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Roku Video Player Preview – Amazon on Demand

Amazon VOD on Roku
Image by programwitch via Flickr

Roku upgraded Engadget’s Roku Netflix Player to the new offering for Amazon Video on Demand. The Netflix Player, to reflect this, will now be known as the Video Player. Amazon Video on Demand is the second service to be offered on the player. Roku is opening the platform to third-party channels, so eventually the $99 box will be able to stream from all kinds of sources.

Check out their thoughts, as well as a video of their testing here.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to wait for things like streaming from a home computer, Hulu, etc.

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Published on March 3, 2009
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Streaming News

Diagram of Unicast Streaming
Image via Wikipedia

A few choice tidbits for those of you following our continual coverage of streaming video.

  • Netflix will offer Streaming-Only Plans. The company still remains focused on providing a bundled offering, but expects that some viewers will find a stand-alone streaming service to be compelling, particularly as more compatible devices become prevalent. Netflix streaming is already a feature of the Roku Netflix player, the Xbox, and some LG Electronics products. No word as of now on price.
  • Cable provider Comcast is in talks with its content providers and with other cable and satellite companies to discuss putting their programming online. The service would allow subscribers to watch shows online for free as soon as possibly this summer. It is seen as a preemptive strike against the possible loss of customers who opt to watch content online. One major issue in agreeing to an online service is the low level of revenues generated by Internet advertising compared to TV revenue. Comcast’s goal is to authenticate subscribers who go to certain sites, creating a “wall” behind which content providers may feel more comfortable releasing their materials.
  • On a related post, a commenter pointed out that with internet metering and bandwidth caps coming into fashion, these companies might induce usage of their services over others by not counting streaming from them against the meter.

Either way, interesting developments seem to be on the way. Keep posted…

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Published on February 25, 2009
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Hulu Support in Boxee Disabled

Image representing hulu as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

Hulu has announced that its content will no longer be available through Boxee. As they put it…

Our content providers requested that we turn off access to our content via the Boxee product, and we are respecting their wishes. While we stubbornly believe in this brave new world of media convergence — bumps and all — we are also steadfast in our belief that the best way to achieve our ambitious, never-ending mission of making media easier for users is to work hand in hand with content owners. Without their content, none of what Hulu does would be possible, including providing you content via Hulu.com and our many distribution partner websites.

Our mission to make media dramatically easier and more user-focused has not changed and will not change. We will not stop until we achieve it and we are sober in our assessment that we have such a long way to go.

Boxee writes that it has been pleading its case with Hulu’s content partners, but despite the positive feedback, they were unable to change their minds either.

i hope the content owners will realize boxee is their friend. we make it easy for people to access ad-supported TV Shows or use a subscription service like Netflix.  The reality is that if the content owners will not make it easy for users to get their content legally, then people will find other ways.

A lot of comments indicated people would go back to illegally downloading episodes via Bittorrent. Certainly not a good day for the future of television content online. We’re disappointed. We spent all this time promoting Boxee+Hulu as a really good content option. This cuts one of the best features. The XBMC Hulu Plugin has stopped working as well. Back to our wireless mouse and browser hack, we suppose.

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Published on February 18, 2009
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Some TV Stations Going All Digital Today

DTV Countdown Clock
Image by The Joy Of The Mundane via Flickr

As Crunchgear reminded us, today is the day of the original DTV transition date, and many stations are dropping their analog broadcasts today. These stations would have to pay money to keep these broadcasts on the air, including rental fees, and delays to contracts to dismantle equipment.

They also mention the usefulness of Antennaweb in setting up your broadcast antenna. We’ve tried it, and used one of their maps to try and aim a in-house antenna. There is an antique antenna on the roof of the building, which gets decent reception. But we have yet to get all of the channels an antenna our size is supposed to get.

Ultimately, in June, all analog will go away. Hopefully there will be no more delays.

