Monday, December 8, 2008
NBC moving Leno to 10 p.m. slot
I wanted to post this just because I was really surprised at what happened. I knew all along that Leno was probably going to keep working somewhere else, but I really didn't expect him to retain his spot in the lineup for NBC. However, I personally like the decision because I felt that Late Night With Conan O'Brien would have had higher ratings, but would not have been as funny in the new time slot. It was just interesting to have all of this build up and then nothing really happened...
NBC moving Leno to 10 p.m. slot
'Tonight Show' host to stick with network
Peacock is prepped to announce on Tuesday that the "Tonight Show" host will take over the 10 p.m. weeknight slot starting next fall - a blockbuster move that had been rumored as a possibility for months, but something NBC had believed was a real long shot until recently.
Decision to strip Leno at 10 p.m. solves one of the most pressing issue facing NBC in the coming year: How to keep ratings leader Leno at the network, and away from the competition.
Move also saves "Tonight Show" successor Conan O'Brien from having to compete against his predecessor - who was expected to land in the 11:35 slot at another network, most likely ABC. (Fox and Sony, among others, had expressed interest too.) But by keeping Leno on at 10 p.m., O'Brien may also very well wind up being overshadowed by his predecessor - particularly since Leno will air in primetime, when TV viewing is higher.
By putting Leno in the 10 p.m. slot, NBC U topper Jeff Zucker has just completely altered the primetime landscape going into next season.
With 10 p.m. now filled by Leno - not to mention Sunday Night Football consuming four hours on Sunday and repeats on Saturday - NBC may program as few as ten hours of traditional primetime fare next fall. With some of those hours likely to be reality shows, there's not much room left for scripted fare.
That may strike fear into the hearts of agents, studios and producers, but it also might be NBC's ticket out of the ratings dumpster. The 10 p.m. slot, which is still key for stations, which depend on network viewership as a lead-in for its local newscasts, has been mostly a disaster for NBC.
Other than "Law & Order: SVU," Peacock has been struggling badly in the hour - one in which it once dominated, with powerhouses such as "ER."
Now, "ER" is limping to the finish line, while one-time solid performer "Law & Order" doesn't pull the viewers it once did. Also, one of the fall's biggest flops, "My Own Worst Enemy," fizzled on Mondays at 10 p.m.
Enter Jay Leno. Moving Leno to 10 p.m. had long been discussed in industry circles as perhaps NBC's best option to keep the host in the network fold.
But Zucker had shot down that speculation earlier this fall, arguing that Leno's heart was still with the 11:30 p.m. spot - partly because of the "Tonight Show"/Johnny Carson legacy with the spot.
Apparently he hadn't yet broached it with Leno himself. Because, according to insiders, when Zucker finally sat down with Leno last month to map out a 10 p.m. strategy, the late night king almost immediately signed on.
The pitch was simple: Keep doing what you're doing, but at 10 p.m. That means Leno still won't own the new show - NBC Universal will, much like it does the "Tonight Show."
As part of his new deal, insiders have suggested that Leno could make between $40 million to $50 million a year with a 10 p.m. slot.
Also, at least for now, Leno will continue to host the new show in the same Burbank studio (connected to NBC's now vacant former west coast headquarters) that he currently helms "Tonight." That's because NBC is building a new "Tonight Show" stage for O'Brien on the Universal lot, next to NBC's new digs.
Most importantly for Leno, he stays at the same home where he's spent the last 17 years as host of late night TV's biggest franchise.
NBC announced this summer that Leno would air his final "Tonight Show" on Friday, May 29, with O'Brien taking over on Monday, June 1. The host was said to be regretting his decision to leave the show, providing plenty of hints on air and in interviews earlier this year that he wasn't pleased with having to go.
The host joked on "Tonight" about a move to ABC, and told USA Today that "I am definitely done this year - with NBC."
NBC execs said Leno's comment was taken out of context, but admitted that they knew Leno wasn't happy about departing "Tonight." The gavver continues to dominate late night ratings, but NBC was resolute in sticking by the regime change it had put forth four years ago with Leno's blessing.
