AppleTV

Vudu adds streaming from YouTube, Flickr

Vudu is adding some free video content to its set-top box. Streaming video from providers such as YouTube, MSNBC, CNN, MTV, PBS, and National Geographic will be available, as will access to Flickr and Picasa photos and a handful of casual video games. The new content will be available via a free firmware update that's scheduled to hit all Vudu boxes over the next 24 hours.

The new services will be available as part of what Vudu is calling the Rich Internet Application platform, or RIA. (It'll be available on a tab called "Vudu Labs" on the set-top box's main home screen.) Vudu hasn't signed deals with any of the above-mentioned content providers; instead, the RIA is using freely available Web content and feeds. Vudu is planning to open up its RIA platform to third-party developers in the first half of 2009. The company is also noting that the platform is optimized for fairly low system requirements ("a 300 MHz embedded processor with 128MB of RAM"), suggesting that the Vudu Rich Internet Application platform could be ported to other set-tops as well.

Vudu gave CNET a sneak peek of the RIA features a few days early. We think it shows promise, but--as always--content is king, and there's not yet a wealth of must-see TV there.… Read more

Review: DLO HomeDock HD, last of a dying breed?

You don't see many iPod video docks these days--and for good reason. Starting in 2007, Apple locked down video accessory support for the iPod, while simultaneously releasing a product that made such accessories arguably obsolete: the Apple TV.

Even in their heyday, iPod video accessories have always been a tough sell due to the inherent limitations of iPod video resolution. The boom in high-definition TV sales over the past few years hasn't helped the cause either. Upscaled or not, who wants to watch the iPod's default 320x240 video resolution on their 40-inch plasma TV?

DLO's HomeDock HD … Read more

Some Xbox owners see poor-quality Netflix streams

Some owners of Microsoft's Xbox 360 who have signed up to receive movies via Netflix's streaming movie service have seen the same loss of video quality as owners of Roku's Netflix Player.

A mysterious glitch has been hobbling video streams distributed by the two set-top boxes for at least two weeks, said a source close to Netflix on Thursday. The problem is the first setback for Netflix's streaming, which has won accolades since the $99 Roku box debuted last spring. Microsoft, LG Electronics, and Samsung followed with their own set-top boxes featuring Netflix's service. Microsoft … Read more

What's causing video glitches at Apple, Netflix?

Some Apple TV owners have complained for several weeks that it takes much longer now to download and playback high-definition movies.

"I started downloading an hour back and it says it will take two hours," wrote someone with the user name Reachg. "It's already 25 percent downloaded but it's not letting me play. In the past I was able to play the movie in 10 minutes max...seems something is happening."

The complaints at Apple's forums first appeared on November 14. That was the day after Roku, maker of the Netflix Player, notified customers … Read more

Blockbuster goes on-demand with new set-top box

When 2Wire introduced its MediaPoint set-top box just two weeks ago, we told you that "it'll be a matter of weeks--if not days--before you see a yet-to-be-named service provider offering its own version of the MediaPoint, possibly at a sub-$100 price point." The curtain has been pulled back, and that initial provider turns out to be Blockbuster Video. For a limited time, the once-dominant movie rental chain is offering its version of the MediaPoint box for just $99, which includes a credit for 25 movies--effectively making it free. … Read more

Apple TV 2.3 firmware update adds a handful of minor tweaks

The 2.3 firmware update for the Apple TV is now available, but it delivers just a select few feature enhancements. According to Apple's support Web site, here's what you get:

Music can be streamed via AirTunes to Airport Express speakers or other Apple TVs in your house

Apple TV can now learn other remote controls and use them in addition to the Apple Remote

Playlists in iTunes that contain Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, and Music Videos can now be seen on Apple TV

Support for volume control in Music

If those sound like minor tweaks, that's … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 856: Competition FTW

We discover a fun new tautology on today's show (you know, competition...for the win?), have a fun time goofing off with Brian Tong, rail against Apple's decision to include HDCP restrictions in its new MacBooks, and rejoice at the arrival of Netflix streaming on the Xbox 360 (minus a few select Sony movies, ahem). Also: India takes on Google in the Earth-spying department. Yeah, India! Go, India!

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 856

Apple’s new MacBooks have built-in copy protection measures (thanks Mager!) http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/18/apples_new_macbooks_have_built_in_copy_protection_measures.html http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/11/17/apple-brings-hdcp-to-a-new-aluminum-macbook-near-you… Read more

Vudu XL2: Another Vudu box for rich guys

Vudu has launched a third version of its downloadable movie set-top box, but this one is strictly for the upscale home installer set. Unlike the squat Mac Mini-like dimensions of earlier Vudu products, the XL2 has the more standard (and rack-mountable) 17-inch width you'd see in a typical DVD player. Otherwise, it seems to offer nearly identical specs to Vudu's earlier high-end offering, the XL: 1TB of storage, IP and IR control options. The XL2 costs $1,300, and is available only through custom installers.

Thankfully, the standard Vudu BX100 remains available for just $300. Toss in a $… Read more

2Wire debuts MediaPoint set-top box, but you can't buy it--yet

2Wire has unveiled the MediaPoint, a thin-client set-top box that's designed to deliver HD video via broadband. The MediaPoint box will have a small footprint (just 7 inches square) and a good array of features, including HDMI output, wired and wireless network connectivity, USB expansion options, and UPnP and DLNA compatibility for streaming media from sources on the home network. The catch? MediaPoint won't be available to consumers--at least, not directly.

That's because 2Wire is effectively acting as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). 2Wire's customers--broadband service providers--can customize the MediaPoint box to their specific needs, and … Read more