Netflix, Facebook hook up in U.S. at last

It was a long time coming: Netflix users in the U.S. can now reveal their viewing habits and tastes to their Facebook friends.

Netflix announced today that its U.S. members will be able to connect to Facebook and agree to share favorite TV shows and movies on Netflix. The company will be turning on the feature "over the coming days" and expects that all U.S. members will have access to the social feature by the end of the week.

"By default, sharing will only happen on Netflix," Cameron Johnson, director of product innovation … Read more

AMC Networks launches 'Yeah' movie-streaming network

For those who like watching their favorite flicks over and over again, AMC Networks has launched a movie-streaming service, Yeah, that runs new bonus material alongside cult classic movies.

AMC, which launched the pay-per-view service at South by Southwest Interactive today, is jumping into a crowded, and competitive, video-streaming market. Big players like Amazon and Netflix fight for fresh content constantly. Meanwhile, content producers stream their shows directly, as with HBO Go, or cut deals with other established streaming services.

But Yeah has decided to go in another direction: older movies with established fan bases. General Manager Lisa Judson said … Read more

Episode 30: A Chromebook Pixel drinking game!

I feel like I might be the only person in the world who loves the poor Chromebook Pixel. It's just so misunderstood, with its ridiculously high price, its tiny 32GB hard drive, and its odd 3:2 screen resolution. But the design is just so gorgeous (drink), and the touch screen is so exciting, and the Chrome OS is so simple and Web-based! Perhaps you'll fall in love like I did ... or be wildly skeptical like Jeff Cannata. Check out this week's Unboxing, and find out.

On the other hand, Jeff is delighted by the idea of … Read more

Vimeo delves into paid, on-demand videos

New York-based video-hosting site Vimeo today added a way for its paying users to sell their works online as part of a new program.

At South by Southwest, the company announced Vimeo On Demand, which lets its paying Pro users (a $199 a year service) sell access to their videos to other users.

Video creators can set their own price for the video, and then get 90 percent of the revenue, the company says. Other features include the option for video makers to select where exactly they want their video to be available, as well as the design of the … Read more

More Americans opting to cut cord on traditional TV

While the vast majority of U.S. residents own televisions and watch them regularly, more and more people are opting to toss their cable plans and use other devices for entertainment.

A new report by Nielsen finds that those people who have elected to go "Zero TV" have more than doubled since 2007. Currently, more than 5 million people don't have broadcast television in their home, while in 2007 just 2 million didn't.

Despite these numbers sounding big, cord-cutters are still just 5 percent of the U.S. population. And, as Nielsen wrote in a blog … Read more

MegaUpload's closure boosts movie rentals and sales

Here's something that will make the Motion Picture Association of America happy: movie sales and rentals increased after the feds shuttered cyberlocker MegaUpload last year.

A new study by Carnegie Mellon's Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics shows that after MegaUpload's closure online movie revenue increased by between 6 percent and 10 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal. The study researched two major movie studios and the results were measured in 12 different countries, including the U.S.

"We conclude that shutting down MegaUpload and Megavideo caused some customers to shift from cyberlocker-based piracy to purchasing … Read more

Google reaches deal with MPEG LA over its VP8 video codec

Google has reached a licensing agreement with MPEG LA over patents that cover video compression, clearing the way for wider adoption of the Web giant's VP8 video codec and its streaming-video platform WebM.

The deal grants Google the right to sublicense the VP8 as well as the techniques in the forthcoming VP9 codec, which is already under development. MPEG LA also agreed to abandon its efforts to form a VP8 patent pool, which would have allowed it to cross-license its video patents.

Financial terms of the arrangement were not revealed.

"This is a significant milestone in Google's … Read more

Nook Media signs up for more Hollywood content

The Nook is stocking up on video.

Barnes & Noble subsidiary Nook Media this morning announced new content licensing partnerships with Hollywood studios and content providers including Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media, National Geographic, Little Pim, and Film Buff.

The partnerships will provide Nook users with the choice of "thousands" of additional movies and TV shows including "The Hunger Games," the Twilight movies, "Skyfall," "Rocky," "Mad Men," and "Amazing Planet," the company said.

With the news, Nook Media is playing up the high-resolution screens of its 7-inch … Read more

'Sesame Street' tops 1 billion YouTube views, the Count celebrates

You're famed PBS kids show "Sesame Street." You've just topped 1 billion views for your videos on YouTube since you joined in 2006. How do you celebrate? With the Count, of course!

The Count (whose full name is Count von Count) took to YouTube to display his singing and counting skills in a video tribute to "Sesame Street" reaching the 1 billion mark, the first time a nonprofit has topped that milestone, according to YouTube. "Gangnam Style," however, got there much more quickly.

A count of all the views individually would take an untold amount of time, so the Count decided instead to tackle the task of counting all the "you's" in "YouTube," which only takes a few minutes to accomplish.… Read more