Hulu is trying to out-weird Netflix

Perhaps goaded by the dazzling media blitz Netflix has managed to generate with its original shows, Hulu is now attempting to launch a string of its own buzz-worthy shows. Compared to its far larger rival, Hulu seems to be a lot more budget conscious with its original content. There is nothing as classy as Kevin Spacey or Robin Wright in the new roster. Instead, the Hulu shows are anchored by fading TV stars like Eva Longoria and Seth Myers.

There is one metric where Hulu is apparently hellbent on trumping Netflix — sheer weirdness. New show The Strange Calls is about a cop demoted to a small town where people turn into chickens and mermen attend school dances. Merpeople are clearly an emerging theme for streaming content now that Netflix is launching its own teen mermaid drama.

Hulu is also counting on the concept of Jimmy Falcone as a mob boss who ends up in witness protection in Canada.  This sounds oddly reminiscent of Lilyhammer-  a Netflix series about a mob boss trying to start a new life in Norway, another polite northern country.

All in all, quirky is good. Hulu seems to be somewhat self-consciously trying to mimic the oddball appeal of Netflix shows. Hopefully, the results are genuinely original and not artificially zany.

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Showtime Anytime app update brings live programming

The Showtime Anytime app has recently been updated. The changelog for this update is on the smaller side, but given the items listed, it seems likely this is an update current users will want to grab. In short, the Showtime Anytime app is now capable of streaming live content. There was also mention of stability and performance improvements and bug fixes.

As for that live streaming, users will need to tap the Live TV option. From here you will be given the option to choose between Showtime East or Showtime West. Also included on this screen will be the show that is currently airing as well as upcoming shows. To watch simply tap the red “watch now” button.

Of course, the previously existing features remain. Basically, you will still be able to watch every season of your favorite shows to include Dexter, Californication, Weeds and House of Lies as well as all the others. The app also has play-shifting which means you can pick up where you left off on another device as well as “My List” which lets you group your favorite programs.

The one catch with all this is the support. The Showting Anytime app is still limited to a handful of content providers. At present that list includes Verizon FiOS, DirecTV, Optimum, Comcast XFINITY and AT&T U-verse. That being said, if you are a Showtime subscriber with any of theses providers the Anytime app has just become a bit more accommodating in terms of use.

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Chromecast fever to continue with Marvell’s new streaming chip

Taking a cue from the the flurry of interest and support that has surrounded Chromecast, chip manufacturer Marvell has announced a new System-on-Chip (SoC) made precisely for connecting to HDMI displays and streaming media. Marvell also provides the SoC that is used on the Chromecast dongle itself.

Marvell’s ARMADA 1500-mini is aimed to be a cheap chipset to be used in devices similar to Chromecast. Google’s hottest new product is a device the size of thumb drive that connects to displays over HDMI and allows streaming of media over a WiFi network. It currently supports streaming from YouTube, Netflix, and Google Play, with more services promised to come soon. A beta plugin for the Chrome will also allow contents of the browser tab to be mirrored to the TV via Chromecast.

According to Marvell’s announcement, the ARMADA 1500-mini is optimized for 1080p content and is designed for delivering high quality video and audio output while still retaining energy efficiency. This makes it perfect for not only dongle-type form factors like Chromecast but also for set-top boxes and smart TVs. This could be enticing for third-party manufacturers who want to take advantage of the gap in the market left by Chromecast, which sold out very quickly.

It is not known whether the ARMADA 1500-mini is the exact same chip that powers Chromecast though it is very likely. Marvell has not yet released detailed specifications nor how much it will cost, although it will probably be priced competitively with Chromecast, which only costs $35.

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What Chromecast needs to go from good to great

Google has an instant hit with its $35 Chromecast, apparently selling more than 250,000 unitsalmost immediately. It's been so unexpectedly popular, in fact, that the company had todiscontinue its initial three-month Netflix promotion.

Here's what Google can do to make the Chromecast an even worthier living-room contender:Of course, most of those purchases were made in the minutes following the initial announcement -- and before anyone had his hands on the new gadget. My experience with the Chromecast didn't fully live up to the hype, with mediocre screen-mirroring performance and dedicated streaming being limited to Netflix, YouTube, Google Music, and Google TV & Movies. It's not a bad device by any stretch -- especially when you consider the price -- but it could get a lot better with some key improvements.

