SiliconDust raising money developing software (an easy-to-use DVR) for your existing hardware. Sounds promising. But there's an annual $30 fee. At least cheaper than TIVO. Silicondust must be hard up for money if they can't afford 100K.
[via Cordkillers 70]
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Pay TV declining
The U.S. pay-TV business keeps shrinking, albeit slowly — but for the
first time ever, the sector dropped a net number of subscribers in the
first three months of a year, during Q1 of 2015.
The industry is contracting at a 0.5% annual rate, with a net loss of 31,000 customers in Q1, according to MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett. Traditional subscription television providers face an array of Internet competitors, ranging from Netflix and Hulu to YouTube and other digital-video sites, that are discouraging consumers from signing up for cable or satellite TV or prompting them to cancel service.
“Cord-cutting has finally accelerated,” Moffett wrote in a research note Monday. “It’s not too early to get worried.”
Q1 is typically a strong quarter for pay-TV operators, but it’s seasonally weak for household formation, Moffett noted. In the first quarter of 2015, occupied household net adds were down 407,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — but over the last 12 months, the U.S. has added 1.26 million households which “are nowhere to be found in the most recent pay-TV data,” according to Moffett. That suggests a significant number of “cord-nevers” who are shunning traditional subscription television.
“To investors, the question of whether all that licensing of content to Netflix and Hulu and other online venues would hurt or help the pay-TV ecosystem seems painfully quaint (of course it will hurt),” Moffett wrote.
The decline in Q1 2015 comes after about 1.4 million households over the course of 2014 either canceled existing pay-TV service or were new households that didn’t sign up at all, according to Moffett’s analysis.
Comcast, the No. 1 cable operator, shed 8,000 video subscribers, while Time Warner Cable — the now-aborted takeover target of Comcast — actually gained a net 33,000. DirecTV, the largest satellite provider, added 60,000 and Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse added subs as well. But overall, the gains were offset by customers dropping service with other companies.
Dish Network suffered the biggest losses in the sector, dropping 134,000 satellite-TV subs in Q1. The satcaster blamed that largely on programming spats, including with 21st Century Fox for Fox News Channel, in which Dish dropped the network; Dish restored Fox News in January, but the blackout had a carry-over effect into Q1.
On a call with analysts Monday, Dish CEO Charlie Ergen said that his general sense was the pay-TV business peaked a few years ago, “and is in slight decline in terms of households willing to take the big bundle… but it’s not declining as fast as I thought it would.” He took issue with Moffett’s cord-cutting thesis, arguing that Dish’s sub losses in the quarter went to the satcaster’s competitors. But at the same time, Ergen cited Dish’s Sling TV OTT service as a way to reach younger consumers who aren’t subscribing to traditional pay television.
Dish in February launched Sling TV, aimed at so-called cord-cutters (and cord-nevers) who are averse to paying for big traditional channel bundles. The company did not disclose how many Sling TV users it has signed up so far, with execs saying only that the majority were consumers who did not previously have pay-TV service. In any case, those customers represent a shrinking of the overall pay-TV ecosystem given Sling TV’s stripped-down 20-channel baseline bundle.
Ergen likened the shift from conventional pay-TV to Internet-delivered TV service to Netflix’s shift from DVD-by-mail subscriptions to streaming. “I’m not saying that will happen (with Dish and Sling TV),” he added. But “Sling TV is a different dynamic” in terms of the economic model and the type of consumer it’s aimed at, Ergen said.
[via CordKillers 70]
The industry is contracting at a 0.5% annual rate, with a net loss of 31,000 customers in Q1, according to MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett. Traditional subscription television providers face an array of Internet competitors, ranging from Netflix and Hulu to YouTube and other digital-video sites, that are discouraging consumers from signing up for cable or satellite TV or prompting them to cancel service.
“Cord-cutting has finally accelerated,” Moffett wrote in a research note Monday. “It’s not too early to get worried.”
