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telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

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telcodad to GTFan

MVM

to GTFan

Re: Comcast Xfinity for Xbox launching soon (possibly next week)

The problem that I have with the exclusion of the Xbox 360 VoD app's data from Comcast's residential HSI service cap is that it contradicts the rational that Comcast has been using to place the cap on it in the first place - to avoid having certain heavy users (aka "Data Hogs") in a given area degrade the service for most of the other users.

The arguments citing the current Network Neutrality rules probably won't go anywhere because of the many loopholes in them and Comcast's claims that they are only using their internal network/servers vs. the public internet.

However, I think the latest arguments, that the cap exclusion for the Xbox 360 VoD app violates Comcast's agreements that it made as part of its take-over of NBC Universal last year, are valid.

That agreement (»transition.fcc.gov/trans ··· bcu.html) states that any Comcast service involving "caps, tiers, metering, or other usage-based pricing" shall not treat affiliated network traffic differently from unaffiliated network traffic and offer the same facilities and capabilities to others on commercially equivalent terms.

See: »dwmw.wordpress.com/2012/ ··· trality/

So, what then, do I think Comcast should do?

Some different possibilities:

1) Remove the cap on residential HSI service

2) Raise the cap to something more reasonable, like 1TB or more

3) Have the cap vary by HSI speed tier, with higher tiers having higher caps (e.g., Economy: 250GB, Performance: 500GB, Blast: 750GB, Extreme: 1 or 2TB, etc.)

4) Allow users to pay an extra fee for a higher cap (or an unlimited connection), regardless of speed tier

Personally, I'd favor either #3 or #4, as having no restrictions at all for everyone would probably lead to actual service slowdowns, especially during prime usage times.

If some users paid more for a higher cap (or no cap) then Comcast can use that extra income to add more capacity in problem areas.

Edit: I have now posted a poll thread for CHSI forum users to express what they think Comcast should do about the data cap now: »[Caps] What do you think Comcast should do now about its data ca
telcodad

telcodad

MVM

Another good article about all this on the Raw Story site:

Comcast exempts its new streaming video service from bandwidth caps
Raw Story - March 28, 2012
»www.rawstory.com/rs/2012 ··· th-caps/

An excerpt:

"By exempting its own service from the company’s bandwidth caps, Comcast places its content rivals at a disadvantage that, on its face, appears to violate the principle of Internet neutrality, which the Federal Communications Commission mandated for the public Internet in rules (»www.rawstory.com/rs/2010 ··· -agenda/) issued two years ago. Internet neutrality stipulates that all web traffic must be treated equally, which would seemingly prevent big corporations from prioritizing their traffic over small businesses, activist groups and others.

Comcast is getting around those rules by delivering Xfinity over a “private IP network,” it explained in a customer FAQ published this week. By drawing a distinction between “the public Internet” and its own high bandwidth “private” network, Comcast has proved its critics were right to suggest that weakened neutrality rules would lead to the creation of “super tiers,” (»www.itworld.com/internet ··· et-costs) where more bandwidth would be available to the owners, operators and, potentially, anyone who can pay enough.

Comcast and Netflix did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Internet freedom activists have long warned that the “cableization” of the Internet was coming, and if Comcast were to open up its own “private IP network” to other major content providers — for a fee, of course — it would represent the creation of a super-tiered Internet of sorts, where moneyed players essentially run the show, forsaking the public Internet for the private Internet and hauling millions of users along with them into a new environment with entirely different rules.

It’s also not the first time Comcast has used its bandwidth resources to hurt a competitor and enrich itself: in 2010, Netflix partner Level 3 was forced into paying a reoccurring fee to “transmit Internet online movies and other content to Comcast’s customers who request such content.” (»www.rawstory.com/rs/2010 ··· r-video/) They agreed under protest, saying their highest priority was averting service interruptions, which Comcast threatened if Level 3 did not pay up.

Critics compared the move to extortion and blackmail, but it was perfectly legal because no regulations at the time had addressed network operators charging tolls or blocking content. Now that those rules are solidified and “public Internet” traffic must be treated equally, network owners have been eyeing ways to further monetize their bandwidth resources.

Xfinity, it would seem, is just the beginning."
telcodad

telcodad

MVM

Michael Powell, former Chairman of the FCC and now the head of the NCTA, not surprising, disagrees with Public Knowledge's alarm at the cap exclusion - "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished – Washington Advocacy Run Amok" (»www.cabletechtalk.com/te ··· un-amok/).

