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Twonky Beam Browser hands-on
Showing your friends the latest viral video traditionally requires huddling around a smartphone or tablet, which is odd when you're sat in a room with a 40-inch flat-screen. Web connected TVs or media units like the Apple TV will let you watch YouTube as long as you spend five minutes tediously inputting the search term on your remote. For those of us who can't afford a unified Airplay setup, there's PacketVideo's Twonky Beam Browser, which lets you push mobile content to your TV as fast as your wireless router can handle it. Does it work as well as advertised? Is it the answer to your prayers? Read on to find out, dear reader, read on.
Verizon rumored to be working with Redbox on its internet video streaming service
If you're still trying to make the pieces of the recent "Verizon is launching an over the top video service" rumor fit, perhaps the missing element is information detailed by TechCrunch suggesting Big Red is the unnamed partner aligned with Redbox's upcoming online video efforts. According to the rumor, the two would connect like Voltron, or, like Dish Network and Blockbuster -- without the whole falling into ruin, bankruptcy and eventual purchase part of the story -- for a subscription service offering movies for streaming and download to a variety of devices. Allegedly dubbed Project Zoetrope, it would launch this spring however unlike Netflix or Amazon Prime Instant Video's all-you-can-eat approach, its hook is described as a credit based system allowing a certain number of movies to be streamed or downloaded every month. It's all very sketchy at the moment, but Redbox has gone dark about its streaming plans and it's just about time we heard something there, so we'll add one more thing to keep our eyes and ears open for at CES in January.
YouTube got nearly 21 billion hits in a month, mostly thanks to naughty Fenton
The latest report from comScore makes for eye popping reading -- Google's video sites, of which YouTube is the most important, received 20,933,113,000 views in October. To put that into some context, that's roughly three videos watched by every person alive on the planet. According to the statistics, YouTubers spent an average of seven hours watching the month's hottest videos (such as Community's Beetlejuice easter egg and Naughty Fenton). Surprisingly, Facebook came second, but viewers spent an measly average of 18 minutes watching last night's karaoke. In other news, Hulu came top for online advertising and Vevo was the most watched partner site, you guys obviously love your Lady Gaga.
Did Netflix just start limiting users to one movie stream at a time? No
Over the last couple of days, some Netflix users have reported getting error messages whenever they tried to view Watch Instantly video streams on two different devices at the same time. While some reports have suggested that along with instituting a price hike September 1st it also decided to start cracking down on multiple streams, it turns out there's a simpler explanation. According to spokesman Steve Swasey, the policy is still the same and no Netflix member is limited to less than two streams at once. The messages people are seeing indicating otherwise? An "error" the company is correcting. Glitches suck, and are becoming a bit too routine on the service for our liking -- Hacking Netflix reports another blip caused S1 of Star Trek: TNG to disappear temporarily over the weekend -- but the rumors of a change in policy just aren't true, so keep that subscription canceling finger holstered for now.
Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys
Zediva fought the law and the law shut it down. The unique DVD rental service, sued by the MPAA and Hollywood studios for running afoul of licensing and distribution agreements, has temporarily closed shop. A statement on the outfit's website optimistically refers to the court-ordered injunction as an "intermission," pointing to a hopeful future resumption of operations, and guaranteeing customers a solution for unused credits. The company's promised to fight back against Judge Walter's decision, and is in the process of appealing the ruling that could see it facing a permanent service blackout. We hope for the sake of its "DVD-changing monkeys" that all parties involved can work this out. Make sure to head past the break for Zediva's full explanation.
Zediva's DVD rental service ordered to close shop, Hollywood pops celebratory bubbly
Zediva's loophole-exploiting DVD rental service has just been dealt a lethal blow by Judge John F. Walter. The recent court-ordered preliminary injunction effectively halts the company's ability to rent its library to users across the internet's great streaming divide. Citing irreparable damages to both the nascent video on demand market and Hollywood's bottom line, the federal judge found Zediva's business in violation of studios' exclusive right to public performance of copyrighted works. The bizarro Netflix alternative had been operating without the normal licensing restrictions required by the industry and despite its claims of imminent ruination, will have to close shop. For its part, the unique startup has vowed to appeal the ruling, but if that doesn't work, at least its creators can watch No Strings Attached ad nauseum.
