarly, Time Warner Cable subscribers will be able to buy Sony connected TV buyers and see the full cable channel lineup. Who would have thought?
Skype plans to acquire Qik mobile video service - Moving to bulk up its involvement with video, Skype plans to acquire Qik, which allows users to record and share video via mobile devices.
Motorola and AT&T unveil Atrix 4G - Have a look at this video to see what the future of mobile devices look like - the power of a full computer in your pocket. Two very clever docks mean that users can easily view video on bigger screens as well as work with a full keyboard and mouse.
Vudu to offer 3D movies - a first for online delivery, aggregator Vudu announced that it is currently offering 3D movies to certain Samsung connected devices, and will soon offer it to PS3, Vizio, LG, Mitsubishi, Toshiba and boxee.
Boxee gains access to CBS programs - Boxee broke some new ground by gaining access to CBS programs, something that neither Apple TV, Roku or Google TV currently have. No word on pricing yet.
Yahoo adds feature to its Connected TV platform - Yahoo, one of the early entrants in the connected TV area, launches a feature call "broadcast interactivity" which allows further engagement with TV program content.
Categories: Devices
Topics: ActiveVideo Networks, Comcast, EchoStar, Funai, Intel, Motorol, Move Networks, Orb, Qik, Samsung, Skype, Sony, Time Warner Cable
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #83 - Jan. 7, 2011
Daisy Whitney and I are back this week for the 83rd edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for January 7, 2011, the first of this new year.
Today we discuss 3 news items from CES this week: Netflix gaining a dedicated remote control button on 11 different CE companies' connected devices, Comcast launching live and on-demand TV on tablet computers and Cisco's new "Videoscape" TV platform. Enjoy!
Click here to listen to the podcast (13 minutes, 43 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!
Categories: Aggregators, Cable TV Operators, Podcasts, Technology
Topics: CES, Cisco, Comcast, Netflix
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Rovi Media Cloud Aims to Turbocharge Connected Devices
Rovi is announcing its "Rovi Media Cloud" for consumer electronics companies and service providers to fully capitalize on the proliferation of connected
devices. The rollout, following Rovi's recent move to acquire Sonic Solutions, underscores Rovi's march to become the premier provider of "under the hood" services that will transform connected devices from clever gadgets into a full-blown video and services platform.
Categories: Devices, Technology
Topics: Rovi
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Cisco Unveils Videoscape; But Can Customers Handle It?
Watching the replay of Cisco CEO John Chambers presenting the company's new "Videoscape" TV platform yesterday at CES, I was reminded of the powerful, climactic courtroom scene in the movie, "A Few Good Men." In it, the tough-as-nails Marine colonel (expertly played by Jack Nicholson) barks at the cocky young Navy lawyer (Tom Cruise), "You can't handle the truth!"
Why did I see a connection? Because in his remarks, Chambers, in his own gently persuasive way, both explicitly and implicitly sent a clear message to Cisco's pay-TV customers that executing the company's vision of "reinventing the TV" will be very, very tough work (as an illustration of how complex this is, check out the eye-chart below from Chambers' talk). By delivering this "truth" to Cisco's large and small pay-TV operators around the world, they received yet another reminder that massive new investments in both technology and people will be required to effectively compete in the future video industry.
Categories: Technology
Topics: Cisco
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Jinni Raises $5 Million Series B For Video Discovery
Jinni, whose video discovery engine is based on "taste and mood," is
announcing that it has raised a $5 million Series B round led by Belgacom (Belgium's leading telecom) and an undisclosed tier 1 consumer electronics company. The company had previously raised $1.6 million in December, 2009.
Categories: Deals & Financings, Video Search
Topics: Jinni
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Comcast To Offer Live, VOD Access on Tablets
Comcast is announcing this morning that it will allow subscribers to stream live programs to their iPads or Android tablets later this year (no definite time disclosed). While the caveat is that only in-home usage will only be permitted, the benefits are still meaningful. For instance, subscribers who were paying for (or considering paying for) additional outlets in 2nd and 3rd rooms, which are only casually used, could now save money by not taking service in those rooms and using their iPads instead.
Further, subscribers can now watch in rooms that possibly didn't even have a TV. I'm familiar with this example, as I've used my iPad to watch Netflix content in various areas of my house that don't have TVs or cable service. Presumably the roadmap calls for out-of-home viewing as well, giving it full Sling-like benefits (at no additional cost). That would provide even more value to tablet owners.
Categories: Cable TV Operators, Devices, Mobile Video, Video On Demand
Topics: Android, Comcast, iPad, Xfinity
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Roku Hits 1 Billion Streams; Viewing Time Is 31% As Much As Traditional TV
Connected device maker Roku has announced that it has delivered a cumulative 1 billion video streams to its installed base of media players. Even more interesting though is that the company disclosed that in December
2010, its players were used for an average of 11+ hours of play time per week. Since Nielsen reported that in Q2 '10 that the average American watched about 143.5 hours per month, this would mean that Roku owners on average are watching 31% (i.e. 45/143.5) as much through these devices as they do traditional TV.
Categories: Devices
Topics: comScore, Nielsen, Roku
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With New Netflix Button, Mutual Love Affair With CE Industry Continues
The mutual love affair between the consumer electronics industry and Netflix continues on, with today's announcement that 11 different CE companies will create a dedicated Netflix button on their remote controls for certain
connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. The unusual move is the latest sign of how interdependent the success of CE companies' connected devices and Netflix's burgeoning popularity have become.
The love affair was born out of CE companies' recognition of the old adage that compelling content and applications are critical to inducing consumers to buy the next snazzy gadget. Case in point: Blu-ray disc player sales were stagnating until connectivity was added, enabling access to Netflix and other streaming content. As a result, in the first 9 months of 2010, around 2.4 million players were sold in the U.S., up 96% from the prior year's period, according to NPD Group.
Categories: Aggregators, Devices
Topics: and Toshiba. Sharp, Dynex, Haier, Memorex, Netflix, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Sony, Toshiba
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