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I am currently testing this "service" and plan on writing a review, but if you want a short sonopsys now then I say don't waste your money.
 
I kinda figured that. I check out the info in the Online Service in my Media Center PC and it feels "not ready for prime-time" to me.

I've been using Instant Media for a couple of months now and enjoy it. It's not really mainstream, so it's not a replacement for regular TV, but there are some interesting shows, like mariposaHD, which is the end result of giving 3 young guys HD cameras and letting them run around Buenos Aries. It's in iHD, Internet HD, which is 1280x720. Nice thing is, everything's free right now.

I'm also using TVTonic on the Media Center, which is also free.
 
Akimbo is prime time

I have had the Akimbo player a few months and love it. I would disagree with people saying it's not ready for prime time.

I have the set top box. MCE doesn't get all the channels.

Since getting Akimbo, I have shut off my cable. I have 2 OTA antenna's pointed at Orlando & Tampa, so I get a ton of stations.

Akimbo has a lot of content from mainstream channels, but it is usually a season or two behind the "real" channels. There is also a lot of stuff not available on any cable/satellite system I've seen. I love the different content.

The MLB.com subscription is awesome. I like how they compress games into 10 minutes or less usually.

There are obviously some channels they should add, but I am very happy with it.

If you have any questions about the player or service let me know. I'd love for more people to jump on this revolution.
 
Here is why I dont like it. (And I am using the MCE version)

1) It's $9.99 for the most part you dont get any good free content included with that $9.99 price.

2) Shows like HDNets Bikini Destinations while in HD costs $9.99 per episode to view.

3) When you select a show you want it does not just start playing somtimes it takes a few hours for it to be downloaded before you can view it, with a service like ITVN when you want to watch something it starts playing instantly.

4) Channels like Discovery, TLC ETC show all old episodes of shows, and the shows cost $1.99 an episode to watch.

5) The content which is free for the $9.99 a month subscription can be viewed for free from most of the channels websites, and most of the channels are unknown online video sites.\

6) Yes the MLB Compressed games are cool. You can see an entire game in 10 minutes and never miss a play. :)
 
I have the $199 lifetime fee, so monthly isn't an issue for me.

HD programming is outrageously priced. I agree. This isn't available on the box, but I have looked online. I can't believe anyone would download these.

Downloading shows is nice I think. Especially selecting them from the internet, then when you get home the show is waiting for you. I would think the playback quality would be better if it was downloaded first. But I haven't tried ITVN yet. My internet downloads the shows in about 1/3 the play time. (1 hour show, about 20 minutes to download totally).

All Discovery channels (Animal Planet, Military, Health, etc.) are free for the first 60 days they are available. After that, $1.99. Way too much. I just download them when they come out. Then I don't pay.

All the channels from HGTV, and whatever else they own are supported with commercials.

All CNN, Granada, MavTV & StashDVD magazine is free. And others I can't think of.

A&E, National Geographic, Wild America and others have a lot of free content.

Movielink is coming out with the new Akimbo box shortly. This will be fantastic.

Some of the stuff is available online, like video blogs and stuff. I haven't seen any of the channels I listed above online, with the same content.

Even if it is online, I much rather watch tv on my tv, not my monitor. Of course some day I would like to get a PC hooked to my tv, but for now it hasn't happened.
 
I am not watching mine on my PC, watching it through the XBOX 360. I did order on HDNet program to see how it looked and was happy with the video quality of HD over the XBOX360.

The CNN, MAVTV and StashDVD barely have any content.

The $199 deal may be worth it I guess but not the $9.99 a month version.

Also the adult stuff is EXPENSIVE! And most of it is like 11 min clips. You could go rent 3 adult dvd's for the price of one 11 min clip via Akimbo.

Choosing stuff via the webpage is neat but the site needs some improvement, the descriptions for programs are slim to none which is not good when your paying $1.99 to $9.99 to watch a single show. I want full details so I know exactly what I am getting.
 
I take it there's no content from the major broadcast networks like ABC, NBC, etc., correct? What about premium channels like HBO, Showtime, etc.? There are no live sporting events, right?
 
You are right, there is no content from the major networks. This would definately be a huge addition.

There is also nothing from HBO, Showtime.

The only thing similar would be the Movielink stuff coming out with the new RCA player that was announced a while back.

There are no live sporting events, because the box doesn't stream content. It must be downloaded. The only thing close, is the MLB stuff. It usually downloads overnight, the games from the previous day.
 
OK, that's why I personally can't see it as a replacement for regular TV. If they get enough compelling content, they apparently have enough for you, I could see them as an add-on. If they were able to get the library of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes not already out on DVD, I'd be all over it, but I doubt that will happen.

Now, apparently they have some kind of agreement or partnership with Microsoft and that might clear the way for network offerings. Maybe when Vista is deployed there might be some alterations to Akimbo.
 
Disclaimer: Sorry for the salesman-like jargon below. I joined Akimbo a few months after registering here. It's great to see that the Internet TV services are being covered here...I'll stop back more often now!

