Posts Tagged ‘Streaming’
Viacom Pulling "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" From Hulu [Hulu]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on March 3rd, 2010
Tragedy! The New York Times is reporting that Viacom is going to pull "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report," and other Comedy Central properties off of Hulu next week. The reason, as always: money. The bigger question: who's next?
Apparently Viacom realized the importance of "The Daily Show" to Hulu—it's consistently one of the site's most popular programs and is clearly in sync with the Hulu demographc—and wanted outsized compensation, possibly including upfront payment.
You'll still be able to watch rebroadcasts of John Stewart and Stephen Colbert on TheDailyShow.com and ColbertNation.com. But the larger point seems to be that if you're not one of Hulu's major network stakeholders, sharing your content on the site may not be financially viable. That doesn't immediately impact many popular shows outside of Viacom's cadre, but if Hulu wants to be a big tent for online video, they're going to need the participation of third-party content providers. Of which there are plenty, including BBC America, WB, and a whole lot of niche content providers with passionate fan bases.
Maybe Hulu's inevitable pay model will be a solution that helps spread the wealth a little better. But if they lose many more shows by then, it may not even matter. [NY Times]
ProVision’s AXAR to wirelessly stream HD content to just about anything
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on January 3rd, 2010
The world needs another wireless HD system like it needs another thousand gallons of goop spinning in the middle of the Pacific, but regardless of the facts, ProVision is set to introduce one such system at CES this week. According to details scrounged up by Pocket-lint, the AXAR technology will function much like WHDI does currently. The difference? Increased range and a knack for distributing to more than just an HDTV. It’s expected that AXAR will find its way into TVs, set-top boxes and a range of network devices in time for Christmas 2010, where it will allow any AXAR-enabled device (a laptop, phone, PMP, HDTV, PC, etc.) to receive 1080p content from a media player, Blu-ray player or similar. Better still, it can also distribute those signals to WiFi-enabled products if your network can handle it. Currently, the tech can support two separate HD streams at the same time, and it can broadcast ‘em to a living space that’s three times that of the Buckingham Palace. We’ll be sure to poke our nose around for more at CES, but in the meanwhile, feel free to catch a few first impressions down in the source link.
ProVision’s AXAR to wirelessly stream HD content to just about anything originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Netflix, Hollywood Politics and the War for Streaming Movies [NetFlix]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 30th, 2009
Even as Netflix adds Criterion movies (yes!) to its burgeoning Watch Instantly library, the studios eye their intentions ever more suspiciously, worried Netflix may be sowing the seeds of Hollywood's destruction. Which could mean fewer movies for us.
The deal with Starz that gives Netflix (and us) streaming access to newer movies apparently arched a lot of eyebrows, and even Netflix admitted it's gonna have to start getting permission directly for studios—probably paying more for the movies. It's also gotta fight the entrenched window system, the strange path a movie follows from theatrical release to DVD to HBO to cable, which is how movie studios continue to pull profits out of a movie long after it leaves the big screen.
BusinessWeek makes it clear it's not gonna be easy. But that just means I'll be watching fewer movies. [BW]
Roku Player Will Soon Stream Porn [Roku]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 27th, 2009
I guess this was hinted at back in November, but now it's an all but certain reality: the Roku player will soon stream NSFW porn to your television set.
The streaming, no pun intended, comes from EroticVision.TV. The company will deliver a number of channels to your Roku player, but for now all we know of is "Wasteland.com." For the unfamiliar, that's a BDSM website.
Parental controls will bar yougins from seeing any BDSM tomfoolery, and to access the content you'll have to register your box with EroticVision.TV. Uh, enjoy? [CrunchGear]
AT&T’s Warped View of the Internet [At&t]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 22nd, 2009
Did you know? Unless you have a 3Mbps internet connection, you can't use Facebook. Without 12Mbps internet, you can't even email files! And just forget streaming video without at least 18Mbps internet. Welcome to the internet, according to AT&T.
