Blogcritics Author: TeevBlogger

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

iTunes to Start Movie Rentals?

TeevBlogger — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 02:30:28 EDT

Only recently, Apple has given up its fight against blogs like Apple Insider. Apple claims that the blogs revealed trade secrets and Apple wanted to know who their confidential sources were. Apple prides itself on its rebel image but Steve Jobs doesn’t like to lose control. It appeared that Apple would prevail but in the end they gave up the appeal process which allows internet journalists to have similar rights to a regular journalist. Electronic Frontier Foundation defended the rights of bloggers, as well.Think Secret, whose fight with Apple is unresolved, reported that Apple may soon offer movie rentals through iTunes. Steve Jobs is expected to announce this at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7th. Apple is thought to have deals with several major studios including; Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. It is unknown exactly what content will be offered or what deals will be announced. This is still a win for the studios because they had been fighting Apple’s push for user download and ownership. It is thought that the movies will have some manner of code that restricts the number of playbacks or the time period that the movie can be viewed. Even though I’m sure everyone involved will make a ton of money from the deal, it is somewhat of a loss for Apple and I think the users. It will be interesting to see how this affects subscriptions services or NetFilx’s future bid into online movie rentals.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

'Rocketboom' Case Heading To Court?

TeevBlogger — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:57:36 EDT

If scandal is the hallmark of legitimate entertainment, then video blogging has arrived. It seems the Rocketboom saga is far from over and it just might take a judge to decide the outcome.There's still an issue over former anchor Amanda Congdon's 49 percent ownership in the popular video blog.Amanda says she retains those rights. Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron, on the other hand, maintains Congdon forfeited the ownership by jumping ship to move to Los Angeles, leaving the show high and dry without an anchor.According to Valley Wag, neither Congdon nor Baron are willing to back down from their stands. Baron, it seems, believes it's "a case for a professional mediator or a case for the courts."For her part, Amanda is refusing to give up her share. She's been quoted as saying: "I won't wave [sic] any of my rights," she replied. "I am moving forward. I hope Andrew will too."It appears the show pulls in about $80,000 a week in advertising, so it's unlikely 49 percent is something Congdon (or anyone for that matter) would simply walk away from.And while it appears Congdon and Baron are headed for court, Rocketboom is back on the air with a new anchor. As suspected, Joanne Colan has taken over the anchor chair for the daily news report.How all of this will turn out is anyone's guess, but it does seem as if the Rocketboom fireworks are far from over. On the upside, the popularity and success of Rocketboom gives hope to others that wish to follow in the show's footsteps. It does appear as if there is a viable market to be tapped and this format of news and entertainment is reaching a new level of legitimacy.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Boy Who Never Slept - An Open Source Movie

TeevBlogger — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 19:43:21 EDT

At the beginning of this month, what some claim is the first fully open source full length movie was released on the internet. Boy Who Never Slept written, directed, and starring Solomon Rothman and made for almost no money has now been viewed around 200,000 times. Every aspect of the movie is available online including: the raw footage, the finished product, the audio track, and script. The Boy Who Never Slept is the story of an insomniac who begins an online relationship with a teenage girl. The story takes a turn from romantic comedy to a darker more tragic love story. Rothman’s goal was to create a full length movie with the resources he had. It’s not a bad movie considering the budget and the amateur actors and creators, but the interesting thing is the free nature of the work. The full complete film is available under a type of Creative Commons license that allows free use for non-commercial use while the source files Creative Commons licenses allows changes and use. Rothman’s film is unique in that there are very few films that allow there source files to be picked apart and used by people on the internet. Elephant’s Dream is an animated short from earlier this year that was made with all open source software. The finished product and the production files are available for view and use under Creative Commons. This film may have been this first of its kind. There are a growing number of legally free movies available. A lot of older films make it on to the web after their copyright runs out. Add these to hopefully more films like Elephant’s Dream and Boy Who Never Slept and perhaps users will beat out Hollywood in the online video market.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Foo Fighters Live On AOL Music Friday

TeevBlogger — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 13:39:15 EDT

Foo Fighters fans who can't make it London's Hyde Park this Friday don't have to worry about missing out on some live concert action. AOL Music has scored a deal to air the concert, featuring Nirvana's former drummer Dave Grohl, live online.With its platinum album, self-titled debut, the Foo Fighters hit the music scene in 1995 and have been going strong ever since. The band is known for such titles as "All My Life," "Best of You," "Monkey Wrench" and "Times Like These." It's estimated about 85,000 fans will turn out in Hyde Park to check out the Foo Fighters in what's being billed as the largest concert in their 11-year history. AOL is reporting that Queen's Roger Taylor and Brian May will join the band for "Tie Your Mother Down."The concert airs at 6 a.m. EST Friday, July 14. A little early for me, but it sure beats the time it would take to cross the pond to see them live and in person.For more information on the show, check AOL Music.In addition to the big Foo Fighters score, AOL Music has a pretty packed live concert schedule for July, which includes such acts as Los Lonely Boys, Heather Headley and The Futureheads.The site's more than worth a look.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Current TV Gives You a Voice

