We're not sure who is in charge of marketing over at Discovery Communications, but no sooner did the company go public than two fairly substantial promotional deals were announced. Right behind the tie-up with Sony comes this, a content partnership with the worldwide leader in online video. The deal will see the creation of nine dedicated YouTube Channels which feature a "robust collection of clips from Discovery's family of world-class network brands." Leveraging the "global" nature of the source, Discovery is planning to introduce "a series of targeted international Channels showcasing localized and native language content for specific regions around the world." Check out all nine URLs in the read link.

We hear you loud and clear Roku -- now go prove to someone other than Netflix that your box is worth toying with. At the recent Streaming Media West conference, Roku CEO Anthony Wood reiterated details that we already knew: it really, really wants to work with companies other than Netflix. Said Wood, "We're opening up the platform to anyone who wants to put their video service on this box," and he continued by stating that "we're going to release the software developer kit, so anyone can publish any channel, and users can access web content on their TVs." Of course, both Netflix and Roku knew from the get-go that the relationship would involve other partners, though it remains to be seen who's willing to call for seconds at Roku's shindig.

[Via CNET]

While the competition is stiff (and all but dominated by YouTube) in the online video sharing space, Vimeo is still finding a reason to celebrate. Last week, the site announced that it had surpassed one million video uploads, and potentially more amazing was that a full 10% of those were of the HD variety. According to it, that figure makes it the "largest repository of high-definition video anywhere in the world," though we'd be interested in seeing just how far behind Viddyou is. Also of note, IAC chief Barry Diller stated in a recent interview that it didn't see anything particularly huge in Vimeo's future, though it did plan to "keep tending it and letting it grow." So, is one (or more) of your videos one (or more) of those 100,000 referenced here? Or are you rushing to Google "Vimeo" in an effort to find out what this service even is?

[Via NewTeeVee]

Viddyou already took online video sharing to 1080p... if you were willing to pay. Now, however, the distant YouTube competitor is bringing higher quality to the masses with the launch of its High Bitrate service. The new feature gives users the ability to "share near original-quality video from their digital camcorder or camera without the quality degradation typically seen in online video." We'll let you be the judge on which is which in the comparison shot above.

Shortly after picking up its very own adult channel, VUDU is announcing a more, shall we say, family friendly bit today. Effective immediately, VUDU users will be able to renew any SD rental for $0.99 within seven days of first viewing the film, while renewals of HD rentals will cost $1.99. Additionally, VUDU has launched a new "99 for 99" movie channel which contains a rotating list of 99 films that can be rented for -- you guessed it -- just south of a Washington. Interestingly, VUDU calls the deals "summer blockbuster specials," though there's no sign of an end date for either. Can't say this totally changes the way we see the movie set-top-box, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Full release after the jump.

For a whole slew of individuals across America (particularly those with lackluster Time Warner Cable lineups), the addition of two new temporary high-def stations has been quite the treat. Just prior to the start of the Beijing Olympics, many cable carriers opted to add in an HD Soccer and HD Basketball channel, but if you thought they were just doing so to be nice, you thought wrong. After scads of CableONE subscribers in Idaho were flat shut out of live online streaming, a bit of digging revealed the problem: NBC Universal bundled online streaming into a "premium package" with the previously mentioned stations, which CableONE declined to offer. For the CableONE users, the story does end in on a high note -- they are getting three permanent HD channels instead. For everyone else loving the convenience of online streams, at least you can sleep easy knowing that minor increases in your future bill will likely be used to pay for it. Then again, what is free these days?

It being August 2008 and all, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Olympics news will be flowing hot and heavy for the next few weeks. On the docket today (again) is NBC Olympics on the Go, which just went live for those looking to catch some of the action online. Powered by Wavexpress' TVTonic, this Windows Vista Media Center application enables fans to "create their own personalized, portable and high-quality viewing experience for the Summer Olympic Games." Anxious to get a real head start? Tag the read link, download, and enjoy.

For those of us who have been around the block a time or two, we can distinctly remember just how hard WebTV fell. Granted, it is still around as MSN TV, but when is the last time you actually saw one being used? A new report put forth by ABI Research is asserting that web-based interfaces will soon become more popular than ever, potentially finding their way into set-top-boxes, standalone players, media streamers, etc. We've already seen RSS feeds and the like appearing on HDTVs, and the integration of Ethernet ports is certainly noticeable. Still, there seems to be a good deal of disconnect even now between bona fide internet content and HD programming, leaving us to wonder how accurate these suggestions really are. And furthermore, to what extent will being connected to the internet affect the way you utilize your living room TV?