"Our goal is to work with him and come up with an alternative than telling jokes in late night at 11:30," NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chair Marc Graboff said at this summer's TV Critics Assn. press tour. "We believe there's room on a regular basis for him to be on our air."
Leno showed up at that same press tour session, in disguise - which was promoted by NBC as a sign that their relationship with the host was still solid.
As for O'Brien, the incoming "Tonight" host had been told that such a move with Leno was going down, and was informed on Monday that it would be official. According to insiders, the O'Brien camp feels that it's better to have Leno as a lead-in (with local news smack in the middle) than have him as a direct competitor.
Now, O'Brien will only have to battle David Letterman at 11:35. Also, Leno exec producer Debbie Vickers and O'Brien exec producer Jeff Ross are said to be close, and now that they'll be physically in close proximity, may work together on guests and other production issues.
The idea of stripping a series at 10 p.m. is nothing new: NBC toyed with the idea in 1992 as a way to keep David Letterman at the network; its believed the network also considered stripping "Dateline NBC" on the network back during a period of earlier ratings woes.
The impact of moving Leno to 10 p.m. will likely be a hot topic for weeks.
"What does this mean to my show?" asked one NBC exec producer almost immediately after word of the Leno move leaked. Indeed, some shows may wind up with shorter orders than the traditional 22 episode season, as Peacock's needs may be less.
ABC and CBS meanwhile, may cheer the news: They can position their dramas there as counterprogramming for viewers not interested in watching a gabfest at 10 p.m.
Leno at 10 p.m. may also accelerate NBC's aging process (or, on the flip side, add a few more younger viewers to Leno's stable). "Tonight's" median age is currently 56, far above the net's 18-49 demo target.
The Leno deal might also not bode well for NBC's development slate, now that the net suddenly has an hour less to program in primetime.
News comes as NBC was set to announce Monday that Jimmy Fallon will take over Conan O'Brien's chair on "Late Night" beginning Monday, March 2. Peacock was forced to hold off on that announcement, however, due to today's other big news coming out of NBC, its massive executive purge and network-studio restructure. A smaller programming team now makes more sense, given the Leno deal.
Google Wireless Plan Angers Audio-Equipment Makers
Basically this article is about how Google and there new Anroid phone and many of the other Google products are using whitespace to allow the use of listening to free music and downloads(rumor has it but no one has seem a device use whitespace yet), and basically another company is very upset because they believe this will effect how much profit there company will make. I understand that many people have put much time into it, but it shows how money hungry we have become and basically anything that is for free today is too good to be true. What makes this article so much better is the fact that everything about google and whitespace is all rumors nothing is for sure yet and this company going balls out to let people know how upset they are about this and stupid reasons they believe using whitespace for free would cause problems.
Google Wireless Plan Angers Audio-Equipment Makers
By Priya Ganapati 
08.19.08
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Some audio-equipment makers and producers fear trouble if Google pushes ahead with plans to petition the FCC to open up a part of the radio spectrum know as "white space."
Courtesy aaronescobar/flickr
Courtesy aaronescobar/flickr
Cross one off the list of Google's friends.
Wireless audio-equipment manufacturers and producers of live events are up in arms against Google's efforts to open up a little-used patch of radio spectrum.
What's being contested is the so-called "white space" spectrum, the vacant bands between ultra-high frequency television channels. As U.S. broadcasters transition from analog to digital transmission in time to meet the February 2009 deadline imposed by the Federal Communications Commission, the unused spectrum has become a battleground, pitting not just audio professionals but organizations such as the National Football League, movie studios and Broadway producers against Google.
Google turned up the heat Monday by launching a "Free the Airwaves" campaign with a website and a petition lobbying the FCC to open up the spectrum.
"Remember that fuzzy static between channels on the old TVs?" says the site. "Today more than three-quarters of those radio airwaves, or 'white space' spectrum, are completely unused. This vast public resource could offer a revolution in wireless services of all kinds, including universal wireless Internet."
But for audio-equipment manufacturers and live sound producers, the fuzzy static is their meal ticket.
"We are worried the FCC will buckle and allow white space to be used by personal portable devices seeking wireless services," says Karl Winkler, director of business development for Lectrosonics, a manufacturer of wireless professional audio systems.
