by Ron Miller

Tying Hulu to a Cable Contract Is the Stupidest Idea Ever

ROKU Player (Photo credit: ChrisM70)

Trying to tie a cable contract to a Hulu subscription is about the most bone-headed idea I've heard in a long time. Just a desperate attempt to save a dying business model. Streaming is clearly the future of content delivery.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Hollywood Could Learn a lot from Nollywood

You might never have heard of Nollywood, the nick name for the Nigerian film industry, but it's the second largest film producer in the world and it could teach Hollywood a thing or two about the advantages of digital distribution on the Internet.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Photo by lisa_eglinton on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

 

Networks' Plan to Sell Hulu Shows Striking Lack of Vision

Image by foistclub via Flickr

As eyeballs shift away from traditional TV to streaming media outlets, why would the networks sell off their streaming media arm? Perhaps because they're short-sighted and down-right stupid.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

TV and DVD Sales Drop in Favor of Internet

Image via Wikipedia

I posted a couple of links this week about TV ownership going down and DVD sales numbers dropping. The two related bits of news got me thinking about the changing face of TV and the growing influence of streaming media and the Internet.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Netflix Shifting from DVD Rentals to Media Powerhouse

Image via Wikipedia

Netflix seems on its way to dominating the streaming media market. That may not be the best thing for consumers.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

The Web Will Rock TV's Future - Internet Evolution

Image via Wikipedia

Two very different stories came together this week that could have an impact on the future of TV . The Justice Dept approved the Comcast - NBC Universal deal and Roku cut a deal directly with WealthTV. In this blog post, I analyze why these two stories are significant.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Video: Google Introduces Google TV (and it looks so cool)

I'm a sucker for streaming media boxes and the new Google-TV integration looks incredible. The only problem is that it muddies the waters once again. Should I wait for a Google-enabled box, get the Roku box or the Apple TV? Decisions, decisions.

In the mean time, check this out. Looks like they put a lot of thought into this and have executed well.

Loving Netflix

Image via CrunchBase

I know I'm late to the Netflix party. It's been around for years, but we just got around to subscribing last month and I'm loving it.

What took me so long, you ask? Well, I figured we were spending so much on media through the cable company and it seemed frivolous, even at $8.95 a month, to add yet another media service.

My wife has been accessing it through her iPad and watching full seasons of TV shows. Her recent passion is Veronica Mars. My son has been accessing it through his PS3 game system. I intend to buy the new Apple TV box solely because it provides a compact and simple way to stream Netflix to my TV.

But what has impressed me most isn't the streaming service, but the DVD exchange. We set up on our queue on the Netflix web site. Netflix sends us a DVD. We watch it, then return it in the postage paid envelope. Now comes the amazing part.

The DVDs get back to Netflix almost the same day we send them and the new one is on its way within a day. We have been dazzled by this turn-around, especially because we are using the US Postal service, which is not the most efficient system on the planet.

Having used the system for a month, I'm surprised I waited so long to do it. My son has been saying we should get it for years. I'm glad I finally gave in because it's a joy to behold an efficient system at work and my family and I are really loving Netflix.

In honor of YouTube's 5th Birthday: A History of YouTube

It is mind boggling to me that YouTube is only five years old. When I saw people on Twitter this morning wishing YouTube a happy 5th birthday, I thought maybe they had gotten it wrong, but in fact YouTube did start a mere five years ago today. I guess what makes it so difficult to believe is how entrenched YouTube is in the internet experience. It's hard to imagine that such an important site has only existed for 5 years. It just goes to show how quickly things change in the internet age, a lesson Facebook might be wise to keep in mind.

In honor of YouTube's birthday, I'm embedding a YouTube video called The History of YouTube. Happy Birthday, YouTube, what a simple yet amazing idea.

Western MA Pod Camp Slide Show from Animoto

One of the tricks I learned yesterday was how to create an animated slideshow quickly and easily using Animoto. It's free. It's fun and you can do it from your computer or as an iPhone app.