YouTube Embarks On Its First Ever Music Tour

YouTube musicians are going on a six-week, 27-city tour across America with the first show kicking off on April 12 in Los Angeles, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.

The DigiTour is officially sponsored by YouTube and will feature big name viral acts like The Gregory Brothers (of Auto-Tune the News and Bed Intruder Song fame) and Mystery Guitar Man.

Read more.

Video site Vimeo debuts iPhone app

The Vimeo iPhone app is here! from Blake Whitman on Vimeo.

Vimeo's new iPhone app enables users to upload, edit, manage and watch videos right from theiriPhone.

[via Vimeo blog and CNN]

Digital Economy Act: further delay to illegal downloading measures

Plans to send thousands of warning letters to alleged illegal downloaders have been delayed until next year as the government's embattled Digital Economy Act is held up by a high court judicial review, reports The Guardian.

Internet users across the UK were due to start receiving warning letters from their broadband provider later this year, but a legal challenge by BT and TalkTalk has significantly derailed the plans.

Read full article.

Dispute Over Time Warner Cable’s Streaming to iPad

Companies like Time Warner Cable and Cablevision buy the rights to beam channels to customers’ television sets. But do those rights extend to iPads?

The New York Times reports.

Netflix Signs First-Run Canada Streaming Pact With Paramount

Netflix the online and mail- order film rental service, reached an exclusive five-year agreement to stream first-run movies from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures to subscribers in Canada. The accord will add more than 350 movies to Netflix’s streaming service in Canada.

[via Bloomberg]

Warner Bros. releases five more movies for rent on Facebook

Warner Bros. is broadening its experiment with digital movie distribution by releasing five more marquee movies for rent on Facebook. VentureBeat reports.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Inception, Life as We Know It and Yogi Bear — directly on Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Facebook Movie Pages.

On March 7, Warner Bros. released Batman: The Dark Knight on Facebook as the first in a groundbreaking experiment.

Read full article.

Drawing a line in the morality of watching disasters unfold

When disasters happen, television gives us a godlike perspective. On flat screens, laptops or phones, we can watch a stranger's last moments on earth. We might even see death coming before they do. But is there a point where we should turn away from the screen? [via The Age]

Many millions have since watched footage of the tsunami on YouTube. This is unsurprising. It's a spectacularly awful natural disaster relentlessly captured on film. One video (with more than 6 million views) shows cars being tossed around like corks in evil-looking, grey waves. ''Shit!'' comments a viewer. ''You can see someone at the back of the white car window being thrown around. Still alive!''

What does it mean to say you ''like'' footage of an event in which thousands have died? One aerial view of the tsunami has more than 5000 ''likes''.

At what point does the airing of disaster footage spill into voyeurism?

Read full article.

Touch painted wall anywhere, to activate on/off TV switch

French blog tom's style, reports on new paint that when applied to a wall that acts as a switch, enabling you to turn your TV on and off by simply touching the wall.

Designed by Nicolas Troboulot of Quarks, it should be on the market in the Spring.

Image from AllTrends.

Only 9% (and falling) of US Internet users are P2P pirates

In its 2010 annual report (PDF), recorded music's global trade body said that the industry would "struggle to survive unless we address the fundamental problem of piracy." Just how "fundamental" a problem is that piracy? Not very, as new research by NPD Group suggests that only 9 percent of US Internet users even use peer-to-peer networks at all, down substantially from 2007.

[via arstechnica]

Youtube video shames laptop thief

In the digital age, there's a new controversial punishment for crime – sentenced to a lifetime of embarrassment on YouTube.

The Sydney Morning Herald's story earlier about the laptop thief who returned it and apologised after an embarrassing clip of him dancing was posted on YouTube by the computer's owner, who had installed online backup software that the thief was unaware existed, has stirred an ethics debate.

The video has attracted 876,594 views at the time of this post.

Read full article.

