Technology

Starz Plays with Fire

Premium Programmer’s TV Everywhere Apps Connect to the Kindle Tablet Line
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 2:01pm
Premium Programmer’s TV Everywhere Apps Connect to the Kindle Tablet Line

Starz’s trio of TV Everywhere apps are on Fire – the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets, that is.

Brightcove Streamlines its Live Streaming Platform

Video Cloud Live Marks Fusion with Zencoder, the Cloud-Based Encoding Vendor Brightcove Acquired in 2012
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 9:58am
Video Cloud Live Marks Fusion with Zencoder, the Cloud-Based Encoding Vendor Brightcove Acquired in 2012

Online video management specialist Brightcove has launched Video Cloud Live, an adaptive bitrate, live streaming module that’s designed to make it easier for its content partners to host and stream live events over the Internet.

Aereo Lands in Atlanta on June 17

Says it Will Offer Access to 27 Over-the-Air Broadcast Channels at Launch
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 8:26am
Says it Will Offer Access to 27 Over-the-Air Broadcast Channels at Launch

Aereo said Tuesday that it will unleash its broadband TV/cloud DVR combo in Atlanta on June 24, marking its third launch market, following its initial debut in New York City and in Boston on May 15.

Netflix Still King of the Downstream: Study

But YouTube Makes Big Gains as ‘Home Roaming’ on Tablets and Smartphones Catches Fire
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 7:20am
But YouTube Makes Big Gains as ‘Home Roaming’ on Tablets and Smartphones Catches Fire

Netflix remains the most voracious gobbler of downstream bits on fixed broadband networks in North America, but YouTube is gaining ground as consumers increase the amount of video they're streaming on home Wi-Fi networks, according to a new study from bandwidth management supplier Sandvine.

Google Fiber Spreads to Gladstone

Another Missouri City Embraces Google’s 1 Gig Network
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 6:19am
Another Missouri City Embraces Google’s 1 Gig Network

Google Fiber’s march into the Kansas City area continued Monday evening as the Gladstone, Mo., city council voted in favor of bringing the company’s 1 Gig network to the community.

Approval clears the way for Google Fiber to string its network into Gladstone, a town located just north of Kansas City. Gladstone has a population of about 25,784 and roughly 12,148 housing units, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

CableLabs Blesses Hitron’s 1-Gig DOCSIS 3.0 Gateway

Powered by Intel and MaxLinear Chips, New Device Can Bond 24 Downstream Channels
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 2:12pm
Powered by Intel and MaxLinear Chips, New Device Can Bond 24 Downstream Channels

A gateway from Hitron Technologies quietly received certification from CableLabs earlier this year, making it the first confirmed DOCSIS 3.0-powered device capable of 1 Gigabit per second downstream speeds to achieve that distinction.

CableLabs Taps Lookabaugh to Head Up R&D

Cable Tech Vet Once Ran PolyCipher, the MSO-Backed Downloadable Security Joint Venture
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 11:05am
Cable Tech Vet Once Ran PolyCipher, the MSO-Backed Downloadable Security Joint Venture

Cable engineering vet Tom Lookabaugh has been named executive vice president of R&D at CableLabs, where he will focus on platforms that enable high-speed access and next-gen services.

Lookabaugh is joining Louisville, Colo.-based CableLabs on June 10, according to a spokeswoman. He’s coming on board following a career with a variety of technology companies and joint ventures, including several that focused on cable.

Aereo Dumps Annual and Day Pricing Plans

Launches ‘Streamlined’ Pricing Structure, Which Includes a Free First Month, in Concert with Boston Debut
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 9:10am
Launches ‘Streamlined’ Pricing Structure, Which Includes a Free First Month, in Concert with Boston Debut

Aereo has unveiled a new “streamlined” pricing plan for new customers that eliminates the company’s previous annual and day plans, and enters the picture as Aereo gets set to launch services in Boston on May 15.

Under the new plan, pricing starts at $8 per month for access to the company’s antenna array plus 20 hours of cloud DVR storage. Customers can upgrade to 60 hours of DVR storage for another $4 per month. As a carrot, new customers also get their first month for free, and they can cancel at any time, the company said.

Wochit Lands $4.75 Million A Round

Web Video News Startup Co-Founded by Ex-BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 8:19am
Web Video News Startup Co-Founded by Ex-BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz

Wochit, a startup that curates, licenses and syndicates video news footage for a variety of Web publishers, has closed a $4.75 million A round from Redpoint Ventures, Cedar Fund and Greycroft Partners.

The company, founded in 2012, said it will use the funds to “to accelerate go-to-market efforts, including new initiatives with its customers on producing, syndicating and monetizing videos about any topic as news happens.”

ABC Sets Live Streaming Service Launch

Marking a First for a Broadcast Network, Free Preview of Authenticated Service Watch ABC Starts in New York, Philadelphia on May 14
By: Andrea Morabito (Broadcasting & Cable) May 12 2013 - 7:52pm
Marking a First for a Broadcast Network, Free Preview of Authenticated Service Watch ABC Starts in New York, Philadelphia on May 14

Marking a first for a broadcast network, ABC on Sunday announced the launch of its Watch ABC app to allow pay-TV subscribers access to live, linear streaming of viewers' local ABC station programming -- including network, local and syndicated content -- starting in the New York and Philadelphia markets.

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