Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been over a month since Comcast and Time Warner announced their TV Everywhere internet video service, and while we’ve seen some impressive content deals get made since then, there hasn’t been much word on how the service will work, or even when it’ll launch. That’s starting to slowly change today, as Time Warner’s announced that 5,000 lucky customers in “select markets” will be involved in a trial that’s starting “over the next few months.” No word yet on how much this’ll cost or what extra shows or movies you might be able to get, but at least it’s something — and if Time Warner or Comcast need any extra help testing this out, we know a few people who’ll be more than willing to help.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Time Warner’s TV Everywhere trials to start… sometime originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After stocking up on premium networks with HBO and Starz, Comcast’s On Demand Online project has added its first broadcast TV partner, CBS. One of the worries regarding TV Everywhere / On Demand Online has been what it would mean for free streaming portals like Hulu, with broadcasters potentially shifting content behind pay-tv walls to keep people from dropping cable and satellite TV subscriptions. CBS has been the notable Hulu holdout, although it has also pushed forward with free streaming on its website, including March Madness and even upping the resolution of its Flash video to 1080p. Further conflicting the issue? 17 more cable networks (A&E, AMC, BBC America, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, History, IFC, MGM Impact, Sundance Channel, WE tv, E!, The Style Network, G4 and FEARnet) have also announced plans to join the 5,000 subscriber trial.

Just like the previous agreements, it appears customers should expect access during the trial to reflect a lot of what CBS and the others already offer through standard VOD but now with more placeshifting goodness. While media execs watch the bottom line, we’re just hoping the stated CBS strategy of “open, non-exclusive distribution of our content in a consumer friendly way” (from the press release, available in full after the break) could push Hulu to add more HD, or at least unblock the PlayStation 3 & Windows Mobile.

Continue reading CBS, Comcast On Demand Online partnership faces off premium vs. free internet streaming; 17 cable channels jump onboard

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet

CBS, Comcast On Demand Online partnership faces off premium vs. free internet streaming; 17 cable channels jump onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast on Monday announced that it will launch its 4G mobile broadband service in the Portland area via the Clearwire network starting Tuesday.

The service, dubbed 2go, will only be available if bundled with one or more of Comcast’s Internet, phone, or cable services.

Comcast is offering two data cards and service plans: 2go Metro, which offers 4G service in the Portland area; or 2go Nationwide, which offers 4G service in Portland, and 3G service nationwide via Sprint’s network.

The 2go service will be bundled in “Fast Pack” offerings.

Fast Pack Metro will be available for $49.99 and includes Comcast’s 12 Mbps Internet service, a Wi-Fi router, and 4G service with up to 4 Mbps download speed. Fast Pack Nationwide will run $69.99 per month with the same services, plus Sprint nationwide.

Triple Play customers who subscribe to voice, cable, and Internet will be able to add 2go starting at $30 per month.

A version of 2go will also be available for small- and medium-sized businesses.

In May 2008, Sprint agreed to take over the combined WiMAX operations of Clearwire in a deal backed by tech titans Comcast, Google, Intel, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. In June 2009, Clearwire quietly launched its Clear WiMax service in Las Vegas today, but Sprint demurred, keeping the two companies’ WiMax systems still separate for now.

Just as we heard back in February, Time Warner and Comcast have joined hands in order to regain control on some of the content that is slipping right out from under ’em. In the olden days, the only portal for catching content was the ‘tube; today, a vast array of television shows are available gratis on the web, and that’s downright frightening for pay-TV operators. Today, both firms are detailing TV Everywhere in the most general way possible, only telling us that paying Comcast subscribers will soon have access to “premium long-form content” via a web portal. TNT and TBS are the only networks specifically named thus far, but considering that both of those already offer their best programming online to everyone, we’re not terribly impressed.

The agreement also includes a trial with around 5,000 Comcast users, which will be used to heavily test a newfangled authentication technology that will be necessary to allow paying Comcast users to access the material from any internet-connected PC. NewTeeVee has also assembled a clean, easy-to-digest FAQ that explains what exactly all this is. To be frank, it seems like a solution in search of a problem from the consumer viewpoint. After all, with portals like Hulu and individual network websites already providing in-demand content online, why is there even a need for some “special portal” for Comcast users? We’ve heard that paying subs will have access to even more material, possibly movies or other premium shows. But we won’t front: we certainly don’t want TV Everywhere to convert some of the content that’s already free into pay-only content in order to accomplish the aforesaid “even more” goal. At any rate, the public at large probably won’t hear more about this until the trial sessions end at an undisclosed time, but you can bet we’ll be keeping a cautious eye on any developments.

Read – TV Everywhere press release
Read – NewTeeVee FAQ

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Time Warner’s TV Everywhere to pipe internet TV to Comcast subcribers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Karma’s a bitch on the streets of Chicago.

Chris: “Oh, the boot is attached to a third-party wheel? We don’t support that configuration, sir.”
Paul: “Did you try restarting it?”
Don: “Ok, sir, we can remove the boot between the hours of 8AM and 8PM. Will you be at the vehicle?”
Darren: “Fired.”
Nilay: “CableCARD installations have become increasingly hostile.”
Joe: “I bet the DirecTV guys never have this problem.”
Richard: “You have exceeded your monthly mileage quota. Additional travel can be purchased for $20/mile.”
Josh: “Let’s see you dream your way out of this one.”
Ryan: “Oh, so you can’t take off the boot until we pay the fines. But can I interest you in our all-in-one triple-play package?”
Thomas: “So this is what throttling feels like.”

[Photo courtesy of Patrick Brendan O’Dea; thanks Chicago Scooter Club]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Caption contest: it’s deadbeat-tastic! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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