Hasta La Gadget!

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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So you’re jetting off to a tropical island in uncharted waters. But how are you supposed to enjoy paradise when copyright laws put the international hammer down on Netflix? Winter travelers, meet your new best friends: Proxy and VPN services. More »

The common opinion of the Google TV is that its way too geeky for the average couch-bound TV addict, all while Google pretends that it isn’t built for nerds. But if you really want to get your hands dirty with your TV programming, why not try yet another set-top box: The Orb.

The Orb, which would more accurately be called “The Disc”, is a $100 box that plugs into a TV via component or composite connections. It doesn’t actually bring any content in itself: for that you need a computer. You run server software on a PC or Mac and the Orb grabs content from there via Wi-Fi (it has to be on the same network). This sounds awkward, but it has one big advantage: Unlike Boxee and Google TV, your computer isn’t blocked by Hulu, ABC, NBC and CBS. That means you can watch any streams on the big screen.

To control the Orb, you use your phone. Apps are available for iOS and Android devices, and let you browse and choose content from online sources or from your own local collection without having to drag your computer into the living room.

It’s an ingenious solution, and one that works well if you always have a computer switched on anyway. There’s one downside, though: Only standard-def is supported.

OrbTV [Orb]

See Also:

• Hands-On With the Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote
• Boxee Beta, Now On Apple TV
• Google TV
• Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV
• Google Introduces Google TV, New Android OS

Hulu Plus is cutting its subscription prices from $10 to $8/month, and PS3 users have another way to buy or rent high-def movies with Vudu. ‘Tis the season for internet video, and no streaming service or wired entertainment box will be left without its stocking stuffed.

There’s been speculation about a Hulu Plus price cut for a while. When you’re already paying for cable, Netflix, home internet, Xbox Live Gold, 3G voice and data plans — this list goes on and on — $10 for another monthly subscription is a tough sell when plain-vanilla Hulu is free. The new lower price and availability on a wider range of devices (where, crucially, regular Hulu isn’t available) makes Hulu Plus much more attractive.

The price didn’t drop quite as much as people thought it would — $5/month seems to be the sweet spot for users to say “what the heck, who cares how much I use it” — but Hulu has offered a one-week free trial for new subscribers and a price difference credit to early adopters who ponied up the $10. Not too shabby.

Playstation 3 owners were among the first to get Hulu Plus off their computers and onto their television sets, and now they have its rhyming cousin Vudu too. Vudu is Wal-Mart’s on-demand movie service, offering streaming rentals and purchases in 1080p, perfect for the PS3’s high-end media power (assuming you’ve got 4.5 Mbps internet).

The Vudu app itself is free; movies cost between about $15 to $20 to own and $4 and $6 to rent, depending on format (higher-definition movies with surround sound cost more).

Internet TV has been an amazing space to watch this year, as there’s been a perfect synergy between the services, who want to reach as many people’s television sets as possible, and the device manufacturers, who want to offer as many services to their users as possible. Content makers love it, too. The only people to feel sorry for are the broadband providers — but as they make moves to tier and cap and throttle data usage, they’re quickly adjusting to the new reality as well.

Hulu Plus™ Subscription Service Launches For $7.99 per month [Hulu/Press Release]
VUDU Comes to the PS3, Adding Another Choice for PSN Members to Experience Media Instantly [Playstation Blog]

See Also:

• Take That Dish Network: Hulu Plus Now For Everyone
• Hulu Plus For PlayStation 3, Invitation-Free
• More TV Coming to TiVo and Roku This Fall with Hulu Plus
• Walmart Buys Vudu, Jumping Into Online Movie Rentals
• Vudu Application Brings Remote Rentals to iPhone
• New Vudu Comes on The Scene With a Big Rack

Ready or not, Comcast and NBC will walk down the aisle in matrimony — but it’ll not be without a few conditions. According to The Wall Street Journal, both the FCC and the Justice Department are expected to impose conditions on how NBC online video is distributed online, to ensure the cable operator (with online video distribution channels of its own) doesn’t withhold or threaten to withhold NBC Universal content from rivals — both Netflix and Apple are specifically cited by WSJ. The FCC is additionally considering restrictions on Comcast slowing down / blocking “legal traffic” from its internet network, maintaining a pro-net neutrality stance. Chairman Julius Genachowski is currently meeting with staffers twice a week on the deal, with the timetable of circulating proposed conditions by mid-December — narrowly avoiding sweeps week, unless 30 Rock has an idea or two up its Kabletown-owned sleeve.

FCC, Justice Department look to prevent Comcast from hogging NBC’s online video all for itself originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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