[Image courtesy of Ruel]

Hot on the heels of our own poll asking you dear readers your opinion on HTPCs comes a new report from ABI Research asserting that all-in-one PCs and internet TV functionality "will fuel the nascent home theater PC market." More specifically, it's reported that more and more companies are cranking out compacted machines "with rich multimedia capabilities to appeal to new usage models around the home." Additionally, internet TV functionality packed within HDTVs is touted as something that could be "the next evolutionary plateau," although we -- and Mark Cuban, comically enough -- would beg to differ. All in all, it's tough to say what place an HTPC still has in the market (save for the niche that simply prefers a full-fledged PC in the living room), but integrating all of that functionality into an existing living room component won't be the easiest task.

We won't restate the irony found in an internet tycoon bashing online TV (oops...), but Mark Cuban has seemingly come up with a few brilliant ideas since claiming that internet video was a failing enterprise back in March. Essentially, Mr. Cuban reckons that HDTV currently being delivered over the internet to LCD monitors around the globe should actually not be transmitted via the compressed methods currently used. Rather, he asserts that we should "move the video cloud to the node and encode and insert into traditional video distribution systems." In other words, deliver internet TV to your existing cable / satellite set-top-box, giving end-users the ability to create playlists and customize shows. We'll admit, we're warming to the idea in general, but trapping users into a cable / satellite bill isn't that appealing for those who lavish the ability to watch some of their HD via OTA and some of it via the 'net. Still, we're sure he's got that niggle all figured out too -- but why would he reveal his secrets before taking it to the bank?

[Thanks, VANBROTHERS]

We've known that individuals were turning to the internet to catch their favorite shows for some time now, but we aren't living in the future just yet. According to new research conducted by Nielsen and CTAM, most adults (94%) who "subscribe to cable or satellite television services prefer to watch television on traditional TV sets." Still, over a third of those surveyed who had a broadband connection admitted to watching at least one television program originally shown on TV via the internet, and nearly 40% of online TV viewers also use the world wide web to "get the scoop on actors and upcoming episodes." For numbers galore on this very topic, head on down to the read link and have a look.

[Image courtesy of BebeReviews]

Given Netflix's blatant plunge into the world of online content delivery, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the outfit's execs understand that physical media is at risk. Sure, DVD rentals far outnumber online rentals today, but Netflix is assuming that its DVD business could peak in around five to ten years. In a brief interview this week, CEO Reed Hastings told investors that "everybody peaks sometime," but he did note that Blu-ray was apt to make the "DVD ecosystem stronger." Even though the company is definitively moving at least some of its attention to online streaming, it's still quite aways from delivering a "standalone streaming service." On a slightly different note, we also learned that Intel-based Macs would be able to tap into the firm's "Watch Now" service "later this year," but unfortunately, it didn't get any more specific than that.

[Image courtesy of ANPark]

In case you didn't catch it, there used to be an internet video platform operating under the codename Jittr Networks. Don't bother learning that factoid, though -- it has relaunched, official-like, under the name Vusion (please disregard that the Vusion name overlaps with a baby ointment). Competition to deliver streaming HD video over the internet is heating up, and Vusion is promising to give 95-percent of all broadband customers access to crispy, instant-on, 720p images. Vusion's secret sauce is the familiar combo of network infrastructure and a cleverly-acronymed WARP technology. Don't get us wrong -- we're all for internet streaming of HD, and we think know that it's coming; but we won't start lining up until content providers do. [Warning: PDF read link]


[Via HDTVMagazine]

A study by the Convergence Consulting Group, aptly titled "The Battle for the North American Couch Potato," shows that nine percent of full-episode TV programs are being soaked up in front of a computer. The figure is expected to rise to 23-percent by 2010, and the study show where there's room for growth -- full-length content. The task chair potato's diet consists of short clips, with a full 75-percent of the clips originating from TV content. Obviously, people like the content being pumped out by the studios, but where are the profits? We've seen evidence that online ads are just as effective as broadcast ones, so the question becomes how studios can use online distribution to increase rather than simply shift profits. So where do you think the tipping point is?

Sure Youtube still hasn't gone high definition, but Motionbox isn't hesitating to join the slew of Flash-based video players adding 1080p support. Free Motionbox users will have to live with merely DVD-quality video, however Premium members who've shelled out for the $29.99/yr subscription can take advantage of 1080p/h.264 web-based video editing, with AVCHD support to follow soon. Good to know, now that boring people with your home videos has left the living room to go online, we can at least share them in HD.