Rovi hits Hulu with patent infringement lawsuit
Mo money, mo problems, right Hulu? Seems it, considering the newly up-for-sale content hub has just been slapped with a patent infringement suit. This latest bit of intellectual property beef centers on the online content provider's alleged unlicensed use of Rovi's electronic program guide technology. According to Reuters, the company, which currently powers the streaming likes of Blockbuster On Demand and CinemaNow, is seeking financial compensation for potential "lost license revenue and treble damages," potentially tripling any future settlement award. While Hulu has yet to issue a statement on the matter, we'd be willing to bet those takeover talks are taking a backseat until this gets sorted.
Dish adds HBO Go, Max Go to DishOnline package, tweaks Netflix in the process
Just after adding Epix to its assortment of wares, Dish is expanding DishOnline with HBO Go and Max Go streaming. This follows last week's announcement by DirecTV regarding the services, but instead of highlighting the upcoming mobile apps, Dish's press release chose to point out that the HBO shows and movies subscribers can access won't be available on Netflix. An interesting choice, but we suspect it won't matter much while you're busy watching some Boardwalk Empire on your laptop.
Google shutting down most of Google Video, urges you to back up your greatest hits now
Google Video, the vestige of Google's in-house efforts at sharing moving pictures before the YouTube acquisition, is being closed down almost entirely. Everyone that isn't involved in the Google Video for Business and Education programs will see their videos terminated from Google's servers soon, with playback no longer available after May 13th. Options for downloading content you've uploaded or migrating it to YouTube have been made available, though they too won't last beyond the 27th of next month. We suppose this makes sense in light of all the riches that Google is pouring into YouTube and the fact that its more popular video site is shedding its time limits for vids, but still, we had a bit of a soft spot for Google Video and the obscure stuff we could find on there. Better get the most out of it while the thing's still around.
YouTube starts transcoding all new uploads to WebM, already has a third of its library ready
Google's resolve to bring WebM video streaming to the masses doesn't seem to have been weakened by a general lack of interest from the rest of the tech world, and the company's announced that each and every new YouTube upload will now be automatically transcoded into a WebM version. Nearly a third of YouTube's archives have already made the transition to the open source format, though if you think that's a small proportion, you should probably know that those 30 percent account for 99 percent of all views on the site. Apparently, we all have a narrower set of interests than we like to believe. So, with all popular vids encoded and every incoming one getting the transcoding treatment, all you really need now is a compatible browser -- Chrome (naturally), Firefox 4, Opera, or IE9 with a plug-in -- and to enroll in YouTube's HTML5 trial linked below to get rolling with WebM playback. Appending "&webm=1" to a search string or a video's URL will also help you ensure you're getting the good stuff.
MPAA sues Zediva for streaming DVDs, no one is surprised
We told you to get through that 10 pack of rentals quickly didn't we? As pretty much anyone could have predicted, the Motion Picture Association of America (in case you've forgotten, that's these guys) doesn't think Zediva has the right to rent access to DVDs for streaming across the internet. Specifically, the MPAA calls Zediva for not being the traditional rental service it claims to be, and claims streaming the output of a DVD player across the internet even to one user amounts to public performance of the movie. There's no response yet from Zediva, but in the meantime armchair lawyers can check out the MPAA's statement in PDF form at the source link.
