vod

Many in the entertainment industry are afraid of television programming moving online and toward a video-on-demand model, which wrecks havoc on how companies have traditionally made money.

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes isn't one of them.

"You couldn't have a more positive development," Bewkes said about VOD at an investor conference Tuesday.

VOD bolsters the viewership for hit programs, because it allows consumers to tune in whenever they want, he said. But, he added, VOD also creates a platform for introducing niche programming.

Bewkes touted HBO Go as the "best video product in the world … Read more

I used to have hundreds of DVDs. They lined an entire bookshelf. I knew I never watched many of them; besides, the future was digital, wasn't it? It was 2006. My iPod Video told me so.

I sold about half my discs to the departed Kim's Video up the street, and then--pressured a bit by my family needs and small apartment--I did the unthinkable: I tossed out the remaining boxes and stuffed the discs in a binder.

It felt like sacrilege for my treasured and somewhat hard-to-find discs--my Canadian version of Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" with a commentary track, my various out-of-print Criterion movies. I gambled that I'd never really play these discs many more times, what with Netflix instant streaming and iTunes movie rentals.

Mostly, I was right. Then came "Kiki's Delivery Service."… Read more

If there's any trend developing at CES, it's cable and satellite providers trying to capitalize on the growth of smart TVs.

Earlier this week, Verizon Fios announced that it will be offering 26 live HD channels and over 10,000 video-on-demand titles to customers who own an LG smart TV or Blu-ray player. In order to access the channels, LG TV owners must also be Verizon Fios customers and access the content through the service provider's Flex View offering.

Dish earlier this week at CES announced something similar for its customers. After acquiring one of the company'… Read more

One of the major hang-ups for people switching from a cable provider's DVR to TiVo is that the retail TiVo doesn't offer the cable provider's video-on-demand (VOD) channels. So, while you can get plenty of options from TiVo's built-in video service providers--Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon, and (soon) Hulu Plus--you can't order, say, a prize fight or even the bevy of "free" VOD options available on most cable systems, thanks to the technical restrictions of TiVo's CableCard technology.

Well it looks like that sticking point may soon be unstuck as Comcast and TiVo have … Read more

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Microsoft helps the feds bring down a large e-mail spam outfit.

The New York Times announces its pricing structure for access to digital editions.

Microsoft launches a mobile app to help men be cool.

The FCC may not allow cell phone boosters.

Samsung launches 3D video on demand in Korea.

Rumors have been heating up over the last few weeks that Amazon was on the verge of offering "free" unlimited video streaming to its Prime members, who pay $79.99 a year for free two-day shipping on many items sold on Amazon. Now a tipster has sent a few screenshots to Engadget allegedly showing an unlimited video-streaming section to complement Amazon's VOD (video-on-demand) offerings.

Whether someone at Amazon accidentally jumped the gun on the launch is unclear, but the section has now disappeared along with the "Watch now," free unlimited streaming button (I have an … Read more

In our full review, we awarded the Apple TV a rare perfect 10 in the Design category (7.3 overall rating) for its small size and superb interface, but eye candy is no substitute for content. Our major complaint with the Apple TV is the lack of TV content and a look at the most recent ratings for network TV shows shows why it's such as a problem. Apple TV only offers current streaming rentals for 3 of the top 25 TV shows last week, using the all ages demographic, and the competing Amazon Video On Demand (VOD) service … Read more

One of the most attractive benefits that Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, and other Internet movie services have to offer is that they're a cheaper alternative to paying monthly cable fees.

That may be one of the reasons why the cable companies are going on the offensive. The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing Co-op, a group that includes Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Sony Pictures, and Universal Pictures announced on Wednesday it plans to spend $30 million on an advertising campaign designed to "expand consumer awareness...of (rental) movies on demand."

The theme of the campaign will be "… Read more

It's been a long time in coming, but Amazon Video on Demand is finally available in high-def. Owners of TiVo HD/Series 3 DVRs, the Roku Digital Video Player, the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, and Panasonic VieraCast TVs (and, presumably, VieraCast-enabled Blu-ray players) will be the first to enjoy Amazon's content in HD (software updates to enable HD viewing on those products should be available imminently). Likewise, Windows and Mac users will also get access to HD video content via Amazon's Web site.

As with competing services, HD movie rentals will cost $3.99 to $4.… Read more