Q1 is typically a strong quarter for pay-TV operators, but it’s seasonally weak for household formation, Moffett noted. In the first quarter of 2015, occupied household net adds were down 407,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — but over the last 12 months, the U.S. has added 1.26 million households which “are nowhere to be found in the most recent pay-TV data,” according to Moffett. That suggests a significant number of “cord-nevers” who are shunning traditional subscription television.
“To investors, the question of whether all that licensing of content to Netflix and Hulu and other online venues would hurt or help the pay-TV ecosystem seems painfully quaint (of course it will hurt),” Moffett wrote.
The decline in Q1 2015 comes after about 1.4 million households over the course of 2014 either canceled existing pay-TV service or were new households that didn’t sign up at all, according to Moffett’s analysis.
Comcast, the No. 1 cable operator, shed 8,000 video subscribers, while Time Warner Cable — the now-aborted takeover target of Comcast — actually gained a net 33,000. DirecTV, the largest satellite provider, added 60,000 and Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse added subs as well. But overall, the gains were offset by customers dropping service with other companies.
Dish Network suffered the biggest losses in the sector, dropping 134,000 satellite-TV subs in Q1. The satcaster blamed that largely on programming spats, including with 21st Century Fox for Fox News Channel, in which Dish dropped the network; Dish restored Fox News in January, but the blackout had a carry-over effect into Q1.
On a call with analysts Monday, Dish CEO Charlie Ergen said that his general sense was the pay-TV business peaked a few years ago, “and is in slight decline in terms of households willing to take the big bundle… but it’s not declining as fast as I thought it would.” He took issue with Moffett’s cord-cutting thesis, arguing that Dish’s sub losses in the quarter went to the satcaster’s competitors. But at the same time, Ergen cited Dish’s Sling TV OTT service as a way to reach younger consumers who aren’t subscribing to traditional pay television.
Dish in February launched Sling TV, aimed at so-called cord-cutters (and cord-nevers) who are averse to paying for big traditional channel bundles. The company did not disclose how many Sling TV users it has signed up so far, with execs saying only that the majority were consumers who did not previously have pay-TV service. In any case, those customers represent a shrinking of the overall pay-TV ecosystem given Sling TV’s stripped-down 20-channel baseline bundle.
Ergen likened the shift from conventional pay-TV to Internet-delivered TV service to Netflix’s shift from DVD-by-mail subscriptions to streaming. “I’m not saying that will happen (with Dish and Sling TV),” he added. But “Sling TV is a different dynamic” in terms of the economic model and the type of consumer it’s aimed at, Ergen said.
[via CordKillers 70]
XBox One DVR?
Microsoft might be killing off Media Center in Windows 10, but the company is reportedly bringing one of its key features over to the Xbox One. Paul Thurrott reports
that a TV recording solution for the Xbox One is coming soon, and most
likely this year. Microsoft currently supports TV tuners in Europe and
North America on its Xbox One console, but there's only live TV pausing
and not full DVR capabilities.
It's logical that Microsoft would want to add a TV DVR function. When the software company originally unveiled the Xbox One it was designed as an all-in-one entertainment and games console, with a big focus on TV features. Xbox One owners can use cable boxes with the console thanks to HDMI-in support, but it's not clear if any DVR support would capture recordings from this source. The Xbox One also has relatively small storage (500GB) for a combination of games, media, and TV recordings. Microsoft could opt to ship new Xbox One consoles with greater storage options, like the special edition 1TB version released last year, or simply support TV recordings on USB storage.
[via Cordkillers 70]
It's logical that Microsoft would want to add a TV DVR function. When the software company originally unveiled the Xbox One it was designed as an all-in-one entertainment and games console, with a big focus on TV features. Xbox One owners can use cable boxes with the console thanks to HDMI-in support, but it's not clear if any DVR support would capture recordings from this source. The Xbox One also has relatively small storage (500GB) for a combination of games, media, and TV recordings. Microsoft could opt to ship new Xbox One consoles with greater storage options, like the special edition 1TB version released last year, or simply support TV recordings on USB storage.
[via Cordkillers 70]
Sunday, May 10, 2015
The new Roku 2
Here's a rather in-depth review from CNet.
