Hop Right Over Those Commercials

Not since 1984 when the commercial networks tried to get a Federal Judge to declare illegal the use of the new Betamax tape machine have commercial TV networks been in such a twitter over the introduction of a new electronic gizmo. It seems that Dish, the satellite TV company, has a new product.  Called Hopper, the device is a digital video recorder on steroids.  According to the ads for Hopper it can record and store up to 2,000 hours of HD programs and record up to 6 shows at once.  It can be connected to up to four high definition televisions and play out different recorded programs to each one at the same time.

Hopper can automatically record all the programs in the entire primetime schedules of the major commercial networks and store the programs for up to eight days.  As of this writing the networks that can be recorded are ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.  It would seem that all of these features would be embraced by the TV magnates.  A closer look at Hopper reveals that this new DVR can be set to skip all commercials.  While skipping commercials is not new to the digital recording world, the Hoppermakes is so easy that the networks feel that none of their messages will be seen.

In late May CBS, Fox and NBC filed separate law suits in Los Angeles Federal District court.  The suits all accuse Dish of promoting to its customers the deletion of commercials and causing financial damage. The argument continues to contend that enabling people to watch time-shifted programs without commercials undermines the ability of the networks to offer the same shows through other commercial-free video services like DVD or Blu-Ray.  The suit states that allowing Dish and its customers to store programs indefinitely hurts the market for those shows in other distribution platforms.

The Dish executives counter that it is not Dish or Hopper that skips the commercials. The customer must activate the machine to perform that function.  You have heard that argument before “….guns don’t kill people…” 

This is only the latest in the battle between the status quo and new technology.  While the music industry tried to fight change, the fact is that it has been changed.  How people listen to music and buy (or don’t buy) music has changed.  Distribution channels restructured with the introduction of digital music storage and expansion of the Internet.  Television viewing, too, is now undergoing rapid and significant change.  More people than ever are abandoning “appointment viewing” and opting for time shifting or on-demand options via the web.  For the networks to fight against this new technology instead of looking for a new financial model that embraces it may lead to their demise.

Hop Right Over Those Commercials

Not since 1984 when the commercial networks tried to get a Federal Judge to declare illegal the use of the new Betamax tape machine have commercial TV networks been in such a twitter over the introduction of a new electronic gizmo. It seems that Dish, the satellite TV company, has a new product.  Called Hopper, the device is a digital video recorder on steroids.  According to the ads for Hopper it can record and store up to 2,000 hours of HD programs and record up to 6 shows at once.  It can be connected to up to four high definition televisions and play out different recorded programs to each one at the same time.

Hopper can automatically record all the programs in the entire primetime schedules of the major commercial networks and store the programs for up to eight days.  As of this writing the networks that can be recorded are ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.  It would seem that all of these features would be embraced by the TV magnates.  A closer look at Hopper reveals that this new DVR can be set to skip all commercials.  While skipping commercials is not new to the digital recording world, the Hopper makes is so easy that the networks feel that none of their messages will be seen.

In late May CBS, Fox and NBC filed separate law suits in Los Angeles Federal District court.  The suits all accuse Dish of promoting to its customers the deletion of commercials and causing financial damage. The argument continues to contend that enabling people to watch time-shifted programs without commercials undermines the ability of the networks to offer the same shows through other commercial-free video services like DVD or Blu-Ray.  The suit states that allowing Dish and its customers to store programs indefinitely hurts the market for those shows in other distribution platforms.

The Dish executives counter that it is not Dish or Hopper that skips the commercials. The customer must activate the machine to perform that function.  You have heard that argument before “….guns don’t kill people…” 

This is only the latest in the battle between the status quo and new technology.  While the music industry tried to fight change, the fact is that it has been changed.  How people listen to music and buy (or don’t buy) music has changed.  Distribution channels restructured with the introduction of digital music storage and expansion of the Internet.  Television viewing, too, is now undergoing rapid and significant change.  More people than ever are abandoning “appointment viewing” and opting for time shifting or on-demand options via the web.  For the networks to fight against this new technology instead of looking for a new financial model that embraces it may lead to their demise.

More TV Moving to the Web

Last week we discussed the increasing number of options that many of us have to watch TV programs. Gone are the days when we had to make a pilgrimage to the living room to watch our favorite show. Now more and more we are choosing to watch TV on our home computer.

