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Buy Mac Products Sling has announced their new media portal to compete with Hulu, YouTube and other sites today. And of course when we read news like this, we ask – how will people be able to download or record these video streams?
At-Large Recorder is already working with SlingPlayer 2.0, so that’s one option, but I suspect they will use a different technology (Flash?) for their media service. Once we get our beta invite and try it out, we’ll let you know what we discover.
As far as the service goes, here’s our take. The Clip-and-Sling idea is moronic – I sincerely doubt people will take the time to make clips of TV shows, and also people will be less than likely to watch them. Of course, people DO this already in YouTube, but the effort involved in this acts as a natural filter for presenting interesting things to viewers. if it’s too easy to make clips of TV shows, there will be a lot of noise. Also – being tied to the content owners may limit the flexibility of end-users to make compelling clips. We’ll have to see how the service evolves.
However – if they can provide LiveTV over the web, I can see that as being a game changer. And with the new SlingCatcher boxes coming out which let your TV become the viewing hardware for any Sling stream, we may finally get true IPTV. This will open the floodgates for other similar services, as nobody wants to be left behind.
Posts Tagged: video
Download Videos from Sling.com
We’ve been Slashdotted!
An article about Applian, Replay Media Catcher and RTMPE protocol recently was posted on Slashdot. While much of it is a spirited debate about DRM, there is an inaccuracy that we need to clear up. Some of the posters seem to think that we are breaking Adobe’s encryption in this latest version, which is false. The content we download is actually unencrypted.
It looks like this was a stopgap solution by Adobe. It appears Adobe made a technical tradeoff between continuing to support their existing ad insertion technology, and fully encrypting their content. There are a lot of really talented engineers at Adobe – I just don’t think they have yet built a DMCA compatible system due to time constraints. Their Flash Video server technology is really well done, and after a major re-architecting, they will probably discover a better balance between ad serving and encryption.
As far as the DRM issue goes: never, ever redistribute anything you’ve recorded without the express written consent of the content owner. Recordings are always for your personal use only. Applian’s intent is not to encourage customers to violate copyright laws.
Recording the Olympics, Part II
Alex has looked into more of the technical details behind how NBC is streaming the Olympics, and has made an interesting discovery. Apparently the stream formats are different for live streams vs. pre-recorded streams. This means that you can make digital recordings of live events, and record from the screen for “rewind” or cached events. Below is his technical summary.
The Silverlight NBC Olympics server uses Windows Media Player for live streams and VP7 for prerecorded videos. VP7 is the format used by web sites like abc.com or fox.com and can provide very high quality (lossless) video compression including HD. The problem with this format is that it cannot be reliably streamed for longer periods of time like the live broadcasts. The math used to compress the video and the audio does not allow recovery when packets are lost which results in out of sync audio. Currently Windows Media Player is the only format that can do this. The live stream Olympics can be recorded with WM Recorder or Replay Media Catcher but the prerecorded clips can only be recorded with WM Capture.
Recording The Olympics Online
This year NBC has teamed up with Microsoft (MSFT) to provide a wealth of Olympics footage at NBCOlympics.com. If you’re really into specific events that aren’t shown over your broadcast TV station, then you can likely watch them online. Very cool.
The Microsoft contribution is via the Silverlight video player, which you must install in order to watch video. Few video providers use Silverlight, which is why there are no programs (yet) that can record those feeds via stream capture.
If you’re looking to record some of these events and save them forever, the best program to use is WM Capture. This on-screen recorder makes great quality videos from the Olympic feeds.
To burn these recordings to DVD, try the new Replay Converter 3.0, which is currently in beta. You can also make iPod format videos, or AVI files to import them into your favorite video editor.
Oh yeah – Go Team USA!
UPDATE: I noticed that you need to enter a zip code and your Cable provider to watch some online feeds. Try 94118 and ComCast Digital if you’re disallowed access.
