An updated app for Google TV will offer an improved user experience, but behind the scenes YouTube is changing the way it deals with its content owners in an effort to go cross-platform.
“YouTube is now insisting on the ability to play all videos from content ‘partners’ — video owners that share ad revenue with the site — on all platforms, including mobile phones and connected TVs,” reports AllThingsD.
According to the Google TV blog, the new app “works faster with smoother navigation” and includes features such as Discover, for browsing channels; new channel pages, for navigating playlists and subscribing to channels; increased social interaction and quicker access to related videos. Good news for users, but what about the providers?
The changes to the content partners agreement does not affect those working with the new “channels” program, and may not impact big media companies.
However, AllThings D suggests, “there is still a group of video-makers who have millions of subscribers and have generated hundreds of millions of video views, and YouTube’s change will affect them.”
“But it’s certainly good for consumers,” the article adds. “There’s a logic behind media companies’ efforts to distinguish a PC screen from an iPhone screen, or a tablet screen from a TV screen. But only if you’re in charge of making biz dev deals for a media company. If you watch video, a screen is a screen is a screen.”
Digital Trends is impressed with the Olympus OM-D E-M5, the company’s latest micro four thirds camera.
“Probably the most surprising thing about the E-M5 was its size and weight,” indicates the review. “We have had a lot of experience with the PEN series, particularly the E-P3. The E-P3 was — until now — the most sophisticated of Olympus’ MFT cameras, and upped the ante with a considerable amount of features, as well as a larger, heavier build.”
The reviewer was surprised by the amount of features packed into a body this size: “…it increased the sensor’s effective pixel number, added an EVF, and kept the OLED screen, adding a tilt mechanism. We expected this thing to be a lot bigger and bulkier and were happy to see that it’s not.”
The post cites the responsive EVF, “functional yet vintage” design, viewfinder and centered weight as attractive features, but points out that critics may have something to say about the sensor size.
Digital Trends reports a new Kickstarter record for the highest amount of funding generated for a single project.
As of last Thursday, ElevationLab’s Elevation iPhone Dock had attracted $971,000 from investors. The project was originally seeking $75,000.
“If you haven’t seen it already, the Elevation Dock is an iPhone dock made from a single piece of aluminum, and is happy to accept iPhones in-or-out of a case, plus offer little resistance when you need to remove your phone from it,” explains the post. “There’s an option to add a Line Out to connect the dock to an audio system, and a chance to buy a limited run of different colored models.”
According to Digital Trends, innovative Apple-related products regularly attract the highest levels of funding on Kickstarter.
The post also suggests that simplicity and a focus on convenience has driven the device’s early interest. “The Elevation Dock is seeing success because it doesn’t offer something only a few people want, but something everyone wants — life to be a bit easier.
Kickstarting a new era of connected cars, auto manufacturers are adding larger touchscreen displays to vehicle dashboards and providing more software applications.
“Undaunted by fear of safety regulations, auto makers are piling new technologies into their vehicles: everything from 17-inch dashboard screens to services that check Facebook and buy movie tickets,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
GM is launching an 8-inch display this spring, for example, designed to assist drivers with playing music, providing navigation guidance and going through online applications with touch, steering wheel or voice controls.
“Ford Motor Co. already allows drivers to receive Twitter feeds and stream online music through its Sync technology,” adds WSJ. “New Mercedes-Benz cars this spring will tap into Facebook and perform Google searches.”
“There is more to come, too,” suggest the article. “Software to import iPhone and Android applications is around the corner.”
Auto makers say the hands-free steering wheel and voice control features of the systems are safe, but not all regulators agree. The Transportation Department is developing a set of electronics guidelines for manufacturers and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is expected to release a report later this year that will examine whether these technologies are a distraction.
A new study by researchers from Wellesley College and the University of Missouri, “Reel Piracy: The Effect of Online Film Piracy on International Box Office Sales,” suggests that there is minimal (if any) loss of U.S. box office sales due to BitTorrent pirating.
However, international piracy is another issue, due largely to the lack of legal options.
“More importantly, the report revealed that movie studios hold the power to curb piracy by decreasing international box office release windows,” reports Digital Trends.
The study highlights three key problems for movie studios: 1) “There is a shortage of international theaters;” 2) “The complexity of organizing promotional appearances for the film’s actors adds to the delay;” and 3) “Action and science fiction genres exhibit the highest supply of online pirated movies.”
