Boxee Offers HD Streaming Movies with VUDU

When it comes to streaming media, it looks like Boxee has the best of both worlds. That is, its hardware solution – the Boxee Box – makes it easy to bring streams like YouTube, Netflix or Pandora to your disconnected television. Now, its software solution will perform a similar feat with the addition of VUDU, a previously hardware-only provider of HD movie rentals.

In reality, both the hardware and software version will be bringing VUDU to your screen, whether TV or computer monitor. This morning, the two companies announced that VUDU would be coming to the Boxee platform in November.

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VUDU was previously available on a number of devices, including Blu-ray players, HDTVs and home theater systems. Its inclusion in Boxee will be a win both for VUDU and for Boxee users, as VUDU finds a new distribution channel and Boxee users get a way to quickly stream HD, surround sound versions of newly-released movies. VUDU claims to have the largest HD library available, with more than 3000 HD titles available for $2 for two nights. In addition to coming to the Boxee software, VUDU will be integrated onto the soon-to-be released Boxee Box.

Avner Ronen, CEO and co-founder of Boxee, noted that “The fact that Boxee Box users will have access to the largest selection of HD content through Vudu in the highest quality available today really sets us apart from our set top box competitors.”

The movement to bring streaming, Internet video to the television is heating up with a number of providers, from Google TV to Roku to Apple TV and more, and any point of distinction could be a big one in this field. Newly-released movies (that you would only find on DVD and not on Netflix) could be a big attraction for some.

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VLC Makes Its Way to the iPhone, iPod Touch

VLC has made its way fully onto iOS with this week’s release for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The open-source, multi-platform video player will allow Apple’s mobile device users to play a number of different video formats, from DiVX to AVI and more.

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This latest version of VLC works on the iPhone 4 and 3GS, as well as the iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generation. This version of VLC allows users a greater flexibility by providing support for more file types as well as allowing them to delete files directly from the app, rather than resorting to using iTunes on their computer.

The app first broke onto iOS in late September with an iPad app, surprising many. As we mentioned when the iPad app was approved, it seems that after Apple clarified its App Store guidelines, it moved to a more liberal policy.

9 to 5 Mac took a look at the app and offered up an early review of the features, which you can see below.

VLC 1.1.0 is available in the App Store.

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Netflix Launches Disc-Free Streaming for the Wii

Until today, an exclusive agreement between Netflix and Microsoft meant that only Xbox users were able to use a native Netflix app on their consoles to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix without the need to insert a disc into their machines. Starting today, however, Netflix users with a subscription of $8.99 and above who own a Nintendo Wii can also download a Netflix app on their consoles and recycle their old Netflix CDs.

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Just last week, Sony also announced that owners of its PS3 console will now be able to skip their Netflix CDs and stream videos in 1080p with surround sound starting – something no other Netflix solution currently offers. The Wii, of course, does not support high-definition video, so the quality of the video stream won’t be as high as on other platforms that support Netflix HD streaming like the new Apple TV, Roku and the PS3.

As all of these streaming video solutions and Internet-connected TVs become more mainstream (and no other console is more mainstream than the Wii), more and more consumers will likely be willing to cut their cable subscription in favor of using services like Netflix and Hulu+ in their living rooms. This, of course, is something the cable companies are rather worried about, but it is definitely a boon for consumers who now have more choice for how and when they want to consume video content.

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Yahoo to Offer Video Chat on Android & iPhone

Yahoo let the cat out of the bag earlier this week, when one of its executives told Reuters that it would begin offering video chat via Yahoo Messenger to both the iPhone and Android smartphones.

The move would bring Yahoo, which already has 81 million Yahoo Messenger users, again to the forefront of chat services and would pose a serious challenge to Apple’s own FaceTime.

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Apple FaceTime, a face-to-face video chat, only operates between iPhone 4 users over Wi-Fi connections. Yahoo Messenger, however, would go a significant step beyond FaceTime, offering video chat over 3G and between any capable platform.

