Netflix is in the process of making a big play against Hulu and cable/satellite providers, according to news reporters. Everyone’s favorite online movie peddler is reportedly in negotiations with the studios toward getting access to current season shows for its Watch Instantly streaming service. Netflix is reportedly offering $70,000 to $100,000 per episode, seemingly a pretty attractive offer.
You know that old battery-operated radio that you keep in your closet in case of a prolonged blackout, monumental storm, alien attack or other grid-cutting disaster? Toshiba now has a TV for that.
The company launched its Power PC1 Series [24- and 32-inch] of televisions today. The Power TVs are being offered in the countries of Southeast Asia, like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, where the grid is not as stable.
A Reuters report indicates that the Web TV wars may get even more heat in the future. Microsoft will reportedly look to take on competitors like Google TV and Apple TV 2 with its own subscription-based service. The service will be rolled into the company’s Xbox 360 consoles, giving it a large market straight out of the gate.
Microsoft may be gunning at more than Internet-content-on-your-TV-type hardware from the likes of Google, Apple and other hardware manufacturers; it may be going straight after the set-top boxes of cable and satellite providers. According to Reuters’ report, one direction Redmond is considering is a subscription service that would deliver content directly from major networks like ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN or CNN. Even more interestingly, the company is considering selling programming bundles (i.e. sports packages, children’s packages, etc.), as well as single channels (i.e. HBO) directly to consumers.
The holidays mean a lot to a lot of different people, but two common themes are the best day of gifts of the year and the official kick-off of winter. And the best way I can think of to combine those two themes is by giving/getting the gift of Internet TV/movie content. What else do you plan to do on those sub-freezing winter nights and weekends?
Surprise, surprise. It’s been about three and a half months since ESPN 3D launched during the World Cup, and things aren’t going so great. I guess launching a service before there’s much of any way to take advantage of it–especially when that service entails specific, expensive hardware–isn’t the most solid business plan, despite the perception that people need to see juiced-up jocks battling in full 3D.
If there’s one major point of contention about the current television market, it’s got to be that it’s so damn fragmented that you have to have a different box for every type of content out there–Blu-rays, DVRs, Internet TV boxes, etc. Hell, not that long ago, we still had to worry about HD DVDs. I was hoping that Google TV would provide the opportunity to streamline that system, but without major services like Hulu on board, it won’t quite make it there. Not yet anyway.
After months of waiting, Google TV is finally official. Sony introduced its NSX-GT1 line of LCD televisions today, which will henceforth be called Google TVs (until another company launches its own Google TVs). That’s sure a lot catchier than Sony’s name: Sony Internet TV, powered by Google TV (ouch?).
The most interesting news: the leaked pricing that Sony Insider ran last week was off and the TVs are actually a lot cheaper than that, running just $599 for the 24-inch model, $799 for the 32-inch model, $999 for the 40-inch model and $1,399 for the 46-inch model. According to CNET, that puts the premium for Google TV at between $100 and $250, depending upon size.
Well, thanks to Sony Insider we finally have the long-awaited look at Google TV pricing–for the actual televisions, not just the $300 box. You’ve waited long enough; prices are $1299.99 for the 32-inch NSX-32GT1, $1499.99 for the 40-inch NSX-40GT1 and $1899.99 for the 46-inch NSX-46GT1. There will also be a 24-inch model, and while today’s leak didn’t include a price for that one, an educated guess would put it right around the $1,000 mark.
We got word last week that Sony will be launching the first Google TV this month. Thanks to a special about Google TV on ABC’s Nightline, we now have a solid look at what will be controlling Sony’s TV.
The remote is a rectangular model with a Qwerty keypad complete with space bar and a circular controller on either side. It actually looks a little more like a video game controller than a typical remote, but it looks like it should bring the worlds of TV and Web together as cohesively as Google TV promises to. It’s also quite symmetrical with like buttons on either side.
