There are two things we know about living in South Africa:
1. Data costs are through the roof
2. Our internet capabilities are less than stellar. Anyone spent more time buffering a YouTube video instead of watching it?
Well we have a solution to your problems:
Tuluntulu is an app set to change the way we, as South Africans, consume video content. It’s basically a mobile broadcaster. You download the FREE App for iOS or Android and you then have access to ten unique 24/7 TV Channels. Most are primarily focused on the African and South African market. One of the two international channels is Al Jazeera (which for me, coming from a “serious” news background – is awesome). It is offers ANN7, but we’ve decided to just let that slide… for now.
Let me re-iterate – these channels are free. So this also means that you can get the first 24 hour African focused Fashion TV Channel free on your phone. The new Fashion channel will offer up content uniquely African and far more focused on the current market.
So this is great. Free TV on your phone… but remember point one and two at the beginning of this piece? I had a chance to chat to Tuluntulu CEO Pierre van der Hoven and I immediately pounced on the data costs and capacity issues we face as South Africans. He made some rather interesting remarks about the app. For starters, Pierre’s view on content is that if it is relevant it is quality content. While you shouldn’t expect HD Programmes streamed to your phone, you can expect quality content that has been thought out. And hey, when they were attempting to broadcast live footage of the Britney Spears meltdown we all watched, I doubt anyone phoned E! News to complain about the video quality.
The technology Tuluntulu uses is rate-adapative which means the streaming rate will adapt according to your phone’s capabilities. It will adjust picture quality accordingly. If you want better quality you use a volume like button to increase it. If you follow the Tuluntulu recommended streaming rater you can expect to drop more than 10% off the regular data consumption cost and likely watch video content for as little as R5 an hour.
Pierre says he is really excited about the possibilities Tuluntulu lends itself to. No license restrictions or transmitter networks are required. It’s going to make breaking into TV for producers and the like far more affordable. This benefits the market but also the consumer. It also gives you access to the first 24 hour African focused Fashion TV Channel free on your phone. I, for one, think that is pretty cool.
You can download Tuluntulu via itunes here or via the Google Play Store here.