Public Knowledge has, in turn, posted their response to his:

Michael Powell Works the Ref On The XBox360 Play
By Harold Feld, Public Knowledge - March 29, 2012
»www.publicknowledge.org/ ··· 360-play

An excerpt:

"Michael Powell, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and now the head of the National Cable Telecommunications Association (NCTA), professes confusion and consternation at our raising the alarm about Comcast’s decision to exempt its Xfinity app for the XBox360 from its 250 GB bandwidth cap. Rather than addressing the issue, Powell basically argues that the only reason PK (or anyone else) could possibly see anything here to worry about is because we're either crazy alarmists or because we are "trying to get another bite at the regulatory apple." In sports, we refer to this kind of behavior as 'working the ref.'

Happily, we don’t have to take PK’s word for it that this kind of conduct raises some pretty serious competition questions worthy of examination. The Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DoJ) explained why conduct like this raises alarm bells back when Comcast bought NBCU last year. In fact, DoJ even put a merger condition directly on point. Ah yes, here it is:

"If Comcast offers consumers Internet Access Service under a package that includes caps, tiers, metering, or other usage-based pricing, it shall not measure, count, or otherwise treat Defendants’ affiliated network traffic differently from unaffiliated network traffic. Comcast shall not prioritize Defendants’ Video Programming or other content over other Persons’ Video Programming or other content." (Emphasis added)

You’ll note, btw, that the condition refers to “network traffic” and makes no distinction between whether the “network traffic” is running over the “public Internet” or Comcast’s “private IP network.” It also does not require malicious intent on the part of Comcast. There’s a reason for that. As the DoJ explained in its competitive impact statement and in the Complaint, the combined Comcast/NBCU would have enormous incentive to protect its highly lucrative cable subscription and video-on-demand service from competition from online video distributors (OVDs). Because Comcast is both an MVPD and a broadband access provider, Comcast might set rules on the broadband access side that give an advantage to its traditional cable and VoD services – such as counting competing services against the bandwidth cap but not its own services.

(I’ll note in passing that the FCC reached similar conclusions and has a similar but somewhat differently worded version of this condition in its Order permitting Comcast to buy NBCU, but since it is fashionable in some circles these days to dismiss the FCC (particularly on the subject of net neutrality) as a tin plated over bearing swaggering dictator with delusions of godhood, I shall leave them out of this for the moment. We’ll just stick with the acknowledged experts on pure antitrust at DoJ who saw that Comcast might do something exactly like this and regarded it as a danger to OVD competition.)

Whether Comcast’s decision to architect its system this way actually violates the Comcast/NBCU consent decree, the FCC Merger Order, or the Open Internet rules, I leave as an open question for the moment. If we brush aside Powell’s posturing, we get to a substantive legal argument at the very bottom of his blog post. Powell argues that Comcast’s video streaming on Xbox is essentially the same as using a third-party Cablecard enabled device except instead of using Cablecard, it uses IP. Accordingly, whatever competitive advantage the Xfinity app has because other services trigger the cap is nothing new, and is already permitted under the rules that allow a bandwidth cap in the first place. That’s a perfectly valid argument to make, although I don’t know if it carries the day."
telcodad

telcodad

MVM

Looks like Comcast is starting to do some "wordsmithing" in order to defuse this controversy:

Comcast updates Xbox FAQ, cuts reference to its ‘private IP network’
GigaOM - March 29, 2012
»gigaom.com/video/comcast ··· -update/

"Earlier this week Comcast came under fire for possible net neutrality violations after it was revealed that streams of on-demand video that it delivers to subscribers via Xbox Live won’t count toward its monthly 250 GB bandwidth cap. Well, the way Comcast delivers that content hasn’t changed, but the language it uses to describe the delivery method has been updated, perhaps in an effort to draw less attention to the issue.

For those who forgot, the pertinent part of the FAQ previously tried to distinguish its VOD streams from those of competing video services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, saying that its content on Xbox was “being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet.” As a result, since Comcast’s Xbox Live streams are essentially a managed service being delivered and cached throughout its own in-network CDN, the cable company argued that those bits wouldn’t count towards the cap.

