Happy 2008!

It looks like it’s going to be a very exciting year for the digital home. Lots of new living-room products are already rolling out, and I hear there are many more to come. I’ll definitely comment on those as they develop. But today I’d like to tell you about a partnership between Yahoo! and Apple. Here’s a peek at a conversation I had with Russ, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Yahoo! Digital Home.

Digital Home Guru: Hey, Russ. It’s good to see you. So what’s going on with Yahoo! and Apple?

Russ: Hey, Guru. It’s good to see you, too. It’s a really exciting time for us right now. Yahoo! has been working with Apple to deliver Yahoo! Mail, Search, Finance, and Weather services for the Apple iPhone. On the Yahoo! Digital Home front, we recently partnered with Apple to deliver Flickr on Apple TV.

DHG: Wow, that’s great. Flickr’s my favorite photo-sharing site, and I love using Apple TV. Can you tell me more?

Russ: Sure. As you know, Flickr’s an amazing community. It has billions of photos and nearly 43 million* visitors from all over the world. Apple TV lets us rent movies and buy episodes of TV shows right from our TV sets. With Flickr on Apple TV, we can watch slideshows of our public photos, check out our favorite pics, and browse our contacts’ public images—all on the big screen.

DHG: That sounds amazing! I can’t wait to check that out. What else does this new partnership have in store for us?

Russ: Great question. I can’t go into too many specifics now, but I know we’re definitely going to keep searching for opportunities to collaborate in the future.

DHG: Well, I’ll just have to wait, like everyone else. Thanks, Russ. It’s been great talking to you.

* comScore WorldMetrix, October 2007

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to program my own television channel. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a product that would allow me to select the subjects I want to see and click to the TV shows that I want?

Yahoo! My Channel is one of the first products that takes us a step closer to making this a reality. Yahoo! My Channel is currently on MCE (Windows Media Center Edition).  After playing around with it for a little while,  I have to admit I was hooked.

Here is how it works.

When you first login to the application with your Yahoo! ID you can select which categories that interest you. For example you can watch documentaries, news clips — even the latest movie trailers.

Yes, I am a video nut, but the application offers other cool features, as well, including the ability to get a personal stock ticker and favorite sports scores on a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen.

Pretty cool for your first customized channel.

-The Digital Home Guru

Go into one of the leading elextronics stores these days, and you’ll see Yahoo! content on Sony Bravia teleivsion sets. How cool is that?

Yesterday, the Digital Home Guru had the chance to talk to Ed, product marketig manager for Yahoo! Digital Home, about what Yahoo! is doing with Sony.

Digital Home Guru: Ed, it’s good to see you. So what’s going on with Yahoo! and Sony?

Ed: Hey, Guru.  It’s good to see you too. I’m more than happy to talk to you about this exciting initiative. Yahoo! is Sony’s premier partner on one of the industry’s first IP connected TVs. We’re providing original Yahoo! Internet video content and some of the most popular Yahoo! information like news, weather, and traffic.

Digital Home Guru: Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Did you say Internet connected TVs? Are you saying that I just plug my ethernet cable into a Sony television set and I’m up and running?

Ed: Not quite. The connection is a separate device–the Sony Bravia Internet Video link (BIVL).  You attache it to your Sony Bravia TV.  There are 37 models available!  Turn on your TV, and you’ll have access to the great Yahoo! content.

Digital Home Guru: Cool, but how much does this all cost?

Ed: The Sony BIVL, costs $299, but there is no monthly fee. I know, you’re probably thinking “$299!”. But keep in mind that’s there’s no monthly fee, and the content on the device is constantly updated. So you get a wide variety of Yahoo! videos—-more than 2,300 clips to be exact.

Digital Home Guru: Ok. I’m almost sold.  But what’s this about the news, weather and traffic?

Ed: I’m glad you asked. In addition to the Internet video, Yahoo! delivers news clips, weather, and traffic content to My Page. My Page is a channel on the BIVL that lets you get up-to-date local information with a click of your remote control. This feature is especially convenient if you’re in a rush to check out the latest traffic or weather, so you know what to expect -and what to wear!

Digital Home Guru: Alright, one last question, because I know you need to go. What else can we expect from the Digital Home Team?

Ed: (Laughs) I had a feeling you’d ask that question. Let’s just say that we’ve got a lot going on.

Digital Home Guru: Well, it sounds like I’ll have to keep on coming back to the Yahoo! Digital Home blog for updates. Ed, it was nice catching up with you.

Hey thanks for stopping by. As you can see, we’ve got a lot going on in Digital Home and we want to share some of it with you.

So bookmark this blog and come bck often, as we talk about the latest developments for Yahoo! Digital Home, the industry and more!