Web-based videos are increasingly transferred to the TV sets
Videos and movies are exploding on the Internet, but watching them on desktops, laptops or PDAs is far-away from big TV screens and comfortable furniture of the living room. Technology companies are beginning to change that, with major repercussion for the entertainment, media and advertising industries. They are using the Internet as a conduit for transmitting selected content, just as cable is a conduit for getting programming to the TV. They realize that the Internet opens the possibility of sending virtually unlimited content to the TV.
Last month, AT&T launched Homezone, a service that combines satellite TV provided by Dish Network with Internet content. The service currently offers over 1,000 Web-based movies provided by Movielink, the online film service. Later this year, Homezone, which is also a box designed to hook into a wireless home network, will add content assembled by Akimbo Systems Inc., with more than 13,000 titles, including programs from A&E, the Discovery Channel and hundreds of sports games.
Like AT&T, TiVo only make content available online after they make deals with its owners. Now TiVo has deals with about 10 content providers (from CNET.com to iVillage.com), and it's negotiating with numerous others.
Transferring Internet content to the TV promises to accelerate the growing popularity of Web-based videos, and opens up the possibility of vast new audiences. Think for example in user-generated videos of YouTube.com.
More content owners put their programs on the Web
Cable operators like Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable operator in terms of subscriber, is buying new technology and accumulating contents rights, trying to route Web-based content to TV themselves. "We want to be in the vanguard of making Web-based video easy to use", says Brian Roberts, Comcast's chief executive.
Now Internet-delivered video is far away from competing with traditional TV fare, partly because the amount of content is still limited. Besides that, most of the online content is of poor quality on a large TV, particularly in high-definition set. AT&T and TiVo assure picture quality by downloading content rather than streaming.
Meantime, more content owners are getting comfortable about putting their popular programs on the Web. This is a trend. Earlier this week AOL announced that it will sell downloads from programmers as MTV, Nickelodeon and Warner Brothers. During this year's Winter Olympics, NBC worked with Intel to deliver high-resolution content over the Web to TV sets and is now looking at numerous other uses.
The five big Japanese electronic companies seek standard for Internet TV
There has always been the question of whether computers were going to become like televisions, or televisions were going to become like computers. And the challenge for computer makers and consumer-electronics companies has been how people take control over the living room. Now consumers can buy monitors for their computers offering quality that matches that of high definition sets.
So in an attempt to fight off growing competition from the computer industry, Sony Corp, Matsuhita Electric Industrial, Sharp, Toshiba and Hitachi are developing a joint standard for Internet-connected televisions. The standard, intended to make it easier for content makers to produce material for viewing on televisions that link to the Web, is planned for aspects such as the operating system (which will be Linux, and will be available free to users), security, copyright protection and network connectivity.
The explosion of Internet video content is persuading people, especially young users, to spend more time with their computers and less time in front of their televisions. Besides that, tech companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems threat Japanese companies to steal the market launching products that bring Internet content to TV sets.
France channels public funds to create the next Google
Trying to fight what they call the "omnipresence of the Anglo-Saxon culture" on the Web and on the Media, the French government is channeling public funds to new ventures. The Internet search engine Quaero, backed by President Jacques Chirac, has received 90 million euros to rival Google. Online there's already Geoportail.fr, designed to compete with Google Earth, and Gallica, inspired by Google's library-indexing project.
Later this year, France 24 TV, which will broadcast international news (CNN, Fox style?) will go live. The Wall Street Journal says, and we agree, that if French and European leaders really want to foster the next Google, they might consider creating an stimulating business environment for local young entrepreneurs.
Covering live the upcoming Armageddon!
It is says people don't trust journalists. So take a look to the approach some cable news are doing to the Middle East crisis. They are looking into Armageddon! Here is the Daily Show wrap of how the news channels are covering the apparent upcoming apocalypse.
