Items tagged with YouTube
Pakistan has ended its ban on YouTube that began in 2012 over "Innocence of Muslims," an anti-Islam movie upload that triggered demonstrations and violent protests in various countries, Pakistan among them. Over a dozen people died in protests that took place in Pakistan. The ban was to remain in place until Google allowed government officials to screen for "blasphemous content." Google didn't bend quite as far, though it did assure a senior official in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority that blasphemous content had been taken down. The company also agreed to field reports for review and, if necessary, restrict access to YouTube viewers living in Pakistan. What Google didn't do is bake...
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It should strike no one as a surprise that digital video has become big business. Let be more accurate; it's a huge business. When Google purchased YouTube almost ten years ago, there were few people who truly understood what it'd become. Today it's one of the most popular websites on the planet, ranking 3rd globally (behind Google.com and Facebook.com). It's also no doubt responsible for a lot more bandwidth than most other sites out there, so it's of little surprise then that the company's Chief Business Officer sees a bright future. At CES, Robert Kyncl reiterated a couple of predictions he made four years ago, which he still believes will hold true. At that event in 2012, he claimed...
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T-Mobile is coming under fire from all sides for its Binge On streaming initiative. Binge On, which is on by default, reduces the quality of streaming services to 480p in order to lessen the strain on T-Mobile’s wireless network. In return, customers are afforded unlimited streaming without tapping into their monthly data allotment. Not everyone was happy about this move, however. Google was particularly incensed, as it never signed up to be a partner with Binge On, yet its videos were reduced to 480p quality anyway. “Reducing data charges can be good for users, but it doesn’t justify throttling all video services, especially without explicit user consent,” a YouTube spokesman said in a statement...
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T-Mobile’s Binge On initiative at first seemed like a pretty good deal for its customers. In exchange for reduced video quality (480p), T-Mobile customers could enjoy unlimited streaming from partner services including Hulu and Netflix without hitting their monthly data pool. Initially, FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler gave Binge On the thumbs up, stating that it is an “innovative” service. "It's clear in the Open Internet Order that we said we are pro-competition and pro innovation. Clearly this meets both of those criteria. It's highly innovative and highly competitive," added Wheeler. However, upon further examination, it looks as though the FCC is beginning to question the motives behind Binge...
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We all know that streaming services have consumed a sizable portion of Internet traffic in recent years, but a new report from Sandvine is giving us some insight into just how dominant streaming video and audio has become. According to Sandvine, streaming video and audio account for a whopping 70 percent of all fixed-access (i.e. home broadband) Internet traffic in North America. What’s even more amazing is that streaming services’ share of the pie has more than doubled in the past five years. And out of all of the streaming services available, it should come as no surprise that Netflix is the clear leader of the pack, sucking up 37.1 percent of Internet traffic. YouTube was a distant second...
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YouTube is an amazing service for a huge number of reasons, but if there's one thing that's not fun about it, it's the ever-existing threat of a company taking legal action against you because of a video upload. We see this happen all of the time, and often, users don't even know what they're actually allowed to upload. Uploading a song or parody, for example, is a hit-or-miss endeavor: you may get away with it or simply have the company monetize it on its own; or, if you catch a particular company on a bad day, you may wake up to a disabled video and a hit against your account. Some might argue that anyone who uploads a video should know whether or not they're allowed to, but as we've seen in...
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It's no secret that Google and Microsoft haven't been on the friendliest terms for quite some time, something the large number of lawsuits each firm has filed against the other has no doubt had something to do with. However, it appears that the frosty relationship may be thawing. Last week, both companies revealed that all lawsuits filed against each other would be dropped, so that both could work together in the future "to benefit our customers". On the Microsoft side, we've seen a definite warming-up to Google this past year, at least where Android is concerned. This past summer, the company officially released its Office suite for the platform, and just two months ago, it even ported its Cortana...
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It's official: Google is now a subsidiary. Feels weird, doesn't it? The change happened yesterday as a new parent company, Alphabet, takes Google and other ventures under its wing. Google as a subsidiary means little to consumers, though, as it's still going to be the front-facing brand; the name associated with Android, Search, Apps, Maps, and so on. As the graphic below highlights, Alphabet will initially consist of seven separate companies, each with its own CEO. Google Ventures will look after acquisitions and funding; Calico will be responsible for the health side of things; Nest will be smart products; Google Capital invests in "tech trends"; Fiber handles all things Google ISP; while Google...
