Netflix Comes To Tivo, AppleTV, and … Linux !

Tivo announced a few days ago that, if you are a subscriber to Netflix and Tivo services, then you can start receiving many Netflix titles on your Tivo box for no extra charge.




Unfortunately, this is only available to subscribers with TiVo HD, TiVo HD XL and TiVo Series3 DVRs. The majority of Tivo's subscribers are still Series 2 owners, so they will be forced to “upgrade” if they want this new service. The switch won't be that easy for those of us on satellite. Tivo's current model lineup does not really offer a solution for satellite subscribers. The HD and HD XL are cable only and there is no sign of the Series 3 on their site.


Think different: Netflix is coming to Apple TV and Linux

Linux PC and AppleTV users are about to gain the ability to stream Netflix's movies and TV shows directly to their systems. Although Netflix's instant watch service only officially supports Windows and Mac, Boxee expects to release Netflix streaming support to the Ubuntu version of its free A/V media center software within a couple of days, and says that adding Netflix streaming support to AppleTV asap is its top priority.

Netflix Player is coming from Roku for a mere $100

The Netflix box is finally a reality.

This the first product that allows subscribers to have movies and TV shows from the Netflix's Instant Viewing feature (aka "Watch-It-Now" I mentioned in my previous post) to be streamed directly to their TV screen. Previously, Instant Viewing was available only to PC users through the Internet Explorer browser.





You can access about 8,000 titles as of now.

I've been playing with the Netflix Player for about two weeks. For the most part there is a lot to like.

If you are looking for HD video quality and the polished interface of Apple TV or Vudu, you will be disappointed. This player is strictly barebones--you're not intended to do anything more than just dive in and watch the movies and TV shows you've already queued up via your online Netflix account.

That said, the Netflix Player has a major trump card in terms of price: it retails for $100, and delivers unlimited streaming to any Netflix subscriber on the $8.95 plan or above.

For the time being, Roku's affordable box is the only Netflix hardware on the market. However, Netflix has reaffirmed that three other hardware partners are scheduled to release competing products by year's end.

What do you think: is the Netflix Player a game-changing product that bests Apple TV?

Blockbuster Set-Top Box in the Works

According to the Hollywood Reporter and news.com, Blockbuster will soon be announcing yet another reason not to go to a rental store...their own. The media-delivering set-top box, which is in the works for the company, leverages the store's existing competence in the industry to provide a viable alternative to iTunes, Xbox Live, and Amazon.



There is no mention of price or how this service will actually work. But let's think about this: to compete with Apple TV or Vudu, the device would have to cost around $200, and rentals of movies and TV shows should be around $3 to $4 each, which would be slightly cheaper than rentals of new releases from Blockbuster currently.

The device will join a growing roster of home video boxes which aim to bring broadband video to the living room. Blockbuster rival Netflix also has indicated that it will compete in this market with a similar device being created with LG Electronics. The device is believed to be a stand-alone product akin to Apple TV as opposed to embedding a Blockbuster-branded service in such existing devices as Microsoft's Xbox 360 or TiVo.

The big advantage Blockbuster would enjoy over Apple TV, Vudu,and TiVo seems to be selection, as the service would be an offshoot of Movielink, the online film service Blockbuster acquired last year that allows consumers to watch films licensed from the major studios on their computers. Movielink was created in 2002 by MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Blockbuster now has the online rights to about 6,000 movies, though there are restrictions on moving content beyond PCs and TV.

This is the most audacious attempt yet by Blockbuster to reinvent its brand as a digital delivery service, as it risks to undercut the viability of its retail operation. Their aim is to make their brand the major force online.

I still think they're kind of late to this party, though....

Apple TV and XBox 360 Beware -- SlingCatcher is coming!

Slingbox is a gadget which lets you mirror what's showing on a home TV on a PC or handheld computer. Sling Catcher, announced at CES, works the other way around.

Like the Apple TV or Xbox 360, it lets you play PC-based video on your TV. But it also hooks into Slingboxes, letting you control one TV with another. Sling Catcher will be release “sometimes between” April and June 2008 and sell for $249.



The new "clip and sling" feature in Sling Player 2.0, due by March, could be a copyright nightmare. It lets Slingbox owners grab a chunk of TV programming and publish it to a Web page, operated by Sling Media, where other folks can view it as streaming Flash video.

