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YouTube seals deals with major studios to compete with iTunes
Google-owned YouTube plans to expand the premium on-demand video rental services offered through its website. Earlier this week, Google and YouTube reportedly closed deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Universal and Lionsgate to offer filmed content from these studios as streaming rentals -- including access to new releases the same day as competing movie-on-demand services. YouTube's new service is expected to compete with market leaders in the online video rental market: Apple and Amazon. In an effort to generate revenue with professionally produced content, YouTube began offering premium video rentals on its website about a year ago, starting with a limited number of films from the Sundance Film Festival, Weinstein Co. and MGM. But the Google subsidiary has struggled to transform its 130 million monthly users into a sizable audience for its paid and ad-supported feature films. This week's licensing agreements that expand YouTube's library of rental titles may help more customers see value in paying the website for access to Hollywood films and make it a more competitive rival to Apple's iTunes and Amazon's Instant Video services. Google isn't the only big brand making big moves in the streaming video business. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both DirecTV and Dish Network are exploring subscription streaming service businesses to challenge Netflix and iTunes. Meanwhile, cable television provider Comcast is trying to negotiate deals to offer premium video-on-demand options that would allow cable subscribers to enjoy new movies only 6–8 weeks after their theatrical release dates.
Google Video shutdown halted for now, Google slinging content over to YouTube itself
Seems Google sparked a bit of spirited debate when it decided to pull the plug on Google Video, because the company's put that plan on indefinite hold, telling users that it's looking for "an easier way" to migrate its massive archives of video to YouTube. Originally, Google gave users an ultimatum to download videos (or just tap a simple "Upload Videos to YouTube" button) before it erased them for good, but now Mountain View plans to automatically transfer content to YouTube itself. Why wasn't that the plan from day one? We'd guess that hosting terabytes of streaming video isn't cheap, folks.
RIM wants Hulu Plus on the Blackberry PlayBook, 'conversations' continue
RIM wants Hulu Plus on the just-released Blackberry PlayBook. It also wants everyone to know it wants Hulu Plus on the Blackberry PlayBook, after the streaming video service unceremoniously blocked access to its videos just days after the tablet's launch. Now, both PC Mag and The Wall Street Journal are reporting the same terse email statement from RIM: "We are in conversations with Hulu to bring the Hulu Plus subscription service to BlackBerry PlayBook users." No word on the content of those conversations or a timeline for resolution, so for now PlayBook users will need to find another way to satisfy their yearning for Seinfeld reruns.
YTLive web app lets you watch YouTube Live broadcasts on your iOS device
YouTube entered the live video streaming market with the launch of its YouTube Live service earlier this month. The high-profile video site is competing against similar live stream services, such as Ustream and Justin.tv. Unlike its competitors, YouTube Live uses only Flash technology to deliver its live stream. As a result, iOS owners are unable to watch these live feeds on their mobile devices. Coming to the rescue is a web app, YTLive, which lets you copy the URL of a YouTube Live feed and paste it into their web-based player. The player converts the live stream to a format compatible with iOS and lets you watch a broadcast within Mobile Safari. As long as YTLive's servers can handle the load of streaming video to millions of iOS devices, then we may have a winner. [Via Engadget]
Don't hold your breath for an Apple video streaming service
Flickr image by tpholland I'm pretty convinced every time an analyst opens his or her mouth about Apple and we post it, a kitten is eaten by a bear somewhere*. This week's "Wacky Analyst Random Rumormongering" comes from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek who claims that Apple is about to launch "a new far reaching cloud-based service" based on video. Oh, really? Let's examine the reasons why we are visiting fantasyland, shall we? At least Business Insider was so bold as to say this is "informed speculation," although that's pretty much what these analysts do, isn't it? Unfortunately, the speculation appears to have happened in a brushed-aluminum vacuum chamber, where Apple is capable of setting terms with media companies and ISPs at-will, and everyone works in a completely ego-free marketplace -- but none of those things are true in reality. Besides, the "streaming media" speculation has been around ever since this data center had a concrete foundation. Misek claims the data center is going live soon and that Apple will build others around the world. Plus, he says this data center is "too big" for mere music. Well, we knew the data center would go online this spring, since Apple told us all this in a quarterly earnings call. The part about building more around the world is pure speculation. Apple uses Akamai for caching, so why bother with more data centers so soon? It's possible, but I see no evidence considering how long it took to build this data center. Then again, Apple Retail has had a meteoric rise... As for the thing being "too big" for video, what about software services? This isn't just about storing petabytes of data, this is also about uptime, scaling and keeping monstrous amounts of data intact. You know, like email and calendars and possibly office documents.
