Colin Charles Agenda

It’s 2013, and my media consumption hasn’t changed much from 2011. I still like watching TV series as they come out or back-to-back (and Netflix is smart with House of Cards – back-to-back from the start). Attached to my TV is the same device I’ve owned for several years that decodes digital compressed video – I just transfer content to its hard disk, and play off the device.

Nowadays, you can buy an Apple TV in Malaysia, but it’s not something I’ve thought of picking up. I’ve thought now for over five years that YouTube is an MTV replacement. This being the MTV of yesteryear when the focused on music videos (not today with all their content play). YouTube is so much more now though – I can get educated, entertained, or just plain switch off watching it.

Amateur hour on YouTube is fast disappearing. Lots of professional created content exists there, and I’m happy to watch it. This is the first step to disrupting Hollywood.

So, I’ve got the choice of an Apple TV to watch iTunes based content. Or maybe I can AirPlay stuff from my laptop. Or I can continue to use my current setup which is loading the hard disk with data. This doesn’t allow me to enjoy YouTube and other stuff on my TV though…

Enter the EMAGINE. I was invited to the launch so I got to play with the device a little. Device costs RM399. It runs Linux (currently no sources online; no API information online for developers). I like that they support local content channels like Eumakh and more. Their company backing it, SelecTV looks interesting with minimal media hype from the usual channels (they are a Malaysian MNC with investment from MAVCAP + Intel Capital).

Their motto: “open platform to create a new experience in media consumption & delivery”.

They have figured out a way to play YouTube videos without showing the ads. I don’t know if this affects how content producers get paid out (because if it does, I’d rather watch the ads). One big problem I find with podcasts and youtube for example is there is no curated content. Sometimes I just want to lie back and see what’s on, not pick what to watch. This is where the cable experience still rocks. Luckily, they have curated channels on EMAGINE. 

All the demos were focused on YouTube. More great quality content is on Vimeo too. And other sites. Remember that YouTube has local peers in Malaysia, but the other services don’t. So even with a 5mbps cable connection, you may not rock hard. Buffering, etc. is going to affect the first time experience.

Some other interesting bits: Karaoke on the box with some 50,000 songs. This is a paid service. Great interface compared to going to a KTV, but I’d pass (I’m not the target market). The idea of shopping from your TV, i.e. using Lazada currently, is quite smart (I hope to see more TV shopping). The potential to get pay-per-view TV exists, but there is no content there because well, getting content is hard (er, expensive).

There’s no spinning disk so this isn’t a PVR. It comes with 3 USB ports, so I presume you can hook up your own hard disk and enjoy watching downloaded content. There is music options, but the company seems to only want to focus on video. It comes with Intel WiDi which may or may not support Miracast. Bottom-line: I want my Macbook Air or iPad or Nexus 7 sending content to my TV via wireless. If this stuff can’t work, advertising WiDi is a cop out.

I was told that the comparison might be to the cheaper Roku box. I don’t have one or haven’t played with one before, so I reserve comments here.

I like the partnership with Lazada. Its the only place you can order an EMAGINE box. It presumes you’re already internet connected. My ideal box is something I’d write about in another post, but in the meantime while I think about that, I may think about the EMAGINE. Of course, I myself don’t stay in front of my TV often enough so its still up in the air. 

I was at the launch of EMAGINE yesterday, and all of us walked away with a door gift: an EMAGINE mini wireless keyboard.  

When I first saw it I thought it would be a Bluetooth wireless keyboard (potentially handy for a tablet). Sadly, I notice that you need to connect it via USB. It works like a clicker.

Its vendor is Sonix Technology Co., Ltd. The manual is clearly written in China (words like “Accissories”). It’s been around for quite some time (testing on Fedora 7, Ubuntu 8.10, etc.).

It’s a 2.4GHz wireless mini QWERTY keyboard, comes with a touch pad as well (so you can mouse around).

Plug it into Linux or Mac OS X and it “just works”, without drivers. You end up having to power the device on/off. It comes with its own USB-based charger (no wall-plug), so I presume you’re meant to charge it/dock it at the EMAGINE device itself. 

In the package contents though, it suggests you only get a remote, not this keyboard. Beta testers (I’m not one) claimed that they already had a keyboard.

I’m not sure that the keyboard is made for many regular hands. I consider my hands no larger than the average, and find it quite difficult (not impossible, just strained) to type with two thumbs as it is a little too wide, thanks to the touch pad. Your mileage may vary. Then again, how many of you want to do serious keyboarding in front of your TV?

Next up, some thoughts on the EMAGINE (based largely on tweets from last night). I do plan to order one to give it a twirl.