shows

Amazon plans to broadcast pilot episodes for 14 new television shows, with viewers deciding which programs deserve to become a full-length series. The pilots will air free-of-charge on Amazon.com in the United States. In the United Kingdom, viewers ... can watch the content on 'Lovefilm'. Although you'll need to register an account to see the shows, you won't need to have a paid subscription to Amazon Prime or Lovefilm to watch these episodes. Although Amazon will be asking for feedback, it isn't simply having a "winner takes all" vote to decide a winner. Instead, it will look at responses and ... (view more)

A company that produces legitimate and original Internet-only television shows has fallen victim to a particularly aggressive group of anti-piracy protestors. Revision3 Corporation produces shows such as Diggnation (a talk show discussing the top ... stories from Digg.com) and PixelPerfect (which gives advice for users of Adobe's imaging software). It distributes its shows through a variety of methods, including its own website as well as iTunes, torrents, and YouTube. Over Memorial Day weekend, the Revision3 site went down, along with its email systems. It turns out it had suffered a 'Denial Of ... (view more)

Some users of Windows Vista Media Center have been reportedly blocked from recording some NBC Universal TV shows, receiving error messages that read "restrictions set by the broadcaster and/or originator prohibit recording of this program" instead. ... One person prevented from recording the NBC shows is an IT director in Northern California who says this is indicative of why the current Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes are flawed. DRM schemes affect people who intend to legally consume content, with no intention of stealing the content. People intent on stealing content already have ways ... (view more)

HBO has joined the iPod revolution by offering a selection of its television shows on the iTunes store. On Tuesday, the premium cable channel announced it would sell single episodes and whole seasons of mega-hits like the Sopranos and Sex and the ... City, as well as Deadwood, Flight of the Conchords, Rome and The Wire. (Source: apple.com ) In a surprise move Apple has agreed to premium pricing for some of HBO's programming. The Sopranos, Deadwood and Rome will cost $2.99 per episode, while the others will be for sale at the regular iTunes price of $1.99. Last year, NBC pulled its television ... (view more)

The Warner Brothers Television Group has announced that "The WB Network" will be returning shortly as an online video site. The WB, which started out as a broadcast network in 1995 and went off air in 2006, experienced an early surge in popularity ... due in large part to the number of compelling television series it offered (7th Heaven, Dawson's Creek) and having an identifiable mascot (The WB Frog). In addition to opening TheWB.com, Warner Brothers is also launching a sister web site dedicated to children called KidsWB.com. The complementary sites are a part of the new "digital destination" ... (view more)

In an effort to keep up with the special features available on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, Microsoft has inked a deal with major Hollywood producer Peter Safran to post original shows for distribution exclusively on the company's own ... gaming console, the Xbox 360. This is not the first time that Microsoft has tried to present its audience with original digital entertainment using non-traditional systems. Two years ago, Microsoft was the brains behind the poorly received "MSN Originals" online television hotspot. (Source: nytimes.com ) But nothing could ever compare to the " ... (view more)

NBC has formally launched its online video site Hulu.com, seen by many as a potential rival to YouTube. The site, which is also backed by Fox's parent group News Corporation, contains more than 250 TV episodes from shows such as The Office and The ... Simpsons, plus movies such as The Big Lebowski. There are also movies and TV shows available in clip-form only. Sports fans can choose from clips of recent NBA and NHL games, or full-length NCAA basketball games from the past 25 years. Around 50 different TV stations, movie producers and websites are represented in the project. Some shows include ... (view more)

Apple has finally given up on their deal with NBC Universal after several disputes over the price of their television shows. Apple officially announced that they would no longer be offering any NBC programs for the fall season through their iTunes ... downloading service. NBC has fired back at their former partnering company, claiming that Apple was solely responsible for the downfall of the agreement. According to NBC affiliates, they had given Apple sufficient notice that their programs were not to be sold via iTunes after the end of the previous season. (Source: usatoday.com ) The quarrel is ... (view more)

As I reminisce about the year gone by, I realize that there was a lot going on. What really stands out for me as the top tech stories of 2005 are as follows: 1. Google. Google becomes a powerhouse company, rolling out beta after beta. Some bomb (Web ... Accelerator); some are so fantastic I wonder how I lived without them (Gmail/Gmail Mobile), and some just confuse (GoogleBase). Still, Google makes it known they are a force to be reckoned with. Watch out for Google's online office suite in 2006. You know it's coming. 2. Tagging. Everyone is tagging now. Tag photos on flickr. Tag bookmarks on del. ... (view more)