Digital Digest: Has Internet TV Been Worth the Hype?

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Digital Digest: Has Internet TV Been Worth the Hype?

Welcome to the weekend, and welcome to Digital Digest! The pace has slowed down here tremendously this week, but we are here nonetheless with your news and a feature story about where Internet TV (specifically Google TV) has been so far, and where it may be going. Let's get started!

DIGITAL NEWS

DVD announcements have been very slow this week (and with the holiday season approaching, and those DVDs already having been announced, we expect things to be this way for a while), but we do have one announcement. Meet the Browns - Season Four is set for a January 24 release. The three disc set will contain episodes 61-80 of the Tyler Perry series.

Netflix and ABC Studios have announced a deal to extend their licensing agreement to stream series from the studio on the service. Though details of the deal were not disclosed, current seasons of ABC series will be available on the service thirty days following the final episode of the season, and it will also bring new content to the service, including the complete run of the series Alias.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (November 8) doesn't bring much to DVD, except for one really big set (which we aren't going to be covering), Law & Order - The Complete Series. It comes at a $699.99 MSRP, and even with discounts, expect to pay about $500.

BLOG FEATURE STORY

Has Internet TV Been Worth the Hype?
by skees53

Over a year ago, we told you all about the then "upcoming" Google TV, which was purported to change the way that we view TV. The idea appeared to be innovative and cutting-edge, but a year after this product has debuted, it seems that we haven't really been hearing much about it anymore, and we don't hear about anybody saying that they are using this. So what exactly is going on here?

It appears that this new and innovative technology, as nice as it is, has had some major hurdles that essentially have made the technology useless. Not even months after the service debuted, all four major broadcast networks--ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC--essentially decided to block their programming from being streamed on the service out of fears that allowing the service to be used would affect advertising revenue. Even Hulu can't be streamed on the service, meaning that much of the service is limited to Netflix and YouTube. Many of the networks allowed their programming to be streamed on the service initially, which may have enticed some consumers, but that didn't last too long. Other prominent content providers were blocking the service as well, and all of this culminated in this deeply embarrassing story about sales of the product: basically, returns were outpacing sales on the device!

Google's fight to make Google TV succeed isn't over, but even the latest attempts to make the product succeed are falling flat. A new version of the service has a nicer interface, but is still plagued with bugs and isn't bringing any new content. So is it possible that this service can ever succeed with these problems?

It seems that it may be an uphill battle that may be difficult to fight. While in theory, Google had a great idea with Google TV, the reality is that without cooperation from content providers, the device is essentially just going to be a sleek way of watching YouTube videos and Netflix on your TV. This is a problem, though, considering that you can already do this with many Blu-ray players, video game systems, and devices such as Apple TV (which is not even considered a major product for Apple, yet seems to be more successful than Google TV).

Most of this seems to be a battle over advertising revenue, and how the networks can manage to be profitable while allowing their program to be streamed on the device. Unfortunately, even though this is indeed a serious issue that must be resolved in some fashion, this is the one thing that is keeping us truly attached to our standard antenna/cable TV viewing habits. At some point in the future, internet TV will probably become more prominent and useful. But in the short term, it appears that any such offerings will have limitations that are going to be very difficult to overcome in a world where everybody wants a piece of the revenue, since such technology requires cooperation from multiple parties.

CLICK OF THE WEEK

Tim's TV Showcase (http://timstvshowcase.com) - We often like to feature some of the "original" TV websites out there as our Click of the Week, and Tim's TV Showcase is one of the oldest sites out there, and still one of the better ones out there. When you go to the main page of the site, you will find several "channels" to choose from to get started. These well-organized channels will help you get to the content that you are looking for in an easy fashion. Channel 1, for example, brings you a page for all of the series, and you'll find a total of 955 of them listed here, along with a little bit of information about each one.

On Channel 2, you'll find a lot of the "special features." The best part of the content that can be found here are the classic TV commercials. Here, you can take a look back at some classic commercials from the past of television. There is some other content here as well, but the commercials are undeniably the best part. On Channel 3, you can find links to all of the networks. Of course, these are not hard to find elsewhere, but here we have them all on one page. Channel 4 will give you links to other TV websites out there. Unfortunately, the Channel 4 page hasn't been updated in a very long time, so it won't necessarily give you all of the latest pages that are out there. By and large, a lot of the content on this website can be found if you do a lot of Google searches, but what is great about this website is that you get it all easily on one well-organized site with virtually no hassle.

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 4

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Love Grows Here" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After Phillip goes out with his friends, Leah and Jeremy realize that he is a responsible young man. Through a counseling session, Leah and Cora teach the residents the importance of mental, physical and spiritual health.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Let The Church Say Amen" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Cora runs for president of the local church, mud-slinging and sabotage threaten her reputation and test her faith. The Pleasant Days squad bolsters their ability to protect themselves by taking a self-defense class.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "The White Flag" (BET, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Philip feels as though he is being treated like a child and resists his parents' punishment. Mr. Brown sends Kimberly an innocent text message that gets him into trouble.

The Ms. Pat Show - "Twenty Seven Side Pieces" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Denise gets a job at a Black hair salon but has to recruit Pat to deal with some "mean girls;" Terry is still in pain from his injury, but pain management comes in more forms than one, none of them good.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 2)

Wednesday, October 4

Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Watch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. NBC's Today catches up with Nick in the 9am hour.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Fred: The Show) - Siobhan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane gives latest details on the series Name That Tune on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Bellamy Young (The Other Black Girl) - Bellamy will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Phil is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell/Alexa & Katie/Good Morning, Miami/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani shares recipes from her new cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Leslie Odom Jr. (Central Park/Love in the Time of Corona/Big Day) - Leslie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl Lee appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.