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Published on February 17, 2009
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681 Stations Still Shutting off Analog this Week

Logo of the United States Federal Communicatio...
Image via Wikipedia

Engadget HD  reports that even with the DTV Transition delay signed into law, the FCC has approved the request of at least 368 stations to switch analog off this Tuesday. Crunchgear places the number of stations at 40% of the country’s broadcast stations. Another posts reports some preliminary lists of stations going off the air.

There is no obligation or mandate to broadcast in analog, only a mandate now effective in June to cease broadcasting in analog. The four major networks have agreed to stay on the air, but that applies only to the 100 or so stations they own, not any privately owned affiliate. The FCC could also pressure broadcasters to stay on if doing so is in the “public interest”.

We’ve already weighed in on the DTV transition. We are for it. The boxes are out there, the coupons were out there, and will be again, we hope. And even without them, there are ways to get through this. Digital broadcast brings free HD, clearer picture overall, and additional bandwidth for extra channels(although we have yet to found a secondary channel we watch regularly, although NBC Weather Plus wasn’t lacking in usefulness, but it is no longer with us.).

In some markets, there are apparently channels people want to watch offered on digital subchannels. NBC offers NBC Universal Sports in many markets. RTN, the Retro Television Network, airs classic television on digital subchannels of its affiliates. Or the This TV Network, offering movies and old shows from the MGM library. As fans of classic TV no longer offered by supposedly classic networks Nick at Nite and TV Land, we wouldn’t complain if we got any of these. For a synposis of digital subchannels, Wikipedia has a good summary of possible uses.

For those of you wishing to consider dropping cable service, over-the-air digital broadcast is certainly the way to go, with or without bolstering by internet and dvd services.

Here is the supposed complete and final list of stations shutting off on Tuesday.

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Published on February 15, 2009
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Digital Television Delayed…Really This Time

HAYWARD, CA - JANUARY 28: An old analog telev...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

After initially being defeated, the bill to defer the Digital TV transition till June 12th was passed last week. However, some stations had already indicated they are sticking with the Feb. 17 date. The FCC said it had heard from 276 stations to that effect, in addition to 143 stations that had already pulled the plug, and another 60 who said they planned to do so before Feb. 17. The FCC had pointed out that some of those 276 may change their minds once the date changes. The FCC has been working on regulations that might cover the above circumstances.

But, there might be a bigger problem. Many manufacturers stopped making the boxes, expecting the demand to peak around February 17th. The trade association estimates there are approximately 3 to 6 million boxes available, and there are at least 3.7 million rebate coupons requests on the federal waiting list. Not to mention the confusion the switchover is producing on the older generation.

The NYTimes reports help is coming from an unlikely source. In Houston, which is the 10th largest TV market in the country, the local Meals on Wheels has been delivering and installing converter boxes for its clients.

For those of us who feel comfortable with such things, digital over-the-air broadcasts is an excellent way to get HD programming from local affiliates at no cost. Unlike your local cable concern, this feed is not compressed to the same degree, giving it a better quality to enjoy. We have one hooked up in addition to our cable, for this very reason.

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Published on February 8, 2009
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Jumping on the Twitter Bandwagon

Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...
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After our colleagues at Flight Wisdom signed up for a Twitter account to help people follow their blog, we decided to see how it went for them. Within days of signing up, users started to flow in, although some of them were already readers. Not only that, but by following other similarly themed Twitter accounts, they were able to get more up-to-the-minute news. If you haven’t already, check out Flight Wisdom.

So, we are proud to announce that we’ve set up our own Twitter account, GadgetWisdom. Not only will it automatically post a tweet when we post a blog entry, but it allows us to post our random thoughts when we don’t have time or yet enough material for a full post.

In order to keep up, we’ve integrated Twitter into our copy of Pidgin. Pidgin is a multi-protocol instant messenging client, and with an add-on, you can add Twitter monitoring and posting to Pidgin. Anyone we are following will pop up in the Gadget Wisdom window in our taskbar. So, it will help us keep better track of what is going on to talk about.

So, we ask you, what Tech Twitter Accounts do you think we should follow?

