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The Video Bay would threaten Hulu and YouTube if it had a chance of actually working
The new video-sharing site from the guys behind The Pirate Bay could be much more threatening to the TV and movie industries than BitTorrent, but is it really legally or technically feasible?
The Pirate Bay is the largest web venue in the world of sharing files via the BitTorrent protocol, and as you could probably guess if you didn't know already, the files shared include copyrighted material. A Swedish court made that determination and hit its founders with one year of jail time and a fine of over $3 million. The Pirate Bay's attempts to appeal the decision haven't gone well.
They seem unphased by this, though. They've just launched a very early test version of The Video Bay, a streaming video site that could let you watch copyrighted material ad-free without hassling with actually downloading the files on BitTorrent. Even if you don't have any qualms about giving the current (admittedly troubled) intellectual property laws the finger, don't get excited. We're not convinced The Video Bay is going to make it.
Around the web: pcworld.com
, bbc.co.uk (4 comments) , mirror.co.uk , TechCrunch (7 comments) , appscout.com , Gizmodo (3 comments) Profile pages: YouTube, Streaming video, The Pirate Bay, Hulu, piracy, The Video Bay, Google, BitTorrent, YouTube, P2P, Hulu, HTML, web browser, Kilobyte
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What cable companies should be doing instead of TV Everywhere
A new "authentication" service from Time Warner and Comcast wants to offer shows online only to existing cable subscribers.
Since this move has been brewing for a while it doesn't really come as much of a surprise, but this morning's announcements regarding a partnership between TWC and Comcast on the initiative put it officially back on the table for ridicule. Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts held a joint media conference to promote what Bewkes calls "TV Everywhere," a plan to make some programming not currently offered online available for web streaming — only to authenticated users who subscribe to existing cable service already. In an ironic PR-speak doublethink moment, Bewkes referred to this plan as “taking the TV industry to a new era” ... a new era in which one must continue to be subscribed to the old era.Much like the whole metered broadband brouhaha before it, TV Everywhere is a thinly veiled attempt to wedge some anti-competitive policy against the coming onslaught of internet video, which could potentially disintermediate the cable companies as the monopolistic content delivery pipes they have been for the past several decades. Commensurate with that cozy monopoly were comfy monopoly-inflated prices to consumers, which cable operators enjoyed and kicked back some of the wealth to media companies — making them strange bedfellows despite being quasi-enemies on paper.
Around the web: gigaom.com (11 comments)
, NewTeeVee (3 comments) , Techdirt , nytimes.com , mediamemo.allthingsd.com Profile pages: Comcast, Broadband, Hulu, Time Warner Cable, IPTV, Streaming video
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Virgin Mobile USA launches a la carte Broadband2Go plan for mobile 3G without a contract
Would-be digital nomads finally get a U.S. mobile broadband option without 2-year lock-in.
This could be great news for the swath of business travellers that sits between "goes to annual company meetup" and "is constantly in the air" — Virgin Mobile launched a pay-as-you-go Broadband2Go service, providing mobile 3G data connectivity using Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network, without the pain of having to sign a 2-year contract with a cell carrier. Unfortunately, the news comes with a couple of caveats, and they are doozies.
For one, the prices aren't that great. The $150 for the Novatel Ovation MC760 USB dongle without carrier subsidy is fine, but to use the service you buy "top-up cards" in size increments of 100, 250, 500 MB and 1 GB for $10, $20, $40, and $60 respectively. Beyond the fact that as compared to regular broadband prices it feels like having your wallet ripped straight through your body (even Time Warner's much-hated proposed cap pricing would have been better value), it actually gets worse — you have to use up the amount of data you paid for within 30 days (or more egregiously, 10 days in the case of the smallest 100 MB increment).
Around the web: MobileCrunch (28 comments)
, DSLreports Profile pages: 3G, Sprint, USB, Virgin Mobile, Broadband, tethering, EV-DO, EV-DO Rev. A
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Playboy claims Hulu support is coming soon to the Roku player, Roku says "what now?"
It seems unlikely given Hulu's paranoia about any scraps of TV content finding their way off your computer and onto any other device.
If there really isn't any truth to it, then it is a cruel rumour indeed, but that bastion of technology prescience Playboy Magazine went as far to etch it into ink on paper that Hulu support would be coming to the Roku streaming set-top box. When pressed for comment, Roku representatives played dumb, which is what they'd probably do in either case if it were true or untrue — so no help there.
