By 
Ok, that’s it. The nerd rage cometh! It looks like SyFy is the latest station to give Google TV the middle finger, and block service to those using that device. Now, I know SyFy belongs to NBC, which I know has already blocked their network; but what the hell?! Is the realization that delivering commercial laden content over the web for pennies compared to the multi-million dollar deals required to broadcast it through third parties, all while having a service to continue delivering it to a television set, too much to comprehend? Are you still butt hurt over the digital TV switch? Get over it!
If you feel the need to ask me, I would say it’s a bad move. Nerds love SyFy and Nerds also love sticking it to the man. This is a bad combination, and only serves as fuel on the fire to find a permanent work around. Dick move, guys. Time for shareholders to clean house on the board of directors, and get some young blood up there. You know, the kind of young blood that knows technology is a good thing and much more efficient than their horse drawn carriages.
[via GigaOM]
Gay.
Google should buy them all.
Ehhh I see Google TV failing if they cant get networks to allow their programs on the Google TV devices.
Why can’t they UPDATE THEIR DAMN SITE ON WEEKENDS. I though this was some huge android site. Cmon guys get workin.
Isn’t this sort of thing against net nuetrality laws or something? If not it should be, imo. And google should take some action by forming agreements with networks if they want gtv to succeed.. Who will want gtv if it can’t deliver the web content it’s designed for
Time to fire all these CEO’s that don’t get the web and how to utilize it to bring their company into the modern era.
nbc gets worse and worse every day
. Google should block all nbc related search results from google.
maybe they read my post above lol. seeing some new articles haha. See, that wasn’t so hard.
ps – love this site! ^_^
LOL @Raon!! Yes they should!! :P
bit torrent to the rescue!
Caprica canceled anyway, scifi has been downhill since season 2 of BSG
If its a web browser that works directly on your TV or box then it should be treated no differently if as if it was a web browser on a computer because googleTV is essentially a computer. what if they blocked viewing on a mac or a specific web browser would that be thought acceptable, think not. I can connect my computer to my tv anyway and watch it there.
It just show how these companies want to find ways of making money without actually doing anything for it. I’m sure if google blocked searchs to their sites they’d be up in arms over it. Google is an easy target because google doesn’t play their game. Haven’t the dinosaurs learnt from what happened to the music industry, they were so busy fighting the pirates and trying to keep screwing us over with overpriced CD’s they let itunes sneak in and literally control music downloads right under their noses.
Couldn’t you just spoof the User Agent to say IE8 on Windows 7 and view the videos that way? Google wouldn’t ship it like that by default but it would be relatively trivial to develop a plugin/app for that.
I truly don’t understand the problem that the major networks are having. Google TV uses Chrome, and like any other browser it should be able to watch internet content. What is the difference in watching NBC programming on my 27″ iMac desktop and on my 32″ inch TV? I think the networks are shooting themselves in the foot here.
And here is the other question, I was in Best Buy the other day and tested out a Google TV. I had no problem with watching shows on Fox or on ABC and the Best Buy guy said nothing had officially been blocked yet. (admittedly I didn’t check NBC) Is NBC the only one to have screens like the one above show up? Or does Best Buy have some work around in the store? Just Curious.
ehh watever. i watch most of my shows online after they’ve aired. and i generally try to do that on sites that AREN’T the company site (ie: nbc.com, syfy.com, hulu, etc.) because i hate commercials and don’t want to watch them. THANK GOD for people who pirate digital content and let me watch it for FREE with NO COMMERCIALS. F U, big networks. F U.
I don’t see how they can even keep this up for much longer. I mean google just needs to release a patch for Google Tv that makes it look like Google Tv is just a regular web browser on a regular old computer. I mean, that would work right?
I wish this site would try to keep the articles a little more professional. It doesn’t really bother me personally but for future growth it would help.
Would it be hard, technically, for Google to cloak all clues of Google TV boxes when they try to download video? I understand it’s not just a user agent thing but their flash media servers detecting a particular version of flash?
And even if Google could do that, would they, or is that a little too hostile?
I don’t understand why companies block GoogleTV.
If I am using any browser to watch their content, would it matter if that browser was on a TV?
Is it still blocked if i hookup my laptop to the TV and watch the online content? NO.
