698 replies to this topic

[DJ MC]

So Time Warner wants to invest in Hulu, just to remove the biggest advantage it offers over Netflix, et al? Well, that would be a plus for Netflix, as it would level the field as far as when new programming is available to customers. I don't see how this benefits Time Warner though.

 

When new technology presents new opportunities, it is usually best to invest resources into adopting your business model to take advantage of it, rather than investing in trying to stop it. The recording industry learned that lesson the hard way.

 

Right. Even if they succeed in stopping Hulu, someone else will come out with the same thing. And suddenly they will have the same problem (maybe more, if several outlets pop up and start offering incentives to draw in a split audience and new people start cutting), only with a bunch of fading stock and fewer resources to combat the issue.

[RShack]

Right. Even if they succeed in stopping Hulu, someone else will come out with the same thing. And suddenly they will have the same problem (maybe more, if several outlets pop up and start offering incentives to draw in a split audience and new people start cutting), only with a bunch of fading stock and fewer resources to combat the issue.

 

That wouldn't be nearly as bad as when they merged with AOL... that might be the worst business decision that anybody ever made... so they have plenty of room to screw up a lot without being at risk of doing the dumbest thing they ever did...

[Mark Carver]

Competition is great...

 

Google Fiber recently went live in apartments and condos in Atlanta, making it the fourth metro area to get Google's gigabit Internet service. Perhaps not coincidentally, Reddit user TheBen91 yesterdayposted the above photo of a mailing from Comcast, in which the nation's largest cable company tries to convince customers that it offers a better deal than Google Fiber.

 

"So I got this in the mail today. I think someone is scared of Fiber coming to Atlanta," the user wrote.

 

Comcast's mailing touts "The fastest in-home Wi-Fi," "9X more FREE TV shows and movies On Demand," "DVR recordings to go," and the "X1 voice remote" as features that Google Fiber doesn't offer. Notably absent from the Comcast/Google Fiber comparison are prices and data caps. Google Fiber offers gigabit downloads and uploads for $70 a month, without any monthly data caps. "Basic Internet" of 100Mbps costs $50 for Google customers in Atlanta.

 

Atlanta, meanwhile, is one of the cities where Comcast is enforcing a monthly data cap on cable Internet with overage charges. The cap is 300GB a month with an option to pay $35 extra for unlimited data.

 

http://arstechnica.c...l-for-the-hype/

[BSLMikeLowe]

Still waiting for Google to announce it's bringing fiber to Portland. We keep hearing it's pretty much going to happen, but no word from Google.

 

Meantime, you can now get Cinemax on Sling TV.

 

Engadget: Add Cinemax to your Sling TV lineup for $10 a month

[RShack]

Competition is great...

 

 

http://arstechnica.c...l-for-the-hype/

 

Competition is especially great when it means Comcast has to send out BS mailings in a doomed attempt to prevent a wholesale exodus of customers who they have treated like dirt since, well, forever....

[RShack]

mlb.tv subcriptions are now active... $85 for one team, $110 (vs $130 last year) for the whole shebang...

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/m...=MLBTVAFFILIATE

 

 

7% cashback thru befrugal.... turns $85 into $79... turns $110 into $102...

 

http://www.befrugal....mlb.tv-coupons/

[Mark Carver]

FCC Votes To Begin Process Of Opening Cable Set Top Boxes To Competition

 

Washington — The FCC took a step toward changing the way customers access pay-TV service.  The Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aimed at opening up the set-top box market to competition. 

 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association hosts a website for the Consumer Video Choice Coalition aimed at bringing competition to set top boxes.  The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

 

“We welcome this important step by the FCC and look forward to working with the Commission to ensure that consumers benefit from a more competitive set-top box market.  This rulemaking is all about promoting consumer choice and innovation.  While the rest of the consumer electronics marketplace has flourished over the two decades since Congress directed the FCC to open up the set-top box market to competition, the cable industry has retained its iron grip on the cable box to the detriment of consumers.  We applaud Chairman Wheeler and the Commission for taking this step to make good on Congress’s decades-old directive.  Consumers deserve the same innovation and consumer choice in living-room technology as they have become accustomed to in the rest of the technology world.  Let’s make the living room great again!” 

http://www.ccianet.o...to-competition/

[BSLMikeLowe]

Cord-Cutters News: Sling TV Adds ABC to Their Broadcast Extra Add-on Package

 

Well, sorta.

 

The latest addition to Sling TV’s add-on pack selection, “Broadcast Extra,” includes live content from local ABC, Univision and UniMás channels. It is available for an additional $5 per month with a “Best of Live TV” subscription to customers residing in the following markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno-Visalia. These markets represent more than half of the top 10 designated market areas (DMAs) and serve nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population.

