There are a lot of TV options out there, and consumers are increasingly having to jump from Web site to Web site to find their favorite shows, movies and sports that they frequently watch – all with a different experience each time. For some, this may mean remembering multiple URLs, opening multiple browser tabs, browser windows and even separate programs to get what they want. That’s why our goal is to make Windows Media Center the best place to experience TV on the PC, and one of the ways we’re doing this is to alleviate the need for getting your content from different places while offering a consistent experience.

Today we’re happy to let you know that Netflix is now available in Windows Media Center, offering TV and movie lovers more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly on a PC with Windows. If you’re a Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate user and a Netflix subscriber, you can get started right away. Click on the green button, click on the Netflix tile under TV+Movies and begin streaming movies and TV shows instantly.

For a complete run down of the features and details, check out our nifty animated video below that gives you a complete overview of Netflix in Windows Media Center:

Netflix is the second recent content milestone in Windows Media Center, with the first being the Sports Channel, which offers a variety of interactive sports content from CBSSports.com, FOX Sports, MSNBC.com and more. Additionally, you may be aware that last fall, we announced the MSNBC News portal, which gives you the latest news, top stories, local weather and more. All of these offerings in Windows Media Center are aimed to bring your content into one place, and as we’ve showcased in previous posts, watching TV on the PC is becoming a preferred way to watch content. Take for example, a recent Forrester study which found that:

Cable and satellite providers reach roughly 100 million homes in the U.S., computer-based television viewing is growing, driven largely by adults ages 18 to 34 who like to watch content when and where they choose.

To further prove this point, we interviewed random Seattle locals to find out a) how they prefer to access their content, whether it’s through specific sites or via a one-stop shop location. Out of the dozens we approached, we hardly ran into anyone that didn’t watch TV on the PC, and as you might expect, the ones that wanted to share their thoughts had mixed answers. There might not be a universal preference for receiving content, because as the video demonstrates, people have preferences and a passion for how they watch TV on the PC. You can check out the video here:

If you’re interested in additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

As we’ve noted in the past,  several people are choosing to head straight to the PC for their TV content.  By now, you’re understanding the hype.

StreamingMedia also reported on this topic and chose to highlight two different people who are now relying solely on online video for their news and entertainment.  We thought their stories, albeit different, were compelling and extremely relate-able.  Here is what they had to say:

Kimberly, is a young medical student, which due to her busy schedule, was not able to frequently catch her favorite shows on TV. Here she further notes why she prefers TV on the PC:

She simply finds that online TV fits her life better. She can see the few programs she enjoys whenever she wants. While she’s considered getting a Netflix account, enough of her friends have one that it satisfies her need for occasional movies. Several of her friends have also made the switch to solely streaming video, and she thinks that young people are more willing to give up regular TV.

The second person interviewed is Luis, a family man looking for a cheap way to watch TV on his terms, turned to watching TV on the PC.  Once his family chose to go online-video only, he noted that the added effort to find streamed content encouraged his kids to watch less television and be more active, where as before they could just sit on the couch, turn on the TV and be tuned out. Here is what Luis had to say about his experiences watching TV on the PC:

“I don’t really plan on going back (to be a TV subscriber). If we did, it wouldn’t be for me; it would probably come from either my kids or my wife, but they seem fine, too…”

To further elaborate on the growing trend of watching TV on the PC, The Bulletin, a local Oregonian paper, noted a good stat:

• Forrester Research released a report in January noting that while cable and satellite providers reach roughly 100 million homes in the U.S., computer-based television viewing is growing, driven largely by adults ages 18 to 34 who like to watch content when and where they choose.

What do you think? Now that we’ve shared the story of Kimberly and Luis, now let’s hear your story. Are you watching more TV on the PC? Busy schedule, finances?

Photo courtesy of The Bulletin

We found this great video from BusinessWeek that interviewed locals in New York to see what they considered “The Future of Television.”

Interestingly, their answers similarly mirrored that of our TV on your PC “Man on the Street” video that we compiled a few weeks ago.

Everyone from the media to TV junkies are sitting back and watching the evolution of television unfold. Despite the recession, we’re finding that people are no longer just settling for traditional cable as they are choosing to upgrade to more premium services (on-demand, DVR, etc.) People want quality entertainment and most importantly, they want it at their leisure.