Yes, Scott's right. Akimbo is a download-and-view service, not a streaming service. The goal is to avoid the uncertainties of streaming (network buffering, etc.), but at the expense of live programming.

So yes, one bad thing is no live content at this time. Instead, we're presenting ourselves to be a Video on Demand add-on service. Akimbo's not a good fit for you if you want to cancel your cable or satellite service. But it's a great fit if you get bored with the mainstream content, or if your provider doesn't offer VOD.

Of the 13,000 or so titles on Akimbo right now, they cover a very wide range of interests. Everything from anime to extreme sports to the BBC. There's a good deal of international content (UK, China & Turkey especially), LGBT content (here!, Pride TV), and a good selection of adult titles too (Hustler, TEN, Danni's Hard Drive, Falcon).

Beyond the "niche" stuff, we have a lot of mainstream cable/satellite content as well: All of the channels from Discovery (Animal Planet, etc.), Food Network, HGTV, DIY, Fine Living, MavTV, WealthTV, TCM, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, etc. And as mentioned on the thread before, there are daily MLB game recaps as well.

The goal is a little something for everyone, and as we grow, we increase the content in each of those categories.

One nice thing is that you can browse the entire library of content without being a subscriber. You don't even have to log in. Just head over to My Akimbo:
http://my.akimbo.com

Please fire away any questions on the thread and I'll try to answer 'em....

Keep the IPTV / Internet TV coverage rockin on,
-Dan Agostino
 
I canceled my service the other day. I was ordering stuff online yet it was never showing up at home. There was no reason for me to pay for shows yet never was able to see them.

Maybe its a problem with the media Center Setup.

What was strange is if I went to the folder on my PC I could see the files there however they were not showing up in my library.

Dont get me wrong IPTV is cool, but I can't see paying $3 a show (or 9.99 for HD Net shows) when I already get them with my satellite service.
 
I'm sorry to hear that you cancelled, but I'm glad to take the constructive criticism.

I agree that the Media Center Edition experience is not as good as we'd like it to be. I think we all want it to look as smooth as MCE's built-in features, although the "Online Spotlight" plugins for MCE have some interesting challenges.

And content pricing is very challenging. Since Akimbo's only been shipping for 2 years, we're still the new kid on the block in the content land and all of our content providers get leverage over their pricing. All of the pricing is listed at http://my.akimbo.com -- so we try for transparency.

In the present day, our set top box is the most fulfilling way to enjoy the service. Unfortunately, there's money required up front for the box (currently it's $70) whereas our Media Center version is a free download (if you have Media Center already, of course).

The future set top boxes are also very interesting. Most importantly, they are made by other companies, which lets us focus on the content.

The RCA box, which receives both Akimbo and Movielink content and plays them out to your TV, is just around the corner. And the AT&T Homezone box, which builds the Akimbo experience into a DISH Network receiver/PVR/ATSC OTA/Movielink box, is pretty exciting.

So I hope that we can win you back soon.

-Dan
 
My 2 cents about Akimbo:

Currently our household has DirecTV ($44.99 mo.)with Tivo ($5.99 mo) service and we find ourselves mostly watching pre-recorded programming off the Tivo rather than live TV. So, we are paying $50.98 a month plus an extra $5 per receiver for what Akimbo is currently offering for only $9.95 a month or even cheaper if you buy the $199 lifetime membership.

Lets face it TLC has become the Trading Spaces channel, BBC has become the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy channel, Food TV has become the 30 Minute Meal channel and HGTV has become the Designed to Sell channel. If you are able to watch these channels on-demand when ever you want and most are free why not? I get the exact same thing with my Tivo, only it costs a lot more.

Akimbo updated their website today and are taking pre-orders for their new RCA receivers with Movie Link ($175). Now since Movie Link is available the selection of programming will be huge. It will be like your local video store right in your home. Not only will you be able to watch the current releases you will also be able to enjoy the many classics available.

I may just cancel my $50.98 a month DirecTV and get Akimbo for cable programming and setup a good VHF / UHF antenna for local channels for live network shows and sports.

I certainly will be signing up and I think it is a teriffic deal.

Dave
 
Dave,

Thanks for the kind comments!

I like your financial comparison...but the thing I'd like to stress is that Akimbo's value is different depending on what YOU like to watch. That's because the pricing varies between our providers. Only about half of our content is covered by the monthly service fee, which we call the "Free for All" package for $9.99 / month. The rest has PPV charges. So check the channels you're most interested in to understand the fees.

Just like a restaurant, the full menu of content -- complete with prices -- is always available at http://my.akimbo.com (it's just a web version of the on-screen program guide you'd see as a customer on your box or on Media Center).

We think of Akimbo as an add-on to the existing service you already have, just as most people wouldn't cancel their satellite/cable/OTA viewing just because they have Netflix.

So take a look around at our menu and prices and if you like it, stay for dinner!

-Dan
 

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