Panasonic Takes Tru2way HDTVs To Retail

Tired of your cable box forcing you to not be able to use your TV set's features. Wish the TV set could do all that it was built to do. Well the cable companies are listening and they have agreed on a platform to allow interactivity to be built right into the TV. Tru2way has been the solution and now the first sets are hitting the retail market. Unfortunately, in a bad economy, the rollout may have just slowed down.

"Panasonic's first tru2way-enabled Viera plasma HDTVs will be offered in 42- and 50-inch sizes. The sets include a tru2way cable receiver -- eliminating the need for a separate set-top box -- that should theoretically work in any cable system that supports the technology." These sets are being sold in two markets, Chicago and Denver; hopefully, it will become nationwide soon.

While fist generation products tend to need tweaking, its nice to see that Panasonic, Sony and Samsung are putting tru2way into their HD sets. If you don't like the cable box, your prayers have been answered.

Big Media, Bad Idea: Synergy Isn't Working

Once upon a time, bigger was better and synergy meant cost effectiveness and strategic efficiencies. But somehow, that concept seems no longer true. While conceptually synergistic relationships make sense; perhaps the human part of the equation offsets the logical side. Or so that seems to be the case today, especially with media companies. As measured by shareholder value, "Between last week and the same week a year ago, Time Warner shares were down 50 percent; Viacom was off 59 percent; G.E. had fallen 46 percent; News Corp. slid 65 percent; and Disney, the big winner, had tumbled a mere 34 percent."

Content connected to distribution is not a happy marriage; Time Warner is divorcing Time Warner Cable and continues to talk about pushing off AOL as well. Should Comcast Cable spin off its programming arm? What about Cablevision and Rainbow Media? The market seems to want these entities to separate in order to unlock more shareholder value. But will it also improve their operations?

In a recent move, Showtime and CBS are presenting content outside their distribution plant with You Tube. "Last week, it put Showtime content front and center in a new partnership with YouTube, offering the channel's most recent series premieres of Dexter and Californication to viewers for free." Would these deals be easier if Showtime spun off from CBS.

The biggest concern is how we measure success. What is more important, long term ROI or short term shareholder equity? Are they mutually exclusive or can they both be met? Clearly the market wants its value now but will that also improve the value of the content and distribution as separate entities as opposed to combined ones? It will be interesting to see which strategy works best.

Digital TV switch will be messy: FCC official

As February 17, 2009 gets closer and closer, the public will be inundated with the message, get a digital converter or you will lose your TV signals. But will they pay attention. As the country has been divided into the haves and have-nots, those that have a cable connection need not worry. But for those that don't, they may find themselves in the dark, literally.

"About 15 percent of U.S. households use only analog TV sets and could risk their screens going black as analog signals are turned off, according to the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog group." So do those 15% matter or because they most likely fall into the have-not group, their transition is less a priority. I keep wondering whether the transition date won't be delayed. I put the odds on that it gets pushed back. "Congress ordered the switch to digital, effective February 17, to free up public airwaves for other uses, such as for police and fire departments." An added month may be needed as we reach the date. People tend to wait till the very last moment and thus an increase in requests for the digital coupon may not be fulfilled in time. In either case, the clock is ticking.

Sirius XM chief: Yes, we will be profitable

Mel Karmazin is optimistic and bullish on satellite radio. He talks the talk and walks the walk, and believes that his combined company will be stronger and more profitable in the long run. Mel is building up his size and he believes in content and when he does the numbers he still sees growth. "Today, Sirius XM has 19.5 million subscribers, which Karmazin said makes it the second-biggest subscriber base in the cable-satellite space behind Comcast, and is slated to keep growing. " Despite a poor economy, people are still buying cars and he is putting the Sirius option in most of them. With free months to taste the content, he believes he will convert at least half into long term customers. Along with Howard Stern and Martha Stewart, he also has NFL, MLB and much more. Will this be enough to keep people in their cars listening, I'm not sure, but Mel says "that between 94 percent and 96 percent of Sirius XM's revenue comes from monthly subscription fees, not advertising." So if the ad community sees measurable results, the profit upside can be strong.

Campaign Articles From Newsweek Become E-Books for Amazon Kindle

Talk about great synergy, repackage content and republish across a brand new media. That is what Newsweek is doing and I think it is a great idea. During this election period, voters are interested in knowing as much as they can about the candidates. Newsweek is taking these articles and putting them into a book series on the candidates. But rather than publish them with the risk of losing money on the cost of ink and paper and distribution costs, they are creating e-books for Kindle.

"This week, Newsweek will publish four books, one about each of the major presidential and vice presidential candidates — Senators John McCain, Barack Obama and Joseph Biden, and Gov. Sarah Palin... Turning this kind of collection into books is an old idea; what is new is to do it with such minimal production and distribution costs that even the most limited sales could be profitable."

