Showing posts with label CBS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CBS. Show all posts

December 18, 2008

Truly Free Media Center Software? Try Boxee.

“You are now free to be entertained.”

Who can argue with that?

On your laptop or connected to an HDTV, Boxee enables you to enjoy your movies, TV shows, music, and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr.





You can vote for them -- if you agree they deserve it -- in lifehacker.com's five Best Media Center application contest.

Also - see my next post on the 21st about Netflix coming to Tivo, AppleTV, and ... Linux! Would you believe that???

Cybercast credit: Vimeo

November 15, 2008

EveryZing Zings on Us Its MetaPlayer

In addition to EveryZings' ezSEO that I wrote about in a previous post in October, another new product has been introduced by them, called the EveryZing MetaPlayer.





EveryZing's applications enhance the discovery of online audio and video content. Why is this so important today?

Because finding what you want in, say, an hour-long television interview is still really, really hard. First, you have to watch the video (yes, I appreciate the inconvenience…). If you’re lucky, someone has already indexed the interview with selected keywords that you can jump to. That works, as long as what that “someone” has indexed has some relation to your interests. But, if it’s an interview where what you really want are only the sections where the interviewee mentions, say, “Travelgate,” and those sections have not been tagged for you, there is no other solution than to watch the content in a linear mode.

Even with this ever-growing sea of digital media at our fingertips, text continues to be the dominant method by which we search for content. In some cases, image recognition software may allow us to request comparisons-the “find me something that looks like this”-functionality that is certainly helpful. But, content publishers can easily be stymied by trying to figure out affordable methods to use which will result in their content being more accessible to search requests.

One of the fundamental aspects of finding content that’s relevant to you is the method by which you must search for that content. And that, of course, has traditionally been by using keywords. However, as already outlined, who determines what keywords are relevant? How many keywords should be indexed? And, with the sheer amount of digital media growing each day, simply adding people to manually enter keywords will clearly not scale. EveryZing, however, uses its core IP to generate metadata from audio and video content which, in turn, can be used for assisting the search process.

The EveryZing application suite, consisting of ezSEO, ezSEARCH, and MetaPlayer is a great example of the functionality and ease-of-use necessary to make video search, retrieval, tracking, and monetization feasible for mere mortals, like me.

MetaPlayer also preserves for us, content owners and publishers the control we need over content, brand, and the monetization of that content. At the same time, you give more control to your viewers too, by virtue of providing much better search capability. Additionally, MetaPlayer’s speech-to-text and natural language processing technologies can also be integrated into third party applications and to extend other “chromeless” players.

EveryZing’s customers include NewsCorp, Disney, CBS, Cox, and Thomson-Reuters. Pretty impressive! In case you want to keep up with the latest goings-on, here is a link to the company blog.

December 23, 2007

Happy Holiday Tidings from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

From the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, Victoria's Secret, their georgeous models, Seal, The Spice Girls, and wil.i.am all wish you the happiest of holidays!

Feast your eyes on this medley of performances from the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion show, even if your wallet is already empty....

Here is to wish you and your close ones a wonderful time this holiday season. May the New Year bring you health, happiness, and success. I do look forward to connect and collaborate with all of you in 2008.

Cybercast credit: CBS via Veoh

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December 14, 2007

Brightcove.tv Retreats into the Cove

The video sharing site, Brightcove.tv, is changing its focus to video distribution for its partners. Unfortunately. it was really late to this game. There are a horde of online video startups with variations on that theme - and I’ve covered most of them. Brightcove, which raised a huge $59 million round last January, stopped allowing users to upload videos on December 17.

You want to see what they carry now? How about the "Sopranos' creator in court” from MSN Video? Was the idea of a Mobbed up family from Jersey stolen from someone else? MSNBC's Susan Filan talks about the case against "Sopranos" creator David Chase.

'Sopranos' creator in court
'Sopranos' creator in court


Brightcove is focusing on being a specialized media platform for media companies, including some of its funders, such as the The New York Times, Hearst, CBS, and others.

Cybercast credit: MSN Video via Brightcove

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June 28, 2007

VEOH TV Bills Itself as a DVR for the Internet

Just what I need more of....



Veoh TV's new (beta, beta, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, ... yes, there are other ancient greek letters too, people) software lets you watch and record Internet video from thousands of video sources from the get-go. You can immerse yourself in full-length episodes from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and what goes for entertainment on YouTube, MySpace, Google, Yahoo, and your corner store video sharing service.

Finding your shows and clips is super easy with the TV-style guide, or via keyword search. You can even use a remote control. (Which one(s)? As you watch it learns what you like and automatically recommends videos to you. Creeps ... make sure your computer is out of sight when your significant other is there or mom is visiting!

Can't wait to lay your eyes on it? Get an invite here.

(It is currently in an invitation only beta, beta, beta.)

P.S. Looks like this outfit never sleeps - and they don't want you too either!

May 24, 2007

WallStrip Does It ... In 6 Months

WallStrip, the daily web show devoted to irreverent stock news
see my previous post about it here, announced yesterday morning:






CBS is buying us and we WON'T tell you for how much!

The six-month-old program has been on YouTube, Veoh, Blip.tv, iTunes, Yahoo! Podcasts, Google Finance, TheStreet.com, AOL Uncut, vSocial and Revver. And from now on CBS....

Much of its success is credited to host Lindsay Campbell. She is often compared to former Rocketboom host Amanda Congdon, who was picked up last year by ABC News. Lindsay will stay on as host. WallStrip's producers Adam Elend and Jeff Marks will produce original web video for CBS. Creator Howard Lindzon will become a consultant for the network. When the shooting gets hot, the hot go corporate ... or something like that. Never mind the sour grapes from me - congratulations WallStrip!

Broadcast credit: vSocial

February 3, 2007

Viacom Demands That YouTube Yank 100,000 Clips

Comedy Central's and MTV's daddy, the mighty Viacom henceforth demands that your favorite Tube yank all of its video clips, after negotiations failed. About 100,000 video clips are to be erased from You Know Who Google Tube's servers.

Viacom says its pirated programs on YouTube generate about 1.2 billion video streams. You read it right - we talk BILLIONS here. But don't you think that's the reason for Viacom to be so PISSED OFF. NOoooo Sireee! What they are REALLY ticked off about is the irreverence some YouTubers display - literally - by mocking their fabled logo. See for yourself - here is the "Viacom V of Doom" from just one of the MANY offenders, Doom (811 Productions):


You'd be steamed up about a sacrilege like that at your corporate logo, wouldn't you?

To be fair, YouTube has not been without controversy, as clips from copyright protected TV programs, shows, and other legally protected media have made their way onto their site. That, however, didn't seem to bother other major media companies, such as CBS and Universal Music Group. They went ahead and struck distribution agreements with YouTube prior to its love-in with Google. Go figure....

P.S. Didn't take long for Google, after having come into existence only nine years ago in 1998, to be slapped with a billion dollar suit too ... by Viacom, of course!