Google has begun rolling out an updated Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental reasoning model that is faster and supports new features like file upload. The model, which is trained to break down prompts into a series of steps for more indepth responses, will now power Google Deep Research, replacing Gemini 1.5 Pro, and broadening its access so “anyone will be able to try it across the globe in 45-plus languages,” according to Google. Previously Deep Research was only available to subscribers paying $20-per-month for Google One AI Premium. Deep Research is a sort of AI assistant that searches the web, synthesizing information. Continue reading Google Updates Gemini App, Makes It Available to All for Free

Amazon is experimenting with AI dubbing so Prime Video customers globally can experience content from other territories, gaining access more quickly and efficiently to licensed films and TV series. The company is using a hybrid “AI-aided” system in which localization professionals oversee the AI output to ensure quality control. Currently limited to a dozen movies and series that will be AI-dubbed in English and Latin American Spanish, the pilot will expand if the results prove popular with audiences. In December, Netflix experienced backlash against AI-assisted dubbing, with viewers complaining generative mouth adjustments looked unnatural. Continue reading Amazon Prime Video Tests AI Dubbing for Movies and Series

John Gaeta, the Bay Area digital disruptor who won an Oscar as VFX supervisor for “The Matrix,” has launched Escape (escape.ai), a neo cinema hub where global filmmakers, artists and game creators can showcase and monetize original work. Offering a “curated viewing experience” in story, art and experiential content, Escape styles itself as an “experimental” space. “If you like edgy-fun shows like ‘Love Death + Robots’ or the type of stories spun from game worlds, escape.ai is your place,” Gaeta said, describing it as a hybrid platform where premium streaming meets the creator economy. Continue reading Escape.ai, Streaming Hub for Digital Content, Debuts in Beta

Optoma has announced the Photon Go, a tiny ultra short-throw laser projector that throws a 100-inch image from a distance of just 9.8 inches. Releasing in April, the portable device is “designed to bring big-screen entertainment just about anywhere,” the company says, emphasizing the device’s 10 x 6 x 2.5-inch size and 3.8-pound weight — notable because UST projects are not typically very portable. Featuring RGB triple laser technology for vibrant colors and nuanced contrast, the Photon Go “can transform any wall into a screen,” according to the Taiwanese manufacturer. Continue reading Optoma Photon Go: Portable UST Projector with Triple Laser

Substack has enabled video publishing directly from within the Substack app. The move is designed to increase user engagement while helping its authors monetize, including with smartphones. Each video post can be formatted to reach subscribers instantly through email, app notifications, or both. “With millions of weekly active users and 1 million posts discovered daily, the Substack app has become the leading driver of subscriber and revenue growth for publishers building sustainable, independent businesses,” the company claims. The Substack network has also become a discovery ecosystem, helping creators find potential subscribers. Continue reading Substack Now Lets Creators Monetize with Video Publishing

YouTube has been testing a low-priced version of its ad-free Premium tier being referred to as “Premium Lite” that is limited to podcasts and how-to clips presented largely without ads. The package is reportedly poised to launch in the United States, Australia, Germany and Thailand, with an aim toward attracting subscribers interested in content other than music videos. Pricing for the new tier has yet to be revealed. YouTube Premium currently costs $14 per month in the U.S. for ad-free viewing of all native YouTube content, including music videos. Continue reading YouTube Tests ‘Premium Lite’ Tier for Podcasts and How-To

Facebook is downsizing data storage expenditures by deleting old live video feeds. Meta Platforms announced that beginning this week “new live broadcasts can be replayed, downloaded or shared from Facebook Pages or profiles for 30 days, after which they will be automatically removed from Facebook.” Prior to removing the content, users will be notified they have 90 days to download or transfer the material to other storage or convert it to a new reel. Previously, such content was stored indefinitely. Facebook stores more than 100 petabytes of material with an estimated 500 terabytes added each day. Continue reading Facebook’s New Storage Policy Limits Live Video to 30 Days

YouTube Shorts has upgraded its Dream Screen AI background generator to incorporate Google DeepMind’s latest video model, Veo 2, which will also generate standalone video clips that users can post to Shorts. “Need a specific scene but don’t have the right footage? Want to turn your imagination into reality and tell a unique story? Simply use a text prompt to generate a video clip that fits perfectly into your narrative, or create a whole new world,” coaxes YouTube, which seems to be trying out “Dream Screen” branding as an umbrella for its genAI efforts. Continue reading YouTube Shorts Updates Dream Screen with Google Veo 2 AI

