According to the Wall Street Journal, Sony is considering launching an online video streaming service aimed at competing with cable and satellite to bring you television.
The corporation has reportedly spoken to several big media and entertainment companies, including NBCUniversal (hey, that's us!), News Corp. and Discovery Communications, with aims toward carrying their TV networks over the Internet to Sony devices. Theoretically, this could mean you'll be able to use your PlayStation 3, as well as Sony televisions and blu-ray players, to watch a variety of television shows.
The talks, apparently, may end in Sony offering niche-channels, as opposed to the huge channel packages of big cable providers. A cable killer? It remains to be seen.
Microsoft, it's worth mentioning, seems to be pursuing a similar strategy. Back in October, Microsoft announced a collaboration with over 40 huge media providers, including HBO, ABC and many more.
For its part, Apple may be working toward something similar: There is speculation that the last project Steve Jobs was working on before his death was an Apple television. The set would, theoretically, be a Siri-controlled TV that integrates iTunes, your iPhone, iPad and your iCloud into one box. Adding the equivalent of a video game console to that suite isn't out of the question either.
The end goal, it seems to me, is to create one content pipeline to your living room couch. My question: If the future actually comes true, and we don't all burn up in 2012, which would you pick? Imagine the content is exactly the same: If you had to choose Xbox TV, Sony TV or Apple TV, which one would get your vote?
Personally: I'd go with Apple, if only because I have never had any tech problems with integration with an Apple product, whereas my personal experiences with Sony and Microsoft have varied in terms of technical problems. I've never really been able to reliably integrate Windows with my 360, and the PlayStation Network has has a variety of problems that I'm sure you're aware of, where iTunes and my iPhone have always performed beautifully for me. Ultimately, my money goes to whichever product/service is least likely to cause me to spend any time on the telephone to tech support, even if an Apple television will likely be pretty expensive.
Comments
Displaying 1–18 of 18
teac77
I use my PS3 for Netflix and Hulu. I don't need cable TV.
WithdrawingDeath
Sony is slowly taking over... They may have little bumps on the way but who doesn't... It's only a matter of time before Apple merges with Sony then Microsoft is out of the picture... Let's see what happens...
vole182
@lucidity
No but you can expect them to sell you with features and take them way.
Then have you sign a TOS requiring you to give away your rights to sue or be part of a class action lawsuit if anything happens to your personal information.
Win Win right?!
lucidity
@ Impurestcrowd
Can we expect Sony's service to be hacked and down for a month.
eliteop21
Cable is already dead, its just a matter of time before people realize it.
ImpurestCrowd
With the lag and unreliability of the xbox live service and considering Sony has been in the TV/Movie industry for years it's a no brainer that Sony will prevail where streaming is concerned.
Adam_electric
We completely understand about mac not having problems but mac or itunescharges almostfor every single thing so makes me think alot what will appledo i know itsamarvellous machine cause i have an ipod and an iphone an imac anda ps3 so yeah
Thinking i will go with sony cause since internet is freeim sure sony will pleasure his customers andspecially their fans like that commercial LONG LIVE PLAY.
I mean sony even made an awesome commercial toits gamers and what about
xbox?
Xbox or microsoft always charges for online services what will u expect from them charges just like apple but comparing my points i see it this way
Sony
Apple
And last...xbox..
For service and tech sony and apple are real good stuff!
Zatz
anything to push cable prices down and internet connection service charges up right?
Cryptomaster420
uh no PSN lags a Bleep ton while @ least xbox live is more stable but i would like to see them try it though good like going against xbox's tv service coming up
leper1983
Google TV Inc???
Colesl4w
I'd go for Sony TV, because I've been with Sony since the PS1, so I guess there's a bit of Fanboyism there. If its part of a new console, than I'd most definitely choose Sony because I feel like they've been putting out the best exclusives for awhile, and I don't see the point of getting a system so I could play multiplatform games.
What I'd like to see is a way to pick and choose what channels you get, and you get so many channels for a certain price. I don't really watch that many channels, so only having a few would be fine with me. And if they were in HD that'd be even better because we don't pay for HD cable at my house.
WhatGuy
Sony makes TV's...... Makes sense they would want their own service
nomanners51
Just give us party chat!
lowkevmic
Within the next 5 years or so, I wouldn't be surprised if we see devices with full network programming. But I highly doubt if cable and satelite will go without a fight. I assume cable and satelite is working around the clock trying to come up with way to keep their hand in the cookie jar. When Microsoft first announced all of the television choices offered on their XBLA update, there was no mention of being required to have those services. Now as we draw closer to the actual update, a lot of the new app require that you have a cable subscription that even supports those apps. I think Sony will be no different. Unless of course it's a network like Epic or Crackle where you'll just have to pay a seperate subscription to have it. But who wants multiple bills for those networks??
E3_kidmilly
awsome i am sony's biggest fans i lve all the things they make
Atavax
would never buy sony tv; after i buy it they would probably start taking away features...
purewitz
I hope its streaming channels and not just videos. I'd rather use an internet based TV service, but I don't want to wait a day, week, month, or more just to watch something new. I want to see it when it airs on the network. I don't have a problem with TV networks, but I do have a problem with Cable and Satellite. They are two old out ated tech industries that keep milking peoples money to use old outdated tech. Its time for a change. Cable and Satellite are no longer the answer. If we always kept using out tech. We'd still be using what Philo Farnsworth invented back in the 20th Century. Thats the biggest problem with Cable and Satellite. Both are old 20th Century tech, we need something new for the 21st Century.
sunrisepromo
These aren't cable killers, though. As I understand it, XBox Live TV is just something that complements your current cable subscription.
The only thing that would be a cable killer would be something that does not require a cable subscription at all.
Btw, it's super easy to integrate Windows and the XBox 360. I've never had issues with it working either. Apple, on the other hand? If it requires all that syncing crap? No way!
Displaying 1–18 of 18
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