I expect more publishers to follow a similar tact. If content can be monetized more than once, it becomes that much more profitable. The timing for this type of coverage at this moment in history is never better. And the Kindle technology gets a boost from this kind of increased awareness. Try reading these books on an iPhone and you may become a believer. Perhaps it is time for Apple to have its own reader in the marketplace.

YouTube starts running full-length CBS shows

Ask most people who watch video on the web where they go and they will surely mention You Tube. In fact You Tube is ranked first in usage and continues to lead others by a wide margin. As an aggregator of video content with the premium bran identity, it makes sense for You Tube to continue to grow to reflect changing usage factors. The rise of full length content on the web, the success of Hulu, and Netflix's recent partnership with Starz for online content has led You Tube to also present full length videos. Recently they showcased the second Presidential Debate. And now they have announced a partnership with CBS to stream old and new CBS shows on its platform.

"A mix of archive CBS shows, including "Star Trek," "Young and the Restless" and "Beverly Hills 90210," will now be available in full-length episodes of 20 minutes to 48 minutes. The shows will have a full-length badge to distinguish them from shorter clips, and will be available in a new 'theater' mode to improve the viewing experience, YouTube said."

Hulu, a joint venture of NBC and Fox, must be disappointed that CBS has not joined them; clearly, it would have given Hulu a much stronger impact in the race for eyeballs. The You Tube - CBS deal seems a perfect fit though, the blend of both short form clips along with the chance to watch the whole episode. Versatile, flexible, viewer friendly. "YouTube's audience size dwarfs Hulu. YouTube is the world's largest online video site with more than 330 million users in August, according to Web audience measurement firm comScore. Hulu by comparison had just 3.3 million users." For CBS, they went with the leader. If the eyeballs follow and the ad dollars get monetized, it will be a home run strategic move.

Good News For Stand Alone Tivo Fans

As a user... of a standalone Tivo, I have been a little bit concerned that the digital switch next year, coupled with Comcast moving to a switched digital technology, would make my Tivo useless. And while switched digital hasn't reached my neighborhood yet, it is being tested in Cherry Hill, NJ. The good news is that Comcast "confirmed Wednesday that it is making a new breed of Tuning Adapters for customers who use inherently one-way CableCARD-capable digital TVs and stand-alone TiVo digital video recorders (DVRs) that require help accessing channels delivered in the operator's switched tier."

Having used both the DVR accessed via a cable box and a Tivo, I absolutely prefer the latter. It's easy navigation, it's trick features, it's guide, it's suggestions, all appeal to me. These features and more make it a better DVR device. Today, it is not a big problem. Switched Digital Video (SDV) is not being deployed quickly, but as the pipe gets more congested, SDV is seen as a way to improve the broadband pathway. And so it is nice to know my Tivo will be safe.

Comcast and the other cable operators should see this as an opportunity. The cable box needs to be vastly improved to make a competitive impact in the market. For Comcast, that has meant putting Tivo inside their cable box ins some markets; for Time Warner, it is making the box more interactive through its ActiveVideo partnership. We are moving in the right direction. The question is how quickly.

Cable Taking Interactive TV To The Next Level

Perhaps one day, the cable box will be more responsive, more user friendly, more necessity than annoyance. Time Warner certainly is trying as they have inked a deal to give more web content and interactivity to their customers. Through a deal with ActiveVideo Networks, formerly ICTV, "Cable subscribers can play interactive games from TAG Networks, and get fully customized news, sports and children's programming through P:Mosaic, a personalized video navigation system." It is being rolled out first in Hawaii and hopefully more systems follow.

Frankly the cable box needs better navigation, a more logical and economically designed guide, and easier controls. And even more important an interactive opportunity to better engage with the viewing experience.

Convergence Alert - Hulu To Stream NBC Feed

Hulu is streaming tonight's second Presidential Debate, taking its feed direct from NBC, in a move that might just irk cable operators and local broadcasters. And while it is in the public good to enable access to these debates in whatever form, it demonstrates how content and the audience it serves, can bypass local broadcast stations and cable operators to reach its audience.

"The feed will be provided by NBC News and will run about 90 minutes. In addition, Hulu will live stream the final presidential debated slated to be held Oct. 15. In that case, Hulu will carry the Fox News coverage. Fox and NBC are joint partners in Hulu."

As Time Warner fights with LIN Broadcasting over retransmission fees, the argument gets strengthened when content can be accessed over the web. Per the NYT, "In the midst of a contract dispute with a local broadcaster last week, Time Warner Cable did something that was until recently unthinkable: it told its customers to hook up a computer to their television and watch their favorite shows using the Internet." And for cable operators like Time Warner who rely on subscription to their cable line-up, including broadcast channels, the concern is that consumers will stop paying for a cable connection and rely strictly on their internet connection for content. It is why Time Warner doesn't want to pay a fee for content that is free elsewhere. Thus, the Hulu move while applauded for its desire to bring this content to the web, is dealing with a very slippery slope.