Akimbo/RCA VOD Player
I recently spent a week with the Akimbo/RCA system as I wanted to see what I was missing with my Humax/Tivo and DVD’s from Blockbuster.
While this is not a hardware review here is the Reader’s Digest. After unpacking it was short order to setup the RCA player and getting it running, the system is much like any other DVR with the standard assortment of Component and S-Video as well as digital audio out. There is also Ethernet and USB for network connectivity. The box is based on a Thomson IP1100 IPTV platform and from what I have read, the main drive can store about a 1000 hours of compressed programming. The current system does not support HD however.
My main interest in Akimbo is content, namely the ability to find and download niche market fare such as Beach Walks With Rox or perhaps an Indie title from Japan. On the mainstream movie side, Akimbo has partnered with Movielink.
Choose from such niche topics as toy trains, aviation, theatre, dance, fine arts, video blogs to name a few. There is a lot of Anime as well and perhaps as more producers start to create Machinima with Second Life as their backlot and tools like iClone content will show up on Akimbo.
Yes download times are based on the speed of your network and can be substantial however, the point of these systems is the ability to schedule download and view when you get home. Better then 90% of the content we watch on our Tivo is scheduled in advance with the odd last minute program I schedule via their website; this option is also available on the Akimbo.
I did find the UI less intuitive and slick verses the Tivo and slower to jump between screens. One of the nice features the Tivo has that is missing on the Akimbo is the ability to listen to music channels, this would also be good if you are home waiting for content to download. Actually, there are plenty of times I connect to my Live365.com account to catch some Pat Metheny verses putting on a CD.
Akimbo seems to keep on top of their forum with posts replied to in a timely fashion.
Net, net, as a content creator and an Evangelist for the movement, I am encouraged by the ability for small producers to get their content into the living rooms of America. In the long run however, the question is can any VOD, ITV or IPTV system offer content creators a significant enough revenue stream so they can create content for these distribution channels?
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