TeevBlogger — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:30:57 EDT

Are you interested in finding a cable channel that allows the viewers to create the content? Current TV, probably best known for its connection to Al Gore, is an independent satellite and cable channel that wants to spread a message and give the viewers a chance to share stories from their point of view. I feel this might be a great way to connect to users and really see what people care about. It’s nice to see video uploads that aren’t random friends dancing and singing. Current TV is a nationally carried US channel based out of San Francisco, California. What makes them different is that one-third of their content comes from viewer created content, which they call VC2. The idea is that they care about what the viewers think. Most of the VC2 videos are available for viewing on their website, even the ones that don’t make it on the cable channel. Other video you can check out are short web-friendly highlights from their regular schedule. The content is very interesting, featuring key figures in social and political issues. Because they are pushing their independent status and the importance of user video on their channel, Current TV offers clear submission guidelines and good tutorials for the socially conscious but technically inept. The Current Studio is the hub for viewer created content. It offers story ideas, basic tips about filming, and technical info and instruction on uploading and compression. It is clear and useful information even if you aren’t interested in uploading to Current TV. Basically, the top viewed viewer created videos on the site are selected for airing on the cable channel. The users vote for the videos then the channel checks all the legal stuff and then it’s on TV. There are clear ownership and reimbursement policies listed on the site. Currently they are running a viewer video contest with the topic of tolerance. The aim is to get true stories or stories from the video makers point of view about the issue of tolerance or lack of it in the world. The winner of the contest will, of course, be shown on the cable channel and receive $100,000 plus an additional $15,000 will be donated to charity of the winners choice. The contest runs until August 15. The judging panel will include some celebrities such as Edward Norton and Margaret Cho.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Are There Too Many Online Video Services?

TeevBlogger — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 16:55:04 EDT

We’ve posted about several video upload and distribution companies including the most successful, such as YouTube, Guba, and Google Video. But like all good ideas on the web or in Hollywood, there’s the fear that it will be done to death. When it comes to investing in technology there is already a dotcom bubble history that makes investors nervous. Recently both USA Today and CNN Money carried stories about the growing number of online video companies. We’ve posted about many of the companies out there that are in beta or already up and running. CNN Money reported that there are now some 173 companies offering some kind of online video service. Most of these are aimed at the video sharing market. The problem for investors is that currently only a few companies are making the lion's share of profits. Besides the ones that we’ve posted about recently, the competition has created some interesting options for users. TVU Networks is a free video service that is similar to JumpTV. It is really only starting out and has about 20 channels, with five of those in English. The interesting thing about the service is that it uses technology that is more like P2P than a download or a direct stream. This is intended to keep everybody’s costs down. I don’t really know much about the technical side of it. They appear to be based out of China. Again, this could be very beneficial to users because there are so many services out there and hopefully the best will make it through. The problem comes from the fact that the market is so flooded that the company with the biggest backers, not the best service, has the best chance of making it.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

American Film Institute's Digital Content Festival - July 26

TeevBlogger — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 07:59:55 EDT

Digital media and content are developing into a huge market and an equally large business. A clear example of this is the American Film Institute’s Digital (AFI) Content Festival that will be held in Los Angeles, California on July 26th. This annual festival has been a prime meeting and showcasing event for producers, creators, company heads, reporters, and anyone else involved in the industry. The Digital Content Festival will provide a vehicle for companies to display content for television, mobile devices, gaming platforms, among other things. In a recent article, Interactive Television News discussed who some of the key topics and speakers at the festival will be. Many of the speakers and companies that will be present cover movie, television, broadband, games, wireless, education, and emerging technology. The keynote speaker at this year’s festival is Todd Wagner. He is currently the CEO of 2929 Entertainment. 2929 Entertainment is a big player in the movie business, owning Rysher Entertainment, Landmark Theaters, and Magnolia Pictures Distribution, and has some holdings of Lions Gate Entertainment. Wagner is also known for his charitable work in trying to provide urban residents and students with access to technology. Other speakers will include the president of online studio and strategic partnerships at Current Media, Joanna Earl as well as Scott Levine, director of product marketing for AOL Video, and Rebecca Lim, senior director at Starz Entertainment’s Vongo. Many companies will have exhibits at the festival, most notably Brightcove. This is definitely a sign that the traditional players in Hollywood and television have become major players in digital media. Hopefully all this will lead to something inventive and useful to users.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Pirates Of The Caribbean On YouTube

