Virgin Media pilots Netflix on TiVo

This week Virgin Media will invite 40,000 customers to trial the Netflix app prior to a full rollout of the streaming service on TiVo. Customers will need to sign-in or sign-up to Netflix.

Netflix is available on multiple platforms including PS3, Xbox 360 and iOS. The device limit is generous unlike competitors such as LOVEFiLM Instant or NOW TV.

Virgin Media already offers access to YouTube through TiVo, and has expressed an interest in bringing the Amazon-owned LOVEFiLM Instant to the set-top-box too.

Since Virgin Media was bought by Liberty Global there has been a sea change: a willingness to partner with competitors in a fickle market dictated by savvy consumers.

Bill Holmes, global head of business development, Netflix, said, "The U.K. has given Netflix a fantastic welcome and we're excited to be partnering with Virgin Media to bring an amazing Netflix experience to Virgin Media customers."

Going forward. Virgin Media offering a Netflix subscription, as part of a broadband bundle, would be a compelling added-value and no-brainer. For example I didn't hesitate to subscribe to Amazon Prime + LOVEFiLM Instant (saving money in the process) a few months ago.

Looks like TiVo owners get a chance to enjoy House of Cards and more...

Wonder what Andrew Lewin (my occasional blogging partner in crime) makes of this latest development?

TiVo for Sky Anytime?

I have a love-hate relationship with Sky Digital, the digital satellite service part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation! Their customer service has, for the most part, been excellent. However, I've bemoaned the absence of functionality enjoyed by our TiVo-owning cousins across the pond! And have pondered why Sky hasn't either licensed TiVo Suggestions or introduced a similar product feature?

Belatedly, due to increasing competition within the digital broadcasting market, Sky is on the eve of launching Anytime TV, comparable to TiVo Suggestions, and landing a knockout punch in the direction of its video on-demand rival Virgin Media (the new name for NTL and Telewest)!

The question that has been asked for the last year or so by many Sky+ and Sky HD users is, "when will the reserved space on my hard disk be used?" The answer is sometime in March, when users of Sky’s PVR3 and Sky HD boxes will get access to Sky Anytime TV. This will be about 1 million of the 2.1 million Sky+ subscribers.

Once the new software is released there will be a new layout to the EPG. As some users have already seen, the "HD Channels" group will move to option 2 on the EPG and the red button will become "Anytime TV".

On pushing the red button the user will be presented with a list of programmes that have been downloaded via the satellite overnight – there will be about 5 hours of programming a night downloaded for a total of 35 hours total on the box (HD users might have a slightly different set of numbers depending on the quantity of HD material). Content on the service will include Sky Movies (from the movie channels not, at launch, from the Box Office service), programmes from Sky One, Artsworld, Disney, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, The History Channel (and its siblings Biography, Crime and Investigation) and National Geographic (and its siblings).

The programmes that are downloaded will be a "best of" – they have employed an editor to choose what the programmes will be, and the content will be “editorialised” – so the information about the show will be more than in the current "info" offering.

For example, they might download the first episodes of a new show on Sky One so that if you miss it (or forget to record it) you can catch up with it at your leisure. In the case of hit series like 24 or Lost Sky can even download it to your box prior to transmission time and hide it until it is transmitted at which time it would become available.

Similarly the plan is to download the latest premiere movies and some other things you might not have otherwise watched. Part of the remit of the editor is to try to surprise and find interesting programming across the channels that are part of the service to attract new viewers to those programmes and linear channels. For channels lower down the EPG it provides an interesting advertising window for their programming.

At launch, there will be no adverts within the downloaded programmes.

Once on your disk, you will see a preview window in the top right hand side and a description on the top left hand side changing as you cursor down the programmes that are on the hard disk. The layout also has a date at which the programme will be deleted but just hit the record button and the programme will be saved to your planner to keep for the future. Beware: if you then delete it from the planner it will be gone from the Anytime TV list as well.

