Archive for February, 2009

Vudu's latest price cut is a start, here's what else they need to do

It feels like deja vu. Set-top movie service Vudu has slashed its prices again. The entry level Vudu box can now be purchased for $149 (down from $295), and this time without any kind of mail in rebate. That said, the box still doesn’t feature built-in WiFi connectivity, so the company has also “slashed” the price of its optional wireless kit to $79. Add the two together and the price is a less enticing $228.

Of course, any price cut is a welcome one and, slowly but surely, Vudu is getting closer to the ‘feels like free’ price point that I’ve argued is needed if the service is ever to go mass market. For that to happen, however, here’s what else Vudu needs to do…

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HD video coming to a Netbook near you

I may have jumped on the Netbook bandwagon a little early, as these low-cost mini-notebooks are about to get a whole lot better. Especially in terms of video playback.

Intel has released a new version of its Netbook-friendly Atom chip, which although only bumps the speed up slightly, is being paired with the company’s new GN40 chipset, whose graphics capabilities includes hardware-based 720p HD video decoding. The current range of Netbook have no problems playing back lower quality YouTube content and standard definition DivX movies but really struggle with higher definition content. So Intel’s new offering, first seen in the new Asus Eee PC 1000HE, makes Netbooks a much more viable media player.

Not content with 720p video playback on your Netbook, then you may want to hold out for future offerings based on Nvidia’s rival Ion platform with all its hardware-based 1080p decoding goodness. Watch this space.

Zatz Not Funny: Roku and Amazon, Pulsar, Netflix, TiVo

A periodic roundup of relevant news from our friends at Zatz Not Funny

Roku’s Amazon VOD in Beta. YouTube next?

Dave Zatz: We knew Amazon Video on Demand was headed to Roku’s media streamer ($99) early this year. And now, via their forums, we have word that the service has entered private beta.

Pulsar, Satellite Radio on OS X

Dave Zatz: Earlier this week, I received Rogue Amoeba’s periodic email newsletter. Among other things, I learned they’re pretty far along on Pulsar – an OS X app that allows you to stream XM or Sirius online radio stations.

Netflix contemplates higher tier video streaming

Dave Zatz: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings previously and repeatedly seemed to indicate they’d never introduce a pay-per-view video download model or higher tiers of video streaming. However, it looks like that topic has been reopened for discussion. In a customer survey going around, Netflix wonders if we’d pay an additional $10 a month to stream “HBO original series and movies.”

TiVo Desktop 2.7 released

Dave Zatz: TiVo Desktop 2.7 has hit the streets. This Windows software update packs several enhancements.

Google Latitude shows what's wrong with Nokia's social location (SoLo) strategy

If the next frontier is mobile, a key battle ground is going to be location-based services. And, drilling down further, location-based social networking, such as the ability to share your current location with friends. Yesterday, Google went head-to-head with Nokia and a plethora of startups with such an application. Called Latitude, the Google Map-powered software enables users to keep track of where their friends are and what they’re up to. Sort of like Twitter, IM and GPS rolled into one.

If that sounds a lot like Nokia’s Friend View and, more broadly, the handset maker’s social location strategy (SoLo), that’s because it is. But there’s one significant difference: despite investing heavily in its own mobile operating system, Google Latitude has launched simultaneously on multiple mobile platforms: Blackberry, S60, Windows Mobile, and Google’s own Android. iPhone support should also arrive soon, says the company. In comparison, like other Nokia web services, Friend View is only available on S60 and targeted solely at Nokia’s own cell phones.

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The numbers say it all: why Netflix went exclusive with XBox 360

In a joint announcement, Microsoft and Netflix have put out some numbers on the success of Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ Internet TV service on Microsoft’s XBox 360 games console. 1.5 billion minutes of Netflix content has been streamed, with a total of one million Xbox Live Gold Members activating Netflix on their accounts. Considering that Netflix on XBox only went live three months or so ago, that’s pretty impressive by anybody’s measure.

