SpeedBit’s Free Video boost the speed of video downloading speed and also ends interruptions in video streaming.

No More Freezing YouTube Videos

I have a fairly old Sony VAIO computer, around 10 years old, that I still use because I don’t have the heart to put it out to pasture yet.  And being an old computer, I’ve had problems with YouTube videos that will freeze a couple seconds into each clip.

The videos start like normally, then just freeze completely, showing that the video is loading but going nowhere.  I do all I can to keep the computer in good shape, but alas, those videos would just keep freezing on me.  So what to do…?

The Accelerating Solution…

So I recently gave SpeedBit’s free Video Accelerator a try, and it did a great job speading up streaming videos on my old box.  No more freezing.

What SpeedBit’s accelerator does is integrates itself automatically with your Web browser and system, and then, once you start viewing videos SpeedBit goes to work behind the scenes and kicks things up a notch.

SpeedBit Accelerator at Work

When you start a video up in YouTube, the video will reach a point when it previously have frozen and a popup will appear in the lower right corner of your screen, telling you that it’s now running:

According to SpeedBit’s site, the Video Accelerator supports videos from over 150 sites such as:

• YouTube
• Yahoo
• Dailymotion
• Metacafe
• Facebook
• MySpace
• 5min
• Veoh
• Grouper
• Stage 6
• AOL Video
• Bebo
• Break
• EA
• ESPN
• Etc.

Although not included in the list, I also tried out some clips on Hulu and these all ran perfectly as well (Yay! More ‘Greatest American Hero’!)

SpeedBit Video Accelerator: Free Version vs. Premium

It should be noted that the SpeedBit Video Accelerator program is a free download, but if you want the full version with all the bells and whistles (namely, HD Video Acceleration and iTunes Acceleration) you will need to purchase the premium version (currently $19.99 a year.)

But for all that it does offer with the free program, its definitely worth checking out as the boost in video streaming speed is noteworthy.

Video Review of the SpeedBit Video Accelerator

SpeedBit Video Accelerator

• SpeedBit Video Accelerator
• SpeedBit Video Accelerator Features

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Vudu

Vudu is one of the many companies which started out offering a set-top box for serving Web video to consumers. When that strategy didn’t work, it became one of the many companies which switched to focusing on software rather than hardware.

This means Vudu’s service is now included on a number of other Web-connected devices instead, including televisions and Blu-ray players. The Wal-Mart deal will inevitably affect deals in place with Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Sharp, and Toshiba, but quite how isn’t clear.

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is one of the largest chain of department stores in the States. It also operates under different names outside of the U.S.

This acquisition of Vudu isn’t the company’s first attempt at offering video streaming. In 2007, Wal-Mart began to offer customers TV and movie downloads in partnership with Hewlett Packard. But it wasn’t successful, and the service was stopped just a year a later.

Wal-Mart Acquires Vudu

After months of speculation concerning an acquisition of Vudu, Wal-Mart has bitten the bullet and done a deal. The New York Times reports that Wal-Mart beat the likes of Best Buy, Amazon, Comcast, and EchoStar to grab Vudu.

No details of the deal have been revealed, but MediaMemo is claiming Wal-Mart will pay in excess of $100 million for Vudu. Vudu will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart but continue to develop its App Platform.

Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice-chairman for Walmart, said:

“The real winner here is the customer. Combining VUDU’s unique digital technology and service with Walmart’s retail expertise and scale will provide customers with unprecedented access to home entertainment options as they migrate to a digital environment.”

Conclusions

Wal-Mart is taking a bit of a gamble with Vudu, especially paying the kind of money being reported. There’s no doubt this is a brilliant time to enter this market but whether Vudu is the right option remains to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that both companies will benefit from the deal, at least in the short-term.

How it Works

Following a quick install, the FreeZ software is basically a window with a video screen to the left, and off to the right is a large selection of channels within a number of different categories.

The FreeZ TV channel categories include:

• Entertainment
• Sports
• News
• Government
• Weather
• Shopping
• Etc.

What does FreeZ Offer

A cursory scan of some of these channels shows that, although there are some fairly well known sources such as the BBC, FOX, NBC, etc, there are also an obscure body of program streams that I’ve never heard of (such as ‘IBA Channel 3′ and ‘Tros Sterren’?)

For the adventurous explorer, I suppose this could provide plenty of opportunity to learn something new about a different country or culture.  The selection of different channels offered is impressive, if obscure.

