Akimbo Systems and HDNet, the 24-hour HD channel, will team up to make select titles from their respective libraries of HD content available for download through the Akimbo Service for Windows XP Media Center Edition. This is the first time Akimbo has offered broadband-delivered HD content for viewing on subscribers' monitors.
Akimbo said in a statement its subs will be able to choose from more than 10,000 VOD programs available through its library -- including travel shows, documentaries, music videos, full-length motion pictures, sporting events, and TV series. Akimbo subscribers will view the HD content through their Media Center PCs. Akimbo's set-top box (with hard drive) plugs into a broadband connection and stores content using the company's TiVo-like guide.
HDNet said the Akimbo service offers the cable channel a unique opportunity to deliver its original 1080i content to a new audience that has grown to expect cutting-edge entertainment because they already are Akimbo subs. Akimbo would not release details on how many subs it has at any given time.
Customers can sign up for a free trial of the Akimbo service through the "Online Spotlight" area of the Microsoft Media Center Edition 2005 PC. A subscription to Akimbo's Internet-delivered VOD service is $10 a month.
