Video

Amazon expands X-Ray actor bio feature to TV shows

Curious about what other shows feature the actress playing Lady Grantham on "Downtown Abbey"? Kindle Fire users can now find out instantly using Amazon's X-Ray feature.

The e-commerce giant today said it has expanded its X-Ray for movies feature to TV shows, providing real-time access to actor bios when watching a show. Just tap on the Kindle Fire screen while watching "Downtown Abbey," for example, and a drop-down menu of the actors appearing in the current scene appears. Viewers then can select whichever actors they're interested in to see their bios. X-Ray draws its … Read more

Hulu may not be for sale yet, but buyers are lurking

Hulu might not be on the auction block, but that hasn't stopped buyers from expressing interest.

A report from AllThingsD said several potential purchasers have reached out to Hulu's corporate owners, though none have made a formal offer. The site lists Ross Levinsohn, the former interim Yahoo who now works for Guggenheim Partners, as one potential acquirer. Yahoo and Amazon are a couple of others that have "kicked the tires," AllThingsD said.

Hulu, Yahoo, and Guggenheim Partners declined to comment. We've contacted Levinsohn and Amazon and will update the report when we have more information. … Read more

'Zombieland' TV series pilot to rise on Amazon Prime

A "Zombieland" TV series could rise from the grave on Amazon if enough Prime members give it the thumbs-up.

"Zombieland" is the 13th and latest original series to bite off a pilot on Amazon's Prime video service. Six other comedy pilots and six children's pilots will also air on Prime Instant Video and Lovefilm UK exclusively for paying subscribers. Viewers will be able to watch and review each pilot, helping decide which of them will score a full season's worth of episodes.

Amazon told CNET that the pilots are "coming soon" … Read more

Judge says Xbox doesn't infringe Google patent

A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has decided that Microsoft's Xbox doesn't infringe on a patent held by Motorola Mobility, reversing his original decision.

Judge David Shaw filed his findings today, Bloomberg reported. The ITC will now review Shaw's findings and make a final determination July 23.

The case began in November 2010 when Motorola,now owned by Google, sued Microsoft over wireless and video coding patents that Motorola said were used in the Xbox and in Microsoft smartphones.

Shaw initially ruled, in May, that Microsoft's Xbox 360 S video game console did infringe Motorola's parents and should be banned from importRead more

Intel testing TV service with employees in three markets

Intel employees will be the first users to test the company's new TV service, as the semiconductor giant preps for a rollout later this year.

Eric Free, vice president and general manager for content and services at Intel Media, told CNET today that Intel is conducting closed trials of its product with Intel employees in three West Coast markets.

He didn't provide many other details but predicted that 2013 will be the breakout year for OTT, or over-the-top, video -- services such as Hulu that deliver video over the Internet, eschewing cable providers and satellite services.

"There … Read more

YouTube vice president touts paid subscriptions

YouTube is clearly eyeing paid subscriptions, though it won't reveal if such an option has gotten the green light.

Speaking with reporters in Los Angeles yesterday, Robert Kyncl, a YouTube vice president, said that paid subscription channels are "incredibly important" in order to create "additional revenue streams" for content creators, the Wall Street Journal reported today. YouTube has reportedly already been chatting with producers about offering channels that would require a fee.

Possibly debuting as soon as next quarter, the first of such channels would charge users between $1 and $5 a month and initially … Read more

YouTube breaks records with 1 billion monthly users

What does 1 billion monthly YouTube users signify? It means that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet worldwide goes to YouTube.

That's a serious amount of people.

Google's video hosting service announced today that for the first time, it's driving these colossal numbers -- more than a billion unique users on the site, every month.

"If YouTube were a country, we'd be the third largest in the world after China and India," YouTube wrote in a blog post today. "Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly 10 Super … Read more

Hulu Plus rolls out new Apple TV app

Hulu is boasting a redesigned Apple TV app made specifically with the device in mind. The video-streaming company released the new app today.

The updated app, which requires a subscription with Hulu Plus, offers faster menu navigation.

It now shows content categories -- like TV, Kids, Latino, or Search -- in the navigation bar at the top of the screen. You can click on the category names to jump to each category and see the most-recently added content. The main screen also has a "Shows You Watch" tray to keep track of your most-watched series.

Hulu added some … Read more

Yahoo looks to buy stake in video-sharing site Dailymotion

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is working on buying a controlling stake in video-sharing site Dailymotion, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Unnamed sources told the Journal that Yahoo is in talks with France Telecom, the company that owns Dailymotion, to buy as much as 75 percent of the site. The site may be valued at about $300 million.

It's far from a done deal at this point, according to the Journal's sources, but Yahoo could use a boost in the video-sharing space, which is mainly dominated by services like Google's YouTube.

Although Mayer purchased a recommendations startupRead more

Redbox Instant launches video streaming to the public

Redbox Instant has made good on its promise to open its doors to the general public by spring. The video streaming service publicly launched in the U.S. today.

The new service is a joint venture between Verizon and Redbox that was first announced in February 2012. Redbox Instant will give new users unlimited streaming and four DVD credits for free for one month, according to the Web site. Once the month-long trial ends, the service will cost $8 per month.

Redbox Instant was rolled out in private beta in December, letting first-time users sign up for the service. It'… Read more