Hulu Goes Freemium

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:26:57 -0400

I’m a long standing fan of Hulu-- though I’ll admit, I didn’t much care for it when it first came out, since the streams were often jittery and dropped out a lot when they were in beta. Now, I literally question the needs of a DVR when almost all the shows I watch are accessible via Hulu.

And now, there’s more if I want to pony up $10/month. A lot more-- including the entire series of ‘Real American Hero.’

With Hulu Plus as the ad above promises, the shows are in HD, there’s more of them and it’ll work on the iPhone platform.

Well, that last bonus may be worthwhile, but ABC streams shows from their web site in HD so close to perfect that on my 32-inch TV I feel like I’m pulling those high-quality bits right out of the air. But the promises of more of my favorites, may be worth the money. And Hulu generally gets shows the day-after they air on TV so you’re never far away and out of the loop for popular water cooler conversation.

Hulu’s playback is perfect: you can watch it in a window on your computer, full screen, or if you hook your computer up to your TV, you can watch it from your living room couch like it was on your DVR. The free version gives you access to the last 5 episodes of many popular shows, news clips, and clips of shows (Like you can go skit-by-skit through SNL). There’s also movie trailers and some movies-- think USA Networks.

I laughed when I read that the head of Kable Town wasn’t “worried that offering up a service like this for $9.99 a month would eat into their profits.” Really? That’s the same backwards boardroom blithering that got the entertainment industry bowled over by the Internet.

See: if I can pay $10 a month for HD access to the shows I’m watching on my $60/month cable connection with $15/month DVR.. you better believe I’m going to save $65 a month. More and more friends are either cutting their cable in favor of just the high-speed internet (even if it costs a few bucks more when you ditch the TV service) or friends that are moving aren’t bothering hooking up and either hope for nearby WiFi or opt to go the “all cellular” route and get a broadband card for their laptop.

So Hulu is right to offer up what they’re offering and you’re right to consider paying less every month.

When you put the iTunes music store in the mix, it gets even better. For shows that don’t play on Hulu’s Freemium service, you can likely download them for either $2 a pop or subscribe to the daily shows, like ‘The Daily Show.’ But even there-- Jon Stewart and the gang are available free on Comedy Centrals web site.

You can also add a nice antenna into the mix and get your local stations the way they were intended to be received: free over the air (OTA). And now that everyone’s gone digital: you get’ a clearer picture, in HD and most stations offer up to 3 additional channels in their signal-- children’s programming, weather, foreign language programming, alternate channels, traffic and 24 hour news is what I’ve seen so far. Here in New York, that means where I used to only get 7 OTA channels in analogue, I now get 21 digital channels from the same 7 stations.

Did I mention you get all that for free?

Hulu may be ahead of the game, but if you’re looking to save money, you may want to consider making a list of all the shows you watch, see how many of them are on Hulu, then bust out the scissors and cut the cable (Okay, don’t really do that last part-- you’ll still need it for your high-speed internet connection).

You’ll need a media center PC to hook into your flat screen TV if you don’t already have one. I’m a fan of the Mac Mini as it is inexpensive and works great. There are also excellent Windows Media Center choices from Sony and HP that have antenna-in ports so you can get the best of both worlds: OTA and Online. And as much of a fan of Apple that I am-- the Windows Media Center interface is ideal.

Droid Get’s Xy

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 16:43:52 -0400

It’s bigger, semi-lighter but ss the third time a charm for Verizon and Androids?

My long frustration with Android phones: they come out to quickly to keep consumers happy. No sooner did the Nexus One hit the streets, the HTC Incredible was out offering an ever slicker package and nicer screen. And no sooner did I finish wiping the drool from my mouth over the Incredible and telling everyone who could hear me they should consider it as a viable alternative to the iPhone on Verizon, then the X comes out.

Note to Android developers: work together and slow down. Apple at least gets more anticipation for a new product with their annual roll outs-- even if it’s just to throw in a bunch of features that most phones on the market already have.

