Comcast Announces Fancast - search for all TV, video, and movies

[tedster]

This search engine, Fancast [fancast.com] is a bit different. At the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan 9, Comcast is formally announcing their video search that includes TV, movies and many online video providers as well. And surprise, it includes other cable services in addition to just Comcast. Talk abut convergence!

Wired talks about the new servce:

After a year of development and six months in beta, the site still isn't all there yet -- but it's already far enough along to become the electronic programming guide that TVGuide.com only wishes it could be.

...if something is on TV at all, you should be able to find it. If it's in movie theaters or on DVD or available from iTunes, Netflix, Amazon or Web-video sites like Hulu, you can find it too.

Wired article [wired.com]

[tedster]

So far it looks like the Fancast search engine announcement (made by Ryan Seacrest of all people) was a just little drop compared to the flood of other news that Brian Roberts let fly during his CES keynote in Vegas - like the elimination of the need for cable boxes through a new interoperability standard called Tru2way that the entire cable industry is going to support by year's end, and all kinds of new devices being introduced that can plug directly into cable feeds.

But this is the Alternate Search Engine forum, and the Fancast search engine will be a part of a rather major, and apparently integrated change.

To introduce a new online-entertainment portal, Roberts brought TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest on stage. Called Fancast, the site enables users to find any piece of entertainment. It will allow streaming of certain shows and downloads of movies, and it will link to the iTunes Store, if it doesn't have it. Fancast will also show when a TV show is playing and make scheduled DVR recordings, it will find where a movie is playing and link to Fandango.com to buy tickets.

[news.com...]

[weeks]

Interesting. This is a logical move on Comcast's part. No doubt everyone here is aware how Netflix has teamed with LG, who will build TVs with a equipment to allow people to download whatever they want, whenever they want, that Netflix might offer.

So, 2008 will be the year cable starts to die and what we call Internet TV gets real. You have a high-speed connection and that's that.

Five years from now, "TV channels" will be something we'll recall like we talk about dial telephones now.

So, does Comcast have a real shot a being a new Google? Good luck to them, but I don't think so. This is so far outside their area of expertise that it seems unlikely. More likely, Google will be next Google. Or maybe Netflix.

[Lord Majestic]

This is not about search but about HD video on demand - the "search engine" could be something on top of MySQL allowing people in front of TV to type title of the movie to then select it from results and it will be streamed to their TV.

I hate Comcast, but they are doing the right thing - very soon Blockbuster will go bust and renting of video will be done directly, so if you look at their annoucement of higher bandwidth DOCSIS 3.0 protocol for HD streaming then it all makes sense.

Naturally Comcast will be kicking people out from their "unlimited" broadband but allow huge streams of paid-for HD movies. That's why concept of net neutrality is so important.

[thecoalman]

That's why concept of net neutrality is so important.

Agree with that wholeheartedly and I've been saying it all along. Major ISP's will become not only the service provider but the content provider too, this will put them in the position to push their own services and hinder others.

As it stands now assuming equal server speeds anyone can try and compete with the large media companies on an even playing field, that should not change.

[m0thman]

So, 2008 will be the year cable starts to die and what we call Internet TV gets real. You have a high-speed connection and that's that.

Five years from now, "TV channels" will be something we'll recall like we talk about dial telephones now.

Well for me it's here now. I don't have a television and rely on the Internet for all my entertainment (no.. not surfing Youtube!). Slap a TV licence on that if you will :-)