The number of programs and videos available on the internet is mind boggling and makes the inventory at even the largest video store seem puny. A recent unrelated event in my life highlights this explosion in video content that is only a mouse click away.

One of my interests is music and I play a few instruments and enjoy learning new ones. Over the last few months I had been eyeing a cello that was for sale at the Music Shoppe and a week or so ago I bought it. I figured it was just a bigger version of the violin, another instrument I picked up about 10 years ago. Since I needed to learn some basics, i.e., how to hold it, fingering patterns etc., I went to the internet.

Along with a ton of printed instructions I found a number of video lessons on YouTube and other video websites. One began with the basics of tuning the cello and advanced through some difficult techniques. All were free and available on demand. Now, for sure these instructional videos are not going to make me Harrison’s Yo-Yo Ma (just ask my violin teacher, Connie Kopp) they do provide some good basic information.

It is not just instructional videos that are available. Many us place family videos on YouTube so we can share events like birthdays or vacations with family members spread all over the world. And most TV stations like CETconnect.org have hundreds of local videos for viewing. But there is much more.

Take a look at www.Hulu.com. This site has a many of your favorite network TV programs along with many cable offerings. From Saturday Night Live to the Colbert Report, Hulu offers on demand full length TV programs. All you need is a computer and a broadband internet connection. In order to have access to all the programs you must register and answer a few questions.

Unlike using a Tivo or other personal video recorder (PVR) where you can delete the commercials, Hulu requires you to watch the commercials but in some cases allows you to choose between watching a longer 3 minute version of all the commercials or watching the commercials embedded in the program just as they would be on broadcast TV. This is a nice touch.

Hulu’s growth has been impressive. In an average month they have more than 6 million unique viewers. Not bad for a service that did not exist until 2007. While YouTube still is the leader in online video with some 40% of all video traffic, look for more services like Hulu to emerge satisfying our increasing appetite for watching TV programs when and were we want to.

More TV Moving to the Web

Last week we discussed the increasing number of options that many of us have to watch TV programs. Gone are the days when we had to make a pilgrimage to the living room to watch our favorite show. Now more and more we are choosing to watch TV on our home computer.

The number of programs and videos available on the internet is mind boggling and makes the inventory at even the largest video store seem puny. A recent unrelated event in my life highlights this explosion in video content that is only a mouse click away.

One of my interests is music and I play a few instruments and enjoy learning new ones. Over the last few months I had been eyeing a cello that was for sale at the Music Shoppe and a week or so ago I bought it. I figured it was just a bigger version of the violin, another instrument I picked up about 10 years ago. Since I needed to learn some basics, i.e., how to hold it, fingering patterns etc., I went to the internet.

Along with a ton of printed instructions I found a number of video lessons on YouTube and other video websites. One began with the basics of tuning the cello and advanced through some difficult techniques. All were free and available on demand. Now, for sure these instructional videos are not going to make me Harrison’s Yo-Yo Ma (just ask my violin teacher, Connie Kopp) they do provide some good basic information.

It is not just instructional videos that are available. Many us place family videos on YouTube so we can share events like birthdays or vacations with family members spread all over the world. And most TV stations like CETconnect.org have hundreds of local videos for viewing. But there is much more.

Take a look at www.Hulu.com. This site has a many of your favorite network TV programs along with many cable offerings. From Saturday Night Live to the Colbert Report, Hulu offers on demand full length TV programs. All you need is a computer and a broadband internet connection. In order to have access to all the programs you must register and answer a few questions.

Unlike using a Tivo or other personal video recorder (PVR) where you can delete the commercials, Hulu requires you to watch the commercials but in some cases allows you to choose between watching a longer 3 minute version of all the commercials or watching the commercials embedded in the program just as they would be on broadcast TV. This is a nice touch.

Hulu’s growth has been impressive. In an average month they have more than 6 million unique viewers. Not bad for a service that did not exist until 2007. While YouTube still is the leader in online video with some 40% of all video traffic, look for more services like Hulu to emerge satisfying our increasing appetite for watching TV programs when and were we want to.

We Are Changing How We Watch TV

Long gone are the days when TV watching was relegated to the family room … Mom, dad, 2.5 kids and Fido all nestled around the 26” Philco watching “Bonanza in living color.” The folks who do the counting, The Nielsen Company, recently published a report about how we watch TV programs. Notice I did not say “watch TV.” It seems that the number of different “screens” used to watch our favorite programs continues to expand. The Nielsen report tracks viewing on traditional TV sets, either off air or cable/satellite-connected, as well as TV viewing on the Internet via computer and more recently on mobile devices like phones. There is no doubt that the way we watch is changing.

