TV BOX DOWNLOADS ON DEMAND PROGRAMS FROM INTERNET
So there you are with your cable and/or satellite setup that
literally offers hundreds of channels. And there's nothing on. How
is that possible? Yet I constantly hear it and yes, I've personally
experienced it even though I subscribe to both cable and satellite
for purposes of redundancy and extra programming.
Redundancy is ideal for unattended recording. Just in case it
decides to rain and the satellite signal can't get through, cable is
a wonderful thing. And if my cable service goes south for whatever
reason, I'm sure to get it on my dish. Plus with my HDTV setup, I
now have a digital antenna in place just in case both of them go out
which, just for the record, has yet to happen. The only thing that
can foil all of this is a power failure. Yes, I have a UPS for
short-term blackouts but if the power goes out for more than an
hour, I'll probably miss my recorded show. But now there's another
alternative that's just now coming into view and it uses the
Internet to do its thing. And chances are, it's already downloaded
what I wanted to see so a power failure can't foil it.
Akimbo is a combination service and hardware provider that delivers
a wide variety of on-demand television programming which basically
means that you decide what you want to see and when you want to see
it. You simply connect the Akimbo set-top box to your television set
and a broadband Internet connection. The latter can be via an
Ethernet cable or a wireless Wi-Fi connection. Once connected, your
subscription begins and you're all set to start watching.
The first thing you need to understand is that Akimbo is not live
programming. It's on-demand. That means the programming, whatever it
may be, is all stored on servers located at the Akimbo data centers.
When you select what you want to see, the programming is uploaded to
your Akimbo box. Using the included remote control, you can search
through the available channels and their associated program
libraries via topic, title, category, and other search terms.
Categories include Kids, Comedy, Music, Sports, News & Business,
Lifestyles and more.
Akimbo currently offers around 80 channels that offer programming
from a variety of sources. Some you'll recognize from networks like
A&E and the History Channel. Others are unique to Akimbo while
others offer a mix of shows that include programming you'll find
nowhere else. You can see all of the channels being offered by
visiting the Akimbo website.
Once you select a program, it will automatically begin downloading
to your player. You can watch it as it's being downloaded but you
can also tell it to retrieve shows while you're away. That way, when
you come back, there will always be something waiting for you to
watch.
Currently the stored programming from the networks are shows mostly
from past seasons which makes Akimbo the perfect way to catch up to
what's being broadcast on the live television series you're
currently watching. Plus Akimbo has an impressive library of classic
films whenever you need an extra dose of Bogart.
The Akimbo box can store up to 150 hours of downloaded programs. And
just recently, Akimbo introduced a Windows Media Center PC version
that lets you download their programming directly into your computer
and store on its hard drive.
The Akimbo Box goes for $199.99 but has been reduced to $69.99 on a
promotional campaign. The service is $9.99 a month for unlimited
downloading. Akimbo also has a product lifetime subscription for
$199.99.
Check the Akimbo website for additional pricing and service options.
So now when there's nothing on, chances are that your Akimbo will be
there for you with lots of things already stored and that you're
just dying to see.
www.akimbo.com |
