YouTube: 1 Billion+ Views Per Day

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YouTube is huge. It may not be making any money yet, but it can't be denied that the video hosting service is a bonafied cultural phenomenon. And not just in the U.S. The company announced on their blog today that they are now serving well over 1 billion views per day. That makes the website a worldwide obsession, not merely a national one.

In the blog entry, CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley credited his site's enormous reach and (non-monetary) success to three "fundamental tenants". The first is that "speed matters", which means that videos need to load and play quickly in order to keep people's interest. The second is that "clip culture" is here to stay. By that, he means that the medium of small video clips/skits/promos and the like for entertainment and advertising purposes are not just a flash-in-the-pan idea.

Posted on Fri, 9 Oct 2009 10:51:55 CDT | by Robert Evans

YouTube: Now For Movie Rentals?

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Google needs to find some way to make YouTube profitable, we've all known this for a while. Even a giant like Google can't afford to subsidize the popular video-sharing site forever. YouTube costs the search engine leader an estimated $1.65 million per day. Hemorrhaging close to a billion dollars a year to keep an unprofitable site up and running is not a sustainable business model. So how is Google going to make YouTube profitable?

Apparently, by taking a leaf out of iTunes' book. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Google is thinking about offering movie rentals through YouTube as a way to start covering their costs. They're talking to Lion's Gate Entertainment, Sony Corp., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. about charging for new movies on the YouTube site. If they get their wish, titles could be available for rent the same day they come out on DVD.

Posted on Thu, 3 Sep 2009 10:03:27 CDT | by Robert Evans

App Links Facebook and YouTube

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A company called yourBusinessChannel has launched a new application that combines the two popular social networks YouTube and Facebook. The app allows a user to watch video on YouTube and leave comments on the video that appear on both YouTube and Facebook at the same time.

The company is holding a contest for those who download and install the application with a grand prize worth up to $60,000. The winners of the prize will be announced next week according to the company. Read more

Posted on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:08:32 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New Chocolate LG BL40 briefly leaked on Youtube

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The teased new LG Chocolate Phone LG BL40 made a brief appearance on Youtube yesterday. A promo video demonstrating the upcoming LG BL40 appeared on Youtube, but has been now been removed. LG teased the new Chocolate a week ago revealing nothing, besides that it will come in August.
Some specs surfaced since. The LG BL40 is supposed to have a 21:9 4 inch screen with 800x345px (nice!) resolution, HSDPA, W-fi and so called Active Flash UI. Read more

Posted on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:55:51 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

YouTube Holds onto Top Web Video Site Title

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Nielson online has announced its rankings for the top video streaming sites online. YouTube has held onto the top spot with 5.5 billion videos streamed in April. However, YouTube may find one day that it is no longer the top video streaming site. Hulu is coming on very strong, no doubt helped by the big marketing push that sees commercials for the site on TV frequently.

Hulu increased its video streams by a massive 490% year-over-year growing from 63.2 million streams in April 2008 to 373.3 million in April 2009. That marks Hulu as the fastest growing brand in the top ten video sites. Read more

Posted on Fri, 15 May 2009 06:06:19 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Google and Apple Alliance: Youtube on Snow Leopard!

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We've got some bad news for the Adobe Corporation; the days of Flash are numbered. Apple's just announced that Snow Leopard OS X 10.6 will launch with integrated Youtube support built in.

The picture above is an artist's representation of what Leopard's integral Youtube will look like. This is good thing for Apple nerds the world over. Apples ability to continue to expand their brand (and profit margin) in this wobbly economy could mean that 2009 is turning into the Year of the Apple.