Netflix is thinking about adding video podcasts as an inexpensive way to expand program offerings and boost engagement. The streamer has reportedly been in discussions with agencies in recent months, exploring talent to host talk-based video podcast shows. Netflix execs had previously considered the format but were skeptical it could work on the platform. Having witnessed YouTube’s explosive growth on television screens, which have surpassed mobile and desktop in terms of viewing hours, podcasts are now getting a second look as an entry point to creator-driven content. Continue reading Netflix Explores Podcasts in Push for Creator-Driven Content

BuzzFeed is launching a new social media platform that aims to fight the tide of content designed primarily to please AI algorithms. BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti described the upcoming service in a “BF Island Manifesto” blog post that blasts SNARF media, an acronym that stands for Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention, Fear. “SNARF is the kind of content that evolves when a platform asks an AI to maximize usage,” Peretti writes. “Content creators need to please the AI algorithms or they become irrelevant. Millions of creators make SNARF content to stay in the feed and earn a living.” The nearly 3,000 word manifesto name-checks TikTok and Facebook. Continue reading BuzzFeed Social Platform to Battle Algorithmic Programming

TVs have become the primary viewing platform for YouTube in the U.S., surpassing mobile and desktop by watch time. The platform, which turns 20 this year, has gone from people “filming grainy videos of themselves on desktop computers to building studios and producing popular talk shows and feature-length films.” Content creators are “becoming the startups of Hollywood,” wrote CEO Neal Mohan in his annual letter to the YouTube user base. Mohan emphasized the company’s role in the entertainment ecosystem as 2024 marked the second consecutive year that YouTube was the most-watched streaming platform in the U.S., according to Nielsen. Continue reading TV Surpasses Mobile as YouTube’s Primary Viewing Platform

Google has initiated a flurry of AI activity following the recent collection of Chinese AI releases. The Alphabet company has launched an experimental version of a new flagship AI model, Gemini 2.0 Pro. Its premiere coding and complex questions model is now available in Google AI Studio, Vertex AI and the Gemini Advanced app. The company has also made its general-purpose “workhorse” model, Gemini 2.0 Flash, available in general release via the Gemini API in AI Studio and Vertex. This follows last week’s announcement that Gemini 2.0 Flash is powering the Gemini app for desktop and mobile. Continue reading Google Adds Gemini Flash Thinking to Search, Maps and More

The National Hockey League is testing an animated recap show aimed at drawing young viewers. “NHL Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week” uses NHL Edge Positional Data to turn NHL player into avatars, creating “a visualization of the on-ice action with stunning realism and dynamic movements,” the league says. The half-hour show premiered February 1 featuring a recap of a January 25 game between the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals. Episodes air on the NHL Network and on the NHL YouTube channel in the U.S. and on Sportsnet in Canada and are expected to continue in the Saturday slot. Continue reading NHL Is Turning Players into Avatars in Game Recaps for Kids

Less than a week after sending tremors through Silicon Valley and across the media landscape with an affordable large language model called DeepSeek-R1, the Chinese AI startup behind that technology has debuted another new product — the multimodal Janus-Pro-7B with an aptitude for image generation. Further mining the vein of efficiency that made R1 impressive to many, Janus-Pro-7B utilizes “a single, unified transformer architecture for processing.” Emphasizing “simplicity, high flexibility and effectiveness,” DeepSeek says Janus Pro is positioned to be a frontrunner among next-generation unified multimodal models. Continue reading DeepSeek Follows Its R1 LLM Debut with Multimodal Janus-Pro

YouTube is rolling out new experimental features for Premium users and letting those paid plan subscribers access more than one test feature at a time. Among the exploratory features now available to YouTube Premium users is high-quality 256kbps audio on music videos and the ability to “jump ahead” on the web, something previously available only on mobile devices. For iOS users, picture-in-picture and smart downloads for YouTube Shorts are also among the new features. In addition, the company announced bundled pricing for those users who subscribe to both YouTube Premium and Google One Premium. Continue reading YouTube Premium Offers Speed Controls and Improved Audio