With our busy schedules, many viewers don’t have time to watch things at the programmed hour, so with the help of bonus features, watching our favorite shows and series will never be an issue. We’ve seen commentary from people noting that since they’ve made content and entertainment on their terms, they’ve found more time to spend with their families and focus on other things outside of the television.

On the flip side, for some who have chosen to stray away from traditional cable, they have also decided to eliminate the TV altogether and focus all their attention to the computer. People are now choosing to watch their TV on the PC by means of online video sites. What better way to multi-task then to check email, blog and correspond while watching your favorite shows?

To better prove this point, we’ll reference one of our TV on your PC sports club members who noted that…

“Over the last two years the DVR has saved my butt plenty of times, especially when my kids or wife are in the room. There really is nothing like being able to go back and watch what you’ve missed.”

As we see all these new offerings and services becoming available, the evolution of television will never be the same.

Check it out, let us know your thoughts. Do you agree with these predictions? What do you consider to be the future of TV?">

By now you’ve probably heard us talk about Windows 7 here and there. You may already be aware that Windows 7 is Microsoft’s next major operating system and the predecessor to Windows Vista. If you weren’t, no need to fret. You can check out the official Windows 7 Web site for a rundown of what it is and what it offers.  Once you do that, be sure to follow them on Twitter for regular updates on Windows 7 @MSWindows.

Back in January, we announced some of the features you could expect in Windows Media Center in Windows 7, such as the new Electronic Program Guide (EPG), which gives you all of your internet TV in one place. To give those of you who haven’t been following these developments an update, and even for those of you that have, below is a quick refresher of what to look forward to in Windows Media Center in Windows 7, as the TV on your PC experience will only get better. These enhancements include the following features:

• The new Electronic Program Guide (EPG), which gives you internet and broadcast TV in one place. The TV guide automatically fills with Internet TV content when you have a broadband connection and is organized into internet channels for simplified discovery. What this means it that you can instantly find the most popular channels on the start menu or desktop gadget.

• Choices in how you interact with your PC: Windows Media Center in Windows 7 also delivers choice in how you interact with your PC. Running Windows Media Center in Windows 7 on an HP TouchSmart touch screen PC gives you more ways to interact with your content through features such as Turbo Scroll, where you can navigate TV content with the touch of your finger.

• The ability to access Windows 7 content almost anywhere with PlayTo: PlayTo allows you to use any Windows 7 PC as a remote control to send pictures, music, and videos to another device such as the Xbox 360 in Media Center Extender Mode,  other Extender, or other device such as the Roku player. For example, a friend brings over a small notebook PC running Windows 7 with vacation photos from vacation, and once they are given access to your wireless network they can right click on their photo album in Windows Explorer and select PlayTo your Xbox 360, the 8” screen instantly becomes the 50” HDTV in your living room.

Be sure to check back with us here forregular updates and details on all things Windows Media Center, including Windows 7 developments, as we’ll be breaking news and announcements down the road.

It’s no secret that online video is under the industry microscope more than ever, as consumers are exploring new ways to find TV content online and companies are searching for ideal business models in a rapidly changing TV landscape. Some key findings and analysis this week from Nielsen, and an article from the Silicon Alley Insider, raised some interesting points regarding consumer behaviors toward online video. Specifically,  Nielsen’s measurement of the “most addictive Web video sites” showed Netflix taking the lead when it came to time spent per viewer, with a noteworthy 200+ minutes of viewership in February, while Hulu held the sixth spot (about 175 minutes per user). YouTube landed further down the list (less than 100 minutes per month) given its focus on shorter form content (though that may change down the road with their recent content deal).

So what does this mean? According to the study, there is a clear shift taking place in 2009 as people have become more willing to spend a longer amount of time watching shows and movies on emerging Web platforms versus the traditional big screen TV without completely stealing audience share from the traditional medium. After all, don’t you have certain times when the PC is preferable and others when you just can’t beat lounging on the couch in front of the big screen?

With a surge of online startups all vying for consumer attention, and more importantly dollars, you (yes you!) have never been in a better position to vocalize your preferences for viewing premium content on the PC. Sure, the battle for domination in TV delivery will continue to play out for some time but isn’t it nice knowing that, by the nature of competition, these sites will evolve to meet demand?

