If You Can’t Beat’em, Buy’em

One of the largest satellite TV providers, DirecTv is reported to have offered $1 billion to purchase Hulu. This is a classic example of a company covering its bets as they observe that the way we consumers watch TV continues to change.  For many of us, using cable or satellite to watch our favorite programs is becoming a thing of the past.  Hulu, Netflix and Amazon.com now offer just about any current show on demand and the HD picture is able to be displayed easily on the large flat screen in your family room.  It is no wonder that paying that monthly bill to the cable or satellite company for hundreds of channels we don’t watch is being questioned. 

A look at the catalog of offerings by Hulu Plus or Netflix Online will show hundreds of network programs available when you want to watch.  Not only can you watch the latest episode of your favorite primetime soap, you can go back and watch all the episodes, even those from a previous season.  Programs long gone from the big networks or from even the more esoteric cable channels are available on line.  Remember Rocky and Bullwinkle, or the original Star Trek from the late sixties?  They are all available for your viewing pleasure. And the price is just 8 bucks a month.

                                                                                                                      

To make a fair price comparison you need to factor in that to use Hulu or Netflix you must have a high speed Internet connection and that, of course, will cost about $40 to $60 per month.  But with most cases, switching from cable will save money.

Cutting the cable cord will also make getting live sporting events and late breaking news a bit harder to get.  Many have rediscovered over-the-air TV as a good solution.  Unless you live far removed from a large city, a modest antenna and new digital TV will pull in more local stations than ever before.  It is not uncommon for viewers in our area to receive 30 or more different channels over the air.

The recent offer to buy Hulu by DirecTv, from a partnership made up of News Corp, Disney and Comcast, will be interesting to watch.  All three of the current owners have more than a passing interest and financial investment in how we watch and pay for TV.  As they say in the business, “Stay Tuned.”

If You Can’t Beat’em, Buy’em

One of the largest satellite TV providers, DirecTv is reported to have offered $1 billion to purchase Hulu. This is a classic example of a company covering its bets as they observe that the way we consumers watch TV continues to change.  For many of us, using cable or satellite to watch our favorite programs is becoming a thing of the past.  Hulu, Netflix and Amazon.com now offer just about any current show on demand and the HD picture is able to be displayed easily on the large flat screen in your family room.  It is no wonder that paying that monthly bill to the cable or satellite company for hundreds of channels we don’t watch is being questioned. 

A look at the catalog of offerings by Hulu Plus or Netflix Online will show hundreds of network programs available when you want to watch.  Not only can you watch the latest episode of your favorite primetime soap, you can go back and watch all the episodes, even those from a previous season.  Programs long gone from the big networks or from even the more esoteric cable channels are available on line.  Remember Rocky and Bullwinkle, or the original Star Trek from the late sixties?  They are all available for your viewing pleasure. And the price is just 8 bucks a month.

                                                                                                                      

To make a fair price comparison you need to factor in that to use Hulu or Netflix you must have a high speed Internet connection and that, of course, will cost about $40 to $60 per month.  But with most cases, switching from cable will save money.

Cutting the cable cord will also make getting live sporting events and late breaking news a bit harder to get.  Many have rediscovered over-the-air TV as a good solution.  Unless you live far removed from a large city, a modest antenna and new digital TV will pull in more local stations than ever before.  It is not uncommon for viewers in our area to receive 30 or more different channels over the air.

The recent offer to buy Hulu by DirecTv, from a partnership made up of News Corp, Disney and Comcast, will be interesting to watch.  All three of the current owners have more than a passing interest and financial investment in how we watch and pay for TV.  As they say in the business, “Stay Tuned.”

TV Watching Getting More Complicated

The line separating traditional TV from TV watching on the Internet is getting more blurry as we begin a new year. More of us have given up finding a good flick at the video store. In fact, it is harder and harder to even find a video store. The selection of DVDs in those little red kiosks is pretty lame. We don’t seem to find anything to watch from cable or satellite providers and good TV programs have almost disappeared from broadcast TV.