Since it was first introduced in March 2013, the Roku 3 box has been our favorite streaming device recommendation. But Roku's latest hardware update flipped the script. Now our nod goes to the leaner, meaner 2015 Roku 2.
The new Roku 2 offers all of the goodness of the Roku interface and app selection (including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Watch ESPN, HBO Go and Sling TV among its more than 2,000 channels), and the same lightning-quick response times as the Roku 3 (both new and old), with none of the extra remote-based features you may not use. It also costs $30 less, making the new Roku 2 a better overall value than the Roku 3.
In case you read that last section too quickly, let me reiterate: now the Roku 2 is just as fast as the Roku 3, and matches or beats the speed of pretty much any other streaming device we've tested, regardless of processor specs, RAM and other numbers. It leaves the old Roku 2--not to mention the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick and Roku 1--in the dust.
It also leaves behind a few beloved features. Gone is the headphone jack on the remote for private listening, and the ability to point the clicker anywhere--now you have to aim it at the box, just like most other remotes. (If you want either of those features, spend the extra $30 for the new Roku 3.)
The updated Roku 2 also sheds the old box's yellow, white and red analog video outputs, replacing them with an Ethernet port. That's a fine trade in my book, as it still works with any TV that has an HDMI input. If you're looking to add a streaming box to an old, pre-HD television and need those analog video outputs, the company continues to sell the analog-equipped Roku 1 unchanged.
Roku's interface, search and app selection still lead the pack, so unless you're a devotee of the Apple pantheon, or find yourself inescapably enmeshed in Amazon's jungle of media services, Roku is the best platform for streaming. Apple's upcoming box might challenge that supremacy, and maybe Google will improve Android TV enough to compete, but until then we still like Roku best. And unless you think it's worth the extra $30 cash get a point-anywhere remote with voice search and a headphone jack, the Roku 2 is a better buy than the Roku 3.
[read the review for (a lot) more details]
Since it was first introduced in March 2013, the Roku 3 box has been our favorite streaming device recommendation. But Roku's latest hardware update flipped the script. Now our nod goes to the leaner, meaner 2015 Roku 2.
The new Roku 2 offers all of the goodness of the Roku interface and app selection (including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Watch ESPN, HBO Go and Sling TV among its more than 2,000 channels), and the same lightning-quick response times as the Roku 3 (both new and old), with none of the extra remote-based features you may not use. It also costs $30 less, making the new Roku 2 a better overall value than the Roku 3.
In case you read that last section too quickly, let me reiterate: now the Roku 2 is just as fast as the Roku 3, and matches or beats the speed of pretty much any other streaming device we've tested, regardless of processor specs, RAM and other numbers. It leaves the old Roku 2--not to mention the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick and Roku 1--in the dust.
It also leaves behind a few beloved features. Gone is the headphone jack on the remote for private listening, and the ability to point the clicker anywhere--now you have to aim it at the box, just like most other remotes. (If you want either of those features, spend the extra $30 for the new Roku 3.)
The updated Roku 2 also sheds the old box's yellow, white and red analog video outputs, replacing them with an Ethernet port. That's a fine trade in my book, as it still works with any TV that has an HDMI input. If you're looking to add a streaming box to an old, pre-HD television and need those analog video outputs, the company continues to sell the analog-equipped Roku 1 unchanged.
Roku's interface, search and app selection still lead the pack, so unless you're a devotee of the Apple pantheon, or find yourself inescapably enmeshed in Amazon's jungle of media services, Roku is the best platform for streaming. Apple's upcoming box might challenge that supremacy, and maybe Google will improve Android TV enough to compete, but until then we still like Roku best. And unless you think it's worth the extra $30 cash get a point-anywhere remote with voice search and a headphone jack, the Roku 2 is a better buy than the Roku 3.
[read the review for (a lot) more details]
Saturday, May 09, 2015
DVD sales down
Hollywood continued to have a slipped disc problem in 2014: Consumer
spending for home video dropped slightly after two years of relatively
flat sales according to data out today from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
Buyers spent $17.8 billion to buy or rent videos last year, a 1.8% drop
from 2013. That follows declines of 0.2% in 2013 and 0.5% in 2012.
