Flingo.tv

As covered by GigaOM, two .tv’s that showed new products are Flingo and Simple.tv.

Flingo, headquartered in San Francisco, launched in late 2008 as a way for sending online video to internet-connected TVs (including sets from LG, Samsung and Vizio). They launched a new product at CES, called SyncApps, which they claim allows users to share easily on Facebook and Twitter, while allowing social content from broadcasters, like polls and updates, to be sent to the user’s TV screen. There have announced a number of really exciting features, including an API that enables developers to create application that use SyncApps to hook into their system. This looks like the next phase of social television and we can’t wait to see where this goes.

Another .tv that emerged from CES is Simple.tv, a set-top device that lets you stream live and recorded TV content to supported mobile devices – including the iPad.  Simple.tv announced availability for Spring 2012 and are taking reservations for their device on their website. Simple.tv also announced a premium subscription package will be available  that will include an enhanced program guide, automatic recording and streaming to a set number of connected devices.

Simple.tv

These are pretty exciting uses of technology for online video – it looks like the future is really here!

We’re also looking forward to exploring great new features that are being implemented in cameras – like Wi-Fi and 3D – that will help take online video up to the next level.

One of the big events of this year’s CES was the International Academy of Web Television Awards. This is an organization that promotes and celebrates online video and the amazing creators behind them. The awards were given out on January 12^th and you can watch the stream of the ceremony here.  We were really excited to see one of our advocates, Brad Powell’s webshow, DadLabs, win Best Educational Web Series – Congratulations Brad!

Once again, the Consumer Electronics Show was an exciting kick-off to the year and we’re looking forward to seeing all of these products in use during 2012!

Bee.tv has released a new iPad app that takes the experience it introduced online to the tablet experience, providing recommendations to users based on where they’re located and what they’ve previously signaled they are interested in. Users can also invite friends to watch shows at the same time they are and then engage in conversations around those shows. We had turned the .tv Spotlight on to Bee.tv last June and were among those interviewed as part of our presence at SXSW.

Time Warner has made a “strategic investment” in BlackArrow.tv, an advertising systems provider for new platforms. The company says the money from Time Warner will be used for further rollout of its advertising system, which is specially designed to accommodate on-demand and other non-traditional video options.

Both of these stories, combined with examples like Shelby.tv which recently launched an alpha version of its video recommendation service, Synchronize.tv which is looking to move news tickers to a second screen and others signal an unmistakable trend, that .tv domains are being used for services that have some sort of correlation with television itself. .tv has always been about branding a site as having video but now we’re seeing that becoming even clearer as these companies seek to convey to their audiences easily and clearly that their site and service is about not just video, but TV.

2. The Navigation: What’s different about how they’ll interact with your site?

- Forget everything you knew about the mouse—you’re going to have to entirely reinvent your site’s navigation. Your font and button sizes have to increase exponentially so users can see them from their La-Z-Boy. Restricted mostly to up/down and left/right movements, your users are going to want large selection surfaces that expand or, at least, ones that are clearly highlighted when someone navigates to them. It might also be valuable to add padding/white space between elements so users don’t get confused.

- Another challenge is getting rid of the vertical scrolling bar. It’s fundamental to desktop browsing, but basically useless on the 10-ft UI. Horizontal layouts and visual transitions between different content pages will help your user navigate your new design, keeping everything “above the fold” and within an easy up/down left/right reach. While you’re at it, erase any navigational arrows, clickable page numbers, and more. Give a super easy, clear way to get back to your Home page from every page. Think through what’ll help your users most.

- No matter how intuitive your page’s new navigation is, when people arrive there, you’re going to have to explain it (something users on desktop browser rarely need). Because there’s no time for poking around or taking a “tour,” an immediate pop-up/notification upon entry can effectively explain your navigation and what your site’s all about.

- Some great examples to check out include the TV interfaces of CHOW, Flixster, Blip.tv, Vevo, and The New York Times!

Clicker.tv is just the first step for us. As the TV increasingly becomes our monitor, how will users interact? How will their behavior change, adapt, and grow? We don’t know, but we’re looking forward to doing what we can to keep on top of it and keep delivering the absolute best user experience we can.

This is a guest post from Clicker. Clicker is the complete programming guide for the new era of Internet TV. Clicker catalogs all the premium TV shows, movies, Web series, live events and music videos available on the Web in one seamless, organized experience so viewers can easily discover what’s available to watch, where to watch it, and share what’s worth watching online and from their iPhone or Android devices.

