Apple TV, Entertainment made Simple

When looking for a device that hooks up to your TV that streams movies and other content to the big screen, there are quite a few choices. These devices are called set-top boxes, and there are at least 10 well know and popular devices, with prices ranging from $55 to $299.

So if you're looking for a good set-top box, one that combines a pretty good price with a slick interface and great content selection, Apple thinks they have the device for you.

The Apple TV is a $99 device that allows you to stream content directly from the Internet. Unlike some of the other options, the Apple TV has no built in storage, so, while you can connect via a network to iTunes on your computer and stream content from there, everything else is just streaming it directly from the "cloud".

The Apple TV can access and stream movies and TV shows from the iTunes store. However, there is no way to purchase movies, only to rent them. An update out today allows users to buy TV shows directly, and stream them on demand from wherever they are. Users can also access and listen to or watch free podcasts, as well as access Apple's "Radio" feature.

Besides for Apple's own iTunes content, users can access content from Netflix, YouTube, and with this latest update, Vimeo. Netflix, which we have mentioned in the past, allows instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, for a price that, at $7.99 a month, is probably cheaper than consuming all of your content via iTunes. YouTube and Vimeo, however, are free to use, and deliver a seemingly never-ending flow of great (and not so great) content.

And, if you aren't already watching way too much stuff, you can also watch every MLB or NBA game live with a subscription to MLB.tv or NBA.com League Pass Broadband. Both of these services are a little pricey, and you might run into blackout restrictions if the game you are trying to watch is available on "real TV" in your area.

Apple TV's Small Size

But of course, there's more. Connecting your Apple TV to your computer running iTunes over WiFi will allow you to stream your entire music collection through your home theater setup. Pictures from your computer can also be viewed on your big screen TV.

To top it all off, the Apple TV can stream content playing on any iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch). To stream this content on the big screen, all you have to do is tap the "AirPlay" button, and, after initial setup, the content will suddenly be playing on the big screen.

At $99, and a 3.9 inch square size, the Apple TV seems like a great buy, and the recent update that adds Vimeo and TV show purchasing definitely makes it even more compelling. If you're in the market for a set-top box, and you have 100 bucks to spare, the Apple TV is a great choice for you.

YouTube adds Movie Rentals, Average Price of $3.99

     YouTube, Google's extremely popular video upload and sharing service, has recently added full length movies to it's millions of videos already on the site. However, unlike the other millions of videos, these movies will not be given out for free.
     The average movie costs $3.99 for a 24 hour rental. However, some movies cost $2.99, and a sprinkle of the 3000 new movies are actually free, but contain some ads.
     This puts YouTube in the same movie-streaming boat as iTunes, Netflix, and even the Gadgetator reviewed Alphaline Entertainment. All of these services stream movies on-demand.
     YouTube is different from iTunes, Netflix, and others because, unlike anyone else, YouTube has many free movies. Netflix does not rent movies, but rather uses a subscription model. YouTube also stands out from iTunes, as it doesn't offer downloads of movies, however, rental prices are similar.
     Overall, YouTube seems like a great way to view movies, at 3000 movies, the library is nice sized, but you probably won't find everything you're looking for. However, if you do find what you are looking for, especially if it's an older movie, there's a slight chance that it'll be free. Another plus is that, since the movies are saved on your YouTube account, you can watch a rented movie almost anywhere you go, and switch off between devices during the movie. Check it out. as the chances are likely that you'll at least find one free movie you'll enjoy.

View the YouTube movie library here.

YouTube Turns Five

Five years ago in May, 2005 the beta version of YouTube.com launched. Since that time, YouTube has taken off, hosting everything from popular viral videos to Presidential debates, and now has over 2 billion views per day (that's 23,000 per second). To celebrate, YouTube has launched a Five Year channel that highlights some of the important videos that have been on the site, and also reflections on YouTube from the likes of Conan O'Brien, Katie Couric, and Pedro Almodovar.

Throghout the life of the Tech Desk we have highlighted some of our favorites, including the amazing video mashups, various Motown favorites, and early electronic newspapers.

Post your own YouTube favorites in our comments section!

Fun Thursday: April Fool's Day 2010

Happy April Fool's Day. As we mentioned last year, many companies on the web love to play pranks on April Fool's Day. As usual, some are better than others. This year's Google logo prank (changing the logo to say Topeka to capitalize on that city's bid to get Google Fiber) is rather lame, however You Tube's TEXTp format videos are fun.