According to Reuters, Yahoo VP of Mobile David Katz told them that the app would allow users to call not only each other, but anyone that currently uses Yahoo Messenger for video calls on their PCs. The Reuters article does not mention, however, if video calling between iPhone and Android users would also be possible. If it could happen between phone and PC, then it likely could between smartphone platforms as well.

The Yahoo Messenger iPhone app has not made it into the App Store quite yet, although two other video chat services – Fring and Tango – have already been accepted. However, as Reuters points out, “neither of these apps have the level of mass-market brand recognition of Yahoo, and their impact on a wireless network is probably not in the same league.”

Video chat on Yahoo Messenger could bring this capability to a significantly larger number of users than any of these other services could. Anyone with Yahoo Mail has immediate access to Yahoo Messenger and that’s a lot of people – people I would video chat with, from my mother to my friends. And how much easier is it to get someone to install a Yahoo-something that a “Fring” or “Tango” something?

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Sony’s Google TV Remote: Is this Web TV All Over Again?

Remember Web TV? The set-top box and keyboard that connected to your television to the World Wide Web? It’s hard to not flash back to that odd venture (still kicking, mind you) after spying the new Sony remote for Google TV, which was recently spotted on ABC Nightline’s Google TV special.

The remote offers a full keyboard, two directional pads, volume and channel buttons, all encased in a form factor so large, it requires two hands to hold.

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The Guardian says this after seeing the Sony Google TV remote in action:

“…all that’s missing is the aerial sticking out of the top, and it really would look like a remote control. For a jumbo jet.”

Yikes, just yikes.

So far, we’ve been bullish on Google TV’s potential, noting, for example, comments made by Google TV partner Blip.tv’s CEO Mike Hudack, which talked of the product’s game changing capabilities:

“It’s good. Very good. The main reason why it’s so good is that it, once and for all, demolishes the boundary between traditional broadcast and cable television and Internet video. People with a Google TV will no longer differentiate…We’ve very excited. We’re at the beginning of a new age, an age where the monopoly over content distribution is eroding and anyone with talent and drive can access audiences…”

And the gushing continued.

Hudack has a point: putting the Google name brand and engineering know-how behind a product as big as this does hold promise for a more democratic future for TV.

However, there has been, until now, more focus on the big ideas surrounding the Google TV platform – like how it’s positioned as an Apple TV competitor, what this means for Android developers, etc., etc. – and not a lot about the technical details of how one will interact with Web content via the TV set.

And apparently, unless this is some cruel prank, Sony’s vision for Google TV is Web TV, take 2.

Now don’t get us wrong – when Web TV first made the rounds the Web wasn’t anywhere near as interesting as it is today (I remember – I had one!). There wasn’t Facebook or Twitter or any Lady Gaga videos back then. I think its best feature was the way the LED would light up when you had new email. Yes, that was amazing, let me tell you.

But Web TV failed to captivate a large audience, because – guess what? – TV viewing is generally a passive, “lean-back” activity. Not one requiring a keyboard. Or any effort, really.

Are We Ready for Google TV?

Granted, with today’s Web, there’s a lot more to do. Google says we will be able to watch the Web on TV, Twitter is building a Google TV app and Android developers will have a whole new platform to target.

So maybe the living room is ready for Web TV again. Maybe…

Or maybe people will continue to surf their iPads and Android phones instead while the TV blares in the background, the comforting white noise it’s always been. What do you think?

Image credit, remote: Engadget

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Netflix iPhone App Updated, Now Streams to TV

The Netflix iPhone application has just been updated to a new version which now supports “video out” on the iPhone 4 and the 4th generation iPod Touch devices. That means that Netflix subscribers can now use the app to stream the on-demand programming from their mobile handheld to their TV set using a connector cable like this one available for sale in the Apple store.

Who needs an Apple TV now?

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This small but important update to the iPhone application doesn’t deliver any other new features, only the video out functionality and miscellaneous bug fixes. But for many Netflix subscribers, this is going to be big news.

