Google Can Connect No Matter the Device

Many of us think of Google as a quick and easy way to find information about anything.  Since it was first launched in spring of 1996, since that time the iconic on line search company has expanded into most every facet of our daily lives.  There are now Google controlled cars, Google Glass, Google foreign language translation, Google email, even a Google image library.  Seems like every day Google is announcing some new service or product.  One of the most recent is called Google Hangouts.

Hangouts is a free service that joins the ranks of other video calling applications like Skype, FaceTime and ooVoo.  While it offers more that just video calling and can allow you to create a virtual TV station, I will concentrate on the former in this column.

To get started you must have a Google account.  This is free and many already may have a gMail account or use Google Calendar or another Google app.  If you don’t have an account, just point your browser to www.google.com and click on “Sign In” in the top right of the screen; it will guide you through the process.  You will also want to download the Google Chrome browser if you don’t already have it on your computer. 

Of course, you need a device connected to the internet either using home wifi or mobile 4G.  As discussed above, most any computer, tablet or phone with a camera will work. There is no cost for the service other than the cost of your internet connection. 

Once you load Hangouts you can communicate via audio and video with anyone else using the Hangouts app.  It is great for families since it allows up to ten devices to simultaneously join in the call.  Once connected, the person speaking is seen by all.  Embedded in the software is the ability to share pictures, documents, even YouTube videos in real time with everyone on the call.

One of the great features of Hangouts is that it is “device neutral.”  This means that, unlike many similar services that run only on one specific device or operating system, Hangouts is at home on a PC or Mac, on an iPhone or Android, on an iPad or Windows tablet. This makes it ideal for families and companies that want/need to communicate with people who do not all have the same device or operating platform.

There are several other features that space does not allow me to cover here.  It is a powerful easy-to-use service that is worth a look.  While ease of use and the quality of the video is not as good as Apple’s FaceTime, the fact that you can communicate with most anyone without requiring them to have an iPhone, Mac or iPad more than compensates.

 

Still Another Way To Watch TV

This week marks the debut of Aereo in Cincinnati.  Aereo is a new service that delivers local over-the-air TV channels via your Internet connection to a variety of digital devices and enables you to record, pause and fast forward the programs.  In essence, it is a personal antenna and DVR in the cloud.  Over the past week I have been testing Aereo and I have to say that I find it a simple and elegant service that should attract a significant subscription base.

When you sign up for Aereo you have access to all the local TV channels in Cincinnati.  By my count there are 24 TV channels now available to Cincinnatiarea viewers.  They include the main channels like WCET, WCPO, WLW as well as all the multicast channels now available with digital broadcasting.

To watch any program you go to the Aereo.com web site and, using the program guide, chose the program you want to watch or record.  You can watch live or choose to record a program selected from the on-screen guide up to two weeks in advance.

You can watch on your computer, tablet, smart phone and several other devices. Aereo allows up to five different devices to be used with a single account. The picture and sound quality are very good and there is a closed captioning setting.  By using Rokuor Apple TV, watching these channels on your large HDTVis easy.

Aereo has been rolled out in several other markets and has met with a flurry of legal battles from the networks and cable services.  The issue will be heard by the Supreme Court soon.  In the meantime Aereo has been able to win all of the lower court challenges.

Basic Aereo service costs $8.00 per month.  There is a $12.00 per month package that allows for recording more than one show at a time.  There is no long term commitment so you can cancel at any time.

Aereo is not for everybody since all of the TV stations offered can be received by most people using a TV and antenna.  For those who don’t want to pay high cable rates and have over-the-air reception problems, Aereo is perfect.  Also the service does provide an easy-to-use app on smart phones and tablets so you can really watch anywhere and anytime.  The cloud-based point and click DVR function is easy to use and ideal for people who may be somewhat digitally challenged operating a standard DVR

One of the ways Aereo gets around some of the regulations regarding program and network exclusivity is to restrict the use of Aereo to the specific local market area.  So if you take your Aereo enabled tablet or Smartphone with you when you go on vacation, you will not be able to watch the Cincinnati stations once you leave the five county Cincinnati Market.

Aereo is not for everyone but does provide an affordable and innovative option for watching TV.

Local TV Stations’ Spot Confusing

A number of weeks ago I wrote about mobile TV services being offered by a few local TV stations.  To reiterate the basics for those who may have missed the article, the stations broadcast a parallel signal that can be received by special receivers allowing you to watch TV programming using a smart phone or tablet in your car or in other mobile environments.  The standard digital TV signals used by your standard HDTVcan’t be received well in a moving vehicle.  Some of the local commercial stations have been running spots promoting the service and a device called DYLE.  These spots have resulted in some confusion and questions.  After watching the spots I can see why.

The spots show people going about their daily commute on a bus or train holding a tablet or smart phone and enjoying the morning TV news.  What the spots do not show or mention is that the phone or tablet is not receiving these signal directly.  Rather, there is a second device about the size of a pack of cigarettes that is required.  That device, a mini DTV receiver, has a small whip antenna.  It is this device, the DYLE mobile DTV receiver, which actually captures the broadcasts and via Bluetooth or other wireless connection sends the TV programs to your smart phone or tablet for viewing.  So in order for this all to work you have to have both devices.

The special mobile DTV signals, while more robust than the standard DTV broadcasts, are prone to interference so the DYLE receiver, be it in a car, bus or train, must have the antenna near a window or better yet outside of the window to adequately capture the signals.  The TV spot never shows this; rather it conveys the idea that you can watch the TV channels just like you might a YouTube video or other TV program from the internet.   The DYLE website notes, “…you can even carry it in your pocket or your bag.”  You sure can carry it there but it is very unlikely that it will actually work there.

Mobile TV has been around for a while.  In fact, I served on the technical committee a number of years ago charged with establishing the national Mobile DTV Technical Standards so I know a bit more about this technology than the “average bear.”  My opinion is that this technology at best will be slow to take off because it is complicated and clunky to use and soon will be replaced by services using expanded 4G networks.  These 4G, and soon 5G networks, will allow for a much simpler user interface similar to the one described in the above mentioned TV spots.

I am bothered when I see technical products or services described so poorly or inaccurately.  It raises the consumer’s expectations, creates frustration and results in the purchase of stuff that just doesn’t work well.  Many new products do work as promised and give the consumer exceptional results.  I fear DYLE is not one of them.