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NBC Universal content now available on PlayStation Network
Good news for Playstation 3 owners -- NBC and Sony have just announced that NBC Universal content is now available on the PlayStation Network. In addition to NBC shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Heroes, new movie releases like Milk and Role Models will hit PSN day and date with the DVD release, and back-catalog titles like The 40-Year Old Virgin and The Big Lebowski should already be up. Pricing is ballpark with the competition: $2.99 to $5.99 for SD and HD rentals, and $9.99 to $14.99 for SD and HD purchases. Not bad, but we won't be happy until these fools drop the shenanigans and give us what we really want: Hulu. Make it happen, guys.
NXP & Roku reup deal on streaming player hardware
We don't know if you ever gave any thought to the hardware behind Roku's digital video player, but the company announced it is continuing a partnership with NXP to use the PNX8935 decoder to bring all that sweet Netflix, Amazon and more to your TV. Anyway you cut it, many have found the h.264 and VC-1 decoding capabilities worthy of paying the Roku's $99 price tag, we suppose it's not up to NXP when Amazon will let us get at any HD content or Netflix adds to its high definition library, so we'll just say job well done and look forward to what these two have planned in the future.
Flickr adds HD video streaming for pro users
Flickr is finally catching up with the crowd, now that it's launched HD video uploads for paying subscribers. Time is still limited to 90 seconds and filesize is a mere 150MB, so don't expect anything too impressive to show up, but for Pro users wanting to show off a few quick clips from their HD-capable cameras, it should be fine. Still on a free account? Now you'll be able to upload (SD) videos, but only two per month.[Via CNET]
Windows Mobile Manager for Netflix includes streaming video previews
Get enough Netflix / Microsoft synergy yet? We hope not, since that Netflix queue manager for Windows Mobile showcased during Steve Ballmer's CES keynote is slicker than we thought, with an exclusive streaming video preview feature. Whether DVD or Instant Watch that should add some enjoyment to your Netflix browsing, check out a YouTube demo after the break or just go ahead and download the app for yourself.[Via My Philly Network]
LG BD370 network Blu-ray player hitting Japan later this month
LG Japan will deliver the just-announced BD370 network Blu-ray player later this month in Japan, naturally sans-Netflix and CinemaNow support. The Ethernet port still finds meaning in life through BD-Live and YouTube videos, but don't look for any acTVila support here. Found are DivX, AVCHD, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA support plus a ring that lights up blue for HD discs, and red for all others, and for an expected ¥34,800 ($416) this can be all yours, unless you're here in the U.S. where our wait for a Q2 release date and price continues.
HBO, Netflix wave off streaming rumors
Slow down, Watch Instantly fans, both HBO and Netflix are at least claiming there have been no talks about setting up a "premium tier" resembling a question posed in a recent survey. Multichannel News confirmed with Netflix the survey was real so we'll keep a seat open next to Starz just in case, so hey, if Showtime or epix is looking for a partner we've got a great idea for you.
Analyst: Game consoles are most Internet connected STB, but Blu-ray players will lead growth
Wondering about the progress of the "connected home" so effectively diagrammed above? In-Stat's got the numbers, noting that by June 2008, nearly 43% of U.S. Windows PCs were of the Media Center variety, and found 64% of respondents at least somewhat interested in streaming video from the Internet to their TV. As it is, it looks like getting your Internet video service onto a game console is the best move (you don't say?) since they're the most commonly 'net connected CE device, but thanks to BD-Live and plunging hardware prices, the analysts see Blu-ray players leading growth. We're just hoping the additional details in the $3,495 version include telling higher ups that we'd like more selection and surround sound to go with our streaming HD. Any other requests?
YouTube launches "10 foot" TV experience just for Wii & PS3 users
Sure, there's already TVs and devices out there ready to bring the YouTube experience directly to your living room, but today they've launched a page just for browser-enabled living room devices (the PlayStation 3 and Wii) to browse on a TV screen. Point your console to www.youtube.com/tv for the new page, those limited by their PC's can check out the video embedded after the break for a demo. It seems like it would be easy to throw a bone to Windows Media Center Extender devices and HTPC owners by opening things up a bit, but the Official YouTube Blog indicates this beta is intended to encourage more manufacturers to include unrestricted browser support (Xbox 360, please pick up the white courtesy phone.) Take a look and tell us what you think.Read - Official YouTube blogRead - PlayStation Blog
Vizio takes the cover off Connected HDTV: Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon, Yahoo! and more
Netflix streaming is one thing, but Vizio seems to be taking its new status as a premium HDTV manufacturer very well, with the new Connected HDTV platform featuring support for Yahoo! Widgets, Flash, Blockbuster OnDemand (!), Flickr, Pandora, Rhapsody and Accedo Broadband. Due Fall 2009, owners can feel free to go wired or 802.11n style to connect to any of these services in HD, if supported. Clearly missing? Yahoo!, Media Center Extender, but the 2H 2009 fight of Internet-ready televisions is on - set-top boxes better watch their back.
