Sony’s reportedly made some headway on a solution that may well convince a number of subscribers to cut their cable cords once and for all. According to The Wall Street Journal‘s usual gang of anonymous sources, the electronics giant is in talks with several high profile media organizations to help populate an internet-based service that will stream channels and offer up on-demand content. The offering, which Sony is apparently looking to launch by the end of the year, would be the realization of some long time aspirations. Viacom is apparently at top of the list of potential partners, as the home of channels like MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. That deal is said to be in the preliminary agreement stage, news that comes a few weeks after Viacom inked a deal with Twitter. According to the WSJ, Sony’s also been holding meetings with a number of other content providers like Disney, Time Warner and CBS. All parties involved have, naturally, refused to comment.
Intel has dropped controversial plans to outfit its upcoming web TV set-top box with a face-recognition camera, admitting that a combination of privacy concerns and performance issues forced its hand. The original goal had been to use a combination of age, gender, and other identification features to track viewers of the web TV service and tailor advertising to suit; however, Intel’s web TV chief Erik Huggers told the WSJ, that’s now been abandoned, at least in the first-gen box.
According to Huggers, Intel Vice President and General Manager of Intel Media, the camera system did not work as well in low-light settings as the company hoped, a vital feature given the sort of environments in which people generally watch TV. Intel had never detailed its exact system, though concepts by the company had been demonstrated publicly built into set-top boxes.
The goal had been to endear Intel’s fledgling on-demand and live TV service to content owners, by promising them far more comprehensive viewer metrics on which promotional campaigns could be based. Whereas existing advertising takes a relatively blunt-brush approach to who is watching what, Intel’s system could have pinpointed demographics down to relatively narrow age brackets, tracked the gender of multiple viewers, and more.
Intel Web TV viewer-tracking demo:
That, coupled with on-demand access to different advertising content, could have allowed Intel to show tailored playlists of commercials depending on who was watching at any one time. The system could also have made suggestions for other shows the viewer might enjoy, based on their age and gender along with what they’d already been watching, in effect supercharging Netflix-style recommendations with demographic awareness.
Unsurprisingly, even with Intel insisting its eye-on-the-sofa would take a relatively vague view of who was watching, privacy advocates weren’t impressed with the scheme. Those privacy questions were another part of Intel’s decision to backtrack on the camera, Huggins conceded.
The as-yet-unnamed service – rumored to be dubbed Intel OnCue when it launches – is currently in testing in the homes of around 2,500 Intel employees, Huggins says. Despite rumored struggles to secure content licensing, which Intel has insisted will not affect a 2013 launch, the web TV chief is confident that the service will find favor among consumers, not least because of its comprehensive cloud DVR system.
That, it’s expected, will include full recording of all programming into a cloud-based store, with access to at least three days of retrospective viewing. Subscribers will be able to rewind any channel they choose should they miss something, even if they didn’t specifically mark it for recording.
Australians with Mac and PC computers, eligible Samsung Smart TV models and Xbox 360s can now get an IPTV package through Foxtel’s Play service, even though the official launch is still two weeks away. For $25 AUD per month, you’ll get you one genre-based package (the maximum four will cost $50), while sport, premium drama and movie channels will run an additional $25 each. Current cable or satellite subscribers will get the service for for free on up to two registered devices, including iPads, iPhones and Samsung models. Unlike Foxtel’s regular TV offerings, though, you can grab an IPTV package on a month-to-month basis, with no commitment. For those who wish to remain unplugged, that could come in especially handy for certain sporting events.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has been personally testing Google Glass and expects the chip company’s silicon to show up in wearables before the end of 2013, though the freshly-installed exec is coy on his predecessors Web TV intentions. “We’re being cautious” Kranich said on the IPTV plans Intel said would launch this year, despite his
While everyone tries to figure out what the future of TV looks like, Variety reports Cox Cable has crossed over to offering internet TV service to customers in Orange County. flareWatch beta testers can buy a Fanhattan Fan TV set-top box for $99 (up to three per household) and sign up for a TV package that features 90 live TV channels (60 in HD) and includes the usual favorites like ESPN / ESPN2, AMC, CNN, Nickelodeon and TNT, with video on-demand coming soon. DVR recordings take place in the cloud, with 30 hours of storage available for each subscriber.
There is one notable limitation however, as with cable company provided TiVo DVRs, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix are not available. Cox already cloud based storage under the MyFlare brand name, and Variety also mentions the company plans to expand it with music and game services. Other providers have hinted at offering IPTV options and Comcast launched an IPTV test at MIT, but this is the first one publicly available from a major company. If you live in the area, demonstrations are available at several locations, check out the site at the link below and a preview video after the break.