Vimeo for iPhone now available, features video editor
Vimeo expanded its video hosting service to include an iPhone application today. The new mobile application is integrated tightly into the Vimeo service and lets you easily edit and manage your existing video content as well as add new content recorded on your iOS device. The Vimeo application is feature rich and lets you upload new content and download existing clips to your camera roll. The account management feature lets you edit the details of your video clips and organize them into groups, channels and albums. You can also retrieve stats, such as daily views, likes and comments. The obligatory social networking features let you share your videos using Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress, email or SMS. To sweeten the pot, the Vimeo application also includes a built-in video capture tool and editor that lets you spruce up videos recorded by your phone before you share them with the world. Editor features are basic and include transitions, titling and trim effects. You can also add a personalized audio track and adjust the volume level of recorded clips. Lastly, Vimeo has covered all the bases with this application by allowing users to browse Vimeo's extensive catalog of video clips from their mobile phone. Similar to its web client, the mobile application lets you watch videos stored in your Inbox and your Watch Later queue as well as those clips you have liked. You can also use the iOS application to "like" videos and add them to your Watch Later queue. Best of all, Vimeo is open to suggestions for improvement and is committed to providing regular updates, which will include new music, effects and feature requests submitted by users. The application is available for free from the App Store and is compatible with iOS devices running version 4.0.1 including the iPhone, iPod touch (fourth generation) and the iPad 2.
ComScore: Microsoft becomes second for online video in one month (update)
Earlier this month, we got word that Bing had surpassed Yahoo! as the world's second most used search engine, and now Microsoft's solidifying its place as runner-up, coming in behind YouTube as the internet's number two provider of streaming video, with 48 million unique viewers in February. According to ComScore's latest ranking of online video providers, the software giant went from number seven to number two in just one month, bumping Yahoo! down to third place. Of course, YouTube is still way out in front, with over 140 million visitors, but given the speed with which it leaped ahead, we'd say Bing is doing something right. Check out more online video results after the break. Update: Well, as it turns out, Microsoft wasn't number two for video in February, after all. We received an e-mail this morning informing us that ComScore made a correction to its numbers, showing VEVO as the runner-up, with 49 million unique viewers last month. That doesn't change the software giant's leap ahead -- it's still holding down third place, with 48 million -- but it certainly looks like someone's got some stiff competition. Check out the updated chart above for the new numbers.
Internet Explorer 9 gets WebM support with 'preview' plug-in from Google, internet video gets more friendly
Google has released an early WebM plug-in for Microsoft's latest and greatest browser, IE9 -- stepping in to fill a gap that Microsoft itself refused to fill. You may remember the firm's decision to not build in support for the new standard natively, but that it was "all in" with HTML5, WebM's close cousin. Billed as a "technology preview" at this stage of the game, the add-on will enable users to play all WebM video content just like the good Internet overlords intended them to, despite the fact that an additional download is needed. Microsoft said that it would allow for support and it appears to be following up on its word, regardless of other harsher comments made separately. Isn't it good to see big companies getting along? Now if only these same niceties played out in the mobile landscape, then we'd really be getting somewhere. [Thanks, ChrisSsk]
Next New Networks purchased by yesterday's old YouTube, more custom content on the way
Tired of the unprofessional, poorly-lit, generally unfunny clips that get uploaded to YouTube by the thousands every day? How about some rather more professional looking but still potentially unfunny content? Welcome to YouTube Next. That's what Next Now Networks is calling its new focus, "supercharging content creator development on YouTube" after being bought by that company, which itself is still a fairly recent Google acquisition. The Next New Networks goal was to work with independent "talent" to develop their online following, helping them find "paths to revenue." Along the way that company found itself somewhere south of $50 million dollars, according to The New York Times, and has lost its CEO in the progress. What's next for the two? More YouTube superstars, naturally.
