GridNetworks brings streaming video to your TV
Video delivery platform provider GridNetworks on Monday announced that it has launched its GridCast TV service, which allows content distributors to stream online video to a viewer's TV.
GridCast TV is currently capable of reaching 35 million homes across the United States, thanks to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Internet-enabled high-definition TVs.
According to GridNetworks, the service doesn't require the use of a set-top box or any other additional hardware, but it is a CDN overlay technology that requires to two main components: software embedded into set-top boxes, as well as the installation of the Grid Network Control center on a publisher's hardware to manage videos.
So far, popular IPTV network Revision3 has started working with GridNetworks, along with IndieFlix and HavocTV.
"Our goal is to help video distributors capture more viewers, differentiate themselves from their competitors and, above all, make more money," GridNetworks CEO Tony Naughtin said in a statement. "What makes this new service different is that it combines the reach of TV with the high CPM rates associated with targeted Internet audiences."
Streaming online videos to the HDTV is the next major frontier in entertainment, but GridNetworks may be a little late. Apple has already made streaming IPTV shows to HDTVs simple, with the help of the Apple TV. That said, GridNetworks isn't tied to one product, and it wants to bring its service to other devices to expand its footprint in the market.
GridCast TV is operational now, but pricing is available only after contacting the company with inquiries.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