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Turn your iPhone into an Apple Remote

Another remote control application has hit the the iPhone’s App store. This time, “Rowmote” emulates Apple’s own remote control, the Apple Remote, which used to ship for ‘free’ with the company’s consumer Macs but now has to be purchased separately at an additional cost of $19.

Rowmote (iTunes link) is compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch and works over WiFi to control any of Apple’s own apps that are currently supported by the Apple Remote: Front Row, Quicktime, DVD Player, iTunes and Keynote, although it also requires a small piece of software to be installed on the Mac itself. Aside from emulating the Apple Remote’s functionality, right down to the look and feel, Rowmote also features an application switcher of sorts, enabling users to bring to focus any of the supported apps, a feature that maybe worth paying the 99 cents download fee for alone.

See also: iPhone remote control app for VLC Media Player

However, for those simply wanting a remote control for iTunes (or the AppleTV), Apple’s own ‘Remote’ app — a free download from the App Store — is a much better solution as it includes the ability to visually browse your iTunes library on the iPhone or iPod touch itself.

Looking forward, the app’s developer, Evan Schoenberg, says that the next version of Rowmote will add support for media center software, Boxee, along with Microsoft’s Powerpoint presentation software.

(via Gizmodo)

Rivet 2.0, another Mac to PlayStation 3 streaming solution

My PlayStation 3 gets used on an almost daily basis but, surprisingly, not usually for gaming. Instead, the PS3 sits at the center of my home media setup, permanently plugged into my High Definition TV, giving me access to photos, DivX files, video podcasts and music streamed from an iMac in the room next door, along with the ability to play movies on Blu-ray and browser-based video from YouTube and the BBC’s UK-only iPlayer.

To get the Mac to talk to the PlayStation I’ve been using Nullriver’s solution, MediaLink, which, aside from occasionally needing to restart the application, has worked a treat. At the time I purchased MediaLink it was the only viable solution (Elgato’s EyeConnect, by the company’s own admission, wasn’t really up to the job). However, as of this week, Nullriver has some competition. Cynical Peak Software have updated their Mac to XBox 360 offering with support for the PS3.

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Weekly wrapup: Vudu, Netflix, Nokia Netbook, Pandora, CrunchPad and more

Here’s a summary of the last two week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

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Internet TV

Amid layoffs, Vudu concedes its future lies outside of its own set-top box

Despite making its own range of set-top boxes, including two high end devices aimed at home theatre enthusiasts, Vudu’s future ultimately lies outside of building its own hardware, says the company.

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Zatz Not Funny: SlingPlayer Mobile, the cost of music, FrameChannel, will your TiVo tweet?

A periodic roundup of relevant news from our friends at Zatz Not Funny

The future of SlingPlayer Mobile

Dave Zatz: While I’m not quite ready to speculate on Sling Media’s future retail presence and hardware initiatives, in light of recent defections, we do have a few clues as to their current mobile strategy.

The cost of music

Dave Zatz: We’ve finally seen some definitive proof that Sirius XM will begin charging for online streaming ($3/mo), Pandora has brought audio advertising into their web player/experience, and Apple, along with their studio partners, is implementing variable track pricing. Obviously, there’s also a sizable contingent of people who feel free to help themselves. In light of this, I’m wondering what folks think is a reasonable cost for music.

A sneak-peek pic from FrameChannel

Mari Silbey: Chances are reasonably high that you’ve never heard of FrameChannel. Wireless photo frames are still new in consumer adoption terms, and the idea of a content provider for these frames is a bit counter-intuitive. (Aren’t you just supposed to put your own pics on them?) Nonetheless, FrameChannel is expanding rapidly.

Will your TiVo tweet?

Todd Barnard: Some of the most influential people in social media recently attended a DiSo meeting to discuss the future of how their users’ activity will be published. One of the points discussed during the event was that activity streams are not just generated by people but that machines can also broadcast what they’re doing.