Canadian Supreme Court to hear online video broadcasting case

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday it will decide whether Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that distribute videos should be subject to the same laws as traditional broadcasters. The Financial Post reports.

More and more Canadians are watching full-length films and TV shows on the Internet and the growing trend has raised legal questions over whether Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be treated as conventional broadcasters. If the Court decides they should, ISPs will become subject to regulation by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) under the Broadcasting Act of 1991.

Canada’s highest Court has addressed the question once before. In a 2004 decision, the Court ruled that ISPs play a “content neutral” role in digital copyright liability, meaning the CRTC did not have authority to regulate Internet providers as if they were broadcasters.

The Federal Court of Appeal upheld that decision in a ruling handed down last year.

Read full article.

Elizabeth Taylor tribute by Paul Newman

Elizabeth Taylor tribute by Paul Newman on YouTube. [via The Daily Beast]

NBC Universal To Reward Users for Checking In to TV Shows

Entertainment checkin and recommendation service GetGlue has signed a new broadcast partnership with NBC Universal cable networks USA Network, Syfy and MSNBC. The partnership will reward users who let their friends know when they are watching TV shows on Facebook or Twitter.

[via Mashable]

TED's "Ad's Worth Spreading - a winner worth watching

Spotted on boingboing, one of the winners at TED's "Ad's Worth Spreading" contest.

Tweeting with the telly on

A new generation of viewers is watching what has been dubbed social TV - a synthesis between TV and social networking. The BBC reports.

A recent study from marketing agency Digital Clarity found that 80% of under-25s used a second screen to communicate with friends while watching TV and 72% used Twitter, Facebook or a mobile app to comment on shows.

... Last month the US channel HBO ran the Howard Stern movie Private Parts with Stern himself commenting live on Twitter throughout the broadcast.

Twitter bosses are excited about the possibilities of deeper integration with TV, although they are still in the process of figuring out how they will make money from it.

Speaking at Mobile World Congress, Twitter co-founder Dick Costolo claimed that the search for the TV industry's holy grail - a second screen - was over.

"That second screen is Twitter," he said.

Read full article.

Worldwide fame for Sydney bully victim

A video of a schoolboy taking the fight to his schoolyard bully was viewed around the world yesterday as debate raged over whether he should be praised for retaliating.

The video was viewed by more than 140,000 people on The Daily Telegraph's website yesterday. By comparison, 35,000 visited the story about Japan's nuclear power crisis.

Read full article.

Justin.tv’s social video bet pays off with 150K downloads

Justin.tv, one of the best-known startups offering live-streaming video services, launched a mobile video application called Socialcam two weeks ago that moved the company in a new direction. The app available for iPhone and Android seems to be attracting users — it has been downloaded more than 150,000 times.

With a few clicks, you’re able to record, tag, and share videos as well as browse, like, and comment on your friends' videos.

[via VentureBeat]

Related: - Justin.tv Launches Socialcam Mobile Video-Sharing App

Privacy lawsuits rain down on Netflix

Netflix, the Web's top video-rental service, has been accused of violating U.S. privacy laws in five separate lawsuits filed during the past two months, records show. CNet reports.

Each of the five plaintiffs allege that Netflix hangs onto customer information, such as credit card numbers and rental histories, long after subscribers cancel their membership. They claim this violates the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).

Read full article.

YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 Grand Finale March 20

The-long awaited finale of 2011 Youtube Symphony Orchestra took place yesterday, Sunday, March 20. As announced, the offline concert of the orchestra symbolizing the unity of people from all over the world through music, was held in Sydney Opera House and live-streamed on youtube.com/symphony.

[via Popsop]

Thank you for praying for Japan

CNN reports on Japanese tech fan Goomichi's video, made in response to the many tweets @prayforjapan. "I was deeply moved to see the news of other countries contributing to support".

Thank you for praying.

My place was not much damaged.

But, the disaster is still coming to other areas, especially in the Tohoku area.

The concept of this video is to tell you that we are alive, have smile and want to say thank you.