The Droid X is impressive.. but the size might seem a bit much at first, but it might be the best 5-inches you jam in your pocket and it’s about a half inch bigger than the BlackBerry curve.
 The screen is impressive.. it’s a 4.3” WVGA (So 480x854).. it’s not HD but an onboard HDMI port can output 720p content and the onboard camera can capture 720p content-- see the video below, of super star Dex en route back from the Dog Run. It’s reduced to half the original size.

That said, at 640x360, which is about the size most of your video’s will be seen, it’s quality is pretty decent-- the subject matter helps, but for a quick upload to YouTube or your web site, which you can do with a few taps from the video playback screen, it’s good.

The X also has Swype, which lets you simply drag one finger over the keyboard to input text. I have to say-- it’s very user intuitive, I figured out using it the first time. I feel like it just gets me, and when it doesn’t, it asks and learns quickly. It was developed by the guy who created T9, so we can blame him for the rise of TXTing, and thank him for this even faster way that actually lets us spell out words.

Also cool: Onboard WiFi hotspot. So you can jump on Verizon’s 3G data network and then use WiFI to share that connection with up to 5 devices-- think of it like the MiFi but with a phone attached. The concept actually makes more sense than the MiFi which always resulted in the question: yeah, why not just get a USB card for my laptop. This way-- it’s a device you already have and it will work with a device you may already have-- including Apple’s iPad, and that way it’ll get it on a more reliable data network.

The Big Screen will also come to the Droid X’s big screen with Blockbuster. They’ve got there On Demand on the handset. The store interface is pretty clean and easy to use, but here’s the thing: you have to have a WiFi connection to get the movies to download to the handset. For a flight, you can cache video’s , but to get them there in the first place, you can’t jump on the likely-more-available 3G network. I guess that’s okay, considering the movies are several hundred megabytes to a gig or two, which would eat into your precious data.

And like previous Android phones, it pulls in your Google Gmail info with ease, syncs your Facebook contacts into your phone-- both handy and dangerous if you have more friends on Facebook that you don’t want to be texting late at night. And unlike it’s 10-less sibling Droid, it does not have a slide out keyboard. Which is fine-- it’s slimmer for the loss and better in your pocket.

HBO GO

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 09:40:44 -0400

I’ve been a fan of HBO since ‘Fraggle Rock’ and stolen analog cable. See, those of you who remember cable in the 1980’s may recall that “scrambled” channels required only a soldering iron and a jumper from Radio Shack to be viewable. That was, until, Viacom Cable changed to their 72-channel Zenith converters that were programmed from the central office.

I only saw one season of ‘Fraggle Rock.’

That was also when there was only one channel of HBO and Showtime was just an idea on someone’s To Do list.

Now, my FiOS DVR gets 9999 channels, 14 of which are HBO and I can order it up on Demand should I like from the comfort of my computer.

As a FiOS customer I’m also in the test market for their new HBOGO-- the companies first move into the world of content streaming. For HBO this is huge. The company makes a shit ton of money on their premium channel subscriptions and the sales of their series on DVD (and in syndication like ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘The Sopranos.’). So to release content into the wild wild West of the Internet is a big step (and hopefully Hollywood is paying attention to this and will watch the outcome).

Sign up took about 3 seconds. I signed up through my FiOS log in on Verizon, which is hands down the WORST online experience (Side note: FiOS is great, but Verizon still operates like the phone company in 1980 before deregulation with lots of waiting and ‘paperwork’ in triplicate to make simple things happen that Time Warner Cable has as a point-and-click instant result). After navigating the log in there-- which is like lining up stones in proper order, then shining a beam of light through a pendent to unlock the final stone-- there is a quick link to HBO GO. I selected a username, gave them my e-mail, done. Ahem, Verizon, you reading this?

HBOGO’s interface is quite pleasant. All black with floating tiles for their different shows. The splash page has links to the popular shows that slide left or right depending on where the mouse goes and when the mouse stops a full page image pops up. Click and you’ll get the series page or a direct link to playback.

Thus far, I watched a promo for a new series that looks like it’s about Bill Clinton and Tony Blair-- BTW, Denis Quaid is playing Clinton and it looks to be a pretty bad performance-- and an episode of my favorite HBO series ‘True Blood’ (Pictured above).

