Video on demand

Sky Player on Windows 7 available now

Sky Player, Sky's online TV service is now available via the Windows Media Center programme in Windows 7 offering "a new and innovative way for people in the UK to watch live and on demand TV from Sky on a PC".  

For existing Sky TV customers, Sky Player on...

Vimeo vs YouTube - which is the better video service?

It's all too easy to go to YouTube as a knee jerk reaction whenever you want to find a video on the internet. In fact, the term has passed into common parlance to refer to any user-generated internet film footage much the same as Google has come to refer to search. But...

YouTube intros skippable pre-roll adverts

YouTube has begun a "small test" of a new kind of advertising on the site, in an attempt to finally meaningfully monetise the billion videos it serves on a daily basis.

While initial testing for pre-roll adverts on the world's most popular video site did not...

PlayStation Network gets more video in the States

In the States Sony has announced new "entertainment offerings" for the PlayStation Network from Lucasfilm, Cinetic FilmBuff, ContentFilm International, Image Entertainment, MPI Media Group and New Video.

The content, available now in the US for purchase or...

Netflix streaming coming to Wii

It's being reported that Netflix streaming of movies may soon be available on Nintendo's Wii console. The service, which is already available on PCs and on the Xbox 360 and PS3, will allow customers to choose from a selection of films to view on-demand from their sofa.

There's...

Netflix streaming announced for PlayStation 3

While we're waiting to hear more on Netflix's outside the US streaming plans, in the States the movie rental company has announced its content will soon be available to PS3 owners.

Sony and Netflix have announced a team up that will see thousands of movies...

Disney to offer "Keychest" cloud-based solution for content across devices

Disney is prepping an interesting solution that will redefine "ownership as access rights, not physical possession", reveals the Wall Street Journal.

The project, currently codenamed "Keychest", will offer cloud-based content that those who have paid to access...

EastEnders going online with E20 spin-off series

TV soap EastEnders has always done well on the BBC's catch-up service, the iPlayer, so the corporation is likely confident an online spin-off series will go down well with fans.

The miserable real-life series is set to venture beyond the television screen...

BBC to consider "bespoke" iPlayer for devices with half a million users

The BBC's iPlayer catch-up on demand service might well be heading to many more hand-held gadgets soon, thanks to new guidelines published by the Beeb regarding "bespoke development" of the platform for devices with a certain amount of users.

Although when...

MySpace hits next phase of music offering

MySpace has announced what it says is "the next phase" of its music offering with a wave of new products and tools now available to artists and fans.

As well as allowing users to buy music on iTunes in addition to Amazon MP3, the global rollout of a new "MySpace...

iPlayer will not get ITV and Channel 4 content

The BBC has had its proposals to integrate ITV and Channel 4 content with its popular iPlayer denied by its regulator, the BBC Trust. The corporation wanted to allow its commercial rivals access to the platform to avoid criticism from those who say it has a dominant position...

Channel 4 content to be available on YouTube

YouTube and Channel 4 have done a "landmark" deal that will see full-length versions of the broadcaster's top TV shows available online, on demand on the Google-owned site.

The agreement, 6 months in the making, is for a 3-year period and will mean programmes...

TVCatchup launches iPhone site

TVCatchup, a company based in Britain which allows the watching of live television on its website, managed to get itself into trouble with broadcasters last year after offering a free program recording service, which it was then forced to suspend after its hosting was...

Joost goes into liquidation in the UK

The UK division of online video service Joost has gone into liquidation.

Founded by the creators of Skype and Kazaa, Joost, although attracting big media investors with funding said to top $45 million, failed to sign agreements with major content providers.

Blockbuster On Demand goes live on select Samsung devices

We knew this was coming, but Samsung and Blockbuster have now announced the immediate availability of Blockbuster's On Demand digital content for rent or purchase on select Samsung HDTVs and Blu-ray players in the States.

With the Blockbuster service, on demand...

Sky News starts 24-hour live stream

UK broadcaster Sky News has announced it has now begun streaming its TV output live online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A new, higher bit rate video player at skynews.com claims to deliver "faster, crisper and more prominent footage on those stories that...

Watching video online? Which ISP should you use

With more and more "events" from football matches to concerts happening online, and the BBC's iPlayer continually gaining popularity, making sure you have a fast internet connection from your ISP at home is going to be your number one goal if you don't want to play the...

Pay-per-view iPlayer to launch in the States

The commercial arm of the BBC, BBC Worldwide, is planning to launch a pay-per-view iPlayer-esque service in the States where 20 million of BBC.com's 50 million users are.

The online video portal might offer some catch-up US content for free, but would charge...

Netflix prize awarded to BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos

Netflix's million-dollar prize for the team which could most improve its movie recommendations service has been awarded to a team of statisticians, machine-learning experts and computer engineers from across the world who call themselves "BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos".

"Tomorrow's World" archive goes live online

The BBC has added content from Tomorrow's World to its online BBC Archive. Clips from the programmes, as well as some full-length episodes, are now available to view, for free, online.

Beginning in 1965, the BBC's flagship science programme ran for nearly 40...

BBC iPlayer to open to third parties

The BBC's iPlayer could be opened up to rival broadcasters, it's been revealed at the IBC 2009 conference in Amsterdam.

Eric Huggers, the Beeb's director of future media and technology, said in a speech at the event that the corporation is planning to create...

LG adds VUDU to BD390 networked Blu-ray player

LG has announced that the high-def streaming movie service from VUDU will be available through its BD390 wireless, networked Blu-ray player.

With the VUDU service, currently available on some LG HDTVs, consumers can instantly buy or rent from a library of movies...

Blockbuster and Motorola eye phone movie market

Blockbuster has said that it will offer movie downloads on-demand for some Motorola phones as it continues to battle declining video rentals in its stores.

In what presumably must be a last ditch attempt to create a new business model to replace the current...

BT Vision gets Sony movies on-demand

BT has announced that it has signed an agreement with Sony Pictures Television for video-on-demand rights on a range of new and classic movie titles for its digital TV service, BT Vision.

Newly released movies due to be available on demand include "Terminator...

Netflix Prize has been won

Netflix, for several years, has been running a competition to try and improve the accuracy of its prediction algorithm. Teams have been competing to improve its movie recommendations by 10%. If reports are accurate, then the prize appears to have been won.

But...