My Demo of the FreeZ in Action

Reviews and Feedback of the FreeZ

CNET offered a somewhat-deservedly scathing review of the FreeZ software, noting some of it’s flaws and limitations. I agree with a lot of these observations, particularly the comment about how the software during install tries to sneak in a toolbar into your browser, so uncheck this unless you want that added in.

I personally had trouble getting FreeZ to work initially (it crashed a couple times with inconsistent errors: once it crashed for a missing .dll file, another time it just up and vanished with no apparent cause) but once up and running, it’s a handy program for checking out television from around the world.

And as aside, as a user of a fairly older computer, I’m reluctant to use any application that could potentially be pronounced “freeze”.  But if you’re looking to peruse some new and unusual TV, FreeZ is worth checking out.

FreeZ Online TV

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Boxee Vs. Hulu History

It was almost a year ago when Hulu decided to pull its content from Boxee. TV.com also lost out. The decision was made after the networks and cable companies declared they didn’t like the way their premium content was being viewed on television via Boxee via Hulu.

In essence, they were only happy with Hulu while it remained a computer-only affair. Boxee enabled Hulu to be experienced on TVs and that just wouldn’t do as it may influence people’s decision to cancel their cable subscriptions in favor of online video.

Boxee responded by issuing a workaround to the Hulu block. Which Hulu then plugged, only for Boxee to unplug it. The cat and mouse game has continued since then, with some Boxee users able to watch Hulu programming and others not.

NBC Explains To Congress

Congress is holding a hearing concerning Comcast’s proposed acquisition of NBC Universal. And it was during this that Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC, was asked about Hulu blocking Boxee users from accessing its programming.

Zucker was clearly surprised by the line of questioning and faltered the answer:

“This was a decision made by the Hulu management to, uh, what Boxee was doing was illegally taking the content that was on Hulu without any business deal. And, you know, all, all the, we have several distributors, actually many distributors of the Hulu content that we have legal distribution deals with so we don’t preclude distribution deals. What we preclude are those who illegally take that content.”

He was then asked whether NBC would negotiate with Boxee, to which he replied, “We have always said that we’re open to negotiations.”

Why Hulu Is Wrong

Zucker, and consequently Hulu, is fundamentally wrong on this one. As Boxee explains in a measured blog response, Boxee accesses content using a Web browser. There is no taking of video, no adding of adverts. In fact, it works exactly the same way as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and the Hulu Desktop.

And yet Boxee has been singled out for exclusion from access while Microsoft, Mozilla, Google and the rest happily act as a go-between without any of these so-called “legal distribution deals” in place that Zucker referred to.

Conclusions

There is absolutely no logic to Hulu’s continued banning of Boxee. And Zucker’s response to the question about it and Boxee’s explanation of why he is wrong frame the issue in as succinct a way as possible.

Let’s hope Hulu and Boxee either do now come to some arrangement or that Congress pushes further for an explanation of the issues involved. Because it makes no sense whatsoever, especially as Boxee would increase Hulu’s potential audience.

Cable – Who Needs It?

The cable companies really aren’t keen on the Internet or online video. It’s a sector they don’t control, and currently don’t even have a foothold in.

But the Web is providing a viable alternative to expensive cable subscriptions for many people. Who needs to see a huge fee leave their bank account every month when the likes of Hulu provide content for free (at least for now). Especially with more TVs and devices being Internet-enabled, meaning Web video is moving from computers to the living room.

TV Everywhere

After spending some time fighting the lurch to the Web, the cable companies are now fighting back. Last year saw Comcast and Time Warner announce ‘TV Everywhere’, an initiative which will see some content be available to watch on the Web as well as on TV.

The catch is, of course, that it’ll only be available to current cable subscribers. This is designed to give viewers more options while still enabling the cable companies to retain the control they have enjoyed for many years.

‘TV Everywhere’ is currently being trialled. However, the cable companies currently envision ‘TV Everywhere’ as something strictly under their control, with existing subscribers given access to a Web video portal.

Brightcove Enters The Fray

Brightcove has other ideas, setting out its stall to act as go-between. Using its video platform and a new authentication process, Brightcove could enable a multitude of different programmers to place their content online; not just on a central portal, but on their own Web sites as well.