I set playback for HD and on my 23-inch iMac the quality was decent. Scaled full-screen you could see some artifacts that I don’t see on the same show playing on my 32-inch LCD television via my cable box. The stream is Adobe Flash 10-- so I guess that means it won’t work on an iPhone. But overall, controls are easy and to have access from anywhere I have an Internet connection, awesome.

Listen I’ve said since 2004 when CBS made their big push to online (Yes, 2004): Content wants to be on-demand. We are fast moving towards a world (and in most cases already there) where the time our favorite show airs is only significant in that we have to wait until after then to view it. With the exception of live sporting events, breaking news and crap like American Idol finales, television programming has become something we decide when to view-- not make sure we’re home in time to watch.

Media need be available when we want it. Series programming should simply become available after a certain time as broadcast becomes less significant. I should simply be able to add my favorite show to a list and new shows should automatically download when they’re available-- much the same way I get podcasts and series shows on iTunes.

As for Hollywood-- listen up: the genie is out of the bottle. In fact, she bought an apartment in a full-service doorman building on Central Park South with the money she made off iTunes music royalties. Cash. This is what people want: content on demand, and they’re willing to pay for it. Stop squabbling over control and who has the best DRM that will make movies I purchase that much more difficult to watch. Put it behind a wall, make me log in, maybe tag movies with a watermark that has my log-in info so I’m less likely to distribute it. But the future is here, and I’m watching it right now on my desktop.

For news and broadcast television: you lost. You got viewers used to crap programming and bad quality which sent the audience to the web that looked just the same. Then the web got savvy and upped the quality. Audience doesn’t come back to a medium, habits are hard to break.

Mini Mac, You Complete Me

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:48:35 -0400

I've been a fan of the Mac Mini since it came out about 5 years ago. Cute, functional and it comes in a box that reminds me of an elementary school lunchbox.

I got one when they switched to Intel and started pushing it as a great addition to the entertainment center. It was. With a DVI to HDMI connector, it hooked up easy to my HDTV and an optical cable to my stereo meant I could not only enjoy surfing the web, I could play my tunes on my stereo system. These are things you can do with a laptop, sure, and you could use the AirTunes feature on the AirPort Express, but this set up rocks.

In fact, it rocks so much, I recommend it over the Apple TV: it's just more functional.

Enter the new Mini. It's sleeker, completely redesigned and comes with HDMI on board-- making it a perfect fit for your entertainment center, literally.

The new Mini is almost an inch shorter than the previous model and a little wider. In fact, it's about the same size as the Time Capsule, just all-one piece of aluminum.

I hooked mine up in about 5 minutes. Everything I needed wasn't necessarily in the box (It doesn't come standard with a mouse or keyboard Apple assumes you either already have one, or will buy one). If you do need a mouse and keyboard: consider the Bluetooth Magic Mouse and Keyboard.. it makes the functionality of the whole set up much better as you can surf from the couch.

As for the update of adding HDMI: the audio quality is noticeably better. Audio coming out of that HDMI is uncompressed-- which surprisingly made even my iTunes store purchases sound significantly better. Not to mention, I could set the receiver I have (A Yamaha with 2 HDMI inputs) to auto detect incoming audio and there was no fuss with any settings.
It also auto detected my monitor (A Sharp LCD HDTV) and improvement here-- there’s a slider in the System Settings that lets you adjust for underscan so the screen output fits your TV perfectly. A nice bonus, no more lost menu bar in the ether of your HDTV.

You also set the audio output in System Settings to use HDMI--which it should be noted here, if I turn my TV off, the audio output to the stereo shuts down. That’s not a problem with the Mini, it’s an HDMI thing.

Front row works great too, although like the mouse and keyboard, you have to buy the Apple remote. Again-- if you plan on using it as a media center you may want to do that, though with the BlueTooth keyboard and mouse it’s not totally necessary it looks cool-- and when I’ve had parties, having the remote in hand is a lot quicker/easier for adjustments then rushing to the keyboard and figuring out what to do.

