Though some iCloud functionality is already available to iTunes users, the paid iTunes Match service doesn’t launch until fall. But a new report suggests there will be ample demand when it does arrive, and convenience, not a desire to skirt the law, is driving interest. Read more »
Nintendo is making a home console that incorporates a tablet, and the Sony PlayStation Vita borrows liberally from this generation of smartphones. But thanks to OnLive, gamers may not have to go looking for devices similar to their iPads and iPhone for a top-tier gaming experience. Read more »
Apple’s iCloud product poses a threat and an opportunity for ISPs. The product — which will deliver music and photo content on demand — is an acknowledgement that people are ready to stream content rather than store it on local hard drives. This has huge repercussions for ISPs. Read more »
OnLive is a few steps closer to bringing its streaming video game service to new TVs and Blu-ray players, thanks to a partnership with Intel to add its service to chip sets and the release of a universal controller designed to work with various connected devices. Read more »
A new patent published earlier this week describes a system of partial local storage of music for cloud-based streaming for use with Apple devices. It could foreshadow what Apple’s cloud music service will look like when it launches, something rumored to be happening soon. Read more »
After a year in which over-the-top video services grabbed most of the media’s attention, some of the online video headlines shifted back to traditional pay-TV providers in the first quarter of 2011. Device manufacturers rolled out new offerings, while cable-TV providers moved to expand their in-home footprint beyond the TV itself. But over-the-top continued to encroach, with Roku adding its first linear channels to the Roku store and Netflix acquiring exclusive rights to high-profile original series House of Cards. Finally, traditional web powers like Google, Yahoo and Apple made moves to reassert their presence in the living room after their early stumbles. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Comcast, Cablevision, Viacom and VUDU. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple is ready to launch an online music storage service that will let iTunes customers stream their songs from a remote server wherever they have Internet access, according to a new report from Reuters. Sources claim Apple’s service will beat Google’s similar offering to market. Read more »
AirPlay’s wireless music streaming just got a lot more useful, thanks to developer James Laird, who used the private key employed by Apple’s AirPort Express when it streams iTunes music to create an open source emulator which accomplishes the same feat, called Shareport. Read more »
Today marks the 35th birthday of Apple, and though the company has undergone many changes, in terms of its fortunes and its business focus, it’s still a leader when it comes to innovation. Can we expect that to continue for another 35 years? Read more »
Unlike the cap and congestion crowd, Verizon Communications keeps upgrading its network, planning for the cloud and streaming era coming up. It plans to upgrade backbone pipes in the U.S. along select routes to 100 Gigabit per second capacity before the second quarter of this year. Read more »
There’s both good and bad news for Netflix subscribers on Android phones. The good news? A Netflix Android app has been leaked onto the Internet. The bad news? While you can browse, search and look at titles in your instant queue, you can’t actually stream anything. Read more »
This morning, iOS video streaming app Air Video got AirPlay support, making it easy to keep your movie collection with you everywhere, but only if that collection is stored on your own Mac. It’s a good reminder of why subscription services aren’t all rainbows and sunshine. Read more »
Apple has plans for putting iTunes in the cloud, but a subscription service that provides users access to its entire content library is not among them, according to a new report. Instead, Apple wants to make your existing collection available to any of your devices. Read more »
Pogoplug Video, announced today at CES, will allow you to make videos available to clients more easily. The device will stream HD video and images from your own external hard drive, directly to desktops and laptops, as well as to iOS, Android, and other mobile devices. Read more »
It’s important to dispel potential myths and market misunderstandings when it comes to consumer electronic devices and trends. For 2011, that includes paid video chat, Apple dominating the living room and the misinformed belief that Google will rule the e-book space. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Blame cord cutting, at least in part, for the drop in cable subscriber numbers in 2010. Looking towards 2011, we expect this trend could gather further steam thanks to bundled subscription offerings from players like Microsoft and Apple. We also expect a new iteration of the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple has yet to introduce either a streaming iTunes subscription, or a good way for MobileMe users to store their music library in the cloud for remote access. However, a service called mSpot is here to remedy that problem, by providing online space for your music. Read more »
These days, the amount of content available for the average TV junkie is astronomical, and it’s the rare series that doesn’t bundle its episodes with an online presence. And though most television executives at this stage are relatively blunt about the fact that the web elements ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The live-stream video market is entering an upturn in the typical hockey stick growth chart. Tens of millions of desktop viewers use browser-based players to find live-streaming content on an ever-increasing number of web sites and mobile devices. Raw viewership will grow fastest in the consumer segment, where sites like Justin.tv and Qik are focused. Those like Kyte, Livestream, Ustream and BitGravity, meanwhile, primarily offer platforms to commercial content providers seeking a mass audience. And as the market grows, both in terms of viewers and of the number and type of content providers, it will support both those with a diverse, one-stop-shop approach and those who specialize in particular content and audiences. Additional companies mentioned in this report include YouTube/Google, Sony, HTC, Vivu, Facebook and Apple. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple just posted a new teaser image on its home page, promising an iTunes announcement for tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. PST, or 10:00 a.m. EST. The official tagline for the event is “Tomorrow is just another day. That you’ll never forget.” Read more »
