Archives For Video

HBO Takes Issue With Apple Security

Dave Zatz —  October 24, 2011 — 11 Comments

hbogo-apple

Wondering why you can’t pass HBO Go video from your iPad or iPhone to your HDTV? Josh Arnold did too… and took his query to Twitter where HBO responded:

HBO requires a level of content protection that’s not currently supported by Apple TV.

If you recall, I bought the iPhone HDMI adapter with intentions of streaming HBO GO and came away disappointed. Likewise, even AirPlay Mirroring, from iPhone 2 to Apple TV, is blocked. A couple months back, the logical assumption would have been that HBO prefers folks subscribe to their cable channel and isn’t interested in digitally serving the lean back crowd. Or they were concerned with various content licensing issues. However, after announcing intentions to stream HBO GO via Samsung devices, the Xbox 360, and Roku those theories have been blown. And, now, it looks like we have our answer  – there’s something about the way Apple transmits data via HDMI and/or AirPlay that makes HBO uneasy. But with HBO GO coming to various set-top boxes (that I own) in the near future, it doesn’t much bother me anymore.

In Apple, Software, Video
 permalink

A Google TV 2.0 Sneak Peak

Dave Zatz —  October 20, 2011 — 29 Comments

Google-TV-Honeycomb2

After reading my Google TV 2.0 lament, our friend Scott Greczkowski of Satellite Guys wanted us to share action shots of the upcoming lean back experience.

The original Google TV initiative, comprised of Sony and Logitech hardware, wasn’t exactly well received in the marketplace. In fact, disastrous sales led Logitech to knock $200 off their set-top box… about the same time they sacked the CEO. So to improve upon the experience, Google is modernizing the interface and bringing the familiar Android Market of Honeycomb to the table – with both Google and Logitech indicating release is mere weeks away. And I expect we’ll see both software updates made available for existing devices plus a variety of new hardware vessels. Which one hopes is more in line with Roku and Apple TV pricing this time around.

Google-TV-Honeycomb8

As we were previously exposed to many elements of the new Honeycomb 3.1 UI last last spring, I wanted to highlight Scott’s Google TV 2.0 app store experience. And my first “Android Market” observation is the thought that perhaps Google should have gone with “Android TV” given the underpinnings of Google TV and their success in the smartphone arena. That ship has sailed, so I’m left wondering why the Android Market is branded as such when Google TV Market would work just as well. Beyond labels, the app store mimics the mobile experience. Browse, download, and rate apps with users being alerted as to the data the app can access. Thanks to reader Khalid, we can even currently browse the small but growing selection of Google TV 2.0 apps via desktop web browser ahead of launch. Based on the screengrabs and marketplace browsing, I suspect  some early favorites might be Pandora, Twitter, and the WSJ. Continue Reading…

In Gadgets, Video
 permalink

Apple TV 4.4 Jailbreak Now Available

Dave Zatz —  October 18, 2011 — 3 Comments

Just a few short days after Apple TV was upgraded to 4.4 (and then 4.4.1), the user friendly Seas0nPass jailbreak utility has now likewise been updated to free you from the stock confines of Apple’s diminutive media streamer. Sort of.

Unfortunately, this initial 4.4 Apple TV jailbreak requires the aTV be tethered  to a computer at boot. An annoyance, yes. But not a deal breaker. Which brings us to the fairly critical plugins which fail to work under the update… including XBMC.

Considering a majority of jailbreakers do so to harness the more extensive local media playback capabilities of XBMC, this limitation could be a non-starter for many. So it’s probably good news that for the time being it’s possible to abstain from upgrading your hacked 4.3 Apple TV. By the time Apple removes 4.3 code signing and forces an upgrade, one hopes these early jailbreak issues will have been resolved.

Itemized plugin status follows: Continue Reading…

In Apple, Gaming, Hacks, Video
 permalink

Google TV 2.0 Still Missing In Action

Dave Zatz —  October 18, 2011 — 25 Comments

google-tv-home-screen

With the introduction of Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich Android software less than 12 hours away, I can’t help but wonder whatever happened to the prior Honeycomb edition destined for Google TV. Back in May, we were promised a summer Google TV 2.0 reboot. And the struggling platform could certainly use a lift. The new app-centric approach with refreshed lean back UI looked quite promising, offering an open software marketplace to take on the invite-only Apple TV. But “summer” concluded without a peep from Google or their hardware partners. So I queried Logitech on the first day of fall (9/23) for a status update… they responded with:

We are working closely with Google and aiming to launch the product in the weeks ahead.

While Google had no updates to offer at their earnings call, they recently reiterated the above at MIPCOM:

What I can tell you about what’s coming up with Google TV, is version two is about to launch probably within the next three or four weeks. -Donagh O’Malley, Director of Content, Google TV

Hopefully, Google hits that revised target… as holiday shopping is already gearing up. Both Logitech and Sony previously indicated they’d offer new Google TV television and set-top box hardware, but will there be others? At prices competitive with the Apple TV and Roku? Not to mention us early adopters would like to see our original Google TV hardware gain new capabilities.

I am feeling somewhat hopeful that Google TV 2.0 will be available soon… But, keep in mind, this very same team prevously announced plans in November, 2010 to “open the Android Market on Google TV in early 2011.” Maybe they mean it this time.

UPDATE: A Google TV 2.0 sneak peak running on first generation Logitech Revue hardware.

In Gadgets, Video
 permalink

First Draft of H.265 Spec Due in February

Mari Silbey —  October 17, 2011 — 4 Comments

Our growing appetite for high-def video is putting a serious strain on operator networks, and the result is an enemy we all love to hate: bandwidth caps. So bearing that in mind, it’s good news to hear there’s continued progress on the development of a new video compression standard, the High Efficiency Video Coding specification, or H.265. According to Multichannel News, an initial draft of the new spec should be ready in February, with a completed standard due in January 2013.

The H.265 codec is expected to decrease the bandwidth needed to deliver video by 25% to 50%. The bandwidth savings come at a cost of increased processing complexity, but the benefits, particularly for mobile operators, make the cost worthwhile. GigaOM reported not long ago that data delivery will stop being profitable for mobile carriers in about a year and a half. Without increases in efficiency, you can bet your bottom dollar that carriers will raise data rates as a counter-measure. On the other hand, with a combination of network improvements and compression advances, perhaps we can stave off that outcome and continue to enjoy our mobile streaming services.

New video compression techniques will also be put to the test with the advent of Ultra High-Definition Television. UHDTV is said to increase the number of pixels crammed into a video picture by 400% to 1,600%. The ITU settled on an agreement for the basic tech specs in a UHDTV standard with an announcement last week.

In Broadband, Industry, Video
 permalink