Posted on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Palm Pre Spotted with YouTube App

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Today everythingpre posted photos of what appears to be a Palm Pre running a YouTube application. Everythingpre claims the pictures originally appeared on Twitter before being quickly taken down. The YouTube application displayed in the images (above right) are similar to the app found on the Palm Treo Pro. The sleuths at everythingpre matched the videos shown in the photo to ones currently listed on YouTube’s website, further lending credence to the images. Read more

Posted on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:00 CDT | by James Douglas

Sony Ericsson Launches S312 for Easy Pics and YouTube Vids

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Sony Ericsson today announced the S312, an entry-level camera phone featuring a dedicated video camera key for “recording life’s special moments,” according to the release.

Like the W205 mobile Sony Ericsson also announced today, the S312 is targeted toward younger users looking to snap quick pics with the 2 megapixel camera featuring 2.5x digital zoom and record YouTube videos with the dedicated video camera key. The S312 also includes installed apps for touching up photos and uploading them to the web.

The 176x220 pixel 2-inch screen displays images while the mobile offers up to 15 MB of storage, though the amount of storage actually available may vary considering the pre-installed apps.

Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2009 20:55:00 CDT | by James Douglas

YouTube Passes the 100 Million User Mark

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If you ever needed more proof that YouTube was very popular, you can get it today. According to ComScore YouTube has passed the 100 million viewer mark. Too bad that despite all of that traffic Google still isn’t sure how to make money off the site.

Overall Internet users viewed a whopping 14.8 billion videos during January 2009. That amount is hard to fathom and is a 4% increase from December 2008. Hulu did pretty well with 250,473 videos viewed over the month. Read more

Posted on Thu, 5 Mar 2009 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

SoBe Super Bowl Commercial now as 3D HD Video on Youtube

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The SoBe 3D Super Bowl ad is also now on Youtube. The 2D version of the SoBe spot is already online since a couple days. So put your 3D Super Bowl Glasses on and watch the 3D SoBe Commercial now in HD on Youtube (Via EngadgetHD).

Now you do not have to wait for the 3D SoBe Ad to air in the 2nd Quarter to experience the wonders of 3D. The Super Bowl XLIII did not even start yet. Read more

Posted on Sun, 1 Feb 2009 15:33:20 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Youtube now on Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii

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Youtube launched a optimized web interface to watch Youtube videos in full-screen mode on the Sony PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. Why the Xbox 360 is not supported is a bit strange. I do not think there is a technical reason. The Youtube TV service is still in beta so I suppose they will add Xbox 360 later.

The Youtube TV Website offers a dynamic, lean-back, 10-foot television viewing experience through a streamlined interface that enables you to discover, watch and share YouTube videos on any TV screen with just a few quick clicks of your remote control. Read more

Posted on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:05:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Eye-Fi shows direct Youtube Upload Technology at CES 2009

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Eye-Fi Inc., makers of the world's first wireless memory card for digital cameras, today announced that it is developing a way for users to wirelessly upload videos from their digital camera to YouTube and a home computer.
Eye-Fi will preview the technology at the CES 2009, which means it is not ready yet for production.

"We're aiming to do for video what we've already done for photos: provide the easiest, simplest way to save and share your digital memories," said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi. "Our wireless technology makes it effortless to upload videos to YouTube using the digital camera you already have, without the fuss of special software. You won't need to find a USB cable or even turn on your computer to get your memories in front of one of the largest audiences on the Web." Read more

Posted on Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Youtube adds Click-to-buy to Videos

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Google announced a new way to monetize video content on Youtube. YouTube users will have a new "click-to-buy" option to purchase music and games. Click-to-buy links are non-obtrusive retail links, placed on the watch page beneath the video with the other community features.
Google is getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music, and providing Amazon.com product links to the newly-released video game Spore on videos from Electronic Arts. Read more

Posted on Wed, 8 Oct 2008 01:55:50 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Samsung Introduces New YouTube Camcorder

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With the ballooning popularity of YouTube most camcorder makers are starting to produce camcorders that are aimed directly at those who like to upload videos to the YouTube service. The most recent camcorder for the YouTube crowd is the Samsung SC-MX20.