The Internet is becoming a major source of movies and other video TV programming; with this change comes a bevy of new devices that merge our TVs with the Internet. For the past year of so, Internet-ready flat screen TVs have been promoted by the major brands. Sony, Samsung and others have HD sets that not only can receive over the air broadcasts and cable, but can also connect directly to Internet services like Amazon Video, NetFlix, Hulu, Major League Baseball and the NFL. You don’t need a computer since the TV has a special Internet browser built in that allows you to connect with these services.

Google, a company that is finding its way into most every facet of our business and leisure lives has partnered with Sony to launch GoogleTV. If you already have a gaming system like the Wii, XBOX 360 or a PS3 you can use these devices to connect with Internet video sites and watch programs on the TV connected to the gaming console. Many Blue Ray DVD players have circuitry that allows you to connect to these online services.

There are also specialized devices that you can purchase that serve as a gateway to most all video content on the Internet. One of the most recent to hit the market is called Ruku. It requires a device which is about the size of your kid’s math textbook, allowing you to search for content across many Internet TV distributors and watch it on any TV you choose to connect to. There are standard definition models as well as full High Definition models.

These services and equipment are not free. The Ruko box runs about $60 to $100, plus you need to subscribe to one or more of the Internet TV services. Google TV and Hulu Plus cost about $8 a month and NetFlix online has several different subscription plans. In order to use the service you must also have a robust high speed Internet connection like Time Warner’s Road Runner or Cincinnati Bell’s Fuse.

Look for more and more devices that will continue to blur the line between broadcast and Internet TV. And you thought that 500 cable channels were too hard to keep track of!

TV Watching Getting More Complicated

The line separating traditional TV from TV watching on the Internet is getting more blurry as we begin a new year. More of us have given up finding a good flick at the video store. In fact, it is harder and harder to even find a video store. The selection of DVDs in those little red kiosks is pretty lame. We don’t seem to find anything to watch from cable or satellite providers and good TV programs have almost disappeared from broadcast TV.

The Internet is becoming a major source of movies and other video TV programming; with this change comes a bevy of new devices that merge our TVs with the Internet. For the past year of so, Internet-ready flat screen TVs have been promoted by the major brands. Sony, Samsung and others have HD sets that not only can receive over the air broadcasts and cable, but can also connect directly to Internet services like Amazon Video, NetFlix, Hulu, Major League Baseball and the NFL. You don’t need a computer since the TV has a special Internet browser built in that allows you to connect with these services.

Google, a company that is finding its way into most every facet of our business and leisure lives has partnered with Sony to launch GoogleTV. If you already have a gaming system like the Wii, XBOX 360 or a PS3 you can use these devices to connect with Internet video sites and watch programs on the TV connected to the gaming console. Many Blue Ray DVD players have circuitry that allows you to connect to these online services.

There are also specialized devices that you can purchase that serve as a gateway to most all video content on the Internet. One of the most recent to hit the market is called Ruku. It requires a device which is about the size of your kid’s math textbook, allowing you to search for content across many Internet TV distributors and watch it on any TV you choose to connect to. There are standard definition models as well as full High Definition models.

These services and equipment are not free. The Ruko box runs about $60 to $100, plus you need to subscribe to one or more of the Internet TV services. Google TV and Hulu Plus cost about $8 a month and NetFlix online has several different subscription plans. In order to use the service you must also have a robust high speed Internet connection like Time Warner’s Road Runner or Cincinnati Bell’s Fuse.

Look for more and more devices that will continue to blur the line between broadcast and Internet TV. And you thought that 500 cable channels were too hard to keep track of!

Movies From NETFLIX Online

In 1997 when the fledgling company NETFLIX began shipping movies on DVDs to subscribers nationwide, few would have predicted how fast the service would grow into an icon of electronic entertainment. The success of the company, which was then based on a very old business model of a physical library and 250 year old distribution system, the US Postal Service, was extraordinary. For those unfamiliar with NETFLIX, subscribers set up on line a list of movies they would like to see and, depending on the type of subscription, a selection of movies on DVDs is sent to the subscriber’s home each month. When you return one, another from your list is automatically sent. The DVDs are mailed back and forth. This system has been in place now for more than 10 years but its is about to change.