Last year’s numbers show that the growth in Electronic Sell-Through (EST) and subscription streaming at sites such as Netflix was not enough to offset the continuing fall in disc sales and rentals — and a drop in VOD, which had been growing.
DVD and Blu-ray sales at $6.93 billion fell 10.9% (vs an 8.1% drop in 2013). Subscription disc rentals at $829.7 million were down 18.3% (vs. -19.3%). And rentals from brick and mortar stores at $696.4 million fell 27.1% (vs. -21.4%). The drop in kiosk rentals, overwhelmingly from Redbox, also accelerated: Sales amounted to $1.81 billion in 2014, off 4.4% vs the 2.2% slide in 2013.
Consumers continued to warm to non-disc entertainment. EST sales at $1.55 billion were +30.4%, a slowdown from 2013’s +47.1%. Subscription streaming at $4.01 billion was +25.8% (vs +33.2%). But VOD outlays at $1.97 billion were down 6.7% following a 4.8% increase in 2013.
DEG says the results are “good” as consumers “embraced the convenience and accessibility of purchasing and collecting digital content, while studios reaped higher margins from these digitial sales.” EST sales of theatrical new releases were up more than 60% helped by titles including Frozen, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Lego Movie, Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, and Guardians Of The Galaxy. The industry group also says that the number of UltraViolet accounts grew over 30% to more than 21 million.
[buy those old DVDs/BDs for your collection while you can, then again you can get most of content from Vudu or Amazon Video or iTunes.]
Last year’s numbers show that the growth in Electronic Sell-Through (EST) and subscription streaming at sites such as Netflix was not enough to offset the continuing fall in disc sales and rentals — and a drop in VOD, which had been growing.
DVD and Blu-ray sales at $6.93 billion fell 10.9% (vs an 8.1% drop in 2013). Subscription disc rentals at $829.7 million were down 18.3% (vs. -19.3%). And rentals from brick and mortar stores at $696.4 million fell 27.1% (vs. -21.4%). The drop in kiosk rentals, overwhelmingly from Redbox, also accelerated: Sales amounted to $1.81 billion in 2014, off 4.4% vs the 2.2% slide in 2013.
Consumers continued to warm to non-disc entertainment. EST sales at $1.55 billion were +30.4%, a slowdown from 2013’s +47.1%. Subscription streaming at $4.01 billion was +25.8% (vs +33.2%). But VOD outlays at $1.97 billion were down 6.7% following a 4.8% increase in 2013.
DEG says the results are “good” as consumers “embraced the convenience and accessibility of purchasing and collecting digital content, while studios reaped higher margins from these digitial sales.” EST sales of theatrical new releases were up more than 60% helped by titles including Frozen, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Lego Movie, Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, and Guardians Of The Galaxy. The industry group also says that the number of UltraViolet accounts grew over 30% to more than 21 million.
[buy those old DVDs/BDs for your collection while you can, then again you can get most of content from Vudu or Amazon Video or iTunes.]
Friday, May 08, 2015
Windows Media Center not on Windows 10
In case you missed it during the early days of Windows 8,
the era of the home theater PC (HTPC) is over—at least for Microsoft.
When Windows 10 rolls out this summer it will not be able to run Windows
Media Center, Microsoft's dedicated software for entertainment PCs.
With Windows 10, Microsoft is finally letting go of the long-neglected dream of turning the PC into a living room entertainment hub. The notion of connecting a PC to your television always made a certain sense. With a PC running Media Center you had access to all your stored digital media, you could watch and record live television, and play a DVD all in one spot. That ignores the pain of getting everything up and running, but once everything's rocking and rolling, HTPCs work very well.
[via cordkillers 69]
[so maybe I should get the Windows 7 laptop from Costco. or try to run XMBC (don't they know it's now called Kodi?) on Windows 10. That's my next project, try to Kodi running on my Windows 8 laptop.]