That was seen as anticompetitive by many, especially since Netflix streams — and even those from TV Everywhere partners like HBO and others — do count against the cap. And it reeked of possible net neutrality violations, for providing favored access to its own content but not others. But the reality of the situation is a lot more nuanced, as Stacey Higginbotham wrote earlier this week.

Now it looks like Comcast is changing its tune and doing away with the whole public/private network argument altogether. The FAQ (»xbox.comcast.net/faqs.html) now reads:

Q: Will watching XFINITY TV directly on my Xbox 360 use data from my XFINITY Internet monthly data usage allowance?

A: No; similar to traditional cable television service that is delivered to the set-top box, this content doesn’t count toward our data usage threshold. The Xbox 360 running our XFINITY TV app essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable service, and our data usage threshold does not apply.


Frankly, the new language doesn’t change much, especially considering those Xbox streams are delivered over IP, and aren’t that different from the streams that go to its iPad app or those that are viewed through its XfinityTV.com website. The slippery slope here is that down the line, Comcast could argue that those screens aren’t any different than what you watch on your TV, either through the Xbox or a Comcast set-top box.

It’s worth noting that the content available for Comcast’s VOD offering is different from what’s on the iPad app and website — they’re different services and Comcast has negotiated different rights for each. And they aren’t delivered in the same way: VOD runs over the internally built Comcast CDN, while iPad and web streams go over the Internet through third-party CDNs.

It’s also worth noting that what Comcast is doing isn’t that different from IP delivery of video via Verizon FiOS or AT&T’s U-Verse. And that we’ll likely see more of these types of services, especially with the introduction of new multimedia gateways that will soon route IP-based TV streams wirelessly throughout the home and onto whatever devices users want to watch them on.

For now, though, Comcast is hoping to soften the rhetoric by telling us that the Xbox isn’t any different than another set-top box. That’s cool, dudes. Just as long as you’re not saying your video is running over a private network."

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to GTFan

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to GTFan
said by GTFan:

And how is this different from the app running on an iPad in your home, other than it's not connected to your TV? The answer is that it's not.

The xbox only streams content from the xfinity app, which is only functional if you have both xfinity tv and xfinity broadband. There is no requirement for xfinity broadband to stream xfinity content via the web.

This is the difference.
GTFan
join:2004-12-03
Austell, GA

GTFan

Member

Which, again, has nothing to do with what I said. I give up, we'll have to agree to disagree.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

A blog item on the Media Matters for America website:

Degrading Net Neutrality In Plain Sight
By Simon Maloy, Media Matters for America - March 29, 2012
»mediamatters.org/blog/20 ··· 03290003

An excerpt:

"When the FCC passed the Open Internet Order in December 2010, which put in place regulatory strictures for network neutrality, a number of public interest groups raised the alarm over potential loopholes internet service providers could exploit to get around the spirit of the rules. Andrew Jay Schwartzman of the Media Access Project said the rules "foreshadow years of uncertainty and regulatory confusion, which those carriers will use to their advantage." Craig Aaron of Free Press said they "don't do enough to stop the phone and cable companies from dividing the Internet into fast and slow lanes, and they fail to protect wireless users from discrimination."

It's looking like they were prescient on this one. In the last month, two internet service providers have proposed new plans that, while they appear to technically comport with the FCC's Open Internet Order, nonetheless threaten the principles undergirding net neutrality.

Outside The Xbox

On March 23, Comcast quietly announced that usage of their soon-to-be-released XFINITY streaming video service for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console will not count against the 250 gigabyte cap the ISP puts on monthly data usage for residential customers.

Per Comcast's FAQ page on XFINITY TV:

[Note that the original wording of it is shown here, not the latest revised one (»gigaom.com/video/comcast ··· -update/) - telcodad]

Q: Will XFINITY On Demand content a customer views via the Xbox 360 go against their bandwidth cap?

A: No, since the content is being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet, it does not count against a customer's bandwidth cap. XFINITYTV.com and the XFINITY TV app stream content over the public Internet and count toward the customer's bandwidth cap.


What Comcast is doing by offering this streaming video all-you-can-eat buffet through their private network is prioritizing their own content. Think of it this way: if you're a Comcast subscriber and you want to watch a movie online but are worried about bumping up against the monthly data cap, you're incentivized to watch that movie via XFINITY on your Xbox, rather than through "public internet" providers like Netflix. It has less to do with consumer choice than it does with which services Comcast favors.

