TV with DVR & Internet: $84.90/moApple has just put out a feature in the iTunes Store, called Rewind, that shows off the best and best-selling music, movies, TV shows, and apps from 2009. This year's edition is crammed full of information and I encourage you to browse through (iTunes link). The results are pretty interesting, although there are no real shockers. iTunes didn't provide download figures; it simply ranked the top-sellers. Here is a quick rundown of what stands out.
Not surprisingly, in the music category, iTunes staff picked Michael Jackson as artist of the year, with Kings of Leon taking home album of the year for their 2009 release, "Only By the Night." The top-selling single of the year was the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow." They also checked in at No. 4 with "I Gotta Feeling," giving them two songs in the top 5.
iTunes' best-selling games of 2009.
The apps category is particularly interesting. The top 5 best-selling games of 2009 are dominated by Electronic Arts. Four out of the five top games are made by EA, including The Sims 3 in the No. 1 spot, followed by Need for Speed Undercover, Madden 10, and Tiger Woods in the Nos. 3, 4, and 5 spots. Gameloft's The Oregon Trail breaks up the EA love fest by sneaking in at No. 2.
As far as other apps go, Navigon's Mobile Navigator grabs the top spot in best-sellers, followed by MLB.com At Bat, Textfree Unlimited, TomTom, Golfshot: Golf GPS, and SlingPlayer Mobile. Unfortunately iTunes doesn't give a combined list, so we don't know what app is really at the top of the pile.
Although the iTunes list is probably not representative of the most popular movies of 2009, due to its limited catalog available for viewing, we'll take a look at it nonetheless. It should be no surprise that punching in at No. 1 for most sales and rentals is "Twilight." Rounding out the top three, we have the stoner comedy/action movie "Pineapple Express" and Bond flick "Quantum of Solace."
iTunes also lists "Up," "Star Trek," "The Hangover," and "Adventureland" as some of the best movies of 2009.
Finally, we have the TV shows category. Yes, iTunes did make some TV episode sales in 2009, despite the existence of alternatives like DVRs, Hulu, and Netflix. The top-selling seasons were "Mad Men" (season 3), "Lost" (season 5), and "24" (season 7). "Family Guy" claims the best-selling episode with "Stew-Roids," followed by "Gossip Girl" with "In the Realm of the Basses," and "Lost" with "Because You Left."
2009 was a good year for content on iTunes. What were some of your favorites in music, movies, TV, and iPhone apps from last year (on iTunes or otherwise)? Let us know in the comments.
Hulu has debuted a long-requested feature--the ability to find out when new episodes of TV shows will be available to stream.
The video site, which is a joint venture of NBC, ABC, and Fox, calls the new feature Coming Soon. It went live Monday.
Hulu's new Coming Soon feature.
(Credit: Screenshot by Harrison Hoffman)The schedule of when TV shows will be released online has been unclear up until this point, leaving people guessing when an episode will be posted. This new feature solves that problem.
The update includes a few additional features. First, people can choose to get an e-mail reminding them when an episode gets posted. This is definitely helpful for those of us who are forgetful and don't use Hulu's excellent Queue feature. Also, Hulu now lets you place the embed code for an unreleased episode on your blog or Web site. I embedded this week's upcoming episode of "The Office" below to show how this feature looks.
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MLB.tv on the iPhone
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com)Baseball fans rejoice. MLB.tv has just debuted a killer iPhone application at WWDC 2008. The application provides live scoreboards, with individual box scores and pitch-by-pitch updates, along with current and constantly updated video highlights, minutes after the play happens.
This application is great for checking in on your team while you're on the go. Instead of being frustrated by not being able to see what your team is up to, MLB.tv's solution puts the whole baseball experience, not just the scores, in your pocket.
This iPhone application looks like it's the best in its class, as far as sports applications go. MLB.tv has been leading the way in streaming sporting events over the Internet. They are continuing their tradition of quality products here.
The development of rich sports applications like this one is nothing but great news for sports fans as others are likely to follow suit. This application is sure to drive more subscribers to MLB.tv's service.
We are living in the era of crappy live TV and people are noticing at last. The impending launch of Hulu has me thinking about what exactly it is that makes watching broadcast TV almost unbearable. First, let me clarify that I don't think that the content sucks, just the way that it is served up. I think that I have broken the problem down into three major points: ads, schedule, and attention.
Ads
Commercials have long been a point of pain in any TV watcher's experience. They are a necessary evil. Without the commercials, there is no content. However, I think that an advertising model like Hulu's makes for a much more tolerable experience. Standard broadcast TV has a few three minute commercial breaks, where Hulu has short 30 second breaks, with an unobtrusive sponsor logo in their bottom right corner. YouTube uses more traditional web ads and corporate partnerships.