With Windows 10, Microsoft is finally letting go of the long-neglected dream of turning the PC into a living room entertainment hub. The notion of connecting a PC to your television always made a certain sense. With a PC running Media Center you had access to all your stored digital media, you could watch and record live television, and play a DVD all in one spot. That ignores the pain of getting everything up and running, but once everything's rocking and rolling, HTPCs work very well.
[via cordkillers 69]
[so maybe I should get the Windows 7 laptop from Costco. or try to run XMBC (don't they know it's now called Kodi?) on Windows 10. That's my next project, try to Kodi running on my Windows 8 laptop.]
Thursday, May 07, 2015
saving the cable box?
The traditional cable TV box is dying a slow death as Internet streaming
video services blossom. That has some in the cable industry ready to
join the streamers.
Over the past two weeks, a half dozen smaller cable TV companies, including Cablevision Systems (CVC), have announced plans to integrate Hulu’s streaming service into the boxes they lease to customers. Those deals follow several Netflix (NFLIX) forged last year to integrate its fare into the boxes used by several small cable companies and Dish Network (DISH), and are similir to the integrations Netflix has done with European pay TV providers.
The
goal is to make switching from cable TV viewing to these “over the top”
streaming services as quick and painless as possible for consumers.
Cable operators believe merging a streaming video service into the cable
box will help them sell high-speed Internet to subscribers by making
their Internet connection that much more important. Faster speeds offer a
better user experience, and cable providers can charge more for
speedier connections. Across the industry, cable companies are investing
to increase their speeds, which will allow them to offer new tiers of
service—and boost profit margins.
Sling TV
[5/7/15] Sling TV to launch broadcast networks in a tier?
[1/5/15] Dish Network Corp. (DISH) plans to unveil the first major online television service from a cable or satellite company, a $20-a-month set of 12 channels that targets U.S. customers who don’t want to pay for larger, more expensive TV packages.
Called Sling TV, the service will offer live feeds of sports, news and scripted shows on TVs, computers and mobile devices. Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s TNT and CNN and others have agreed to supply cable channels.
***
The $20 Sling TV base package includes ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and the "best of Internet video" with Maker Studios. Add-on packs with additional kids and news programming will be available for $5 each.
If Sling TV sounds familiar, it's because Dish owns Sling Media, which makes a line of place-shifting Slingbox products and services that are also integrated into Dish's latest Hopper DVR.
***
So with a good antenna, Dish Network, Netflix, Hulu Plus, CBS app (if it comes to Roku or Apple TV), that ain't bad.
*** [1/7/15]
Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and other pay-TV providers are citing a culprit for the higher bills you’re paying: Sports.
For the first time, Time Warner Cable is adding a $2.75monthly charge for sports programming. Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC)’s bills first carried a specific fee for sports and broadcast channels in 2013, and that charge is rising by $1, to $6 a month. Subscribers to satellite-TV and phone companies’ TV services won’t escape the hikes either.
Sports is the most expensive programming because it draws large audiences to live events. For example, Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC and Time Warner Inc.’s TNT are paying $24 billion over nine years to carry National Basketball Association games. Those costs get passed along to distributors, such as cable companies, and then subscribers. Rising bills are already trying consumers’ patience, and now there are more alternatives than ever for customers ready to ditch traditional TV.
“At some point consumers will say ‘Enough is enough,’” when it comes to rising TV bills, said Dan Rayburn, a media analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
While cable providers say they are offering more services and channels than ever before, many consumers don’t want to pay for networks they don’t want to watch. The latest rate increases could prompt some to cancel their subscriptions, Rayburn said.
And if they do, there are more options than ever for Web-based viewing. Cheaper services like Netflix Inc. (NFLX) have millions of subscribers. Even ESPN’s coveted sports content is going to be available live over the Internet, thanks to a new $20-a-month package of 12 streaming channels from Dish Network Corp. (DISH) That’s far cheaper than the typical basic cable package.
