Roku Premiere and video on demand
Some history and thoughts on the streaming/content eco-system as I get Apple TV+ and Disney+ in full 4K glory! And a mini-review of sorts of the Roku Premiere.
Building infrastructure
It feels like we are entering a new phase of the on-demand television journey. There are two aspects that are required for digital delivery - processing power and network capacity. I remember upgrading my old 486 PC in 1996 to a Cyrix 5x86 - and for the first time had something that could decode and play MPEG movies with respectable quality. Of course dial up internet at that time was painfully slow! So everything had to be delivered physically.
Not long after WebTV appeared, but even with Microsoft buying it and re-branding as MSN TV it never really took off. It aimed to bring the web to your couch, but not much beyond that to scare TV companies.
Fast forward a decade or so, and fast broadband is more common. But the services are limited. You can watch pretty much all the new shows on Sky/Virgin and terrestrial broadcast TV. With 4G phones being introduced mobile services like Sky Sports were given away with contracts to promote the data allowance. However, this was strictly limited to viewing on the phone. You couldn't even display onto a TV from your phone. So we're starting to get the infrastructure needed but mostly the business models are around signing up for a TV service.
The streaming age
Of course Netflix was around and Sky Now launched. Which hinted at the changes to come. I think what really ushered in a new era was Netflix pumping money into creation of its own original content. Then Amazon Prime following suit. After that the content providers started their own streaming services in earnest.
For me two that stand out are Disney+, which has some interesting content marketing lessons, and Apple TV+, which has a streaming strategy involving big name shows.
Disney has done a great job of diversifying the portfolio of franchises that it now has, from Star Wars to Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you want to do a complete marathon of the films there is pretty much only one place to go. They have also taken a "DVD bonus" approach to content, with behind the scenes shows and documentaries. The experience is like the difference between a jumble sale at Netflix and a high end store at Disney+. I think that this will do well.
Still a bit too early to see how Apple TV+ will fare in comparison. Although it is multi-device, it is still fairly restricted to Apple hardware users. I suspect for two reasons a) the Apple TV+ app is there by default and b) you get a generous free trial by virtue of purchasing that hardware. For the content, I'm interested in the Bill Murray and Tom Hanks films plus TV series like the comedy Ted Lasso. I didn't expect Ted Lasso to work as well as it did!
Roku Premiere
Now back to the Roku Premiere, I think one of the major benefits harks right back to its beginning. It is content provider agnostic ... so it can support anything! The search function lists all the channels you have on the box and the cost of watching for each option. With so much overlap between the different streaming apps, that's great.
It's the first device I've had that supports AirPlay, and it looks and feels like an Apple TV device while doing so. For £100 less than an Apple TV that is a bargain. The setup was also remarkably easy. Thanks to HDMI 2.2 it could tell the resolution and HDR support provided by the TV, all I had to do was confirm it looked OK then enter the wifi password. One thing that was a bit annoying was having to delete the account the first time, as the Roku site misidentified me as being in the US. So, I had to start again to be able to get iPlayer and UK localised content.
It is also a lot smaller than the earlier square Roku boxes, so could sit on top of an flat-screen TV with the adhesive strip provided in the package. The only downside is all the different ways of getting to these services and what to have plugged in! For example, with Netflix I could access via Sky Q STB, Smart TV app, Roku Premiere, FireTV stick, or even laptop streaming to Chromecast.
A neat feature is "guest mode", which can be turned on via the Roku web portal. In their own words:
Have guests? Guest mode lets your visitors log in and enjoy their own subscription channels on your Roku device. You can select the date of departure and they'll be automatically signed out on that date.
As a "common use" device, rather than a more personal one like a smartphone, this is handy. Logging each app in/out so you get your saved lists, progress in boxed sets etc etc would be a pain. The space where WebTV failed in bringing the internet to the couch has mostly been taken up by smartphones. The rest of what you'd need a PC for to consume audiovisual media is packaged up in the Roku (and devices like it).
With the free channels now included I think I could survive without Sky for the first time in years. Most of the content I watch could be consumed via an app - Roadkill on iPlayer, Ozarks on Netflix, Mandolorian on Disney+, Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ and the list goes on!
The future
Sky and Virgin still have a bit of a "moat" in terms of also supplying internet services. But how long would that last? Also, is the recording box provided by each much of a draw? Most broadcast channels now have a catch-up service and it's almost easier to use that then manage recording. The boxes are large and ugly compared to the streaming options, with slow and expensive update cycles. What benefits can they provide consumers going forward to keep them engaged?
Both companies are well known for having very "rigid" customer service approaches, and they use service contracts to tie you in. There are also long delays in getting setup when you move. Since I have 90GB of data on my phone contract, enough for a few shows a day, I could get by.
Looking to the future of content, the push for 8K TVs from manufacturers is just starting. I’ve only seen a couple of shows in 4K on my TV from Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV+, a bit more 1080p but most of my Sky is still yucky SD ... the future might be here, but it really isn’t evenly distributed yet!
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