streaming videos

Software

Joost Video Streaming iPhone App Makes Us Dream of Hulu

9:30AM Matt Buchanan | Joost lost the video war a while ago, thinking a P2P app that imitated TV would be the way people wanted to watch TV and movies on their computer. They were wrong, and only recently rectified the mistake. It’s probably too late for them. But their new iPhone app, which streams over 46,000 videos including full movies like Men in Black and Starship Troopers for free over Wi-Fi, is actually kind of exciting. More »
Software

Netflix Streaming Video Finally on Macs

12:05PM Matt Buchanan | As promised, you can finally use Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming video service on a Mac. The juiciest, most ironic part? The magic happens with Microsoft’s Flash-wannabe Silverlight—which you probably grew to know and maybe hate during the Olympics—since it keeps the DRM voodoo intact. The only real catch is that it works exclusively on Intel-based Macs, leaving anyone on an aging PowerBook out in the cold. Full details below—it’s not live yet, but it should be soon. More »
Online

Telstra Launches Australia’s First Online and Mobile 24 Hour News Channel

2:30PM Nick Broughall | It’s really surprising that this hasn’t been done by an Australian company sooner, but Telstra has launched the country’s first online 24/7 news channel, both on their BigPond portal online and on NextG mobile phones. The channel streams live video of the latest news, finance, politics, sports and weather directly to your browser or mobile phone. It’s powered by Sky News content, but BigPond has control over how it is delivered to the audience, so it can cut to breaking news or stick with the latest sports updates, depending on how they feel. The online portal at BigPond is available to anyone, although unless you’re a BigPond customer, you’ll pay for the bandwidth (which is the same as watching any other video site). BigPond customers watching the channel have unmetered access. NextG customers can pay $4.95 a month or $1.95 for a day pass. The only problem with the offering is that the online version uses Windows Media for streaming the video channel, meaning Mac users are left out in the cold. Full release is below: More »
Gadgets

SlingCatcher Available For Purchase Now

2:25PM Adrian Covert | At long last, Sling Media’s powerful, media extending/streaming/projecting SlingCatcher is available for purchase, at retailers like Best Buy and Fry’s, as well as from Sling directly (the product page isn’t quite live yet, but should be later today). For those unfamiliar, the SlingCatcher takes a sling stream, multimedia files, or your computer desktop and plays it back on whatever television it’s connected to. It can be yours for $US300 if you go here. [SlingCatcher on Giz] More »
Networks

Watch Cricket On Your NextG Mobile

2:00PM Nick Broughall | I never understood watching cricket on your mobile phone. Other sports, sure, but not cricket. When 3 had the Ashes a couple of years ago, I tried streaming the first test match. Even with the phone plugged in, it drained the battery. that and I kept hearing what was happening from the office radio at least 15 seconds before I saw it on the mobile’s tiny screen. But maybe things have improved, now that Telstra’s streaming the upcoming Indian tour to their NextG network. The tour, which starts today and runs until November 9, will cost $9.95 a month or $3.95 a day. Not my thing, but if you’re a cricket fan, and a NextG customer, hit the BigPond button to get started. [Telstra] More »
Online

Three New Ways to Watch YouTube: Lights Out, Theatre View and Super HD

10:00AM Matt Buchanan | Not just one, but three new ways to view YouTube today. The first two should be familiar to anyone who’s used Hulu—lights out and theatre mode. Lights out dims your whole screen except the video, while the latter also blows up the player and adds tacky/cool theatre curtains on the side. Right now, they’re only available for feature-length videos, but don’t be surprised if they trickle down. The third, and definitely most exciting, is Super HD, which you should definitely check out, even though the selection is currently limited. [YouTube via Lifehacker, Mr Doob via core77] More »
Gadgets

HP Mediasmart Connect HD Video Streamer Lightning Review

6:00AM Jason Chen | The Gadget: HP’s Mediasmart Connect, a networked receiver that plays back H.264, DivX, XviD, MPEG-2, WMV video, photos, and even connects to your Media Centre to act like an extender. It’s also expandable space-wise with HP’s Pocket Media Drives, and supports 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g/n. It comes in a glossy piano black finish which attracts dust and fingerprints as easily as an actual piano. More »
Online

Where to Watch Tonight’s Presidental Debate Live Online: Hulu, VCAST and More

5:00AM Matt Buchanan | Whereas a live online stream of the first presidential debate was a bit harder to pin down, our pick for tonight’s at 9PM Eastern is Hulu. Its live stream of the final two presidential debates is actually Hulu’s first ever live broadcast, which is something they might do more of following the debates. (Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’ll be in HD.) But there are, of course, other options.
Gadgets

Sling Pro HD Review

2:00AM Adrian Covert | The Gadget: Sling Pro HD is the top of the line Slingbox that streams your cable to any computer that can connect to the internet. The Sling Pro HD is a big step forward for Sling, now centered around the full HD experience, with component inputs, and OVA tuner, and 1080 HD streaming not just over local networks, but remote connections as well. galleryPost('slingprohd', 3, ''); More »
Entertainment

Apple Adds iTunes 8 Functions to Apple TV

4:15PM Gizmodo US Edition | Looks like its Update Day at Apple–the company just released Apple TV 2.2, which users can access through the “update software” menu option in Settings. The software revamp now includes support for features introduced in iTunes 8.0, including video playlists, Genius playlists and HDTV show purchasing, and plugs a couple of security holes as well. How’s it playing, kids? Any problems? [Macrumors] More »