The result, say audio industry professionals, could be disastrous. Wireless audio equipment could face significant interference from personal devices searching for wireless connectivity on the spectrum already being used by high-end audio equipment.
"The radio frequency environment is going to become more crowded and more difficult to use," says Mike Torlone, director of marketing services at AKG Acoustics, a division of audio-equipment manufacturer Harman International.
That could potentially lead to loss of signal and interruptions in transmissions, and could force audio producers and production managers to change the way they do business, say experts.
"In that case the number of wireless microphones used will be reduced significantly and it cost big productions millions of dollars to redesign what they do," says Winkler.
The kinds of performances affected aren't limited to the next Justin Timberlake concert or a video shoot for American Idol. While Broadway productions and live shows at Las Vegas are expected to bear the brunt of the decision to open up white space, even local bands, fast-food restaurants, political rallies and church pastors delivering their Sunday sermons could find themselves facing more than a few glitches.
The efforts to unlock the white space has been one of the biggest issues facing the audio-equipment industry and the professionals involved in it, says Bill Evans, editor of trade publication Front of House.
"Everybody is not only angry and upset, they are very, very worried," he says. "We are talking about the livelihood of people here."
The move from analog to digital TV transmission allowed the Federal Communications Commission to reclaim a part of the spectrum, between 698 MHz to 806 MHz. Recently the FCC successfully auctioned the 700 MHz spectrum, a large chunk of which was won by Verizon Wireless.
While a portion of the remaining spectrum has been reserved for future public-safety networks, white space between TV channels remains, and that has caught the attention of companies such as Google, Motorola, Microsoft and Philips.
The tech giants are lobbying to use the white space to deploy new wireless technologies to deliver broadband internet services to portable devices.
That's where the hitch lies, says Chris Lyons, manager of technical and educational communications at Shure, a professional audio-equipment manufacturer.
Lyons says it's not the broadband access per se that will cause problems, but the way devices would have to search through the spectrum for free bands.
Audio professionals claim that prototypes of devices capable of spectrum-sensing have failed some key tests. The FCC is expected to release a final report about the results next month.
For its part, Google says it doesn't want devices that could interfere with wireless audio equipment in the market either.
"From the beginning we have said that no white space device should come to market unless the FCC signs off on it," says Dan Martin, a Google spokesman.
Industry professionals hope there will be a technological fix for the problem soon, one that could allow wireless audio equipment to co-exist with devices using wireless broadband on the same spectrum.
But till then, the FCC needs to stay strong, says FOH magazine's Evans. "We are not ready yet," he says. "We need more time."
Google says it has suggested the use of a geolocation database that would ensure no white space device could transmit without first getting the all-clear from the database. That would allow manufacturers to prevent the use of white space bands in the vicinity of a Vegas show, for instance.
Meanwhile, companies are preparing for the worst. For instance, Lectrosonics is now offering a wider range of frequencies for its wireless microphones.
Until last year, the company's wireless microphones spanned a range of 537 MHz to 768 MHz. Now that a part of that band has been auctioned off, the company has reworked its devices to operate in the 470 MHz to 691 MHz spectrum. It has also added another band, the 944 MHz to 952 MHz spectrum, to the mix.
Those changes haven’t been easy. Over the course of a year, Lectrosonics reallocated engineering resources and spent "several thousand dollars" getting each new product certified by the FCC.
"We have a limited amount of engineering resources and there are hard costs such as FCC licenses that we have had to get," says Winkler.
Smaller wireless audio-equipment manufacturers may not have a choice, says Winkler. "We think a number of manufacturers will be shaken out. Lower quality, lower power systems will have a difficult time."
NFL in 3D: Good technology overcomes bad entertainment
I am not going to lie, this would of been an awesome thing to see and do, I watch a lot of football during the season and I would be been more involved in the game, with this hooked up to my eyes. I think this is a very cool idea, but the fact that it would be too much money and problems. I think this would be a great once in a lifetime thing to do, but overall I dont think it helps with making the NFL more interesting and capture the eyes of consumers to watch more and more football, but it is a very cool thing to experience. This just shows how far and long people will go to get more eyes watch there channels so they can make money, people paid a total of 75,000 dollars to have this setup to have a couple hundred people experience this, but I doubt that this will go any future seeing that 3d doesnt make nfl any better then it is now.
