Archive for the Category »General «

30
Apr 2010

Spreety Mailbag, 2010

By spreety

In celebration of 2 years online, Spreety TV Online is sharing answers to the 5 most common questions.

The questions are:

1. Will Spreety work outside of the USA?

– The current version of Spreety is USA focused. Some links will not work outside the USA. However, Spreety is discussing with investors the opportunity of expanding into more country specific versions.

2. Spreety does not work for me, any tips?

– The “About” tab has online TV troubleshooting suggestions. The common issues are the browser is preventing Spreety from popping up the show in a new window or the browser is asking to install a plug-in to play the shows.

3. What about the iPhone and the iPad?

– Spreety has an iPhone version. With the mobile Safari browser, type in “iphone.spreety.com”. As for the iPad, mums the word.

4. Was there Malware on Spreety in early April?

– Unfortunately, an Ad network had issues, and it impacted many websites. If your browser redirects automatically, please run the #1 rated cure: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

5. Is Spreety for sale?

– No, we see tremendous growth and are seeking ways to accelerate the growth.

If you have a question or an idea, please send us a note at Spreety@spreety.com.

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23
Mar 2010

NBC Online TV Upgrade, March 2010

By spreety

NBC has updated their online TV player with some options to consider. We at Spreety Labs decided to put the options to the test. Our recommendation: pick “Better”.

The “Best” option did not work on a key lab machine. After a lengthy install, multiple choices, a firewall message, a registration, the registration verification from the email inbox, a restart, and a run, bottom line, it did not work. While we do believe the excellent technical talent at NBC will address, at this time, we cannot recommend an option that fails to work on a key test machine. Thankfully, the uninstall worked as expected.

The “Better” option worked on multiple machines. The plug-in install was fast, and there was a firewall message which we accepted. After the install, the browser window hung, so we refreshed the window, and wow, the picture quality looks great.

We chose to not test the “Good” option, because it is only standard definition. If your machine is older than 3 years, does not have a multi-core processor, or has a WinScore less than 3.0, “Good” may be the right choice.

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18
Feb 2010

Spreety Toolbar

By spreety

The latest Spreety video is about the handy Spreety Toolbar.

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21
Jan 2010

Online TV Diversions

By spreety

Online TV has many popular sites, such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. However, there are many additional sites that are a worthy diversion.

As examples, Funny or Die is a democratic site for rating comedic videos. JibJab has animated political satires. On Networks has high quality productions that reach many audiences. The Smithsonian site has numerous interesting and educational video shorts. StupidVideos is exactly as named.

One more site of high note is TED, an acronym for technology, entertainment, and design. TED has inspirational videos from world experts that are current, relevant, and edifying.

If you would like to learn more about online TV, please visit Spreety.com.

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18
Jan 2010

Vote for Spreety

By spreety

Spreety is among the 18 finalists for the Rackspace “Coolest Site on the Cloud” contest. Please vote for us on the Rackspace blog.

The video entry is a look at the technology that makes up Spreety.

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21
Oct 2009

TV vs. Online TV

By spreety

The following article by Spreety co-founder Ron Laughton was recently featured on Technorati.

Cat TV

What’s so great about TV? In simple terms, we’re used to it. It is our comfort zone. We grew up with it, and for the most part, we do not know any better. Subconsciously, we know there can be better, so we enhance broadcast TV with additional services, such as cable, satellite, and digital video recorders. However, the fundamental underpinning of TV is someone else picking what and when. With TV, people are limited to ask “what’s on”.

With the Internet, millions of video choices are at your finger tips. Unfortunately, with such quantity, the quality varies. There is an amazing amount of top quality content online, however, the challenge in enjoying is knowing where to look, which is why guides, such as Spreety TV Online, are there to help. The online TV paradigm is anytime, anywhere, and the new question is “what do you want to watch”.

Is everything on TV also on the Internet? Legally, the answer would be no. Notable TV exclusives for 2009 were the Oscars, the Superbowl, the NBA finals, and a few popular TV shows.

Is everything on the Internet also on TV? It’s not even close. For sports online, every MLB, NHL, and NBA regular season game is online. For news online, current feeds are available from around the world. For TV shows online, entire seasons are available. For movies online, there are thousands of choices, some free, and some for a small online rental fee. TV simply does not measure up.

As for price, cable TV can run $60 per month, where online TV is the cost of an Internet connection (3 Mbps minimum recommended). Where cable TV upgrade packages usually add bundles of items that most people do not want, online TV allows a la carte selection of precisely the desired premium shows and sporting events for a nominal fee.

