TV: OMG I Forgot To Watch....!!
(Again, this was posted earlier in my journal. I am moving it here)
TV pilot season will eventually be upon us and the shows will start flying out of the TV to bash around your living room like crazed bats ("Watch me! Watch me!"). It may be hard to keep up with the new and the old. Plus, if you're like me, your Comcast cable box and TIVO will refuse to play nice and half the time will not change channels. As you result, you may spend many days watching the 700 Club and Infomercials instead of the season openers.
So we come down to this post.
OMG I Forgot To Watch.....!!!
1. Handy short guide for online streaming of TV episodes, plus reviews of the streaming sites is here
2. List of Networks - Streaming and/or TV On Demand
Fox will be offering free downloads of some of their shows for one week after they air. You'll need ITunes to download and watch.
TV/On Demand: No way to transfer this to the TV or watch their shows via On demand.
NBC (pulled out of ITunes just before the fall season) claims it will offer downloads - but only to Windows PC users and only for one week. They also promise they will start making you pay for this privilege as soon as they figure out how to get the eps online. This earns them a one star rating on all counts. They will no longer offer any of their content via cable
TV/On Demand (and note when they did, they charged $2). They also plan to set up their own streaming site which they call Hulu* - but only to a limited number of beta testers in Oct.
*NBC is being sued for trademark infringement for its use of Hulu - by Lulu Press, an online book publisher.
CBS - in May, CBS launched their own online streaming site: Innertube CBS offers perhaps the widest selection of all the networks. They also plan to offer their content via AOL Video and Joost.
TV/On Demand: check with your cable provider because CBS is offering CSI and NUMB3RS and many other shows free On Demand. They usually are up for one to two weeks. Best of the networks so far in offering wide distribution of many shows to both streaming and On Demand markets.
ABC
Online: Will offer some streaming content for about one week after the episode airs. You can do this via their website by installing their proprietary player. Online viewing will also be available also via their partnership with AOL Video No idea what kind of software will be needed to watch AOL Video.
TV/On Demand: Nothing
CW
Online: last year they allowed you to watch streaming episodes from their site (US only). Let's hope they do it again (Supernatural!!!).
TV/On Demand: Nothing
USA
Online: Status unknown.
TV/On Demand: so far they offer only one show on cable ON Demand in our area: Monk.
TNT
Online: TNT.tv. More here on their summer streaming initiative.
TV/On Demand viewing for both Saving Grace and The Closer.
BBC America
Online streaming in the UK only. For the US, they stream mainly promos and behind the scenes. But check back - they are considering offering a few limited shows this fall.
TV/On Demand: they are offering Torchwood and Jekyll and a few other shows via On Demand for a few weeks after airing.
HBO
Online:???
TV/On Demand (with subscription) HBO will offer generous replays of eps up to 3 weeks after they air.
Showtime
Online:??? Last year they offered the Dexter pilot for free online.
TV/On Demand: same as HBO. These two providers seem to grok the idea of what we want from TV viewing, at least when it comes to On Demand. They have very little to offer via online, most likely because they are still working under the subscription business model.
FX
Online???
TV/On Demand: Nothing.
3. Other streaming options
AOL's Portal will also be offering a small selection of TV from ABC and CBS.
If you look here you will see the list of TV that has been recently aired (most you will have to pay for) and also some pilots. Of note: they have the Babylon 5 pilot for free. I am certain that with some judicious navigating you will be able to find more free streams but the coverage will not be complete (ex only pilots or only a few shows)
Joost Offers a very limited selection of mainly offbeat channels (Logo?) You need to download their proprietary player to watch.
4. What Do I Want? When Do I Want It?
Simple: I do not want to have to download every episode of the aired shows that I missed. I want to watch it on my TV in our living room without having to rewire the house or network my TV to the computer. In that I am like many consumers. I don't mind having to watch ads to see the shows - they are there anyway when the eps air. I do not want to pay for something I can watch for free when it airs (and don't forget I am already paying for cable) and I do not want to always watch shows only on the computer - impossible to do if there is more than one person in the house.