There is no net neutrality “law”, it’s simply a “guideline” with the FCC. Basically, the FCC is telling everyone to play fair, or they’ll have to step in. Verizon has been in violation of the FCC’s net neutrality guideline for years, as have many other companies.
Anyway, the simple answer is for Google to just change the HTTP user agent on the Google TV to look like a generic Chrome browser on a computer. That way, companies would have to block everyone using Chrome. Or, Google could allow you to change your user agent like Opera has the ability to do (or at least did at one point). That way you could make it look like IE or Firefox for example and then see if NBC still wants to try and block it.
First… Nerds love Syfy? Seriously? Ten years ago, maybe, but now? Your choice of WWE and the worst movies known to human kind? Wow, that’s just pathetic.
Second, Google would have to be flat out brain dead not to have known this was exactly what would happen, the networks aren’t in the business of making it easy for Google to make even more money and they’d have to have been idiots not to immediately block Google TV — if they were smart they’d just go ahead and block Chrome entirely, doing so would have zero impact on their bottom line.
Presumably Google is hoping all of the whining from slack jawed morons who still think content is free will make the networks see things their way. Ain’t going to happen, at least not until cash changes hands. Since both Google and the networks know this, the rest is just a pointless dance.
SyFy isn’t the one at fault here, not even close. They have every right (actually, a legal responsibility) in the world to control their content, and Google acting yet again like it’s theirs to sell is what is causing this whole stupid mess.
I think the issue here is that google thought they could just move the internet to the telly which in theory works but the tv peoples see it as their turf rather then just another computer monitor which is all the new telly’s are.
If google wants to make this platform succeed then they need to start making deals with publishers otherwise there aint going to be a platform.
Sadly this is what happens when an entrenched industry such as cable TV and its content providers try to hang on to an old business model. They realize a lot of cord-cutting is going on so they are doing anything to stem the bleeding.. There not oblivious to the fact that its a lot cheaper to cut cable ans watch online even if its a day or week after the fact. also cable is in collusion with the content providers, so its, not like NBC can say F* cable, I’ll just sell directly to the consumer, they likely have binding agreements, with cable/satellite distributors that prevent direct to consumer sales. Its really sad, but overtime, when their revenue drops far enough they’ll realize direct ala carte programming over cable or the internet is the future. too bad we have to go through all the BS first.
opera still has user agent changing, though you can no longer use custom user agents.
instead you can select a browser to imitate.
mobile versions of opera also support user agent changing, but i think there you can also edit it manually.
That network has been tits up since the ridiculous name change anyway.
What is the purpose in blocking any device? I don’t get it. Do they not show advertisements? Do they not want exposure and people viewing their ads? Idiots…
The networks fear losing their lucrative cable and satellite deals.
We geeks know how to connect our computers to our televisions to stream content on the big screen, but the average Joe does not. With Google TV anyone can stream content without having to have any real knowledge of how to do it.
In other words… streaming video from the web to your tv could become mainstream… that could result in large numbers of people dropping their cable or satellite subscriptions… which means a loss of that particular revenue for the networks.
my computer monitor is a 42″ tv. i do not pay for any cable service. i should use my droid incredible to upload a video of me watching an episode of The Office on Hulu. then get a shot of my computer and tell them to block that.
That’s what they get for changing their name.
Maybe we could block smc29 from making smartass comments with no merit….U guys rock,and a lil downtime is necessary to continue to produce as you do.
I REALLY feel like we are just in a transition period. Net neutrality laws will eventually come into play. Google and Verizon came to agreement that net neutrality should exist on landbased internet but wireless providers should not be under the same rules since bandwidth is far more limited. Perfect world. Why can’t we just get there? Eventually skilled chefs like Cyanogen will step in and handle business, then the networks will have no choice but to play fair. I believe a wise man once said sometimes peace is only on the other side of war. Well, pirates will win this one for the good guys.
I’m still buying GoogleTV…with or without access to NBC content. Its not like NBC has been making good business decisions with relation to its networks lately. Besides, I’m with Coco.