The FCC says companies like Comcast that provide "broadband Internet access service" shouldn't use that service to prioritize their own content (or enter into financial arrangements with outside content developers to favor their content) because it's wildly anti-competitive. What's at issue, though, is how the FCC defines "broadband Internet access service."

The FCC order's definition of "broadband Internet access service" specifically excludes "content delivery network services," which is what Comcast is using to deliver their streaming video to the Xbox. To borrow from the late Sen. Ted Stevens, if you think of the internet as a tube, then content delivery networks are smaller tubes within that tube devoted exclusively to providing specific services. There's a techno-wonky debate over whether content delivery networks should count as part of "the internet," but since the FCC says no (at least from the regulatory viewpoint), Comcast can argue that they're still in compliance with the Open Internet Order.

Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge say Comcast is violating the "spirit of net neutrality" by transforming "the competitive online video marketplace into a two-tiered world, where its own online video doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else's.""

Nalez2
@ekholm.org

Nalez2 to egeek84

Anon

to egeek84
This is interesting. The service states that comcast internet is required; yet when I attempt to use this application with my xbox and my premium comcast business class Internet; it says comcast internet is required.

I do have comcast Internet; and I am paying more than your other comcast internet users.

somms
join:2003-07-28
Centerville, UT

somms

Member

said by Nalez2 :

I do have comcast Internet; and I am paying more than your other comcast internet users.

Just because you overpay for CHSI doesn't mean you will get any better service or speeds and since the 'soft cap' isn't very well enforced...well you see the picture I'm trying to paint!

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to Nalez2

Premium Member

to Nalez2
said by Nalez2 :

This is interesting. The service states that comcast internet is required; yet when I attempt to use this application with my xbox and my premium comcast business class Internet; it says comcast internet is required.

I do have comcast Internet; and I am paying more than your other comcast internet users.

You don't have Xfinity Residential internet and Xfinity residential video service. You need both of those.
JohnInSJ

JohnInSJ to telcodad

Premium Member

to telcodad
said by telcodad:

Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge say Comcast is violating the "spirit of net neutrality" by transforming "the competitive online video marketplace into a two-tiered world, where its own online video doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else's.""

Media matters doesn't understand what since the content is being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet, it does not count against a customer's bandwidth cap means. This seems to be the central problem for everyone.

In fact, Netflix is benefiting from the asymmetric relationship between its CDN and comcast to have comcast subscribers subsidize its costs across all comcast users, including those that don't use netflix at all.

No one seems to be screaming about that though.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

said by JohnInSJ:

said by telcodad:

Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge say Comcast is violating the "spirit of net neutrality" by transforming "the competitive online video marketplace into a two-tiered world, where its own online video doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else's.""

Media matters doesn't understand what since the content is being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet, it does not count against a customer's bandwidth cap means. This seems to be the central problem for everyone.

But that excuse doesn't fly as mentioned before in this same thread (»Comcast Xfinity for Xbox launching soon (possibly next week)) and see: »www.publicknowledge.org/ ··· 360-play Even Comcast must have finally come to realize that, as they later removed that line from the FAQ (»gigaom.com/video/comcast ··· -update/).

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ

Premium Member

said by telcodad:

said by JohnInSJ:

said by telcodad:

Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge say Comcast is violating the "spirit of net neutrality" by transforming "the competitive online video marketplace into a two-tiered world, where its own online video doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else's.""

Media matters doesn't understand what since the content is being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet, it does not count against a customer's bandwidth cap means. This seems to be the central problem for everyone.

But that excuse doesn't fly as mentioned before in this same thread (»Comcast Xfinity for Xbox launching soon (possibly next week)) and see: »www.publicknowledge.org/ ··· 360-play Even Comcast must have finally come to realize that, as they later removed that line from the FAQ (»gigaom.com/video/comcast ··· -update/).

"A: No; similar to traditional cable television service that is delivered to the set-top box, this content doesnt count toward our data usage threshold. The Xbox 360 running our XFINITY TV app essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable service, and our data usage threshold does not apply."

They're saying the same thing, in a different way - watching your comcast content on any comcast device that only can receive comcast content when used in your home on your comcast internet connection doesn't count towards the internet content cap.