TV apps will soon be “everywhere,” according to attendees of a recent GigaOM Bunker event examining the future of the TV market. But how that market will develop, and which TV platforms will win out, is yet to be ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
On November 9, we gathered more than 50 entrepreneurs, executives and investors at our San Francisco offices to engage in a town hall-style forum. The topic of discussion was to consider what could happen if we had the “app store” revolution on our TV sets. Would ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
For those tired of playing within Apple TV’s limited bounds, Plex provides some new freedom for jailbroken current generation devices. Plex is based on the open-source XBMC (also the basis for Boxee) and provides a free alternative to sticking with only what Apple has provided. Read more »
With DVD sales plummeting and Blu-ray and digital sell-thru unable to make up the gap, Hollywood continues to struggle with the digital revolution. Among the countless strategies under consideration to reverse this trend is making titles available for rent on or near the day they premiere ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In an article on AppleInsider, Josh Ong details changes in the upcoming iOS 4.2 update. It seems to blur the line between MobileMe and a user’s Apple ID. It’s a subtle addition, but it might just be the seed of a revolution in personal computing. Read more »
Apple’s $1 billion data center in North Carolina made headlines when the project was revealed in May 2009. New reports indicate that the facility is set to open “any day now,” according to local officials, and could possibly double its current 500,000 square foot size. Read more »
Apple streamed its last event, and it seemed likely that was the start of a trend. Well, trend confirmed, as Italy’s Apple PR branch has just released an announcement saying that it will indeed be streaming the event live at Apple.com today at 10 AM PDT. Read more »
Spotify is a huge hit in Europe, where it provides ad-supported, free streaming music via desktop application. It’s attracted roughly seven million users there, and is now in the process of trying to extend that success to U.S. shores. Apple isn’t on board with the plan. Read more »
Last week, Google dramatically changed its core search interface with Google Instant. With the trend of feed-like user-interfaces continuing to gain momentum, it’s worth taking a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages, as well as how businesses can implement and add value to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
So is Apple TV still only a hobby for Jobs and company? Because if it isn’t, then I’m missing something from yesterday’s presentation. The new Apple TV is smaller, cheaper and sexier, I’ll grant it that, but what else does it really have going for it? Read more »
AirPlay was one of the most nebulous topics up for discussion at today’s special press event regarding iOS, iPods, iTunes and Apple TV. In many ways, it’s something we already know a lot about, since it’s the successor to AirTunes. In others, it’s a mystery. Read more »
Several significant events set the tone for the digital media ecosystem during in the second quarter. First among these was the release of the iPad, the impact of which went far beyond device uptake; among other things it does not support Adobe Flash, which has impacted the entire chain of web-based video production from content sites re-encoding video to new tools being developed for HTML5-based advertising.
Another principal event in the quarter was the announcement of Google TV, a software platform built on Android 2.1, Google Chrome and Flash 10.1 that will be incorporated into a variety of companion devices including TV sets, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. The platform offers significant advancements in merging TV and the web experience (although TiVo says it has done just that for years). Sony and Logitech have both announced plans to launch Google TV products in fall 2010.
Also in the second quarter, both YouTube and Hulu refreshed their sites, reflecting the market’s growing maturity. But while YouTube spent the quarter on the defensive in its ongoing legal battle with Viacom over copyright infringement, Hulu was on the offensive, introducing new services and preparing a paid subscription service launch. A paid service would bring new revenue streams to the video site, and would put Hulu in more direction competion with Netflix, which is increasingly shifting toward its streaming video service, away from its former mainstay of DVDs by mail. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple has gone all-in for streaming as the primary means of getting content onto its devices. That has distinct strategic advantages for Apple, but it’s not without risks, especially for ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Not long ago, digital rights management and copy protection seemed to be on their last legs. But DRM is poised to make a major comeback, and copy restrictions could soon be a bigger of TV viewing than ever. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Under AT&T’s new 3G data plans, streaming one two-hour Netflix movie per month would bust the limit on the low-end plan. With the high-end plan, you could consume roughly 13.5 hours of Netflix video per month before hitting your limit, again assuming you did nothing else ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The growing anti-Apple alliance between Google and Adobe is likely to extend beyond mobile devices and apps, however. One collaboration that is surely in the works, even if its not ready to be announced this week, is the integration of Flash into Google’s new Smart TV ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The iPad is already a strong entry in the mobile games realm, with its large, high-resolution display, touchscreen interface and support for external devices like keyboards. Plus it has the iPhone/iPad development community cranking out innovative games all the time, too. Read more »
Why shut down Lala if there’s no chance of launching an iTunes.com? Because cloud-based media storage and retrieval is central to Apple’s long-term strategy, and Lala is central to implementing that ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As you may have heard, Apple plans to shut down streaming music service Lala.com at the end of May. At the time, speculation ran rampant that Apple was planning on using the service to launch its own streaming music venture. Read more »
Embedded app stores are finding their way onto connected HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and set-top boxes, where streaming video apps are likely to predominate. With the number of connected devices expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, cable and satellite providers could again find ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
