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HBO likely to clear way for cloud video, UltraViolet

LOS ANGELES--HBO won't stand in the way of cloud video or UltraViolet, the name given to technology standards that the film industry hopes will become a new home video format and a successor to the DVD, say multiple sources.

If you've ever wondered why some movies disappear from the video services of Apple, Amazon, and Netflix, the likely reason is the HBO blackout. When a new release is aired on HBO, often the company has acquired the exclusive right to distribute the movie electronically. That means the title must come down at other outlets, including Web stores. HBO … Read more

Back to the Future for iPad: A welcome addition to the present

Shortly before the calendar struck 2011, gamers and movie fans alike were treated to something special: a new "Back to the Future" adventure for PC and Mac. It was, by most accounts, a terrific game.

Now it's time for iPad owners to get their, er, McFly on: Back to the Future: Episode 1 HD ($6.99) has arrived. And it's the best thing to grace my tablet in recent memory.

Time (heh) didn't permit me to check out the PC version, so this represents my first look at the game. Ironically, it's something of … Read more

If Hulu loses CEO, who would want that gig?

Toast.

That's what Jason Kilar's career at Hulu is supposed to be soon if all the media speculation is correct.

Hulu is controlled by broadcast networks, NBC, ABC, and Fox, but that didn't stop Kilar, Hulu's CEO, from writing in a blog post Wednesday that TV is cluttered with too many ads and he predicted that prices and profit margins for the TV sector would decline. He even lamented the tendency of "incumbents" (read: TV execs) to fight change. Much of his post was about what Hulu needed to offer consumers if it is … Read more

Back to pop-ups

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

The Internet goes nearly silent in Egypt during widespread violent political protests

News Corp. announces plans to launch The Daily, its iPad-only publication

Gmail offers a new feature to give you a pop-up every time you get an e-mail or an instant message

The new version of Skype for Mac has a group chatting option

Hulu may be planning to rebrand itself as the Internet's cable channel

Apple may be prepping to launch a new lineup of MacBook Pros

LinkedIn has filed for an IPO

Report: Hulu in danger of losing more content

Hulu's owners are bickering among themselves and the company's management over how much free content the online video service should offer, according to a published report.

The dispute is over how much Hulu's ad-supported service is competing with traditional TV broadcasts, according to The Wall Street Journal. Hulu is owned by three media conglomerates that operate their own broadcast networks: Disney (ABC), News Corp. (Fox), and NBC Universal.

Fox and ABC have considered pulling from the service some of their content offered to Hulu users free of charge, the Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. In what may … Read more

Data-retention plan

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

The Department of Justice proposes a very vague Internet data retention plan

Verizon's unlimited data plan for the iPhone will cost $30 per month--for a limited time

Verizon's iPhone tethering option will cost an extra $20 per month

Amazon.com wants to deliver groceries to homes nationwide with Amazon Fresh

Facebook is developing a Groupon competitor called Buy With Friends

Twitter confirms it has been blocked in Egypt amid violent, anti-government protests

Fox Sports will not broadcast the Super Bowl in 3D

The new MLB 11 game from Sony will … Read more

Heaven sent

The default appearance of Firefox is pleasant enough, but sometimes customizations are nice, too. Now you can reflect your Christian faith in Firefox with Bible Fox Blue. This browser extension changes some of the browser's button icons to religious images. The extension doesn't do a whole lot, but it's a nice choice if you'd like to add some visual reminders of Christianity to your Web browsing experience.

The extension installs without issues, although it will make Bing your default search engine unless you opt out. Once we had installed it and restarted Firefox, the changes were … Read more

The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode: Where we hate manure (podcast)

The 404 is away on vacation, but that doesn't mean you won't get your fix during the break! We're starting off with one of our favorite movies of all time: Back to the Future! Russ Frushtick from MTV's Multiplayer blog

joins us as we take a look back at all three movies in the series.

We'll stump each other with trivia from the DVD extras, discuss some mistakes in the movie, our favorite moments, our first time watching it, and why we collectively hate the third film. Also, be sure to check out the slide … Read more

Netflix's secret sauce for acquiring content

If you're a Netflix subscriber, you should be happy with the sounds coming out of Hollywood.

One entertainment executive told me last week that other Web video companies looking for content should use Netflix as a model for how to work with the major studios. He called the company a "good partner," high praise coming from an industry in which few have anything good to say about Internet companies. This bodes well for Netflix's chances of obtaining more streaming content. When it comes to the studios' complaints about Netflix, there's also something positive to be … Read more

As Netflix bears down, Hulu Plus cuts price

Hulu Plus is trying to become a better bargain.

The video portal backed by Disney, Fox, and NBC Universal said today that it has trimmed the monthly price of its subscription to $7.99, an obvious sign that the service is struggling to acquire customers.

In June, when Hulu first began charging for a premium service, the cost was $9.99. Then Hulu Plus met with considerable criticism from users. Much of the content was also available at Netflix, and while that Web video service charged the same price, it didn't force subscribers to also sit through ads like … Read more