The rumormill is a flutter today!  The good old Wall Street Journal has announce that Hulu is considering selling itself.  The report says that Hulu was not trying to sell itself but is considering doing so when they got an unsolicited offer.  Who is this from?  Nobody is for certain but everybody tends to think it is from Yahoo.

Hulu would fit with Yahoo as Yahoo has bought other similar sites (think Flickr).  Also this would let Yahoo compete more inline with Google that has Youtube and Youtube Movies.

Who else might want to buy Hulu?  EVERYBODY!

Amazon might want to do so to integrate with Amazon Video.  Netflix might because Hulu is starting to offer original content (also could be a great way to upsell visitors onto Netflix).

You can never count out Microsoft as they don’t have anything in that niche.  Also, since Walmart bought Vudu, you can’t count them out either.

Facebook also doesn’t have any real video offering.  Would Hulu fit?

Nothing creates a stir like the first offer.  Other powerhouses might want Hulu just to block it’s sale to others.

Nothing’s for sure yet, but stay tuned and search Hulu with our Online TV Guide in the mean time..

Blu-Ray discs just got put on notice.  A new and better format is out.  Even better, there is less packaging (almost none) than DVD’s and Blu-rays.

Vudu just released the first widely available “Movie Card”.  Better yet, you can now buy movie cards in all Walmarts!

Some people are asking “How is this better than simply logging into Vudu from your PS3 or computer and buying the movie there?”.  The simple answer is that this allows for “Gifts” and for special store discounts and promotions.

Collectors will love it as it still gives them a “Physical” object to collect and will be better on the environment and lower production costs.

Lastly, a movie card doesn’t stop working just because it got “Scratched” or dirty.

The first movie available is “Battle: Los Angeles” but with a distribution network the size of Walmart you can expect a lot more by the fall shopping season.

Comcast will be the first to have Gigabit cable modem to the home.  (That’s 1,099,511,627,776 ones and zeros per second).

The above video is pretty lengthy but shows off what you can do with TV and Online TV when you get 1Gbps to your TV.  This includes an RF remote (that works form different rooms), a super sweet TV Guide and APPS!

Roku is now available from Walmart (link)

This is HUGE for Roku because being in Walmart means that you have the potential of selling SO many more products than you normally would.

The Online TV plot thickens though!  Seeing as how Walmart “OWNS” Vudu, it would naturally make sense for the Roku to offer a “Vudu” channel. Well, that might be in the works.

The above device is just a photoshopped mock up but there’s no way Walmart would let the Roku into its stores unless they were either getting them for a HUGE discount or they plan to “Upsell” everybody who buys one by selling and renting them Vudu movies.

Should Redbox and Netflix worry?

You can win one of 3 free Roku XDS players just by Tweeting or Posting of Facebook.

Post on this Facebook Wall or Tweet @rokuplayer with #dadflick and tell them your favorite dad-inspired move.

Winner will be picked tomorrow!

What is one of the best ways to watch Online TV?  Well, it may be through a device you already have.  That device is the PS3.

77 Million people have the PS3.  It is the only gaming system with a built-in Blu-ray player.  Now, more people use the PS3 to watch Netflix than any other device.

It is ahead of the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Apple TV, Roku, Boxee and other online tv devices.

Unlike other gaming systems, the PS3 was the first to offer online tv via Hulu or Netflix and unlike its competitor XBox, you don’t need to pay extra for it!

And it seems that online movie rental is going to get even easier as PS3 is integrating CinemaNow.  CinemaNow is a company from BestBuy that is just like VUDU.

Vudu is owned my Walmart and CinemaNow is owned by BestBuy.  It seems that Online TV is heating up more and more every second!  The winner will be the one that can offer movie rentals, sales and live TV easily and on multiple devices!

The lines between TV, Online TV and Smartphones is blurring every day.

Roku, an awesome little device that you can but for less than $70, is blurring the lines further.  Roku is taking the hit game “Angry Birds” which has dominated cell phone and tablet app sales and is bringing it to your TV.

Not only will you get all the Angry Birds games (Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio) you will also an Angry Bird video channel and be able to buy Angry Birds merchandise right from your Roku.

This is like TV meets Online TV meets Cellphones meets The Shopping Channel.

With over 200 Million downloads of Angry Birds already, this offers yet another venue for Angry Birds to succeed at.  …and we are one day closer to cutting our cable TV cords and living in the TV Cloud!

Kind of a boring video so if you don’t want to watch it, it basically says…

A SlingBox is the device that connects to your home TV/Cable/Satellite/FiOS/etc… and sends the TV channels wherever you want them (ie. Laptop, Cellphone, Tablet, etc…)

SlingPlayer, the software that lets you use your laptop, phone, etc… to view the TV Channels.