The tricky thing about ‘TV Everywhere’ is making sure only existing cable subscribers are getting access to the content being placed on the Web. Brightcove believes it has all the tools necessary to make this a reality.

Conclusions

There’s no guarantee the cable companies ill go for this, but if they had any sense then they would do. ‘TV Everywhere’ is a good first step to embracing the Web, but Brighcove’s product would make it a much more attractive proposition both for cable subscribers and content creators.

It features an overhauled interface, and new apps and content. And it’s pretty damn awesome, though not yet perfect.

Boxee Begins

Boxee seems to have been building up to its open beta status for years now. Probably because it has been doing exactly that. But the beta has now finally been unleashed, unveiled during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.

If you haven’t yet heard or used Boxee, it’s a free, open-source piece of software that acts as a central locale for a user’s multimedia content. Films, TV shows, and photos from the Web and your local drive are brought together in one easily manageable setting.

Boxee Beta Launches

The Boxee beta has been on its way for six months now, and been rolled out to private, invite-only testers since the beginning of December. But the beta has now switched to being open, with everyone invited to take part.

The beta is set to run for a year, with the Boxee team hopeful of hitting the 1.0 release at next year’s CES. So unless you want to wait for another year before trying out the software you may as well grab it now.

The Boxee beta is available for Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu, and requires a user sign-up/log-in.

[via XYHD]

Boxee Beta Details

The user interface has been given a complete overhaul, and is now both much sexier and easier to use. Content can be filtered in a number of different ways, while the social elements have been increased and improved.

New content partners include TV.com, which should see shows such as Family Guy, Heroes, NCIS, South Park, House, and How I Met Your Mother added to the service over the next few months. Blip.tv and IGN are also added to the mix.

Some existing channels now have their own apps, which makes viewing their content easier than ever.

Conclusions

Overall, the Boxee beta is a vast improvement. There are still some slight niggles, and more content (and more premium content) would also be appreciated. And there’s still no Hulu. But it’s definitely worth trying out the Boxee beta.

Boxee on Apple TV

It is possible to run Boxee on an Apple TV, and modified Apple TV’s are available to buy on eBay that come with Boxee pre-installed creating a powered-up Apple TV:

Ultimate 1TB Apple TV BOXEE XBMC JOOST Couch Surfer US $440.00   Auction Ends: 19d 17h 51m Make it yours…

Apple TV 40 GB w BOXEE US $125.00   1 Bid Auction Ends: 2d 3h 50m Make it yours…

Apple TV 40GB w Boxee XBMC US $147.50   8 Bids Auction Ends: 2d 7h 9m Make it yours…

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Evolving DivX

DivX has been a name synonymous with online video for a long time thanks to the codec and player which have been around for years.

However, in more recent years, DivX has tried to break out of these self-imposed walls by trying to enter the hardware market.

But having pretty much failed with its own set-top boxes, DivX is now entering the crowded Internet TV platform market. Which is a risky move.

DivX TV Devices

At the Consumer Electronics Show today, DivX unveiled its DivX TV, an Internet TV platform designed to stream a range of Web content to as many devices as will carry the service.

DivX plans to make its DivX TV service available on as many devices as possible, including TVs, Blu-ray players, and games consoles. LG Electronics is the first hardware manufacturer to sign up to carry DivX TV.

DivX Content

DivX is claiming to already have 70 content channels lined up, with partners including:

* Associated Press
* blip.tv
* Break
* CNET
* Roxio CinemaNow
* Dailymotion
* Diggnation
* Pandora
* Picasa
* Revision 3
* Rhapsody
* TED
* Tekzilla
* The Street.com
* Twitter
* VBS.TV

Conclusions

While some of these content partners are fine and good, they’re not exactly A-list when it comes to video content providers. There’s no Netflix, there’s no Hulu, there’s no premium content which would make this announcement something special.

That’s not to say this content isn’t highly watchable, it’s just that most of it is available online for free already. Whether watching it on television rather than a PC is enough of a draw remains to be seen.

BBC iPlayer

The BBC launched the iPlayer on Christmas Day 2007 after six months in beta. In that short time, the iPlayer had already been improved substantially, with streaming options added as well as download options, and operating systems other than Windows supported.

Since then, the iPlayer has grown in leaps and bounds.

This year saw a semi-relaunch with downloads for Mac and Linux users, and HD content added to the already impressive line-up of content. The iPlayer also migrated to a number of other devices, including the PS3, the Wii, and the iPhone.

