CBS Testing iPad-Friendly HTML5 Video Delivery Methods

[topmounter]

I think the deeper debate is really about control. Flash and Hulu can run smoothly on a cell phone (thankfully so I have something to do at the gym). Everyone is upset because nobody (cough Apple) wants to support Flash. However, if Flash was "So terrible" to begin with why have everyone and their mother been utilizing it for years!??

Adobe had plenty of of chances to establish themselves on mobile devices
over the last five years and the best they could come up with was the
stillborn "Flash Lite" and somehow Apple ends up being the bad guy because
they made a decision to not support either a failed technology (Flash Lite) or
a technology not designed for mobile devices (Desktop Flash)?

Every content provider can choose to support HTML5 today, or not. And
every consumer can choose to purchase any number of non-Apple mobile
devices, some of which that actually do support Flash (or so I hear).

 

[muskratboy]

"in part because of its fan base"

right... because no one watches it. so it's a tiny, tiny little test.

so really, the LACK of fanbase makes it a great test.

 

[liketom]

I was surprised how cheap Enterprise is on iTunes. I realized I never watched this series and looked it up. $23 for HD versions of all 26 episodes in the first season. That is less then $1 each. Great deal!

cheap! on the UK store it's £49 which is not cheap

i really wonder why they price it so high, as if anyone with half a brain and a credit card would pay £49 for it ?

and yes i watched it ! and loved it

 

[BC2009]

NBC/TimeWarner dragging their feet?

"A number of media companies, including NBC and Time Warner, have pledged their continued support for Flash streaming, pointing to the format's continued dominance on the Web and shortcomings in HTML5 feature offerings."

Translation: "We've done it this way for years... and it would be too hard to switch.... we just don't have the talent to expertise to pull it off... "

Weak!!!!!!

I'm betting the real problem over at NBC/Time Warner is that they don't make enough money off their shows anymore to be willing to invest the time in any improvements. Quite frankly they know that whether its Flash or HTML-5, they will still have nobody watching and hence no advertising dollars. Heck does anybody even care if they can't watch NBC shows on the iPad if they don't bother watching those shows anywhere else?

You have to remember that NBC was the network that decided to cancel Trauma this last year because of its poor ratings only to reverse that decision when they realized that all their shows were doing just as bad and they had nothing to replace it with. When deciding between more Trauma episodes, running info-mercials or showing re-runs of Cheers (one of their last great shows) they opted to reverse their decision and extend Trauma until the end of the season.

These are the same brilliant minds that weaseled out of their deal with Conan by bringing us prime-time Leno only to reverse that and eventually buy out Conan's contract for more than their network makes in a year to put Leno back on the Tonight show at his normal time slot. If you recall some of their local affiliates felt that NBC was being so misguided that they opted to show their local news at 10pm rather than air Leno's primetime show.

So does anybody really care what NBC does? The only standard these guys are setting is one for how to run a network into the ground.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Unfortunately, an underappreciated Trek version that deserved a seven year run like the other three got.

Agree -- Star Trek Enterprise was great. I look forward to rewatching it all on my iPad.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Has anyone else tried out the site on their iPad? It doesn't work for me yet. When I click on "PLAY VIDEO" nothing happens. Then if I tap on the video it gives me the crossed out play button.

I know it's in testing, so we'll probably see it fixed soon...

Did not work for me either. Just tried it.

 

[qbert]

Agree -- Star Trek Enterprise was great. I look forward to rewatching it all on my iPad.

I disagree. The premise was good - the casting was terrible.

Oh yes. Don't get me started on the lack of CGI for most of the series. "Captain... we have them in our sites. FIRE. {camera stays on character} Okay. Good shooting."

Sorry. Back on topic. Flash is dead. Long live Flash.

 

[sigma8]

I'm not backing Flash; I'm backing the ability to see great content for free on a cell phone. I can do that with Flash right now. If I can do that without Flash then that's great too. But more than anything, I just want the ability to do that, right now.

[r/g internet radio: yes I prefer mp3 streams, but in locked down computers sometimes you don't have the ability to install iTunes for PC, etc. It's so quick to be able to run internet radio in a separate tab on the browser and just click X when you're done.]

What cellphones currently being sold can watch flash video "now"? Last I looked, the launch date for Flash on Android was with the new Droid, on June 23rd. Did they move it up?

I don't want to see Flash be tried, convicted, and executed. I just want to see something better come out--at which people will either flock to the better thing, or Flash will improve to compete.

There are many things that I use that could stand improvement, and as soon as I have a superior alternative, I'm there in a flash (heh).

You know, another reason I haven't mentioned yet why I don't like Flash--and this is a little indirect--but when I use a Flash blocker, 90% of obnoxious web content disappears! It's great.

 

[sigma8]

I disagree. The premise was good - the casting was terrible.

