While it’s usually TiVo pitching the convergence of premium cable programming and over-the-top Internet content, Verizon delivers big today by bringing Pandora to FiOS TV. Motorola set-top boxes in California, Texas, and Virginia are the first to receive access to the free app… with other markets to follow. As you might expect, you can create … Read more
As the year winds down, it’s only natural for us to reflect back. And I’d like to think my early thoughts from CES 2010, captured on video (above), mostly panned out. Despite industry hopes, it seems that the majority of my peers aren’t that fired up over 3D TV. While many have acquired 3D capabilities through … Read more
Multichannel News has done the math and concludes that the ten largest cable providers have expanded their CableCARD footprint by a mere 5,000 decoders during the last three months. While I haven’t verified their calculations, I too perused the NCTA’s most recent CableCARD-related filing with the FCC: The five MSOs who are required to report today – … Read more
Vegas, Baby, Vegas! After sharing a flight with Walt Mossberg, I’m on the ground for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mari will be joining me in about 24 hours. We’ve made the command decision to stay fewer nights this year for a variety of reasons. Certainly the trip is not inexpensive, in terms … Read more
As expected, Real’s all-you-can-eat music streaming Rhapsody service has hit iTunes today. And while the iPod Touch/iPhone app is free, a subscription runs $15/month. As I wrote last month, “I’m not sure they’ll pick up many new customers. But iPhone owners who enjoy Rhapsody on multiple platforms, like Sonos and TiVo, will likely welcome this … Read more
The pro football season is nearly upon us. Although I’ve yet to research my fantasy draft strategy, the NFL marches on. They’ve announced free Sunday Night game web streaming, in conjunction with NBC and utilizing Silverlight. Additionally, the RedZone Channel will be inaugurated on both Comcast and DISH Network. Sunday night streaming doesn’t do much … Read more
While I dig pay television content and broadband, I can’t say I always dig the cable company. Historically, I haven’t had the greatest experiences with things like billing or installs. Those installs, in particular, have been a recurring pain point. With a 25% no-show rate, the possibly high contractor who had to be escorted out … Read more
Ah, the day after the Super Bowl. Time to reflect on the advertising hits and misses. But how do you quantify success? (Or failure.) USA Today provided about 300 select viewers in Oregon and Virginia “ad meters” for rating commercials in real time. Of course, we also saw a wide variety of web-based polls open … Read more