Online TV discovery for iPad users

"As seen in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch: Fanhattan is your starting point for entertainment discovery on the iPad across Netflix, Hulu Plus, iTunes, and ABC.

Find Movies and TV shows (top hits to Hollywood classics) from across the most popular digital media services. Browse related content including reviews from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, ratings, trailers, actor and crew bios, soundtracks, fan gear, and more. Choose how you want to watch your entertainment -- rent, buy, or subscribe -- and begin watching with a single click.

Fanhattan is your starting point for simplifying entertainment discovery across an increasing number of digital on demand services"

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fanhattan-for-ipad/id436928538?mt=8

Google buys Sage TV.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110618/tc_digitaltrends/googlebuysdvrcompanysagetvgoogletvupgradecoming

What is “TV Everywhere”?

Just as the name suggests, TV everywhere is taking all your favorite TV shows with you wherever you go.  This is an evolution of multi room DVR except TV everywhere takes this one step further….out of the home.  So how is this done?  

Simply put, the Internet and a mobile display device such as a smart phone or laptop.  For example, with Dish Network, a sling box hooks up to your set top box.  It takes the TV shows you watch and streams it over the Internet.  Your internet connected device then displays the show on the go.  Remind you of anything?

Yep, this is Internet TV.  This is recognition that traditional cable companies are listening to their consumers and they should.  Netflix surpassed Comcast as the largest video subscription service (cable company) in the U.S.  This occurred not only because of content and aggressive pricing but convenience as well.  I can watch Netflix anywhere I have an Internet connection.  Dish and Cable see the trend and are reacting to it.  At a recent Industry conference (Elevate 2011), it was estimated that about 75% of cable programming will be available on connected mobile devices within 2 years.

This is a massive trend that will affect all of us and the Internet as we know it today.

"Crackle – It’s on"….the Roku and FREE!

Netflix and Hulu Plus are great bargains at $8/mo.  Yet with Crackle, you just can’t beat FREE!  Crackle features full length TV shows and movies and can stream directly to your TV set via the Roku box.  I watched the old 80’s movie “The Last Dragon” a few days ago with excellent results.  Every 20 minutes or so a short commercial would run then back to the movie.  The ad breaks were not as intrusive as you would think.  Very short and not that annoying.  Heck, it is free be patient. 

If you already have a Roku, Boxee, Google TV, or Tivo Premier, I encourage you to check it out.  Or simply go to http://www.crackle.com and watch straight from your PC or Mac.

Committed to Internet TV down with the Dish

Thinking my ‘honey do’ list was way too short this weekend,  My better half asked if I could take the ugly dish off the house.  I resisted for reasons beyond just sheer laziness.   “Is it worth anything?”  “No” I replied.  “Are we ever going to sign up for DirecTV again?” “Well…..no” I reluctantly replied.  “So there is trash on the side of the house!” She cleverly suggested.  So, the dish came down this weekend and into the trash.  This means we are 100% committed to Internet TV and over the air broadcasts.    

Another Internet TV box gets Hulu this week.  The Tivo Premier.  http://gizmodo.com/5804502/yep-hulu-plus-is-now-on-tivo-premiere

Looking at Internet TV downside up!

So much of what you see, read and I have written about Internet TV has been all about how it is getting closer to the traditional TV experience.  True, more content is making its way onto the Internet.  True, the equipment and software running on Internet TV devices is getting better and cheaper.  True, more devices are building Internet TV capabilities right into the device.   So yea, Internet TV is getting closer to the traditional TV experience and that is a good and necessary thing in order to get mass appeal. 

However, it has occurred to me this is only part of the big picture.  What can Internet TV provide that traditional TV cannot?  One example is that Netflix purchased the exclusive rights to a show that will only be streamed over the Internet.  If you want to watch, “House of Cards” next year, you have to do so with a Netflix account.  I bet you’ve never heard of the show “Pioneer One” have you?  Well, the only way to get it is to download it off the Internet.  It can be done via bittorrent.  Legally and free!  The show operates on a low budget and accepts donations to keep it alive.  So, Internet TV is changing the business model which has traditionally relied on selling content to TV providers and networks who in turn sell advertising.  The TV viewer ultimately pays the price.  Content creators win.  Cable providers win.  TV users lose in never ending rate increases.

Hulu on your computer is free and is ad subsidized.  Yet, the viewing experience is better as there are fewer ads to watch than on traditional TV for any given show.  Also, the ads are becoming more ‘intelligent’ as they are more specific to you the viewer.  Content creators win.  Advertisers win.  TV users win.  Traditional cable providers lose!  Boohoo.

These are only a few examples of how Internet TV can be superior (not inferior) to traditional cable or dish television.  I expect to see more examples of this as things progress.  Ultimately the TV viewer is going to win at the end of the day.  In fact, one day we will all reflect on how our TVs and display devices in the house weren’t even connected to the Internet so long ago.  How did we watch TV without the Internet?  Thanks for reading. 

Connected TV will be a Revolution

http://mashable.com/2011/05/11/future-connected-tv/