According to sources who spoke to the folks at Bloomberg, both Time Warner Cable and DirecTV are contemplating adopting a free broadcast TV signals model similar to Aereo, which has been embroiled in a long legal case. Under such a business plan, both companies could avoid having to pay retransmission fees, saving astronomical amounts in […]
As cable companies continue to come up with creative ways to sell us TV without hooking us onto traditional cable, Bloomberg is reporting that DirecTV and Time Warner Cable are both thinking about creating an Aereo-type streaming service for customers to use. If it works like Aereo, it means you get to watch TV over the Internet through traditional cable providers.
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The release of the 33-foot-long Thunderbolt Optical Cable by Corning is a long-awaited event. For those that want to move data along a wired connection – a long distance, at that – there’s a lot to be said about the 10 Gbit/s bi-directional, dual channel technology, and as the first “all-optical” offering in the world […]
No cable, no problem. The rumors
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The entire Internet would very much appreciate it if HBO offered an HBO Go subscription without the need to have cable. We want to pay for HBO Go like we pay for Netflix. But that hasn’t happened… yet. But people are trying! Even cable companies.
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Like many people out there, I’m a big fan of the video streaming service Netflix. It’s a great place to find something to watch when nothing is on TV and I can use it to catch up on TV series that I might’ve missed seasons of in the past. Back in September, word surfaced that Virgin Media in the UK had agreed to offer Netflix on its set top boxes to subscribers. At the time, I wished Netflix would do the same thing in the US and apparently they’re in negotiations right now to do just that.
Word surfaced that Netflix is currently in talks to make its streaming service available on US cable providers’ set top boxes. Making Netflix available on those boxes would mean that users wouldn’t need to switch inputs or launch an application on different device to watch Netflix streaming video.
Netflix has reportedly been in talks with several pay-TV providers in the US. Reports indicate that these talks are in the early stages but two of the providers said to be in talks with Netflix are Comcast and Suddenlink Communications. One thing delaying the negotiations according to some reports is the fact that Netflix is insisting the cable providers use its technology designed to improve the delivery of streaming video. Netflix believes this to be a critical component of service to allow viewers to get the best quality possible.
While one might think that cable and satellite providers would see Netflix as a major competitor, offering the service through their delivery channels could increase the likelihood that customers will stick around instead of just going for a raw bandwidth provider.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Netflix is trying to initiate negotiations with cable companies like Comcast and Suddenlink Communications to integrate a streaming app in their set-top cable boxes. It will be interesting to see how this plays out given that cable companies have been worried for years about streaming services stealing viewers.
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DVRs have made all our lives better, that’s a verifiable fact. But fast forwarding through our DVRs is an inexact science, sometimes we skip too far and have to slowly rewind with awkward button combinations. Other times we’re too fearful of faster forwarding that we cut it off with too much left to go. No worries. Lifehacker put together a list of ways to create a secret automatic commercial-skipping button on your DVR. Clean.
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True friends will be there for you through thick and thin. But this seemingly ordinary cable will tell you who’s the truest of them all. The one willing to drain their phone’s battery so you can keep using yours. This is 21st century mooching right here folks.
The cable has two male microUSB connectors. The one with a thicker plastic head goes to the uh, chargee, while the smaller head is meant to connect to your selfless buddy’s phone, which will act as a charger. If you can’t find anyone willing to have their device drained, use the USB adapter that comes with the cable to plug into a computer or USB charger instead. Try not to cry when this happens.
The cable will only work with mobile devices running Android 4.0 or later that have a microUSB port and a USB host mode. You can order the smartphone-to-smartphone charger cable from GeekStuff4U for $15.30 (USD). Knowing who has your back? Priceless. Knowing that no one has your back? Depressing.
[via CRNCHY]
After years of trying everything possible to kill streaming video services, it looks like at least one major cable provider is finally realizing the move to streaming content by consumers is inevitable. Virgin Media UK, which is oddly based in the New York, has announced that it is now offering Netflix directly to 40,000 of its subscribers who currently use a TiVo set-top box.
The test is currently only available for 40,000 of the estimated 1.7 million TiVo set-top box users that Virgin Media has in the UK. The cable provider has an estimated 3.77 million customers, 44% of which use the TiVo box.
This marks the first time a major cable provider has offered Netflix content integrated into its services. Subscribers to Virgin Media in the UK still have to pay a subscription fee for access to Netflix. Hopefully, this means more cable and satellite will begin offering integrated 3rd-party streaming services.
[via Bloomberg]
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