“Consumers in the U.S. who would choose between the box office and piracy choose the box office (and the remaining U.S. pirates had valuations lower than the ticket price) but that international consumers who would consider both options choose piracy due to a lack of legal availability,” suggest the researchers. “If piracy displaced box office sales in the U.S., we would have expected the slope of the returns profile to shift more significantly as BitTorrent became more widely adopted.”
John Paczkowski reports on AllThingsD that Apple will launch the next version of its iPad in the coming weeks.
“Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2, and will do so at one of its trademark special events,” he writes. “The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these.”
If the release date follows Apple tradition, the iPad 3 should be available about a week after the event.
Paczkowski expects the new version will be, “similar in form factor to the iPad 2, but running a much faster chip, sporting an improved graphics processing unit, and featuring a 2048×1536 Retina Display — or something close to it.”
Here’s an application you may not have envisioned for 3D printers…
BBC News reports that an 83-year-old woman with a chronic bone infection has become the first to receive an artificial jaw implant constructed using 3D printing technology.
Doctors in the Netherlands performed the surgery last year using a jaw comprised of thousands of printed layers of titanium dust that were heated and fused together by a laser. Once designed, the jaw only took a few hours to print.
“Technicians say the operation’s success paves the way for the use of more 3D-printed patient-specific parts,” reports BBC News. “The team said that it expected similar techniques to become more common over the coming years.”
Facebook is launching a widescreen photo viewer similar to the Google+ lightbox overlay.
“Rolling out gradually to Facebook users, the social network is launching a new version of the photo viewer that allows pictures to be displayed at a significantly larger resolution than previous designs,” reports Digital Trends. “On a typical 15-inch laptop, pictures display as large as 960 pixels wide and 720 pixels tall.”
The new interface brings photos to the entire screen and features a space on the right side where users can like, share or comment. Facebook is also adding advertisements and sponsored stories underneath the comments.
“Seeing how this is the first major new feature to come out of the social network since the IPO announcement, the inclusion of the ads within the new photo viewer is likely indicative of Facebook’s efforts to monetize the site more effectively,” suggests the post. “While the ad placements are currently static when clicking through pictures within the album, Facebook could alter the ad rotation frequency to change upon each new picture and drastically increase ad impressions.”
Sunday marked the first live stream of the Super Bowl, which drew more than 2.1 million users (according to data provided by Omniture and mDialog).
This sets a record for the most viewers of any single game online, NBC Sports said. Users screened more than 78 million minutes on NBCSports.com and NFL.com.
“The Super Bowl XLVI live stream exceeded our expectations in every way,” said Kevin Monaghan, SVP of business development and managing director digital media at NBC Sports Group. “Increasingly, sports fans are looking to digital coverage as a complementary ‘second screen’ experience, and we delivered on that promise with unprecedented robust coverage.”
Football fans viewed “1,838,812 on demand clips and were heavy users of the feature that allowed them to switch camera angles, with user-generated camera switches totaling 1,835,676,” reports Broadcasting & Cable.
The TV audience also set a new record for the most-watched television program in U.S. history with 111.3 million.
Netflix began airing its first original series this week, “Lilyhammer” with actor/musician Steve Van Zandt portraying a gangster on the run in Norway.
According to Ted Sarandos, Netflix content chief, the investment in original programming “is part of an emerging strategy to keep and win subscribers,” reports TheWrap.
“The more you watch them, the more you love the service,” says Sarandos. “The more [subscribers] we retain, the more you tell your friends about it. Shows like this, when they’re done really well, lead to a lot of watching and a lot of consumer engagement.”
Netflix has released all eight episodes of “Lilyhammer” for instant streaming at once; the second season is in development.
The service is also prepping a second original series, the David Fincher-produced “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey.
Additionally, Netflix has exclusive streaming rights to the new fourth season of “Arrested Development,” slated for 2013.
AOL’s Huffington Post announced it plans to create a 100-member newsroom to produce a video-news channel.
The company says it will feature 12 hours of live content, five days a week. The new streaming network is expected to launch later this year.
Plans include a highly interactive site that involves the audience more than we’ve seen in the past, including programs called “Defend Your Comment” and “Write the Headline.”
The news channel will include a live stream of comments posted via Facebook, Twitter and the website. Other AOL entities, such as TechCrunch and its Patch sites, are also expected to contribute content.
