Sony announces Vue Internet tv

Started by Mmm_fish_tacos, Nov 13, 2014, 12:05 PM

previous topic - next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mmm_fish_tacos

This is from USAToday. Here's what it says...
Sony plans to begin testing its new subscription cloud TV service PlayStation Vue in New York City later this month.
After that initial test of the service, which is delivered via the Net to PlayStation 4 and PS3 game systems, Sony expects to launch the service in four cities - New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and L.A. - during the first three months of 2015. More cities will go online after that, says Sony Computer Entertainment president and group CEO Andrew House.
PlayStation Vue blends live local broadcast and cable TV network programming with on-demand content and programs that viewers have saved in a cloud-based DVR. Six major content partners are on board: CBS, Discovery Communications, Fox, NBCUniversal, Scripps Networks Interactive and Viacom.
That adds up to about 75 channels including Comedy Central, Animal Planet, Food Network, Syfy and Nickelodeon. Sony continues talking to other major providers with the biggest holdout being Disney, parent company to ABC and ESPN. "It's a pretty robust lineup, by no means do I think we are done," House said.
A "competitive" subscription fee will be announced at a later date, he says. Subscribers will not be charged any setup fee - your game system, TV and broadband connection are all you need - and will not have to agree to a certain length of contract.
With its current content partners, PlayStation Vue could be an alternative for viewers who complain about paying for ESPN when they don't like sports, says Todd Juenger, senior research analyst with investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein. Some sports are included on broadcast networks and on Fox regional sports networks. And there's reality in the mix with network series such as Survivor, The Blacklist, Sons of Anarchy and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Still, Sony's target market of PlayStation gamers, which skews young adult male, are core ESPN viewers, Juenger says. "Not having ESPN would probably disqualify a big percentage of their target audience," he says.
But Sony can hit three to five million subscribers to be "impactful," says BTIG research analyst Rich Greenfield. "It had a good amount of content. I think the bundles have gotten so large that there's plenty of room to shave out."
When the actual service launches, consumers will be able to activate it by downloading an app on the PlayStation 4 or PS3 for a free trial. An iPad app is planned soon after the service launches, too.
               An image of a menu within Sony's upcoming PlayStation
                     An image of a menu within Sony's upcoming PlayStation Vue cloud TV service.(Photo: Sony PlayStation)

Programming can be found in multiple ways via PlayStation Vue's interactive menu. Personalization of the service is key to its success, House says. Once you start using the service, it will open up with a timeline of options related to what you last watched.
You can favorite up to 500 series; then the Favorites option will let you know whether there are any upcoming episodes, as well those you missed that you can go back and catch up on. That's possible because for any show you favorite, all episodes will be saved in your cloud-based DVR.
Live TV recommendations will be shown based on what the PlayStation audience is watching; programs will be recommended based on your previous viewing selections, too. You can also use a more traditional program guide that puts your favorite channels first before listing the rest alphabetically.
"The ability to move seamlessly between brands and the menu of live content and on demand in a very brand-friendly way was incredibly appealing to us," said Rebecca Glashow, senior vice president, digital distribution & partnerships for Discovery Communications, which has Animal Planet, The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel among its Vue offerings.
Sony's interface will likely drive viewers to watch more of the programs they already watch, said Philippe Dauman, president and CEO of Viacom. In addition to Comedy Central, Viacom's channels on the service will include MTV, MTV 2, Nick Jr. and Spike. "Sony's platform creates an immersive, customized viewing experience for our audiences - empowering them to explore and discover more of the programming across our brands," he said.
Invitees to the initial New York trial will be sent to a subset of current subscribers to Sony's premium PlayStation Plus service ($49.99 annually), which gives members free games, discounts and online multiplayer access.
Sony is entering into an increasingly crowded online video market that has begun to chip away at the traditional pay-TV stranglehold on homes. HBO and Showtime plan new standalone services and CBS recently launched two new online ventures, CBS All Access, a $5.99-monthly service, and an ad-supported CBSN news service.
Dish Network and Verizon are also expected to debut Net TV services soon. "It's a space that is ripe for innovation," Sony's House said. "There is an additional motivation for us in that this is a large step forward to getting the PlayStation from a dedicated powerful games device to being much more of a core entertainment hub."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2014/11/13/sony-playstation-vue-cloud-tv-service/18929491/

kitler53

gah, i've been crush by a wall of text!!