Overall this seems like it is a potentially excellent addition to Sky’s offerings. The overnight download will happen automatically and if you have recordings running yours will take preference. To deal with the issue of missed recordings Sky will be retransmitting programmes a number of times to ensure that when your box is inactive it will get all the programming.

So roll on March, if you don’t have a PVR3 or Sky HD box then come March there is a plan to send customers what Sky’s marketing people described as an attractive offer (I assume to upgrade).

The unused 80Gb of space had been a point of heated debate and some controversy, since the PVR3 was launched. But this seems to be a good offering that I really welcome. The only caveat is that Sky Anytime TV appears to be a one-way conversation: users can't indicate which shows they love or hate. The rumour mill suggests a further, and more substantial upgrade, will be released in Q4 2007.

On a related note. Sky Digi Online suggests that Sky+ will be free to all users from February 12th! I'll most certainly downgrade my package to Movies, Entertainment and Music mix!

Wii Want

Nintendo has announced that its next generation console (code-name Revolution) is officially known as Wii. The company explains:

"While the code-name 'Revolution' expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else."

"Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like 'we,' which emphasizes this console is for everyone."

"Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii. Wii has a distinctive 'ii' spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play."

"And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it’s really not about you or me. It’s about Wii."

In addition, Nintendo hit on a number of Wii-related points. Nintendo stated that "A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection."

Also mentioned was an SD memory card expansion bay that will allow users to complement the 512 megabytes of internal flash memory.

The company also touted Wii's two-format disc drive. "Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content."

At first I scoffed at Nintendo's nomenclature! However, who would have thought that TiVo and iPod would become part of our consumer lexicon? And controversy sales.

Wii, like the original iMac, will be available in an assortment of candy colors. To paraphrase Steve Jobs. Wii is gaming for the rest of us. Nintendo may have struck marketing gold by mining Apple Computer's rich lifestyle brand ethos.

Uninvited

Every Sunday evening I look forward to the ritual of watching Gilmore Girls (any show that uses the word eviscerate gets my vote). Upon accessing the sky+ planner menu screen, I noticed that Agatha Christie's Poirot had been added! Checking Digital Spy's sky+ forum confirmed that I wasn't the only one to have had an univited Poirot around for tea! The sheer impertinence of the man.

The above posits the question is sky 'soft testing' suggestions a la TiVo? This feature would clearly "add value" to the platform, but does raise the ethical issue of privacy. How many consumers want to have their viewing preferences tracked in this way? sky is already data mining every subscriber who has their box connected to a working telephone line (a contractual obligation for the first 12 months).

Should it ever be officially rolled out, I'd be more comfortable if this was a feature that could be turned on or off. However, I have nothing but good things to say about sky customer care. And the 6 months for 1/2 price sky movie subscription deal is sweet.

Read my earlier post on the aborted sky/TiVo joint venture.

Walking In The Air

This is the first part of the mandatory Review of the Year. And the prizes go to:

*Web - RSS. Of all the emergent web-based technologies reaching critical mass (despite low consumer awareness). This year RSS has captivated my imagination with many a late night brain storming, and exchanging of e-mails with those Chicago-based coders at FeedBurner, to facilitate an all signing and all dancing, but ultimately transparent, RSS experience. Runners up: Google Reader and Blogger.

*Buzz Word - Podcast. This term is a misnomer, but joins the pantheon of brands TiVo and Google. My iTunes Music Store listing was the crowning achievement. Runners up: VoIP and Blogging.

*Application - Flickr Uploadr. I've honored Flickr with the distinction of best cross-platform social networking tool. Google's photo proposition looks positively anemic and clunky by comparison and gets a zero for the lack of a Mac OS X client. Maybe next year, eh? Runners up: Firefox 1.5 and iTunes 6.

*Console - Nintendo DS. Sony's PSP wins the hardware and multimedia battle. But Miyamoto's masterpiece is 'all about the games': delivered with an inventive quirkiness and wrapped in Game & Watch geek chic. Runners up: Xbox 360 and PSP.