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YouTube has been planning to introduce subscriptions to remove advertisements from its website for quite some time, and it seems we're on the verge of it finally rolling out. Yesterday, the company sent out an email to content providers requesting them to agree to updated terms; if they fail to do so, their videos will either stop being monetized, or stop being shown in the US. In the email, it's noted that 95% of partners have signed up so far, and given the side-effects of not doing so, that's not too much of a surprise. If you happen to be a YouTube content creator, you'll want to log in before October 22nd and agree to the terms. What remains to be seen is how this revenue will be split up,...
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Much to the chagrin of some and to the delight of others, YouTube is force feeding pre-video advertisements in their entirety to Chrome browser users who have ad blocking extensions like AdBlock installed. Those affected also point out that the Skip Now button that would normally allow them to sidestep an ad after a few seconds of viewing doesn't appear when attempting to block ads in Chrome. It's not entirely clear if this is an intentional move by Google. AdBlock Plus designer Ben Williams told The Inquirer that it's "an issue in Chrome" that only affects "a small subset of users." As far as Williams is concerned, it's a bug that he expects Google to "fix up soon." AdBlock (not to be confused...
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Few would disagree that YouTube dominates the online streaming video scene, and with that kind of foundation in place, Google sees an opportunity to expand into gaming. No, not as a game developer, but as an alternative to Twitch, the live streaming video game company that it tried to acquire last year before Amazon swooped in with a $970 million bid. Called YouTube Gaming, the new venture is set to launch later today, according to Variety. If previous information holds true, it will consist of more than 25,000 game pages and channels at launch in the U.S. and U.K. These pages and channels will give gamers access to videos and live streams of their favorite titles, along with specific and personalized...
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To compliment today’s launch of the GeForce GTX 950, Nvidia is also announcing that they’ve taught their GeForce Experience software a few new tricks. Two and a half years ago when Nvidia debuted GeForce Experience, it carried a simple tagline: “Console Simplicity, PC Performance.” In its infancy, it merely analyzed your unique hardware and recommend ideal settings for a popular selection of games, targeting a perfect balance between performance and visual fidelity without the user needing to experiment with dozens of graphics tweaks. Since then, GeForce Experience has seen healthy growth with an install base of 65 million people. Along the way they’ve introduced some genuinely useful features...
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One of the lamest things that Google did in recent years was to require that everyone signup for a Google+ account just so that they post comments or share content across its vast portfolio of services. If you wanted to simply leave a brief comment on a YouTube video showcasing adorable little kittens, you needed Google+. Of course, we all knew why Google made this move. It wanted to “encourage” its customers to use the social network and bolster of its usage numbers to counter the likes of Facebook and Twitter. However, Google could no longer turn a deaf ear to its many critics. In late May, the search giant took the best from its Google+ Photos to create the similarly named Google Photos. And...
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If you've never watched a 360-degree video on YouTube, you should check one out, they're pretty nifty. They're so neat that Google is extending the functionality to advertisers so they can deliver more immersive ads on Chrome and the mobile YouTube app for Android and iOS devices, the company announced in a blog post today. For advertisers wondering why they'd want to go through the bother of making a 360-degree video, Google is quick to point out that existing campaigns that have been testing the feature have been "impressive" so far. Providing some empirical data to the claim, Google says that Coca-Cola's 360-degree video celebrating the 100th anniversary of its iconic bottle design outperformed...
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Vertical videos are proof that we're in over our heads with smartphones. Here we have these wonder pocket-sized gadgets that can capture precious moments like little Johnny getting his first hit in baseball or your sweet niece Sarah reciting the alphabet. Unfortunately, too many of these memories are ruined by holding the phone the wrong way resulting in the dreaded vertical video. Education is the only real solution, but in lieu of teaching everyone, everywhere how to properly shoot a video on their mobile device, Google has made the best of a bad situation by changing how YouTube displays such monstrosities.The dreaded vertical video, run for cover!A new version of Google's YouTube app (10.28)...