I’ve gone ahead and installed OS X Server (Version 10.6 Snow Leopard) on mine because I use the Mini as both a media center and controller for what seems to be a never-ending-expanse of hard drive space. Like the Mini, I’ve liked OS X Server since it came out and having it run on the Mini is great (In fact, so great, Apple makes a special Server version of the Mini that does away with the optical drive and throws in another hard drive-- for $1000 that’s a total bargain and very cheap way to add a solid, reliable easy to use server to your home or office).

Power consumption on the Mini is lowered and they’ve done away with the power brick. I’m not a physics major (in fact, I took ‘Physics for English Majors” in college-- you know, real basic) so I can’t tell you how they managed to get a power brick the size of a VHS tape into a computer that is smaller than its predecessor, but Apple has ways of making things like that work. So you just plug a power cord into it like you would a desktop. That is one less cable to deal with.

I’ve had mine running for 7-days now without a restart and without taking a breather. It’s not even really warm to the touch, which is good since it will likely end up tucked away in a media center where it fights your DVR and stereo receiver for cool air. On board fans keep it cool, but I’ve honestly yet to hear them kick on. Granted, I’m not rendering “Toy Story 4, Are We Still Doin’ This” but it’s serving media to my computer and playing tunes-- not heavy lifting, but still.

They’ve also added an SD Card Slot to the back. I think it’s a great addition because you can quickly get your photos off your camera, I just find the placing a little odd. A card slot that will be accessed frequently should be on the front of a computer-- considering it will likely sit on your desk or under a monitor. I’ll give that there’s only a 7-inch reach to get to the back, but if you put it into a desk or out of the way, it might be pointless. The SD card slot supports the new, faster, SD card standard too so when the 65GB cards start becoming the norm, you’ll be fine.

Overall, this Mac is great. If you’ve been wanting to switch to the Mac, it’s the ideal device for that move since you already have a mouse and keyboard and probably all the other peripherals you’ll need. If you’re thinking about getting an Apple TV but want a little more expansion possibilities and kick, it’s worth the extra $200-or-so more. And if you add on an ElGato USB HDTV tuner-- you just got yourself the best DVR in town. If you can get the ATI USB CableCard device to work on your Mac (not supported) even better.

Synching Weight

Tue, 18 May 2010 12:53:35 -0400

I'll be the first to admit, I have a sweet tooth and can get lost in a mound of junk food. So at the beginning of May, I decided I'd try and eliminate sweets for a month and focus on eating healthy in the month leading up to summer time (and wearing less clothing and perhaps, just perhaps, a trip to the beach).

I shoulder tapped friend and personal trainer Greg Stephens (gregfitnessblog.com) for a few free suggestions and he recommended "Calorie Counter" a free app for the Blackberry, Droid and iPhone that is linked to web site http://www.fatsecret.com. The program on the phone is simple. You install it, it walks you through setting up an account and then you begin inputting your daily intake of food and how much exercise you've done. You also tell it your current height and weight and it will recommend if you should loose or maintain and then create a calorie intake to achieve your goal.

I wanted to loose 5 pounds, dropping from my comfortable 175 to a mere 170-- which at 5'11" is right on the mark for BMI. It told me how many calories I needed each day for that given my activity level (around 3000). Easy enough and off to a good start.

Here's the thing: when you start counting calories you hesitate at every turn when it comes time to eat-- both a good and bad habit. But the app makes it easier. The database of food includes tens-of-thousands of entries for everything from McDonalds french fries to Curry Chicken from a street vendor (assuming, of course, it's made the same way, but I figure it's close enough for government work). I found entering long meals easier using the web site, fatsecret, but the app made updating exercise on the go and snacks on the way simple.

But here's the cool part: on the Droid and iPhone there's a barcode scanner-- which basically turns on the camera and lets you quickly snap the barcode of whatever you're about to eat. The program then looks up the food and let's you add it to your daily diary with a few taps. Simple, easy and actually kind of cool.

A week in, I see that I'm eating a deficit of calories now that I've cut out the sweets-- around 700-900 a day! And the loss is adding up, I'm already down to 174-- though the only one who'd really notice is probably Dex as the pressure pulling him back on his leash is that much lighter.