What’s also interesting is that a survey released by Accenture during the NAB Show this week illustrated similar growth in TV usage across all screens, with the number of people interested in watching TV on a computer growing from 61% in the company’s initial survey last year to 74% this time around. At the same time, respondents were more compelled to pay for subscription-based services rather than pay-per-play, proving that access to unlimited programming is more desirable than a-la-carte content.

All in all, this left us wondering:

•    What makes you more inclined to post up in front of the PC versus sitting back and turning on the TV?
•    Which sites do you use most often to watch TV shows and movies?
•    How do you measure the cost of a TV/video service against its quality and convenience?

As always, we’re interested in hearing your questions and comments.

What’s the solution to generating more local media coverage of your favorite sports team if your hometown paper won’t? If you’re Travis Hair, then it’s starting a dedicated sports blog.

Naturally, Travis’s love for his favorite team, the Phoenix Coyotes, is extended on FiveForHowling.com. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but like anyone else, he does have his opinions on certain topics, such as the trend of watching TV on your PC. Check out our Q&A with Travis below:

How come you chose to write about the Phoenix Coyotes?
Well, I’ve grown up here in Phoenix. Before the Coyotes moved here I was a fan of the Phoenix Roadrunners a minor league team here in town. Back in the day it was in the IHL but it’s still here, just in a different form. The Coyotes came here in 1996 I was instantly a fan, even if they had a funky looking logo. It’s been great for hockey in general as now local high schools have hockey teams, there are a lot more rinks around town and people see it as a sport. I started writing about them just last year because there just wasn’t any coverage of my team. The local paper would report on games here in town, but just little stories. Then when they were on the road the paper would just syndicate AP stories instead of sending a reporter with the team. I just wanted to get more information out there.

What story has been the big hit on your blog? What do your readers love talking about?
The biggest stories on my blog have been some recent stories about the trade deadline as the Coyotes were very active with trading players. Also I’ve had stories picked up by larger blogs on Yahoo when I write things about some of the news reports coming out of Canada. They generally aren’t very positive so I try and debunk them as best I can. Those make for big news just from the exposure. The most active times are probably on the away game days since the locals aren’t at the game they look for somewhere else to talk about the game.

Is humor an important element of your blog?
Sports are just something that I do in my free time for fun. I find blogging to be an extension of that. If I wanted to be a regular sports reporter or take myself really seriously I just wouldn’t enjoy it as much. I like to laugh and to know I’ve made other people laugh too. Integrating that with my love of hockey makes the whole experience enjoyable for me as well as my readers. I try to include as much information as I can but I present it in a way that makes it fun to read and different from other sources of reporting. If I made it serious I couldn’t use LOLcats or Photoshop silly images. Why would I deprive hockey readers of such things? It’s also a coping mechanism as my team has been falling apart as of late.

Can you tell us what you think about the whole idea of watching TV on your PC for hockey fans?
I think that for a lot of people it could be a really convenient option. The NHL offers a lot of options to watch the games though too. In comparison to a lot of the other leagues, they’ve probably embraced online technologies in a bigger way than any of them. Much like you can buy Center Ice through your cable service, you can access the same thing but through an online service called Gamecenter. They also post highlights of all the goals, big saves and big hits to the nhl.com website following the games for free. Any integration of that into Windows Media Center would be fantastic as it would make navigating through content a lot easier. I think that for anyone with a tuner card, sports viewing becomes better because then you can record the games on your PC even if you don’t have a DVR.

Emerging Internet TV and online video sites, such as the latest venture from YouTube, continue to shake up the TV industry and underscore the increasing demand for the flexibility to enjoy content on various screens including the PC: a theme that has taken over this year’s NAB Show 2009. At the annual event, which kicked off today, major players in media, entertainment and communications have come together to explore innovative means for “delivering next generation of content across multiple platforms – from televisions, radios and computers to phones, the big screen and beyond.”