Olion's Moov caught on video beaming an iPhone to a TV using a little WHDI and a lot of magic
Chubby DIY iPad cases aside, there aren't too many options if you want to bring video wirelessly from a mobile device to a wall-mountable TV. The Moov from Olion is one of the few, but sadly it doesn't really exist just yet. Don't be thrown off by a name shared with a windshield-mounted GPS, this is a battery-packing case for iPhones. Slot one in and you get instant, wireless streaming of data to a WHDI-compatible receiver. Video resolution is fair at 1,024 x 768 while latency is said to be less than 1ms at up to 30-feet in range. That's quick enough to get your Need for Speed on, as shown after the break, while the internal battery is said to provide enough juice for three hours of video streaming. Olion doesn't have a shipment date or price in mind right now, still searching for partners of the manufacturing kind. If you have the requisite means of production maybe this could be a match made in silicon -- and in love. [Thanks, Aviram]
Mushroom TelePorter does HD streaming over cellular, won't beam your on-air talent anywhere
If you need to be live and on the scene but can't be followed around with a remote truck and its retractable 100-foot antenna, you need a TelePorter. The camel-case 'P' should tell you that this is not the final realization of Gene Roddenberry's dream, rather a device created by Mushroom Networks, long known for products with goofy names like the PortaBella, which aggregates the bandwidth from multiple wireless modems to make one super mobile hotspot. The TelePorter basically takes that tech and adds some video wizardry to it, plus packaging that enables it to be mounted to the back of a camera. The result is live, full-HD streaming of footage straight from the camera and into the ether. Mushroom wouldn't tell us a price, saying that it varies based on configuration, but unless your camera's as big as the one pictured after the break we're thinking this might just put a real hurting on your budget.
Plex 1.1 for iOS improves streaming over 3G, pipes video to your TV
If you're not already running the Plex Media Server on one of the twenty-three beige boxes networked across your tiny domicile, you may be sorely tempted to install a copy this week, because the iOS app has just received a truly massive update. Where once the XBMC spinoff would have to transcode every video it delivered to your device across the ether, Plex claims it can now either bypass that CPU-intensive process or use an iOS-optimized technique, pumping H.264 video over the air far more efficiently. Second, it can deliver that content from iOS direct to your TV, via either a video-out cable or experimental support for AirPlay. Not bad, right? How's universal search sound -- the ability to type in a word and have the app reach out to local servers, remote servers, and online video services like YouTube and Vimeo too? Yeah, that $4.99 price tag is looking mighty affordable right about now, and there are plenty more improvements to peruse at the links below.
Plex 1.1 for iOS adds functionality, interface changes
Put simply, Plex version 1.1 is everything that FrontRow should be. For a start, it streams to your iDevice, presents plenty of online media ... you get the idea. The only advantage FrontRow has is price, and at US$4.99 Plex probably won't break the bank. The latest version includes many new and updated features, like improved subtitle and audio stream selection support, Direct Streaming and Direct Play support. One interesting addition is TV out and AirPlay support, though the latter is still "experimental," which suggests less-than-optimal performance. Plex 1.1 also offers much improved live encoding. For example, Plex 1.1 will note what your Apple TV 2 can manage and only convert what needs to be converted, leaving other streams intact. Plex 1.1 is available from the App Store now for $4.99. Also, grab Plex for Mac to enjoy video, music, pictures and more. Have fun, media buffs! [Via MacStories and 9to5 Mac]
PogoPlug Video and Buffalo CloudStor now shipping, streaming your stuff all over the place
Yes, you've seen these guys before, and now the latest PogoPlug offspring are ready to ship. Both PogoPlug Video and its storage-sporting cousin, the Buffalo CloudStor, put their own unique twist on the firm's remote access service. As you might recall, PogoPlug Video, which is now available exclusively from Best Buy for $200, allows you to hook up your external hard drives and share streaming video, music, and images to devices anywhere with internet access. Buffalo's CloudStor, on the other hand, provides the same cloud-based access, with a little something extra. It's the first PogoPlug branded gadget to sport integrated storage, and comes in three iterations, ringing in at $150 for 1TB, $210 for 2TB, and $250 for the 2TB Pro version. Now you can share all your favorite kitten clips, without ever uploading them to YouTube. Isn't that precious?