“Founding editor Roy Sekoff, who will be leading the network, described the programming as a series of live and interactive clips covering everything from entertainment to politics,” reports SocialTimes.
Apple is reportedly in talks with Canadian TV providers discussing plans to launch its rumored iTV product.
“Partnerships between Apple and pay-TV providers would be both good and bad for consumers,” suggests TIME. “Working with a cable company means getting lots of content, which Apple can then offer through a simple interface, potentially with iPhones, iPads and Siri acting as remote controls.”
“On the downside, cable companies aren’t likely to give up their old business model of making subscribers pay for unwanted bundles of channels,” adds the article.
Apple may need to integrate apps and Web-based content in order to get deals, as opposed to the rumored a la carte alternative.
Some analysts are also suggesting the TV may emphasize user-generated videos created with iPads and iPhones for a YouTube-like model.
In a related story, CNET reports that a recent Best Buy customer survey asks whether consumers would be willing to spend $1,499 for an Apple-branded 42-inch HDTV.
“That’s up three times as much as current 42-inch models; could it be worth the price?” asks the article. “The survey describes a product that’s essentially a 1080p HDTV with iOS built in, including app and iCloud support; a camera and microphone for some kind of user interaction; and integration with other iOS devices, including using an iPad or iPhone as a remote.”
Apple will host its first live stream tonight on Apple TV, featuring a free live performance from Paul McCartney promoting his new “Kisses on the Bottom” album.
Could this be a preview for how Apple plans to challenge traditional TV on the Web?
“The company ‘announced’ via a banner on iTunes that the stream would take place at 7pm PST on February 9 both on iTunes (for Mac and PC) as well as the Apple TV — the first livestream of its kind for Apple’s set-top box,” reports Ars Technica. “This isn’t the first time Apple has streamed live (usually music-related) content via iTunes, but it will be the highest-profile and the first available to Apple TV users.”
Ars Technica suggests Apple will be watching its viewer numbers as this event may serve as a test for the company possibly challenging traditional TV delivery methods.
“There has been buzz that Apple might try to launch its own TV subscription service, while others believe Apple is more likely to begin allowing third-parties to create ‘apps’ for the Apple TV that will let them stream their own live content with ads,” according to the post.
According to a recent report from Strata, a provider of ad systems for media buyers and sellers, Facebook continued to dominate the social media advertising sector with 89 percent of advertisers planning to incorporate the social network into their clients’ campaigns.
Facebook is followed by Twitter at 39 percent, YouTube at 36 percent, LinkedIn at 21 percent and Google Plus at 18 percent.
Strata reports that mobile advertising rose 39 percent from Q3 to Q4, with 83 percent of agencies targeting the iPhone.
“Many advertisers are confident that their business and the economy will return to a strong period by midyear. That sentiment, coupled with strong numbers from the political race, provides an overall positive barometer for advertising in 2012,” explained John Shelton, president and CEO of Strata.
In a related story posted by The Next Web, Hitwise reports that Facebook accounted for 1 in every 5 page views during January, adding that the average visit time was 20 minutes.
“The scary part is that as more people start setting up their Timeline on Facebook, the time on site will increase even more…If that trend continues, people will literally spend hours of their time just giving Facebook every piece of data they have on themselves,” suggests TNW.
Panasonic has announced two new compact cameras designed for rugged conditions.
“The baby of the two is the Lumix TS20, a slimline 16.1-megapixel camera that also offers 720p video recording, is waterproof to 5 meters, shockproof to 1.5 meters, dustproof and even freeze-proof to temperatures as low as 14 degrees F/-10 degrees C,” reports Digital Trends.
The Lumix TS4 is Panasonic’s “top-of-the-line” rugged digital camera, priced at $399 (available in March).
“For this you get a 12.1-megapixel Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens with a 4.6x optical zoom, plus the advanced LSI Venus image processing engine,” explains the post. “The TS4 offers 1080p video recording, a panorama mode and a cool time-lapse setting for recording something changing over a longer period of time.”
Digital Trends asks if this is the direction camera manufacturers should take in order to differentiate their compact cameras from the new crop of smartphones that feature improved camera capabilities. “While there are several rugged smartphones — the Motorola Defy for example — they don’t offer the same degree of camera performance as the TS20 or TS4. [Last week] Sony also announced several new compact cameras, choosing to upgrade the sensors and software without increasing the prices.”
