Google’s 2011 developer conference kicked off on Tuesday, May 10. Did you see the live blog? It’s O.K. if you didn’t. I’m not one of those How dare you not read everything I write! kind of writers. I just sort of fell into this whole blogging thing a few years back after my career in modern dance was cut short due to my lack of talent, …
Home Entertainment
YouTube’s Big Hollywood Push Goes Live
Starting today, YouTube is adding thousands of Hollywood-produced movies for rent, hoping to make the site more than just a place for Keyboard Cat and Chocolate Rain.
YouTube rentals aren’t a new concept. The Google-owned site has played around with movie rentals since last year, when it allowed users to pay for movies that were …
Why the World Still Needs the Slingbox
My Technologizer column for TIME.com this week is about the state of cable TV channels and shows on the Internet. It’s spotty–Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have introduced apps that turn iPads into portable TVs, but the entertainment industry doesn’t appear to be thrilled with that fact. And even though a high percentage of the …
Analyst: Apple May Be the Biggest, but Will Get Even Bigger
Apple may have recently become the more valuable tech company in the world, but one analyst believes that’s not enough for the corporate giant. James Altucher, investor with Formula Capital, is forecasting that Apple will grow from its current value of around $320 billion to somewhere in the region of $1-3 trillion.
What makes …
Hip Kids Contribute to TV Ownership Decline
A home without a TV isn’t quite as unheard of as it used to be.
New research from the Nielsen Company found that 96.7 percent of American homes have at least one television, down from 98.9 percent the last time Nielsen took count. This is the first time in 20 years that TV ownership has declined.
Nielsen partly blames the drop on …
YouTube Invests in 45 Upcoming Filmmakers, Takes Them to School (Literally)
Being a YouTube star is one thing, but if you’re going to be really good at it, you’re going to have to go to camp. The site has decided on the 45 video creators it believes in so much that it’s willing to put its money where its mouth is, enlisting them in Creator Camp or inviting them to be part of the YouTube Creator …
TiVo, Dish Network Reach $500,000 Settlement over DVR Patent Suit
Dish Network and former parent company EchoStar have settled their long-running patent lawsuit with TiVo by agreeing to pay the company $500 million for unlawful infringement of TiVo’s “Time Warp” DVR technology.
The settlement follows a costly legal battle that’s not only seen Dish faced with a court order to shut down all its DVRs …
Spotify to Add Movie Streaming? As Likely As Rocket Science, Says CEO
Spotify hasn’t even launched in the US yet, but rumor has it the European streaming music service may offer far more than just songs to wile away the hours. Recent buzz suggests Spotify plans to roll out a premium streaming movie rental service for customers this fall, and offer subscribers VoD access to features just weeks after …
Hulu Plus Is Great on Xbox Live; With Kinect, Not So Much
This article has been cross-posted from our partner site, Technologizer.
Hulu Plus comes to Xbox Live toady, and Microsoft let me have an early look along with a Kinect loaner unit to check out voice and motion controls.
If you’re not familiar with Hulu Plus, it’s an $8 per month streaming movie service focused mainly on …
Three Studios Say No to YouTube’s Movie Rental Plan
YouTube may be moving ahead with plans to stream Hollywood movies on demand, but not all of the major studios have signed on. According to the Wrap, Fox, Paramount and Disney have all refused to a deal so far, with Fox and Paramount even confirming that their intention is to “not move forward with any deal at this time.” The reason: …
Hulu Plus Debuts on Xbox 360
Confirming rumors that started to surface yesterday, Microsoft has confirmed that Hulu Plus will debut on Xbox Live tomorrow, with a free trial period for all Xbox Live users until May 6th.
Pete Thompson, General Manager, Xbox LIVE is quoted in the official release as saying “Hulu Plus is an important addition to support our continued …
DirecTV Considers a Netflix Rival
Sounds like DirecTV has a bit of Netflix envy.
In a recent web survey, revealed by Zatz Not Funny, DirecTV asks customers how they’d feel about “a streaming-only Netflix-like service for a flat fee per month, which would appear as a line item on your monthly bill.”
The service would offer thousands of movies and TV shows for …