Category: Online TV
Babelgum – have a chew on the free mobile TV service from Vodafone
Vodafone has launched an on-phone TV service for its customers on a monthly contract. Babelgum – good name but not sure it’s applicable – is an app available for download now…
Universal Music: We're getting heaps of cash from YouTube
For a long time, Google has struggled to monetise its video-sharing site, YouTube. Experiments with advertising have been coldly received by the community but perhaps things are starting to perk up – the executive vice president of Universal Music Group’s eLabs, Rio Caraeff, has said that his company is getting “tens of millions of dollars” from YouTube.
Universal is one of a handful of companies who have a deal with YouTube where ad revenue from Universal’s content is split between the parties. As Universal has a hell of a lot of back-catalogue content, that’s a decent chunk of revenue, but “tens of millions” is far more than I would have expected.
BBC iPlayer programme downloads finally coming to Mac and Linux users via Adobe AIR
Yes, that long-winded title pretty much sums up it up – Mac and Linux users who have been (im)patiently waiting for the BBC to develop software that will allow them to download programmes from iPlayer will soon see their wish come true.
The BBC has partnered with Adobe (makes a change from Microsoft) to launch an AIR version of the iPlayer software. As Adobe’s AIR platform is (allegedly) cross-platform, it should mean that any operating system capable of running it will be able to download content…
Watch TV on your BlackBerry with free SlingPlayer Mobile beta
Sling Media has announced that it’s making its SlingPlayer Mobile software available for a range of BlackBerry devices from 30th December.
If you’ve got a BlackBerry Bold, Curve 8900, Curve 8820, Curve 8320, Pearl Flip 8220 or Pearl 8120 then you’ll be able to download the public beta version for free from the SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry web site and start controlling your Slingbox while on the move…
Zattoo offers 30 days of free broadcast quality terrestrial TV via Internet
Zattoo, the live TV streaming service that launched back in April, is running a special Christmas promotion where all registered users can get free access to broadcast quality versions of four main UK terrestrial channels plus one digital channel.
For thirty days from today, live BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and BBC News 24 will be streamed at 576×528 pixel, 1.5Mbps bitrate via the Zattoo service…
GO!VIEW adds tons of videos: PSP users needn't moan about nothing to watch over Christmas
GO!VIEW has just had hundreds of hours of video content added to it, so Sony PSP owners should have a much bigger range of films and programmes to watch this Christmas.
Content includes the latest TV series such as Lost and Heroes plus classic US and British series including Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, Red Dwarf and I’m Alan Partridge…
Virgin Media: Mutli-screen VoD services "two to three years away"
Despite the increasing number of service providers offering video-on-demand services via cable or broadband, managing director of Virgin Media’s online operations predicts that we’re still two to three years away from ubiquity.
Alex Green, speaking at the Online TV and Video Forum in London, said that his company was working towards creating a “seamless, intuitive experience” spanning TVs, computers and mobile devices, but admitted that “VoD is not yet a fully-fledged family proposition” despite “the consumer… becoming increasingly sophisticated”.
“Our solution is to create a network in the home that delivers entertainment on demand to any screen in the house. This will take two to three years,” said Green…
iPlayer project chief talks iPlayer 2.0 and Broadcast 2.0
The iPlayer’s now been around for just over a year, and the project chief, Anthony Rose, has had a chat to the Guardian about how he sees the future of the application. Damn, it looks rosy.
He mentions a wealth of brilliant-sounding features, including a sign-in system, an online library, and a system that lets you talk about BBC programmes with friends. Essentially, they’re making the iPlayer social. Your friends will be able to deliver recommendations and ratings and discussions will only be shared with that friend network – not the whole userbase.
YouTube goes full HD at last?
Looks like YouTube has finally switched on full HD – at least for videos uploaded in high-definition. Going to the site now, and tracking down a video recorded in high-definition, like this one, for example, will give you a “Watch in HD” in the bottom-right corner of the video display.
The results are spectacular. Compare Hilary Duff in normal YouTube video quality, with HD, here. It’s jaw-droppingly impressive, especially when viewed fullscreen. As soon as we can, we’ll start uploading our review vids in HD, so you can get a better look at the gadgets we get sent.
YouTube HD (via TechCrunch)
Related posts: Full-length movies to hit YouTube | YouTube goes Widescreen
FetchTV launches: subscription-free VOD with Freeview and DVR
IP Vision has announced a new hybrid set-top box which can be used to access the complete range of Freeview channels, acts as a digital video recorder (DVR), as well as being able to access a range of video on demand content over the Internet.
The company is keen to point out that this is a subscription-free, operator independent service, unlike those from the likes of BT, Virgin Media and Tiscali. It can be used with any broadband provider.
At launch, over 1,200 hours of content will be available in the VoD library including films and programmes from Paramount, ITV, Turner Broadcasting, Eagle Vision, Fremantle, Entertainment Rights and Aardman…
