Crave

Lots of options already exist for getting video-on-demand via the Web.

(Credit: CNET)

The economy is in the toilet, and I know I'm not the only person in America who is looking for ways to cut costs. Top on my list in 2009 is finding a way to eliminate my $100 a month cable TV bill.

Up until very recently, the idea of cutting off subscription TV would have meant skimping on a whole lot of good quality entertainment. I must admit, I don't watch a lot of TV. But I watch enough that I would be very sad if I had to give up HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" or NBC's "30 Rock."

But thanks to that wonderful communications network known as the Internet and the fact that big Hollywood studios and TV networks have finally realized that digital distribution is actually a good thing, cable cord cutters, like me, won't have to sacrifice that much or anything at all, depending on what movies and TV programs we like to watch.

Thanks to services like Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon On Demand, consumers can simply stream or download movies or previous seasons of TV shows directly from the Web anytime they want. And for those viewers looking for current seasons of TV shows, they can turn to Web sites, such as Hulu.com or TV.com, which have aggregated some of the most popular TV shows for on-demand viewing over the Net. (Disclosure: CNET and TV.com are properties of CBS Interactive.)

Since Netflix introduced its Watch Instantly service back in January 2007, Mac owners have been left out in the cold. Besides using Apple's Boot Camp software, or third-party solutions like Parallels and VMware to use Windows, there was no other way to watch Netflix's streaming videos with out-of-the-box Mac software.

That's changing as of Tuesday, as Netflix has begun rolling out its new Microsoft Silverlight-based streaming service to a small number of monthly subscribers. I've been playing with it all morning, and it works marvelously. Both the Mac and PC players are identical, and in side-by-side testing the quality is too.

One of the most dramatic improvements is the new timeline navigation. This new system shows you thumbnails from a few seconds before and a few seconds after whatever part of the video you're on, giving you a quick way to eyeball where you are. In my case, I was picking up on an episode of Showtime's Dexter and was able to find the spot where I had left off without having to watch any of the video. This technology is actually saving Netflix some bandwidth, as users are able to pinpoint a precise segment without having to wait for the content to stream in.

The new timeline preview feature lets you see a few seconds before and a few after.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Another small, but neat improvement is that you can now hop back and forth between episodes in a series with small arrow keys located on the bottom of the player. If you're sitting down to power through several episodes this skips having to go back to the content directory.

The weak point of Netflix's streaming service is still the selection of content. As others have mentioned, it's a far cry from the service's DVD selection. One thing that could change that is the inclusion of PlayReady DRM, which comes by way of using Silverlight. With that in place we could be seeing the company's selection of streaming titles increase dramatically by year's end as long as Netflix is able to woo more content providers to share their movies and TV shows with a more secure delivery platform.

Update: Here's a video of the updated service in action.

The Vudu XL, which offers 1TB of storage, is now available.

(Credit: Vudu)

Apple TV has gotten a lot of press since its recent 2.0 upgrade added the ability to rent instant-on movies from all the major studios directly through its onscreen interface. But start-up Vudu--whose set-top box offered all of those features months before Apple's--is still kicking. Just weeks after dropping the price of its entry-level product to $295, the company just rolled out its version 1.3 software, which adds some improved interface and functionality tweaks. Most notably is the "Vudu Vault." The company says that the feature lets users archive some purchased movies (and all purchased TV show episodes) to a "secure area on Vudu servers." In fact, it appears to just flag the title as "owned," so the user can free up space on the Vudu's hard drive for additional downloads, while still being able to stream the "Vaulted" content again at any point in the future. (The Vault feature as well as the interface tweaks were already up and running on our Vudu review sample as of today.)

Two other Vudu announcements of note: the Vudu XL--the $1,000 Vudu announced at CES that packs a 1 terabyte hard drive--is now available to custom installers. Vudu is also making the IR dongle included with the XL model available as an add-on to its existing boxes for $39. With the dongle in place, the Vudu--which includes an RF-only remote--can be controlled with standard universal remotes. (Previously, the company said that the dongle would only work with the XL model, so the wider compatibility will no doubt be welcome news to current Vudu owners.)

