Video

YouTube's traffic machine may finally be turning into a cash machine.

For the first time, there are signs that YouTube is driving significant revenue for itself and some of the video site's partners. In an interview with CNET News this week, Rio Caraeff, executive vice president of Universal Music Group's eLabs, said the largest of the top recording companies is bringing in "tens of millions of dollars" from YouTube.

"(YouTube) is not like radio, where it's just promotional," said Caraeff, who heads up Universal's digital group. "It's a revenue … Read more

NBC guards video content pretty jealously. NBC clips posted to YouTube without authorization typically are pulled down fast. But a clip that appeared on the network's stalwart comedy show, Saturday Night Live, is racking up huge viewership on YouTube.

The comedy skit known as "Jizz in My Pants" starring SNL cast member Andy Samberg has recorded nearly 8 million views since being posted on December 6 and is YouTube's most watched video this month. NBC hasn't ordered the clip to be pullled from YouTube. That may seem like a policy shift, but in this case … Read more

Well, the Golden Globe nominations are out and everyone's buzzing about how Tom Cruise's fat-suit performance in Tropic Thunder is up against the late Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. (Gee, wonder which one will win.)

But on the Web, there's another set of awards announcements making the rounds. The AOL-owned meme-culture blog Urlesque has announced the winners of its first annual "Urlies." The goofy categories include "Make It Stop" (winner: Rickrolling), "Breakout of the Year" (winner: the "Puppycam" craze), and the "WTF … Read more

What are the chances you'll actually watch a DVD/Blu-ray more than once or twice?

I know a lot of folks who never watch most of the discs they buy. They've already seen the film when it was in theaters, and enjoyed it, so they buy it. Sure, little kiddies can watch a flick over and over again, but if you're over 12 it's a rare film that bears repeated viewing.

Box sets are even worse. OK, it's one thing to buy a three-disc box like Law & Order - The Second Year, but who'… Read more

This performance from the Tower Theater in Philadelphia is loaded with hits. Musicianship is impeccable, but that's pretty much always the case with Simon, the guy's a real perfectionist. It's a rather laid-back show, and the Philly concert has a more intimate feel than the Simon & Garfunkle DVDs like "The Concert in Central Park."

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" has a terrific groove, but for me the sparser songs, like the "The Boxer" work best. The mix of hope and regret running through "American Tune" is a … Read more

Don't be deceived by this Firefox extension's unassuming user interface, it's actually a very capable video player.

NetVideoHunter operates via a tiny icon and counter that appear in your status bar. When you click on the icon, a window appears for viewing videos. A step-by-step guide walks you through the process--a definite plus for novices. Watching a YouTube video, for example, adds it to the counter. From there, click on NetVideoHunter's tiny icon to reveal a video link. We had two choices: to play or download the video. Play starts the video, while download saves the … Read more

Updated on 11/20/08 to correct details about Qik's social uploads.

Last week I learned of mobile video-broadcasting application Bambuser. Since then, I've compared it side-by-side with its direct competitor, Qik. The similarities between the two are more than skin deep: both turn the cell phone's camera into a live recorder and stream the video online, both allow viewers to chat with the videographer by flashing the message on the screen, and both are currently in development mode. They also both let you integrate with Twitter, Pownce, and a variety of other social networks.

While Qik, … Read more

If you've ever wanted to watch streaming video right on your desktop, and organize all your favorite streams in a single bucket, it's worth checking out StreamDesk. This cross-platform desktop application plays video streams from a variety of sources in a simple player that cuts out the browser completely and turns each show into a small, floating window.

Included are more than 100 various streaming video shows from a small handful of providers. If you come across one that isn't live, you're out of luck, otherwise live shows begin to stream in almost instantly. Shows you … Read more

Howcast, the how-to video host and platform, on Friday released its iPhone application, bringing its entire catalog of short-form informational videos to the popular device.

Much like YouTube's iPhone application, the Howcast app lets users search for videos, find them in a small selection of featured clips, or pick them by popularity or publication date.

It's wonderfully entertaining--including the option to shake the phone (or iPod Touch) and go to a random clip, no matter what part of the application you're using.

Where the mobile experience falls short of its Web counterpart is in lacking an integrated … Read more