IPTV Provider Akimbo Joins with AT&T

crashFaster writes to tell us TechWeb is reporting that in a recent deal AT&T has teamed up with Akimbo Systems to bring internet-based video-on-demand services to customers as early as this summer. From the article: "The AT&T Homezone service, being trialed within several states, integrates AT&T Yahoo! high-speed Internet and AT&T DISH Network programming. The service provides video on demand, digital video, and Internet content, such as photos and music through a set-top box." AT&T and Akimbo have also both issued press releases with a few more specifics.

Comments

This could be cool

[BadAnalogyGuy]

This is really one of those ideas that was batted about some 10 years ago when people were just starting to get internet to their homes. Until fairly recently, the bandwidth simply wasn't there to stream such media to internet users, but with the further penetration of broadband service and the ramp up of transfer speeds for users, the service is finally going to be available.

A similar type of service has been available on some airline flights for a while. Instead of being fed the movies in the order decided by the flight crew, the movies can be individually selected and played by passengers at their whim. Not having flown in anything but economy class for a few years now, I wouldn't know the specifics of how that works...

Re:This could be cool

[CRCulver]

This is really one of those ideas that was batted about some 10 years ago when people were just starting to get internet to their homes. Until fairly recently, the bandwidth simply wasn't there to stream such media to internet users, but with the further penetration of broadband service and the ramp up of transfer speeds for users, the service is finally going to be available.

I was already getting video-on-demand with BitTorrent three years ago. And now with sites like The Pirate Bay, all the movies or television I want are right there for the choosing, even obscure foreign films.

In the city in Romania where I spend about half of the year, the local ISP offers a city-wide DC++ network where one can download whole movies from one's fellow citizens for free in a matter of minutes. The world outside the U.S. is little-by-little realizing that media should be free, it's risible that in the U.S. you have companies like this that can launch a video-on-demand service knowing that people are actually going to pay for stuff.

Another dead end IPTV project ?

[ozzee]

The number of failed attempts at IPTV projects boggles my mind.

Movilink (Sony+other studios) - couldn't be given away.

Starz/Real partnership - dead.

Kontiki/AOL - Kontiki dead.

Netmovies - (napster + others) dead.

Tivo + Netflix - dead dead dead

+ many many more

What makes this so special ?