This chart for AT&T U-Verse internet makes no sense whatsoever. For one, what's the difference between "watching TV/video clips" and "streaming video" and why does one need just 12 measly megabits, while the other needs 18? Also, the numbers just don't work. Even full HD 1080p streaming video through Zune on Xbox Live just requires 10Mbps-12Mbps of bandwidth.
If anything, it's the internet gaming that needs 12Mbps, as I was sadly reminded while trying to download the entirety Left 4 Dead 2 over the 6Mbps AT&T DSL I've got in GA—the fastest internet AT&T will give me. I'd console myself with Hulu, but you know, it might not work. [AT&T, Thanks Slacker!]
Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 18th, 2009
Continue reading Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly
Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
EyeTV 3 Users Can Now Stream Live TV From Home to iPhone For Free [EyeTV]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 16th, 2009
Elgato’s EyeTV Live3G web app lets you stream live television from your Mac to your iPhone for free. It’s similar to the iPhone app they announced in October, except that it allows for 3G streaming, not just wireless. Available now, here. [Elgato]
Comcast On Demand Online renamed Fancast Xfinity TV, now streaming nationwide
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 15th, 2009
After taking some time in limited beta, Comcast has renamed its TV Everywhere streaming venture Fancast Xfinity TV and made it available nationally to all customers with internet and cable TV subscriptions. A simple browser plugin authorizes up to 3 computers per account, but now that it’s live we’ve found more has changed than just its unfortunate new name. Users won’t need to be at home to activate their computers for viewing; all that’s needed is a login and with plenty of cross browser compatibility it should work easily no matter your setup anywhere within the U.S. For us, the Comcast Access installer worked flawlessly on one Windows 7 equipped netbook while failing with an error message tech support couldn’t decipher on a similar desktop. Once up and running, there’s even some high-definition streaming video available (Juno, Max Payne, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary and others) with more on the way. All told there’s about 2000 hours of content online including HBO and Starz restricted items, peep the full list on Fancast.com or check out the setup and viewing process in our gallery below. Technical glitches aside, for the price of absolutely nothing over our current cable and internet bill with HD streaming already active, we may have a new way to keep up with our stories while on the go.
Gallery: Comcast Fancast Xfinity TV
Comcast On Demand Online renamed Fancast Xfinity TV, now streaming nationwide originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Playon!HD Mini Takes On The Best HD Media Players [Media Players]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 15th, 2009
It's a bit pricier than our favorite media player, the O!Play at $144, but the miniaturized Playon!HD from A.C. Ryan does include support for internet streaming services, NAS and USB attached storage along with 1080p.
Basically, PlayonHD Mini is a smaller version of A.C. Ryan's original HD media player, but it doesn't sacrifice much other than an internal drive bay and a card reader. It doesn't seem like a bad deal overall, unless you compare it to a full-featured HTPC. [A.C. Ryan and Engadget]
Apple Approves King of Live Streaming Video Apps, Ustream [IPhone]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 9th, 2009
It was only last week that we reported on Apple allowing the first live-streaming program onto its App Store, Live Knocking Video. Now the floodgates have opened, with Ustream’s app available not just for jailbroken iPhones any more.
Ustream has had an official iPhone app available for a while now, but due to Apple’s strict policies users could only upload video online after filming was finished—ie, not live at all. Enabling live streaming video from your iPhone to the internet, it works over a 3G connection and can update Twitter/Facebook etc of your live-streaming status.
You’ve probably seen updates from friends before, using Ustream or Qik on other devices (or jailbroken iPhones), but this week’s app launch is big news for anyone who’s been following the live-streaming video debacle.
If you’re tossing up whether to spunk your money on Live Knocking Video or Ustream, we’d suggest going for the latter as it has one major advantage over Knocking—the ability to stream video to the internet, rather than purely to another iPhone. Of course, you can’t ignore Knocking’s developer’s gall, emailing Steve Jobs himself to get his app approved. [Ustream via TechCrunch]
