Connected TV: The New Content Players Emerge

If you think a multi-channel television universe is complex, wait until the boxes arrive. Whatever form video on demand takes, the battle lines have been drawn and flags have been planted firmly in the ground for 2010. So here are the list of new players ready to assault Australian households with content in a box. The war has only just begun.

PlayStation 3

Sony has announced two new features for the PS3 console. First is the addition of ”catch-up TV” via a new icon in the PS3’s main interface. From the menu, you can now select ”TV” and watch ABC iView shows streamed over your broadband connection. The data is unmetered on several ISPs. The second is a new product called PlayTV ($170). It’s an external USB plug-in device that turns the PS3 into a personal digital video recorder. You can record two free-to-air TV programs at the same time while watching a Blu-ray movie or playing a game. Shows recorded on the PS3 can be streamed to handheld devices – PlayStation Portable and Sony Ericsson’s new AINO phone – over a Wi-Fi network and even (shudder) 3G mobile.

Xbox 360

Microsoft is going for technical superiority with the release of the Movies On Demand service. It’s capable of streaming full high-definition movies (that’s 1080p in technical speak) over your broadband connection, providing your line can handle it. Movies On Demand runs on the Xbox 360 for those with an Xbox LIVE account ($79.95 for a one-year Gold subscription), a service to get access to online content. Movie rentals start at about $4 a title and you have one week to watch it after download. Once you’ve started watching it, however, you have 48 hours to finish it. There are 100 movie titles at launch and the downloads are unmetered with some ISPs.

Telstra

T-Box is Telstra’s new PVR, though it’s yet to be released. It’s similar to a TiVo box with a dual digital TV tuner and hard disk for storing recorded programs. On the broadband side, it connects to Telstra’s BigPond TV and Movies portal. T-Box will undoubtedly be more attractive to BigPond broadband customers who don’t have unmetered access to content with PS3, Xbox LIVE and TiVo CASPA. The T-Box is currently under customer trials in Melbourne and is scheduled to be launched next year. Pricing has yet to be announced.

TiVo

TiVo’s new Caspa service is ostensibly ”video-on-demand” – tthough Hybrid TV (TiVo’s licensee in Australia) clearly has bigger plans for it. For now, though, Caspa is video delivered through your broadband connection to your TiVo box. There is a mix of free and paid content ranging from movies and complete seasons of TV shows to music videos. All video is in standard definition. Paid movies start from $3.95 for ”classics”, while recent titles will start at $5.95. TV shows that aren’t free will be $2.95 per episode. A library of music videos is free but the latest concerts will cost between $4.95 and $8.95. TiVo has also launched a new version of its PVR, which doubles the hard-disk storage to 320GB. The old 160GB drops $100 to $599 until it’s sold out. The new model is $699, which includes the Home Networking Package that incorporates the wireless adaptor and PC software for exporting recorded shows.

Samsung

It has been confirmed by Samsung that on March 2010 it will be launching an internet TV delivery service to its own TV sets and both Samsung and local partners like ninemsn and Channel Nine will be negotiating video content globally.

Sony

Early next year will also see Sony releasing Bravia internet TV and will be using Sony’s international content deals as well as negotiating content access with a number of networks in Australia.

James Grant Hay is a digital entertainment consultant and founder and CEO of InShot, an agency which regularly advises rights holders on content monetization in connected entertainment.