Watch out, Netflix: There’s a new player in the online video space, with the kind of past history that should probably make you a little nervous. Introducing VDIO, the new streaming video-on-demand service from the people who brought you Skype. And Napster. And Apache. You’ll find some Microsoft veterans in there, too.
Home Entertainment
Tila, Quarterlife and $#*!: Why Social Media and Old Media Don’t Mix
The news that Warner Bros. has purchased a movie pitch as the result of posts made on Reddit shouldn’t come as a surprise to many people; if there’s one thing that social media has proven over the years, it’s that it exists as fodder for the creation of “mainstream” media like movies, television shows and music—as well as numerous news …
YouTube to Launch 25 New Professionally-Created Content Channels?
Not content going head-to-head with Netflix and iTunes by offering streaming video-on-demand movie rentals, YouTube is rumored to be close to announcing a $150-million plan to unveil multiple new channels of all-original content in the hopes of becoming a rival to major television networks
The project, which according to Deadline New …
Why Hulu’s Not for Sale Anymore
To everyone who entered a bid to try and buy Hulu: Apparently, you didn’t offer enough. According to a statement released yesterday by Hulu joint owners the Walt Disney Corporation, News Corporation and Providence Equity Partners (as well as senior Hulu management), the owners have “terminated the sale process” for the company, due to …
The CW Signs Potential Billion-Dollar Netflix Streaming Deal
If you’ve recently realized that your guilty television pleasures run to shows such as Supernatural, Nikita and The Vampire Diaries, then congratulations: You’re a fan of the CW network. And thanks to a new deal announced yesterday, it’s going to be easier than ever to catch up with your favorite shows starting later this month, when …
The Digital Media Revolution: Analog Strikes Back
If you consider the move towards predominantly digital media to be a slow but inevitable one, recent events in the worlds of movies and comic books might make you want to reconsider that last part.
In the past week, protests by movie theater owners have pushed Universal to scrap plans to test a premium video-on-demand release for the …
Don’t Be Blue: ‘Avatar’ Named Most Pirated Movie of All Time
Jake Sully may have saved Pandora from destruction, but it doesn’t look like he was able to do the same for the American movie industry. Just two years after being released, James Cameron’s Avatar has been named the most pirated movie of all time in a new study by TorrentFreak.
At an estimated 21 million downloads, Cameron’s …
No iCloud Movies Yet, but Apple’s Working On It
Don’t blame Apple for the iCloud’s inability to stream and re-download iTunes movies. The issue here is a Hollywood system full of complications and competing interests.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s in talks with Hollywood studios for the rights to include movies in iCloud. At present, you can use iCloud to re-download …
1.6 Million Sony Bravia TVs Might Catch Fire, Free Inspection Offered
Sony Bravia TV feeling a little warm to the touch? Haven’t had to heat the home because the TV’s keeping things toasty all by itself? Maybe it’s because your flatscreen has a hidden feature you didn’t know about, say something called “yuppie campfire.”
No? Still, it turns out there is a global problem with Sony Bravia-brand TVs sold …
Roku Dips Below $50, Adds HBO GO
Roku, which pretty much invented the cheap, easy-to-use Internet TV streaming box, is the sort of scrappy startup which you might have assumed would get steamrolled by mammoth competitors early on.
Instead, it’s continued to do well even as Apple and Google have muscled in on its territory—in part because it’s a fine product, in …
New Version of iTunes Available, iOS 5 Update Coming Soon
You can now download iTunes 10.5 from Apple’s website, which might not be a bad idea if you’re planning on installing the new iOS 5 software on your iPhone, iPad and/or iPod Touch when it becomes available tomorrow. Apple’s tubes might get a bit clogged once everyone starts trying to grab iOS 5, so maybe get the new iTunes installed now
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U.K. ISPs Deny Automatic ‘Parental Control’ Rumors
Despite rumors to the contrary, British internet service providers would like it to be known that customers will have as much access to pornography as they’ve always enjoyed.
The four largest British ISPs—British Telecom, TalkTalk, Virgin and Sky—have been forced to clarify that porn-blocking parental controls will not be set as …