As for upgrades, TV’s are hardware driven, so adding HD TV shows and movies typically involves purchasing a new TV and DVD player. In contrast, PC’s are software driven, so upgrades to HD TV shows and movies are handled through free software downloads.

While TV’s by default are built for people using from a couch, PC’s by nature are not. To configure a PC to be couch-friendly, a free E-Book is available at http://www.spreety.com/EBook.aspx .

So what are the downsides to online TV? With online TV, most of the episodes appear online a day later, reducing the “in-the-know” feeling. Also, an occasional major live event may not be legally online.

If you can handle the downsides, the upsides are far-reaching. Online TV offers savings, extensive content, and the choice to watch what you want, whenever you want it. It’s the future, and it’s available today.

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If you would like to learn more about online TV, please check out Spreety TV Online at http://Spreety.com

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18
Oct 2009

Open Spreety Project

By spreety

The Open Spreety Project has successfully released the 2009 version.

Within five minutes, web sites and blogs can enhance their content with online TV links, dynamically updated from the Spreety database.

Training videos and code generation can be found on the following page:

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04
Sep 2009

Advertising Industry Honors Viral/Web Films

By spreety

The following entertainment article was written exclusively for Spreety TV Online by professional journalist Carolyn Giardina.

Advertising Industry Honors “Next” Platform

By Carolyn Giardina

Each year, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers selects the year’s most memorable and inventive TV commercials for its annual AICP Show, “The Art & Technique of the American Commercial.”

Recently, a “Next” category was added and then this year expanded with a goal of honoring viral/web films, websites, integrated campaigns and experimental efforts. The move reflects the changes that are taking place in advertising as more and more viewers are watching their entertainment on their computers. Forrester Research, in fact, recently released a study that suggests that interactive marketing—including online video and search marketing—will account for 21% of all marketing spend come 2014.

“When looking at the craft, it doesn’t matter what screen it appears on. It’s about the work and the approach. The Next category is about the future and where advertising is going,” said Matt Miller, president of AICP.

Among the honorees in this year’s Next competition in the viral/web film category was the Environmental Defense Fund and Ad Council’s “Polar Bears,” directed by Tim Godsall for Ogilvy New York, which illustrated the issue of global warming with ‘polar bears’ on the streets of New York. The ad can be viewed at YouTube.

Website/microsite honorees included General Electric’s “GE Ecomagination,” Doritos “Hotel 626,” and Sprint “NOW.” All three pieces were created out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

The experiential category included Nike+ “Nike+ Human Race 10K” from R/GA. The entry enabled athletes around the world to participate in what was billed as the world’s largest running event.

The AICP Show is touring museums and cultural institutions around the country and abroad, before joining the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Next category was launched with support of leading sponsor Yahoo! and supporting sponsor Microsoft Advertising.

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26
Aug 2009

Back to School Videos

By spreety

It’s that time of year. For back to school preparations, the following videos are online:

If you would like to learn more about online TV, please visit Spreety.com.

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15
Aug 2009

UK to Broadcast in 3D

By spreety

The following entertainment article was written exclusively for Spreety TV Online by professional journalist Carolyn Giardina.

UK Broadcaster Takes Lead In Bringing 3D Home

By Carolyn Giardina

The popularity of stereoscopic 3D movies – including recent hits “Up”, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “G-Force” – has prompted a lot of interest in bringing the format home to TVs, computer screens, gaming platforms, mobile phones and other handheld devices.

But while the US has led 3D activity in movie theaters, UK broadcaster Sky has taken an aggressive role in getting the format into homes with a newly announced plan to launch a 3D TV channel in 2010.
The UK channel is being created to offer a broad selection of 3D programming, including movies and sports. The service will be broadcast across Sky’s existing HD infrastructure and be available via its current generation of set-top boxes.

To watch 3D, customers will also require a new ‘3D Ready’ TV, which are expected to be on sale in the UK next year. In the U.S., 3D Ready TVs have already come on the market, and 3D computer screens are on the way.

Among the challenges in the US has been the need for a steady stream of available 3D content for these devices.

Meanwhile, global standards setting body the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has been working on 3D technical standards that would enable 3D feature films and other programming to be played on all fixed devices in the home, no matter the delivery channel. The intent is to complete the standards by next summer.

Sky will be using a delivery method that is has already tested. Last April, Sky broadcast a performance by Keane live from Abbey Road Studios via the company’s satellite network to a Sky set-top box and domestic 3D Ready TV.

Said Brian Sullivan, managing director of Sky’s Customer Group: “3D is a genuinely ‘seeing is believing’ experience, making TV come to life as never before.”

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