New Applian Media Browser Toolbar
Today we have just released a cool gadget – the Free Applian Media Browser Toolbar. From within Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can stay notified when Applian product news and updates occur, quickly get access to tutorials and help with streaming media recording problems, as well as some handy gadgets including a search box, radio player, weather bug, email notifier and more.
The Applian Media Toolbar is free. Check it out here:
http://applian.com/toolbar/
More cool stuff – Veoh Player
Today just seems to be the day of neat discoveries. Have a look at the Veoh player – it can download videos from a variety of places, it lets you subscribe to RSS Video feeds, and it even has a “10 foot” TV mode so you can sit back and enjoy your videos. And Replay Converter works with the video downloads. Pretty cool stuff.
Check it out at veoh.com.
New First-ever Streaming Flash Video and MP3 recorder
Forget the XM and Sirius merger, the really big news is Replay Media Catcher, a hot new utility that captures MySpace video and MP3s, as well as lots of other premium audio and video content from sites like ABC.com, NBC.com, and thousands more. The technological breakthrough is the ability to capture streaming Flash, which nobody has been able to do before. Go to www.replay-media-catcher.com to download a free trial copy and check it out!
Here’s the official press release if you’d like to learn more:
New Streaming Media Recorder Captures Previously Unrecordable Online Video and Audio
February 21, 2007, San Anselmo, CA – Applian Technologies today announced the release of Replay Media Catcher, the first ever Online Video and Audio recorder for streaming Flash and MP3 sites. Replay Media Catcher allows customers to capture perfect digital reproductions from previously unrecordable premium destinations like ABC.com, NBC.com, MySpace™ and thousands of others, as well as popular places like YouTube™ and Google Video.
Replay Media Catcher uses a simple one-click recording interface. Customers just click the Start Recording button, and then play the streaming Flash video or MP3 audio to capture. Once Replay Media Catcher detects the media stream, it will continue to save a playable video or audio file on the PC hard drive, and the customer can then go in search of other media to record. Replay Media Catcher is able to record multiple streams simultaneously, limited only by the speed of the customer’s internet connection. Also included is FLV Player, which lets customers watch their recorded videos.
“Replay Media Catcher is the first ever production software to be able to capture RTMP Streaming Flash streams used by many of the top-tier content sites,” said Bill Dettering, CEO of Applian Technologies. “These unprotected, unencrypted files have been previously impossible to record for your personal use, and now Replay Media Catcher makes it possible to archive and enjoy more great online video without having to be connected to the internet.”
Replay Media Catcher is ready for download and immediate purchase from replay-media-catcher.com for $39.95. A free demo is also available. Replay Media Catcher requires a PC running Windows.
About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies was started by Bill Dettering in 1997. In 2001, Bill created Replay Radio to be able to record and enjoy his favorite radio programs during his long daily commute to Silicon Valley. Now, several years after the launch of Replay Radio, Applian is recognized as the global leader in online recording software. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay AV 8, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com.
Replay Media Splitter Announcement
The announcement for Replay Media Splitter hit the wires today. If you’re looking for an easy way to slice and dice audio and video files, check it out!
SAN ANSELMO, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ — Applian Technologies today announced the release of Replay Media Splitter, an easy-to-use audio and video editor for online media files. The program, which works on the most popular audio formats (MP3 and WMA) and video formats (AVI, WMV & ASF), allows customers to remove portions of media from audio and video files.
“For people looking to do basic media file editing, Replay Media Splitter can’t be beat,” said Bill Dettering, the CEO of Applian Technologies. “For tasks from archiving recorded radio shows, making MP3 ringtones or other copyright fair-use activities, Replay Media Splitter really does make it easy. Replay Media Splitter also complements our streaming video and audio recording products well.”
Replay Media Splitter is available for download and immediate purchase from Applian Technologies at http://www.applian.com for $29.95. A free demo is also available. Replay Media Splitter requires a PC running Windows.
About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies is recognized as the global leader in software products for recording, converting and now editing streaming media. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay AV 8, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com.
