netflix

Vudu goes HDX--and adds $200 credit for new buyers

Vudu is adding high-bitrate 1080p downloads and a $200 credit for new customers to its Internet video-on-demand box.

Starting October 2, Vudu owners will be able to download a small but growing roster of movie rentals at high-bitrate 1080p resolution--dubbed "HDX" by the set-top maker. The initial 65 titles available include such movies as The Spiderwick Chronicles, Speed Racer, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Chinatown, Saturday Night Fever, In Bruges, The Chronicles of Riddick, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The 1080p HDX versions will co-exist with the "Instant HD" 1080p ones, and will be available for the same price ($4 to $6). Going forward, Vudu is planning to make any new movie available in Instant 1080p to also be available in 1080p HDX, and the company will backfill update older HD movies in its catalog to HDX as well.

The catch:… Read more

Netflix: Coming soon to a Mac near you

With little fanfare, Netflix previewed a feature many Mac users have wanted to see for quite some time.

A little tidbit tucked away at the bottom of a blog entry posted in the wee hours of the morning proclaims that the movie rental company will make its "Watch now" service work on Macs by the end of this year.

Separately, the company announced that it has forged a deal with Starz that adds 2,500 movies and TV shows to its streaming library.

Netflix still has a long way to go before its instant viewing library can compare … Read more

The Digital Home Podcast 35: Guy Kawasaki comes Home!

In this episode, Don Reisinger explores why Apple is full of it and sits down with Guy Kawasaki to discuss his latest offering: Alltop.com Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 35 … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 821: Cloud hippies

On today's show, a big, fat present for long-time listeners (and Veronica Belmont fans): Veronica Belmont joins us! In the news, Real's pre-emptive lawsuit fails to stop the studios from suing over RealDVD, Apple threatens to close iTunes, Dell offers you Iron Man along with its computers, and Starz on Netflix! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 821

Pandora, Webcasting see victory in Senate http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10055055-93.html

Studios Sue to Bar a DVD Copying Program http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/technology/01film.html

Would Apple really shutter iTunes? Unlikely http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10055021-93.html… Read more

Netflix adds 2,500 streaming movies from Starz

Update October 1, 4:20 a.m. PDT: Netflix has officially announced the partnership, and says that the first 1,000 or so Starz titles are now available.

A major complaint with Netflix's current selection of streaming movies and shows available through its "Watch Now" service is that it doesn't contain enough recent titles. Now, according to several reports online, it looks as though Netflix is looking to change that.

On Wednesday, the company plans to announce a new partnership with Starz to offer subscribers 2,500 additional movies from Starz Play. Starz Play's selection … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 817: 3.85G coming soon!

It's an exciting time to be in the market for a confusing incremental upgrade to your wireless broadband speeds, especially if you're into white space. Donald Bell joins the cast today for a rollicking discussion that includes a trifecta of unexpected good news for actual consumers. It's very exciting. Especially the part about the giant human smiley face in Russia. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 817

Judge declares mistrial in RIAA-Jammie Thomas trial http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/not-for-publica.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10050757-38.html

DoJ agrees: IP enforcement bill is a … Read more

Roku wants to stream everyone's content

It's been known for a while that Netflix and Roku's four-month-old relationship isn't exactly a monogamous one. But it looks like Roku is hoping to play the video-streaming field even more than we initially thought.

Roku makes the $100 Netflix Player, which enables customers to stream movies from the Netflix site to their TVs. It's a product that could be a hit, if only Netflix could secure partnerships with more of the major movie houses and seriously beef up its "Watch it Now" library.

But Roku isn't waiting around for Netflix to make … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 815: The HTC Dream and the death of grammar

The introduction of the G1 phone (the HTC Dream) is very nearly overshadowed by the marketing decision to destroy perfect innocent words in the commercials for it. But we do eventually get around to discussing the features, the delay of Windows Mobile 7, electric cars from Chrysler (for real!), and SanDisk takes a beating.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 815

Live blog: First Google Android phone is unveiled http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10048519-94.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10048538-94.html http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20080923/googles-g1-first-impressions/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/23/t-mobile-g1-site-goes-live-for-real-first-ad-appears/

Each Android phone will … Read more

BeeTV delivers personal TV recommendation system

SAN DIEGO--The TV guide may no longer be necessary.

That's the message a company called BeeTV delivered at DemoFall Monday morning.

The company's platform is essentially a personal TV suggestion engine, the idea of which is to make it easier for people to find the kind of TV content they really want to watch instead of having to pick and choose randomly through the enormous number of movies, shows, games and so forth that are always on.

It's basically a personal content channel, the company says, that is designed to learn from users' behaviors and tastes.

The … Read more