Which differs from the xfinity internet streaming option, that is available to you as a comcast cable subscriber, over any internet connection you may have, anywhere.

I think you can beat this dead horse as much as you want, but it will still be dead.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

Comcast can try and justify the Xbox VoD app's exclusion from the cap anyway they want, but it is inconsistent with their other "private network" apps for other devices that use their HSI IP service in the home (on TiVos, etc.), that still have their data use subject to the cap.

Why aren't their Comcast-supplied apps "essentially acting as an additional cable box for your existing cable service" like the Xbox?

I think this "horse" may still have some life in her yet!
telcodad

telcodad

MVM

Apparently, I'm not the only person to see this inconsistancy:

Reed Hastings: "I want my HBO Go"
Netflix chief complains about Comcast broadband loophole
Variety - March 30, 2012
»www.variety.com/article/ ··· 18052125

Reed Hastings says:

"Comcast: I'm paying you a lot of money for HBO, so please let me watch HBO Go on my TV," Hastings wrote. "I want my HBO Go."

For Hastings to come to the defense of HBO Go is more than a little odd given he's repeatedly referred to it and HBO in general as competitive threats.

But Hastings hints at an ulterior motive later in his Facebook post: "Once I get HBO Go on my Xbox, then it will be strange that streaming 'Game of Thrones' from the HBO Go app on my Xbox will count against my Comcast Internet cap, but when I watch those same 'Game of Thrones' streams through the Comcast app on Xbox, over the same Wifi connection to my Xbox, then it will not count against my cap. Hmmm…"
GTFan
join:2004-12-03
Austell, GA

1 edit

GTFan

Member

Nor I, but you can't convince John of this. For some reason if you can stream it from anywhere it's subject to cap, even though that has nothing to do with getting it on the same network that your Xbox lives on.
And I'm not talking about HBO Go, which presumably comes from public servers - I'm talking about Xfinity on Demand on an iPad vs. the app on an Xbox, which presumably both come from Comcast servers and therefore never leave their network.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad to egeek84

MVM

to egeek84
A nice video demo of this new service on today's Light Reading Cable site:

Xfinity TV Meets the Xbox 360
By Jeff Baumgartner, Light Reading Cable - April 2, 2012
Comcast's authenticated TV Everywhere recently debuted on Microsoft's IP-connected game console. Here's a brief look at the app in action
»www.lightreading.com/blo ··· r_cable&

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to GTFan

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to GTFan
said by GTFan:

Nor I, but you can't convince John of this. For some reason if you can stream it from anywhere it's subject to cap, even though that has nothing to do with getting it on the same network that your Xbox lives on.
And I'm not talking about HBO Go, which presumably comes from public servers - I'm talking about Xfinity on Demand on an iPad vs. the app on an Xbox, which presumably both come from Comcast servers and therefore never leave their network.

No, they HAVE to send that content to the edge of their network via their external CDN, and if you happen to access it internally it routes back in.

Like I said, if you understood how the different content was distributed, you could see their argument as reasonable.

The content stream for Xbox app is different -its never going to be routed to the edge, because it's never gonna leave the comcast internal network.

And, as we have also discussed, you CANNOT get the Xbox content on your xbox if you only have xfinity video. You need both residential video and residential internet. With their web on-demand product you only need to be a comcast video subscriber.

So, even if you don't want to believe it, there is a large difference between the two.
dtherbert
join:2009-04-24
Evanston, IL

dtherbert

Member

So quick question:

I have Xfinity video and internet. I go over to my son's house to help him take care of his children. He has Xfinity internet only and an Xbox 360. Can I activate/login with my account on his Xbox so we are able to watch more things when I am over there?

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ

Premium Member

said by dtherbert:

So quick question:

I have Xfinity video and internet. I go over to my son's house to help him take care of his children. He has Xfinity internet only and an Xbox 360. Can I activate/login with my account on his Xbox so we are able to watch more things when I am over there?

I believe not.

That's my understanding of how it works - it will not activate there.

Edit: »www.xbox.com/en-US/live/ ··· /xfinity

Note steps 2 and 3.
Restrictions apply. XFINITY TV Digital Starter service or above and XFINITY Internet required. on bottom of page.

utsports
join:2009-07-13
Knoxville TN

utsports to dtherbert

Member

to dtherbert
said by dtherbert:

I have Xfinity video and internet. I go over to my son's house to help him take care of his children. He has Xfinity internet only and an Xbox 360. Can I activate/login with my account on his Xbox so we are able to watch more things when I am over there?