The lion’s share of watching is still done using the traditional TV set. For sure the “Rockwellian” image of mom, dad, the kids and Fido is no more, but the average American is still watching more than 5 hours a day. In many case watching is done in combination with other activities from washing the dishes to reading a book. Nevertheless, the time is counted.

What the data show regarding the use of the Internet to watch programs is fascinating. In one year the number of people watching on their computer increased 3.3%. That is 161 million people who watched an average of 22 minutes per month. While this amount of time watching pales in comparison to traditional TV viewing, the rate of growth is impressive. As more and more of your favorite full length TV programs are available on-demand on web sites like www.HULU.com , the numbers should continue to increase. The increase in the number of home computers connected to high speed networks like Time Warner’s “Road Runner” or Cincinnati Bell’s DSL services allows more and more people to have a TV picture displayed on their computer that rivals the quality of the picture on a regular TV set..

So far, the viewing of TV programs and other video material on mobile devices is still quite small but just as is the case with Internet viewing, it is increasing. Many cell phone carriers offer a video option. Again our friends at Nielsen have tracked a very steep increase in the number of people watching TV on mobile phones. Over a period of one quarter the number increased by 9% with a estimated total of 11 million users.

Perhaps the most interesting data relates to “time shifting.” More and more of us are using PVR’s (Personal Video Recorders). Many cable and satellite companies offer PVR packages. Some of us use TIVO. No matter what device or service you use, having the ability to select programs in advance for recording and then watching them when you want is something that seems to be very attractive. Almost 1 out of 3 households now has one or more PVRs. The impact is stunning for advertisers who can have their commercials zapped when the program is watched on a PVR.

For sure, the age of the viewer impacts on the selection of the various viewing options with younger viewers opting for the PVR, Internet and increasingly, mobile options. These trends will be interesting to watch as the current population of “30 somethings” get older.

We Are Changing How We Watch TV

Long gone are the days when TV watching was relegated to the family room … Mom, dad, 2.5 kids and Fido all nestled around the 26” Philco watching “Bonanza in living color.” The folks who do the counting, The Nielsen Company, recently published a report about how we watch TV programs. Notice I did not say “watch TV.” It seems that the number of different “screens” used to watch our favorite programs continues to expand. The Nielsen report tracks viewing on traditional TV sets, either off air or cable/satellite-connected, as well as TV viewing on the Internet via computer and more recently on mobile devices like phones. There is no doubt that the way we watch is changing.

The lion’s share of watching is still done using the traditional TV set. For sure the “Rockwellian” image of mom, dad, the kids and Fido is no more, but the average American is still watching more than 5 hours a day. In many case watching is done in combination with other activities from washing the dishes to reading a book. Nevertheless, the time is counted.

What the data show regarding the use of the Internet to watch programs is fascinating. In one year the number of people watching on their computer increased 3.3%. That is 161 million people who watched an average of 22 minutes per month. While this amount of time watching pales in comparison to traditional TV viewing, the rate of growth is impressive. As more and more of your favorite full length TV programs are available on-demand on web sites like www.HULU.com , the numbers should continue to increase. The increase in the number of home computers connected to high speed networks like Time Warner’s “Road Runner” or Cincinnati Bell’s DSL services allows more and more people to have a TV picture displayed on their computer that rivals the quality of the picture on a regular TV set..

So far, the viewing of TV programs and other video material on mobile devices is still quite small but just as is the case with Internet viewing, it is increasing. Many cell phone carriers offer a video option. Again our friends at Nielsen have tracked a very steep increase in the number of people watching TV on mobile phones. Over a period of one quarter the number increased by 9% with a estimated total of 11 million users.

Perhaps the most interesting data relates to “time shifting.” More and more of us are using PVR’s (Personal Video Recorders). Many cable and satellite companies offer PVR packages. Some of us use TIVO. No matter what device or service you use, having the ability to select programs in advance for recording and then watching them when you want is something that seems to be very attractive. Almost 1 out of 3 households now has one or more PVRs. The impact is stunning for advertisers who can have their commercials zapped when the program is watched on a PVR.

For sure, the age of the viewer impacts on the selection of the various viewing options with younger viewers opting for the PVR, Internet and increasingly, mobile options. These trends will be interesting to watch as the current population of “30 somethings” get older.

