Google+ now has 400 million registered users, and more than 100 million active users visit the service every month. However, chances are, many of them don’t actually realize they’re visiting Google+ at all. Instead, they might just be there to make a video call. Read more »
Shazam’s mobile app is now able to recognize almost any TV show on more than 160 U.S. TV channels – but it isn’t looking to take those smarts into the set-top box space any time soon. One reason: Interactive TV just doesn’t have the same scale. Read more »
Low broadband caps in Canada put that country close to third-world countries, and overage charges almost amount to human rights violations: Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos blasted broadband caps and usage-based-billing employed by Canadian ISPs during an investor event Thursday afternoon. Read more »
Nintendo’s Wii U won’t just come with Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant video. It will also tap into your TiVo library and even deliver game stats, tweets and other info to the second screen while watching a sports event on live TV. Read more »
Apple is updating its iTunes desktop software with a new UI that makes it look more like an iOS app. iTunes comes with wall-to-wall browsing, a new mini player, cloud integration and the ability for artists to share photos with fans. Read more »
Cable operators used to focus on TV bundles as their main selling point, and treat internet access as an add-on. A recent mailer sent out by Time Warner Cable strikes a different tone, offering users a year of free TV if they improve their Netflix experience. Read more »
Bringing plugin-free voice and video chat to the browser just got a little easier: Mozilla and the Xiph Foundation officially released version 1.0 of their open and royalty-free Opus audio codec Tuesday. The codec could also be used by music services like Spotify. Read more »
Bye-bye, crummy old iOS YouTube app: YouTube just launched a brand-new app on the iPhone and iPod touch that comes with a much-improved UI, social sharing and access to thousands of major label music videos. However, users of the new app also have to endure ads. Read more »
Access to four out of five Anime shows that air on TV in Japan, in HD, and on the same day they’re available to Japanese audiences: These kinds of perks have helped Crunchyroll to get to 100,000 paying subscribers. Now it’s looking to expand its focus. Read more »
Dijit is reinventing itself as a social TV guide with a new iPad app dubbed NextGuide that mixes live TV recommendations with results from Netflix and Hulu. The app is based on lessons it learned with its previous second-screen remote control application. Read more »
A group video chat that can be broadcasted to an unlimited number of viewers: Sounds like Google+ Hangouts, doesn’t it? Video chat Startup Spreecast believes it can compete with Hangouts by offering more interactivity, and it just raised a $7 Series A to prove its point. Read more »
Remember that Hugo Awards live stream that got yanked off Ustream earlier this week just as author Neil Gaiman was delivering his acceptance speech? Ustream blamed Vobile’s content filters for the incident. Now Vobile is shooting back and saying it was all Ustream’s fault. Read more »
Vizio’s Co-Star is the company’s first Google TV device. How does it stack up to Roku, Apple TV and other media streamers, and how well does it work for cord cutters? Check out our video review for a detailed look at the device. Read more »
Many cable TV operators still argue that cord cutting doesn’t exist, but Verizon’s FIOS TV director Maitreyi Krishnaswamy thinks it’s real, and growing. But that’s not all: Krishnaswamy is also arguing that it might change the industry by putting pressure on studios. Read more »
Here comes another Android-powered over-the-top streaming box — but you won’t find it on store shelves any time soon: Israel-based Vidmind is targeting virtual cable operators with a complete package that gets them up and running on TVs, mobile phones, iPads and web browsers. Read more »
Amazon has been quietly hiring a number of experienced connected TV developers, including some that worked on Logitech’s failed Google TV efforts. Could that mean that the company will announce a streaming media device during its press event in Los Angeles this week? Read more »
Now you’ve got another way to burn through your mobile data caps: BitTorrent just launched a beta version of its uTorrent client for Android. The new mobile software allows torrent downloads straight to your Android phone, and should help BitTorrent grow its mobile user base. Read more »
The archived recording of tonight’s National democratic Convention live stream has mysteriously disappeared from YouTube. An error message briefly suggested that copyright filters were to blame for the mishap, but YouTube now says that the message was displayed erroneously. Read more »
Watch out, VUDU, iTunes and Amazon Instant: YouTube will add paid movie rentals to its app on a number of Smart TV platforms. Rentals on TV will be rolled out before the end of the year. But so far, we only know about one device partner. Read more »
This week’s Democratic National Convention will be live streamed by a number of broadcasters, print publishers and political websites. There will be live fact checking, live video for iPads, a live hat cam and even a live Kumar cameo. Check out the details in our ultimate guide. Read more »