More app support

The most glaring limitation at launch is the limited app support. Right now the Chromecast can stream directly from Netflix and YouTube using both iOS and Android devices, with Android users also getting support for Google Music and Google TV & Movies. That leaves out quite a few high-profile services that are on competing devices, such as Amazon Instant, HBO Go, MLB.TV, PBS, Spotify, and Rdio. (Google has already pledged to add support for Pandora.) Yes, you can get many of these services working via screen mirroring, but dedicated apps are vastly superior in just about every way, especially image quality.

Netflix and YouTube are nice, but Roku's boxes support many more streaming services.

Support for just a few more apps would add a lot more value to the Chromecast, especially since Netflix and YouTube are already so widely supported on other devices. Given the massive initial buzz (that even Google seemed unprepared for), I wouldn't be surprised if we saw app support come quickly -- there are already rumors that HBO Go could be on the way. And since "support" is more about cutting the deals and adding a Chromecast toggle to existing iOS and Android apps -- rather than making changes to the Chromecast itself -- we could see a flurry of updates soon.

True phone-to-TV streaming

The Chromecast is great at pulling content from the cloud via supported apps, but it's a little surprising that you can't stream music, photos, and videos stored on your mobile device. With so many people using their smartphone as their main camera -- and video camera -- it seems only natural that the Chromecast should let you display your media on the biggest display in your home.

Roku's mobile app lets you push photos and music stored on your phone to your TV.

This shouldn't be an impossible feature for Google to implement. Apple's AirPlay already delivers easy photo, music, and even video streaming to the Apple TV from iPhones and iPads, and Roku's smartphone app (on iOS and Android) lets you stream music and photos stored on your phone right to the Roku. Google's service doesn't need to be quite as seamless as AirPlay, but a basic way to play content stored on your phone would be a big plus.

Screen mirroring can seem like the solution to all your "Internet video on your TV" problems, but in practice I've always found it sort of clunky. It requires a very robust home wireless network, otherwise you'll end up with dropouts and glitches. And even if your network is up to the task, the transcoding process makes image quality suffer and your laptop's fan kick into high gear. The truth is, even though I was impressed with the Apple TV's mirroring capabilities, which I found more stable than the Chromecast's, I've rarely found myself wanting that feature in my everyday life. (I use the Roku 3 as my home streaming box.)

But I recognize that screen mirroring is the feature that makes a lot of people excited about the Chromecast, so Google needs to work out the early issues I found in my review. Screen-mirroring functionality was advertised as a beta feature, so it's understandable that it isn't entirely polished out of the gate. I have my doubts as to whether screen mirroring will ever truly look comparable to dedicated streaming apps, but if Google can nail this, it could be a killer feature that would keep people excited about the Chromecast after the initial buzz wears off.

Make iOS support even better

One of the best parts about the Chromecast is that it works with both Android and iOS devices, but iOS support could still be improved. Google Music remains unsupported on the Chromecast for iOS devices, which could presumably be fixed if Google releases its long-promised iOS app. I'm less confident that Google TV & Movies will ever make it into the Apple ecosystem, although it's not out of the question since other video stores, like Amazon Instant and Vudu, are available. Finally, Google can add support for setting up the Chromecast with iOS devices, which isn't currently possible, but Google says it is coming soon.

An MHL-compatible Chromecast

When Google announced the Chromecast, the company rolled out photo after photo of the device connected to a TV with no additional cables. Of course, the reality is that the dongle needs power, either via a USB port on your TV or using the supplied power adapter. I don't think the extra wire is that big of a deal -- it's all hidden behind your TV -- but Google could offer a version of the Chromecast that supports MHL, a newer HDMI-like port that provides enough power to run the Chromecast.

It's smart that Google didn't make the Chromecast MHL-only, as that strategy has hampered Roku's otherwise excellent Streamingg Stick. But now that many new TVs and AV receivers are including an MHL port, the option to buy a truly wireless Chromecast would be nice.

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