06/08, 9:25pm
Hulu paid subs for iPad could be ready soon
Hulu's rumored paid subscription service should be ready considerably sooner than thought, a pair of sources claimed Tuesday night. The TV streaming service should be ready within the "next month or two" and at some point should involve the iPad and Xbox 360. Rates weren't discussed, but the Reuters contacts echoed views that the free web-based service would still offer newer shows while the paid version would allow for older shows and other, unspecified content.
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06/02, 5:05pm
Hulu coming to Xbox Live as paid service?
A reliable source told GearLive that Microsoft will announce it will bring the first paid Hulu service to its Xbox Live service for the Xbox 360. The announcement is expected to come at the E3 show in two weeks, with Microsoft holding a press conference on the 14th. Like the currently available Netflix service, Hulu would be on the Xbox 360 dashboard and would require a subscription fee.
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05/27, 1:00pm
NBC and Time Warner hoping Flash bites Apple
A number of major studios that include NBC and Time Warner are deliberately rejecting HTML5 video in favor of Flash, rumors maintained today. TV networks have allegedly told Apple they have no plans to switch as the cost and results wouldn't be worthwhile. None of the involved companies has confirmed or denied the remarks.
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05/26, 8:55pm
Bitbop gives testers major video streams
Bitbop today quietly entered the first part of its beta. Four BlackBerry devices can download or stream TV shows from 25 providers, such as CBS, Fox and NBC. Android phones, iPhones and movies aren't part of the early testing but should come later.
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05/18, 10:00am
Hulu Plus won't make May 24 date
The Hulu Plus subscription service is in "no way" ready for its rumored May 24th trial date, a follow-up leak claimed today. While an updated schedule isn't available, the $10 plan is said to be still far too distant. The AllThingsD tipster didn't explain what was holding up the expanded service, although negotiations with ABC, Fox and NBC are possible candidates.
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05/13, 3:25pm
Wei: Technology 'not ready yet'
Hulu -- the TV streaming service owned by ABC, NBC and Fox -- will not be switching to HTML5 anytime soon, according to the company's product VP, Eugene Wei. "We continue to monitor developments on HTML5, but as of now it doesn’t yet meet all of our customers' needs," Wei writes in a blog post. "Our player doesn’t just simply stream video, it must also secure the content, handle reporting for our advertisers, render the video using a high performance codec to ensure premium visual quality, communicate back with the server to determine how long to buffer and what bitrate to stream, and dozens of other things that aren’t necessarily visible to the end user."
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04/28, 4:50pm
Hulu may not reach Britain but will see Android
Hulu's plans shifted today with a pair of leaks, one of which is its own. A news tip from network executives alleges that the TV streaming service has been scrapped for the UK in the near future as they and Hulu have failed to reach deals. The Telegraph sources allege that ITV refuses to allow its content beyond its own web service and that both Channel 4 and Five object to Hulu having control over which ads are sold.
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04/22, 9:30am
Hulu Plus may use library as incentive for subs
Hulu is about to test a paid subscription service that would count on accessing its back library to drive business, a rumor late Wednesday said. The Hulu Plus plan would give the five most recent episodes of any TV show for free but would charge $10 per month for access to older episodes. When it would start wasn't said by the LA Times sources, but a trial service would start May 24th.
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04/14, 3:25pm
ABC iPad app hits 205K downloads in 10 days
ABC late Tuesday said that its iPad app has been extremely successful in the first 10 days since launch. The TV studio saw 205,000 downloads, or about 41 percent of the 500,000 iPad owners as of Wednesday. Viewers have also seen 650,000 episodes, or almost 3.2 TV shows per person.
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04/01, 8:15am
iPad would get Hulu and Netflix streaming soon
Two of the most important Internet video websites are planning native iPad apps, a pair of leaks showed in the past few hours. One set of tips claims that the Hulu iPad app is real and will carry a subscription that will also cover other services. Core details have reportedly been worked out, with only rights negotiation is left over.
