I can still remember how TV was before cable and the Internet came along. The only way for you to catch your favorite TV show was to sit by the TV and wait for it to come on (there was no app to alert you when your show would be on; you either memorized the schedule, wrote it down, or consulted an actual TV guide magazine or that day’s newspaper). I had a portable battery-operated TV that was the size and shape of a big waffle cone with a matchbox-sized screen. I would hunch over it when my mom would drag me to the supermarket, bummed that I had to watch “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” on such a tiny screen with fuzzy reception— it was more audio than video, but it was better than nothing.
When cable TV came along, I always wished that I could bring it everywhere, the way I was able to with that tiny portable TV.
Cut to today, and that dream is not just a reality, it’s actually where TV is headed.
As we find ourselves on the move all the time, our smartphones glued to our hands almost 24/7, the way we consume entertainment has dramatically changed. In the United States, for example, expensive cable subscription companies are finding themselves at odds with Internet streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. With so many subscribers watching TV on phones and tablets, it’s not unusual for cable companies to now bundle an app that lets subscribers watch content while on the go. Still, if you find yourself wanting to watch actual TV, there’s NimbleTV, a service that turns your smartphone, tablet or computer into TV.
Unlike entertainment apps that let you choose content on demand, NimbleTV gives you access to actual TV channels in the US real-time. Subscribing to the free service will give you around ten channels to watch for free, while tiered premium subscriptions will determine what channels you have access to, e.g., a Pro plan will give you access to over 500 US channels, both local and cable. Subscriptions also give you Cloud storage of up to 300 hours, where you can automatically set a show you’re following to record episodes for later viewing. All you need to subscribe currently is a New York address.
NimbleTV is the ultimate productivity killer; it’s a couch potato’s dream come true, except you don’t even need to park yourself on the couch, you can now be an office, mall or taxi potato. Most channels are broadcast in HD, and the quality of the broadcast will be dependent on your data connection. We tried it on a DSL connection and it played beautifully without any buffering. It also works well on 3G, but of course there’s a dip in quality and you’ll experience a bit more buffering.
The initial feeling of accessing a NimbleTV account with all its bells and whistles is similar to that of choosing which movie to watch on a plane with great in-flight entertainment, where you’re paralyzed with indecision because everything looks so good. Imagine that feeling multiplied by a thousand when on NimbleTV.
The prices of the Pro plans are still a bit expensive (a super plan can set you back $85), especially for the Philippine market where even cable subscription is sold piecemeal under prepaid plans. Still, if Spotify and Deezer can drum up interest here by offering their premium subscription plans at a friendlier price point, we have no doubt that NimbleTV will be welcomed enthusiastically by TV fanatics here (sports fans will have access to every sports channel imaginable, very handy to have during the playoffs or finals). We hope that they get snapped up by one of the telcos soon so that everyone can get hooked on NimbleTV.
To know more about NimbleTV, visit www.nimbleTV.com.