Hulu refreshes HD Gallery with 720p TV shows
Pull up that task chair and fire up that web browser, HD-mavens. Hulu has finally stepped up its HD game with the latest update to its HD Gallery. If your rig has a 2.5 Mbps connection to the outside world and a few CPU cycles to spare, Hulu is looking to hook you up with full-length, 720p episodes of Heroes, 30 Rock, 24 and The Office. If you need more incentive to check it out, how about the fact that these videos are ad-free for the time being? If TV isn't your thing, there are a few scraps (read: excerpts) in the "Nature and Documentary" section, and the "Sports" genre houses Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Yes, the selection is thin and the "Movie Clips" heading is crushing. But since we're feeling "glass half full," we'll be encouraged that Hulu is getting serious about HD internet video. And really, you can't beat the price.
Three Sheets Season 3 premiere hits Hulu before MOJO
One of our favorites is getting set to come back for Season 3, and needless to say, our HD DVRs are already queued up to capture it all. Still, for those who can't (or just won't) wait for the April 10th launch of Three Sheet's third season on MOJO, the first episode can be viewed in its entirety right now via Hulu. You heard right -- the whole half hour show, which sees the always animated Zane Lamprey head down to Chile, can be seen right now by following the read link below. Are you still here? Maybe you missed the part about a new Three Sheets episode waiting for you right down there![Via NewTeeVee]
CBS.com tests out 480p "HD" video
CBS.com is jumping into the online HD race...sort of. An "HD" flash player has been spotted in the labs area of its site, although all that's available at the moment is 480p. A quick check of the competition shows Hulu is still only demoing HD with movie trailers, ABC.com's streaming player has plenty of HD but is still technically in beta, Fox claims HD in its player but seems to be similarly low-rezzed, while NBC lags behind. In the race to pump pixels through our browser windows, CBS hasn't made it quite to the front yet, but keep trying. Of course a DRM-free download or two certainly wouldn't hurt, but we're not holding our collective breath.[Via CNet]Read - CBS Testing HD StreamingRead - CBS Labs
Hulu.com out of beta, open for one and all - in the U.S.
That's right TV fans, Hulu.com is out of beta, anyone can set up an account and check out both short clips or full length episodes of many TV series and movies. Unfortunately the HD library is still limited to just movie trailers but while we wait for more 720p Adobe Flash content to hit the site, maybe the backing of FOX, NBC Universal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Sony Pictures Television will provide something interesting to watch, with even more content on the way from Warner Bros. Television Group, Lionsgate, NBA and the NHL. We'll see how successful this experiment is, but go ahead and take a look, because we both know you don't have anything better to do than watch 34 episodes of Airwolf in a browser window.
Netflix to loosen restrictions on internet viewing option
Granted, there are some out there who've been dodging the whole "limitation" aspect of Netflix's Watch Instantly feature for a good while, but for the honest, upstanding citizens abiding by the rules, things are (seemingly) about to change for the better. According to a recent report from the AP, Netflix is gearing up to banish the time limits for online streaming on all but its el cheapo $4.99 plan, meaning that subscribers to every other plan will be able to watch online content as much as they'd like. In case you haven't connected the dots quite yet, it's being suggested that the move will be made to fend off the looming competition from Cupertino, and while this would undoubtedly increase costs, it doesn't seem as if the firm plans on hiking rates (at least initially) to compensate. Now that's a change we can live with.
Hulu opens up HD preview, more to come?