Oh yes. Don't get me started on the lack of CGI for most of the series. "Captain... we have them in our sites. FIRE. {camera stays on character} Okay. Good shooting."

Sorry. Back on topic. Flash is dead. Long live Flash.

Battlestar Galactica often did the same thing. They weren't swimming in money either. Enterprise was just dull....except for Scott Bakula, who is awesome.

 

[StudioGuy]

Still testing

Evidently, still a lot of testing.

I didn't see any of the "Enterprise" ones working either, but there is a classic Star Trek clip of 3 minutes there of "Return to Normal". Ah, and once you find one, there's lots more to select from at the bottom. All just clips though.

CBS has Trek fans, yea!

 

[BC2009]

Can't find it....

This is great and all, but can anybody tell me how to get to the HTML-5 versions of the episodes? All I get is "This video is currently not available for your device". From what I understand all episodes are not available, but I cannot find a single one.

 

[puffnstuff]

i thought bright cove came out with an html5 ad solution

either way I am not understanding the inability to monetize argument because can't you detect the IP address using PHP then block the ones outside of the country and feed ads to the ones inside? I'm guessing that is what they want to do.

 

[IWantItThatWay]

The thing about Flash is that not only is it for videos, but interactive entertainment as well.

The fact iPad doesn't have Flash makes Apple a LYING company (as usual) when it talks about "full internet experience."

Apple (basically Jobs) has a PERSONAL vendetta against Flash and makes the "customers" pay for it in the end. Thank goodness for Microsoft, who says "Listen, you guys can have a choice. It's your right."

 

[marksman]

NBC should swap places with USA its much better run cable channel.

 

[marksman]

The thing about Flash is that not only is it for videos, but interactive entertainment as well.

The fact iPad doesn't have Flash makes Apple a LYING company (as usual) when it talks about "full internet experience."

Apple (basically Jobs) has a PERSONAL vendetta against Flash and makes the "customers" pay for it in the end. Thank goodness for Microsoft, who says "Listen, you guys can have a choice. It's your right."

Any of that interactive entertainment can be made in an app for iDevices... and done better than what can be accomplished in flash.

 

[IWantItThatWay]

Any of that interactive entertainment can be made in an app for iDevices... and done better than what can be accomplished in flash.

I'm talking about the web, like GameWreck or Newgrounds. Plus, most websites still use Flash (like GameSpot, Macrumors.com, NBA.com, etc. etc.)

I mean why won't Apple at least let you have the option or a ClicktoFlash option? Simple - Apple is the Soviet Union of computers and only let's you do what THEY allow you to do, and not give you freedom.

Apple talks about "full internet experience" with the ipad? Hahahahaha

 

[NathanA]

Flash (including Hulu!) is running smooth as butter on the new custom 2.2 mods.

Can you please elaborate a little bit on this? I'm confused, and possibly behind the times...

What "custom 2.2 mods"? Surely you aren't talking about iOS 2.2, from back in the iPhone 3G days. Did you mean iOS 3.2, which is the version that is running on the iPad? Are there "mods" (jailbreak applications, maybe) that play Flash video back smoothly on the iPad? Is that what you are referring to?

Or were you not even talking about an iProduct? Android is up to 2.2 now...is this what you're talking about?

Thanks,

-- Nathan

 

[CFreymarc]

Any movement, from any content provider, in this direction is welcome. ABC has really set the standard, though.

I keep on thinking how much Adobe is scrambling behind the scene on this one.

 

[steve-mobs]

quicktime-videos on apple.com

can anyone explain why apple pushes everybody to use html5 video but provides quicktime-videostreams on its own website?

 

[Max(IT)]

Why do you hate flash?

I personally like the ability to stream free TV shows and movies and internet radio all through Flash. Do you not like those things? I don't get some of the people here...entertainment is a good thing!



Wow, I would hate to be your kid. How brutal are you?
Adobe makes some great products.
Dreamweaver is pretty much the gold standard for web development.
Photoshop and illustrator are too for their respective areas. Come to think of it so is Indesign.

Indeed. Adobe makes some great products, and Flash IS NOT one of them.
Flash is just crapware.

 

[NyArtboy]

missed the point entirely....

I'm not backing Flash; I'm backing the ability to see great content for free on a cell phone. I can do that with Flash right now. If I can do that without Flash then that's great too. But more than anything, I just want the ability to do that, right now.

Um, not sure how you are SO missing the point but Flash doesn't run on most Cell Phones??!?! And the ones that do, do it poorly and slow and its a battery hog or their Jail-Broken which isn't for everybody. No one is questioning your logic but the HTML 5 sites that have popped up (first example that comes to mind is CNN) are so much smoother and easier to handle in a small format like a phone. ABC has a GREAT iPad app that plays all their shows free and its wonderful. I want to see more of that. Not wasting time waiting for Cell Phones to catch up to the speed of a laptop just so I can get some free content. Dude, wake-up!