So, why would a Netflix user need to stream from a mobile device to the TV? Why wouldn’t they just watch a DVD instead? For one thing, DVDs-by-mail takes time – the mobile option provides instant gratification.

And although Netflix streaming is supported through a number of game consoles like the Xbox, the Wii and the PlayStation 3 as well as on some connected TVs, Blu-ray players and other devices, not everyone has these devices in their home or even wants them. Mobile-to-TV streaming provides another option without another expense – besides, of course, the $50 cable or iPhone/iPod dock, if you don’t already have one. That’s still a lot less expensive than a brand-new Xbox.

Kill Your Cable – And Ditch Your Media Center Boxes – with Netflix

This update now positions Netflix as somewhat of a competitor to Apple’s newly refreshed Apple TV platform, Google’s upcoming Google TV service, media center boxes like Boxee and Roku and even some cable company DVRs like those provided to Verizon FiOS customers, for example, which already offer an assortment of popular TV shows and movies for free streaming.

With Netflix, you could cancel your cable subscription and even ditch your media center boxes or DVR and just stream movies and TV shows straight from your phone to your TV instead. Of course, you won’t have access to new releases or current TV shows this way, but for many casual viewers, that’s no longer a necessity.

And perhaps more importantly, this update brings your Netflix subscription with you anywhere you go – a friend’s house, your parents, the hotel room, etc. All you need is a phone and a cable.

Since the update just launched today, we have not yet tested it nor reviewed its performance. If you do so, please share your experiences in the comments.

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TechBuzz: Join us For a Live Video Q&A Session on Vokle

The good people over at the live  town hall platform Vokle invited yours truly and regular Mashable, Gizmodo and Wired contributor Shane Snow for a little live video Q&A session on their site today. If you want to tune in and ask us questions about this week’s technology and social media news, tune in here at 11am. We have also embedded the chat and video below for your viewing pleasure.

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If you want to participate and ask a question (either on live video or regular text chat), just click the big red “join event” button. You can use your Twitter credentials to sign in.

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Giving Users Brand Choice Is Key To Video Ad Success On Short Form

The Pool, a unique research initiative made of people from Publicis Groupe, publishers and advertisers, aimed to identify optimal ad models across emerging media platforms recently put out some new research that says giving consumers the ability to select the ads they see is vital to the ad success on short form video.VivaKi, founding member [...]

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Nokia touts simplified development via enhanced Qt SDK

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) issued an enhanced Qt software development kit promising a 70 percent reduction in the number of lines of code required to write apps for the company’s Symbian smartphone portfolio. Qt–a cross-platform app development framework–offers a complete toolkit touting an abbreviated workflow, simplified software creation and intuitive UI libraries; according to Nokia, the Qt SDK also enables developers to effectively future proof their apps by adapting their software to run on emerging mobile platforms like MeeGo, leveraging those operating systems’ additional features and APIs. The Nokia Qt SDK also features the Qt Simulator, allowing developers to test their apps on a computer. The SDK is available for download here.

In related Nokia news, the handset maker will make over its Ovi Store content marketplace to incorporate a new look and feel promising a more integrated user experience–in addition, the company touted a series of developer enhancements including new pricing options. According to Nokia, the upgraded Ovi Store will simplify and accelerate application search and discovery; the store will also introduce in-app purchases, enabling developers to deliver expanded pricing options like subscription models, micro-transactions and ‘try and buy’ offers giving consumers the flexibility to download a free, lite version of an application for subsequent upgrade to a more feature-rich premium edition. Nokia adds it will improve operator revenue share on Ovi Store purchases made after Oct. 1, but did not offer specifics.

According to Nokia, Ovi Store developers now reach roughly 175 million Symbian-based smartphones worldwide. The store’s footprint spans across 190 countries and boasts relationships with 91 mobile operators. Nokia notes that more than 50 Ovi Store publishers have reached the 1 million download benchmark, with some topping more than 40 million downloads to date.

For more on Nokia’s Qt SDK:
- read this release

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Nokia signing Ovi apps for free
Nokia promises improved Ovi Store with N8 release
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