Orb TV streams video from your Mac to your TV
I've been playing around with the US$99 Orb TV for a few weeks now, and I have to say I'm quite impressed with it. For those of you not familiar with it, Orb TV is a media streamer that connects to your TV and lets you play any video from your computer to your television. It's shaped like a hockey puck, and at a 95 mm diameter and a 21 mm thickness, it comes in smaller than the new Apple TV. Despite a few hiccups in getting it connected the first day, I've found the Orb TV easy to use. Simply connect the component or composite cables from the Orb TV device to your TV, then launch the Orb software on your Mac. The Orb software will search your media libraries and pick up all your non-DRM video, music and photos. Next, download the free Orb Controller universal iOS app and navigate through you video library with ease. When you find a video you want to play, simply tap it to play it now or add it to your video queue. It's also important to note that the Orb TV doesn't have an interface -- not one that appears on your TV screen anyway. You control everything through the Orb Controller on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. There is also an Orb Mini Controller for Mac and PC for those users without an iOS or Android device. Orb TV also allows you to watch Hulu, Netflix and YouTube videos right through your TV. But my favorite thing about the Orb TV is that it picks up any non-DRM video -- not just video in your iTunes music library -- on your Mac and streams it to your TV. This means that you don't have to have all your movies in one central location on your Mac, nor do they have to be in one specific format as Orb supports H.264 BP/MP/HP, VC-1 SP/MP/AP, MPEG4 SP/ASP, MPEG2 MP and MPEG1. The biggest drawback is the lack of an HDMI port. Still, my HD video came in clear and crisp on my 1080p TV. Also the Orb controller software could use a bit of a redesign. It works just fine, but it has more of a bare bones UI as opposed to a well thought out software controller feel. That being said, for $99, the Orb TV is a good product for those looking to stream videos from their Mac to their HDTV. %Gallery-119625%
Hulu for Android coming soon, destined for 'select' phones with Android 2.2?
Since the dawn of Flash on Android -- yes, that was just ten months ago -- Google smartphone users been largely unable to access their favorite Hulu programs on the go. At CES 2011, we heard that Hulu would indeed come to Android, but not when or where. Today, we're a step closer to the answer. An eagle-eyed Engadget reader spotted this image at the company's website, depicting a most unusual combo: an image of a Samsung Nexus S (which comes with Android 2.3) and a suggestion that Hulu Plus will soon be available on a subset of devices running Android 2.2. We can't say which devices quite yet, but we've heard this tune before, and suspect Hulu will only run on phones that have DRM baked into their hardware. Now how about that Google TV? [Thanks, Raymond D.]
SlingPlayer Mobile for Android - now with high quality video
There you have it. High quality video streams, just like the iPhone has -- undoubtedly provided by your SOLO or PRO-HD Slingbox -- on your Android SlingPlayer Mobile client. If you haven't already copped, it'll be $29.99, while owners should just mash the upgrade all button until they're rewarded with version 1.2.
Amazon launches Prime Instant Video, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers
We heard it was coming and now here it is. Amazon has flipped the switch on its "free" video streaming for Prime members, the service we've been hearing about for the past month or so. If you've already been taking advantage of subscription-based two-day shipping so that your impulse buys get to your door a little quicker you can now enjoy streaming of 5,000 pieces of "prime eligible" content, including some recent movies and a lot of TV shows, much of which will look awfully familiar if you're also a Netflix subscriber. However, on some foreign films (like The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest above) you have the choice of subtitles or dubbed, and much of this content is still available to "rent" or "buy" if you want to be able to download it to a mobile device. We're just checking out the service now and will be back with some impressions a little later. Update: We're hearing that this is only for paid Prime subscribers, so if you're a college student or the like with a free membership you're sadly out of luck. Also it's US only at this point. Sorry! Update 2: Check out our impressions! [Thanks, Chris]
Hulu CEO welcomes back The Daily Show & more from Viacom, lays out a battle plan for the future
The news spinning around Hulu hasn't been positive lately, with increasing competition and rumors of a change in business model, but CEO Jason Kilar's latest blog post tells a different side of the story. First, after popular choices like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were unceremoniously yanked back in April it has a new deal with Viacom that's bringing those shows back to Hulu and Hulu Plus starting today, with episodes of current shows like Jersey Shore and Tosh.0 showing up 21 days after they air. Strictly for the pay subscribers, library episodes of The Chappelle Show and others will show up on Hulu Plus. As for the future of the business, he sees Hulu as able to serve trends giving customers more convenient video access with less ads and more social media presence -- a goal we can get behind, but that may leave content providers wondering how they'll get paid in this shiny new world. To that end he's touting the growth of Hulu's ad revenue as seen in the chart after the break and the rising number of Hulu Plus subscribers with a promise to hit 1 million this year. While that's well behind Netflix's most recent count, he's taking a new shot at the throne by claiming Hulu can afford to pay more for content and that studios should start signing deals on per-user, per-month basis instead of the flat rates Netflix has negotiated so far. Give the full thing a read to get a better idea of where Jason's head is at (when he's not planning a GTL run, check the pr after the break for more details on that), we'll be busy watching Jon Stewart's interview with Michael Steele. Update: Peter Kafka over All Things Digital has word that the deal cost Hulu somewhere between $40m and $50m -- and that sum could increase depending upon the shows' performance.