Sling is hoping to prevent enraging TV networks by offering them chances to make money from the content. If a viewer shares a Jay Leno clip, "imagine presenting to a friend a custom Web page that had branding around it that was NBC and Jay Leno-related, with advertising sold by NBC," said Rich Buchanan, Sling's VP of marketing. Sling won't tack commercials onto the beginnings of clips, he added.
“Clip and sling functionality” will start as a beta. Rights holders will be allowed to impose their own restrictions on sharing content, or make content un-shareable, Buchanan said.

Sling Player 2.0 has two other improvements. The software will come with its own electronic program guide, so you won't have to rely on streaming the program guide from your home DVR. It will also have a buffer, much like home DVRs – the buffer size is still being worked out, but for now it's 20 minutes. Sling Player 2.0 will initially be available for Windows XP and Vista, with a Mac version coming later in the year. How much later, Sling Media?

Cybercast credit: YouTube

Download Movies on TV: The Netflix-LG Way

Things do seem to come full circle: Movie distribution has gone from TV to mail to online download back to TV on demand. Capitalizing on this trend, Netflix (see my previous post) and LG are betting, you will want to buy yet another device for your home theater.



As a Wall Street Journal article notes:

"The partnership between Netflix, Los Gatos, Calif., and South Korea's LG represents another gamble by technology companies that video from the Internet, which is commonly downloaded to personal computers, will go mainstream when users can easily access it from TV sets. So far, Internet television products such as Apple Inc.'s Apple TV have largely been unsuccessful, stymied by a poor selection of videos, complexity of use and other shortcomings.”

Here is my question: Will YOU want to buy yet another device for your home theater? I know I don't....

Netflix Flixes-off Streaming Limits

Netflix lifted limits on streaming its movies for most subscribers, in order to head off expected competition from Apple. Rumors proved true of an Apple movie-download service that was announced by Steve Jobs at Mac Expo.

As you know, Netflix has imposed limits on how long its subscribers could watch streamed movies.Those of us paying $16.99/month could stream up to 17 hours per month. The limits ended on Monday Jan. 14 for most subscribers, except for those paying $4.99 for two DVD rentals a month, said to be a small minority.

So here it is - NetFlix's "Watch Now" demo video:





The company has 6,000 movies available for streaming, compared to 90,000 that you can get delivered in the mail.

Cybercast credit: YouTube. I'm surprised they put it up here!!!

Take.tv Does Take Your Videos and TV Shows with You

Just came through a new gizmo called TakeTV (TM).



Do you want to watch the shows, videos, what-have-you on your computer on a TV set, without investing in another layer of software or hardware like Apple TV or Microsoft's Media Center? You can, if your files are in MPEG-4 and DivX formats, with TakeTV,a nifty combination an USB flash drive and video player. It’s from Sandisk, a solid state memory (think USB drives, iPod and iPhone media storage,PC memory modules) supplier. You get, straight out of the box, a small gizmo that contains:

- A PC to TV video converter/player
- Remote control
- TV cradle
- Power adapter

All you do is plug it into a USB port on your computer, copy files onto it, take it with you to any TV set, connect the cradle, plug it in, and hit the Play button. It's like the video iPod for the "rest of us!"

The New, Improved "All-in-One" Real Video Player

Real Networks' (remember them?) new RealPlayer, in beta this month, will allow you to download Internet video instantly from YouTube, Yahoo and virtually anywhere else on the Web. Build a library for full-screen playback on your PC; better yet, stream it from your PC directly to your TV with Apple TV; or burn it to disc.





I checked RealPlayer's home and was treated to an earful: "Your nephew's first steps. The speech that moves you. The hilarious clip your co-worker forwarded. With the new RealPlayer , you'll be able to download them all to your personal video playlist. Grab videos from thousands of Web sites with just one click. Watch them any time, create a video playlist or even burn your greatest hits to DVD. Find the Web video you want- and Real it in."





Hype notwithstanding, the free player does enable you to download or record non DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected videos from multiple formats - including not only Real, but Windows Media, Quicktime and even Flash. (I'll wait to see how that works in the final version before giving you my take.) You can also burn your videos to disc - to DVDs with the RealPlayer Plus pay version and to CDs in Video-CD format with the free version. Transfer to your mobile entertainment / communication device of choice - iPod? (not likely) ; iPhone (ditto); Zune (possibly); etc. will be available in the future, says Real.

Are you being realed in?