COMPLIMENTARY ADVISORY REPORT

Emerging Software Makes
PC-to-TV Viewing of Internet
Video a Little Easier

| June 9, 2009 | Digital Home - U.S. | Advisory Report

| Analyst: Bruce McGregor, Senior Analyst, Digital Home Services

Watching online video has blasted off in consumer popularity, but the best method to watch Internet video on a television is still on the launching pad. The household’s PC remains arguably the most robust device to access digital content on a living room TV due to its fast processing power and compatibility with multiple types of media formats ranging from streaming Flash video to iTunes movie downloads. This report will discuss new software that makes this PC-to-TV experience more enjoyable.

Disappointingly, neither Microsoft nor Apple has yet seduced the market with their devices and software related to bridging the gap of watching PC-based content on a TV, such as Windows Media Center and Apple TV. Some of the blame is attributed to the complexity of managing a PC as a makeshift set-top box (STB). No household wants first to worry if their anti-virus software or Microsoft Windows Update is current before watching TV content.

Despite the PC’s shortcomings, the budding selection of Internet-to-TV devices has not taken the digital market by storm. Devices such as the Roku Video Player are only offering a small portion of online video content compared to what is accessible through a PC. New hope for the PC-to-TV entertainment hub solution is beginning to take shape. Unique software applications that act as video media portals are becoming available for quick access to a large array of online video content with a few clicks of a PC-connected TV remote control (e.g., the Windows Media Center Remote Control).

The new applications analyzed in this report are in demand because TV remote surfing through a Web browser is a nightmare compared to a cable operator’s channel guide. YouTube XL, Boxee, Hulu Desktop, and Zinc are media software attempting to offer consumers the best of both worlds. These have been created to offer a large swath of popular Internet video and at the same time address the navigation headaches of using a PC to find and play online video content.

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