Industry Archives - Page 82 of 145

GridNetworks Lands $9.5 Million

Internet content distributor GridNetworks landed $9.5 million in Series A funding this week. While one of the three investors is Panorama Capital, the other two backers pique my curiosity because their identities haven’t yet been disclosed… and I get the sense they may be something other than VC firms.

Chances are you haven’t heard of GridNetworks and, prior to speaking with CEO Tony Naughtin, I hadn’t either. They’ve developed an “orchestrated, managed” hybrid P2P – CDN service to stream Internet video at up to 1080i with high fidelity audio and requiring throughput of only 768Kbps down and 128Kbps up. They’re currently operating as a white label service provider for some smaller Internet TV plays, though their goals are more lofty. I think we’ll be seeing GridNetworks go after big media and telecom as they continue to ramp up and offer video streaming services at literally a “small fraction” of the conventional CDN-served video cost. Though, as my pal Om notes, the market has become “highly competitive.”

More Hulu Details Emerge

NBC’s video streaming portal, Hulu, has entered a slightly less private beta and more details have emerged. The NY Times writes: Hulu, now an independent company with more than a hundred employees and its own offices in Los Angeles, will begin privately testing its new service with select users at Hulu.com. NBC recently removed its … Read more

The CDN Middleman

NewTeeVee has a post up regarding Akamai’s new HD strategy. If you haven’t heard of Akamai, well you’re probably not reading a lot of video blogs, because the company’s been everywhere lately. Akamai specializes in content delivery networks (CDNs), hosting content in a variety of geographic regions for faster, more efficient transport to end users. … Read more

Seen Around Town

I’m not much of a photographer, but that doesn’t stop me from always taking my camera with me. Here are some recent gadget shots:

The music branding and advertising at Starbucks has gone completely over the top. Above is a pic of the digital release displayed in front of the cashier. I also picked up a business-card-size promotional sheet offering a free “song of the day” by entering the download code online. Makes me wonder where Starbucks will go next. (Co-op work spaces? Theme parks?) They’re clearly more than a coffee shop these days. And what about the music distribution business? Do music studios have to sell an experience rather than just a song?

Next check out what I found at Costco and a yard sale…

Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Gaming on the Set-Top: Connected Home 2 Go Watch Ripped DVD’s Using Front Row: Brent Evans Geek Tonic Damned Lies and DVR Statistics: Connected Home 2 Go MoCA 1.1 and In-Home Networking: Connected Home 2 Go

TelcoTV: The New and the Old

In some ways, getting TV services either from a telecom company, a satellite company, or a cable operator doesn’t make much of a difference to the average consumer. The basic content is the same (yes, there are differences in HD channels and some sports and premium channels availability), and for many of us the experience of watching a show on television is the same regardless of who provides it. (Don’t post hate comments. I know most people reading this blog are aware of differences in picture quality, DVR offerings, etc.)

However, one of the points coming across at this week’s TelcoTV show is that telecom operators have an opportunity to adjust the service model because they aren’t stuck in a historical subscription TV sales rut. For example, telcos could bundle content differently. Who is to say the programming tiers cable has developed are best? Certainly consumers complain about them, and while telcos aren’t likely to switch to an a-la-carte model, they could still package them quite differently. Starz is arguing it should be bundled with a lower-price tier because it’s what consumers want. (Maybe, maybe not) The Big Ten network is arguing the same thing, and has so far stuck it to the cable companies by launching with AT&T.

Comcast Launches TiVo Webpage

New England residents (unaffiliated with either company) may or may not be able to actually subscribe to the Comcast TiVo service, but everyone is welcome to visit their new page. I entered several regional zip codes, in addition to my own, but all came up blank. If you find one that works, let us know! … Read more

Circus Circus Clowns Around With TV

I don’t take many vacations, but every now and then I like to get out of town for a little bit of gambling. Each time I hit Vegas, Reno or Tahoe, I usually stay at a different casino – So, I never really know what to expect. Some of the hotels that I’ve stayed at have been great and some have been terrible, but Circus Circus is the first that has lost my business forever.

Normally I’d be bothered by a dirty room or poor customer service but, in this case, it was a big fat sticker prohibiting guests from connecting their own AV gear to the television sets. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have cared but, with the explosion in the number of laptop to TV solutions and video cameras with outputs, this has become an important issue for consumers to consider. What good does it do you to be able to take your PC or camera on the go, if hotels end up freezing you out by neutering their TVs?