video streaming

It looks like the rumor mill was a little off this time -- Verizon's Redbox Instant won't be launching this month, as was previously speculated but rather in 2013. However, its public beta should be good to go within the next few weeks.

Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam announced today at an investor conference that after public beta testing the commercial launch of the video streaming and DVD rental service should kick off either at the end of 2013's first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Redbox Instant -- Verizon's stab at a video streaming service to compete with Netflix -- is said to be launching by the end of the year.

Users may be able to start using the service as soon as December 17, according to GigaOM. Also, it's looking like Redbox Instant could cost as low as $6 a month.

Redbox Instant is a joint venture announced in February between Verizon and Coinstar -- the company that owns the Redbox DVD rental business. The companies aim to develop an on-demand video streaming service with DVD rentals, much like what Netflix offers.… Read more

In the flurry of news on Nintendo's Wii U launch this weekend, one aspect stuck out: streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video, along with Nintendo's TVii service, were to be delayed for a few more weeks.

However, Netflix announced today this is incorrect. Contrary to the news reports, there will be no delay for Netflix on Wii U's launch -- the company announced that the service became available on the console this weekend.

"Netflix is available today on the Wii U home screen with the Wii U launch in the US … Read more

A couple weeks back I declared a moratorium of sorts on deals from 1SaleADay, citing a steady stream of reader complaints about slow shipping and poor communication.

Soon thereafter I heard from a friendly and apologetic company exec who agreed the company has "room to improve" in these areas and is working to improve response times. He also noted that 1SaleADay does provide tracking numbers, via both e-mail and the customer's account page.

A bigger issue is the slow shipping. According to 1SaleADay's FAQ page, most orders are processed within five business days, while delivery times … Read more

After Carl Icahn snapped up a 10 percent stake in Netflix, which caused a 15 percent jump in the company's stock shares yesterday, the streaming-video company announced that it's ready to listen to Icahn's business advice.

"We have many shareholders, now including Mr. Icahn, and we're always open to their perspective on how to build on our success," a Netflix representative told CNET in an e-mailed statement.

Icahn's history as an investor is full of high-profile proxy fights and tussles with management. In recent years, he has fashioned himself as an investor activist. … Read more

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed technology that can embed and send data via video transmission.

In what could become a new channel for companies to advertise and promote their goods and services, Fujitsu has created a method for embedding digital information -- including coupons or URLs -- into video streams. The technology, which is patent-pending, can send video data directly to a smartphone up to three meters away, apparently without impacting image quality.

The technology giant explained how this works in an overview of the project (pdf):

Netflix and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) have come to an agreement about captions for the company's streaming videos: 100 percent must be captioned by 2014.

The agreement comes by way of a class action lawsuit filed by NAD in 2010 that alleged the streaming service was "failing to provide adequate closed captioning on 'Watch Instantly' streaming video programming," and therefore was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After back-and-forth between the lawyers -- and Netflix working to get the case thrown out -- the two sides finally settled this week.

"We … Read more

If you'd like to download and save videos from YouTube but don't care for some of the more versatile (read: "complex") video tools out there, 1-Click YouTube Downloader might be what you're looking for. As the name suggests, it can download videos with a single click, more or less; certainly with less effort than any similar tool we've tried. While it's a bit thin on options, that's in keeping with its keep-it-simple mission statement; nevertheless, it does cover the basics. Naturally, 1-Click YouTube Downloader is freeware: After all, YouTube is free, too!… Read more

Whether the Apple TV undergoes a full transformation into something representing the future of television, a number of apps are attempting to take us there today. Live TV and the increasing number of streaming-video apps on iOS present a seemingly unbridgeable gulf, but apps like Dijit's NextGuide are doing their best to synthesize the experience.

Much like TV Guide's recently updated app, NextGuide is a mix of standard TV listings, social recommendations, and direct hooks to launch streaming-video apps with the content you're looking for. The layout and discovery of shows is based on tiles and genres, … Read more