Online video and TV finally converge

[Tags: web design, new media]. From the 27th February Online Publisher's Association mailing:

"Online video and TV finally converge
We've heard so much about convergence and the digital living room, that we can be excused for not believing it would ever come. But now, after years of fits and starts, true convergence is starting to happen as TV content and online video are blurring their boundaries. DirecTV is offering a service for broadband users to download video to special boxes so it can provide a type of pay-per-view experience. NBC debuted a new TV show, "Conviction," via free iTunes downloads. The Wall Street Journal recently looked at this growing convergence in two separate articles. "A range of manufacturers and service providers are pushing devices such as new set-top boxes and specialized PCs to allow consumers to watch video from the Internet on their actual TV sets," wrote Kevin Delaney and Bobby White in one article. "But, in the meantime, consumers appear increasingly willing to view videos on their computer screens."

The other Journal article looked at the "industry land grab" happening among video startups online as online video goes mainstream. Taking center stage was Brightcove, a video startup that has helped Reuters distribute its video reports to any site that wants to run a player -- including the conservative blog Wizbang. Plus, Brightcove and other video sites such as YouTube promise to let anyone get their independent video in front of millions of people without traditional distribution. "Once, producers of films, TV shows and video material relied on other big companies -- broadcast networks, cable systems -- to get shows in front of an audience," wrote WSJ's Peter Grant. "Now, these new forms of distribution could turn anyone into a producer with a nearly endless array of possible outlets." The only downside? News.com reports all this online video is straining the Net's backbone.

»	Choices Expand for Watching TV on Your PC (WSJ; paid subscription required)
»	Online Video Goes Mainstream, Sparking an Industry Land Grab (WSJ; paid subscription required)
»	NBC launches new show with iTunes promo (Reuters)
»	Satellite-TV Firm Prepares to Offer Video Downloads (WSJ; paid subscription required)
»	TV catches the Net video bug (News.com)
»	Net video explosion triggers traffic jam worries (News.com)

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