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Video: Murdoch unplugged

While some attendees grumbled that speakers were less than forthcoming, that could most certainly not be said for Rupert Murdoch, who was plenty outspoken in his evening chat.

I posted my take earlier, but here's some video, courtesy of the All Things D site.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Click here for full coverage of the D: All Things Digital conference.

Murdoch on Microhoo: 'I'm mystified'

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Rupert Murdoch, who is no stranger to the Microsoft-Yahoo affair, said even he is shaking his head at the lack of a deal.

"I'm mystified," Murdoch said. "I cannot understand the whole thing. Jerry Yang is a friend who we all love and admire and he's emotional about it."

Murdoch said that Microsoft offered a price that the vast majority of shareholders wanted but that Yang managed, at least for now, to fend them off. At the same, time, he said he's surprised Microsoft didn't press the point, something he … Read more

Joost: New hires, lots of video, still no Web-based version

Some critics declared video service Joost kaput when big-network rival Hulu debuted last spring, far exceeding expectations.

But Joost, founded by the team behind Skype and Kazaa, wants you to know it's still going strong. The company announced Monday that it now has more than 7,000 hours of video programming available and that it has hired former Dailymotion employees Danny Passman and John Schultz. They have joined the video start-up as global head of programming strategy and director of programming strategy, respectively. Both are also MTV Networks veterans.

The company has also made a number of other executive … Read more

Who says Hulu is no YouTube competitor?

LAS VEGAS--Hulu CEO Jason Kilar was trying to make a point about why Hulu is Hollywood's best option against online piracy. But he needed something to illustrate copyright violations.

That was when YouTube appeared.

During a presentation Wednesday at the National Association of Broadcasters 2008 conference, Kilar stood in front of an image of a YouTube Web page that featured a clip from the TV show Felicity. Kilar told the audience, "the only way to get (Felicity) is from unauthorized sources."

He noted that at Hulu, TV and film companies could promote their content online using high-quality … Read more

NBC to Apple: Build antipiracy into iTunes

SAN FRANCISCO--NBC Universal would like to have its TV shows distributed once again through Apple's iTunes service, a top executive said Wednesday, but he called for antipiracy measures to help protect his business' revenue.

George Kliavkoff, chief digital officer at NBC Universal, didn't specifically mention Apple by name in his request, but it was clear he had the iPod maker in mind when it came to combating people's consumption of pirated content.

"If you look at studies about MP3 players, especially leading MP3 players and what portion of that content is pirated, and think about how … Read more

NAB: Will DVRs thwart rise of online TV shows?

LAS VEGAS--Big TV networks are rushing to attract Internet audiences, but there are signs that the payoff won't be that sexy.

One of the burning questions television broadcasters face is whether the Web can be mined for big advertising dollars. NBC Universal, CBS, and Viacom are just a few of the media conglomerates moving quickly to offer full-length TV shows over the Web.

What will surely be debated here this week at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual conference--which gets rolling on Monday--is whether the masses will welcome TV on a PC.

What about commercials? Will audiences resent being … Read more

Hulu update allows in-feed RSS video viewing

Reading blog posts on Google Reader is cool, but creating a feed full of playable video clips is far more entertaining. Video host Hulu's latest update to its sharing tools has done just that, letting you tweak several RSS feeds to automatically include embed code that will let a video play in its entirety right in your feed reader. More importantly, this can double as a simple way to get around any domain restrictions put in place by your IT department to keep you from watching Hulu videos while at work.

To get it to work you simply need … Read more

Hulu sells out ad inventory, more on the way

The good news for Hulu, the video portal jointly created by NBC Universal and News Corp., is that it sold out of advertising inventory.

The bad news for Hulu viewers is that more ads are on the way.

Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal, made the statements during a gathering of the International Advertising Association on Monday, according to Adage.com, the Web site of magazine Advertising Age.

Over at Silicon Alley Insider, Michael Learmonth points out that Hulu, the site that has received favorable reviews for offering users the ability to watch full-length TV shows, didn't have that … Read more

Joost said ready to rein in global ambitions, focus on U.S. market

Looks as if the rest of the world may have to wait a tad longer to experience the pleasure of "next-generation TV." The Sunday Times is reporting that Joost will ditch some of its more ambitious plans to focus on the U.S. market.

The article reports that "a major retrenchment" is in the offing. A Joost spokeswoman is quoted denying layoffs but allowing that "there are some situations where staff have been realigned to better fit our needs." (Bush should hire that person to spin our Iraq fiasco.)

Nice scoopage, if true, though … Read more

Report: CBS testing high-definition video

CBS has begun testing high-definition streaming video.

Buried in the lab's section of the network's Web site is a gallery of short HD clips from shows such as Jericho, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Dexter.

TechCrunch was first to report the story and said the clips are available in H.264 format at 480p, with 720 p and 1080p coming later.

CBS has been overshadowed on the Internet in recent months by Hulu, the video portal operated by NBC Universal and News Corp. Hulu launched earlier this month and has attracted a score of content from other networks, … Read more