Hasta La Gadget!

We’re not always the biggest fans of Time Warner Cable; it’s unreliable, expensive, and they don’t seem to care two hoots about improving it. But we applaud the company’s plan to beef up the free Wi-Fi coverage it offers customers—especially in the congested airspace of New York. Beyond the 1700 hotspots already out there in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, the company will have 1000 ready to go in Manhattan by mid-July. [TWC]

Read more…

It’s no real secret that TV giants like Time Warner Cable have formal agreements which prevent video from going online — like it or not, that’s the nature of content exclusives and windowing. However, the anti-internet strategy may be considerably murkier. Bloomberg hears from sources that TWC and its peers offer “incentives” to keep video content offline, whether they’re sweeter deals or threats of losing existing programming arrangements. While the assertions aren’t surprising given a protectionist industry, they’re still quite serious — they suggest that operators unfairly prevent content producers from treating online services as equals to old-fashioned TV. TWC isn’t accepting any of the accusations, as you’d imagine. The provider doesn’t directly acknowledge Bloomberg‘s claims in a statement to Engadget; instead, it argues that exclusives of all kinds are virtually necessary for competition. That’s a tricky position to hold when many viewers don’t like exclusives in the first place, but you can judge its legitimacy for yourself by reading the full statement after the break.

[Image credit: TWC Untangled]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Source: Bloomberg

As commonplace as Time Warner Cable’s TWC TV app might be, it’s surprisingly tricky to find on actual TVs — Roku boxes don’t quite count. The provider is addressing that gap today by releasing a version for Samsung’s Smart TVs. The new app (not yet pictured here) offers authentication-based access to about 5,000 on-demand shows without any extra hardware. This isn’t a true replacement for a cable box, however — along with the usual subscription requirement, there’s no mention of the live TV that we’ve seen elsewhere. Those who aren’t deterred by the restrictions can load TWC TV on their 2012-era Smart TVs today, and 2013 sets in the near future.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

Comments

Source: Time Warner Cable, TWC Untangled

Just weeks after TWC TV was overhauled for iOS products, the carrier has announced that a “serious” update will hit the Android version of TWC TV as soon as next Tuesday. The refresh will add access to over 4,000 On Demand shows and movies, as well as live TV streaming and On Demand support for older Android devices still stuck on v2.2+. Moreover, some of that content will also be available while you’re away from home, “mirroring the experience” already available for iOS products. Moral of the story? Keep an eye on the Play Store as May 14th rolls around.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

Comments

Source: Time Warner Cable Untangled, Google Play

The FCC’s Chairman Julius Genachoski may have challenged the U.S. to his “Gigabit City Challenge,” which he’s hoping would spark at least one community in every state to offer gigabit Internet, but according to Time Warner Cable, it’s completely unnecessary.

According to Time Warner Cable’s CFO Irene Esteves who spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, TWC doesn’t believe gigabit Internet is something its customers want. “We’re in the business of delivering what consumers want, and to stay a little ahead of what we think they will want,” she said when asked to comment on the Internet speeds Google Fiber is capable of providing. “We just don’t see the need of delivering that to consumers.” (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Belkin Announces Plans To Purchase Linksys From Cisco, Radioline Goes to the Connected TVs with Mstar and to the Car with Parrot,