Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2008 > May > 30 > Entry
Time Warner bringing Internet video to your TV
Time Warner Cable announced today that it’s planning to release an “Internet video” device that will allow subscribers to view Internet video on their TVs.
It’s no surprise that the cable giant is entering the crowded convergence party, but the almost-detail-free announcement raises many more questions than it answers. Will it be a hub for paid TV and movie content, like Apple TV? Will it be a simple media streamer that takes content from your PC and shoots it to your TV? And what kind of Internet video are we talking about? Premium HD content? Sub-YouTube-quality junk? Broadcast network TV shows and Hollywood studio movies?
And most importantly, was Time Warner’s Glenn Britt serious when he said this would take a year or two to roll out to the marketplace? Sure, Time Warner has a huge installed base of customers who may be willing to give it a try, but the time to introduce a “Networked home” device that simplifies the process is now, not two years from now.
Given the positive reviews we’re seeing for Netflix’s $99 Roku Internet movie player, Amazon’s Unbox partnership with TiVo and the increasing capabilities that video game consoles and streaming video devices are bringing to the home, it just seems like Time Warner is going to be late to the party. I’d be a lot more excited if this mystery device was being announced with some content partners at least or a ballpark on pricing.
It’s an underwhelming, vague announcement and one I wouldn’t put much stock into until we get more details and a better idea of what this device is going to be.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Internet, Movies & DVDs, TV
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.