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Google seems pretty excited about showcasing video at 60 frames per second. So excited, in fact, that just over a month after launching 60FPS 1080p (Full HD) and 720p (HD) live video streaming, support for 60FPS video has been added to Google's YouTube app for iOS and Android devices. And of course you can still watch 60FPS video on the desktop, too. Whether or not you want to watch videos at a standard known as High Frame Rate (HFR) is up to you. There have been a handful of films released to theaters in HFR, such as the Hobbit, which was short at 48FPS. While some enjoy the experience of seeing video run at the twice (or more) the framerate of a typical 24FPS movie, others have found the level...
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This past February, YouTube launched a new feature that allows uploaders to include multiple views, and it takes little imagination to realize the cool content that can come from that. Today, we have a brand-new example, and with Boeing involved, you know it's got to be good. At the Paris Air Show earlier this week, Boeing decided to show us what its 787-9 Dreamliner can do. Most notably, that includes a near vertical takeoff. So, the company decked the plane out in cameras, and even filmed from outside, to give users all possible perspectives. The finished result is extremely cool. As you watch the video, you may want to step it back a bit and change the angle, to see how things looked at that...
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We first got a taste of YouTube's 360-degree videos in March when the feature was first launched. The 360-degree view puts you right in the center of the action and allows you to pan around see every possible angle captured with cameras like the Ricoh Theta and Kodak SP360. While YouTube’s 360-degree video collection has grown quite a bit since the March debut, a new video that popped up over the weekend is sure to thrill auto enthusiasts. The video gurus at Hamilton Kidd VR teamed up with Nissan’s NISMO racing division to capture the first ever 360-degree footage of a vehicle lapping the famed Le Mans racing circuit. The production team mounted six GoPro cameras, weighing a total of just over...
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When it comes to video streaming, YouTube is the king of the castle. Google’s video property is the dominant streaming platform and you’ll find everything from movies, to how-to guides, to adorable puppy videos that could keep you entertained for years on end. But for those who are into streaming of a different sort, say for example game streaming, the best option out there has been Twitch. When Google lost out on a bid to acquire Twitch last year, it was only a matter of time that it would come clawing back with a solution of its own. That day is today, with Google officially announcing YouTube Gaming. YouTube Gaming launches this summer in the U.S. and UK and more than 25,000 games will have...
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Here's a fun fact -- YouTube has supported 8K video since 2010. The label for 8K video (4320p/8K) was only added "earlier this year," according to Google, but support for the crazy high resolution has been baked into YouTube for the past five years. The thing is, who has the equipment to shoot video at that resolution? Not many, which is why the recently uploaded "Ghost Towns" is likely the first 8K video on YouTube. Ghost Towns was uploaded three days ago and is a short 2 minute and 8 second video, but due to the buzz it's receiving on the Internet, it's already up to more than half a million views. It was filmed by Luke and Marika Neumann using a RED Epic Dragon 6K in portrait...
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Nearly a year ago, Amazon managed to snatch away from Google what seemed be a surefire acquisition target: Twitch. Amazon purchased the incredibly popular game streaming service for $970 million and has done its best to help the service thrive amidst DDoS attacks, malware, and run-of-the-mill hackers. Google may have lost out in its bid to acquire Twitch, but don’t think for one second that the Internet giant doesn’t have the resources to counterpunch with its own rival service. Today, Google announced that YouTube will add support for 60 FPS 1080p and 720p live video streaming to its repertoire. If you still need further confirmation that Google is taking direct aim at Twitch, the company...
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If it's been several years since you last upgraded your mobile device or other electronic gadgets, you may lose the ability to use the Google's YouTube app. In an updated support document, Google says that select devices manufactured in 2012 and earlier are affected, including Sony TVs and Blu-ray Discs, Panasonic TVs and Blu-ray Discs, older iOS devices, and devices running older versions of Google TV."As we upgrade the YouTube Data API to bring more features, we'll begin shutting down the old version on April 20, 2015. This will result in the current YouTube app not working on certain device models from 2012 and older," Google states.For those of you with a device running Google TV version...
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