[via roy]
*** [1/26/15] Forbes review
*** [2/19/15] got an email from Roku saying Sling TV is now available. I'm tempted.
[1/5/15] Dish Network Corp. (DISH) plans to unveil the first major online television service from a cable or satellite company, a $20-a-month set of 12 channels that targets U.S. customers who don’t want to pay for larger, more expensive TV packages.
Called Sling TV, the service will offer live feeds of sports, news and scripted shows on TVs, computers and mobile devices. Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s TNT and CNN and others have agreed to supply cable channels.
***
The $20 Sling TV base package includes ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and the "best of Internet video" with Maker Studios. Add-on packs with additional kids and news programming will be available for $5 each.
If Sling TV sounds familiar, it's because Dish owns Sling Media, which makes a line of place-shifting Slingbox products and services that are also integrated into Dish's latest Hopper DVR.
***
So with a good antenna, Dish Network, Netflix, Hulu Plus, CBS app (if it comes to Roku or Apple TV), that ain't bad.
*** [1/7/15]
Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and other pay-TV providers are citing a culprit for the higher bills you’re paying: Sports.
For the first time, Time Warner Cable is adding a $2.75monthly charge for sports programming. Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC)’s bills first carried a specific fee for sports and broadcast channels in 2013, and that charge is rising by $1, to $6 a month. Subscribers to satellite-TV and phone companies’ TV services won’t escape the hikes either.
Sports is the most expensive programming because it draws large audiences to live events. For example, Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC and Time Warner Inc.’s TNT are paying $24 billion over nine years to carry National Basketball Association games. Those costs get passed along to distributors, such as cable companies, and then subscribers. Rising bills are already trying consumers’ patience, and now there are more alternatives than ever for customers ready to ditch traditional TV.
“At some point consumers will say ‘Enough is enough,’” when it comes to rising TV bills, said Dan Rayburn, a media analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
While cable providers say they are offering more services and channels than ever before, many consumers don’t want to pay for networks they don’t want to watch. The latest rate increases could prompt some to cancel their subscriptions, Rayburn said.
And if they do, there are more options than ever for Web-based viewing. Cheaper services like Netflix Inc. (NFLX) have millions of subscribers. Even ESPN’s coveted sports content is going to be available live over the Internet, thanks to a new $20-a-month package of 12 streaming channels from Dish Network Corp. (DISH) That’s far cheaper than the typical basic cable package.
[via roy]
*** [1/26/15] Forbes review
*** [2/19/15] got an email from Roku saying Sling TV is now available. I'm tempted.
Monday, May 04, 2015
iTunes (non-instant) video
One might think that iTunes video and Amazon Instant Video are more or less equivalent as sources of movies and TV shows, but I have found that they are quite different.
As I am used to watching streaming video from Netflix and Hulu Plus, I was astounded to discover that iTunes requires you to download the video first even on the Apple TV. This can take like 30 minutes to an hour! I don't know the exact time because I usually abort because I don't want to wait. [OK, here's a guide as to how long it should take.]
Of course, after you download it, you can watch right away. But there goes all that space on my iPad.
Amazon Instant Video, on the other hand, is more like Netflix and Hulu Plus in that it streams from the cloud (after buffering for like 10 or 15 seconds or so) and doesn't take up space on your device.
So a big disadvantage in my book for iTunes videos.
Funny nobody seems to mention this in their reviews.
Well, this guy mentioned the problem, but the responders apparently have no clue.
Or maybe there's something wrong on my network?
Looking at this answer, it sounds like you can stream from itunes on the computer, but you have to download first before watching on iPhone or iPad.
OK, trying Tiny House Nation which I had purchased earlier (well it was free so I don't know if you can call it a purchase). I'm accessing on iTunes on my computer. It downloaded for a little while (a couple of minutes), then said it was ready for viewing. Apparently it downloaded/buffered enough to start viewing, but didn't complete download. Well, the controls are there but it ain't playing. Still downloading. Yeah, iTunes sucks. Don't have this problem with Amazon Instant Video. 68 more minutes. Forget it. Abort.
Apparently it's supposed to stream without downloading on the Apple TV. (So why do I have to wait so long?)