Intel is yet to close a single content deal for its upcoming Intel TV service, sources claim, despite reportedly offering media companies as much as a 75-percent premium over what traditional cable firms pay. The combination live and on-demand TV service is expected to launch this year, according to Intel, but insiders familiar with the
Microsoft has been coy on exactly how the Xbox One will work with TV boxes, especially internationally, but already some of the big names in home entertainment are reacting warily. YouView, the hybrid broadcast/IPTV service in the UK, took to Twitter today to confirm that it doesn’t “currently have any plans to support Xbox One.”
It comes perhaps as a surprise, given YouView is arguably the closest in principle of the UK TV services to Microsoft’s interpretation of live and on-demand content. Launched a year ago, YouView pairs Freeview+HD service – free-to-air digital television in up to HD quality – with on-demand shows streamed from services like BBC iPlayer, Channel 4′s 4oD, and Now TV over the user’s internet connection.
The Xbox One will integrate some of those services itself, in addition to relying on external hardware. The console has an HDMI input as well as an HDMI output, meaning a cable, satellite, or other set-top box can be piped through; an IR blaster handles controlling the channels, with Xbox One users able to search by voice for specific shows or channels and have the console change to them automatically.
“Microsoft is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available” Microsoft
What YouView’s decision not to support Xbox One – at least for the moment – means is not entirely clear, though it could lead to the console being unable to incorporate YouView boxes’ channels into its own program guide.
In fact, Microsoft has already confirmed that live TV functionality on the Xbox One will be limited to North America initially. “Live TV with Kinect navigation, Live TV with OneGuide, Trending, and NFL on Xbox available in US at launch” Microsoft said of the console, adding that it was “anticipating global scale over time.”
Exactly how well Xbox One will work with DVRs remains a lingering question, given the rudimentary control system – relying on an IR blaster – is one-way only, and the console has no way of knowing what’s actually recorded on the set-top box. One possibility is that Microsoft could offer its own recording system, extending the Game DVR feature which can be used to capture and share gameplay, and making it work on live TV. However, Microsoft has refused to be drawn on whether that will be the case.
Microsoft’s big “Xbox 720” reveal isn’t the only Xbox-related launch this week. The company has also announced a new interactive TV series, The Music Room, which will be exclusively available to Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers. The show will, unsurprisingly, focus on musical performances, but allow viewers on their consoles to shape the direction the content
Time Warner Cable has expanded its TWC TV IP streaming of broadcast television to several different platforms since its launch two years ago, but so far it’s been limited to use inside subscriber’s homes. That will change tomorrow, according to a tipster who informed us a new version of the iOS app is coming that allows out of home streaming. This source previously gave us an early heads up on TWC TV for Roku, which just launched last month. The video doesn’t include all of the channels that are a part of TWC TV, but will feature video on-demand from channels like BBC America, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nick, and Univision, among others. There will be ten live TV channels as well: Aspire, BBC America, beIn, Big Ten Network, FearNet, Fox News Channel, Fox business, GMC, Pac-12 Network and TV Guide Network
The web portal will also be revamped in May, and Android users should expect an update in Q2 with access to streaming away from home. However, there are still a few strings. From what we’ve heard, streaming over 3G / 4G will be limited to Verizon Wireless until Q4, but all users will be able to access the video streams over WiFi. Time Warner already faced several legal challenges to the initial app, if the new features arrive tomorrow we’ll see whether Viacom and other content providers head back to the courts for round two, or if any complaints have been negotiated away already
The Google Fiber rollout for Austin has been spoiledtwice, but today it’s officially official: the music-centric city will become a gigabit city… eventually, that is. Google now says that it will start wiring Austinite homes for super-fast internet access by mid-2014 — we wouldn’t cancel that cable or DSL service just yet, sadly. At least the pricing should be familiar. Google still plans to offer both stand-alone internet access and internet-plus-TV bundles, both at rates within the ballpark of what it offers for Kansas City, and there will still be a near-free 5Mbps plan that only requires a one-off construction fee. Institutions will get free gigabit access, of course. While we’d like Google Fiber as soon as possible, we’re just happy to realize that our next SXSW crash pad may have a lot more bandwidth on tap.
Update: During a formal announcement call, Google and the city of Austin provided a few minor details. They revealed that Google didn’t get any incentives to land a deal, and that engineering work is only beginning in earnest on April 10th. As for AT&T’s me-too initiative? Kevin Lo from Google Fiber says that it’s “great” to see AT&T aware that the demand exists for gigabit access. No hard feelings, then.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
