Amazon Prime adds Alpha House to its streaming offerings
Amazon continues to enhance its Prime video service in an ongoing effort to take on Netflix and the up-and-coming Redbox Instant video streaming services. One area of focus has become original content, with Netflix taking home awards for its House of Cards series.
Now the first of these original shows has hit the retail giant's video arm -- Alpha House, which stars John Goodman, brings comedic light to the US Senate, as if it weren't already there. "The first three episodes of Alpha House debut today for all customers to enjoy. Remaining episodes will become available weekly, every Friday, exclusively on Prime Instant Video", states Amazon.
Roku gets new Netflix experience
In the ongoing battle for your entertainment dollars, video streaming service Netflix announces a brand new makeover and Roku is one of the early adopters, announcing it is bringing the update to its Roku 3 set-top boxes. The effort is another move from Netflix to stay ahead of competitors like Amazon Prime and Redbox Instant.
"Today we are excited to unveil the biggest update in Netflix history to our TV experience. This update improves the Netflix TV for Netflix members around the world", states the streaming company.
Vine finally arrives on Windows Phone 8, competes with powerful 6sec
After a long wait Vine is now available on Windows Phone 8, officially bringing its popular six-second videos outside of Android and iOS. The app arrives in Store with a respectable feature set, including free and unlimited clip uploads and social network integration with Facebook and Twitter.
Vine takes advantage of built-in Windows Phone features, such as live tiles and camera lenses, as the app allows users to pin the Vine camera and their favorite accounts and channels on the homescreen and trigger the Vine recording mode from the built-in camera app (or third-party camera apps that support lenses, like Nokia Camera).
Roku adds Disney and ESPN
The set-top box market continues to heat up, with Roku, Apple TV and Google TV going head-to-head for your entertainment dollars. Despite the best efforts of cable and satellite providers, customers continue to look towards services like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon for their television entertainment.
Now Roku, one of the big players in this growing ecosystem, stokes the fire a bit more today. The hardware maker announces the availability of both ESPN and Disney arriving on its platform.
Should you trust Google with your identity?
I tell BetaNews writers that when assessing anything ask: Who benefits? Then: Who benefits first? Both questions are top of mind as I absorb yesterday's stunning YouTube changes: Integration with Google+ comments.
Commenting is an ongoing debate in our newsroom. I have long advocated that we eliminate anonymous responses to stories. I'm identified. Why shouldn't commenters claiming I "pull ideas out of a monkey's ass" also be identified? I stand naked in the light, while they cower in darkness. But in wake of whistleblower Edward Snowden's stunning disclosures about NSA spying and corporate giants seeking more information about us -- yes, I wash both hands after peeing, thank you very much -- my views about anonymity are changing. I can't control the NSA but can exercise limited restraint with Google. I begin by asking about YouTube identified commenting: Who benefits first?
Digg wants to go viral, introduces video
Digg once ranked as a top site on the web when it came to finding the latest and biggest stories. Things went a bit downhill in recent times, but the company has been working on a phoenix-like resurrection, pulling itself from the ashes. The social news site has launched its Google Reader-replacement, in the form of Digg Reader, fresh on the heels of the shuttering of the once-popular RSS web app.
Now Digg goes all-in on video, stating "we're proud to announce that we've launched Digg Video, a section of Digg solely dedicated to collecting and promoting the best and most interesting video content on the Internet. It’s the Digg you already know and love, just in video form".
Amazon Prime announces expanded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agreement
Amazon Prime today continues its battle with Netflix and Redbox Instant, in a fight to get control of that monthly fee you lay out in the name of entertainment. This time the retail giant strikes with a new agreement between it and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio to expand availability of content.
The company brought the hit series Vikings to its British and German viewers through LOVEFiLM back in May, but those who failed to watch season one in the US can now also catch up with Ragnor and his crew.