[BSLMikeLowe]

USA Today: AT&T to launch streaming DirecTV service, no dish required

 

NEW YORK—You’ll no longer need a satellite dish to get DirecTV. Parent AT&T is reaching out to cord cutters with three new streaming video options that are slated to launch in the fourth quarter

 

There's DirecTV Now, a stream based service that will work with any Internet capable device that AT&T arranges to host the app; DirecTV Mobile, which  is aimed at the consumers who want to watch on their smartphone; and DirecTV Preview, which will let people snack on DirecTV content for free.

 

No word yet on content or pricing (aside from the free option). Also no word on whether Sunday Ticket would be available, as there is a conflict with Verizon's mobile rights agreement.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Cut Cable Today: Watch March Madness Online: 2016 Live Stream Schedule And Guide

[Mark Carver]

Roku has announced that the first 4K UHD Roku TV models have gone on sale today. Best Buy is going to exclusively sell three 4K Insignia Roku TV models starting today, the TVs will be available through the retailer’s stores nationwide starting early next month. All 4K models will be powered by the Roku operating system which provides a simple smart TV experience and access to thousands of streaming channels, including more than ten channels that provide 4K content.

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The new TVs are available in 43, 50 and 55 inch sizes for $399, $499 and $649 respectively. All smart TVs are powered by a quadcore processor and have 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi for enhanced wireless streaming performance.

http://www.ubergizmo...source=facebook

 

[Mark Carver]

Monopolies...

 

WHDH-TV (Channel 7), the NBC television affiliate in Boston owned by Ed Ansin, has gone to court in a bid to block Comcast Corp. from terminating the station’s network contract.

WHDH, in a 68-page complaint filed Thursday in US District Court in Boston, alleges that Comcast’s plan to take away the network affiliation is a breach of their contract, and that the cable giant, which owns NBC, is in violation of Massachusetts and federal antitrust law. Ansin’s station is seeking an injunction to stop the move, as well as unspecified damages.

 

 

https://www.bostongl...L7pO/story.html

[Mark Carver]

Here are the top rental services as of the fourth quarter 2015:

#1 Amazon: 16.2%
#2 Redbox Kiosk (at stores): 13.1%
#3 iTunes: 7.7%
#4 Google Play: 4.9%
#5 YouTube Movies: 3.1%

- See more at: http://cordcuttersne...h.BsGjK05Q.dpuf

[Mackus]

The top 5 only account for 45%? How many more services are out there that they all add up to 55% of the market but none get over 3% individually?

[BobPhelan]

Redbox hanging tough against the streamers!

[Mark Carver]

In a win for Google, smart TV maker Vizio introduced a home entertainment control system Tuesday that is built on the Internet search giant’s Chromecast streaming technology, rather than on competing systems from such companies as Apple.

Vizio has worked behind the scenes with Google for nearly two years to develop its SmartCast system, which turns mobile phones and tablets into a combination television remote, secondary viewing screen and music player.

http://www.sfgate.co...p#photo-9638906

 

[Mark Carver]

Netflix has long presented itself as a champion of unfettered access to Internet content. But those claims are ringing a little hollow after the company admitted Thursday that it deliberately slows down its streams for customers watching on the cellular networks of AT&T and Verizon.

 

Normally, Netflix subscribers need at least a 500 Kbps connection just to open a streaming TV show or film. The service recommends a connection that's at least six times as fast for normal viewing at standard definition.

 

But for more than five years, Netflix has capped its video stream to just 600 Kbps for AT&T and Verizon's wireless customers, the company told the Wall Street Journal Thursday. The reason? Well, because video uses up a lot of data, Netflix subscribers risked blowing past their monthly caps without the throttling. Not only does going over your limit result in sometimes stiff penalties, but it also may discourage users from continuing to watch Netflix. The throttling therefore helps ensure that consumers on AT&T and Verizon don't overuse their data -- and that viewers' binge watching habits won't get cut short.

 

https://www.washingt...mers/?tid=sm_fb

[Mark Carver]

Lots of new/fixes/updates from Plex for the Roku app!

This update comes with a lot of other fixes, updates, and tweaks. Some fancy subtitle handling, enhancements to remote control and flinging (media now loads faster than ever!), and much more. Feast your eyes on these sweet screens, and read over all the details below the fold

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https://blog.plex.tv...hanging-update/

 

[Mark Carver]

Starz standalone service at $9 a month.

 

Premium TV network Starz is joining rivals such as HBO and Showtime in offering a standalone streaming service.

The streaming version of Starz costs $8.99 per month, with subscriptions sold directly through iOS devices, Apple TV, and Android devices. Subscribers can stream Starz TV shows and movies on-demand, and can also download videos to iOS and Android for offline viewing, though the app does not offer a live feed of Starz’ cable channel, Variety reports.

 

 

http://www.pcworld.c...eo-service.html

[BobPhelan]

It's cool that they're getting into the game but who the hell is paying that for Starz?