SyncTV Blog

SyncTV Demo Video

November 28, 2007

We thought it would be a good idea to give people a preview of the kind of service that they will have with SyncTV. Here is a demo video which shows you some of the features of the service. Enjoy!

Private Beta Channels

November 20, 2007

Reading some of the postings on the launch yesterday, it struck us that we needed to tell everyone more about the content on SyncTV. So here are the channels that are available at the start of the private beta.

Bear in mind that this is not the final line-up of content that the general public will see when the service goes public. We are negotiating with major broadcasters to fill out the channel line-up as the beta period continues.

Boing
Boing is a new channel created especially for kids under 7. We went direct to content distributors to gain rights to shows to make this a hugely attractive channel for parents to subscribe to for their kids. There are over 230 episodes of content available on this channel, with shows spanning classics like Babar the elephant to Ned’s Newt. This channel is available under subscription.

Far Out
With Far Out, we are bringing you an eclectic mix of classic TV favorites as well as few selected series such as Bob and Margaret. Far Out will feature lots of great oldies including The Bill Cosby Show, I Spy and The Invisible Man. For most of the shows on this channel we have gathered together all the episodes ever created. Far Out is available under subscription.

Geneon
For Japanese anime fans, we are bringing you a channel from anime powerhouse Geneon, the company responsible for bringing Pokemon and Dragonball Z into American homes. Shows from this channel will be available on a pay-per-download and rental basis. On this channel, we have cult shows like Gun Sword and Lupin the 3rd.

Showtime
We are also very pleased to bring you Showtime, a channel which has rightly been gaining plaudits recently for its high-quality programming. The shows we have on our Showtime channel at this time are Dexter, The L Word and Brotherhood, with much more to come. Showtime content is NOT available under subscription at this time. It is one of the minority of channels that will make its content available on a pay-per-download basis.

Ultra Z
Ultra Z is a new channel which brings edgier TV content to older kids. The show has over 250 episodes of content with action-packed shows including Medabots and Di-Gata Defenders. Ultra Z is available under subscription. Zone 11 Zone 11 is a new kids channel catering roughly to kids between 6 and 14. The channel has over 250 episodes of TV content with some great shows including Moville Mysteries and 6teen. Zone 11 is available under subscription.

SyncTV is Here!

November 19, 2007

Thanks for joining us for the beta launch of SyncTV. We’re very proud to introduce you to a new way of watching TV. With SyncTV, we believe we have created an ecosystem which will give you the kind of TV viewing experience that many of you have been looking for since the internet became part of all of our lives.

It has been a long journey to get to this point. In the background, we have been working on this project for two whole years, making sure that we get this service as right as we can before we launch. I really hope that you will agree that we are on the right lines.

With the launch of SyncTV, here is a combination of features that you will not see anywhere else:

  • Flexible playback. Right from the start of the beta, SyncTV will work on Windows PCs, Macs and Linux PCs. Later on, as compatible devices come to market you will see portable players and even TVs supporting the service.
  • Unlimited downloads of TV shows. For a low monthly subscription, you can now download whole seasons of TV shows and watch them whenever you want.
  • Open-standards. With open-standards, we will be able to develop an ecosystem that will grow and become stronger over time.
  • High-quality playback. The quality of all our TV shows will be as good or better than the same shows on DVD. Where we can, we will provide you with HD programming. Plus, we will also have programming available in discreet 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus.

We think this is a strong starting point and it’s only going to get bigger and better from here, with more big-name channels and networks joining the service before too long, plus more supported devices as time goes by. For this beta phase, we want as much feedback from you as you can provide. Tell us what you want and need and we will do our very best to provide it for you. We’re listening.

Thanks

John Gildred, President of SyncTV