The NFL, live and in 3D
8:45 PM, December 4, 2008
As I headed to Mann's Chinese 6 this afternoon to watch the anemic Oakland Raiders play the underachieving San Diego Chargers, I wondered, can good technology overcome bad entertainment? It's a recurring theme here in Los Angeles, where tech companies continually pitch ways to add digital pizazz to tired forms of programming. In this instance, a potentially tedious edition of Thursday Night Football was made tantalizing -- in theory -- by the chance to see a game for the first time in digital 3D, live on a giant screen. The video production and distribution was by Burbank's 3ality Digital, with Technicolor handling the satellite transmissions to three theaters in Hollywood, Boston and New York and Beverly Hills-based RealD projecting the 3D pictures.
The verdict? The experience wasn't jaw-dropping, but it was noticeably better than a conventional broadcast. The game was drama-free, yet the novelty of 3D made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen -- at least until the Chargers' lead stretched to 27 points with less than a minute to go before halftime. The effect was subtle at times, but just as compelling as in "U2 3D," 3ality's concert film of the Irish rockers. The most striking thing in both cases was how much more you could see in three dimensions than in two.
Just as David Modell, chairman of 3ality Digital, warned in an interview before the game, the broadcast was as much a training exercise as a technology showcase. Some shots were so tightly framed, the action quickly squirted out of the frame. Others were so wide, they were hard to distinguish from 2D images. But the field-level and ground-level shots were great. The added depth provided a real sense for what you'd see from the sidelines -- how fast the action moves, how holes open and close, how big the players are. The closer the action moved to the end zones, the more the field opened up. Instead of crowded jumbles of players flattened against the screen, you'd see each of them distinctly, and the space around them. I found myself yearning for the tight, ground-level shots, even if it meant losing sight of the ball at times. That might be a function of the point of view's novelty, but I don't think so. Instead, I think the more realistic the viewpoint, the more interesting the game becomes. A good example: watching San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers from what seemed like the middle of the Raiders secondary, throwing a quick slant pass right at you before you have time to react. Very compelling.
There were no gimmicky shots, no footballs seemingly flying off the screen. But I didn't miss them. And predictably, there were glitches. The most notable were two multi-minute blackouts caused by satellite problems. One was especially inopportune -- the picture evaporated in the middle of a commercial for Technicolor, the company responsible for delivering the signal from the field to the theater. Ooops. On the plus side, the pictures were crisp through RealD's polarized glasses, and easy on the eyes.
In an interview this week, Modell said there were many unanswered questions about how to shoot a football game in 3D. Where should the cameras be? How long should directors stay with each feed? How does the production team use the technology to the greatest advantage? Just as wide-screen HDTV presented games in more detail, Modell said, adding a third dimension can fundamentally change a viewer's perspective: the action moves toward and away from you, not from left to right. "It gives you the impression as if you're standing on the field, and it occurs right in front of your very eyes," he said. "It's going to bring you closer."
That it did, at least in the Raiders-Chargers telecast. But there's no telling whether 3D will draw people into theaters to watch a game, or any other live event.
Michael Lewis, CEO of RealD, offered an "If you build it, they will come" rationale. When RealD launched five years ago, the public was hardly clamoring for 3D movies. Today, Lewis said, the 3D version of a film generates three to four times as much revenue per screen as the 2D version. "When you show it to someone," he said, "then they want it."
Theater owners initially resisted the move to digital because the didn't see a way to make a return on the required investment in new projectors and servers (which cost more than $75,000). Although the major Hollywood studios have agreed to subsidize the deployments, it's not yet clear how multiplexes will be able to translate that spending into increased sales. Movies in 3D offer some hope because theater owners can charge $2 to $3 more per ticket. The next step, Lewis said, is "alternative content" in 3D, such as live sports and concerts. Exhibitors are already experimenting with concerts, boxing and other events in 2D, with mixed results. For RealD and 3ality, the hope is that the immersive power of 3D will draw bigger audiences for that programming. But as Lewis said, "I just don't really know what people will show up for until we do it, so we're just going to try something." The company expects to do more sports in the coming months and to shift from private tests (as in today's game) to public ones.
