Hasta La Gadget!

Hello, inevitable. It simply had to happen, and now, it is. As Comcast, NBC and the FCC attempt to work out stipulations over Comcast’s proposed 51 percent buyout of NBC Universal, a smattering of major media companies are paying close attention to the play-by-play. Naturally, the precedents that are set from this deal will affect future agreements of this caliber, and lobbyists for both Disney and News Corp. (as well as Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes) aren’t standing over on the sidelines any longer. All three outfits have reportedly been “voicing their concerns this week with the FCC, worried that such conditions could undermine their own efforts to profit from the nascent online video industry.”

We’re told that the media mega-corps are worried that the rules — if hammered down — could interfere with ongoing negotiations with online video providers, and in turn, give them less leverage to monetize and control their content on the world wide web. In other words, if NBC Universal is forced to provide content fluidly to all ISPs (and not just Comcast), what’s to say other content makers and internet providers wouldn’t also be forced into similar deals, regardless of whether or not they’re involved in takeover negotiations? Needless to say, we’re nowhere near the end of this journey, and while the nuts and bolts are pretty dry to think about, the outcomes could have a serious impact on our future viewing habits.

Time Warner, Disney and News Corp. bigwigs speak up against FCC stipulations in Comcast-NBC deal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wall Street Journal has rounded up its cabal of sources today to present another delicious new battlefield in the struggle between Google and Apple for mobile supremacy. Specifically, it reports that the Mountain View team has approached Time Warner, Condé Nast and Hearst — three of the biggest publishers of periodicals in the US — with a view to offering their content through a Google-operated “digital newsstand” for Android devices. The appeal for media companies will be an easier route to monetizing their content, apparently, including the possibility that Google could take a smaller slice of revenues than the 30 percent charged by Apple and Amazon. There’s also word of developments behind the scenes at Cupertino, where “several changes in iTunes” are expected to improve the publisher’s experience of using the service, including making it easier to offer long-term subscriptions and related discounts. Apple’s had nothing to say on the matter, while Google’s responded by noting it’s always in discussions with publishers and has nothing to announce at this point.

WSJ: Google plans a ‘digital newsstand’ to unite all newspapers and magazines under Android’s umbrella originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a little hard to know exactly who to blame here, but one thing is for sure: consumers lose. Last week Suddenlink started deploying TiVo Premiere DVRs to its customers minus Netflix, saying that it was the agreements Netflix has with studios that prevents its streaming service from being deployed on a cable company DVR. At the time it was hopeful that Hulu Plus could still work, but now it’s confirmed that its customers won’t get that either, blaming the same sort of agreements between Hulu and its content providers. Frustrating? Absolutely — but there is one obvious work-around: buy your own darned TiVo Premiere, get access to Netflix and Hulu Plus, and stop paying your cable provider that monthly rental fee. Mind, you’ll have to rock a CableCard, losing the ability to watch video on demand, and the separate TiVo plus Hulu Plus fees might cost a bit more, but consider that a small price to pay for the right to stick a finger in the eye of The Man.

Hulu Plus not happening on cable-provided TiVo Premiere DVRs, Scrooge wins again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pay-TV operators have been tossing out “quadruple play” bundles for the better part of three years now, but we dare say that none of ’em have come close to nailing it like this. France’s own Free, a well-known ISP in the nation, has just introduced the Freebox v6 Revolution, a newfangled set-top box designed by Philippe Starck and engineered to handle just about all of your home entertainment needs. It’s stuffed with 250GB of hard drive space, an internal 802.11n WiFi module, Blu-ray drive, inbuilt web browser and Intel’s Atom CE4100 media processor. It also ships with a motion-sensing remote, and in short, it’s designed to provide live / streaming television options, internet (fiber or DSL is supported), gaming (via a streaming service similar to OnLive) and at-home calling to boot. Free’s also planning to dabble in mobile telephony starting in 2012, hence the plans for a quadruple play offering in the not-too-distant future. We’re told that a joystick (presumably for getting your game on) is thrown in, as are a pair of powerline adapters in order to easily network it through your abode’s power network. The Revolution is up for pre-order now, and depending on how long you’ve had your current Free STB, it could cost as little as €59.99 or as much as €119.99. The “basic” Freebox service will run €29.99, and once Free goes mobile in 2012, you can add a mobile line for another €29.99.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Freebox v6 Revolution set-top box brings calling, TV and gaming together originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our British mates aboard the VOD ship may look a little cheerier today as The Guardian reports both ITV and Channel 4 — two of the nation’s foremost commercial channels — are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have been available as web-based services for a while, but they’ve both now agreed deals with Sony, who projects their overall traffic will improve by around 10 percent as a result. ITV’s leaving the door wide open for adding its content to “other consoles,” web-connected TVs, and tablets like the iPad, whereas Channel 4 has found Microsoft unforthcoming about Xbox 360 deals and the Wii inhospitable because it doesn’t support advertising. For its part, Sony’s clearly making a big content push, having recently welcomed Lovefilm into the fold and completed the rollout of its Qriocity on-demand facility across Europe. Does anyone even play games on these things anymore?

PS3 to start streaming ITV and Channel 4 content in the UK this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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