anyways, i'm somewhat interested.  i need to see content vs price.  i'm a cord cutter for the last 7 years.  i'm looking for a bit more than netflix offers but i don't want a service that is more than ~$10.  this is looking to perhaps be too much content at too much price for me.  we'll see.  i'll probably sign up for either this or hbo depending on their offerings.


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Mmm_fish_tacos


gah, i've been crush by a wall of text!!

anyways, i'm somewhat interested.  i need to see content vs price.  i'm a cord cutter for the last 7 years.  i'm looking for a bit more than netflix offers but i don't want a service that is more than ~$10.  this is looking to perhaps be too much content at too much price for me.  we'll see.  i'll probably sign up for either this or hbo depending on their offerings.


Yeah, it's a lot to take in. I posted it on my phone, so I didn't simplefy it.

But I like the way it's going. Let's see what they say about price.

kitler53


Yeah, it's a lot to take in. I posted it on my phone, so I didn't simplefy it.

But I like the way it's going. Let's see what they say about price.


they said "competitive".   so do they think they are competing with netflix or comcast?    ..cause that is a massive difference in price.   


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Mmm_fish_tacos


they said "competitive".   so do they think they are competing with netflix or comcast?    ..cause that is a massive difference in price.   


I hope they think they are in competition with both services. Which they are. So more expensive than netflix but a good bit.cheaper than comcast.

kitler53


I hope they think they are in competition with both services. Which they are. So more expensive than netflix but a good bit.cheaper than comcast.


$15 dollars?


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Mmm_fish_tacos


BasilZero

CTRL+F = price

I couldnt find a $10, $15, or $30.

So whats the price?

kitler53


CTRL+F = price

I couldnt find a $10, $15, or $30.

So whats the price?


"competitive"


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

kitler53


Name, like 30.


@$30 i'm priced out.  i just don't value tv enough to pay that.  anything over $15 is pretty much a no from me.


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

BasilZero


"competitive"


Hmm hopefully they wont be crazily competitive as their gaming streaming service :P

Mmm_fish_tacos


@$30 i'm priced out.  i just don't value tv enough to pay that.  anything over $15 is pretty much a no from me.


Yeah, and the could be a side effect of this. People use to netflix will think it's to much with out realizing how much better it will be, but it will catch yhe average comcast users eye.  But who know what it will actually cost. There could be different levels of service too. Now it's a waiting game.

kitler53

Nov 13, 2014, 06:21 PM Last Edit: Nov 13, 2014, 06:23 PM by kitler53

Yeah, and the could be a side effect of this. People use to netflix will think it's to much with out realizing how much better it will be, but it will catch yhe average comcast users eye.  But who know what it will actually cost. There could be different levels of service too. Now it's a waiting game.


it's not about how much better it is.  i just don't value tv at that price.  i game 3-5 hours a day but only watch 3-5 hours of tv a week.  if i was a tv junky than $30 would be fine but i'm not.  i pay $8 a month for netflix.  i value tv at a cost of ~$20 a month across all services.  i'll pay sony up to $15 but not a dollar more.  same goes for the upcoming hbo subscription service.  i'm sure it  sounds odd to say but i'm in the market for less service not more.  that is fundamentally why i don't have cable.


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Max King of the Wild

Does it mean those cities and their surrounding areas or just the city limits? I'll definitely look into it if Chicago and it's area

Max King of the Wild

BTW - my ideal content would be  a la carte