We’re on-site at the show this week to showcase our own strides in user adoption by revealing that more than 13 million people are consistently using Windows Media Center in a given month. This is a number that has grown steadily over the past year following multiple content additions we’ve discussed here on the blog, including the NBC Olympics on the Go service, MSNBC News portal and most recently the Sports Channel. If you haven’t had a chance to check these content features out and you’re a Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate user, we encourage you click the green button in the Start menu.

As further testament of mounting interest in TV on the PC, a 2008 survey sponsored by Microsoft and conducted by Nielsen, along with CBS Vision, reported that 73 percent of respondents were interested in watching TV on their computer. Are you one of them?

To keep up with all of the news and trends that are shaping the future of TV/video distribution, feel free to check out www.nabshow.com for more information. And don’t forget to leave a comment to let us know what you think.

Nielsen Online’s latest report found that the average person in the U.S. watched more than three hours (191 minutes) of online video in March. This equates to a 13 percent increase over similar data from February.

 The stats indicate one thing: online video is growing in preference.

Hypothetically, if we continue to grow at this rate, by the end of the year people may be watching up to eight hours of online video a month – which equates to around 15 minutes a day!

CNET News also covered the findings, further noting that video streams totaled 9.7 billion in March, a 9 percent increase from February and a 38.8 percent increase from the same period last year.  Still dominating in the online video market is Google’s YouTube, followed by Hulu and Yahoo!

Below are some charts to help provide more of a visual:

Stemming from last week’s cable show, we saw a ton of coverage around cable and satellite providers looking to keep their momentum and prevent being undermined by Internet TV sites. As we all know, more and more people are going on the web to watch their favorite shows, which means traditional TV is becoming less of an option and cancel the cable and satellite subscriptions is becoming increasingly popular.

One of the discussions that derived from The Cable Show is the idea of a “pay-TV subscription,” where cable providers would give users access to shows online through a site only available to cable subscribers.

An example of this idea is the new “HBO Go,” spearheaded by Time Warner, which would provide online viewing of top HBO shows to subscribers that already pay for the premium channel. The  service would aim to give subscribers with as many options to their network shows, as long as they are in reach of an internet connection. As we’ve seen from a business standpoint, this method is a safe-guarding tactic for cable networks as The Los Angeles Times notes that…

The Time Warner approach is designed to preserve the program exclusivity for which cable operators pay cable networks. The fees by some estimates account for half a cable network’s revenue — and in the case of HBO, which does not carry advertising, all of it. The cable industry fears that it will lose subscribers if its shows pop up for free on the Internet.

What is interesting, is that although many believe online video will only continue to strengthen and become more prevalent, an analyst from Leichtman Research Group Inc., negated that:

People aren’t abandoning their cable to watch online.. This cord-cutter stuff is anecdotal. There is no trend in it happening, nor is there any evidence in our data that it will happen.”

It will be interesting to see what comes about. It’s apparent that the huge shift in online video and Internet TV is causing enough commotion that cable service providers are looking into new ways to distribute shows and convince subscribers to stay loyal to their cable and satellite subscriptions. Yet others believe that the traditional TV is so embedded into our every-day lives, that there is no way it’ll be abandoned.

If you look at out recent “Man on the Street” video, you’ll notice a common theme: people prefer online content as they can watch their shows when and when they want it. Convenience and simplicity is key and as more sites begin to stream full-length shows online for free, we may see people drop their remote, cancel their subscription and utilize the computer for content and entertainment purposes all the way.

For more information on these topics, check out this BusinessWeek article.

For Twitter talk on The Cable Show, check out Twitter Search via #NCTA or to see what’s being said throughout the blogosphere, visit Media News Now and Michelle Walls Web log

We recently ventured outside of our cubicles (but couldn’t help filming inside the office too) to ask random passers-by how they watch TV. Is it on the PC? On the TV? What are the reasons behind their preference? See the resulting video montage below.

Not surprisingly, the answers varied greatly among each interviewee but there was a common point that recurred throughout: watching TV on your PC allows you to watch what you want, when you want it. Conversely, the point was made that watching longer length content such as movies (aka a sit-back experience) is more desirable on the TV. This is also something we pointed out not too long ago on our blog.

Do you have a preference for viewing your TV content? What are your reasons? The net is that there isn’t a right answer or justification, and that this discussion is going to get exponentially bigger as we continue to realize the continued convergence of the PC and the traditional TV down the road.