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03/26, 9:55am
Google TV set-top may be secondary device
Google's increasingly rumored Google TV media hub may be consciously designed to avoid frightening cable and satellite providers if a new leak bears fruit. Rather than serve as a complete replacement for a TV set-top box, it would have its own HDMI input and daisy-chain from an existing piece of equipment. The Android device would take information from the TV provider's own device but would be marketed as a way of bringing the Internet and apps to an existing setup that could carry a subscription premium.
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03/25, 8:00am
CBS does end-run around Flash for iPad videos
CBS has publicly revealed that it has begun testing videos optimized for the iPad and bypass Flash entirely. Episodes of shows such as CSI: Miami and The Young and the Restless have been marked as "iPad - test" and, if visited by a browser identifying itself as an iPad, takes the user to a special HTML5 page that would load the clip in a frame. The videos themselves don't currently work, but HTML5 extras like a full-screen mode already work.
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03/22, 3:40pm
Hulu now known banning TV browser
Hillcrest Labs confirmed its suspicions Monday afternoon with word that Hulu is deliberately blocking its new Kylo web browser from playing videos on the site. Dan Simpkins, Hillcrest's CEO, didn't get an explanation but believed that Hulu saw the TV-friendly interface as enough of a threat to conventional services by itself that it had to be banned. The executive was optimistic that talks would change Hulu's attitude.
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03/22, 11:45am
Kylo aims at Mac and Windows HTPCs
Loop pointer creator Hillcrest Labs began its week through Kylo, one of the first web browsers explicitly meant for home theater PCs. The app gives a Mac or Windows PC an interface designed for the larger sizes and longer viewing distances of modern flat panels. Both the user interfaces and fonts are larger, and most toolbars are moved out of the way to make room for the page; an on-screen keyboard reduces the need for a peripheral beyond a mouse.
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03/17, 6:40pm
Android TV box helped by Intel, Logitech, Sony
Google's rumored Android-based TV box is real and has some of the world's largest electronics companies involved in making it a reality, a major leak has revealed tonight. Now titled Google TV, the project would see Sony produce the first hardware while Intel would supply Atom chips and help engineer the software. Logitech is also said involved by the NYT source and would make a remote with a keyboard.
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03/08, 6:00pm
HP promo shows AIR, Flash, small keyboard
HP has put up a new video (seen below) of its Windows 7 slate in a direct jab at the iPad. The clip shows the tablet running Adobe's Flash for sites like Hulu as well as AIR for out-of-browser apps like Pandora radio. The presenters add that Flash on the tablet is boosted by hardware and should support HD video for "hours and hours" on a battery charge.
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02/19, 11:30am
Hulu may be pay only beyond the web
Hulu's iPad-native player may come with a paid subscription attached, leaks hint today. The normally free web service would carry a rate to help prop up the presently cash-negative company and may include extras to make the subscription worth the investment. One studio executive, however, tells AllThingsD that access to Hulu beyond a computer may be considered enough.
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02/17, 11:45am
HBO Go gives online viewing to TV subs
Premium cable channel HBO on Wednesday took its streaming video service HBO Go out of beta. The feature is meant as a complement to a TV subscription and gives those with an existing TV subscription access to about 600 hours of the station's shows through a web browser. The service is much larger than the previous HBO On Demand.
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02/11, 9:45am
iTunes TV would be 99c to ignite iPad video
A second slip in less than a day (subscription required) hints that Apple will halve iTunes TV show prices to fuel iPad sales. The WSJ's "people familiar with the matter" say that while Apple has been selling a handful of shows for about $1, it has been negotiating with studios to apply that price "more broadly" by the time the iPad ships in late March. No deals have yet been struck, according to these sources.
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02/10, 5:55pm
Hulu may skip Flash to reach iPad
Hulu has been developing a version of its website just for the iPad, a rumor asserts today. One believed insider claims Hulu has been readying a version of its page that would drop Flash altogether and put videos in a format friendly to mobile Safari. It would potentially be ready in time for when the iPad ships in late March.
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02/04, 6:15pm
Claim studios blocked Boxee may be false
NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker asserted at hearings today that Hulu, not NBC, was responsible for blocking Boxee from accessing its videos. When questioned about the move in justifying the Comcast NBC merger, Zucker said Hulu executives made the decision themselves since Boxee was "illegally" taking content from the streaming TV site without having agreed to a deal. Outside deals are acceptable with formal terms, he said.