Recording Digital TV Programs With Existing Equipment

Over the past few months several people have asked me how they might be able to continue to record TV programs on a VCR or PVR (Personal Video Recorder) after the analog broadcasts are shut off in February. The short answer is that if you are a cable or satellite subscriber nothing will change. You will be able to continue to record and playback just as you do now. If, on the other hand, you receive your TV channels over the air using an antenna, you will need to make some changes.

The simplest solution for over the air households is to get a video recorder that has a built in digital (ATSC) tuner. You can connect it to an antenna and to your analog TV set and record just as you do now using the controls and auto-programming features of the recorder. The least expensive of these recorders uses a DVD disc to record. There are two types of DVD discs. One type can be recorded to only once. The other can be erased just like a VHS tape and reused. Be sure that the DVD recorder you buy can record to both types of discs. I have seen several models that will work just fine with prices beginning at $170.00. Also your analog TV must have input jacks for either S-Video or composite video signals. You should not use the antenna input on your TV for this set up.

For those who choose to use a Set Top DTV Converter, it gets a bit more complicated. You can use your analog VHS VCR or DVD recorder with your DTV converter. Connect the antenna to the DTV converter and connect the DTV converter to the analog TV. You can use either the composite video input or the antenna input on the TV. The composite video input is best.

While this is the least expensive option, there is one big drawback. You can not use the auto-programming features on the VCR. You can set the VCR to record a program in the future by setting the day and time. You cannot auto-program a channel change.

So if you decide to record a program on Channel 48 on Monday evening and you want to set the system to record the program before you go to work on Monday morning you will need to set the video recorder’s timer to the time the program begins. This is the same process that you do now. However, instead of programming the channel on the video recorder to Channel 48 it needs to be set to “line” or “video” input if that is the connection between the DTV Converter and the video recorder or set to Channel #3. Channel 3 is the channel that the video recorder uses to receive the signal from the DTV Converter. Finally, you need to make sure that the DTV Converter is turned on and set to Channel 48. As you can see this is a bit of a hassle and does not allow you to record several programs from different channels without manually changing the channel on the DTV Converter.

As more and more of us get digital sets and analog equipment is phased out, things will get a bit simpler.

Recording Digital TV Programs With Existing Equipment

Over the past few months several people have asked me how they might be able to continue to record TV programs on a VCR or PVR (Personal Video Recorder) after the analog broadcasts are shut off in February. The short answer is that if you are a cable or satellite subscriber nothing will change. You will be able to continue to record and playback just as you do now. If, on the other hand, you receive your TV channels over the air using an antenna, you will need to make some changes.

The simplest solution for over the air households is to get a video recorder that has a built in digital (ATSC) tuner. You can connect it to an antenna and to your analog TV set and record just as you do now using the controls and auto-programming features of the recorder. The least expensive of these recorders uses a DVD disc to record. There are two types of DVD discs. One type can be recorded to only once. The other can be erased just like a VHS tape and reused. Be sure that the DVD recorder you buy can record to both types of discs. I have seen several models that will work just fine with prices beginning at $170.00. Also your analog TV must have input jacks for either S-Video or composite video signals. You should not use the antenna input on your TV for this set up.

For those who choose to use a Set Top DTV Converter, it gets a bit more complicated. You can use your analog VHS VCR or DVD recorder with your DTV converter. Connect the antenna to the DTV converter and connect the DTV converter to the analog TV. You can use either the composite video input or the antenna input on the TV. The composite video input is best.

While this is the least expensive option, there is one big drawback. You can not use the auto-programming features on the VCR. You can set the VCR to record a program in the future by setting the day and time. You cannot auto-program a channel change.

So if you decide to record a program on Channel 48 on Monday evening and you want to set the system to record the program before you go to work on Monday morning you will need to set the video recorder’s timer to the time the program begins. This is the same process that you do now. However, instead of programming the channel on the video recorder to Channel 48 it needs to be set to “line” or “video” input if that is the connection between the DTV Converter and the video recorder or set to Channel #3. Channel 3 is the channel that the video recorder uses to receive the signal from the DTV Converter. Finally, you need to make sure that the DTV Converter is turned on and set to Channel 48. As you can see this is a bit of a hassle and does not allow you to record several programs from different channels without manually changing the channel on the DTV Converter.

As more and more of us get digital sets and analog equipment is phased out, things will get a bit simpler.