sarahintampa

SyncTV is a new download service that will make various TV programs available to download on a subscription basis. The video formats used are touted to be of “DVD quality”, and in high-definition, where available. Additionally, the sound quality will be 5.1 Dolby® Digital Plus surround sound. SyncTV’s program library will be organized by channels, and when you subscribe to a particular channel, like that belonging to your favorite TV show, you can download all the episodes of that show for a small monthly fee. Where this type of service differs from iTunes’ “Season Pass” is the fact that, in many cases, these channels will not be just the current season, but every episode of every season of that show. Back catalog! Although a small minority of the video content will be set up on a pay-per-download basis, the majority will be based on this subscription model. Instead of paying $1.99 per show, like at iTunes, an entire SyncTV channel will be available for $2-4 per month.

As SyncTV prepares to launch their private beta, they already have one high-profile partner lined up: Showtime. The network will initially be offering “Dexter,” “The L Word,” and “Brotherhood” (ummm…where’s “Weeds?”), with more to come in the future. Other channels include “Boing,” a children’s programming channel; “Far Out,” a classic programming channel offering shows like “The Bill Cosby Show,” “I Spy,” and “The Invisible Man”; “Geneon,” Japanese anime; “Ultra Z”, a “tween” channel with original content; and “Zone11,” a channel for kids between 6 and 14. It’s odd to see so much children’s television on a player whose featured item is a serial killer drama! However, SyncTV promises there is more to come as they plan on “creating one of the deepest libraries of TV shows available anywhere.” The SyncTV service will work on Windows PCs, Macs, and Linux PCs, but what’s intriguing is that they plan to make it available on other devices in the future, including TVs and portable players. You will be able to play back shows on up to five “home” devices (sound familiar?) until compatible portable devices launch; then, SyncTV will allow you to specify an additional ten portable devices for playback. Whose has 10 portable devices? Maybe they plan for a family of 5 to use the service on each family member’s mobile phone and portable music player?

If you want to sign up for the beta, you can do so on their homepage. Beta testers will then need to download the SyncTV media player to their computer in order to view SyncTV shows.

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