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02/04, 4:45pm
Disney to intro paid Hulu service in future
Decisions have not yet been made about launching a paid premium Hulu video service, according to Disney Executive Vice President Kevin Mayer. The site will be offering some type of paid service in the future, however, though Mayer offered no details. The free, ad-supported content will remain, but the new service may come in the form of a monthly subscription, a pay-per-download charge or a streaming rental.
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01/29, 5:55pm
Hulu alludes to going beyond desktop
Hulu chief Jason Kilar at a conference this week said his company will make a push into mobile that could include key platforms. Asked about supporting an Apple tablet before the iPad launch, Kilar made it clear that the TV streaming service will "embrace any device" and won't lock itself into supporting any one platform. He adds to GigaOM that Hulu expects mobile to be complimentary to the desktop rather than detrimental.
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01/21, 1:40pm
Online music sales not yet at turning point
Online sales of music were up significantly in 2009 but still weren't enough to compensate for dropping CD sales, the IFPI said today in its annual overview. The revenue from Amazon, iTunes and other sources climbed 12 percent to $4.2 billion during the year, but a corresponding drop in CD sales is estimated to have made total revenues shrink by 8 to 9 percent to about $15.6 billion.
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01/21, 12:50pm
Hulu leak has $5 fee for complete access
Hulu may start charging for some of its content if a Thursday rumor comes to fruition. Reputed insiders say the video streaming site is so far considering two key business models, one of which would charge based on perceived popularity. Ongoing, high-profile shows like 30 Rock and House would cost extra to watch, although it's unsaid to the LA Times whether this would be per-episode or as part of a flat-rate package.
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12/24, 5:15pm
Netgear starter network AV hub reviewed
Netgear has made a few forays into the home entertainment market over the past few years with various networked media hubs. The Entertainer Live is Netgear’s budget offering , with an asking price of only $150. But unlike other high-end media extenders that include hundreds of gigabytes of storage, the Entertainer Live only streams data from networked sources, the Internet, or your own source. We'll discover in our full DE Live! review if this seemingly simple device hits a budgeting and feature set sweet spot.
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12/24, 2:25pm
Warner Music adds videos to Hulu service
Warner Music Group announced this past Tuesday that it will provide its music videos, concerts and other related content to Hulu's free online video service. At the same time, Hulu users will now be able to access artist interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of recording labels that include Atlantic Records, Rhino Records and Warner Bros Records. Muse will be the first band to get their music content displayed on Hulu.
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12/15, 4:20pm
Comcast xfinity TV tries to keep users on cable
Comcast today brought its TV Everywhere project out into the open by launching xfinity TV as an extension of its Fancast service. The former trial and now beta product lets those who subscribe to both Comcast's Internet service and its TV services have free access to a large amount of the content normally available only on cable, including HBO.
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12/07, 1:15pm
Joojoo tablet designed only by Fusion Garage
As promised, Fusion Garage today responded to its legal battle with TechCrunch by formally announcing its results in the wake of the CrunchPad's "death." Now called the Joojoo based on an African term for magic, the device has the familiar 12-inch capacitive touchscreen and boots into its front end as little as 9 seconds. Its main menu has visual links to common websites like Hulu and Twitter and is now known to support the offline versions of some apps, like Gmail.
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12/03, 12:15pm
Hulu to stay the same, but cable channels out
Hulu won't undergo a shakeup following the Comcast buyout of NBC, the cable provider said during a conference call to discuss the merger. Comcast chief operating officer Stephen Burke called Hulu's existing business model "smart and appropriate" and said there weren't any plans to change the way the streaming video site works. He points out that the split already works in Comcast's favor, as much of Hulu's content comes from basic cable and leaves out the premium channels that Comcast would want to reserve for On Demand Online.
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12/03, 7:55am
Comcast has controlling stake, GE minority
Comcast today confirmed late rumors and bought a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal that gives it control of the studio. The deal sees GE maintain a 49 percent stake and receive about $6.5 billion from Comcast; NBC Universal in turn is borrowing $9.1 billion to pay GE. While the new combined company doesn't yet have a name, but Comcast has created a second division known as the Comcast Entertainment Group that will handle the content aspects of the venture.
