What were the highlights of this weeks’ news in Etilities? Let’s take a look.

Forget what you thought you knew about the XBox 360

This was E3 week, and from an Etilities standpoint Microsoft seems to be doing the most for me. First, it is planing yet another XBox Live expansion that boasts Netflix browsing, Twitter and Facebook integration, and 1080p streaming. On top of that, you will also be able to download full retail games on demand straight to your XBox. Finally, it announced a new control system called ‘Project Natal‘, which will basically allow you to control your XBox… without a controller. I don’t know about you, but I can think of plenty of applications for this kind of technology.

Hulu may start charging users

There are rumors (well sourced, but still just rumors at this point) that Hulu is looking into new models where customers would be charged for the content that they watch. I for one would be OK with that, but according to numerous polls out there I’m definitely in the minority:

• This Lifehacker Poll shows 70% of the users saying they absolutely would not do it
• This EngadgetHD Poll shows that 76% of the users are also saying absolutely not

Google wants YouTube to look good on your TV

Google has released its new ‘YouTube XL‘, which is basically a cleaner, lighter interface that aims to look good full screen (for example on a TV monitor, hint hint). Hulu released a very similar interface last week with seemingly the same goal called ‘Hulu Desktop‘.

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Boxee, the open source project that allows you to watch TV programming on your television or computer without having cable, announced yesterday that it was pulling all Hulu content this coming Friday, at  the request of Hulu (Etilities Forum).

Unsurprisingly, the reaction of the online community so far has been extremely negative. And rightfuly so, given that nobody wins from this: not the users who can no longer watch their favorite content on their TV set, and not Hulu, who will lose all of the ad revenue generated from those very users.

The irony in all this is that Hulu itself is just as displeased by this situation as everyone else: in a blog post, Hulu explains that this decision stems from the content providers themselves. Hulu CEO Jason Kilar explains: “Our content providers requested that we turn off access to our content via the Boxee product, and we are respecting their wishes. [...] The maddening part of writing this blog entry is that we realize that there is no immediate win here for users.”

A strange situation indeed… One can only wonder what the content providers are thinking.

©2008-2009, Gallop Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

If there are two events that evidentially show the rapid pace of technology developments, they are the US Presidental Elections and each of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.  Each occurs only every four years, making it easy to compare the technology used “last time” with the latest and greatest.

At nearly every Olympic event, commentators discuss the newest materials used for ice skate blades and luge runners, or the latest running shoe and swimsuit technology.  We can even look outside the sports themselves to the TV tech:  many folks won’t forget the first time the “underwater” lane markers and lap/split stats were displayed at the 2004 Athens Games.  Even fewer can forget how that feature was spotlighted in Beijing last year, during the amazingly close finishes of Michael Phelps.

Similar leaps and bounds have advanced the news coverage during this Presidential election/inauguration, compared with those before it.  (Please note: this is not a political commentary, we’re just focusing on the technology!)

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Most major TV networks are by now well aware that the old model of TV content delivery is slowly eroding. Nowadays, it’s all about having a strong online presence and being the place where users can go to watch their favorite shows via the web. The NBC and FOX networks have already acted on this by creating the very popular Hulu (Etilities Forum), one of Gallop’s top 10 personal technology services of 2008. Not surprisingly, CBS is also very interested in being a major player in this market, and the major re-design in December of its site tv.com was a clear message that it is going after Hulu.

Well, according to Ars Technica, tv.com has just upped the ante thanks to new content partnerships with major TV studios which, as a result, will add another 1,000 episodes to its already strong catalog. This will truly turn tv.com into a force to be reckoned with, especially given that the site is building upon a community that is both large and well-established. Indeed, before tv.com entered the content streaming market, it was a site where people could go to see show schedules, episode ratings, and otherwise discuss the shows themselves in community forums. I personally have been using it regularly for a good while to just get info on series I was either interested in or currently watching.

Tv.com’s community is an important factor because in the long run it is likely that all these online shops will be drawing from the exact same content pool, and then the only differentiating factor will be their community. A good analogy would be Amazon: you go there not only to shop but also to read the reviews of the products you’re interested in. And we all know how successful it has been.

The good news for you consumers is that whichever loses, you win! Let’s look forward to much ruthless competition between Hulu and tv.com while we enjoy the free content they’ll be eager to please us with.

©2008-2009, Gallop Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

There has been a debate brewing for decades about the importance and the role of networks who provide content and that of those who transmit it to end-users.  Each side, of course, supports its own self-interest.  Over the past few days, several fairly heated discussions have occurred between companies on both sides.  Most notably, Viacom recently threatened to pull some programming from Time Warner Cable.  In light of these problems, the news of CBS and Time Warner Cable reaching a fresh broadcasting deal without major fireworks led to a large sigh of relief from the industry and all of us as consumers.  

Cable companies have also been increasing their rates, a move parallel and related to these discussions.  As we’ve mentioned, Comcast (Etilities Forum) is planning to raise rates in February, and today Time Warner Cable (Etilities Forum) announced a planned increase in fees as well.  A spokesperson for the company explained that the move is required in order to overcome higher fees from programmers: “The programmers, we are wholesaler distributors of them, we have to purchase their product, biggest expense”.

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A spokesperson from Comcast (Etilities Forum) has recently confirmed that the company’s television subscribers will see rate increases in February 2009. Although the average increase will only be 3.2%, compared to 4% in previous years, any bump at all will be felt more this year as the economic situation in the US tightens wallets nationwide.

We’ve included a brief summary of the announced increases below.  However, your actual cost may differ depending on local taxes, promotional values, and other factors.  As always, check with your local Comcast representative to confirm.

The rate increase, when combined with the slowed economy, could drive subscribers to seek out new alternatives, including Hulu (Etilities Forum), Joost (Etilities Forum), and even the venerable (and versatile) Netflix (Etilities Forum). While the rate change is not slated to affect Comcast’s Internet or phone plan rates, it could trigger bundle consumers to scale back monthly payments by considering VoIP phone services like Vonage (Etilities Forum).

©2008-2009, Gallop Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chances are that if you’re reading this, you might be like me…too tired to go out, unable to find a babysitter, saving money or just too cold to go out…and you’ll be ringing in the New Year from the comfort of your own couch.  Though I’d like to pretend that I’m a newbie at skipping the festivities, I’d be lying.  I’m certainly no grinch of New Year’s eve but for one reason or another, I’ve too often enjoyed a glass of champagne or something bubbly in front of the TV while my wife traditionally is asleep before they even start the countdown to the ball drop.

Sure, part of me is envious of those outside reveling in the streets of Washington, DC, enjoying the blistering cold with lots of other generally drunk parents pretending they’re still in their twenties, but I can say I’ve been there and done it at least once (that I remember anyways).  What’s still on my lifetime “to-do” list is going to go to New York City to see the ball drop without having the TV commentators give me their version of why the year was an important one or suffering through ridiculous commercials trying to squeeze those last few dollars from me that I might not have spent over Christmas.

Though this isn’t the year I’ll spend in New York, Hulu (Etilities Forum) decided to bring me closer to my wish by offering a live stream straight into Times Square.  So if you’re one of those who will be on the couch as the ball drops and following it through Hulu – one of our top 10 technology services providers of 2008 - here’s a toast to technology bringing us closer together and helping us reach our dreams.  See you next year!

©2008-2009, Gallop Services, Inc. All rights reserved.