Just like the sale and distribution processes of music quickly changed from a physical product and physical distribution system, the distribution of movies is quickly following suit. Remember when CDs were once purchased in “Record” stores? Now we have a system that distributes music as MP3 files bought from on line stores like iTunes or Amazon.com.

NETFLIX now offers a complete online service that sends movies to your home using the internet. No DVDs, no trudging to the post office, no loosing the DVDs under the couch. Just like the original service, subscribers set up a list of movies they would like to see and one by one the selections are sent.

There are various ways of receiving these online movies but the one common denominator is a high speed Internet connection like Road Runner or ZoomTown. There are many devices available that can receive, store and play out the movies. For example, many of the new gaming devices such as the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 can be used. There are several DVD players that are NETFLIX compatible. Sony and LG have HDTV sets that can receive, store and play out the movies directly from the Internet. You can also use a desktop or laptop computer.

The cost of the service runs from about $10 per month to $20. The number of movies you wish to receive dictates the price.

While the online delivery of movies is still only a small part of the NETFLIX business right now, if it develops as quickly as iTunes and Amazon MP3, it wont be long before the DVD may be as scarce at an LP.

Movies From NETFLIX Online

In 1997 when the fledgling company NETFLIX began shipping movies on DVDs to subscribers nationwide, few would have predicted how fast the service would grow into an icon of electronic entertainment. The success of the company, which was then based on a very old business model of a physical library and 250 year old distribution system, the US Postal Service, was extraordinary. For those unfamiliar with NETFLIX, subscribers set up on line a list of movies they would like to see and, depending on the type of subscription, a selection of movies on DVDs is sent to the subscriber’s home each month. When you return one, another from your list is automatically sent. The DVDs are mailed back and forth. This system has been in place now for more than 10 years but its is about to change.

Just like the sale and distribution processes of music quickly changed from a physical product and physical distribution system, the distribution of movies is quickly following suit. Remember when CDs were once purchased in “Record” stores? Now we have a system that distributes music as MP3 files bought from on line stores like iTunes or Amazon.com.

NETFLIX now offers a complete online service that sends movies to your home using the internet. No DVDs, no trudging to the post office, no loosing the DVDs under the couch. Just like the original service, subscribers set up a list of movies they would like to see and one by one the selections are sent.

There are various ways of receiving these online movies but the one common denominator is a high speed Internet connection like Road Runner or ZoomTown. There are many devices available that can receive, store and play out the movies. For example, many of the new gaming devices such as the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 can be used. There are several DVD players that are NETFLIX compatible. Sony and LG have HDTV sets that can receive, store and play out the movies directly from the Internet. You can also use a desktop or laptop computer.

The cost of the service runs from about $10 per month to $20. The number of movies you wish to receive dictates the price.

While the online delivery of movies is still only a small part of the NETFLIX business right now, if it develops as quickly as iTunes and Amazon MP3, it wont be long before the DVD may be as scarce at an LP.

Any Movie, Any TV Program, Anytime!

How quickly consumer electronics technologies and devices change and become obsolete. Look at Compact Discs (CD audio discs.) When introduced, they were heralded as the perfect way to store and play music. They were small, easy to manufacture, and the players inexpensive. CD sales ballooned and they quickly made vinyl records a curiosity found now mostly in museums and attics around the world. That was the in 1980s. Over the past few years the sale of music on CD’s has plummeted. The new “kid on the block” of course is the ability to get music online in the form of streaming or the downloading of actual computer files containing the music. Why have a library of CDs gathering dust on a shelf when you can have your entire library in your pocket in your iPod or any one of a myriad other digital devices?