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11/30, 12:05pm
Division ends CrunchPad project
News site TechCrunch on Monday said that its CrunchPad tablet project has 'self destructed' due to a legal dispute. The touchscreen slate was to have been unveiled soon but is effectively being shut down as the actual developer, Fusion Garage, has claimed it will sell the device without further input from the co-developer and would only carry the CrunchPad name, using site founder Michael Arrington only as a product evangelist.
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11/25, 3:50pm
Hulu sees major jump in viewing
Hulu has recorded one of the largest gains in viewers in its short history, according to new data from Comscore. In October, the multi-studio video site hosted almost 856 million viewers, its best ever result and a 47 percent jump from September. The results were well behind Google's 10.5 billion views and 37.7 percent share of web video in the US but were enough to give Hulu second place with 3.1 percent, about twice as much as its next-best challengers.
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11/22, 10:20pm
Roku launches open channel store
Roku late Sunday gave its Internet media players a boost in the form of the Channel Store. Now considered an open platform, the avenue lets content producers of any scale implement their own video services. The service also brings major content providers such as Facebook's photo service, Flickr, Mediafly, Pandora, Revision3 and TWiT; relative newcomers like blip.tv, FrameChannel, Motionbox and MobileTribe are also onboard.
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11/20, 2:20pm
YouTube API now only on some devices
YouTube drew controversy with word this week that it has begun limiting the use of its native video API on devices. Reflecting new terms of service, any device that connects to a TV must have a license from YouTube to get fully native video support. The move will ban smaller-scale devices like the Popcorn Hour C-200 from directly accessing YouTube videos, although it will still allow them access using Flash.
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11/18, 1:55pm
Hulu to add EMI artist music vidoes, profiles
Video on demand service Hulu, which offers the majority of its content for free to US viewers, is adding a dedicated music video section to its site on Wednesday. Together with music label EMI, the first artist's videos will be singer Norah Jones, before more artists' work is featured over time. All of Jones' videos will be on the site, as will footage of four concerts and several of her interviews.
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11/12, 1:40pm
Boxee finds hardware maker
Boxee today confirmed talk that it would produce its own hardware. The media center startup now says it has partnered with an unnamed home electronics company to make its own set-top box and that a mockup as well as further details will be shown at an already-planned December 7th event that was to mark the Boxee software entering beta. Most details aren't known, but Boxee stresses that the device will still let users choose from a wide variety of sources rather than a narrow channel.
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11/10, 10:45am
Moxi DVRs get lower prices, new models, functions
ARRIS, the recent owner of Digeo and its Moxi-branded DVRs, announced on Monday it has overhauled the Moxi line and given it new features. This includes adding a three-tuner version of the Moxi HD DVR and introducing a new Moxi multi-room package that includes the new three-tuner Moxi. At the same time, ARRIS has dropped the price of its existing dual-tuner Moxi HD DVR. The new three-tuner Moxi HD DVR lets users record up to three channels at the same time and watch a program already recorded.
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11/05, 1:40pm
Myka ION a home theater PC for the living room
Myka has moved on from producing media hubs by releasing its Myka ION nettop as a full-fledged home theater PC. As the name implies, the PC packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM, along with an NVIDIA Ion graphics platform to supply HD (non-Flash) video. It runs on Ubuntu Linux and includes Boxee and XBMC media center software as well as support for standard-definition Adobe Flash and Hulu's online streaming service.
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11/02, 1:10pm
iTunes TV sub would rival traditional TV
Apple could upturn the entire TV market by offering an iTunes TV subscription service, a prominent rumor says today. iTunes head Eddy Cue is believed to be pitching the idea of a $30 monthly plan that would give users much broader access, much like conventional TV. The exact terms aren't specified by the "multiple" MediaMemo tips but wouldn't confine the service to a single device.
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10/30, 7:55am
FiOS Internet, TV users get 720p online
Verizon this morning became the first provider to offer EpixHD streaming video as part of its service. Those who have both a FiOS Internet connection and a FiOS TV subscription with the Epix TV channel can watch an unlimited amount of movies on the web at up to 720p. About 150 titles will be in rotation online, but the service will emphasize major, recent movies from MGM, Lionsgate and Parmaount; it should scale to include about 15,000 titles both old and new.
