Mobile Video

If the story is not true, then WSJ and LA Times will look rather silly. Still, we have some conflicting sources to the story with a slight similarity to the overall story. I don’t think this just came from out of the blue. WSJ and LA times most likely have a valid source, so Hulu is up to something, and I suspect that something is Hulu taking offers to sell the company.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.

Android is finally getting streaming video services in 2011. Netflix appeared earlier. And, this week it is Hulu’s turn.

Have you ever experienced longer-than-average loading times or diminished quality when trying to watch online video on your mobile phone? Bloomberg’s Businessweek is reporting that YouTube is in talks with all major mobile operators, discussing how they can lessen the burden that online video has on mobile networks and optimize mobile video streaming.

Cydle i30, a new iPhone case/gadget plans to transform your iPhone into a portable digital TV. The i30 case from Cydle has a built-in speaker and a retractable antenna for ATSC M/H reception, allowing you to watch free, live TV on your iPhone as long as you are within the ATSC signal range.

The leaked images reveal the movie’s stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in bed and were tweeted to the world. The producers removed the primary supplier. But still, the immodest images are floating here and there online, prompting the studio and its creative team to get in touch with the franchise fans.

The studios told Variety that premium VOD draws from audiences who rather not make the trip to the megaplex because of the size of their families or the expense to hire babysitters or pay for food and other concessions. On the serious side, if audiences get used to staying home watching movies, they might stay away from theaters all together. We will have to wait and see if that is true.

I wrote about the new Qik Video Connect and Video Connect Plus iPhone apps last week.

Qik Launches Video Connect (free) & Video Connect Plus ($2.99) for iPhone: Real-time Video Sharing
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Engadget and other sources report that the Fox network told Time Warner to stop providing its content as streaming video for in-home-only viewing on an iPad using Time Warner’s recently released free TWCable TV for iPad app. Fox asks Time Warner to stop streaming its channels to customers iPads

Vimeo for iPhone app test from Todd Ogasawara on Vimeo.

I learned about the new Vimeo for iPhone app shortly before I left to meet with friends at a nearby Starbucks for an informal business meeting.

Vimeo Crafts an Elegant Video Browsing & Editing Experience for iPhone (Mashable)

Vimeo is a free streaming video service somewhat similar to YouTube. Their iPhone app is also free (Vimeo 1.0). The app provides the ability to record a video and upload it to your Vimeo account. It also provides some basic editing features similar to Apple’s $4.99 iMovie for iOS app. Again, note that Vimeo’s app is free. I walked around the corner from Starbucks before my meeting to record 25 seconds of video to test the app, its editor, ability to add a soundtrack and the upload process. I did not test merging video segments together. However, I did add a title and uploaded it to Vimeo at the beginning my informal business meeting. The editing process quite different from iMovie for iOS. I’m not sure I would call either app’s editing process intuitive. But, both are relatively easy to learn and use. The upload process went quickly using Starbuck’s free WiFi access. I should note that I have not been able to successfully upload a video from iMovie for iOS to YouTube yet. So, score “1″ for Vimeo.

The process was simple and quick enough that I was able to show my friends the finished product Vimeo’s website on my iPad 2 . When asked when I did that, I answered: A few minutes ago.

There’s one iPad app that I really want to try but cannot because its service is not available in my area of the U.S.: It is Time Warner’s new TWCable TV for iPad app.

Why TWCable TV for iPad Did Not Work for Me: Service Not Available in My Area. Also: iPad App Channel Lineup

After a somewhat shaky start with confusion about where service is available and then TWCable TV’s servers being overwhelmed, Time Warner is keeping the momentum going by creating a new site to provide more information about the app and its service.

Television Is Melting and I Want My TWCable TV App

You can find Time Warner’s site for the TWCable TV app at:

IWantMyTWCableTVApp.com

The app provides a frequently asked questions page (Behind the Scenes), a page to write comments about the app and service (Join the Discussion), and a page to read other people’s comments (What You’Re Saying).