For an extensive list of website pranks today, check out this list from TechCrunch.

If you find anything else good, let us know in the comments!

How to Use troylibrary.info

Our new website goes live tomorrow, September 29. Check out some of the new features on our site tutorial video.

Woodstock: August 15-18, 1969

Sing about Bing and Win $500

Microsoft has launched a contest that invites you to sing a jingle about Bing – the company’s new search engine which has launched to positive reviews. Just create a video of yourself singing (no more than 5 minutes long) and upload it on Bing’s YouTube channel by July 31. Then, have all your friends vote on it, and you could win $500. Voting has begun and will continue through August 5.

Read the contest rules.

[via TechChrunch]

News of Jackson's Death First Spread Online; Traditional News Sources Lag

From Yahoo! News:

It was a where-were-you moment in a digital age. Michael Jackson's death was not learned from a fatherly TV news anchor. Instead, the news first spread online…

The celebrity website TMZ.com broke the news of Jackson's death at 5:20 p.m.

It was a huge scoop for the AOL-owned TMZ, though many did not believe TMZ's report until it was matched by more established news organizations…

Jackson dominated the discussion on Twitter, generating the most tweets per second since Barack Obama was elected president in November.

"We saw over twice the normal tweets per second the moment the story broke as people shared their grief and memories," Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said in an e-mail.

The tweeting tripped up Twitter briefly, but engineers quickly responded to keep the service running. At times, Jackson-related search topics were the most popular on the site.

Celebrity users on Twitter — including Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher, John Mayer, Ryan Seacrest and ?uestlove of the Roots — posted their remembrances…

So many people wanted to verify the early reports of Jackson's death that the computers running Google's news section interpreted the fusillade of "Michael Jackson" requests as an automated attack from about 5:40 p.m. through 6:15 p.m.

As a defense mechanism, Google's news section responded to requests for information about Michael Jackson with squiggly letters known as a "captcha." Just as online ticket buyers regularly do to complete their purchases, the Michael Jackson searchers had to enter the letters correctly to see Google's new results…

On YouTube, traffic flowed to music videos of Jackson, while thousands posted videos of themselves sharing their thoughts on Jackson.

Others were using Facebook to organize vigils and celebrations of Jackson. One in San Francisco with nearly 50 confirmed guests hoped to recreate the "Thriller" dance.

Within a few hours of the news of Jackson's death, his 1982 album "Thriller" was the No. 1 album on iTunes. Several of his discs were also in the top 10 of the digital store.

American's Watched 16.8 Billion Online Videos in April

I find this remarkable: U.S. Internet users viewed 16.8 billion online videos during April 2009, an increase of 16% versus March, according to comScore, a company which measures the digital world. That’s 56 downloads for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. in April.

YouTube was the top U.S. video site with 6.7 million viewers.

Fun Friday: Mother of All Funk Chords

What happens when you take videos from YouTube, sample the sounds and images from them, and combine them to create an entirely new song? You get this amazing mashup video:

Guatemalan Protests Organized and Covered on Social Sites

Social network sites – blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube – are again being used both to report and to create breaking news, this time in Guatemala.

On May 10, attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg was assassinated in Guatemala City. After he was killed, a video was released on YouTube in which Rosenberg said he feared he would be assassinated, and that if he were, those responsible would be operating at the orders of Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom.

Now, social network sites across the Central American country are calling for Colom's impeachment and trial. Anti-Colom protesters are using the sites to livestream demonstrations and other actions against the government.

As in Mumbai last November, and in Moldova in April, social network sites are central to how fast-breaking, current news is created and delivered.

[via BoingBoing]

Astronauts to Tweet from Space

NASA astronaut Mark Polansky, who will be commanding the next mission to the International Space Station, has just posted a video to NASA’s official YouTube channel inviting YouTubers and Twitter fans to take part in his next mission, submitting video questions via YouTube and following mission updates over Twitter.

To ask a question, Polansky says to create a video of around thirty seconds and post it to YouTube, then send it to his Twitter account using an @reply. He’ll respond to the questions on NASA TV, which is broadcast nation-wide.

Polansky won’t actually be the first person to Tweet from space -- that title will likely belong to Mike Massimino, who plans to Tweet from Space Shuttle Atlantis, which embarks on mission STS-125 [on May 11].