As the way our web is designed continues to shift and grow, among the most profound changes right now is designing for an Internet that’s 10 feet away: the television screen. With set-top boxes Roku, Boxee, Apple TV, and Google TV plus TVs (like Samsung) that are connected to the Internet themselves, people will undoubtedly be visiting, reading, watching, and looking at your site differently than ever before.

Just as a different site design paradigm has developed for mobile (and the same, though slowly, for tablets), designing for the “10 foot experience” is pivotal to the future of media consumption. Sure, there’s the web browser on people’s personal computers. But will people be browsing your site on their phone? On their iPad? On a TV? In their brain?! The answer is (almost) all the above— which, obviously, has a significant effect on how you think about design. It’s clear a one-size-fits-all approach is out of the question.

So what’s the new paradigm? If you don’t have the opportunity to physically work with the developers of the new platform, what do you have to keep in mind to catch up? In our experience developing Clicker.tv, the 10 foot experience of our website, separately from Clicker.com, we learned a lot. Here are our recommendations for the things to consider as you explore designing for the TV yourself, adapted from Google TV’s Designing for TV.

1. The Display: What’s different about what they’ll see on your site?

- Thanks to the viewer being some distance away from the screen (10 feet, maybe?), traditional web pages become hard to read and harder to navigate. It becomes much more tough to perform basic tasks such as clicking on a pull-down menu or selecting certain buttons. The solution? Put yourself in your users’ shoes! After accepting that you’re going to have to display less information overall, simply and all above-the-fold (no scrolling, either!), how can you make your website as functional as it is beautiful?

- And don’t forget that the display has to load fast, too. Users prefer sites that are quick—and a 1-second delay in page load time has been found to equal 11% fewer page views. Woah. Imagine what an effect that has on your TV, where users expect content even more instantly. So, fight your excitement for the opportunity to create flashy visuals for your TV and, instead, consider performance as the key to success. Keep in mind that it’s likely the interface will already render more slowly than it would have on the web in the first place. So, keep it simple.

- Moreover, a different platform comes with different rules. Make sure your crazy typeface is easy on the eyes from 10ish feet away. You may have to play within updated color guidelines, avoiding bright reds, oranges, and whites to prevent distortion. And, finally, think about simple tricks to help your users—will video auto-play? Will images have the full-screen option prominent, maybe even highlighted by default? What will make your users most happy?

This post by Janko Roettgers of NewTeeVee talks about a recent bill that pushes captioning for online video. The bill would set the stage for drawing up requirements for broadcasters who put their shows online to include a closed-captioned version. We blogged about this issue back in November (an eternity ago in Internet years). The bill leaves online-only video as exempt and doesn’t even mention user-generated videos but it’s a start.

Two things not to forget: First, there’s this sneaky little benefit of closed captioning…it makes video oh so much more findable and searchable. Second, if you’re serious about sending the message that you’re all about online video, .tv is the perfect way to do just that.

Congrats to Tom and all those that worked on this bill.

By TDG’s numbers 60%, or 95MM consumers in just the US, are “enthusiastic” about TV Everywhere” services. And, about 34%, or 54MM are willing to pay at least $5 extra a month for the privilege. By my calculations, that’s about $3B a year. Even if that’s lower because of households verses individuals, it’s still a big enough number to get your attention.

Yes, it’s early yet. Michael Greeson, TDG partner and author of the report admits the content isn’t compelling at this stage. But I think it does show the interest users have for video. It’s big and growing.

What do you think? Do you want to watch video anywhere on any device? What would you pay for it?

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will celebrate the power of television– and specifically, eight programs that have had significant impact on the viewing audience and the ability to spark positive social change.

The honored programs include:
• CSI, “Coup De Grace”
• Glee, “Wheels”
• Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?
• Explorer: “Inside Death Row” — “Inside Death Row”
• Private Practice “Nothing To Fear”
• Taking Chance
• Unlocking Autism — “Unlocking Autism”
• Vanguard: “The OxyContin Express”

These programs concern vital issues ranging from capital punishment to racism, prescription drug abuse and trafficking, autism, the military escort for fallen service members, physician-assisted suicide and important disability issues.

Dana Delany, star of ABC’s Desperate Housewives, will host the evening.

So the power of video – whether it be on that black box in your living room or the PC on your desk – is amazing and should be celebrated. It’s not much of a prediction to say that the difference between that black box and the PC is blurring and will blur more; so I think a toast to the Emmy’s is in order. Here’s to a voice through video…no matter where it lives. Go to Emmys.tv for more information.