In the video arena the same is happening, perhaps at a somewhat slower pace, but nevertheless it is moving in the same direction as the Compact Disc. Going back to the dark ages of VHS and Beta VCRs, the digital replacement was the DVD. Just like its cousin, the Compact Disc, these small discs were cheap and the players soon became as available as calculators at the check out counter. More recently they were improved to embrace the High Definition TV landscape. How long will DVDs be around? Perhaps they will have a shorter life than Compact Discs.

As more and more of us get better connections to the Internet and the Internet “pipes” get more robust, the concept of actually having a movie or TV program on a tape or disc will seem quaint. A look at what is available on line now gives us a good idea of what is to come.

NetFlix (http://www.netflix.com/) is a great example. The company built a multi-billion dollar industry by offering DVDs of movies without the hassle of going to a video store. You go on line and set up a list of movie titles that you would like to have. Those titles are sent to you via US Mail. You keep them for as long as you wish and when you return a movie another from your list is sent. No late fees. Of course there is a monthly charge depending on how many movies or programs you receive during that month. It is a simple, successful strategy that millions of people use every day.

Netflix is not sitting back and counting their money; they understand that this DVD based system may have a very short life span and they are quickly changing their business to offer movies and programs on line. While the list of titles available on line to be downloaded is much smaller than the DVD based library, it is expanding quickly. In most cases the negotiation for digital rights is the stumbling block.

For sure, just like most technologies, this ability to watch anything at any time will not totally make obsolete preceding technologies or services. The shared experience of watching a movie in a movie theater will continue to be viable. Collectors will still want to have a CD or DVD that they can touch and put on a shelf. Increasingly so, most of our viewing will be on line via the Internet.

Any Movie, Any TV Program, Anytime!

How quickly consumer electronics technologies and devices change and become obsolete. Look at Compact Discs (CD audio discs.) When introduced, they were heralded as the perfect way to store and play music. They were small, easy to manufacture, and the players inexpensive. CD sales ballooned and they quickly made vinyl records a curiosity found now mostly in museums and attics around the world. That was the in 1980s. Over the past few years the sale of music on CD’s has plummeted. The new “kid on the block” of course is the ability to get music online in the form of streaming or the downloading of actual computer files containing the music. Why have a library of CDs gathering dust on a shelf when you can have your entire library in your pocket in your iPod or any one of a myriad other digital devices?

In the video arena the same is happening, perhaps at a somewhat slower pace, but nevertheless it is moving in the same direction as the Compact Disc. Going back to the dark ages of VHS and Beta VCRs, the digital replacement was the DVD. Just like its cousin, the Compact Disc, these small discs were cheap and the players soon became as available as calculators at the check out counter. More recently they were improved to embrace the High Definition TV landscape. How long will DVDs be around? Perhaps they will have a shorter life than Compact Discs.

As more and more of us get better connections to the Internet and the Internet “pipes” get more robust, the concept of actually having a movie or TV program on a tape or disc will seem quaint. A look at what is available on line now gives us a good idea of what is to come.

NetFlix (http://www.netflix.com/) is a great example. The company built a multi-billion dollar industry by offering DVDs of movies without the hassle of going to a video store. You go on line and set up a list of movie titles that you would like to have. Those titles are sent to you via US Mail. You keep them for as long as you wish and when you return a movie another from your list is sent. No late fees. Of course there is a monthly charge depending on how many movies or programs you receive during that month. It is a simple, successful strategy that millions of people use every day.

Netflix is not sitting back and counting their money; they understand that this DVD based system may have a very short life span and they are quickly changing their business to offer movies and programs on line. While the list of titles available on line to be downloaded is much smaller than the DVD based library, it is expanding quickly. In most cases the negotiation for digital rights is the stumbling block.

For sure, just like most technologies, this ability to watch anything at any time will not totally make obsolete preceding technologies or services. The shared experience of watching a movie in a movie theater will continue to be viable. Collectors will still want to have a CD or DVD that they can touch and put on a shelf. Increasingly so, most of our viewing will be on line via the Internet.