As far as I’m concerned, SciFi/Syfy was going down the tubes as soon as they started airing a wrestling show. I mean come on, really? What the HECK does wrestling have to do with science fiction? The only thing I bother to watch on Syfy anymore is Stargate. I’ve been looking at what Directv is costing me, and frankly it’s ridiculous, so I’m getting close to pulling the plug. I was considering a Google TV box for ease of online content access, but with all this blocking crap going on, I think I’m going to stick with my HTPC and PS3 for now.
Oh, and for those talking about net neutrality here, I think you’re confused about what that really is. It has nothing to do with what level of access to content a website owner chooses to allow, and believe me, you don’t want the government trying to regulate that. They already have too much power, and it’s not the government’s job to bail out a failing business model, contrary to popular belief. Anyway, net neutrality has to do with ISPs assigning levels of priority to different types of data, or things like that. It’s about flow of data traffic through the “tubes”, not accessibility of content on websites.
All new Coco episodes will be online the very next day and they are NOT blocking GoogleTV. Screw Leno. Screw NBC. Block all you want. Your shows suck anyway.
Are the stations that have blocked Google TV those that have signed lucrative deals with Apple? I’m just wondering here, no idea what the actual situation is.
Well. NBC/SyFy is owned by comcast. That prolly has something to do with that..
I’d rather be upset with their handling of Caprica.
CAPRICA sucks! no wonder they blocked it.
Google TV is a browser. When will this become a legal issue? The device shouldn’t matter because it’s accessing the same Internet.
How in the world is this legal?
@Myria
You really don’t seem to get it. Google shouldn’t have to have seen ANY of this coming, just like Boxee, Roku, Apple TV, etc should not have needed to, because Google TV is simply a platform (modified version of Android which is a custom Linux build…) and the hardware it is running on inside of the TVs, Bluray player, and Logitech box is simply netbook hardware. Essentially, it is a personal computer with a custom OS, and THAT is the point.
Nobody said the networks have to “make it easy” for Google to make more money, but they do have to play by the rules THEY THEMSELVES put in place. The requirements listed for all of the networks in question are as follows: Windows, OSX, or Linux OS (Met), IE, Firefox, or Chrome browser (Met), Adobe Flash Player (Met). Blocking one computer over another because it is designed to look good on a TV is like blocking a personal projector from playing a movie off of a Blu-Ray because THAT screen is only allowed in a theater.
Second, the “whining” as you put it about “free” content is completely justified when it comes to NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox, because they ARE free. Remember that thing called an antenna? Still works, in HD too, grab a box to record the stuff OTA and you’re done. But that isn’t even the real reason it is justified, the real reason is that the NETWORKS decided to give it away online, nobody forced them to. Now maybe they regret it, but that means you either drop it entirely off the internet, or let everyone who wants to legitimately access it, do so. Not talking about Pirating, just talking about streaming the same way any other computer does.
Nobody is saying that the networks do not have a right to control content, what people are saying is that you should NOT be allowed to demand to be paid because you were slow to the game, especially not the game you started. I can throw an HDMI port in a small form factor PC with Windows and IE on it, what makes this any different? A computer is a computer, discriminating and going out of your way to block content of any kind based on OS and form factor, is flat out wrong, and should be illegal. Google isn’t selling any of the content Myria, heck they’re not even selling the OS, they’re letting everyone who is already selling it do so through a new window, that is all. Learn to understand before you seek to be understood.
The thing here really is for the consumers to start going ofter the networks. Start getting togather and throwing class action suit against these networks for discrimantion on devices. You can you use a computer to watch shows online, heck you can take netbook or anything else small form factor and protbale that has a regular OS, Via windows or OSX and watch online stuff soon as it uses a modifed mobile os or somekind of android your blocked. That sound like discrimantion to me.
For once people is this country need to stand up and fight for the things we want. Go after these old school corps anyway you can.
All this speculation is funny. One word: Comcast
If google wanted to they can play that game as well, you block us, we block searches to you, see who flinches first.
“Sorry we can’t link you to Comcast products due to them spitting their dummy out, as soon as they put it back in searches to their network will be resumed”.
Frankly i don’t think google should pay them a penny for something a person can watch for free on their computer. Just cut em off and see how they like it.
Embrace don’t block new media
http://www.trendslate.com/2010/11/11/hollywood-and-the-simultaneous-release/