OK, let's try Tiny House Nation on the Apple TV again. Play from the beginning. It's now 11:43. At 11:44, it says ready to play in 3 minutes. OK, that's not so bad. Now 1 minute. Starts playing at 11:46 AM.
OK, let's try the 3 minutes long Scorpion: Behind The Scenes. Press play at 11:53. Hey, started playing after like 5 seconds.
OK, now that Tiny House Nation is playing quickly on the Apple TV, let's see how it plays on the computer.
Run iTunes. Check for updates. 12.1.2 is available. Current version is 12.01.26. WTH, let's update it. Update QuickTime (to 7.7.6) while I'm at it.
Not so fast, when back to Tiny House Nation (actually FYI Networks First Look) and resumed. Ready to play in 3 hours 7 minutes :( iTunes sucks. Well maybe the fact that I'm downloading/updating QuickTime and iTunes on my computer at the same time isn't helping.) Now 3 hours 28 minutes.
OK, didn't have to wait the 3 hours. Or even the 28 minutes. A couple of minute after iTunes finished downloading, the video started.
OK iTunes updated. Go to purchased (click the down arrow to the right of my name). Then choose TV shows. Nothing happens when I click on the icon. Evidently I have two choices. I can click on the x at the upper left to hide the item off the list. (To get it back, go to Account Info, iTunes in the Cloud, Hidden Purchases, Manage, TV Shows, Unhide.) Or I can click the cloud symbol at the upper right.have to click on the cloud symbol at the upper right of the icon. Then it starts to download. Showing Downloading 1 item at the top. Then after several seconds, a windows pops up saying it's ready to watch. The choices are to Play TV Show Now or Watch Later. Let's Play. The player comes up. Wait. It's now 12:45. Hmm. The marker wasn't at the beginning, I guess it was where I had left off on the iPad. Move it to the beginning and click play. Now the video is playing!
Play for a while, close window, TV shows from the iTunes Store are being downloaded. Are you sure you want to quit? Quit.
OK, let's try it on the iPad. Used 11.2 GB (6.0 GB of photos & camera) Available 1.6 GB. It also says iCloud total storage is 1.0 GB and available 1.0 GB. But when I go to manage storage, it says on the bottom 5.0 GB available of 5.0 GB on iCloud.
Whatever. Go to Videos. Tiny House Nation. Touch the small picture on the right of the big picture. The video window comes up. Move white dot at top to the beginning of video. Video starts to play then stops with the network thingie going in a circle. I guess it's downloading the video. Wait a little while and tap play. OK it's playing. Turn on closed caption. That works too.
Maybe it's downloading to iCloud. And once it's downloaded there, the other devices stream from iCloud? I'll wait for the video to complete playing then check my storage on the iPad.
OK, played to about the 7 minute mark and stopped. I guess it's pausing it's breath to reload.
Forget it. Abort. Used is now 11.5 GB with 1.3 GB available. How do I get back that storage?
Well according to this, the item is stored on iCloud and not on my device. So why do I have 300 MB less space now?
OK, try this to delete videos. General, Usage, Videos. Don't see any videos. OK, maybe it ain't on my iPad.
Let's try Amazon Instant Video on my iPad. OK, install it. Check usage. Used 11.6 GB. Available 1.1 GB. Amazon Instant Video takes uses 40.6 MB.
Sign in to Amazon Instant Video. Apparently you have the option to download or stream. Click play. It plays right away. Why can't iTunes do that?
As I am used to watching streaming video from Netflix and Hulu Plus, I was astounded to discover that iTunes requires you to download the video first even on the Apple TV. This can take like 30 minutes to an hour! I don't know the exact time because I usually abort because I don't want to wait. [OK, here's a guide as to how long it should take.]
Of course, after you download it, you can watch right away. But there goes all that space on my iPad.
Amazon Instant Video, on the other hand, is more like Netflix and Hulu Plus in that it streams from the cloud (after buffering for like 10 or 15 seconds or so) and doesn't take up space on your device.
So a big disadvantage in my book for iTunes videos.
Funny nobody seems to mention this in their reviews.