A quick scan of Vudu's inventory today listed 5,075 movies--101 of which are in high-def. See our earlier Crave posting to see how that compares with offerings from Apple TV, Xbox Video Marketplace, and Amazon Unbox (available on TiVo). Also of note: Gizmodo's recent video quality shootout between the first three.

Renting movies on DVD could soon be a thing of the past, as cable operators experiment with new ways to get movies and even TV shows to viewers quicker, using their video-on-demand platforms.

On Monday, Comcast announced that it would provide some Hollywood hit movies on its video-on-demand, or VOD, service the same day they're offered on DVD. It also announced that some new television series will premiere on its VOD service at least one week before airing on regular TV.

Time Warner Cable started experimenting with a similar program in March 2007 in Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio. It struck deals with Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema to offer new releases on its VOD service in those markets the same day the movies are released on DVD.

In an effort to appeal to subscribers who also want to own their movies, Cablevision Systems is taking a slightly different approach. Also on Monday, Cablevision launched a new service with Popcorn Home Entertainment that enables people to buy DVDs through the Cablevision VOD service and have them shipped to their home. With the purchase of the DVD, customers are also given immediate access to the movie via VOD.

Typically, there's a lag time between when movies hit video rental stores and retail outlets on DVD and when they're available by cable operators through video-on-demand. Studios make a lot of money from DVD sales and rentals, so they have resisted releasing new movies, especially big hits, on VOD at the same time they release it on DVD.

But movie viewers seem to like the convenience of video-on-demand. Comcast, which is the largest cable operator in the country, said its subscribers select a VOD program more than 100 times per second. That amounts to roughly 275 million video-on-demand selections per month.

It's going to be a few more days before the world gets a crack at the new and improved Apple TV. Looking to kill some time during that interminable delay? It's a perfect opportunity to check out the major competing hardware options that already offer the same on-demand Internet movie rental functionality.

That Vudu that it do: on-demand movies, via the Internet

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Vudu won't be shipping for another few weeks, but I was fortunate enough to get one of the first review units of the device--and my gadget-jaded eyes were somewhat impressed. The Vudu box aims to deliver a wide variety of on-demand movies to your TV (no PC required) via a broadband Internet connection--think Netflix or Blockbuster, but with immediate gratification. The idea of a dedicated video-on-demand box has been tried before (Akimbo, MovieBeam), but the Vudu sidesteps many of the issues that made those previous boxes hard to recommend. It's got actual content that you want to see--all the major Hollywood studios are providing content, and you're bound to find a few movies worth watching if you peruse an overview of the available titles at Vudu's updated Web site. Movie downloads begin streaming instantaneously (assuming, of course, that you have a good broadband connection), so you won't have to pre-order films to queue up in advance. The audio and video quality is (for net-delivered video) excellent, and the intuitive interface and remote control and simple setup will appeal to non-techies who just want to watch movies.

What's not to like? Vudu is touting the fact that there's no activation fee or monthly subscription. Instead, pricing is strictly pay-per-view--you rent movies for $1 to $4, or buy them (as permanent downloads to the hard drive) for $5 to $20. That's pretty reasonable, but you also have to factor in the fact that you're buying the box for $400. Anyone who's maxing out their Netflix or Blockbuster accounts and watching more than a dozen movies for less than $20 a month may well blanche at that pricing--but then again, there's no waiting by the mailbox for your next movie with Vudu. Likewise, the DVD-by-mail services offer a giant catalog of more than 75,000 titles apiece, including TV shows; Vudu's library is expected to be in the 5,000 to 10,000 title range, and it's currently limited to just theatrical movies (though TV shows seem to be in the pipeline). And Vudu is pretty much a closed system: The Vudu-connected TV is the only place you can watch the movies you buy or rent; there's no option to transfer them to portable devices or PCs for viewing elsewhere in the house or on the road.