Boxee delays Netflix integration again, cites security requirements as the culprit
We hoped Boxee would surprise us at the eleventh hour and announce it had finally added Netflix to the service -- technically making good on its end of January deadline. Instead, the company's blog is now reporting that the service is "anticipated soon." Apparently, the service is running fine on the device in the company's offices -- which, mind you they said back in December too, -- but it still failed to satisfy Netflix's security requirements. While that sounds like a big thing to miss in our books, a comment by Boxee's VP of Marketing, Andrew Kippen, suggests the company just discovered the issue only an hour before midnight. This marks the second time users have been asked to re-adjust their expectations for when the big red box might pop up on their favorite media manager, but to Boxee's credit, we were glad to see the company come right out with the situation instead of leaving us all on pins and needles. Now, let's just hope this whole incident gets sorted out pronto, so we don't have to break bad news to our Watch Instantly lovin' hearts ever again.
Boxee names Viewster as first global VOD provider, still no word on Netflix
It looks like Boxee may be punting its deadline for Netflix integration again, but it did throw global users a small bone via a new partnership with Viewster to add "premium VOD content." If the Viewster brand doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, we didn't know much about it either. A little sleuthing on its parent company site, though, revealed the service provides access to hit movies and TV shows (some in 720p), as well as day-and-date releases and ad-supported content "wherever possible." The site also boasts the library has 5,000 plus titles, licensed from over 100 suppliers like iTunes, Hulu, Sony, and ironically Netflix -- but that includes short content clips too. Naturally, we wanted to check out available titles for ourselves, but quickly learned that the library can only be browsed on Viewster-compatible devices after registering and providing payment details upfront, which set our scheme sensors a ringin'. Specifics on when Viewster access will appear on Boxee or what pricing will be like is also unknown, so for now feel free to join us in being vaguely underwhelmed after reading the full PR below. [Thanks, PJ]
AirPlay video support comes to Linux courtesy of Totem media player plug-in
This one's about as unofficial as it gets, but Linux users do now have a relatively easy way to receive and play video streamed to their PC via Apple's AirPlay. To get things going, all you have to do is download a plug-in for the Totem media player (which ships with most popular Linux distributions), install it in the usual Linux fashion, and then start streaming video to your Linux PC with AirPlay just as if it were an Apple TV. That's it. Hit up the link below to find the plug-in, along with some more detailed installation instructions if you need them.
App review: AirView
We just came across a neat little iOS app called AirView which, as you can probably tell from the name, transforms your iOS devices into AirPlay video receivers. And since iOS can also output video via AirPlay, this means you can use AirView to either grab AirPlay streams from your computer's iTunes, or you can stream videos from one iOS device to another (provided that they are both running iOS 4.2 and above, of course). Theoretically, little work is required to get the ball rolling -- just launch the app, then play your desired video clip from the source, and finally pick your client device using the AirPlay button. We say theoretically, because it took us awhile to figure out that none of our purchased videos worked, even though AirPlay supports DRM content -- the assumption is that AirView lacks the component for receiving authorization key. Alas, we stuck with our, ahem, homemade videos which actually worked very well over both iTunes-to-iOS and iOS-to-iOS connections, although sometimes we had to relaunch AirView and the iPod app to start a new stream. Perhaps some folks will have better luck than us, so feel free to give this app a go -- it is free, after all. Video demo after the break.
iOS 4.3 beta arrives for devs, brings AirPlay video support to apps, personal hotspot and customizable iPad side switch (update: video!)
We'd been disappointed to find that iOS 4.2 only brought AirPlay video support to built-in Apple apps on the iPhone and iPad, but it looks like that's changing soon -- Apple just posted up the first iOS 4.3 beta, which allows devs to send video from apps or websites to an Apple TV. There's also a new beta of the Apple TV software for testing it out -- it doesn't have any version notes, so we don't know if it offers any additional features as well. There are quite a few new features included in 4.3: personal hotspot is indeed included on the iPhone, although it needs to be enabled on the carrier side to work, and the iPad's side switch can now be set back to being an orientation lock, which should make a lot of people very happy. The iPad also gains some multitouch multitasking gestures, which are pretty interesting, actually: you can use four or five fingers to pinch to the home screen, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, and swipe left or right between apps. We're also seeing a new FaceTime icon on the iPod touch, which is nice, and 9to5 Mac noticed that the iPad now supports fullscreen iAd banners, which is less nice. Check after the break for a quick video of the iPad gestures. Update: The Photos app has also gained new AirPlay functionality for photos and videos, and there's a slightly tweaked camera shutter sound, as well as bigger app icons in the App Store's Update menu. [Thanks, Matt and Brian]
