Comcast Internet Video Launching Before Year End - Though there's restrictions -- lik

[GNG News Guy]

Calling it "video on demand on steroids," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts today gave new details on the cable industry's "TV Everywhere" initiative, which will offer existing cable customers access to a limited selection of online video. According to the sneak peak shown at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, the service will have content only from broadcast partners who've agreed to the deal, and will only be accessible via your home computer. According to the AP, the walled garden will need to confirm you're using a Comast cable modem:You'll be able to watch popular cable television series such as HBO's "Entourage" and AMC's "Mad Men" on your computer by the end of the year without paying extra -- as long as you're a Comcast Corp. subscriber watching at home. . . After users log in, the cable system will perform such checks as whether a Comcast cable modem is being used.
According to the AP, Comcast is working on a verification system that allows Comcast TV customers to access the service should they say -- use broadband from a competitor, or want to access the service while on the go or at work.

The service will initially be called "On Demand Online," a name Comcast promises to shortly change to something that's well, interesting. Comcast isn't yet offering the service to non-Comcast TV customers, as they don't want to cannibalize cable TV revenues by encouraging cord cutting.

Obviously there's still a ton of questions that need addressing. While the service is supposed to keep customers from cutting the cable cord and getting all their video online either through piracy or legitimate applications, a limited selection buried behind a pay wall could spell trouble if the catalog isn't compelling and it doesn't, well, work. Additional restrictions (like only being able to watch the content on your home PC) seem to threaten to make "TV Everywhere" more like "some TV, in some places, sometimes."