iTunes controlled 65% of online movies sales in 2010
iTunes is the top seller of downloadable movies, controlling two thirds of the total market, according to IHS Screen Digest. This proud distinction is focused on the actual purchase of movies from iTunes, not streaming internet rentals (such as those offered by Netflix). IHS is a market research firm that analyzes streaming video and the electronic sales of movies, which makes this kind of study their exact bailiwick. The closest runner up to Apple's success was Microsoft, who only sold a quarter of the movies that Apple did. If you add up all the non-Apple online retail outlets for electronic movies, they make up a little more than one third of the available sales. Of course, selling movies online is a relatively new business, and things could change in 2011. In the meantime, it seems if you want to sell a movie online, you really need to be on iTunes. [Via electronista]
Opera browser headed to Sony TVs and Blu-ray players
Opera has officially announced its much-loved web browser will be appearing on Sony TVs and Blu-ray players. There's no specific details, but it given its low-key presence at CES a few weeks ago (Sony Insider grabbed a video of it in action on the show floor -- embedded after the break -- unfortunately hampered by slow connection speeds) it will spread at least across the company's 22 new connected HDTVs. Since the browser is based off of the Opera devices SDK backbone, it's also not a stretch to imagine that Opera-enabled web applications, widgets, or other content using standards like HTML5 (no Flash, at least not yet) could piggy back onto Sony gear at some point. The real elephant in the room though is how this move relates to the Japanese tech giant's Internet TV initiative that's powered by Google TV. While we can't imagine it signals Mountain View's solution is destined for a dumping, between this and a similar move by Samsung including a browser in its own Smart TV platform, a little bit of jealousy could be just the kick Google needs to fix some glaring issues -- which we're all for, especially if it spawns a new round of potato based cajoling.
Time Warner, Disney and News Corp. bigwigs speak up against FCC stipulations in Comcast-NBC deal
Hello, inevitable. It simply had to happen, and now, it is. As Comcast, NBC and the FCC attempt to work out stipulations over Comcast's proposed 51 percent buyout of NBC Universal, a smattering of major media companies are paying close attention to the play-by-play. Naturally, the precedents that are set from this deal will affect future agreements of this caliber, and lobbyists for both Disney and News Corp. (as well as Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes) aren't standing over on the sidelines any longer. All three outfits have reportedly been "voicing their concerns this week with the FCC, worried that such conditions could undermine their own efforts to profit from the nascent online video industry." We're told that the media mega-corps are worried that the rules -- if hammered down -- could interfere with ongoing negotiations with online video providers, and in turn, give them less leverage to monetize and control their content on the world wide web. In other words, if NBC Universal is forced to provide content fluidly to all ISPs (and not just Comcast), what's to say other content makers and internet providers wouldn't also be forced into similar deals, regardless of whether or not they're involved in takeover negotiations? Needless to say, we're nowhere near the end of this journey, and while the nuts and bolts are pretty dry to think about, the outcomes could have a serious impact on our future viewing habits.
Cisco joining connected TV party with updated cable boxes at CES
The battle for the connected living room is about to heat up in a big way: the Wall Street Journal reports that Cisco will announce a new series of connected cable boxes here at CES tomorrow, as part of a larger announcement that combines online video with recorded and live television. You scoff now, but keep in mind that Cisco owns Scientific Atlanta, which makes an absolutely huge number of cable boxes for providers like Time Warner and Comcast -- and if Big Cable embraces connected TV by distributing integrated Cisco hardware, well, we'd say upstarts like Apple and Google might just go home with their tails between their legs. On the other hand, the WSJ says "cable operators will be able to customize the software interface and decide on pricing" for Cisco's new boxes, so it's possible America's favorite corporations will completely bungle everything at the first opportunity. We'll be there live tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.
FCC proposes rules for NBC-Comcast deal
As you can imagine, the thought of a marriage between a broadband / cable TV service provider and a content provider for television and movies has more than a few folks concerned, which is why it's taken a while for the FCC and its erstwhile chairman Julius "Caesar" Genachowski to draft the conditions under which it would let Comcast snatch up 51 percent of NBC Universal. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC wants to require that Comcast make any content owned by itself and NBCU available to competitors (including streaming video providers) "at reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms." Additionally, Comcast will be barred from prioritizing its own video streams above others or interfering with rival Internet traffic. Of course, without the actual announcement, it's hard to know what impact this will have on everyone involved (especially Hulu), although with any luck the actual proposal will see the light of day soon enough. Even then, it will need to be approved, which could happen early next year.