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10/13, 4:15pm
GlideTV marries AV, computer controls
Catering explicitly to home theater computers, GlideTV today produced an unusual controller known as the Navigator. The bowl-shaped peripheral has a trackpad for mouse pointing but is surrounded by AV controls and a directional pad that ease navigating through common apps. It can steer through Front Row and iTunes on Macs, Windows Media Center, and platform-independent apps like Boxee or SageTV.
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10/13, 12:00am
HP launches TouchSmart 300 and 600
HP early today is making an aggressive push into touchscreen PCs with two key updates to its TouchSmart home all-in-ones. The TouchSmart 300 and 600 add true multi-touch input and have significantly expanded use for the technology: they can not only use pinch-to-zoom, flicks and other gestures in the general operating system thanks to Windows 7 but in several new touch apps for the systems' custom front end. They can now navigate Hulu or Netflix streaming video, stream Pandora or Rhapsody music, or update and follow Twitter feeds all primarily using touch.
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09/24, 12:35pm
Time Warner opts for DOCSIS 3.0
Time Warner today became one of the last major US cable providers to offer some form of DOCSIS 3.0-based Internet service. The initial deployment gives customers 50Mbps downloads and 5Mbps uploads for the same $100 monthly rate as similar offerings from Comcast and others. Early service is so far only available in parts of New York City, including Manhattan below 79th Street, parts of Queens, and Staten Island.
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09/22, 8:50am
Netflix CEO talks iPhone, other systems
Netflix should not only branch out to other game consoles but also mobile devices like the iPhone as well, CEO Reed Hastings said later on Monday. Although Microsoft claims an Xbox 360 exclusive for game systems, Hastings expects the streaming version of his video service to eventually arrive on "all" consoles as well as Blu-ray players and TVs. He doesn't have a timetable for when the exclusivity would end.
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09/16, 1:10pm
Hit by withering effect of mail, digital
Rental chain Blockbuster Video will close between 810 and 960 stores by the end of 2010, an SEC filing reveals. While putting a significant number of people out of work, and closing off some markets, the move is expected to add another $50 to $60 million to annual earnings before expenses like taxes and interest. The company has over 7,000 stores worldwide at present, scattered across Asia, Europe, the US and Australia.
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09/08, 10:15am
Netgear Digital Entertainer Live
Netgear is adding to its line of set-top boxes with a low-end device that supports 720p HD but lacks a hard drive and built-in wireless. The Digital Entertainer Live relies mostly on its Ethernet-based online access and has built-in support for YouTube, pay-per-view movies from CinemaNow and live internet TV through VuNow. Resembling one of Netgear's internet routers, the small device has both the 100Mbps network link as well as two USB ports for external storage, one HDMI output for digital and one RCA for analog sources. An optional USB adapter brings 802.11n Wi-Fi for those that want it later.
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08/27, 11:40am
TWC and VZ Trial Online TV
Time Warner Cable and Verizon today simultaneously said today that they will launch trials of Internet TV viewing for their subscribers. Part of the TV Everywhere effort, the plans both let existing cable TV (for Time Warner) or FiOS TV (for Verizon) customers watch shows on the web regardless of whether or not they're at home. As before, many of the shows will go online closer to their original air dates and will sometimes be shows that rarely reach sites and stores like Hulu or iTunes.
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08/25, 5:10pm
Wii to get PlayOn app
Nintendo's Wii will get the ability to play movies on users' Windows PCs thanks to Media Mall's PlayOn app on Wednesday, August 26th. PlayOn has already allowed PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users to access Netflix Watch, Amazon VOD and Hulu content. The Wii version will also have support for a few other unnamed online video services, though does require an Internet-connected Windows XP or Vista computer as the source.
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07/23, 3:10pm
Disney Paid Video Site
Disney chief Bob Iger late Wednesday explained at the Brainstorm Tech conference that his company is developing a subscription-based online video service. He provided few details, including release dates or monthly rates, but said it would include not only movies and TV shows but also games and extra entertainment. It's unofficially expected by Variety and others to have a partial social network component.
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