Right about now, we imagine Aereo is doing a happy dance and singing a little “na na na na na naaaa!’ in the general direction of the major TV networks. See, broadcasters were ticked off that Aereo’s customers could stream their shows from the Internet using the Aereo system, and claimed that the company infringed on their copyrights. But the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the networks’ plea to shut down Aereo. [More]
tv
Hollywood Realizing That Facebook Likes Don’t Result In Box-Office Bonanzas
By 1.8.13
For years, Hollywood studios have been tossing piles of cash at Facebook in the hopes that getting people to “like” a movie or TV show would somehow translate into box-office returns or high ratings. But some studio executives are reportedly wondering if this might be a waste of money. [More]
China Smacks Samsung & LG With $35 Million Fine For Fixing Prices Of LCD Panels
By 1.4.13
Price-fixin — it isn’t just for book publishers anymore (not that it ever really was unique to that industry, but you get the point): China fined Samsung and LG Displays a total of $35 million charging that the companies fixed the prices of LCD panels that were then sold to TV manufacturers. And if the TV makers are shelling out more for parts, guess who that raised price gets passed on to? Yup, all of us. [More]
Intel Wants To Disrupt Cable TV Market, Content Providers Not Playing Along
By 1.2.13
Over the New Year’s holiday, a tantalizing rumor spread across the interwebs. Intel is preparing a new set-top box to compete with the relatively unsuccessful Google TV and the relatively successful Apple TV. Yawn: what’s so interesting about that? Word was that their ultimate goal was to make à la carte cable a reality. That’s a utopian concept of sorts where consumers choose and pay for only the channels they’re interested in. Could Intel make it a reality? No, probably not, because the content providers stand in their way. You know, the companies that make big bucks selling their channels to cable providers, who in turn charge to beam them into the homes of people who didn’t want them in the first place. [More]
Warner Bros. Day After TV App Is Ideal For People Who Like The Only 3 Shows It Offers
By 11.16.12
Warner Bros. is betting that you really like Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries and The Big Bang Theory. It seems that way at least, as those are the only three shows it’s currently offering through its new Day After TV app for iOS (only in the U.S.), which allows users to watch episodes the day after they air. At least they’ve got the attention of my 19-year-old female cousin. Damon is pretty darn dreamy.* [More]
Charter Spreads Misinformation, Hopes You Forgot How 2009 DTV Transition Worked
By 11.12.12
When a company or an individual spreads misinformation, we like to think that it’s out of ignorance instead of greed or malice. Such as the Charter Cable customer service representative who told reader Paul that he shouldn’t cancel his cable because later this year, over-the-air broadcasts will end and he will need cable or satellite service to keep watching TV.
This might be a great argument for convincing people not to cancel their cable. The problem is that it is not, strictly speaking, true. [More]
Sanyo’s Tech Support Will Read Your TV Manual To You Until You Hang Up
By 10.18.12
Renato bought a 50″ Sanyo LCD TV at Walmart with the understanding that he’d be able to use a DVI adapter and the audio port instead of the HDMI port that his computer doesn’t have. This would have been true had the TV’s audio port been working. He called Sanyo’s tech support for help, only to discover that their tech support staff knew less than he did about how audio and video ports work. They were, however, pretty good at reading the manual. [More]
By The Numbers: Why 3D TV Still Has A Long Way To Go
By 10.2.12
For the last few years, TV manufacturers have been pushing 3D technology to consumers as a great new way to view television, but broadcasters have been slow to provide enough content to make the switch worthwhile. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that highlight the problems. [More]
Parents Television Council Calls For Crackdown On Pixelated Nudity And Bleeped Profanity
By 8.22.12
Did you know there was a 2700% year-over-year increase in the amount of pixelated and/or blurred nudity on prime time broadcast TV? How about a 2409% rise in the use of bleeped profanity between 2005 and 2010? Probably not, because the only people who watch out for and keep track of this sort of thing are the folks at the Parents Television Council. [More]
Showtime Ruins Last Scene Of 'Dexter' Finale As Soon As You Start Blu-Ray Disc
By 8.20.12
If you’re a fan of the TV program “Dexter,” you will remember that something rather important happened in the last thirty seconds of the last episode of the last season. If you’ve never watched “Dexter,” imagine an equally important scene in a television program that you do care about. Or game-winning points scored by your favorite team right at the buzzer. Now imagine that you sit down to watch after some delay. In the case of reader K., that viewing is on DVD. That pivotal scene is the first thing you see, part of a promotional clip for… the very DVD you’ve just sat down to watch. So they’re spoiling something you’ve just rented or purchased, assuming that anyone who buys the DVDs had already watched the last season or failed to avoid spoilers? [More]
Push Girls On Sundance Channel: Free If You Can Hear, $2.99 Per Episode If You Can’t
By 6.26.12
Push Girls is a reality program about four beautiful, fabulous women living in Hollywood who use wheelchairs. When reader Chris, a disability activist, heard about it, he wanted to check it out. For viewers who don’t have cable (or Dish Network subscribers), full episodes of the program are actually available online. As long as you’re able to hear, anyway. If you need (or choose to use) captions, those are only available for $2.99 via iTunes, please. [More]
TV Demand Slumps Because We’re All Making Do With What We Already Have
By 6.21.12
TV in the living room, in the den, in the kitchen, the bathroom (no judgment) and in the family room? You’re not alone — for the first time, LCD TV sales are falling, along with other flat-screen models, partly because we’ve already got all the TVs we need. [More]
One Man's Campaign To End Six Months Without A Working Haier TV
By 4.20.12
Andrew took advantage of a great Black Friday deal from Newegg to buy a nice large TV. At least, he assumes that it’s nice. The first set he received never worked, and the second worked for only 48 hours. Stuck dealing with Haier, he still hasn’t managed to extract a working TV out of them. [More]
How To Make A Digital TV Antenna
By 1.17.12
Even in the digital age, it’s still possible to snatch free TV signals out of the air. It helps to live in a centralized location that receives unobstructed signals, and it’s usually necessary to have a powerful antenna connected to your TV. [More]
What The Heck Is 4K And Should You Spend $25,000 To Get It?
By 1.10.12
Several manufacturers are showing off so-called 4K technology — which promises TV pictures at four times the top resolution of current HD — at the Consumer Electronics Show, including Sony, which expects to have a 4K projector on the market in a few weeks, for $25,000. Assuming you have $25K burning a hole in your pocket, and a vacant wall in your home theater, should you rush out and buy one? [More]
This 19" Portable TV Was 'The Supreme Achievement Of The Television Age' In 1959
By 1.6.12
Imagine a portable TV with a 19″ screen that has a fuel cell that recharges from your wall outlet, and can be disguised as a weirdly heavy briefcase. Not impressed? Maybe you would have been if it were still 1959, when Motorola introduced this amazing television with its futuristic rechargeable “energy cell” (sold separately.) [More]
Apple Working On Its TV Technology In Bid For Complete & Total Domination
By 12.19.11
In a move to make everything iFriendly, Apple is moving ahead with developments in TV, in an effort started by late CEO Steve Jobs. Those in the know say the goal is for their TVs to work wirelessly with other Apple devices like the iPhone. [More]
NFL Liberates Nighttime Thanksgiving Game From NFL Paywall
By 12.15.11
For years, football tradition held that there were two NFL games each Thanksgiving. The league added a third game, played at night, and placed it on the NFL Network, which many cable subscribers need to pay an extra monthly fee to watch. Starting next year, all three Thanksgiving games will be on network TV, with the late game moving to NBC. [More]
