Today's Top Stories Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chromecast, a new device designed to let people send the video they're looking at on a mobile device, tablet or PC to their TV set, sold out quickly in its first week of availability. Just as quickly, critics have begun identifying flaws in the $35 device. Meanwhile, reports surfaced that Google may have another TV-related device in development. Initial sales of the Chromecast, which looks like an oversized USB drive and plugs into a TV's HDMI port, were so fast that the company had to scrap a promotion it was running with Netflix. At first, Chromecast buyers were given a 3-month credit toward their Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) subscription, but the promotion only lasted a day. Though the product drew praise when Google publicly demonstrated it for the first time Wednesday, the halo quickly wore off for some as they got their hands on the device. Most criticism has been leveled at the device's power supply. Unlike a USB dongle, the Chromecast requires its own power source and therefore must be plugged into an electrical outlet--or a USB port in the TV set--as well as the TV's HDMI port, much like a traditional set-top box. Meanwhile, reports surfaced that Chromecast may represent only a fraction of Google's plans for the living room. The company reportedly demonstrated a much more fully-featured Android-based set-top box to industry executives at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, according to The Wall Street Journal. For more:
- Tubefilter had this story
- the Los Angeles Times had this story
- the Wall Street Journal had this story (sub. req.)
- CNET runs through the device's set up Commentary: Xbox One, Spotify and control of the living room TV Related articles:
- Google is latest to explore OTT service
- Microsoft's Xbox One makes play for living room
- Intel OTT service already in closed trials Read more about: Google
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Chromecast, Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) new streaming media device, will see more support from online content providers soon. The device, which plugs into an HDMI port in a TV set and lets users control what's on TV with a smartphone, tablet or PC, was introduced with support for YouTube and Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) apps. Now, online content providers such as Vimeo, Redbox Instant, Revision3, AOL On and others are working on support for Chromecast. Others, such as HBO Go, are exploring it, according to multiple reports. The device is also capable of streaming unsupported video through a Web browser. However, initial reviews of the device have said the apps that support Chromecast offer a much higher-quality stream than the browser-based option. Apps that support the device stream content directly to it. Unsupported content can be viewed by "mirroring" a Chrome browser tab on a users' other device. For more:
- GigaOM had this report
- Time had this roundup Related articles:
Google's Chromecast sells out quickly; company may have another TV device
Google is latest to explore OTT service
Microsoft Xbox Ine makes play for living room Read more about: Google
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Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) planned over-the-top video service includes a large-scale cloud-base DVR system that would let subscribers rewind live TV to catch up on programs they missed, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The system would store local, national and international programming for at least three days, the report said. "This is live TV--but you can rewind," Erik Huggers, vice president and general manager of Intel Media, told the Journal. Similar functionality has drawn the ire, and copyright infringement lawsuits, of content owners in the past. A federal appeals court in New York ruled that Cablevision's (NYSE: CVC) remote-storage DVR system is legal, but that service requires a subscriber to plan a recording. Intel's plans appear to record all programming, whether a user has requested it or not. The Intel service won't include a camera equipped with facial-recognition technology that could identify each member of a household, the Journal reported. That technology did not perform well in low-light situations, Huggers told the Journal. For more:
- the Wall Street Journal had this report (sub. req.) Related articles:
Google is latest to explore OTT service
DirecTV, TWC, AT&T still in the hunt for Hulu as pay-TV distributors seek broader OTT rights
Intel OTT service already in closed trials Read more about: copyright
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After the success of its show "Under the Dome" this summer, CBS (NYSE: CBS) is looking at ways to work with online video distributors to boost the profitability of new shows, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. With "Under the Dome," Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) bought rights to the show that let it stream new episodes to customers just four days after they aired. "We had to make a deal unlike any we've ever made," CBS CEO Leslie Moonves told reporters at the Television Critics Association, the Journal reported. Online distributors are increasingly partnering with traditional TV networks to get online rights sooner. Like Amazon's deal with CBS, AMC recently gave Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) the rights to show episodes of "The Killing" soon after they air. Amazon has not revealed the online viewing numbers for "Under the Dome," Moonves told reporters. "But when I ran into [Amazon CEO] Jeff Bezos at Sun Valley, he literally sought me out to tell me how proud he was about 'Under the Dome,'" Moonves said, according to a report in MediaDailyNews. For more:
- the Wall Street Journal had this report (sub. req.)
- MediaDailyNews had this report Related articles:
Netflix says rise in online video distributors benefits content owners, creators
Premium online video content could siphon TV ad money, analysts say
Straight-to-online-video spreads to feature films as Web TV productions rise Read more about: CBS, Netflix
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Viacom (NYSE: VIA) has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate its 2007 copyright infringement claims against YouTube and make sure a different judge hears the case. Federal Judge Louis Stanton of the Southern District of New York has twice dismissed the lawsuit, and each time Viacom has appealed to a higher court. In a brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit last week, Viacom argued that Stanton erred in his interpretation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the protections it grants to online service providers. "Given the protracted nature of this litigation (the case is now well into its seventh year) and the evident firmness of the district court's erroneous views regarding the DMCA, this Court should exercise its discretion to remand the case to a different judge 'to preserve the appearance of justice,'" Viacom argued in the brief. Stanton granted YouTube's second motion for summary judgment in April over a lack of evidence that YouTube executives were aware the site was hosting the specific clips Viacom sued over. For more:
- MediaPost had this report
- The Hollywood Reporter had this report Related articles:
Viacom's $1B suit against YouTube killed; online video slaying video rentals
Viacom producing short-form Web series at MTVOther.com
Viacom agrees to give Nickelodeon programming to Hulu Plus Read more about: YouTube, Viacom
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