What do we know? We know that Hulu has historically been staunchly opposed to any molecules of its content library escaping the confines of your personal computer, thanks to its cat and mouse game with the Boxee media center and others. On the other hand, they just released this sweet, sweet new Hulu Desktop application that makes for a wicked and remote controlled viewing experience that looks great on, say, a computer hooked up to a television set (whoa, crazy idea!). It would also look conspicuously great running on, say, a Roku set-top box hooked up to a television set. And yet, Hulu went out of its way — nay, bent over backwards — to stipulate in the terms of service for Hulu Desktop that it is expressly forbidden to run the app on anything other than a personal computer:
Around the web: Zatz Not Funny! (10 comments)
, Engadget HD (3 comments) , crunchgear.com (89 comments) , Alley Insider (2 comments) Profile pages: Hulu, Roku, Hulu, Hulu Desktop, Roku NetFlix Player, IPTV, Boxee, Set-top box, Streaming video
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Reality check: PSP Go is here, but UMD isn't going anywhere
Despite everyone heralding the arrival of the PSP Go as the end of UMD, Sony is dual-releasing all future titles on both UMD and digital download.
Time for a reality check for everyone crying tears of joy over the final death of UMD: UMD isn't going anywhere.
At E3 2009, Sony announced that the current PSP will continue to be sold alongside the PSP Go. Sony also announced that all future games would be dual released in both digital download and UMD format.
Sony did not discuss any plans to offer digital downloads of already purchased UMD titles to current PSP owners looking to upgrade to the PSP Go, so the PSP Go is clearly aimed at people who currently don't have a PSP or who have enough disposable money to burn on a new, more expensive PSP that won't play any of their current games without repurchase and which comes with a smaller screen (3.8 inches verses 4.3 inches) for about $80 more.
Sure, the PSP Go is more portable than the PSP, but it's not a good up-sell for current owners in this economy. There's no reason to go to a UMD-less platform when you've already invested a lot of money in multiple UMD titles. Because of this, I think the PSP will continue to outsell the PSP Go, just as the PlayStation 2 outsells the PS3. Anyone notice a trend here with Sony?
Profile pages: Sony, PSP-3000, Sony PlayStation Portable, Sony PSP Go, UMD
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Microsoft's E3 keynote wows with Project Natal going "beyond the controller" and social integrations to XBLA
Facebook, Twitter and last.fm integration will be coming to Xbox Live this fall.
Today kicks off the 2009 iteration of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, and Microsoft took to the stage for the first of the three major keynotes this afternoon (Nintendo and Sony will have to follow their act tomorrow). The biggest news in terms of hardware was certainly Project Natal, bringing completely controller-less gameplay and user interface navigation to the console via a peripheral looking something like a camera meets a sensor bar.
Totally absent was an announcement of a new console edition — perhaps to the relief of consumers and developers alike. With the new gesture control, full body mocap, and facial and voice recognition coming from Natal, game makers will have plenty to keep busy with in lieu of learning to program for entirely new console hardware.
Around the web: Joystiq (50 comments)
, kotaku.com Profile pages: Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox 360, Microsoft Xbox, Social networking, Facebook, Microsoft Zune HD, Microsoft Xbox Project Natal, Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Xbox 360, Twitter, last.fm, Zune marketplace
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AT&T's crippling of SlingPlayer for iPhone's 3G streaming invokes network neutrality
Two things we learn from AT&T's statement: they know their network sucks, and they want control over how you use your phone.
When it first headed over to Apple and awaited approval, the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone app was intended to work as it does on the other platforms it already runs on (Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry and Symbian) — specifically, that it would place-shift your TV content from your Slingbox over the 3G cell network as well as over Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the app finally debuts today for $29.99, but will only work over Wi-Fi because the 3G streaming capability has been removed.After the collective internets expressed shock and anger over this turn of events, AT&T came forward to make a statement claiming responsibility for crippling the 3G functionality (full statement via Engadget is included in the continued contents of this post). The gist of the reasoning was basically this: the iPhone is popular + video streaming consumes a lot of bandwidth + our bandwidth is limited = we can't allow SlingPlayer's video streaming on the iPhone on our network.
Let's unpack this a bit further with some help from brilliant minds in tech: Engadget's Chris Ziegler nails a great summary: "you're saying your 3G network would fold like a cheap suit if these apps took off." Yep. Beyond the widespread anecdotal evidence of frequently dropped calls at almost any time, we know from iPhone-toting geek mecca events like SXSW that AT&T's network simply just can't handle the load when stressed. And that was primarily non-video streaming usage, to boot.
Around the web: Engadget (31 comments)
, Engadget Mobile , Megite Technology News: What's Happening Right Now , mediamemo.allthingsd.com (2 comments) , jkOnTheRun , The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) (3 comments) , GigaOM (1 comment) Profile pages: Apple, 3G, Streaming video, HSPA, YouTube, SlingPlayer Mobile, Apple iPhone 3G, iPhone apps, AT&T, Sling Media Slingbox, placeshifting, Wi-Fi
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Kanye West is anti-social, doesn't use Twitter
Kanye West has posted an all caps rant on his blog decrying the abomination that is someone pretending to be him on Twitter to Twitter's founders.