The BBC has marked the iPlayer’s second birthday by releasing detailed stats for the service in 2009.

Most Watched Shows

Top Gear takes the crown, with the top two spots on the list of the most-watched shows. Episode 1 of Series 13 was streamed an impressive 1.6 million times, with Episode 1 of Series 14 managing 1.3 million streams.

Other notables include Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time, David Attenborough’s Life, and the first episode of David Tennant’s last story arc as Doctor Who.

Devices and Viewing Times

The iPlayer is now accessible on more than 20 devices. Computers are still the mainstay, accounting for 86 percent of requests. However, requests via the Wii and mobile devices have both risen in recent months.

Requests from iPhone users accounted for around seven percent of the total in October, with ‘iPlayer on Mobile’ being most popular late on weekday evenings and in the early morning on weekends. Which suggests a lot of people watch iPlayer in bed.

Conclusions

2009 has been the best year yet for the iPlayer, with streaming figures hitting close to 90 million in November. Whether the BBC can top this in 2010 while still improving the service remains to be seen. But as an avid user I certainly hope so.

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A Growing Sector

The lifecasting and citizen journalism sectors are both growing in popularity and importance.

Services such as Ustream, Justin.tv, and Livestream allow ordinary people the opportunity to broadcast, well, whatever they want to, within reason.

And with everyone owning a mobile phone, and new models coming complete with built-in video cameras capable of shooting good quality video, citizen journalists a growing band who can no longer be ignored.

iPhone, iPod Cameras

Apple added video cameras to its latest models of iPhone and iPod Nano, and clearly sees the worth of giving its customers a way of shooting video.

The company saw this as a way of competing in an emerging market currently led by Flip with its compact camcorders.

However, there’s no point giving people the chance to shoot video wherever they are without giving them the tools both to stream the video live to the Web and share it with a wider audience.

Live Streaming Apps

Last week saw Apple approve two live-streaming video apps for the iPhone. Apple decided to drop its restrictions on the feature and both Ustream and Knocking Live Video apps are now available from the App Store.

So, in effect, everyone who has an iPhone 3GS now has the capability of shooting video and streaming it live to the Web.

Apple’s Future

This could be the start of a big plan for Apple to place online video at the core of its business. Steve Jobs isn’t one to miss a chance to get in on a new trend at the ground level, and that would seem to be the idea.

And Apple does, of course, have the perfect software in iTunes to immediately become a big player.

[Via Wired]

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Boxee

Boxee is best described as a cross-platform, open-source media center for all. It allows computer users to manage all their media content, including video, from one central location thanks to a downloadable piece of software.

Boxee works on PC, Mac, and Linux and is designed to be used with a TV, bringing Web video into the living room. In August, Boxee secured new funding to enable it to take the service to the next level. And it’s doing just that.

Boxee Beta

Boxee is currently in alpha and has a growing band of users. However, it’s now entered a private beta, with selected users testing the new software until it’s deemed ready to be rolled out to the general public.

The new interface is designed to be user-friendly and accessible by as many people as possible. To that end, the homepage is being made easier to navigate, with social media interaction and recommendations taking center stage.

Local and Internet content is now as one, making everything easier to play. The queuing options and apps options have been made easier to follow and the ability to share content has been increased. There are screenshots galore on the Boxee blog.

Boxee Box

For those either without a computer or who prefer to have dedicated systems rather than using their computer as a middleman, Boxee is releasing the Boxee Box from D-Link.

The Boxee Box has been developed by D-Link, with Astro Design responsible for the very brave “submerged cube” look of it. The Boxee Box will be available to buy during the second quarter of 2010 and cost around $200.

The Boxee Box includes as RF remote, Wi-Fi, a multitude of outputs, and two USB slots. The system will be demonstrated in full during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Content Partners

Lastly comes news of a quartet of new content partners joining Boxee. Clicker indexes videos from YouTube, ComedyCentral and others; The Escapist is a video games news site most-known for Zero Punctuation; Suicide Girls is a site for fans of dirty, punk and emo girls (who isn’t?); The Tisch School of the Arts is part of NYU.

Conclusions

With these new announcements Boxee is well on its way to mainstream adoption, and that should happen over the next 12 months or so. However, to truly grab people’s attention it needs a big-hitter in the content department. Hulu would do nicely.