If the networks are not willing to offer On Demand through cable/satellite of all of their PrimeTime shows, then they should allow free downloads and burning to a single DVD for playback. DVD playback is the most universal & interoperable format we have out there for home use. If they come up with something else interoperable I'd be happy with that,
Until then... well the networks only have themselves to blame for losing market segment share and viewers. And they will have to compete with websites like these
Edited to add: feel free to drop a note with updates
5/16/2008
TV pilot season will eventually be upon us and the shows will start flying out of the TV to bash around your living room like crazed bats ("Watch me! Watch me!"). It may be hard to keep up with the new and the old. Plus, if you're like me, your Comcast cable box and TIVO will refuse to play nice and half the time will not change channels. As you result, you may spend many days watching the 700 Club and Infomercials instead of the season openers.
So we come down to this post.
OMG I Forgot To Watch.....!!!
1. Handy short guide for online streaming of TV episodes, plus reviews of the streaming sites is here
2. List of Networks - Streaming and/or TV On Demand
Fox will be offering free downloads of some of their shows for one week after they air. You'll need ITunes to download and watch.
TV/On Demand: No way to transfer this to the TV or watch their shows via On demand.
NBC (pulled out of ITunes just before the fall season) claims it will offer downloads - but only to Windows PC users and only for one week. They also promise they will start making you pay for this privilege as soon as they figure out how to get the eps online. This earns them a one star rating on all counts. They will no longer offer any of their content via cable
TV/On Demand (and note when they did, they charged $2). They also plan to set up their own streaming site which they call Hulu* - but only to a limited number of beta testers in Oct.
*NBC is being sued for trademark infringement for its use of Hulu - by Lulu Press, an online book publisher.
CBS - in May, CBS launched their own online streaming site: Innertube CBS offers perhaps the widest selection of all the networks. They also plan to offer their content via AOL Video and Joost.
TV/On Demand: check with your cable provider because CBS is offering CSI and NUMB3RS and many other shows free On Demand. They usually are up for one to two weeks. Best of the networks so far in offering wide distribution of many shows to both streaming and On Demand markets.
ABC
Online: Will offer some streaming content for about one week after the episode airs. You can do this via their website by installing their proprietary player. Online viewing will also be available also via their partnership with AOL Video No idea what kind of software will be needed to watch AOL Video.
TV/On Demand: Nothing
CW
Online: last year they allowed you to watch streaming episodes from their site (US only). Let's hope they do it again (Supernatural!!!).
TV/On Demand: Nothing
USA
Online: Status unknown.
TV/On Demand: so far they offer only one show on cable ON Demand in our area: Monk.
TNT
Online: TNT.tv. More here on their summer streaming initiative.
TV/On Demand viewing for both Saving Grace and The Closer.
BBC America
Online streaming in the UK only. For the US, they stream mainly promos and behind the scenes. But check back - they are considering offering a few limited shows this fall.
TV/On Demand: they are offering Torchwood and Jekyll and a few other shows via On Demand for a few weeks after airing.
HBO
Online:???
TV/On Demand (with subscription) HBO will offer generous replays of eps up to 3 weeks after they air.
Showtime
Online:??? Last year they offered the Dexter pilot for free online.
TV/On Demand: same as HBO. These two providers seem to grok the idea of what we want from TV viewing, at least when it comes to On Demand. They have very little to offer via online, most likely because they are still working under the subscription business model.
FX
Online???
TV/On Demand: Nothing.
3. Other streaming options
AOL's Portal will also be offering a small selection of TV from ABC and CBS.
If you look here you will see the list of TV that has been recently aired (most you will have to pay for) and also some pilots. Of note: they have the Babylon 5 pilot for free. I am certain that with some judicious navigating you will be able to find more free streams but the coverage will not be complete (ex only pilots or only a few shows)
Joost Offers a very limited selection of mainly offbeat channels (Logo?) You need to download their proprietary player to watch.
4. What Do I Want? When Do I Want It?
Simple: I do not want to have to download every episode of the aired shows that I missed. I want to watch it on my TV in our living room without having to rewire the house or network my TV to the computer. In that I am like many consumers. I don't mind having to watch ads to see the shows - they are there anyway when the eps air. I do not want to pay for something I can watch for free when it airs (and don't forget I am already paying for cable) and I do not want to always watch shows only on the computer - impossible to do if there is more than one person in the house.
If the networks are not willing to offer On Demand through cable/satellite of all of their PrimeTime shows, then they should allow free downloads and burning to a single DVD for playback. DVD playback is the most universal & interoperable format we have out there for home use. If they come up with something else interoperable I'd be happy with that,
Until then... well the networks only have themselves to blame for losing market segment share and viewers. And they will have to compete with websites like these
Edited to add: feel free to drop a note with updates
5/16/2008