The main piece still missing from the 3D value chain is home video -- a critical ingredient for sports with a huge TV audience, such as football. 3ality Digital CEO Sandy Climan predicted that 3D for the home will come "much sooner than people think." Many digital projection sets on the market can display a 3D picture (with the help of special glasses, just like in the theater), and Climan said a new generation of flat-panel sets with 3D capabilities is on its way. Viewers will also need a Blu-ray disc player, a computer or a set-top box equipped with special software. One stumbling block for 3D movies and broadcasts in the home is the lack of a standard way to display the images -- RealD's approach competes with several others -- but David Wertheimer, executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC, said industry groups were trying to settle on one. Noting the demand that multiplexes have seen for recent 3D movies, Wertheimer said, "It's pretty clear that there's an opportunity. We've got to all work together to make it happen sooner rather than later."
Eye Spy: Filmmaker Plans to Install Camera in His Eye Socket
This is a very cool story, basically Rob Spence a Canadian filmmaker wants to put a webcam into his false eye. I think this is super cool because it allows many to see the life in a fimmaker or just a different type of webcam, blogging or what not. I think this is very innovative and I am excited to see what kind of "films" he produces and excited to see how this adapts with others in this shoes. If you guys want to check out the video of the doctors putting in the webcam you can check it out at : http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/eye-spy-filmmak.html not for the faint of heart haha
Rob Spence looks you straight in the eye when he talks. So it's a little unnerving to imagine that soon one of his hazel-green eyes will have a tiny wireless video camera in it that records your every move.
The eye he's considering replacing is not a working one -- it's a prosthetic eye he's worn for several years. Spence, a 36-year-old Canadian filmmaker, is not content with having one blind eye. He wants a wireless video camera inside his prosthetic, giving him the ability to make movies wherever he is, all the time, just by looking around.
"If you lose your eye and have a hole in your head, then why not stick a camera in there?" he asks.
Spence, who calls himself the "eyeborg guy," will not be restoring his vision. The camera won't connect to his brain. What it will do is allow him to be a bionic man where technology fuses with the human body to become inseparable. In effect, he will become a "little brother," someone who's watching and recording every move of those in his field of vision.
If successful, Spence will become one of a growing number of lifecasters. From early webcam pioneer Jennifer Kaye Ringley, who created JenniCam, to Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell, to commercial lifecasting ventures Ustream.tv and Justin.tv, many people use video and internet technology to record and broadcast every moment of their waking lives. But Spence is taking lifecasting a step further, with a bionic eye camera that is actually embedded in his body.
"The eyes are like no other part of the body," says Spence. "It's what you look into when you fall in love with somebody and [influences] whether you trust someone or not. Now with a video camera in there, it will change how people see and perceive me."
It's an interesting and innovative idea, says Yonggang Huang, a professor in the departments of civil and mechanical engineering at Northwestern University. Huang, along with University of Illinois professor John Rogers has developed a web of micro-sensors to enable eye-shaped cameras. Huang is not involved in Spence's project.
"It's very clever," says Huang of Spence's quest. "It is not a true eye but it provides the way for people to record images in life as they see [them] and store [them]."
Spence lost his right eye at 13 while playing with his grandfather's gun on a visit to Ireland. "I wanted to shoot a pile of cowshit," he says. "I wasn't holding the gun properly and it backfired, causing a lot of trauma to the eye."
After the accident, he returned to Belleville, a small town two hours east of Toronto, where he grew up. Spence became technically blind in the eye, and over the years, his vision deteriorated completely. Three years ago he had his eye removed and a prosthetic one inserted. Ever the filmmaker, he even made a movie out of his surgery. But it wasn't an easy decision.
"When you completely lose an eye it is a difficult thing to let go of," he says. "The eye has an emotional attachment. It is a window to your soul."