YouSendIt and Applian Partnership
Replay A/V is going to have an interface to YouSendIt, so you can send recordings to yourself from one PC to another device. How cool is that!
Here’s the Press Release:
YouSendIt, Applian Partner to Record and Deliver Large Streaming Media Files Via the Web
Partnership Allows Customers to Retrieve Recorded Online Media Anywhere
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & SAN ANSELMO, Calif. — YouSendIt, Inc., the leader in web-based file delivery for business and Applian Technologies, the global leader in software products for recording streaming media, today announced a partnership that will allow Applian customers to retrieve their recorded media anywhere they have Internet access. The combined offering will enable users to capture, convert and send media with Applian’s Replay A/V 8 and YouSendIt’s Web based file transfer service.
The YouSendIt Plug-In for Applian’s Replay A/V 8 is the first to allow users to send streaming media files directly from within the application. Customers can set up file transfer to start automatically after the recording is completed.
“YouSendIt is known to be very easy to use,” says Ivan Koon, CEO, YouSendIt. “The integration into Replay A/V 8 allows users to send files directly from within the application, eliminating the pain associated with using FTP or burning a CD and sending it via overnight mail.”
“We are excited to partner with YouSendIt — building the ease of use, speed, reliability and security of YouSendIt’s solution into Replay A/V 8 will help our customers record, convert and then retrieve their favorite recordings anywhere they have Internet access,” said Bill Dettering, CEO, Applian. “The combined solution will be the most powerful and versatile recording program on the market. Our customers will now be able to enjoy their favorite shows wherever and whenever they like.”
Replay A/V makes it easy to record all types of online media. Several hundred thousand Applian customers already benefit from the ability to record almost any streaming audio and video instantaneously, or schedule recordings to happen automatically later. The integrated Replay Media Guide lets users pick shows to record with a single click. Replay A/V is the only software that combines Stream Capture, Audio Recording and an Enhanced Podcast Client in one easy-to-use interface.
The Replay A/V YouSendIt integration will allow users to receive captured streaming media files anywhere. For example, a home PC can record a radio show, and customers will be able to listen to that show while at work or travelling.
Replay A/V with YouSendIt service will be available in March 2007, with a beta version in February.
About YouSendIt
YouSendIt is the leader in file delivery for business. The company is based in Mountain View, CA and offers professionals in small and medium businesses a reliable solution to move and track large files. Proprietary technology and enterprise-level server farms on both coasts guarantee excellent response and reliability. YouSendIt offers three business subscription plans and a pay-per-use plan, in addition to a free service. With over two and a half million registered users from 220 countries, YouSendIt transfers over 1 million files per day — over 400 million to date. YouSendIt is led by its CEO, Ivan Koon, former SVP, Enterprise Intelligent Documents Business Unit at Adobe, and funded by Alloy Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds.
For more information and to send a big file via YouSendIt, please visit http://www.yousendit.com.
About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies is recognized as the global leader in software products for recording streaming media. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com
Contacts:
YouSendIt,
Inc. Florian Brody,
650-265-0520 (Media) Sr. Director Marketing Communications [email protected] or Atomic PR (for YouSendIt) Mike Barash,
415-402-0230 (Media) [email protected] or Applian Technologies Leslie Bee,
415-608-2263 (Media) Director of Marketing [email protected]
PC Mag Editor not happy about Sling Encryption
From Stu, one of our best customers and sources of information:
Jim Louderback, the editor of PC Mag, made a mention that his favorite add-on no longer works. He was referring to your Slingbox recorder. This was done on his podcast – What’s New Now? (July 21)
Looks like Sling is going to be facing more competition – not just from Sony’s LocationFree, but also new companies called HAVA and AirEpoch. It’s going to be hard to maintain the encryption policy, especially if the competition is open to recording.
I predict that there will be a permanent recording solution for Slingbox devices by January 1, 2007. Or even earlier if they want to HAVA good Christmas season.