Here's what's pushing cable's buttons this morning.
Netflix Inc. CEO Reed Hastings took to Facebook again to air his grievances about Comcast Corp.'s streaming video policy on the Xbox 360, arguing that it violates network neutrality rules. He's upset that anything streamed via the Xfinity TV app on the gaming console doesn't count against a user's monthly 250-gigabyte data cap, while streaming of Netflix or the standalone HBO GO app on the device does.
"Comcast [is] no longer following net neutrality principles. Comcast should apply caps equally, or not at all," Hastings wrote. Comcast has maintained that video streamed via its Xfinity TV app on the Xbox doesn't apply toward caps because it's delivered over its private IP network, but later changed that language in its FAQ to say that the "Xbox 360 running our Xfinity TV app essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable service." (See Comcast Won't Cap Xbox 360 Streaming .)
Roku Inc. has entered the Canadian market by accepting orders for two streaming players -- the Roku 2 XD and the Roku 2 XS. The Roku 2 XS (C$109.99; US$109.97) is the company's top-of-the-line streaming player, offering resolution up to 1080p HD. Roku said its app menu for the Canadian market, which today includes popular ones like Netflix and Crackle, will broaden at a pace similar to the U.S., where it already offers more than 450 "channels." (See O, Canada! Netflix Streaming Gets a Reprieve.)
The Comcast Media Center (CMC) has inked a deal to provide live coverage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA)'s rocket launches, which are delivered via its streaming media service. The CMC is delivering feeds via fiber for closed-circuit viewing at ULA's 11 U.S. venues, including Cape Canaveral. The ULA designs, builds and launches birds for NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Cisco Systems Inc. and Harmonic Inc. will both help NBCUniversal LLC with its multi-screen coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Cisco's will pitch in pieces of Videoscape for NBC's IP video production, content management and network distribution, while Harmonic adds in its MediaGrid shared storage systems and ProMedia Carbon transcoding software.
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