The gloves are off between Netflix and HBO – in Northern Europe, anyway: HBO revealed plans for an HBO Nordic offering that can be accessed on the Internet without a TV subscription two weeks after Netflix announced its expansion to Northern Europe. Read more »
Motorola’s set-top box business was supposed to be the silver bullet for Google TV, helping to bring the smart TV platform into millions of homes. So why has Google hired an investment bank to sell the unit, and what does this mean for Google TV? Read more »
Plex is getting ready to take your media collection everywhere with the launch of a browser-based client that offers access to your own videos as well as collections shared through the company’s personal cloud service. The release is part of Plex’s first premium subscription service. Read more »
Pac-12 Digital’s new iPad app offers collegiate sports fans live access to 850 events that also air on TV. But the company’s plans for the app go much further: It eventually wants to connect fans in the stadium with those who are watching from home. Read more »
Cricket is going to couple a music subscription with every Android phone it sells starting next month. The company hopes that this will lead to millions of new subscribers for its Muve Music service, which could make the offering more popular than Spotify. Read more »
Here’s a novel idea for Hollywood: Instead of forcing other countries to adopt ever tougher copyright laws, help services like Netflix and Hulu to launch operations overseas. And forcing U.S. consumers to authenticate before they can watch TV online might not be the smartest idea either. Read more »
We are all carrying a camera in our pocket, and we like to shoot tons of video – but how much of it do we really ever watch? Magisto wants to help us make use of those videos with a new automated video editor for Android. Read more »
Live streams, video chats, curated tweets and fact-checking: This week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. will be covered online like few political events before, as news networks try to outdo each other with the number of simultaneous live streams. Check out our complete guide. Read more »
Cloud gaming provider OnLive has a new CEO: The company’s founder and original CEO and President Steve Perlman has left, and is being replaced by OnLive’s former head of operations. The exec shuffle comes just two weeks after an abrupt corporate restructuring. Read more »
Lectures from Stanford, Rice, Duke, UCSF and a dozen other schools are being made freely available worldwide in dozens of languages, thanks to a partnership between online education startup Coursera and crowdsourced captioning service Amara. All of the captions are contributed by volunteers. Read more »
What do you do when the world of TV is changing, but you represent a brand that stands for continuity? TVGuide.com’s new iOS app tries to bridge that divide by sticking with the good old grid guide, and augmenting it with a personalized watchlist. Read more »
Sony is bringing its new Google TV set-top box to Germany, where it could soon compete with the Roku box. The question is: With Netflix and Hulu both absent from the German online video market, which services are Germans going to watch with these devices? Read more »
Redbox Instant by Verizon doesn’t want to beat Netflix with a bigger catalog, but rather focus on fewer titles that matter. You know, like that Redbox kiosk in your supermarket. Coinstar CEO Paul Davis revealed some details about the service during an interview. Read more »
Hulu relaunched its site with a focus on much bigger artwork, which replace the math-like tables listing each and every episode of a show. The new site layout also features a much-improved movies section, and will be available to all users within the next few days. Read more »
Now here’s an interesting use for social TV data: The iOS app Renewed predicts the fate of TV shows based on their number of check-ins. Renewed is a relatively new player, but its makers eventually want to take on Nielsen. Read more »
Deaf and hard-of-hearing web video viewers have long pressed for a faster adoption of closed captioning, and it looks like the FCC got their back: Content also shown on TV will have to have closed captions when streamed online starting next month, the commission recently ruled. Read more »
How about this for social TV: OoVoo wants to make it easier to watch videos, play games or even use dating services while you video chat with your friends. The group video chat service plans to integrate third-party services later this year. Read more »
What’s Trending originally set out to be a weekly highlight of Internet memes and pop culture for CBS News, but a single tweeted shattered those dreams. Now, it’s trying to reinvent itself as a kind of trend barometer for YouTube videos. Read more »
A leaked memo hints at an uncertain future for Hulu after a buyout of co-owner Providence Equity Partners. Not only could CEO Jason Kilar leave the company, but Hulu’s co-owners News Corp. and Disney don’t seem to see eye-to-eye on key issues. Read more »
OnLive’s new owner is… OnLive: The company revealed Sunday night that its new corporate entity will bear the same name. Another continuity: OnLive’s first new backer is “an affiliate of Lauder Partners,” according to a press release. Lauder was part of OnLive’s previous Series C. Read more »
