Justin.tv, an online video start-up best known for its live-streaming services, will be spinning off its Socialcam application. The app for sharing videos was launched after the company noticed last year that many users of the Justin.tv mobile app were watching videos on demand. READ MORE
If you’re like most of the tech world, you’re waxing nostalgic about Steve Jobs now that he’s resigned as Apple CEO. To help us all remember the journey, TheNextWeb has assembled 10 of Jobs’ most memorable video appearances, all in one place. READ MORE
The National Music Publishers Association, which represents songwriters and music publishers, has reached a settlement with YouTube after four years of litigation. Songwriters and music publishers will begin to receive royalties when their work appears on YouTube as a result of the settlement. READ MORE
Amazon has expanded it bank of on-demand videos to 100,000. Only about 10 percent of those videos are restricted to Prime subscribers; the rest are available at rates of $0.99 for a television show and $3.99 for movies. READ MORE
If you’re still using Skype for video conferencing, now might be a good time to check into WebEx. The company just launched a new package called WebEx 8, which gives subscribers unlimited videoconferencing for up to eight people for $19 per month, or $15.99 a month with a year subscription. Until now the cheapest option was $49 per month for up to 25 participants. READ MORE
Walmart and Amazon have figured out how to bypass Apple’s mandatory 30 percent cut for apps distributed through the iTunes store, reports The San Francisco Chronicle. Walmart has launched an iPad version of its Vudu online video streaming service using a desktop shortcut that lets customers click an “Add to Home Screen” button on Vudu.com to install an app-style icon on the iPad desktop. Likewise, Amazon unveiled the Kindle Cloud Reader which lets customers read Kindle e-books on the iPad even without an Internet connection. Both services use the HTML5 Web browser protocol and follow on the heels of The Financial Times of London which in June launched a Web-based version for smart phones and tablets to avoid Apple’s fee. “The flexibility of HTML5 allows us to build one application that automatically adapts to the platform you’re using – from Chrome to iOS,” said Dorothy Nicholls, director of Amazon’s Kindle division, in a statement. Amazon made its Kindle Cloud Reader compatible with Safari on the iPad as well as Google’s Chrome browser, and plans to add Internet Explorer, Firefox and the BlackBerry PlayBook browsers in coming months. Read more at The San Francisco Chronicle.
Viewers are leaving cable and satellite in droves. Hundreds of thousands of viewers are doing what our household has done and dumping their monthly cable or satellite service, likely in favor of streaming video. READ MORE
If you’ve ever even considered watching Internet content on your television, you’ve probably heard of Boxee. Using either a “Boxee Box” purchased from the company, or built from a spare computer and free software, Boxee lets users watch online video of all types, and has partnerships with providers such as Netflix, Pandora, and Major League Baseball. READ MORE
GlobalMeet, which was launched in February and already has more than 20,000 people using its Web conferencing service, now has new pricing, features and a mobile app available at the iTunes store. With plans that start at $29 a month, GlobalMeet can be used for Web and audio meetings with no software downloads for meeting guests and a “connect me” feature that calls participants automatically without using dial-in numbers and passcodes. READ MORE
Hollywood entertainment sales declined over the last quarter, according to a report by Digital Entertainment Group. Sales of DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and other packaged goods declined by 16.3 percent. Digital rentals showed meager growth, 0.29 percent. The only significant positive growth was seen in the area of DVD-by-mail and video-on-demand services, which grew by 24 percent. READ MORE