TeevBlogger — Sun, 9 Jul 2006 18:59:42 EDT

For anyone who has seen the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest or played one of the games and wondered just what pirates do in their spare time, a creative YouTuber has given us his answer to the question.Giving new meaning to the old pirate phrase "blow the man down," Brokeback Pirates of the Caribbean explores the high seas romance of Jack Sparrow and Will Turner, answering once and for all what pirates do in the crow's nest.This isn't, however, the only video out on YouTube dedicated to the franchise. There are movie trailers, actor highlights, other parodies and even up-close-and-personal views of the Disney ride that inspired the movie. And, as YouTubers ponder the song "A Pirate's Life For Me," the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is out in the theaters now. The sequel is anticipated to have a huge opening weekend. It's received mixed reviews with some good and some bad, but that doesn't seem to be keeping people away.With a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, Disney can't go wrong with this one, and the company knows it. A third flick is already in the works.The movie was inspired by the famous ride at Disney World and is now not only a huge hit at the box office, it's also spun off a series of video games and other franchising materials.Whether you're a huge fan or you could care less, there's no doubt Disney has found buried treasure in this one. Just think about it: One of Disney's most annoying and outdated rides has turned into this blockbuster franchise of movies, games, toys and beyond. Here's hoping the company doesn't consider franchising "It's A Small World!"

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Vloggers Move to Bigger Platforms

TeevBlogger — Fri, 7 Jul 2006 22:56:52 EDT

Is vlogging, or video-blogging, the new way to start a career in media? This week two prominent vloggers on the web are poised for bigger and better careers on both traditional and web-based platforms. One of my favorite sites, Rocketboom, has announced that their resident host/reporter, Amanda Congdon, is leaving, while another well known vlogger, Brooke “Brookers” Brodack of YouTube fame, may be making the jump to television or at the very least a more professional webcast. Congdon’s departure, as reported by Valleywag, was caused by her wanting to move to California and Rocketboom not having the resources to move its operation there, too. As sad as I am at the possible loss of Rocketboom, it seems to be the right move for her. She received two pretty big offers shortly after leaving: from PodTech and Jason Calacanis. Calacanis offered her a news show on his site Netscape. These are both pretty big and would be a lot of exposure for her. A younger and perhaps less widely known vlogger, Brodack, whose video diary is very popular on YouTube, has been approached by Carson Daly Productions. The story in Podcasting News discusses how Daly believes Brodack has a unique talent. “She’s got a fresh point of view, considerable directing skills and a great sense of music and how to use it.” Daly wants to help her develop something for television, webcast, a mobile series or some combination of the three. Brodack’s videos mainly focus on music and entertainment stories and her random thoughts. The advice I’d give to all the future reporters, directors or actors out there is to buy a camera and start a video-blog because that seems to be the new way of getting yourself noticed.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.

Microsoft Poised To Bite Apple

TeevBlogger — Fri, 7 Jul 2006 20:01:56 EDT

It seems Apple's iPod and iTunes will be getting some serious competition this Christmas.According to Bloomberg, Xbox's VP J Allard is getting ready to launch the Microsoft version of a portable music player just in time to take a bite out of Apple's holiday sales.The Microsoft creation will have a few things a standard iPod doesn't. The wow factor features are reported to include a Wi-Fi connection to enable direct download of content, bypassing the computer, and a screen that will enable better viewing, too.Music industry exec Chris Stephenson has been helping Microsoft get licenses for content. For his part, Allard has been heavily involved in the device's creation along with Robbie Bach, who was instrumental in the development of the Xbox 360.With development well under way, Microsoft has been busy talking up music and television industry big wigs. Bloomberg's reporting the company has chatted with the likes of EMI, Universal, FOX and NBC.The idea is take a big bite out of Apple's corner on the market when it comes to iTunes and it seems as if this just might be possible. If Microsoft pulls off some good licenses for both music and TV content, and has a solid player that's more user friendly, Apple's devices could begin to look a little less tempting to consumers.Microsoft, if anything, is determined to make Apple look a little brown and old in consumers' eyes. CEO Steve Ballmer has been quoted as saying his company is "committed to doing what it takes to succeed" against Apple. Considering the touted features of the device that just might happen. And, for all those iPod lovers out there who have complained about a lack of decent games, just think of an Xbox/Microsoft created player. It's hard to imagine this thing would offer some decent games, as well.

TeevBlogger is dedicated to the topic of getting your TV entertainment online.