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Which way will Apple go with their TV? Well, hopefully they’re learning their lesson with AppleTV - all of these types of devices are interim solutions until the capabilities are built into all TVs on the market. That will take time but the price points make it an easy upgrade path for a consumer. Will Apple figure out how to get us to upgrade TVs with the came consistency and predictability that we do today with iPhones? Unlikely. But we did underestimate them with the iPad.

(Source: cultofmac.com)

For the first time, consumers are watching more movies through streaming applications like Netflix, HULU and Vudu than they are through DVDs and Blu-Ray. That’s great news for just about everybody - there’s no waiting for delivery, you can take it with you on vacation and you can watch it on your smartphone. But, like anything when you’re coming in at the early stages of a technology, there’s multiple hardware platforms (Boxee, PS3, etc.) supporting different applications (Vudo, YouTube, etc.). You can’t buy one platform and get everything today. That’s changing but it’s taking time. Until that issue if fixed, be prepared for some confusion. Hit the link on USA Today for more. 

(Source: USA Today)

Second Screen, Social TV and train wreck reality TV? @jtoeman discusses the escapist component of today’s TV viewing. And he’s dead-on about the level of actual “work” you need to do to use SmartTV. 

(Source: TechCrunch)

Terra Nova, a sci-fi series from Fox that has now been shelved after one season, won’t be picked up by Netflix as they did with Arrested Development. This is another example of brilliant but cancelled programming that had developed a core audience but lacked support at the network level. Not all that uncommon but it does show that there’s the potential for an additional distribution option. “If” producers of shows like Firefly, and now Terra Nova, both with committed fans, could self-publish on a subscription based network dedicated to these types of shows, then that would conceivably change the landscape of video. We’re a long way from that today but it looks like Netflix is going somewhat in that direction. Hit the link for the full article from About.com. 

(Source: scifi.about.com)

Not unreasonable - Google is coughing up $100 million to create content intended for home consumption. Apple is rumored to be launching it’s own TV this year (will they make TVs works of art as they’ve done for laptops and tablets?) The innovators are making the jump away from cable TV but early adopters will move only if there’s original content that’s well produced. Once that’s solved it will just be a question of how much and how often people will be willing to pay. Thanks to @sparkcatalyst for this article. 

(Source: paymenteye.com)

It won’t be long before consumers expect this, we’re almost there now as HULU is announcing new platforms it will be supporting and now HBOgo launches on gaming consoles and SmartTVs. Problem? Not all content creators can manage this so it will be some time before this becomes standard. But HBO is helping to chart the way. Hit the link for more. 

(Source: tested.com)

Unlikely - consumers are going to want to see the best of both traditional able TV as well as new forms of video products coming to market thanks to connected TV. This argument may be supported by the research showing that 25% of cable subscribers also subscribe to Netflix or HULU. See the article for more. 

(Source: fool.com)

Yahoo just announced an original show produced by the creator of CSI, Anthony Zuiker. The show is called Cybergeddon, follow the source link for more information about the show and it’s creator from The Washington Post. But the announcement of this continues to point to one thing - well produced and exclusive content being distributed over the web. For anyone who watched The Confession with Keifer Sutherland on HULU last year, you may be seeing the future of programming in it’s infancy. 

(Source: Washington Post)

The 3rd annual OTT Con has been running this week in Santa Clara. You can follow the updates on Twitter using #OTTCON. 

(Source: xmediaresearch.com)