Left to Their Own Devices
Apple TV
Fans of the Apple TV—yes, there are still a few of them left—spent the year waiting—and waiting. It seemed like Apple went too far with the Apple TV to just abandon it. Yet the folks at Cupertino (Calif.) have shrugged the device off as a "hobby." In an August 2009, column, Dan Rayburn noted that sales were sluggish and that Apple execs have said that the device wasn’t as successful as the company had hoped.
A few bits of news this year showed that Apple hadn’t forgotten about the Apple TV completely. In September it silently (without a press release) killed off the 40GB model and lowered the price of the 160GB model to $229 (which had been the 40GB’s price). In October, Apple updated the software to 3.0—mainly so the Apple TV could support new iTunes LP and iTunes Extra features. The update also included an easier interface, access to internet radio stations, and a few photo-viewing enhancements. The big change, however, the one that would support streamed video and make iTunes a real competitor to Netflix, never happened. Perhaps the big new release will come just after this issue goes to press. See, even I can’t help waiting. There’s something else coming, right Apple?
Popcorn Hour C-200
Released at the end of the year, the Popcorn Hour C-200 is an improved version of the company’s A-110, and is dubbed a "networked media tank." While it may look a little rough around the edges, it’s earned high marks for its ability to stream and store local and online content. While not as robust online as other set-top boxes, it does offer easy access to sites such as SHOUTCast Radio, blip.tv, Revision3, and dozens of other sources. It can also download files directly from the internet.
The C-200’s main purpose, though, is streaming content from your local computers, and that’s where it really shines. You can use it to create a central library of all your movies or play nearly any digital media file on your television. It connects to a home network with a gigabit Ethernet cable, so you’ll enjoy fast access speeds, although you’ll need to make sure you have a place to plug it in. The C-200 has a free tray for holding a Blu-ray drive, a DVD drive, or an internal hard drive, and it can attach to up to four USB external storage devices. Look for it to grow a respectable following in 2010.
FlipShare TV
Released just at the close of the year, the FlipShare TV has yet to prove itself. This $150 connected device lets Flip video camera owners bridge the gap between their computers and their TVs. The FlipShare TV connects to a television with an HDMI or composite connection; it also includes a USB transmitter that plugs into the user’s computer. Once connected, viewers can use the included remote to navigate through their locally stored content or to stream video content uploaded by other Flip video camera users.
We’ll know more soon, but so far the buzz isn’t strong on this one. While the Flip camera’s ease and portability shook up the video camera category, the FlipShare TV seems too unwieldy for some people, as it’s one more device to hook up to the television. What’s worse, it’s a completely single-purpose, niche device. While consumers are still warming up to set-top devices, they’ll likely gravitate to ones that offer a range of viewing, not just one possibility. If Flip, which is owned by Cisco, partners with an existing device to create a streaming channel, it would probably be more successful. As it is, we’re left wondering if FlipShare TV will be thriving by the time the next Sourcebook rolls around.
FLO TV
FLO TV got off to a slow start this year, but it wasn’t the company’s fault. The live TV service, which is owned by Qualcomm, was all set to launch a national rollout after the country’s transition to digital TV broadcast in February. FLO TV owns a portion of the analog spectrum and uses it to broadcast a pay TV service. While the company had been fueling branded cell phone TV services for some time, it couldn’t go national and begin operating under its own name until after the DTV transition. That’s because the signal range it purchased was still being used in some markets.
But you remember how the DTV transition went: It was pushed back to June, and so were FLO TV’s plans. Once it was finally off and running, however, the company announced a line of personal viewing products. It partnered with Audiovox to create seat-back screens for car viewing. In October, the company made headlines with a compact handheld TV called the FLO TV Personal Television. It lists for $249.99 and offers programming for $8.99 per month with a 3-year subscription. We’re waiting to see if FLO TV’s subscription model finds an audience.
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26 Oct 2010