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NetFlix, TiVo and VOD

VentureBlog: TruckWidth

Long promised, often hyped, and undelivered, true Video-on-Demand may finally be coming. Imagine every TV show, available all of the time, living in the cable network, awaiting your request. Maybe this time's for real -- churn amongst digital subscribers is up to a murderous 5% per month, the DBS threat looms large, and the cable MSOs have seen that if they don't give the masses what they want, well, the masses will just take it for themselves.

Most bleeding-edge video consumers already have two VoD tools in their arsenal. NetFlix has become for many people (1.15 million at last count) the main source of video entertainment, and for some the only one. Tivo has entered the life of millions, and once experienced, a DVR is not something given up lightly.

Fujitsu-Siemens Activy Media Center

Fujitsu-Siemens' soon to be launched mid-level Media Center STB incorporating PVR, DVD and Tuner for TV, Cable and Satellite (big plus) as well as VOD via XDSL connectivity built-in. Can anybody provide us with an indication of price point for this device?

Experience a new kind of multimedia
Finish your day in a relaxed way, lying on the sofa watching your favourite programme. It doesn't matter if it is TV, DVD, or even Video on Demand, all can now be enjoyed using only one machine. You can record your favourite programs digitally using the Electronic Program Guide and experience to pause live TV with the Time Shift function. It is also possible to surf the Internet and sending your friends e-mails is now quite simple.

If you don't believe that such a machine exists, we would be very pleased to introduce you to the new ACTIVY Media Center. It has been especially designed to combine, in a user friendly way, the latest advances in television with those of digital technology. ACTIVY Media Center also enables you to receive the upcoming T-Online Vision on TV portal - on-demand content and interactive services provided by T-Online.

The ACTIVY Media Center will be available in the shops in Germany from Autumn 2003.

Video over DSL: broadband gets entertaining

Read the full article at Europemedia.net

Pay-per-view movies and special events are already offered by most cable TV companies. Vendors claim carriers could find their way into this business by DSL. The chances are high that they are right, and that carriers could make extra turnover with comparably little investment.