It's obvious that the networks are not going to change their views on broadcast ads and this is part of the reason why so many of us are turning to TiVo or other DVR's as our primary means of watching TV. If a more tolerable model, such as Hulu's, was in place, maybe we wouldn't be so quick to reach for the remote to fast forward.
Advertising is the reason that sporting events are valued so highly today by TV networks. For the most part, people like to watch sports live. Everyone needs to know the result as soon as possible, so they are forced to watch the ads. Such is also the case for the show with the biggest ratings of all time, American Idol. The show has a loyal following and cashes in on advertising because all of those people watch it live. Shows such as Lost don't enjoy that luxury and even though they are popular, they don't have to be watched live. This is where the internet, with its infinitely flexible schedule can help.
Schedule
Broadcast TV has owned our schedules for far too long. TiVo helped to show us the way in breaking out of TV schedules. Web video takes it to the next level. We are at the point where you can watch most TV shows on the internet only a day or two after their original air date, regardless of when they happened to be on.
One of the huge problems with broadcast TV is that it is impossible to have something on that everyone likes at all times. When you are actively making the choice on what to watch (as you do with web video), you are far more likely to be watching something that you actually want to be watching. Fixed schedules are dead to me. I think that it's clear, at this point, that we want our content on demand.
Attention
(Credit:
Ken Eisner (Flickr))
There are a lot of things competing for our attention. It's rare that we get time to actually sit down and devote all of our attention to a TV show. As I'm writing this, I've got IM windows open, my email inbox, begging me to go through it, and Adult Swim on my TV. This is precisely why it is so important that when you get quality time for entertainment, you are watching what you want to watch.
Some people attribute the success of YouTube to our attention spans decreasing. I tend to think that people love YouTube because it provides entertainment in short bursts. If you don't like a YouTube video, you probably only lost about 45 seconds of your life, so there is little risk. Full length TV shows, on the other hand, require more of a time commitment.
People don't mind giving a show their full attention if the content is quality. Making shows like Heroes available for viewing on demand, for free, simplifies the search for great entertainment. Our attention spans aren't decreasing, our tolerance for bad entertainment is.
Broadcast TV is alright for a passive form of media. I tend to think of it more as background noise, while something else takes the better part of your attention. I consider watching a show of your choice to be an active form of media since you are actually engaged with the content.
ConclusionI would really like to say that broadcast TV is dying, but it just isn't. Ratings for shows like American Idol tell us that broadcast TV is as strong as ever. Sports are almost always consumed live on broadcast TV and news shows like NBC Nightly News have hugely loyal followings. However, I am seeing a big shift in how we view content that is not time sensitive.
People who are fed up with poor content, obtrusive ads, and fixed schedules are flocking to the internet. Sites like Hulu are our saviors in this age of crappy live TV. The TV networks realize what is happening and that is why they are supporting this reinvention of TV. We are in the era of on demand and more and more people are beginning to see the light.
While the Writers Guild of America is on strike, Hollywood is giving us plenty of opportunities to catch up on content that we haven't seen. Fancast features full episodes of TV shows, TV listings, and news on TV, movies, and celebrities. Comcast's Fancast may look like the latest entrant into the web video scene, but the truth is that it packs a much bigger punch.
Much of the content for full episodes on Fancast is provided by Hulu, with additional content from CBS, MTV, and BET thrown in for good measure. The viewing experience is what you have come to expect from similar web video sites. However, Fancast goes above and beyond what sites like Hulu offer. They will give you TV and movie recommendations based on preferences that you have indicated and content that you have rated. If the TV show/movie is available on Fancast, they have a link to view it, but if they do not have it, they will provide localized TV listings or links to other sources where you can find it. Fancast allows for a good deal of personal customization and discovery and that is their killer feature.
In addition to these options, Fancast offers a really nice IMDB style service which provides a wealth of details on movies, TV shows, cast/crew, and actors. Along with that, Fancast will eventually provide users with the option of telling their Comcast DVR to record a show, much like TiVo does on their site and with Yahoo.
I have to say that Fancast has really nailed this site. Just about everything feels right, from the look to the usability. There is a ton of functionality and content here and it will only improve with time. It is clear that Comcast is very committed to making this project work. They took their time and did it right. This is such a huge site that does so many things that I cannot begin to discuss all of the features here, you will just have to check it out for yourself. I haven't even touched on Six Degrees, the feature that will allow you to explore connections between people, movies, and TV shows.
via NewTeeVee
To promote the release of their new album, In Rainbows, Radiohead is debuting a pre-recorded hour long set on Current TV. According to Billboard, the program will feature Radiohead performing the new album in its entirety.
Radiohead is embracing the internet more than any other band out there today, from their much publicized "pay what you want" internet release of In Rainbows back in October to this news today. This New Year's Eve concert just solidifies their web presence. Radiohead is leading the way right now and I expect to see other bands start to follow suit in the near future.
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