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Netflix planning multiple-stream accounts

Netflix has announced plans for a new subscription plan for multi-user households. Set to be available later this year, the new plans will allow streams of content to multiple devices within the house.

As Netflix has become more and more ubiquitous, more multi-user homes have been subscribing, causing headaches all around. Families have had to purchase hybrid Blu-ray Discs in order to provide individual user account access.

Personally, I have a stream on my PlayStation 3 and one on my MacBook simultaneously. It’s only an issue with two non-browser devices.

This isn’t a new concept for Netflix. They have offered multiple DVD queues so my wife and I could have separate queues. It seems like a no-brainer to just provide a user setting.

But it’s not so simple. The new plans will have new pricing structures. So if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s Netflix still doesn’t care about the customer.

Netflix original programming: they’re on to something good

The online streaming behemoth Netflix has recently forayed into new territory: exclusive, original programming. With content licensing fees continuing to climb and cable networks frightened of Netflix cannibalizing their bread and butter (pay TV subscriptions), Netflix has been prudent to explore alternative content acquisition options.

It’s no doubt that creating good content can be a pricey proposition, but if you requisition your own content, you get the bonus of exclusive availability, with the content only being available to Netflix customers. This situation, in effect, puts Netflix head to head with other entities seeking content, such as the cable TV networks. Netflix is even outbidding some of these networks on acquiring the rights to this new exclusive content.

I was intrigued and curious about the new exclusive content, so I checked out Netflix’s first offering, the show “Lilyhammer”.

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Google Music is now Google Play

Last May, Google launched Google Music in beta. Since then, the cloud-based media delivery marketplace has seen a lot of competition, mainly in the forms of Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud and Spotify.

As a personal anecdote, I’m quite happy I loaded my entire music collection onto Google Music at the time. A couple months ago, my MacBook’s hard drive crashed, so my music collection was saved in the cloud.

And now, Google has added much more to the service and has taken it out of beta. It’s now called Google Play, and provides movies, music, apps, games and books all in one place – and that place is anywhere you are, because Google Play will be available on smartphones, tablets, computers, and more than likely on the newest iteration of Google TV.

And now, instead of just uploading content, Google is now providing content. Movies, Music, Games, Apps and Books.

And keeping with the trends, the content you’re consuming may be shared with friends via social media.
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Netflix, Weinstein announce streaming deal

The Weinstein Company and Netflix announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will bring certain foreign-language, documentary and select other movies exclusively to Netflix streaming service in the US. The titles will become available for streaming for a time exclusive to Netflix before premium cable gets the chance.

While anyone familiar with Netflix streaming knows foreign films, documentaries and second-tier films are the stock and trade of their streaming service, this year does provide Oscar-nominated films such as The Artist, and Undefeated.

It’s not very often a foreign film is nominated for Best Picture, so I wouldn’t expect this arraignment is going to have much long-lasting effect.

Other films which will premiere on Netflix include Sarah’s Key, The Intouchables, W.E., and Coriolanus.

New FCC rule may require cable set-top box

The cable tuner built into TVs may soon become obsolete. Just a few years after the analog antenna tuner was wiped out by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandating a transition to digital broadcast, a new FCC provision in the Cable Television Protection and Competition Act may allow cable operators to encrypt basic tier cable.

This move would allow cable operators such as Time Warner Cable and Comcast to require the rental of a cable descrambler for all cable channels. Basic tier is not the same as “basic cable,” which usually means the basic tier plus dozens of popular cable networks. The basic tier is generally the broadcast stations. The FCC requires basic tier cable to be unencrypted.

“In the late eighties and early nineties, increasing numbers of cable systems started to encrypt their signals,” said Public Knowledge’s John Bergmayer, “and the rule was adopted to allow people to at least access some programming without renting a converter box.”

The public information advocate organization Public Knowledge had first supported the rule change considering many cable operators have received waives to this rule, and the rule change would possibly encourage operators to upgrade from analog to digital systems. But they are now calling for the FCC to postpone the change in order to thoroughly discover any unintended consequences after a few concerns were raised by Boxee.

Boxee has recently released Boxee Live TV, an TV tuner adapter to the Boxee Box by D-Link which allows the media player to receive over-the-air or basic cable channels and integrate it into their unique graphic user interface. Boxee is claiming that 40% of their users make use of unencrypted cable television. Needless to say, encrypting the signal would damage Boxee’s business model, as well as hamper any new innovative competition in this market, and cable systems are genuine natural monopolies.

The FCC has stated previously that they’re interested in promoting new innovative services like Boxee, which puts the commission in an awkward position. If they proceed with this provision, innovation in this space will be limited to cable operators who have no natural competition except from satellite providers or where Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse have managed to install their networks. Most cable companies are way behind in features, using old technologies and even shutting off new features in their current receivers, like SATA and USB storage.

Public Knowledge is encouraging everyone who uses basic tier cable to sign this petition to let the FCC know you support innovations from companies like Boxee, HD HomeRun, EyeTV, as well as tuner cards for PCs.

What do you think? Should cable operators have the right to encrypt the signals they send over their own system, or should there be room for outside competition?

The entertainment industry & US Government want to censor the Internet

Today, numerous sites across the web, including Wikipedia and Craigslist are “blacking out” in opposition of the Stop Online Piracy Act (in the House) and the Protect IP Act (in the Senate).

These pieces of legislation are particularly insidious. Crafted by the entertainment industry in an attempt to combat piracy, what they would actually do if signed into law would be to give the Government and private corporations a channel to censor the Internet.

These putrid acts would also have many other unintended consequences if signed into law, such as stifling US technological innovations, instilling a state of fear in all websites across the web (who could easily be banned for “linking” to copyright infringing content), putting huge burdens (both technical and monetary) on ISP’s in order to comply with blacklisting, damaging the Domain Name System and much more. Watch the video below to learn more.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

We strongly oppose SOPA, PIPA and any other legislation that would give anyone the power to censor the Internet any way, shape or form. If you value the freedom of information and the current experience of the web, PLEASE contact both your Senators and your House Representative today and urge them to oppose these acts and any other similar legislation.

For maximum effect, we recommend that you call, email, fax and write a snail mail letter (yes all of those) to your representatives in Congress. The more contact they receive, the more likely they will be to side with their constituents. Ask all of your friends and family to join in and TAKE ACTION, as the fate of the free Internet is at stake.

Call your House rep
Email all your reps (both your House Rep & Senators) through EFF, Google or DownsizeDC
Find your representative to snail mail or fax a letter
Find your Senators to snail mail or fax a letter

Google TV gets an upgrade

In the run up to this year’s CES Expo, a new teaser video has been posted declaring Google TV to be all new for 2012.

If you remember, we were looking forward to Google TV’s release, but when it came it was underwhelming. The remote was unwieldy, and the menus were less than intuitive.

On top of those problems, content providers were blocking the devices so the promising features were damaged.

Here’s hoping Google learned from their mistakes, made a few new content-providing friends, and is finally releasing a product worth buying.