Hulu Plus Chromecast app makes it to iPhone
Back at the start of this month, Hulu Plus for Chromecast made an appearance, but aimed only for Android phones and tablets, as well as iPad customers. Those using Apple's platform as a smartphone device were feeling a bit left out, but today the streaming video service aims to right the ship.
"Today, we are excited to add the Chromecast integration for Hulu Plus to your iPhones", announces Hulu's Karan Nischol. "The Hulu Plus integration with Chromecast will convert your app into a custom remote letting you control video on your Chromecast connected TVs, while allowing you to browse the Hulu Plus app directly from your iPhone", the statement continues.
Microsoft complements Windows 8.1 launch with two new ads
Just over 24-hours ago Microsoft unleashed Windows 8.1 upon the world -- a free upgrade, or "fix", for Windows 8 customers; a new operating system for those not already using the latest version. Every shiny new release comes with a marketing plan and this one is no different, as the ads have already begun to roll.
Microsoft is pushing out two new videos to get things under way -- one to show off the hardware and its multitude of designs, and another to focus on the user interface and apps.
Vizio unveils Co-Star LT, lite version leaves off Google TV
Vizio Co-Star has remained one of the more popular set-top boxes for those looking for a Google TV experience. The tiny device brings along all of the features found in more expensive cousins from the likes of Sony, but with less of the big-name price. While rumors persist of an impending name-change for the search giant's foray into the living room, details of an updated media OS have been tough to come by.
Vizio, leaving nothing to chance, is hedging its bets with a new model of that Co-Star box that shuns Google TV...ah, Android TV...you get the picture. Instead, the television manufacturer is focusing on bringing its smart TV technology to, well, dumb TV's.
Rdio jumps into original video content with Red Bull Stratos documentary
When it comes to original online video content, many services spring to mind, but Rdio is likely not one of them. However, not to be outdone by the likes of Amazon and Netflix, the online music service has produced and released its own original documentary that chronicles last year's Red Bull Stratos challenge.
Some of you may remember the event -- that Sunday morning when we sat glued to our computer screens watching as Felix Bomgartner slowly rose into the sky on the way to a record-setting 128,000-foot jump from the stratosphere.
HBO lands on Google Play, Game of Thrones in tow
HBO original programming has become some of the most popular content on the small screen these days, including Game of Thrones, which holds the distinction of being the most downloaded show in BitTorrent history. Fortunately for the premium network, there are legal and profitable ways for viewers to obtain its shows.
Today, there is one more outlet being added to the mix -- Google Play. The search giant tweets that HBO is now a part of its app store, bringing along a number of its popular TV Series' to Android and Google TV customers.
CBS releases streaming app for Android and Windows 8
When the CBS app was launched for iOS in March, Android users felt slighted. After all, Android leads in market-share -- why shouldn't it get the app first? Not to mention, many Android users are very nerdy so Big Bang Theory is a natural fit. Today, CBS announces that not only is it finally releasing it for Android, but for Windows 8 too.
Jim Lanzone, President of CBS Interactive says, "when we launched on iOS in March, we promised fans we would bring the CBS App to all major platforms by fall premieres. Today we are doing exactly that".
Amazon Prime greenlights three new pilots
Amazon has been busy producing original content to bolster its Prime streaming video service, releasing 14 shows for testing back in April and letting the viewers decide which would stick. Now the Studio arm of the retail giant is announcing three more shows going into pilot production.
Mozart in the Jungle from Roman Coppola, The Outlaws written by Jeremy Garelick and Jon Weinbach, and Transparent from director Solloway are all heading for filming.
Free Video Dub trims videos while preserving quality
Most video editors make it easy enough to delete the unwanted sections of a movie. Choose your start and end points, click "Cut" (or something similar), and repeat as required -- easy.
The problem comes about when you save the trimmed footage, because if your editor reencodes the file then it’s going to lose quality. What you really need is a tool like Free Video Dub, which cuts movies down to size without reencoding, producing videos which are just as crisp and clear as the originals.
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