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Vimeo now supports 360-degree video
Virtual reality hardware wouldn't be anywhere without content to play on it -- that's why so many big video companies are putting resources towards immersive, 360-degree video playback. Facebook and YouTube have both supported 360 videos for a while now, even letting users livestream (provided they have the right gear, of course.) It may be a little late to the party, but Vimeo is also getting into the game. While there's no livestreaming to be found yet, the platform now fully supports 360-degree video uploads and playback in a variety of ways.
Vimeo's on-demand TV store is now available in 150 countries
Last month Vimeo, STARZ and Lionsgate Entertainment -- makers of such fine prestige TV as Orange is the New Black and Mad Men -- announced a new partnership to put all that programming online with an on-demand pricing scheme. While many of the shows are already available via iTunes, Amazon or Netflix in the US, Vimeo is making a play for international audiences by offering the service in 150 countries around the world.
Vimeo makes it easy to find purchased videos on your phone
As great as Vimeo's On Demand video service is on platforms like Roku, the mobile experience needed some work. With that in mind, Vimeo has released an updated version of its iOS and Android apps, giving users easy access to videos they've subscribed to, bought or rented. The new "Purchases" library also lets you download content to view offline, for those times when you're not connected to WiFi.
Vimeo's On Demand store comes to Roku boxes
First and foremost, Vimeo is known as a portfolio site for professional and aspiring filmmakers. YouTube, meanwhile, is seen as the place to monetize online videos, given its huge viewership and support of pre-roll advertising. Vimeo has spent years trying to change its image, however, and prove it can also be a place for video makers to earn money. Part of that push has been Vimeo On Demand, an iTunes equivalent for creative and usually independent works. Starting today, it's available on Roku hardware, giving Vimeo and its users a larger potential audience.
HBO is bringing Vimeo's first original series to TV
If there was any doubt that conventional TV and the internet are blending together, HBO just erased it. The premium channel has picked up the third season of High Maintenance, the pot-fueled show (yes, the 4/20 announcement is convenient) that became Vimeo's first original On Demand series. You'll only see six new episodes in this production, but all of the existing 19 episodes will be available through HBO sometime later this year. Is Vimeo heartbroken? Not at all, if you ask CEO Kerry Trainor -- it'll continue to support the show, and this is an "incredible validation" that proves internet shows can hit the big time. There's no mention of when the new season will air, but it's clear that you'll have more options for chronic-loving TV in the near future than reruns of Bored to Death and Showtime's Weeds.
Two 'Firefly' stars are crowdfunding an online comedy series
The cast of Firefly knows a thing or two about the importance of creative control (ahem, Fox), and they're taking advantage of the internet to make sure they hold the reins for their next effort together. Both Nathan Fillion (aka Mal Reynolds) and Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne) are crowdfunding Con Man, an online-only comedy series about a down-and-out sci-fi star learning to appreciate the convention scene -- a field that hasn't received the tribute it deserves, the actors say. Fillion and Tudyk are the main stars, but they're promising a cast that you'll probably recognize, including Firefly pals Gina Torres and Sean Maher as well as Amy Acker (Angel), Felicia Day (The Guild), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Seth Green (Family Guy).
Maker Studios' YouTube stars are making exclusive content for Vimeo
Maker Studios, the group of popular YouTube hit-makers Disney snapped up for $500 million, has just agreed to release a series of original videos throughout 2015 -- on Vimeo. While it doesn't sound like the group has completely switched allegiances, the deal requires them to make these videos available through Vimeo's Video on Demand service first. Maker Studios has more than 55,000 content creators, including Snoop Dogg, Kevin Smith, PewDiePie (of Let's Play fame) and Lloyd Ahlquist (who created the Epic Rap Battles of History series). Viewers can only watch those clips exclusively through the service within a certain timeframe, though it's unclear if the internet celebs can post their videos elsewhere after that.
Vimeo will let you download (but not stream) 4K videos
YouTube embraced 4K video a long time ago, but Vimeo is at last catching up... well, more or less. The internet media hub now lets you download 4K clips from both Vimeo Pro members and Video On Demand providers. If you just snagged a Retina iMac or a lower-cost 4K display, you now have one more source that will do justice to your extra-sharp screen. However, there's no streaming here. As Vimeo explains, it's waiting for the technology to make this technology work -- not many people have 4K-capable displays, and internet connections typically aren't speedy enough to deliver that many pixels in real time. Even so, it's an important upgrade if you've been meaning to watch Video Game High School and other online productions in the highest resolution possible.
Vimeo On Demand now allows pre-orders, offers separate purchase and rental prices
Video producers that sell through Vimeo On Demand now have much more flexibility in marketing their wares. Starting today, Vimeo Pro members can offer both purchases and rentals at separate prices. They can also supply pre-orders and promo codes, while stat hounds will see more advanced viewership data, such as trailer play counts. It's up to content creators to use the new features, but we've already spotted at least a few titles that take advantage of the upgrades; head over to Vimeo if you'd like to give them a try.
Vimeo to exclusively carry new Kristen Bell movie the same day as theaters
The concept of a movie launching online alongside its theatrical debut isn't new; we've seen a few (usually independent) movies reach iTunes that way, for example. Streaming service arrivals are still rare, however, and Vimeo On Demand just boosted its street cred with plans to carry Some Girl(s) on June 28th, the same day that the movie gets a wider theatrical release. Vimeo will be the exclusive online home of the Adam Brody and Kristen Bell picture, and production house Leeden Media takes a populist bent in explaining why: as with Bell's return to Veronica Mars, it wants to cut out the usual in-between distributors. We're sure that Vimeo's tinier-than-usual 10 percent revenue cut and relatively uncrowded marketplace play a part, too. There's no guarantee that other notable movies will follow suit, but it's an important coup for an online service that's not even two months old.
Vimeo On Demand launches, aims to make it easy for creators to sell content to viewers
There's no doubt Vimeo's constantly working on various enhancements with the outlook of making it a better place for content makers and viewers alike. Today, following a relatively brief beta phase, the video-focused company's officially launching its pay-to-view service dubbed Vimeo On Demand. Essentially, this will allow Vimeo Pro members to sell their video productions directly to the public, eliminating the need for a middleman of sorts (even though technically Vimeo would be acting as such), as well as allowing them to name their own price and select preferred distribution countries. What's more, Vimeo says that creators are set to keep 90 percent of the earnings "after transaction costs," which, naturally, includes content sold throughout its many applications on different platforms -- including, but not limited to, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Xbox Live and Apple TV. According to Vice President of Creative Development, Blake Whitman, there's a lot more where the adequately named Vimeo On Demand came from, as the team's "already working on another suite of creator-focused features to release in the near future."
