Samsung’s new TV Discovery service will enable viewers to search for and watch live TV, on-demand video and online videos from outlets such as YouTube. The company plans to unveil the new platform at Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona. TV Discovery will work on Samsung’s line of smart TVs and its mobile devices. The service will learn user preferences and give recommendations based on each user’s viewing history and interests. Continue reading Samsung to Launch TV Discovery for Video, Live Television

Film editor Dan Lebental, motivated by the desire to interact more directly with media, has designed an editing app called TouchEdit that he describes as a “21st century version of the Moviola.” Lebental was intrigued by the similarity of using the iPad’s touchscreen with how editors would formerly “touch film.” His app intends to bring back that simplicity while integrating the latest in mobile technology and cloud-based services. Continue reading Movie Editor Develops Frame-Based Editing App for iPad

Holographic technology may be inching closer to mainstream adoption. Mashable offers an interesting look at the history and evolution of the technology, including its roots as a classic parlor trick (called “Pepper’s Ghost”) — an illusion involving a well-angled mirror to project a reflection — along with contemporary uses seen at Coachella, the London Olympics and this year’s Super Bowl. Continue reading Technology Inches Closer to Enabling Holographic 3D World

An online petition to the White House regarding the locking of mobile phones has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, the milestone at which the U.S. government is required to issue an official response. The petition is intended to make unlocking phones legal again. The signature-gathering campaign has largely generated followers via social networks including Twitter and Reddit. Continue reading Petition Hopes to Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal Again

After a crash and flying debris injured at least 28 fans at a Daytona NASCAR race over the weekend, NASCAR’s video copyright policy came into question. NASCAR claims to own any “images, sounds and data” from NASCAR events. Fans began posting videos of the crash to YouTube, but NASCAR, claiming to own the videos, had the videos removed. But later in the day YouTube reinstated some videos after ruling NASCAR did not have the right to remove the videos. Continue reading NASCAR Crash and YouTube Vids Raise Copyright Questions

Disney’s short film “Paperman” was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Animated Short) last month and was soon after posted on YouTube — an effort to garner attention for the film. The other nominees followed suit, but have since been yanked from the Web because of a letter sent to each of them from the chief executive of Shorts International, who complained that the streaming would cause damage to theatrical releases. Continue reading Oscar-Nominated Short Films Appeared Online, Then Pulled

According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the change to Google’s algorithm, which is designed to takes sites with higher rates of copyright-infringed material and give them a lower search rating is not helping ongoing piracy problems. A new report from the RIAA notes that none of the sites were demoted in a significant way and search results were nearly unaffected. Continue reading Google Algorithm Change Not Effective, According to RIAA

At New York City Fashion Week, clothing company Belstaff streamed its show live in order to engage with a wider range of fans, but also to gauge the popularity of certain items and to predict which might be hits in stores for the summer. Fashion houses are less exclusive about their products and are now ready and willing to showcase items by giving a front-row seat to fans and customers via the Web. Continue reading NY Fashion Week Offers Front Row Seat Via Live Streams

Technicolor has entered into a partnership with software developer Autodesk to develop tools used for color grading and digital compositing. According to respected colorist Steve Scott, who joined Technicolor in 2012, the objective is to launch a finishing system that provides tools for visual effects and post production. Scott believes a single toolset would ultimately provide more creative control and flexibility. Continue reading Technicolor and Autodesk Partner to Develop New Toolset

Ratings company Nielsen announced this week it will expand its definition of television with a new comprehensive plan to measure video viewing across multiple platforms including broadband, Xbox and iPads. The decision to reach beyond traditional television viewing comes from the What Nielsen Measures Committee, a group comprised of members representing TV and cable networks, local TV stations, ad agencies and several big brand advertisers. Continue reading Nielsen to Redefine TV Ratings by Measuring New Platforms

On Tuesday, Fox Broadcasting announced it will take the YouTube channel WIGS under its wing. Conceived as a channel for female-friendly dramas on the Web, Fox is set to help sell ads on the channel and will distribute its videos to more viewers. Additionally, WIGS will partly serve as an idea incubator for Fox, with the hope that some programs will evolve into prime time dramas. Continue reading Fox Partners with WIGS, Female-Friendly YouTube Channel

Amidst shrinking numbers, Dish Network chief Charlie Ergen isn’t sugar coating anything. He’s concerned about the long-term fate of the company’s core subscription TV business and sees cord-cutting as a growing trend. Dish’s recent earnings plunge was largely because of a $700 million settlement with Cablevision in October, along with rising programming costs. Even so, his biggest concern is how younger consumers are taking in content. Continue reading Dish Network Chief Exec Talks Realities of Cord-Cutting

According to journalist Michael Wolff, cable is on a fast track to oblivion with an unsustainable business model. Currently, cable operators pay media companies to carry their cable channels, then pass the costs onto customers in the form of large bundled cable bills. After that, cable channels get to sell advertising. But as viewing habits change and new options become available, consumers are increasingly abandoning the traditional model. Continue reading TV Viewing Trends: Is Cable On the Fast Track to Oblivion?

According to a survey conducted by financial services firm Cowen & Co., about 23 percent of Netflix subscribers say they have canceled their premium TV service after opting to pay for broadband access to stream TV over the Internet — signifying a direct tie to cord-cutting. Among the 1,200 respondents, 46 percent said they have access to Netflix, while 28 percent are paying for the SVOD service. Continue reading Numbers Are In: Survey Says Netflix Leads to Cord-Cutting

With new technologies, a growing number of connected devices and the evolution of media distribution, it’s more common than ever for people to consume media across different screens, whether at home, at work or out and about. Nielsen conducted a Global Survey of Multi-Screen Media Usage to find out how consumers are dealing with the fragmented media environment — and learned that 80 percent watch online video at home. Continue reading Nielsen Global Media Report: Mobile Tablet Use on the Rise