CMCSA , MSFT ,,, Review: Content Mars Akimbo TV Service Wednesday May 11, 4:43 pm ET By Matthew Fordahl, AP Technology Writer Review: Second-Rate Content Mars Akimbo TV Service; Comcast's on Demand Availability Impressive
Hundreds of TV channels are now available, and digital video recorders make it easy to watch shows whenever you find the time. Still, the advances have done little to end the refrain: There's nothing on TV. ADVERTISEMENT
That might just end with the arrival of on-demand video systems that let viewers choose programs from a library, transfer them to or through a set-top box and play them on a TV whenever it's convenient.
I recently tried out two such services: Comcast Corp.'s On Demand and Akimbo from the startup Akimbo Systems Inc. Both offer very good video quality.
But the similarities end there.
Akimbo seems to focus on content you can find nowhere else (usually for a good reason). Its prices are high and sometimes confusing. The shows must completely download before they play, usually taking as long to transfer as to watch.
Ultimately, the startup's biggest problem may be that it's competing against Comcast and other cable and satellite TV providers, which have plenty of experience and muscle to reach agreements with program providers.
In most of its service area, Comcast offers its video-on-demand service at no additional charge to digital customers. Just 5 percent of its 3,000 On Demand programs carry an extra fee. Premium subscribers pay nothing extra for programming from channels they already pay for, such as HBO.
On Demand also requires no additional equipment beyond the digital cable box. It uses the existing coaxial cable to transmit the shows over Comcast's own network, so a separate home network or high-speed Internet connection isn't necessary.
In fact, Comcast's cable box doesn't even need a hard drive. Instead, shows are streamed from a remote server and controlled remotely -- whether it's to pause, rewind or fastforward -- through the clicker and the set-top box.
The most impressive aspect of the service is what's available. Besides movies, there are shows from PBS, HBO, NFL Network, MTV and elsewhere. Toddlers will enjoy Big Bird and Barney while adults can view an incredible array of movies and documentaries. Music choices range from regular concerts and videos to educational programs on how to play the guitar.
Akimbo, on the other hand, requires a separate set-top box, which costs $229, a wired or wireless home network and a high-speed connection to the Internet. Content loads onto an 80-gigabyte hard drive that can hold up to 200 hours of programming. Downloaded shows are locked into the unit by copy protection in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media software.
But Akimbo does have a user interface that's both responsive and easy to navigate. Shows are accessible by browsing channels and categories. It offers a service that automatically and regularly transfers programs to the box. And it recommends shows that might be of interest based on what's been downloaded.
The Comcast cable box I tested seemed sluggish by comparison, and its remote does not appear to be designed for On Demand. (Comcast's digital video recorder customers get better remotes. They also get hard drives on which the shows can be stored.)
But with video on demand, it's the content that matters most.
Akimbo has about 1,600 programs available, and 60 percent of those cost extra -- anywhere from 50 cents to a few bucks -- beyond the $10 monthly subscription fee.
There are some mainstream offerings, including "Casablanca" from Turner Classic Movies and some familiar fare from A&E, the Food Network, CNN, National Geographic and the History Channel. For the most part, each "channel" offers only a handful of shows, but they're updated regularly.
The bulk of Akimbo's content is far from well known. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not going to make Akimbo a household name.
Forget Elmo and Grover for pre-schoolers. Instead, kids get Henrietta Hippo, from the old "New Zoo Revue" and various other old and/or second-tier shows. Interested in foreign programming? Akimbo offers a vast collection from Turkey, Spain and China -- without subtitles.
There are travel shorts you might find on a hotel's in-house channel, as well as parenting tips from the Baby Channel that consist of 2 or 3 minute snippets better suited for a pediatrician's waiting room.
Sports? There's a lot to choose from if you're only interested in billiards, sailing, extreme sports and golf. While I tested the system, the closest thing to football programming was a documentary on NFL Films.
The good news is that Akimbo's content has been steadily improving and can only get better over time. At this point, I can only recommend it to my Turkish friends who enjoy extreme sports and billiards but aren't turned off by Henrietta Hippo.
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