Actually I tried this recently and it worked, I think if your both on the same headend HFC Network it will.
utsports

utsports to egeek84

Member

to egeek84
PlayOn announced via Facebook if your blocked from HBOGO on your Xbox 360 its now available as a channel on there service.

»www.facebook.com/playont ··· 67975672

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to utsports

Premium Member

to utsports
said by utsports:

said by dtherbert:

I have Xfinity video and internet. I go over to my son's house to help him take care of his children. He has Xfinity internet only and an Xbox 360. Can I activate/login with my account on his Xbox so we are able to watch more things when I am over there?

Actually I tried this recently and it worked, I think if your both on the same headend HFC Network it will.

Should not work, unless both people have xfinity broadband and video. Since comcast easily can figure out which account the xbox is on (if its on comcast at all) and verify it qualifies or not, it seems unlikely they wouldn't check.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad to egeek84

MVM

to egeek84
Looks like Sony may be launching a similar service soon for their PS3.

I wonder if they will work with Comcast, like Microsoft did, to develop an Xfinity VoD app for it?

Sony to announce new PlayStation 3 video service, but what is it?
The Verge - April 2, 2012
»www.theverge.com/2012/4/ ··· -service

An excerpt:

"As part of his usual rundown of the coming week's PSN content during the latest PlayStation Blogcast, Senior Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein teased listeners with a brief mention of a "cool new video service" that will be revealed for the PlayStation 3. "I can't tell you anything more about it right now," he says. "But it's really cool. We tried it out, and it's something I think you all will like. Another option for people, coming to PSN for your PS3." And just like that, Rubenstein plowed forward with the release list, offering no further hints of what we can expect from the announcement.

Let's examine a few possibilities:

Sony may be planning to even up the video score
Expanded video app selection: With Microsoft's recent acceleration in providing new video apps to Xbox Live users (»www.theverge.com/2011/11 ··· ard-2011), Sony could be feeling some pressure to broaden its own content selection. The PS3 initially led the Xbox 360 in this category with services like Vudu and MLB.TV, both of which were unavailable on the 360 until recently. Now Microsoft has quickly managed to leapfrog Sony with offerings like HBO GO, ESPN, and a native YouTube app. It could be an embarrassing turn of events for a console embraced by home theater enthusiasts, and Sony may be planning to even up the video score.
:
Live TV on your PS3:
Here's where things get a bit wild. Back in November, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sony had approached numerous TV networks with the goal of streaming their programming directly to its consumer devices via the web. Essentially, the PS3 would be transformed into a full-fledged cable box alternative. If this week's news is indeed the realization of these rumors, Sony and its partners have managed to keep an exceptionally tight lid on things. Odds point to this as the least probable theory, though it's easily the one that excites us most. It's also curious that Sony would launch a new service exclusively on the PlayStation 3 at this point in time — five years after the console launched — and seemingly leave the young PS Vita out of the mix. Perhaps whatever the company has been working on is simply better suited for the living room rather than a portable environment.

We'll have a much better sense of what Sony has up its sleeve in a matter of days. Hopefully it's something a bit more ambitious than PlayMemories. Hit »blog.us.playstation.com/ ··· eed-iii/ for the full podcast; video-related chatter begins at around the 6:15 mark."
telcodad

1 edit

telcodad

MVM

Looks like this is the announcement for the Sony PS3:

Amazon scores another win in the VoD wars with PlayStation 3 deal
FierceCable - April 4, 2012
»www.fiercecable.com/stor ··· 12-04-04

"The video on demand market has been heating up ever since Netflix first started its instant streaming service, but Amazon just fired another shot at cable operators with news that its Instant Video service is now available on Sony PlayStation 3 consoles.

The PS3 system is the first video game box to offer the Instant Video service, and Amazon has added some new features to herald the living-room launch. By downloading the Amazon Instant Video app, PS3 users can get new "smart lists" featuring recently watched content, next episode links and personal recommendations. Amazon also notes that viewers can start a program on the Kindle Fire, and continue it on a PS3 device through the use of its Whispersync technology. The mention of Amazon's media tablet highlights how the company is steadily building its own media ecosystem, combining services with its own devices and third-party hardware.

