videos

YouTube renews Vevo deal, invests in music video site

Google confirmed Tuesday that YouTube has renewed its agreement with Vevo, ensuring that the music-video site's videos stay on YouTube.

As part of the deal, Google will make an investment in the joint-venture owned by Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment, and Abu Dhabi Media Group. Terms of the investment were not revealed, but Billboard, which first reported on the deal, speculated the investment to be between $40 million and $50 million, in line with previous reports about a possible investment.

"We made an investment in Vevo," Google said in a statement. "We are excited by their … Read more

Review: VLC Media Player plays every type of media you can think of

VLC Media Player for Mac is the all-around reliable, works-out-of-the-box media player that you might never have heard of, though that's no reflection on the app, itself.

We installed the latest update for VLC Media Player for Mac on our test machine without problems. We quickly downloaded the DMG, and then copied VLC to Applications, overwriting our previous installed version. As longtime users of this software, we were happy to see that not much has changed. The interface remained the same, with standard buttons for playback, forward, and back. Advanced controls are available for more options, as well. The … Read more

Review: Flip videos like JPEGS with Free Video Flip and Rotate

Flipping images is almost as easy as flipping burgers, but DVDVideoSoft's Free Video Flip and Rotate tackles a harder job, flipping and rotating videos in every axis: left, right, vertical, horizontal, 180, counterclockwise, and so on. It can change the orientation of video clips or restore the correct orientation of videos that have been altered. Of course it's free, or it probably would be named something else besides Free Video Flip and Rotate! It's ready for Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

Free Video Flip and Rotate is totally easy to use. The user interface looks like … Read more

GTA V to ship on two discs for Xbox 360; one for PS3

Grant Theft Auto V will ship with two discs for the Xbox 360, according to the game's developer.

Rockstar Games on Tuesday posted a question-and-answer page on its site, responding to queries from fans. The company confirmed that due to the size of the upcoming title, the Xbox 360 version will ship with two discs. The first disc will need to be inserted into the console at startup. That disc will install game files onto the console. The second disc will then be used to play the game. No switching will be required once the file is installed on … Read more

Facebook mulls plan to become game publisher -- report

Facebook is considering getting into the gaming business as a publisher, a new report claims.

The social network is currently working with a few mobile-game developers to iron out a deal that would see their titles published under the Facebook brand, TechCrunch is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The mobile games would generate revenue through Facebook's ad platform, and the world's largest social network would share a cut of that revenue with developers.

Developers and publishers are two very different entities in the gaming space. Developers actually create the game, while publishers … Read more

Ouya gaming console is cool for hackers and indie fans, but not yet ready for the mainstream

If you’ve come here wondering whether you should buy the Ouya, let me answer that straight away: no, you shouldn’t. At least not yet.

Instead, let the hacker-types, tinkerers, and the extreme hard-core gamers be the guinea pigs for the Android-based console, because it currently needs all the testing it can get.

With any luck over the next six months, the Ouya's software library will grow to a much more compelling state, bugs will get fixed, the interface will have much-needed features added, and native nongaming content will be released. Harder to address will be the cheap … Read more

Review: Extract your files with MultiExtractor

If MultiExtractor's file-extracting capabilities (and stiff price) are more than the average user needs, it could be the answer to many pro user's needs. MultiExtractor extracts icon, image, audio, video, texture, and similar files, including zipped, hidden, and encrypted files, from deep inside a wide range of programs, drivers, and other software resources. You merely need to choose a file or directory and let MultiExtractor comb it for each type of file you're after. MultiExtractor displays results in a variety of customizable views so you can be sure you've hit the target. It also decompresses files … Read more

Review: Convert videos between formats using Prism Free Video Converter

With the number of available formats and the speed of conversion as its main advantages, Prism Free Video Converter for Mac offers a useful and easy-to-use solution for those who need to easily change saved video files from one format to another.

During the installation this software tries to install a toolbar, which the user can easily prevent by unchecking the option. Prism Free Video Converter for Mac lacks advanced graphics but its main menu buttons are designed well enough to be useful. Users can manually add individual files or entire folders for batch processing via large top menu icons. … Read more

Embed Instagram photos or videos on your Web site

Embed Instagram is a tool brought to you from the Digital Inspiration blog. It is free, easy to use, and can add a 612x612 photo or video alongside your writing. You can also edit the dimensions if you need a smaller version to fit Web site formatting.

Step 1: Open Instagram in your Web browser and navigate to the photo or video you want to share. Copy the URL in the top address bar.

Step 2: Next, open a new tab and head to the Embed Instagram Web tool. Paste the URL in the box and click Generate Embed Code. … Read more

At long last, Microsoft launches Xbox Music for the Web

More than a year after Microsoft announced its Xbox Music service, the company has finally brought it to the Web.

Microsoft's Xbox Music platform is now available for users in the browser. Customers can head over to its page and stream "millions of songs" from within the browser. Microsoft last week told CNET that the subscription, storage, and track-purchasing service would be coming to the Web, and it has officially made good on that promise.

Microsoft claims to offer "millions of songs" through Xbox Music and allows users to download tracks they purchase to a … Read more