*Video Game - Mario Kart DS. Combines the SNES, N64, GameBoy SP and GameCube iterations with Wi-Fi. Do you need to know anymore? Runners up: Resident Evil 4 and Lego Star Wars.

Stay tuned for Best Album, DVD, Movie, Television series and more.

Nickelodeon

In this era of digital content distribution, the notion of going to the cinema maybe considered antiquated (not that I'm an advocate). Sky movies offers 9 screens of 'near demand' movie magic. This is what I've been watching:

*Elf
*Underworld
*Freaky Friday (2003)
*HellBoy
*The Bourne Supremacy
*The Last Samurai
*The Matrix Revolutions
*The Cat in the Hat
*Pieces of April
*Two Weeks Notice
*The Stepford Wives (2004)
*Open Water
*Dawn of the Dead (2004)
*Resident Evil: Apocalypse

TiVo has announced that its portable media software will support transfer to iPod and PSP. It'll be interesting to see whether or not a future sky+ update will include such a feature too - otherwise the USB 2.0 port is nothing more than a glorified iPod/mobile phone battery recharger!

You can now shop for holiday gifts at my T-Shirt Shop.

Bobbing for apples

Apple's announcement of a video iPod, iTunes 6 (including obligatory QuickTime update) and Front Row Media Experience was almost too much to digest in one evening. And the closer content ties between Cupertino and the Magic Kingdom, hint at possible merger* plans! At the very least Pixar should continue to leverage Disney's considerable marketing might coupled with vertical integration. In return Disney secures lucrative brands and artistic talent.

Churlish comment alert! In its present form I can't see myself downloading video from iTunes 6. Whilst the image quality surpasses HDTV, it scales poorly (see UMD) and there's no approved way to burn videos in iDVD. Toast 7 is crippled (due to contractual reasons). So, no legal means for me (or any UK viewers for that matter) to watch the new series of Lost (USA only) or Battlestar Galactica (the best sci-fi/tech noir series since Babylon 5, which is unavailable at present). A year from now things could be very, very different! As Master Yoda would say "Patience!"

The decision to use an existing form factor - a slimmer G5 iMac - meant that Apple's media centre proposition is in stores before the holiday season and the computer company can establish a beachhead into an overcrowded market that includes TiVo and Microsoft. Personally, I would suggest that power users wait for the 'star dust' to settle and snatch the first of the Intel-powered machines next year! A portable Mac mini Front Row Media Experience is alluring in the extreme.

It is arguable that Apple is now the custodian of the Capitalist media industry and if they can't get digital distribution of television programs and movies right then no one can!

Never one to be deterred by bleeding-edge technology. I've tested QuickTime Pro's new Movie to iPod (320x240) export option. Here's hoping a 60GB video iPod (in black) is in my stocking this year!

[*A merger between Apple and Disney has been the subject of Wall Street water-cooler conversations since 1997.]

Videodrome

iTunes 4.8 now features support for video playback within the application, fueling speculation that a video iPod and download movie service is imminent. You now have the ability to drag and drop movie clips from your computer into the iTunes Library for easy cataloging and organization. Clips appear with a new movie camera icon in your library; however, categories such as “album” and “composer” continue to be used for these files, and no new “videos” or “movies” genre has been added to accommodate them.



Given that PIXAR is owned by Steve Jobs, Apple is ripe for further repositioning as a content delivery platform light years ahead of propositions from TiVo, Xbox 360 or PS3!

Like A Prayer

Along with yesterday's refreshed iPod hardware, Apple updated the software for all models too. After downloading iPod Updater. Switched my 3G iPod to Disk Mode and ran restore. At the prompt I unplugged and reconnected iPod to the Dock (attached to an external power supply). Rebooted and the flash firmware* upgrade task bar ran smoothly (taking several minutes to complete).

iPod automatically restarted and the new menu screen including Music and Shuffle Songs was present and correct. The battery charge icon has undergone a cosmetic change and there's a new shuffle icon. Initially the LCD screen was faint/flickering (as noted on Apple's Discussions forum), but after a few minutes turned a solid black (once energized).