What do you do when you're a mega-rich music star and someone starts impersonating you on Twitter? Why, you flip out, start screaming in all caps (for those of you who don't know, ALL CAPS TYPING IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING in online chat rooms, forums, and elsewhere), and generally act like a complete brat. At least, that's the way Kanye rolls.
See his full rant posted on his blog in which he calls out "THE HEADS OF TWITTER" multiple times and insults everyone who uses Twitter by implying that we're not as hard at work as he is: "I'M ACTUALLY SLOW DELIVERING CONTENT BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY ACTUALLY BUSY BEING CREATIVE MOST OF THE TIME AND IF I'M NOT AND I'M JUST LAYING ON A BEACH I WOULDN'T TELL THE WORLD. EVERYTHING THAT TWITTER OFFERS I NEED LESS OF."
Twitter closed down the fake Kanye account, which is good, I suppose, but couldn't West have just had his publicist politely reach out to the Twitter people? Does he really need more press?
Dear Kanye: Relax. Don't resort to letting your CAPS LOCK key talk for you, no matter how loud it may be. You pay people to talk for you in these instances, so let them do their jobs. Also, learn to multitask.
Profile pages: Twitter, Twitter, Inc.
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Facebook shuts down some Holocaust denial groups, bloggers demand more action
For days, a controversy has been raging on technology blogs: Facebook users have created groups as rallying points for Holocaust deniers, and some bloggers are campaigning to convince Facebook to shut them down.
The folks who run Facebook are no strangers to controversy, but the current uproar is arguably the most serious. It started when bloggers Michael Arrington and Brian Cuban openly criticized Facebook for allowing the continuing existence of user-created groups that serve as rallying points for people who deny that the Holocaust never occurred.
While Facebook has said that denying the Holocaust is not a violation of its terms of service agreement, bloggers have said that it's irrelevant whether it's a violation or not, and that it should be stopped immediately because it's a shallow facade for recruiting and rallying antisemites who would like to repeat the events of the Holocaust.
Facebook says it's been discussing the issue internally, and that it has decided that open discussion of ideas is a value it wants to uphold, as long as the "free speech" under scrutiny does not turn to promoting hatefulness or violence. On the other hand, some folks believe that Holocaust denial is intrinsically hateful — that Holocaust deniers are hiding behind ideas like "open discussion" and "free speech" to spread hatred of Jews.
Around the web: PC World
, Megite Technology News: What's Happening Right Now , eCoustics (6 comments) , CNET News.com (1 comment) , TechCrunch (37 comments) , TechCrunch (5 comments) , news.cnet.com (18 comments) , news.cnet.com (51 comments) Profile pages: Facebook, Social networking, Facebook, ToS, Blog
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Sony's plans to bring PlayStation Network to other devices is smart leveraging
Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer says keeping PSN a PS3-only service is too limiting; we agree.
In what is intriguing news considering the horizontal reach of consumer electronics giant Sony, CEO Sir Howard Stringer (above, right, with fashionable eyeware) stated intent in an interview with Japanese technology daily Nikkei to bring the digital distribution platform PlayStation Network to other devices besides its current sole client, the PlayStation 3: "We will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible."
In other words, PSN on more devices = more moneys. The move could also be a significant value-add to consumers of a potentially wide range of devices even beyond the PlayStation Portable whose upcoming revision is rumoured to forego a UMD media slot altogether, making direct digital downloads to the device even more essential. But beyond being a source of a wider range of downloadable content offerings including games, movies and other media content to the PSP, the PSN would be a welcome digital storefront counterpart to many Sony devices including Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs, the Walkman line, cell phones via the Sony Ericsson brand and possibly even digital imaging apps or content for digital cameras and camcorders.
Around the web: T3.com News
, TechRadar , Kotaku , Electronista Profile pages: Netflix, Amazon, Sony, PlayStation Network, Sony PlayStation, Sony PSP, Sony PlayStation 3, PSP-3000, Sony XEL-1 OLED TV, Sony PSP Go, Sony Ericsson W760a, Sony Ericsson K850i, Sony Ericsson W910, Sony Ericsson, Sony PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Home, Sony Bravia, DRM, Sony Handycam, UMD, Sony Cyber-shot, XrossMediaBar (XMB), Blu-ray, Sony Walkman, Sony Ericsson Walkman, Blu-ray profile 2.0, Sony Vaio, iTunes Store (iTMS), Sony WEGA
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