Of course, Akimbo and MovieBeam aren't the only competition for Vudu. At least three other mainstream contenders offer premium downloadable content: TiVo (via Amazon Unbox); Apple TV (which, to date, requires you to first download iTunes content to your PC); and the Xbox 360 (via its Xbox Live Marketplace). If you already own one of those devices, the allure of the Vudu is certainly diminished--though it meets or exceeds many of their features in the downloadable video department. Still, in its debut incarnation, the Vudu box is the first such dedicated device that's at all recommendable, and we're hoping that future firmware and service upgrades (and maybe a price drop or two) will enhance its appeal.

Vudu should begin shipping by the end of September and will be widely available at many online and brick-and-mortar retailers in October. In the meantime, check out our full hands-on review and video of the Vudu in action. And let us know if you think the Vudu is worth buying--or what you'd change to make it worth considering.

Sony's ramping up the video content options for the PSP.

(Credit: Sony)

Last week we reported on how PSP owners in Japan would soon have the option of adding a TV tuner to their game consoles. Now we get word that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is going to bring video-on-demand (VOD) to PSP owners in England and Ireland via News Corp.-owned Sky. How long will it be before the video love reaches the United States? We're not sure, but it wouldn't shock us to hear something about a U.S. PSP VOD service before the holidays. In the meantime, here's the full story from GameSpot U.K.:

"It's not just Japanese PSP owners who will shortly be able to watch TV with relative ease on their PlayStation Portables; following Sony Computer Entertainment's E3 launch of a TV tuner for Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has made an announcement in the same vein.

SCEE today confirmed a partnership with the News Corp.-owned Sky to bring a video-on-demand service to PSP owners in the U.K. and Ireland.

A joint-venture company is being formed with equal board-level representation from both SCEE and Sky to 'draw on the unrivaled entertainment aggregation expertise and technical leadership of Sky, and the handheld entertainment knowledge and brand power of PlayStation,' according to a SCEE release.

The new firm's aim is, according to Sony, is to 'establish PSP and [Sky's] new groundbreaking video download service as the natural partners for those seeking the ultimate choice of portable entertainment content.'

Sony also claimed that discussions were ongoing across Europe to roll out similar services in continental markets, but made no mention of American or Australian plans.

Sky has been offering an on-demand video service since the end of March this year, which allows users to watch programs from channels such as MTV Trax, E!, Extreme Sports, and CNN on their 3G-capable mobile phones.

Details on exactly what the service will entail, and how it will relate to the Sky Anytime mobile service, are scant at present, but more details are set to be released at the Games Convention in Leipzig on Wednesday, August 22."

Vudu: Is this the video-on-demand box we've been waiting for?

(Credit: Gizmodo)

Heard of Vudu? Neither had anybody else until this weekend, when the Silicon Valley start-up got a double shot of well-coordinated publicity that's been burning up the Web: a big write-up in the New York Times and a batch of exclusive photos on Gizmodo. Vudu, it seems, is the latest stab at a video-on-demand movie box--a little set-top device that hooks to your TV and downloads movies from a broadband Web service. But Vudu looks to have some key advantages over past efforts from the likes of RCA and MovieBeam. First, it has the backing of most of the major movie studios (all but Sony Pictures are said to be on board), so there should be no dearth of A-list content. Secondly, the bulk of Vudu's 41-person management and staff comprises refugees from TiVo, and they know a thing or two about digital media. And finally, the Vudu box uses a form of peer-to-peer networking--swapping movie files between subscribers' boxes--to supposedly guarantee instant-on access to most movie choices. In other words, you won't have to preorder your choice or wait a couple of hours for the film to download before you can begin viewing.

Sounds enticing, to be sure, but that's not to say it still won't be an uphill battle. Engadget throws a healthy dose of cold water on the Times coverage, questioning how different Vudu's service is compared with what consumers can already get from the Xbox 360 Video Marketplace, the Apple TV, Amazon Unbox on TiVo, and even the generic video-on-demand available on most digital cable systems. It's a valid question, but at the same time, each of those existing options has drawbacks of its own. At the very least, I hope the mere entry of Vudu into the market lights a fire under Microsoft, Apple, and Netflix--as well as any other player in the VOD market--to improve the quality, quantity, and pricing of their respective options.

[Found on Zatz Not Funny.]