Apple is to be commended for finally updating the entire iPod range past and present. Version 2.3 (3G) appears to have addressed software stability issues inherent in the maligned 2.2. I'll test the battery life and sound (for improvements) and pause when disconnecting the headphones feature. Will the new firmware introduce unannounced functionality in the near future?

Further to my iTiVo post of only a few days ago. Simmering speculation surrounds a possible TiVo takeover bid from Apple. Given the pedigree of both brands and the Media Centre proof of concept, known as Mac Mini, the smart money suggests that an announcement is imminent (or not).

[*Firmware upgrades are always mission critical and should never be interrupted (read all pertinent documentation and/or follow onscreen instructions). Always connect the device to a dedicated mains power supply as an incomplete firmware write will leave you with 'dead' hardware. Once successful, you cannot revert back to the previous firmware version.]

iTiVo

Like FedEx, Apple, Atari and Google, TiVo has joined that rare echelon of companies with names that have become synonymous with their industry. Today, Americans "tivo" instead of "tape," and 2 million TiVo enthusiasts have forgotten what TV commercials look like. Christmas 2000 TiVo fleetingly took pride of place in my home cinema cabinet! To this day the ghost of 'suggestions' remains to haunt its temperamental successor sky+. So, Apple and Sony please release a co-branded media centre/server before next Christmas powered by Cell and featuring licensed software from TiVo. BTW I'll be one of the first in the queue to buy a PS3 if its browser is based on Apple's WebCore.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

There are already excellent blogs that cover PVR (Personal Video Recorders). However, I want to chime in with my user experiences!

In December 2000 I bought a TiVo machine (manufactured by Thomson) and within a month sent it back! Not because the equipment was flawed, no, I lamented the lack of a built-in decoder and shelf space was at a premium. In early 2001 I interviewed for a TiVo guide editor post at sky. Prophetically, within a few months TiVo decided to withdraw from the UK market (continuing support for existing customers only). And sky focused on its own branded product that lacked TiVo’s signature feature - suggestions.

In 2003 I subscribed to sky+ as part of an upgrade package. However, following the ‘failure’ of two Pace V1 STBs (replaced with reconditioned kit) and ongoing technical issues including crashes, failed recordings and the inability to download recorded content to VCR/DVD – it appears that there may be sky+ software glitches that undermine its reliability - I decided to cancel my subscription. Question to sky: Do you seed software updates to testers during R&D?

As an avid Apple user, I’d welcome a digital lifestyle application that records directly to HDD/removable media along the lines of Elgato’s award-winning EyeTV. Coupled with QuickTime (H.264/AVC) and technology licensed from TiVo, the potential for another Mac OS X killer application is not that far fetched! Perhaps Apple will have the insight to add a TV tuner (included in my Performa 5200) in future revisions of the new iMac and claim the Media Center throne.

Glow

Now that the dust surrounding the release of the new iMac has settled. I stand by my assertion that Apple has done the brand a short-term disservice in the choice of GPU!

Last year the nVIDIA GeForce 5200 appeared in the final revision of the iMac LCD. Therefore the GeForce 6600 would have delivered considerably more 'bang' and improved future proofing. Yes, the consumer desktop is aimed at the so-called lower end of the market, but that doesn't preclude it from being a versatile gaming and publishing platform.

And Apple appears to have missed a further trick or three. The new machine has enough urban chic to silence even the most demanding of the style-obsessed! The 20" model should be the jewel in the crown of any digital lifestyle centre. And replace or supplement TiVo and Sky+! Of course Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger may contain further surprises in this regard and kick Microsoft's so-called Media Centers into a cocked hat.