Mobile TV and Video Viewership Around the World

I have to say that I'm quite surprised with my Google Android phone that I don't watch as much television on it as I had imagined I would. I'm not the kind to view full blown movies or videos, such as television episodes, but the biggest obstacle has been watching online videos on such a tiny screen. However, I was concerned to see media releases from about a new study that finds German, UK, French and US smartphone users more likely to use their smartphones to view video and watch free tv online. Approximately 25% of UK smartphone users and one third of US phone users watched streaming video on their mobile devices.

64% of iPhone Users Watch Video Content

What really drew my attention was that 64% of Apple iPhone users claimed to have used their phones to watch direct video content, compared to 32% of other smartphone users. What's the big difference between the iPhone and other smartphones that would make iPhone users twice as likely to watch online tv and video on their devices?

And then it came to me - the screen size is definitely larger on the iPhone, could it be that screen size has a direct correlation with the amount and liklihood of users wanting to watch video on mobile platforms?

We'll have to wait for the research, but it looks a the source of a hypothesis or some computer science dissertation in the foreseeable future.

Direct Television and Satellite TV Scams

ATTENTION: Read this before signing up for any satellite or internet television software.

If you're like TV watchers, you're probably disgusted with paying extortionate cable tv or satellite bills! There's been a lot of promises about reducing the costs through online services like Hulu, Fancast and NetFlix - but at the end of the day, they just don't cut it. You want to be able to flip your computer on and get the news or tv shows streamed live right to you. Streaming video from sites like YouTube and Crackle just can't compare to the experience of watching live streaming news and TV channels in real-time.

Direct Satellite Scams

Fortunately, the internet is changing things and if you haven't already, you can changes things for yourself by watching TV online directly through your computer. Most direct satellite TV services are scams and snake-oil salesman will try to promise you thousands of TV channels instantly at your disposal for a one-time nominal charge.

The truth is that most television for PC services are absolutely dreadful. They have low video quality, non working video streams, rotten customer service & finite access to the stations you really want to see (most cases it's just a link to the station's video section - seriously)! Satellite for PC providers just aren’t deserving of making the switch when you factor in that they're scams and are just attempts to sell you services that are alreay free.

TV on PC False Claims

Be careful about claims of "unlimited access to over 3,500 channels- including premium movie channels" - these are just scams and weasel words and you'll find that most of the channels are "fluff" small video playlists that never get updated or links to services that are being offered for free.

While the price tag of $50 or so dollars might seem small, but many of these services also are engaged in sneaky subscription services. These TV subscription services bind their customers to a hidden cost that is charged month over month for the services. Unsubscribing usually takes much effort and time and the charges can usually rank over $30 a month for a service that neither works nor gets used by you. Becareful and try out free services from Hulu or YouTube or watch tv online through free tv services that offer similar, if not better, streaming video and television services at no extra cost.

IPad Makes Television Portable

Well I'm ashamed to say it, but I already possessed a laptop computer, digital camera, mp3 player, cell phone and an ereading device before I purchased an Apple iPad 2 last week. Did I really need it? Probably not - since I already had everything I needed to get my regular tasks done? The iPad2 really just put everything into one place, er... one device.

However, it became obvious that may not have been the right questions to be asking! If you ignore all the apps created for the iPad, and that's a lot of to ignore, much of what I do with the tablet device could easily be done on other devices. But, the strongest difference now is that you can do everything portably and enjoy doing it as you do it.

Great example: watching tv online

I can watch live TV on both my computer and phone, and I frequently do! Unabridged TV shows and movies? Not so much. The phone's screen is too tiny to make this comfortable to watch. It just does not feel like a device to kick back and relax with. It's the exact reason why I rarely use the internet in my living room - it just feels a bit too large and awkward.

Media Room: Enter the Ipad

Well with the iPad, I've been portably using it everywhere from room to room in a way that toting your computer or television just would never be possible. In my absence last month, I found my self surprised when I turned to my iPad to catch up on my favourite television shows (asides, some of which I had no clue had started again in the summer). My iPad turned out to a nice replacement acting as a portable TV set (as long as I had a net connection - tethering to my smartphone is expensive). Sure it won't compare to my 52' Plasma HDTV set, but it's big enough that I'm not frustrated trying to make out the characters and details on the screen.

Where I was really amazed was the Internet TV or TV over IP (IPTV) that I tested through a neat little known service called Free Tube. The set up worked seamlessly and I was impressed by how fluid my experience was watching television seamlessly through the iPad. It let me watch anything portably that I could view as if I were at home sitting on my couch.

While I won't travel with a laptop pc or tablet or ereader a great deal, but I don't mind having used the perfect tools for the job, depending on the type of travel I'm on. So excuse me while I finish this article, one eye on the laptop and the other watching the latest exploits of Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood)...