Netflix

Roku to add 10 more channels by year's end

The Roku Digital Video Player may be getting as many as 10 new Internet video-on-demand channels by the end of 2009. So says Roku vice president Tim Twerdahl in an interview with U.S. News & World Report.

The Roku Player was originally a Netflix-only device, but it recently added Amazon Video On Demand. The U.S. News story reports Roku has "quietly distributed a development kit to what Twerdahl calls a few 'close, big-name' partners." More info is expected to be revealed this summer, at which time the development kit would be made available to additional programmers. … Read more

Fox to strip extras from rental DVDs

A few days ago, we pointed out that more people seem to be renting DVDs rather than buying, which means the studios are making less money on their former cash cow. According to a recent report by Video Business, Fox is trying a new strategy to encourage DVD purchases, by releasing two different versions of the DVD: the standard retail version with deleted scenes and commentary tracks, and a stripped-down rental version including just the movie. Movies such as "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and "The Wrestler" are set to get … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 923: Slumdog smell-ionaire

A company says it has made a virtual reality helmet that will give you sights, sounds, temperature, and even smell. Which makes us wonder if that's a good thing. Would you want to see movies with smell? We also talk about a new Internet TV box that's 50 bucks and carries major studio movies and TV shows. Is it the one?

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 923

Kumo coming? Live Search headed for overhaul, rebranding http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/03/live-search-rebranding-is-coming-will-it-be-kumo.ars

Amazon offers e-books on Apple devices http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10187752-93.html … Read more

Netflix stands behind Microsoft Silverlight

Netflix is trying to locate the source of a series of glitches that some users of the company's streaming service are blaming on Microsoft's Silverlight video player.

Over the weekend, a steady stream of angry messages was posted to Netflix's blog. The complaints range from choppy video, to audio that doesn't sync with the picture, to grainy image quality.

The complaints began accumulating soon after the Web's largest video-rental service switched to Microsoft's Silverlight in November. The posts appear to have trickled in until last weekend, when a score of customers began reporting problems. … Read more

Podcast: Roku to stream Amazon video

Tim Twerdahl, Roku vice president of consumer products, tells Larry Magid that the Roku set-top box will now allow you to stream movies and TV shows from Amazon.com.

The Roku player already works with about 12,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix. Unlike Netflix, which bundles Roku TV viewing with DVD subscriptions, Amazon movies and TV shows will be on a rental or purchase basis. New movie releases typically cost $3.99, with older movies available for $2.99. TV shows will cost $1.99.

Length: 6:21

Buzz Out Loud 921: No one likes to be called a moral pygmy

Yahoo is trying to fight off being accused of low morals by protecting some user data from being subpoenaed in Europe. We also have a couple rants involving Amazon caving to the publishers over text to speech and Sony saying they made the PS3 hard to develop for on purpose. Even without Molly, it's a kind of ranty Monday.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 921

Amazon backs off text-to-speech feature in Kindle http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/amazon-backs-off-text-to-speech-feature-in-kindle/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13512_3-10184974-23.html

Presidential helicopter details leaked to Iran by P2P http://news.cnet.com/8301-10787_3-10184785-60.html… Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: A closer look at Yelp's algorithm

A San Francisco Bay Area newspaper says online review site Yelp is using shady business tactics to get advertisers. The charge stems from the disappearance of negative reviews for certain businesses. CNET News reporter Elinor Mills looks into how the problem may be in how Yelp's algorithm works.

Also on Friday's podcast: Netflix might spice up its business model, a new bill asks Wi-Fi providers and ISPs to retain user data for two years, and did a Google Earth user find the lost city of Atlantis?

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Yelp's credibility woes: Blame it on the algorithm?… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 915: Braising Arizona

This is a long one folks. We get a little yelly about online video, The Pirate Bay, and HDTVs in hotels. When we get to the space-based solar array that beams power to Earth by microwave, Rafe suggests turning the state of Arizona into a microwave hot spot. Sorry Arizonans. Enjoy.

Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 915

Palm Pre no longer features data tethering on Sprint Web site http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/19/palm-pre-no-longer-features-data-tethering-on-sprint-website/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/19/sprint-removes-data-tethering-from-palm-pre-feature-list/

Apple snapping up flash memory for new iPhone? http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10167926-37.html … Read more

Netflix may offer streaming-only pricing in 2010

Netflix is considering offering a streaming-only pricing tier as soon as next year, according to comments made by CEO Reed Hastings in a report by Bloomberg.

The streaming-only membership could be popular among those with Netflix-enabled devices (such as the Roku Netflix Player, Xbox 360, and LG BD300) who want streaming access without the full cost of a Netflix membership. Netflix hasn't said how much the streaming-only tier would cost, but we'd assume it would be less than the current entry-level $9-a-month unlimited plan.

On the other hand, we're still on the lookout for Netflix to start … Read more