The camera uses a 680K pixel CCD sensor that can shoot video at a resolution of 720 x 480. The optical zoom of the camera is 34x and it uses advanced 3-D Noise Reduction technology for improved video quality. The SC-MX20 stores video on SD/SDHC cards up to 32GB and uses H.264 compression. Read more

Posted on Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:35:42 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Youtube now on Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link Service

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Sony announced today that YouTube is the latest online video provider to join the company’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link service. The service went live today providing BRAVIA Internet Video Link users access to millions of videos on YouTube at no additional charge.

The BRAVIA Internet Video Link is a small module that attaches to the back of a selection of the company’s 2007 and 2008 BRAVIA LCD flat-panel television models.
The service seamlessly streams on-demand entertainment including movies, TV programs, your favorite YouTube videos and a variety of other free content as well as news, weather and traffic information via an existing Ethernet connection without the use of a personal computer. Read more

Posted on Fri, 6 Jun 2008 04:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

JVC Introduces Everio Camcorder for YouTube and More

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JVC added a new camcorder to its Everio S Series today called the GZ-MS100. The camcorder is designed to make the recording and uploading of videos to YouTube very simple. JVC says that despite the YouTube focus for the camcorder it offers a full fledged array of camcorder features.

The camera records to a SD card and weighs only 0.60 pounds. The camera includes CyberLink software for Windows computers and allows for uploading of video clips with one touch. The camera also has a one-touch button that limits recordings to 10 minutes perfectly sizing video clips for YouTube file size limitations. Read more

Posted on Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sony PS3 uploads Video to Youtube

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Google announced this week that Sony has adopted the Youtube APIs on the Sony PS3.
More and more devices like video cameras or mobile phones have now direct upload features for Youtube, so why not also a gaming console.

The Sony PS3 YouTube integration allows game developers to create games that enable direct upload of in-game video captures to YouTube.
This will allow you to share and show-off your gaming skills on the largest video platform out there. Read more

Posted on Sun, 18 May 2008 04:39:09 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

HP MediaSmart to support Youtube

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Today HP announced support for YouTube on its HP MediaSmart connected entertainment products.

The soon to be released MediaSmart Connect digital media receiver and the high-definition MediaSmart TV will be bringing Youtube videos to your living room.
HP worked with YouTube to make it possible for people to watch and share full-screen videos on their HDTVs and to create multiple playlists from anywhere they watch TV: You simply log into your YouTube account with an easy-to-use remote control and start watching videos on their HP MediaSmart products. Read more

Posted on Tue, 6 May 2008 01:40:46 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Trapped in Elevator for 41 Hours new hot Youtube Video

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The real story of Nicholas White, who was trapped in an Elevator for 41 hours, draws huge interest. The New Yorker published a video of a surveillance camera that shows Mr. White's elevator adventure time compressed.

Watching the video is strangely intriguing. The mind wanders off on what it has to feel like to spend almost two full days in an elevator alone. Read more

Posted on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:56:12 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Netpresenter Adds Flash and YouTube Feature to Screensavers and Digital Signs

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Netpresenter launched the latest version 5.0 of its Netpresenter player recently that now supports Adobe flash content and YouTube videos. The new Netpresenter player allows the playback of this content on digital signs, PC desktops and mobile devices.

The player allows users to add all sorts of new dynamic content to presentations like live news feeds, ticker tapes and more to the screen. The new player also offers a dashboard functionality that allows database content to be added to displays. Read more

Posted on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:25:30 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

TiVo Announces YouTube Videos Direct to TV

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TiVo announced today that it would be offering its subscribers with broad-band connected TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs access to YouTube videos directly on their TVs. The new service will debut later this year according to TiVo.

"We're delighted to be working with the world's leading online video community so that TiVo subscribers can access YouTube's popular content on the TV via the TiVo DVR," said Tara Maitra, Vice President and GM of Content Services at TiVo Inc. "Being able to make available YouTube videos to the TiVo subscriber base using one device, one remote and one user interface is another major step in our commitment to combine all of your television and web video viewing options in one easy to use service." Read more

Posted on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun