nbc

CBS has begun testing high-definition streaming video.

Buried in the lab's section of the network's Web site is a gallery of short HD clips from shows such as Jericho, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Dexter.

TechCrunch was first to report the story and said the clips are available in H.264 format at 480p, with 720 p and 1080p coming later.

CBS has been overshadowed on the Internet in recent months by Hulu, the video portal operated by NBC Universal and News Corp. Hulu launched earlier this month and has attracted a score of content from other networks, … Read more

Jeff Pulver, the Vonage founder, wants to make viewing online video much more like traditional TV.

Now, to change channels online you have to jump between the Web sites of the different broadcasters and networks. But PrimeTimeRewind.Tv, a company Pulver co-founded, enables visitors to watch shows from such outlets as NBC, ABC, and TNT and on one site. The site launched this week.

Pulver is able to do this by accessing the embed codes that each of the networks provides for their video. No more keying in numerous URLs, filling out multiple registrations or downloading different clients.

The TV … Read more

Update: a representative for Hulu tells us: "Currently there is no plan to announce Hulu on the iPhone/iPod. We are focused on a free, streaming, ad-supported service."

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MacRumors.com is reporting a "page 2" news item about Hulu.com rolling out a version of the video service that's been specially designed for users of the iPhone and iPod touch later this week. Presumably having seen what the BBC has done with its iPlayer streaming service, it would only be available over Wi-Fi because of EDGE network limitations. The move would also mark the … Read more

Is YouTube rolling out high definition, live streaming, or perhaps the company will announce profits?

By far the Web's favorite video destination, YouTube is making a big announcement Wednesday morning, according to a report on the blog TechCrunch. If correct, then tomorrow stands to be a big day for online video.

Hulu, the Web site created by NBC Universal and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is scheduled to open its doors on the same day. The site is due to debut with a long list of feature films, TV shows, and sporting events.

A YouTube representative could not be … Read more

Hulu is finally ready to make a public debut.

The Internet video site created by NBC Universal and News Corp. is officially launching on Wednesday. Up to now the site has been accessible to people on an invitation-only basis. Here's one surprise: the Hulu honchos didn't come up with a better name.

Nonetheless, the site that began five months ago with a meager menu of content is now offering a far wider selection of movies, current hit TV shows, as well as some syndication favorites.

Among the feature films are The Usual Suspects, Requiem for a Dream, and … Read more

This post was updated at 12:46 PM PT with comment from 'Quarterlife' co-creator Marshall Herskovitz.

It's undoubtedly a setback for those hoping to see Web video make a clean transition to the living room TV: Quarterlife, the hyped-up Web series from the co-creators of Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, had a very disappointing network debut on NBC and may be on the chopping block.

The show, which premiered Tuesday night, managed to pull in only a tepid 3.1 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While NBC hasn't formally decided to pull the plug, sources have … Read more

Pando Networks, a company offering a legal peer-to-peer software, will distribute shows for the troubled NBC Direct site, according to a press release issued by the companies.

With Pando's P2P technology, NBC claims that it is now the first "major US TV network to provide millions of viewers free DVD-quality downloads of their favorite shows," according to a press release.

NBC Direct will begin integrating the P2P technology in a beta version in coming months, the companies said. The new NBC Direct service will include various anti-piracy features, including hash matching, digital fingerprinting and content watermarking. Pando … Read more

Social-news company Loomia announced Wednesday that it has launched a new application called SeenThis, which connects news sites with social-networking sites so users can learn what their people on their friends' lists have been reading. Loomia's inaugural partners in SeenThis are The Wall Street Journal, NBC Universal, and CNET Networks, parent company of CNET News.com.

Like many other "recommendation engines," Loomia's technology can suggest content items to a reader based on what he or she has already viewed. SeenThis goes a step further by using social-networking sites' APIs--the one that the current content partners are … Read more

NBC's Local Media Division has acquired LX Networks, a New York-based start-up that produces videos for the Web about high-end entertainment and culture centered around New York and Los Angeles. Financial terms were not disclosed.

It's not like we couldn't have seen this coming. NBC's New York affiliate, WNBC, has been broadcasting a limited number of LX.tv videos--namely its "OpenHouseNYC" real-estate series, and the "1st Look" restaurant and bar preview show--since last January.

LX's slick LX.tv "channel," founded in 2006 by former MTV executives Morgan Hertzan and … Read more