Just eight days after we pondered the future of HD content over the web, Hulu has stepped up to the plate to move things in the right direction. The streaming video site has recently announced the opening of an HD Gallery, which houses a small collection of 1,280 x 720 resolution files. Granted, the requirements for actually playing these files are quite high -- an internet connection exceeding 2,400Kbps, the latest build of Adobe Flash Player 9 and a wicked fast computer -- but at least the option is there for those with the requisite gear. Apparently, the files are being compressed via H.264, and while we're not told what other high-definition content is planned for the future, we'll be keeping our browsers tuned in to find out.[Via CNET]
DS2 announces 400Mbps powerline networking
Forget 200Mbps powerline home networking -- and don't even mention your poky 85Mbps setup -- because industry leader DS2 has just made all current gear obsolete with its introduction of technology that will enable 400Mbps theoretical speeds over standard electrical wiring. Capable of pushing five simultaneous video streams, the zippy new tech will be key for applications such as PVR networking and multi-room HD IPTV, and should start appearing in "next generation" devices slated for 2009. Luckily 400Mbps products will actually be backwards compatible with 200Mbps gear according to DS2, meaning that you should be able to reuse some of your existing adapters and extenders instead of relegating them to the gadget graveyard.
Has Building B created an internet video "God box"?
Without getting overly dramatic, word on the street is that Building B, a new-fangled startup based in Belmont, California, has developed an internet video "God box" which will allow OTA streams of traditional cable, internet video, and on-demand content without the need for a PC (i.e., directly to your 70-inch plasma television). Obviously, as the wave of internet TV steadily increases, dozens of companies are scrambling to unify the set-top, and streamline the end-user's ability to get all their content in one place -- not to mention suck up some totally righteous dough. Although Building B claims their technology will bring a heretofore unseen convergence to people's living rooms, the boys in charge have been rather tight-lipped in regards to the "forthcoming" magic unit, or services and fees that would be associated with said device. Hopefully we'll soon know what the "God box" can or can't do with your television, what kind of "plague" capabilities it will include, and if it will be compatible with Atheism.
Simple hack keeps Netflix Watch Now from tracking your minutes?
Remember how back in the day -- before software developers got wise to this sort of thing -- you could extend the life of some shareware indefinitely by simply winding back your machine's calendar every so often? Well according to tipster "Livesunkept" (a pseudonym, we suspect), a similar jury-rigged hack is all it takes to vastly extend your monthly allotment of viewing hours for Netflix's new Watch Now streaming video service. Normally Netflix keeps track of how long you've been watching, and correlates that number to the fee you pay each month, subtracting from your bank of minutes based on your subscription level (i.e. an $18 plan might give you 18 hours of streamed viewing). Always looking for a way to beat the system, Livesunkept discovered that if you disconnect your network adapter after a given movie has finished downloading (usually 15 to 20 minutes), and then clear your cache and cookies before reconnecting it at the end of the flick, Netflix will only charge you for a few minutes of viewing time even though you rightfully owe about two hours worth of credits. Now we don't really have time to watch movies around here -- thus no Netflix / Blockbuster subscriptions -- so we haven't been able to try this workaround out for ourselves and verify that it works. That's why we have commenters. So if you're a member of the Netflix posse, please do us a favor and report back after you've given this hack a whirl -- don't tell anyone else, though, or you'll risk ruining the supposed loophole for all the hard-working cheats and cheapskates out there.[Thanks, Livesunkept]
Twinbird's Link Zabady: for za splash-proof stream
Twinbird is tightening their grip on the nascent waterproof media device market with this, their Link Zabady video streaming solution. Plug the included black-box transmitter into your television or DVD player via S-Video or composite connections and stream the A/V out to that splash-proof, 7-inch LCD with 480x234 resolution. The kit features a remote control and charging dock for the LCD allowing for about 2.5-hours of untethered playback while scrubbing your tomato or perhaps even polishing your apple. Good times if you don't mind watching your vids on that highly reflective screen covered in droplets as pictured above. Expected on December 1 in Japan for ¥70,000 or about $591. [Via Impress]
MobiTV hits the VC jackpot, lands $70 million
Perhaps looking to get a quick hit of cash before the onslaught of competing services gets into full swing, MobiTV has announced a deal with Oak Investment Partners, a venture capital firm, to provide $70 million in exchange for a board seat. No word on what kind of spending spree will ensue, but MobiTV's saying that the cash will "fuel the Company's rapid expansion in response to the overwhelming demand for its mobile television and radio service across international markets." To their credit, the numbers show that these guys are growing pretty rapidly, clocking over a million total subscribers at latest count -- not bad for a company whose domestic carrier partners have launched at least partially competitive services. Having sampled MobiRadio, though, we'll say this much: we hope a few bucks of that VC cash goes toward offering higher-bitrate streams.[Via BusinessWeek]