Spence wore an eye patch for a while, which he says looked cool. But once he started thinking about having a camera in his eye, Spence got in touch with Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto. Mann is one of the experts in the world of wearable computing and cyborgs -- organisms that blend natural and artificial systems.
"There are a lot of challenges in this," says Mann, "from actually building a camera system that works, to sending and receiving images, to getting the correct shape of the camera."
Even in the age of miniaturization, getting a wireless video camera into a prosthetic eye isn't easy. The shape of the prosthetic is the biggest limitation: In Spence's case, it's 9-mm thick, 30-mm long and 28-mm high.
While that might seem like plenty of room in an age when digital cameras are squeezed into unimaginably slim and compact phones, it actually isn't. The average area available inside a prosthetic eye for an imaging sensor is only about 8 square mm, explains Phil Bowen, an ocularist who is working with Spence. Also, a digital camera has many more components than the visible lens and the sensor behind it, including the power supply and image-processing circuitry. Getting a completely self-contained camera module to fit into the tiny hollow of a prosthetic eye is a significant engineering challenge.
That's where Professors Huang and Rogers' research could come in handy. Three months ago, the duo published a paper that showed how a new sensor built out of a flexible mesh of wire-connected pixels could replace the traditional flat imaging chip as the light sensor for a camera. The mesh is made from many of the same materials as a standard digital-camera sensor, but it has the ability to conform to convoluted, irregular surfaces -- like the back of a synthetic eyeball.
"Our cameras might more naturally integrate with a prosthetic eye, due to their hemispherical shapes," says Rogers. "One might also argue that they can provide a more human-like perception of the world."
Then there's the question of how the prosthetic eyeball (the outer shell for the camera) will be made. The eyeball chassis has to close shut and be watertight.
Traditional prosthetic eyes are single pieces made with polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), a flexible polymer that is also used in dentures. To fit a camera in, Bowen redesigned the prosthetic eye into two pieces that could snap shut.
But with a camera inside there's something new to worry about. The modified prosthetic eye will be heavier than traditional ones and that could affect the eye socket, says Bowen. "The weight might stretch out the lower lid," he says, potentially disfiguring the face.
Assuming the size, weight and water-tightness issues can be solved, Spence has a vague idea of how he thinks it can work. A camera module will have to be connected to a transmitter inside the prosthetic eye that can broadcast the captured video footage. To boost the signal, he says he can wear another transmitter on his belt. A receiver attached to a hard drive in a backpack could capture that information and then send it to another device that uploads everything to a web site in real time.
Man, if we aren't careful, Netflix is going to turn into a behemoth right before our very eyes. The company once known for taking physical discs right to your mailbox is now getting all sorts of attention for its workings in the online delivery space, and if you thought hooking up with Microsoft was hot stuff, have a listen at this. Starting today, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL owners can access thousands of Netflix movies on their set-top-box, and better still, these same owners can access a growing library of high-def titles. Of course, this new functionality comes at no additional cost, though you will need a Netflix account to take advantage. So Netflix, what's next? Infiltrating DirecTV / DISH Network boxes? Seeping inside of our actual TV sets? Breathing new life into the Atari Jaguar? Full release is after the break.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
Man, if we aren't careful, Netflix is going to turn into a behemoth right before our very eyes. The company once known for taking physical discs right to your mailbox is now getting all sorts of attention for its workings in the online delivery space, and if you thought hooking up with Microsoft was hot stuff, have a listen at this. Starting today, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL owners can access thousands of Netflix movies on their set-top-box, and better still, these same owners can access a growing library of high-def titles. Of course, this new functionality comes at no additional cost, though you will need a Netflix account to take advantage. So Netflix, what's next? Infiltrating DirecTV / DISH Network boxes? Seeping inside of our actual TV sets? Breathing new life into the Atari Jaguar? Full release is after the break.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! MOVIES AND TV EPISODES FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY
Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers
ALVISO, Calif. - December 8, 2008 - After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services. This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well. Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
"With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite," said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box. Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket. And that's all in addition to TiVo's core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place. It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value."
"Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike."
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface. Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers' TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service. With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.
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