Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Media Center Plugin streams Netflix and Hulu A new streaming video plugin for Vista Media Center PCs and extenders, called VMCPlayIt, provides a front-end interface to the PlayOn digital media server software. DTV D-Day #2 According to the FCC, nearly half of the country’s TV … Read more

Where’s The Beef? Filtering Cats For Content.

If you ask the big content owners, they’ll argue that the only content on YouTube has either been stolen from them or is a lame cat video uploaded by your crazy neighbor. Unfortunately, in my seemingly endless quest to collect and document the best cat videos on YouTube, I keep getting distracted by some pretty amazing independent content producers. Here are ten who’ve recently impressed me.

Wicked Awesome Films Kevin & Bobby create movie trailers of pop culture events. Whether they are remaking the latest films, riffing on popular internet memes or teaching underaged kids how to get alcohol, their quick 2 minute clips will keep you entertained and laughing. They tend to be a little over the top and crude at times, but that’s a big part of their charm. They are usually not safe for work (NSFW), so consider yourself forewarned. But if you enjoy listening to shock jocks on the radio, you’ll love their videos.

Jack the Danger BunnyFilmed in a style that is part documentary, part sitcom, and pure genius, Cait and Dan share moments of their dysfunctional relationship with the rest of the YouTube community. If their relationship in real life is anything like the show, I’m not sure how long the series will be around, but take advantage why you can because their silly antics make for some of the best videos on Youtube.

The Big Time ShowGabe and Dave moved to Hollywood with a dream to make it big. Along the way, they’ve been documenting their progress towards trying to break into the world of show business. They’ve got the looks, are willing to work hard, sell themselves out and have no shortage of motivation. The only problem is that they seem to be lacking talent. Filmed as a reality TV show, their videos take a satirical look at the movie business and features a wacky cast of characters including their sleeze ball agent, a clueless photographer and a student director who isn’t even willing to cast these guys in a student project unless they’re willing to pay him. If you’ve ever wondered how bad b-movies end up making it to the big screen, this mockumentary provides all of the answers. Spinal Tap fans will especially love this series.

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New Windows 7 Codec Support Rumblings

Following up my previous integrated Windows 7 codec support coverage, I saw from Volker Zota at heise that some new developments in the Windows 7 betas have come to light. According to the investigative work of an ffdshow developer, as reported to Dan “BetaBoy” Marlin of CoreCodec, the latest beta of Windows 7 blocks the … Read more

Why Is Redbox Afraid Of The Big Bad iPhone?

Over the last few years, Redbox has been able to build an impressive DVD rental network by being innovative and flexible while their competitors were still laughing at the concept of kiosk rentals. Over time they’ve added features to the Redbox website that allow customers to browse and reserve titles online. They’ve linked their kiosks together so that unlike competitors (ahem: Blockbuster), you can actually rent a movie from one location and return it at another. Redbox’s core business may ultimately be, plain old boring physical DVD rentals, but there’s no denying that they’ve been an innovator in their industry. Which is why I am so perplexed by their most recent decision to go hostile against iPhone owners.

Given the company’s reputation for thinking progressively, I was disappointed to learn that they’ve decided to take a technological step backwards by putting pressure on the Inside Redbox blog, to kill their Inside Redbox iPhone application.

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New Netflix Survey Offers Clues

Looks like Netflix is once again soliciting feedback via a branching web-based survey. Last week we started to see blog coverage of what looks to be them testing the waters for providing service on additional game consoles (Wii, PS3). My immediate reaction, given the scarcity of sources, a non-Netflix URL, and the “exclusive” language of … Read more

Digital Media Bytes: Last100 Edition

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100: Hands-on review: INQ1 a.k.a. the ‘Facebook phone’ I’ve been playing with the INQ1, the so-called ‘Facebook phone’. Designed by the same team behind mobile carrier 3’s original “Skype Phone”, like its predecessor, this fairly nondescript 3G candy bar slider masks plenty of innovation on … Read more

TiVo to Serve Blockbuster VOD

In the second half of the year, Blockbuster OnDemand video downloads are set to join Amazon, CinemaNow, Netflix, and Jaman on broadband-connected TiVo units. While TiVo isn’t in need of another video download service, that largely duplicates Amazon Unbox/VOD content, this relationship looks mutually beneficial. TiVo gains a new sales channel via thousands of Blockbuster … Read more

Catching up with Boxee (And introducing TechVi)

For the last year or so I’ve pitched pressured my blogging buddies to work with me on some sort of ensemble video podcast. But we never seemed to find the time, motivation, or skills. And now Randall Bennett, who you may recognize from Engadget and CNET, has independently launched TechVi. I participated in a pre-alpha … Read more