Comcast has fallen under fire recently for the way it handles its Xfinity app on the Xbox 360 console; basically, the company doesn't count the bandwidth against subscribers' monthly data cap. It sounds great for Comcast customers, but critics -- including Netflix's Reed Hastings -- say the practice is a violation of Net Neutrality. Perhaps to silence the screams for blood, Comcast announced today that it plans on increasing its data cap and trying out some new data management approaches.

More here.

Netflix may be king of the streaming video hill, but millions of intrepid cord cutters have turned to Hulu Plus to feed their next-day fix for newly aired television shows. That may change one day, however; new reports indicate that Hulu is considering requiring its users to have a verified cable subscription, a la HBO GO.

Discussion here.

Time Warner Cable's TWC TV streaming TV service has already arrived on iOS and Android 4.0, so what's next? According to information we've received, the next stop should be connected TV platforms, starting with the popular Roku media streaming boxes.

Discussion here.

NimbleTV plans to launch its subscription-based offering to the public within the next few months, allowing future users to stream cable content to unspecified devices at any time and from anywhere on the globe -- all thanks to Nimble's cloud-based software.

Discussion here.

At this point in the game, Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings puts little effort into hiding his disdain for Comcast, the largest cable operator and Internet service provider in the U.S. He's complained about Comcast before and the favoritism the ISP gives its own Xfinity Streampix service over Netflix, and he decided to dole out a mini rant over the weekend using Facebook as his soapbox.

Discussion here.

YouTube and Paramount Pictures have reached a deal to make nearly 500 films available to rent online, even while their parent companies continue to feud over a $1 billion lawsuit.

More here.

An Amazon Instant Video app is now available for the PS3 expanding Amazon VOD to a much larger audience.

More here.

Aereo today announced availability for its groundbreaking online television platform in the New York market. Using a simplified approach, Aereo supports consumer choice through value-driven pricing and the convenience of mobility.

Aereo's technology offers New Yorkers the ability to watch live HD TV online. New members will receive a 90-day free trial followed by a fee of just $12 a month. Membership includes access to a remote antenna that is used to access over 20 broadcast channels, 40 hours of remote DVR storage and usage on up to five devices. Aereo is launching with compatibility on web-enabled iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad, Roku, AppleTV and MacBook, with Android support coming soon. Consumers simply register online at aereo.com. There is no application to download, no box to buy and no equipment to install. It's TV made simple.

More here.

Amazon.com made an announcement that they have added 3,000 more titles to their Prime Instant Video catalog.


Dear Customers,


Today we’re announcing our biggest addition yet, bringing nearly 3,000 more titles to Prime Instant Video. We’ve struck a deal with Discovery Networks to bring some of the highest quality, non-fiction, informative and entertaining content about the world to our Amazon Prime customers. Rolling out over the next few weeks are TV shows from Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, and Science. Prime members, at no additional cost, can now stream more than 17,000 titles.

More here.

Yesterday Apple announced a refresh of their Apple TV. It will include 1080p (upgraded from 720p) along with new software which is also available for the previous version of the Apple TV.

Will you be getting one? Discussion here.

In the coming year, the Streampix service will be available on additional devices such as Xbox 360 and Android™-powered devices. Streampix will be included as part of many Xfinity triple-play packages, Blast!+ and Blast! Extra video/high-speed Internet packages, as well as separately for $4.99 a month with other video packages, and enables the company to have greater flexibility with packaging and bundling options. With Streampix, the Xfinity TV service is a comprehensive video solution that lets users watch TV episodes of current seasons and complete past seasons of broadcast and cable hits.

More here.

Time Warner has rolled out a new TV viewing option for its customers to enjoy from the safety of home (and only from home). Live TV streams are now flowing to compatible web browsers for those with Time Warner TV and internet services.

More here.

Amazon announced a deal with Viacom that brings it one step closer to truly competing with Netflix as a streaming video service.

More here.

Betting that a combination of Internet streaming and kiosk DVD rentals can give consumers the most complete package in a fractured media landscape, Redbox and Verizon are teaming on a movie rental service to launch in the second half of this year.

The still unnamed business will challenge Netflix by offering a combination of streaming video on digital devices along with rentals from Redbox's more than 35,000 kiosks for a flat monthly fee. The two companies believe that combining the two is the only way to give consumers a comprehensive selection of movies.

More: http://latimesblogs....es-service.html

YouTube execs are apparently eyeing a subscription TV service that could revolutionize (theoretically) the way consumers pay for premium content.

More here.

Great article. See here.

Standard-definition Netflix streams can consume up to 2.2 Mbps of bandwidth. Netflix’s 720p HD videos come in at roughly 3.8 Mbps, and 1080p videos go up to 4.8 Mbps. EyeIO CEO Rodolfo Vargas told me during a phone conversation on Tuesday that his company’s encoding technology can achieve better-looking results than most established encoders with 20 percent bandwidth savings and that eyeIO can still deliver similar quality to other encoders with up to 50 percent bandwidth savings. Content in 720p could be streamed using 1.8 Mbps, he explained. The company does this by optimizing the encoding process, which means that the results are regular, albeit smaller, H.264 files that can be played by end users without any need for additional plug-ins.

More here.

The world's three largest television makers — Samsung, LG and Sony — are working on Google TV.
LG announced its Google TV move last week. Vizio is also on board. Consumers can expect new TVs packing Google TV at stores in just a few months.

All but Samsung will show their Google-powered Internet-surfing TVs at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week for a glimpse of the future.

MORE HERE

Building on the success of the award-winning Roku streaming players, Roku® today unveiled a new solution to make a better Smart TV. The new Roku Streaming Stick™ is a wireless device about the size of a standard USB flash drive that will plug into a TV to instantly transform it into a Smart TV.

More here.

CONGRATS WINNERS!

Just a quick contragts to the winners of our "Get The Talk Going" contest that just ended. The winners can be found in the contest post located at the link below...

http://www.iptvconne...going-contests/