[via TechChrunch]

Fun Friday: Dancing Parrots

One of the web's biggest viral videos of 2007 was Snowball the parrot dancing to the Backstreet Boys:


Scientists saw this on YouTube and searched for other YouTube videos of dancing animals to discover if these animals really are dancing to music and hearing the beat or are just trained to do some routine. As it turns out, parrots and elephants, like humans, can actually "dance" to a musical beat. For more on this, be sure to check out this NPR story. And be sure to click on the Who Dances Better? Snowball or Napoleon video on the NPR site!

Gale Sponsors "Power to the User" Ad Madness Contest

Are you interested in not only winning some money for yourself, but also for your favorite school or local library? Database publisher Gale is sponsoring a contest from now until June 1, where you can win $2,500 for yourself and $2,500 for your favorite library.

To enter the contest, you need to create a one-minute video that promotes your favorite library and how it brings "power to the user." Then post the video to Gale's Libraero Group on YouTube. For official rules, entry requirements, and sample videos, visit the official contest site here.

Good luck!

Fun Friday: Jazz Appreciation Month Edition

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. To celebrate, enjoy this excellent YouTube video of John Coltrane's Giant Steps.

Streaming Video Grows; YouTube Reports 6.3 Billion Videos Viewed

Two stories about the rise of streaming video on the Internet.

In the first, John Biggs writing for ChrunchGear, discusses the shift from optical video to streaming video in just the past few years, resulting in complete dominance of the latter. The Internet is full of streaming video. It is everywhere, on every page. Interesting.

To back that up, comScore’s online video numbers for the United States in January are out, and YouTube reported 100.9 million visitors, who viewed 6.3 billion videos, surpassing the 100 million viewers milestone in the United States for the first time. [via mashable]

Online Video -- Both Short and Long Form -- Skyrockets in 2008

And one final set of statistics from the comScore 2008 Digital Year in Review (requires registration and .pdf download):

"Online video viewing continued its rapid ascent in 2008, with 6% more people in the U.S. viewing 34% more videos versus a year ago... By November 2008, online video viewing accounted for 12.5% of Americans’ total time spent on the Internet, up from 8.5% in November 2007.

YouTube, with 40% market share in November 2008, continues to be a significant driver in the U.S. video market… the site generated 5.1 billion U.S. video views during the month, representing a 74% increase versus year ago.

Another developing trend in online video is the move from primarily short-form, user-generated content to more longform, professionally-created content, including full-length movies and TV shows. Hulu, the joint video venture of Fox and NBC, stormed onto the scene in 2008, generating a 57% increase in videos viewed during the past six months and currently ranking as the #6 video site by both unique viewers and videos viewed. Hulu also had an average viewing time of nearly 12 minutes per video in November, substantially higher than any other top video site and a major contributing factor to the increase in online video duration from 2.8 minutes per video to 3.1 minutes per video."

From Monty Python, A Valuable Lesson in Selling the Product

Just a few months after British comedy troupe Monty Python put all of its material free on youtube, mashable.com is reporting that sales of Monty Python DVDs sold on Amazon, have increased 23,000%. Mashable notes that Monty Python’s DVDs climbed to the #2 spot on Amazon’s Movie’s and TV Bestseller List.

The Python crew knew what they were doing. In launching the youtube channel, they said, “We’re letting you see absolutely everything for free. But we want something in return. None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.”

Devindra Hardawar, writing on slashfilm.com, makes an interesting observation about this success:

“Could it be, despite all of the [recording industry’s] clamoring about piracy killing their business, that free and less restrictive content is actually the answer to their woes? We’ve seen other entertainment artists have similar success with free content… Offering a certain amount of content for free (as we see on Hulu, Last.FM, and countless other sites and services) seems like one of the best ways to convince consumers to actually pay for media.”

YouTube as a Search Engine

According to a recent article by Miguel Helft in the New York Times, it appears that the way many users look for information on the Internet is changing.

Instead of using a traditional search engine such as Yahoo or Google that yield mainly text based results, many people are using YouTube as their primary search engine, not only for viral videos, but increasingly for reference.

At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool.

Inserting Youtube Videos Into PowerPoint

Over at Digital Inspiration, they did a fantastic write-up on how to embed YouTube videos into PowerPoint presentations.

One method discussed in the article uses a "YouTube Wizard" plugin which can be found here. After downloading and installing the plugin, check out the brief video on how to use it, courtesy of Digital Inspiration.

To see the rest of the methods, feel free to check out their full post.