Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

Summary: This week has already seen a rumor about a Motorola tablet that will let Verizon FiOS customers watch TV anywhere, and the Dish Network announcing an upgrade to their mobile apps to let subscribers access their set-top boxes remotely. Now Cablevision has acknowledged that subscribers will soon be able to watch programming on their iPads, with one big catch: It will only work at home.

This week has already seen a rumor about a Motorola tablet that will let Verizon FiOS customers watch TV anywhere, and the Dish Network announcing an upgrade to their mobile apps to let subscribers access their set-top boxes remotely. Now Cablevision has acknowledged that subscribers will soon be able to watch programming on their iPads, with one big catch: It will only work at home.

This curious solution was mentioned by Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge during a quarterly earnings call: "When you look at an iPad, and you are in a Cablevision household, you’ll be able to get every service we provide -- VoD, broadcast television, all of our expanded basic services." While that's a nice add-on, it flat out comes up limping compared to rivals devising, as Comcast puts it, "TV Everywhere," where you'll be able to access their services anywhere you can get an Internet connection. It's unclear why Cablevision is baking in this home-only limitation to its "mobile" solutions, but I'm not sure I'd be a happy subscriber a year from now when my friends can watch TV on their portable device thanks to their providers, but I can't.

In other Cablevision news, the company is working on creating remote-control apps that will let you control your set-top box through an iPhone or Android phone, and it's also testing a service that will beam Internet video to your TV, a.k.a. "PC to TV Media Relay." It also hopes to release a Remote Storage-DVR by year's end that replaces a physical DVR and is a whole home solution.

Those developments pale a bit compared to the crippled mobile TV strategy. Hopefully for subscribers, Cablevision will reconsider its plan and develop a true TV-on-the-go platform.

[Light Reading Via Engadget]

Topics: iPad, Hardware, Mobility

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

12 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion
  • Well isn't that nice of them?

    I am guessing that iPad users will be happy, but myself, seems kinda dumb to me, I mean....home is where you probably already have at least 1 TV with a screen larger than hand sized...why in the hell would you wanna turn off your TV to watch that little tiny screen? (Yes, I know...some overzealous fans probably would, but then again these 'fans' probably sit staring at it even when it's doing nothing at all).<br><br>That, at least, is how I see it.
    KOS-MOS
    • One possible situation it could be useful...

      @KOS-MOS
      Ok.. You're watching the Superbowl... It's the tail end of the 4th quarter. 2 minutes to go. Your team is behind by 3 points. They've got the ball on the 5 yard line and it's 1st and goal.

      Meanwhile that bean dip you've been scarfing on has given you a nasty case of the runs. You can now grab your iPad, go to the head and take care of business AND not miss the last few minutes of the game.

      You can, of course, substitute your favorite sporting event, movie or other TV show. You get the idea though.
      Wolfie2K3
      • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

        @Wolfie2K3 I would just click pause on the DVR, then come back in 10 minutes and watch it.
        condelirios
      • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

        @Wolfie2K3
        Yeah but why not save few hundred bucks have a sling box then you can watch tv on any phone for free anywhere in the world and not have to have a waste of money like the ipad?? Hell with the new comcast apps and the evo 4 you can take you comcast or even your sattelite tv with you anywhere plug the evo hdmi cable into a tv on the road in an rv at a cabin and bing mobile sattelitte and if you have your evo on boost 4g its $50 a month no data charges
        Fletchguy
  • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

    Or just get a real online tv program like seetvpc (dot) com and watch what you want, from any internet connected PC or Apple.
    MonicaPell
    • They don't have an iPad version tho...

      @MonicaPell
      Neither my desktop nor my laptop would be quite as portable as a tablet based device.
      Wolfie2K3
  • I'm so excited!

    I'm so excited at the prospect of watching epic films on my 4:3 aspect, 9.7 inch iPad!
    trickytom2
    • So are you more exited about watching epic films in

      in a FAKE HD display that is only 4"x2.5" in size??? Because that is all you get right now with Android.
      wackoae
      • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

        @wackoae

        Why do you Apple people always respond to criticisms of Apple products by attacking some other product? It is classic obfuscation, especially when the context makes it clear that Trickytom is comparing an iPad to a TV, NOT a smartphone

        Android literally has nothing to do with it
        Doctor Demento
  • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

    I bet that Rutledge was talking about letting the iPad play back one program while the big screen plays back another. Augmentation, not replacement.
    cardiff space man
  • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

    So I can now watch TV on my ipad whilst im at home - where I have an internet TV playing PC, 5 speaker Home Theatre TV Set up etc
    shane chauhan
  • RE: Cablevision to let subscribers watch TV on their iPads -- but only at home

    Why wait for limited content from your cable company? If you are interested in a TV Everywhere solution, you may want to know about Sling technology used with DISH Network. This is a way you can access your satellite receiver to stream live and recorded programs to directly to your mobile device. With Sling you can leave your house with your mobile device, this is truly TV Everywhere. As a customer and employee of DISH I can't begin to tell you how great it is.
    1234Jon