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Published on February 8, 2009
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Kindle No Longer So Cost Effective

amazon-kindle
Image by MARQUINAM via Flickr

Not long ago, we were on a plane and someone across the aisle had Amazon‘s Kindle. The Kindle, if you’ve missed it, is an E-Book reader. And if anyone had the power to make electronic book reading take off, it is Amazon.

But the Consumerist reports that nearly 30% of books sold for the Kindle are now above $9.99, making them cost more, not less than the equivalent paperback. As one person put it…

300 dollars was supposed to be a sort of covenant between us and amazon. we backed their device and they would usher in an era of low cost/reasonably priced literature. Sure it wasn’t written in stone but the way they advertised it many of us believed it, otherwise this forum wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Instead what is happening is that we put ourselves out there for a company and they returned the favor by charging us even more for books then if we just went out and bought the printed version.

The idea of electronic reading is eventually the reader pays for itself in savings offered by buying electronic over print media, making print a luxury. The size of the Kindle makes it, from what we saw, much easier to read on than a cell phone, which certainly could do the same job of displaying text. It offers an always-on wireless connection to provide content.

But ultimately, it is a $300 toy, for which there are rumors a new version is set to be released on the 9th of February. Three hundred dollars can buy a lot of books…or even a netbook computer to read books on.

On a related note, for free e-books, the following site was suggested as options….feedbooks.com – Provides a variety of contributed as well as public domain e-books in a variety of formats as well as subscription based service. Looks good to us. We’re off to read Sherlock Holmes and not pay a cent…

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Published on January 30, 2009
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Digital Transition Not Delayed

[youtube xy-pD-M0rY4 Digital Transition Information Video]

The Senate had signed off on a delay of the mandatory broadcast digital TV transition until June 12th, from February 17th, but despite Obama administration support, House Republicans defeated the bill, leaving the transition date where it is.

“In my opinion, we could do nothing worse than to delay this transition date,” said Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Commerce Committee. “The bill is a solution looking for a problem that exists mostly in the mind of the Obama administration.” Barton led the push to scuttle the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously on Monday night.

The problem stems from the converter box coupon program, administered by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, is now sending out coupons only as older, unredeemed ones expire, freeing up more money. They have nearly 2.6 million coupon requests and those people will not be receiving theirs till after February 17th.

Eliminating analog television is a good move in that the possibilities offered by digital television are much improved. Discounting the freeing up of bandwidth for other applications, digital television is clearer, higher resolution, offers multiple subchannels in the same space, and converting older televisions, with or without coupons, is a simple process, as outlined by the above video. And if you have cable or satellite, you aren’t even affected right now unless your cable company is using it as a smokescreen to try and upsell you based on fear.

it is an improvement, it will be confusing, and instead of the government delaying it, they need to put together a new coupon program, which will be less expensive than it will cost to delay analog transition. It would cost PBS $22 million alone to delay. Many have leases for signal transmitters that were due to expire on the date of the switch over and will have to make new arrangements.

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Published on January 28, 2009
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Happy Birthday Macintosh

Macintosh Classic
Image via Wikipedia

[youtube OYecfV3ubP8 1984 Mac Launch Commercial]

To those who know us, our issues with Apple and the Macintosh have remained constant throughout the years. Last week, the original Apple Macintosh turned 25, and we felt it worthy of note.

Many years ago, we had an old Mac Performa, which demonstrated our issues with the early Macs. The CMOS battery failed…a seemingly easy problem. But the people at Apple expected us to send this in to them for servicing for an insane amount, whereas on a PC this is a five minute job and has been since early on.

Apple made a lot of good decisions since the early days. They rebuilt their revolutionary GUI on a UNIX base, allowing a vast library of open-source UNIX software to be ported to the Apple. On the hardware side, they embraced USB based peripherals and other innovations, meaning that one no longer had to get hardware made by Apple to support their Apple systems.

Playing with a more recent Mac, we can see the potential advantages, and it is certainly a viable alternative to Windows. However, we are still concerned about the closed manner in which Apple conducts business. Either way, the Mac has a lot of viable options to enjoy for users. So, to another 25 years, and new innovations.

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Published on January 26, 2009
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