Well, this guy mentioned the problem, but the responders apparently have no clue.
Or maybe there's something wrong on my network?
Looking at this answer, it sounds like you can stream from itunes on the computer, but you have to download first before watching on iPhone or iPad.
OK, trying Tiny House Nation which I had purchased earlier (well it was free so I don't know if you can call it a purchase). I'm accessing on iTunes on my computer. It downloaded for a little while (a couple of minutes), then said it was ready for viewing. Apparently it downloaded/buffered enough to start viewing, but didn't complete download. Well, the controls are there but it ain't playing. Still downloading. Yeah, iTunes sucks. Don't have this problem with Amazon Instant Video. 68 more minutes. Forget it. Abort.
Apparently it's supposed to stream without downloading on the Apple TV. (So why do I have to wait so long?)
OK, let's try Tiny House Nation on the Apple TV again. Play from the beginning. It's now 11:43. At 11:44, it says ready to play in 3 minutes. OK, that's not so bad. Now 1 minute. Starts playing at 11:46 AM.
OK, let's try the 3 minutes long Scorpion: Behind The Scenes. Press play at 11:53. Hey, started playing after like 5 seconds.
OK, now that Tiny House Nation is playing quickly on the Apple TV, let's see how it plays on the computer.
Run iTunes. Check for updates. 12.1.2 is available. Current version is 12.01.26. WTH, let's update it. Update QuickTime (to 7.7.6) while I'm at it.
Not so fast, when back to Tiny House Nation (actually FYI Networks First Look) and resumed. Ready to play in 3 hours 7 minutes :( iTunes sucks. Well maybe the fact that I'm downloading/updating QuickTime and iTunes on my computer at the same time isn't helping.) Now 3 hours 28 minutes.
OK, didn't have to wait the 3 hours. Or even the 28 minutes. A couple of minute after iTunes finished downloading, the video started.
OK iTunes updated. Go to purchased (click the down arrow to the right of my name). Then choose TV shows. Nothing happens when I click on the icon. Evidently I have two choices. I can click on the x at the upper left to hide the item off the list. (To get it back, go to Account Info, iTunes in the Cloud, Hidden Purchases, Manage, TV Shows, Unhide.) Or I can click the cloud symbol at the upper right.have to click on the cloud symbol at the upper right of the icon. Then it starts to download. Showing Downloading 1 item at the top. Then after several seconds, a windows pops up saying it's ready to watch. The choices are to Play TV Show Now or Watch Later. Let's Play. The player comes up. Wait. It's now 12:45. Hmm. The marker wasn't at the beginning, I guess it was where I had left off on the iPad. Move it to the beginning and click play. Now the video is playing!
Play for a while, close window, TV shows from the iTunes Store are being downloaded. Are you sure you want to quit? Quit.
OK, let's try it on the iPad. Used 11.2 GB (6.0 GB of photos & camera) Available 1.6 GB. It also says iCloud total storage is 1.0 GB and available 1.0 GB. But when I go to manage storage, it says on the bottom 5.0 GB available of 5.0 GB on iCloud.
Whatever. Go to Videos. Tiny House Nation. Touch the small picture on the right of the big picture. The video window comes up. Move white dot at top to the beginning of video. Video starts to play then stops with the network thingie going in a circle. I guess it's downloading the video. Wait a little while and tap play. OK it's playing. Turn on closed caption. That works too.
Maybe it's downloading to iCloud. And once it's downloaded there, the other devices stream from iCloud? I'll wait for the video to complete playing then check my storage on the iPad.
OK, played to about the 7 minute mark and stopped. I guess it's pausing it's breath to reload.
Forget it. Abort. Used is now 11.5 GB with 1.3 GB available. How do I get back that storage?
Well according to this, the item is stored on iCloud and not on my device. So why do I have 300 MB less space now?
OK, try this to delete videos. General, Usage, Videos. Don't see any videos. OK, maybe it ain't on my iPad.
Sign in to Amazon Instant Video. Apparently you have the option to download or stream. Click play. It plays right away. Why can't iTunes do that?
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