casting

As the CTIA Fall 2008 show opened, Verizon Wireless announced new channels for its V Cast streaming-video service, some of which will feature full-length programming.

The new channels include Scooby Doo & Friends, DC Comics, Relix, G4 Mobile, HGTV, The Food Network, The WB, ES Musica and Rock On: Altitude from GoTV, Comedy Time Latino, TLC, Animal Planet, Planet Green, and Discovery Kids.

While the above channels will feature mostly short clips, full-length programming will be available from shows like Comic View: One Mic Stand and Hell Date from BET and Score Center and MMA Live from ESPN. You'll … Read more

Verizon Wireless is getting a head start on CTIA by announcing a new mobile Web site for V Cast video content. The site, m.vcast.com, will allow users to browse content by category, channel, or show and then watch that content on their phone. You'll also be able to access and share content using social networking sites like Twitter. Accessing m.vcast.com will incur normal data charges, but you will need a device with a full HTML browser. At present, that's limited to the LG Dare or the LG Voyager but Verizon says more such devices … Read more

The story originally stated that Verizon's over-the-air music service downloaded DRM-free MP3 files directly to the user's handset. It was later learned that Verizon's direct-to-phone music download is not in the MP3 format. The copy delivered to the user's computer, however, is in the MP3 format.

Read the updated story here.

A correction was made to this story. See details below.

RealNetworks on Sunday announced several improvements to its Rhapsody music service, including a new online music store and integration with Verizon's V Cast mobile phone music service.

Taking a cue from competitors such as Amazon and Napster, Rhapsody's new Web-based music store sells a catalog of universally compatible (DRM-free) MP3 files from all four major music labels (Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI), as well as a selection of independents.

The new Rhapsody store represents a departure from the strictly software-based music subscription model on which … Read more

Verizon Wireless has upped the ante in its efforts to take on Apple's iTunes store in the digital music market by offering DRM-free music for all purchased music plus a new subscription service. But will it be enough to make a dent in Apple's dominance?

On Monday, Verizon Wireless will announce the revamped V Cast music store, which will be loaded with digital music that is free of the pesky digital rights management encryption on all songs that are purchased through the store. Verizon is joining Amazon as the only other digital music distributor that will be selling … Read more

Watch your latest YouTube creation, show the photo album of your trip to Thailand, and then check in to see how far your Yahoo stock has tanked--all without leaving your couch or using an external box (e.g. Apple TV). That's Panasonic's new Viera Cast system in a nutshell--just don't expect an ideal experience with this first generation technology.

Available on the high-end TH-46PZ850U and TH-50PZ850U plasma televisions, Panasonic's Viera Cast system isn't exactly the first of its kind--Sony's Bravia Internet Link and HP's MediaSmart TVs, and Samsung's A650 line all offer … Read more

With technology advancing faster than one can keep up, sometimes it's good to hold on to the past. Believe me, I'm all for a refrigerator that can give me financial advice or a microwave that can regrow my hair, but sometimes you just want to keep things simple and cook a good meal.

Aga's cast iron Four Oven Cooker will do just that while at the same time keeping your kitchen aesthetically pleasing. Like the name says, it features four radiant heat ovens allowing you to speed up the cooking process and spend more time enjoying your … Read more

NEW YORK--Verizon Wireless wants to make music.

Or at least it wants to help record labels and artists make music. More importantly, it wants to provide new, innovative ways for them to make money from the music they create.

"Artists are frustrated with the traditional music-producing model, which is broken," said Ed Ruth, director of digital music for Verizon. "They are frustrated that labels aren't innovating. And we think we can help. We think we can bring some innovative approaches to the whole process."

In addition to its music store, V Cast Music, which is … Read more

It's taken awhile, but Monster's "iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge" is finally shipping. The device serves as a dock that connects the iPod to a home stereo but also turns the media player into a remote control with a snap-on dongle. It first appeared on Crave after our esteemed colleague John Falcone wrote about it last summer, apparently even before it had been christened as the "iSoniCast" or had any pricing. (It will sell for $99.95, according to the Monster's press release.) Though it looks slightly different from the photos released last year, … Read more