People in this video tried to collect contributions on the street for the Tohoku area.

We are under the anxiety, but I think that we can help each other with smiles even in such matter.

We are also praying and we are doing what we can do for Japan.

So please, we need your help.

ThankYouForPraying from Goomichi on Vimeo.

Google TV gets official iPhone remote app

Google in a low-key move has put out a free Google TV Remote app for the iPhone. electronista reports.

Like its Android sibling, it can handle both regular TV duties as well as the search and navigation features specific to a Google TV box or set. It builds in Google's voice search, even for traditional TV, and has both a directional pad and a trackpad-like mode to give it better control.

Read more.

YouTube launches Missing Person Finder channel for Japan

In the response to the devastating earthquake in Japan, YouTube has launched a special Missing Person Finder channel with video messages (in Japanese) from the various shelters and those affected by the quake.

Youtube.com/shousoku is the video version of Google's "Person Finder", launched right after the earthquake help track down missing persons.

[via Mashable]

Upset YouTube Users Strike Back at Music Biz

Employees of Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music aren’t welcome here: That’s the message an increasing number of German bloggers and website owners are conveying online these days through a new project called Bust All Major Labels. GigaOM reports.

The project is a reaction to the fact that rights holders have blocked hundreds of YouTube music videos in Germany, and it uses a kind of eye-for-an-eye approach to get its point across: Website owners add a few lines of JavaScript code to their site to actively block visitors with IP addresses owned by major labels.

Read full article.

A Clever End Run Around the Movie-Streaming Gremlins

The New York Times on a new movie streaming service called Zediva that uses stacks of DVD players to send movies over the Internet.

Zediva lets you listen to the director’s commentary, turn on subtitles and change languages. It lets you enjoy your movie for two weeks instead of 24 hours, starting and stopping at will. It offers the 100 biggest movies for streaming on the very same day the DVD comes out. It sidesteps any meddling by the movie companies, HBO contracts and studio lawyers. And only for $2 per movie - or $1 if you buy a 10-pack.There is no signup fee, no monthly fee, no hardware to buy.

Read more.

Japan Tries Humor With ‘Nuclear Boy’ Fukushima

A new bathroom humor video for children depicting the Fukushima plant as “Nuclear Boy” has gotten hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. The Wall Street Journal reports.

It explains how the situation compares with cartoon versions of “Three-Mile Island Boy” and “Chernobyl”. The cartoon also praises the heroics of Nuclear Boy’s “doctors,” meaning the emergency team trying to cool Fukushima’s reactors and goes on to offer prayers that peace will return to the people of Fukushima prefecture soon.

Read full article.

Netflix Close to Acquiring a TV Show

Obtaining the rights to an original television series, "House of Cards,” a drama to be directed by David Fincher, would put Netflix in the ranks of networks like HBO or ABC and would underscore just how disruptive the company has become to the media business.

[via The New York Times]

US military blocks websites to help Japan

According to CNN, the U.S. military has blocked access to a range of popular commercial websites in order to free up bandwidth for use in Japan recovery efforts.

The sites -- including YouTube, ESPN, Amazon, eBay and MTV -- were chosen not because of the content but because their popularity among users of military computers account for significant bandwidth, according to Strategic Command spokesman Rodney Ellison.

Read more.

Time Warner launches TV-viewing app for iPad

Apple iPad owners who subscribe to Time Warner cable now have an app that will let them watch live TV directly on their tablets, reports CNet .

Launched today, the free TWCable TV app streams the live cable TV feed to the iPad via a Wi-Fi connection, meaning people can catch their favorite shows from any room in the house.

Read more.

Slow blogging this week from Istanbul

Slow blogging this week. I'm visiting Istanbul.

Image from Travelpod.

Live, real-time English audio translation of Japan TV streams

Live Videos by Ustream

YokosoNews has been offering live, real-time English translation of NHK other Japanese-language networks on his Ustream channel.

[via boingboing]