Justin Thorn

I may have under estimated how much there is to tell about web video as I dig through a pile of information worthy enough to make this 3-part series into a 4-part series. However I will try to pack it all in as best I can. I will keep the descriptions brief and point you in the right direction for more detailed information.

In order for web video and IPTV in general to succeed it must be available to the masses. By this I mean those who are not tech savvy. I represent a very small percentage of Americans who have a PC in their living room that is solely dedicated to a TV for broadcast purposes. For most a set-top box will be a much more suitable point of distribution. A company named Akimbo knows this and has based their business model on this fact alone. Akimbo is best described as a Tivo for web video. It allows you to easily access various forms of web video content in the comfort of your Lay-Z-Boy recliner with just a remote in your hand. Along side the list of independent films and vlogs there is also a lot of mainstream content from companies you may recognize. Cartoon Network, National Geographic, BBC just to name a few. This is the first product of its kind so expect this technology only to get better as more competition arrives. This will bring prices down also which is always a good thing.

Now it is time to flip from watching the web on your TV to watching your TV on the web. Two great products were recently released to allow such capabilities. The first is from Sling Media and it is called the SlingBox. This device hooks to your TV, cable, satellite, or Tivo box and allows you to “placeshift” your shows to any broadband internet enabled device on the planet. “Placeshifting” is kind of a play on words for Tivos “Timeshifting” technology. So in 1999 when Tivo was born you no longer had to be stuck to a network schedule to watch your favorite shows. Now in 2005 you no longer have to be stuck at your house you can watch your own TV from anywhere you like.

Another company with a similar idea caters to people like me who have a PC dedicated as a Tivo device. Instead of needing an additional piece of hardware like the Slingbox this company named Orb allows you to install their software for free on your computer. Once you are signed up for a free account you point the software to any audio, video, or photos you have stored on your computer network. From any broadband computer in the world you securely log in to Orb’s member section and you are instantly given access to all your media. You can stream live or recorded tv straight over the internet. Orb’s software is so intelligent it calculates the speed of the connection on your home computers end and the speed at your location and automatically adjusts the video bitrate to ensure smooth playback. Not just that but it checks to see what codecs you have installed so it knows what format to stream it to you in. I will be testing this out very soon and if the results are favorable this will replace my old, clunky method of streaming my TivoPC.

I can’t finish a post about web video without mentioning BitTorrent. Most everyone today is aware that the most popular TV shows are available on the web and are commonly shared via BitTorrent. This usually requires the general knowledge of BT and where to find good tracker sites that post the links. Now a few different programmers have developed a more automated approach to acquiring shows like a free tivo. One is called Videora and I have heard mixed reviews about it. It is a simple application but also only delivers lackluster results. If you are feeling brave and don’t mind getting your feet wet there is a newer method for “broadcatching” using a popular BT client Azareus and the power of RSS feeds. Here are the instructions behind the process. Of course technically downloading TV shows on the internet is illegal. To that I say so was downloading music on Napster in 1999 because there was no ‘legal’ option. That is until Apple finally came around with iTunes in 2003. Its just a matter of time until a ‘legal’ option for TV and movies arrives. Nuff said…

Real quick before I sign off. Two of the most popular web video sites on the internet are AtomFilms and iFilm. Check them out sometime as they tend to provide lots of fun entertainment. Also I should mention that efforts are underway for legal distrobutions of movies and tv shows. Cinemanow and Movielink. Both currently suffer from a limited library to choose from and questionable video quality. Over time more services like this will appear and it can only get better. Especially if Apple enters the arena and takes over like they did with the digital music revolution of the iPod and iTunes.

Hope you learned a lot. That’s it. Peace. Im Out.