Soon you will be able to watch your SlingBox on your Google TV.  For many, this will be a better way than running cable lines all of the house.  Simply have 1 Cable, Dish or FiOS receiver, 1 SlingBox and have multiple Google TVs.  This way you don’t need to pay “Rent” on multiple Tuners and Remote controls.  Also let’s be honest, most of the time the TV installers leave your place a mess with cables running through your house looking extra ugly and out of place.

Get a Google TV with SlingBox and you could even put your Tuner in a closet saving you one more cable in every room with a TV.

Creating new shows for normal TV isn’t as straightforward as it should be.  Producers develop a concept.  The concept is developed and a one episode script is written.  From there the producer films that one show called a “pilot”.  This pilot episode is then shopped around to the networks to try to land a contract.  Sometimes, depending on the contract and a thousand other variables, the show may be put on the network’s website or on Hulu or Netflix.  Then If and only If it is a hit show, then everybody makes money.

The process is lengthy and TV Executives are always standing in the way of the talent (actors, producers, writers, etc...)  Executives aren’t known for picking the best shows that will be the biggest hits.  That is why there are so many reality TV shows (which don’t require writers or as much planning, special effects, etc…).  Also this is why we always see copy cats,  How many police shows and CSI type shows are out there?!

That is why DBG (Digital Broadcasting Group) did an Online TV experiment.  DBG took big name Kiefer Sutherland to create the show “The Confession”  The DBG then skipped all of the networks and put it straight out on Hulu.

The Confession’s episodes are short, about 8 minutes, but fans love them.  95% of all people who start watching them, finish watching them.  Meaning The Confession is more addicting than a Lays potato chip!

Furthermore, DBG has made money off the show.  This is the first major “Straight to Internet” release that has been profitable.  Also, the shows all done filming and can make even more money in Canada, on Netflix and on DVD.

This is very good for Online TV and yet another little step closer to putting a bullet in the Cable Companies’ TV monopoly.

“HuluTivo” sounds like a fancy kind of martini.  Hulu on TiVo is here and we have the press release and video you’ve been looking for.

Hulu Plus Launches on TiVo Premiere

Adds Instant Streaming of Thousands of Hours of Current TV Hits and Classic Programming to TiVo's Unique Solution Combining Cable Programming
with the Best of Web Entertainment

ALVISO, Calif. – May 23, 2011 – TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in advanced television services, including digital video recorders (DVRs), for consumers, content distributors and consumer electronics manufacturers, announced that beginning today Hulu Plus™ is available via subscription* to TiVo® subscribers with retail TiVo Premiere boxes.

In celebration of Hulu Plus on TiVo Premiere, TiVo and Hulu will give six months of free Hulu Plus service to newly purchased TiVo Premiere DVRs. A free trial of Hulu Plus is also available to current TiVo Premiere customers. Visit www.tivo.com/hulu to learn more.

With the recent addition of hit shows from Comedy Central, and MTV including The Colbert Report and The Daily Show alongside popular hit shows from ABC, FOX and NBC like Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Family Guy, The Office and 30 Rock, TiVo further extends its lead as the only one-box solution that integrates in one easy-to-use user interface the full complement of programming made available to users through their existing cable or fiber optic provider alongside the ever-increasing choice of broadband and on-demand offerings.

"Hulu's mission is to help people find and enjoy the world's premium video content when, where and how they want it. To that end, we are thrilled that today we are opening up the Hulu Plus experience to TiVo Premiere users," says Andy Forssell, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution for Hulu.

Hulu Plus joins other top broadband content providers such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, and BLOCKBUSTER to offer TiVo Premiere subscribers the ultimate choice in entertainment programming, all easily accessed by TiVo's elegant user interface and iconic peanut remote control. Hulu Plus programs are easy to find by title or by browsing Hulu Plus's network listings and genres.

TiVo's SVP and General Manager of Content Services and Media Sales Tara Maitra added, "I've watched with great admiration as Hulu has built an impressive business by offering up some of the world's greatest entertainment content on demand. As the world's first smart DVR, TiVo Premiere brings the best entertainment from cable and the web together in one place, with one easy-to-use remote and simple search features for one truly Brilliant TV experience."

According to recent figures from Santa Monica, Calif.-based research firm Interpret, the number of people who said they streamed a TV program increased to 41 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. The number of TV programs streamed per respondent reached nearly nine episodes in the last three months of 2010, up 37 percent from 6.41 programs streamed in 2009.

In addition to the top hits of today, Hulu Plus offers one of the largest catalogs of television content on a streaming platform to subscribers in the U.S., including full series runs and numerous back seasons of dozens of classic shows like The X-Files, Law and Order: SVU, Arrested Development, Saturday Night Live, Miami Vice, Ugly Betty, Quantum Leap, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Roswell and Ally McBeal.

*Separate subscriptions to Hulu Plus and the TiVo Service are required to access Hulu Plus on TiVo Premiere DVRs. Broadband connection required to access Hulu Plus.