Amazon Prime members can stream instant videos from the Amazon library to PS3 consoles starting immediately. For users who don't want to pay the $79-per-year Prime subscription fee, the Amazon Instant Video app also offers more than 120,000 TV shows and movies available for rent or purchase. In honor of the PS3 launch, Amazon is providing the first episodes of more than 100 TV shows for free so that both Prime and non-Prime customers can test out instant streaming through the game console app."

For more:
- see the Playstation blog post »blog.us.playstation.com/ ··· t-video/
- see this Engadget story »www.engadget.com/2012/04 ··· ption-a/ "

The press release from Amazon: »www.businesswire.com/new ··· 3-System

Edit: Added link to the press release

egeek84
Premium Member
join:2011-07-28
Livermore, CA

egeek84

Premium Member

interesting! I wonder if the Amazon Prime app will hit the 360 as well?!

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

said by egeek84:

interesting! I wonder if the Amazon Prime app will hit the 360 as well?!

Here is an excerpt from a follow-up article about the Amazon/PS3 announcement:

From: With PlayStation 3 deal Amazon is looking bigger in Netflix's mirror
FierceOnlineVideo - April 4, 2012
»www.fierceonlinevideo.co ··· 12-04-04

"Amazon Prime already is available on connected TVs and other connected devices like Blu-ray players, TiVo and Roku set-top boxes, he said.

[Bill] Carr [VP of video and music at Amazon], meanwhile, declined to say whether the service would eventually be available on the Xbox, the best-selling gaming console in the U.S., although Amazon's LoveFilm business already does offer streaming titles on the iPad and Xbox in the United Kingdom. There's little doubt Amazon would love to do the same for its fledgling service in the U.S."
telcodad

telcodad

MVM

Looks like HBO Go will soon be available on the Xbox 360 for Comcast customers:

Comcast Prepped To Launch HBO Go On Xbox
MSO, Programmer Hashed Out Business Issues Unrelated to Platform: Source
By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News - April 4, 2012
»www.multichannel.com/art ··· Xbox.php

"Comcast subscribers will soon be able to log in to HBO's TV Everywhere service from the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console, after the two sides resolved business issues unrelated to the device itself, according to an industry source.

The MSO will allow Xfinity TV and Internet subscribers to access the HBO Go app on the Xbox as early as this week, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Sources confirmed that the companies have reached a deal.

HBO launched its app on the game platform (»www.multichannel.com/art ··· B_TV.php) last week, but it is not currently available through Comcast, Time Warner Cable or Bright House Networks.

Comcast and HBO declined to comment.

According to a person familiar with the negotiations, Comcast's holdup on the HBO Go service for Xbox had "nothing to do" with the technical integration with the game console. Rather, there were other business issues that Comcast and HBO were working out before the MSO gave the go-ahead on the Xbox.

Sources close to Comcast previously indicated that HBO had not agreed to all of the conditions it required of TV Everywhere partners, such as how subscriber information is handled on third-party devices and websites.

For now, Comcast, the largest pay TV provider in the U.S. with 22.3 million video subscribers, still will not provide access to the HBO authenticated programming service through Roku set-tops or Samsung Smart TVs, as many other HBO affiliates do.

Meanwhile, public-interest groups complained (»www.multichannel.com/art ··· uiry.php) that Comcast's policy of not counting video-on-demand consumed through its Xfinity TV app on the Xbox was anti-competitive. Comcast said that because the Xbox acts as effectively another set-top box, usage of the the Xfinity app is not subject to the 250-Gigabyte monthly limit on broadband users.

It is not known whether video streamed using the HBO Go app on Xbox will count toward the Comcast cap. The MSO, in its frequently asked questions section of its website, says all Internet-delivered video -- including that on its XfinityTV.com site -- counts toward total usage."

Also, an article on this in the NY Times: »mediadecoder.blogs.nytim ··· comcast/

egeek84
Premium Member
join:2011-07-28
Livermore, CA

egeek84

Premium Member

telcodad, can i just say that you rock for keeping us up to date and posting these news articles!! THANK YOU!

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

Well thank you. It's nice to be appreciated, especially when others have sometimes complained to me about how many articles I've posted on these forums.

While, posting news items is probably more Karl Bode's job, when I do come across an interesting news item on one of the websites that I normally visit, I like to share that with others who may not have seen it.