According to recent survey data from KPMG, few consumers see the need to bring 3-D into the home, with just 15 percent saying they expect to buy a 3-D-capable set the next time they shell out for a new TV.

According to the most recent KPMG Media and Entertainment Barometer, more than a quarter of respondents said they had viewed a 3-D film in the theater over the past 12 months, and those numbers are even higher for 18-24 year olds (42 percent) and 25-34 year olds (45 percent).

Comparatively, only 5 percent of those surveyed said they had watched a 3-D film on TV — and very few seemed to want to, with only about one in six respondents said they were likely to buy a 3-D TV for their next purchase. Only about a quarter of respondents said they would prefer to watch TV in 3-D if it was available, with a third saying they would prefer not to. A whole 42 percent were unsure if they’d prefer to watch 3-D TV, which signals unfamiliarity with the technology.

And, here’s my favorite stat “More than 40 percent said they believed 3-D was a gimmick.” While I’m certainly not a 3D technology expert, my feed-reader is filled with news about 3D and you couldn’t get away from it at CES. My quandary is those glasses. First, you have to find them in your living room (I don’t know about you, but I loose my remote at least once a day). Second, the glasses aren’t interoperable. You can’t use one brand’s glasses with another brand’s TV. So think about the Super Bowl in 3D. Only some of your friends who come for the party can see the event it its full glory. The rest of the party goers will see a screen that makes them feel drunk even if they are only drinking soda. And last, think about how silly you look in those glasses.

All that said, the change and growth in video generally is one of the things that makes this space fun.

What do you think about 3D and how that might play out – not just on the physical set in your living room, but online too?

Later Update: Hey…ask and ye shall receive. I saw this posting on companies that have 3D TVs without the “goofy” glasses. This article suggested that the glasses are what’s holding back the 3D flood waters. While none of these new technologies are without issues, and all are expensive, it shows progress towards something more mass market.

Though it’s just beginning, I suspect this blog will be more about the future than it will be about the past. However, when I saw this posting on my friend’s Facebook page (thanks Mike). I thought there were some interesting similarities to today’s pontifications and ponderings. This site from the American Historical Association has snippets of what people debated about television in the 1940s.

• It talks about movie studios being fearful of putting their good movies on TV, as people might stop going to movie theaters (substitute TV, for online, and how much different is the question now)?
• There’s a whole section on the FCC and spectrum. We might have finally given up the ghost on that one after 60 years with the switch to digital; but the debate still continues if you count wireless broadband in the mix to get video via the Internet;
• There’s a whole debate on standards; do we have the right ones to go forward (OK, in 1945 it might not have been Blu-ray verses HD-DVD, or HTML5…but you get the picture…pun intended); and
• There’s a section about advertising’s place in the new medium and what role subscriptions play (free verses paid is NOT a new dilemma).

So, in summary, everything old is new again. In the next 60 years (yikes…that’s 2070) how will our grandchildren look back at our debates and discussions about video in the dawn of the 21st century? And, how much will be a slight twist of today’s debates.

Photo via Library of Virginia: http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_virginia/

CSB will stream the pre-game, and there’s lots of sites where you can view the commercials via online video. According to Nielsen, the commercials are what a bare majority of us prefer anyway “Fifty-one percent of those questioned said they most enjoy the commercials that air throughout the game when compared to the Super Bowl game itself.” And, speaking of super bowl ads, CBS said it sold out it’s commercials as of Monday, with 30 second spots running from $2.5MM to more than $3 million for each; with a total of $200MM spent on Super Bowl ads.

So if you’re in the 51% majority, here’s a fun .tv site that bills itself as the “worlds largest archive of Super Bowl commercials” with 33 years worth of them — www.adland.tv. I may be boring, but my favorite commercial is still Apple’s 1984 ad.

And, speaking of .tv sites and Super Bowl advertising, Gatorade is showing live video via Ustream.tv of athletes testing at a performance lab in Miami in advance of  their Super Bowl marketing efforts. They are hosting pro football players for the rest of the week and inviting people to view the videos. It’s a great example of a major brand integrating video and .tv into their larger social campaign leading up to Super Bowl activity. It’s also a great example of how things you don’t normally associate with video (sports drinks) still work great for online video.

So who do I want to win the game? Well I was born in Baltimore, so I could never root for a team that was stolen in the middle of the night (watch a Barry Levinson movie and you’ll know what I mean). New Orleans has had it rough of late, so I think they deserve it. According to the latest Vegas spread; I’m continuing a tradition of rooting for the underdog.