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Microsoft said Monday that's it's revamped its IPTV software, now called MediaRoom. In a feature published Monday on CNET News.com, I've already gone into some depth about what the new software offers and what it means for the telco TV market.

But I also wanted to point out an important feature the new software doesn't offer: multiroom DVR. This service would be a dream come true for me. Even though I've got three TVs in my tiny apartment in New York City, my roommate and I still fight over the TV in the living … Read more

At this very moment, I am looking at a paused Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess game while an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are perched alongside the Wii collecting dust. Does that mean the 360 and Playstation 3 are inferior to the Wii or provide a less gratifying experience? No way. But what it does mean is that Sony and Microsoft underestimated Nintendo as well as the consumer base they try so hard to impress. The Wii's success may not have been a surprise to Nintendo fanboys out there, but it becomes more apparent that the Wii's success … Read more

Democracy Player, set to be renamed Miro with its next release, is an open-source video player that not only works for almost every type of video file out there, it also arranges vidcasts into "channels" to help keep them all organized. The channel guide creates automatic downloads of your favorite Web shows, from Ask a Ninja to National Geographic Wild.

Take a quick tour of Democracy Player with this First Look video.

GOM Media Player Pros: Wide media support, built-in screen capture tools Cons: No help manual, saving settings are a little weak Extras: Audio output options, subtitle support, skins

Numerous media players are jockeying to become the default setting for your music and video streams. Among the top audio contenders clamoring for your ear--among them RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, DivX Player, QuickTime, and WinAmp--GOM Media Player has stood out as a firm favorite.

GOM Media Player's support for a wide range of media certainly helps. DAT, MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV, ASF, AVI, and MOV formats are all compatible, as … Read more

Yesterday Blogger launched a new service called Blogger in Draft. It's essentially the same old Blogger interface with a few new features the team is in the midst of developing. Think of it like an open beta test. The first new feature is a built-in video uploader tool. Users can add AVI, MPEG, Quicktime, Windows Media, and Real video files with sizes up to 100MB. The service will then convert it into a playable Web video with an interface identical to Google's own video player, complete with Blogger branding.

What's interesting about this new feature is that … Read more

YouTube has started testing a new beta interface on their site. This opt-in test lets users get a sneak peek at what YouTube's designers have been working on.

The new design features easier access to more films by the user that you are currently watching, as well as separate sections for Related Videos and Promoted Videos. According to Nathan Weinberg from InsideGoogle, the actual size of the video has also been upped to 480x395. The look and feel of the links below the video has also been improved and includes new, larger icons. The coolest improvement in this new … Read more

For its first major update in over two years, Lavasoft's Ad-Aware 2007 offers a redesigned interface and an overhauled detection engine, along with an enhanced Update Manager and a new Tracksweep feature that clears your browsing history for multiple applications with one click.

Take a quick tour of Ad-Aware 2007 with this First Look video.

In a joint announcement on Thursday, YouTube and CNN unveiled their plans for co-sponsored Democratic and Republican presidential debates that aim to bring the standard televised events into the digital age of mashups, remixes and viral buzz. Not only will video content from the events (as well as other CNN debates) be made available for sharing and distribution online, but the debate questions themselves will come in the form of videos sent in by YouTube users.

(Video: YouTube's call for submissions)

In a dial-in press conference, representatives from both companies explained the new process and answered questions from reporters--on hand were Jon Klein, president of CNN U.S.; David Bohrman, CNN's senior vice president and Washington, D.C. bureau chief; Chad Hurley, YouTube's CEO and co-founder; and Steve Grove, YouTube's news and politics editor.

All four projected eager enthusiasm that this new debate format would bring a more democratic angle to the way campaign dialogue is conducted. "This is how debates would have been done since the beginning of time, had the technology been available," Klein extolled. "It's really powerful, and it really brings the country to the presidential candidates in a very visual and contextual way," added Grove.

… Read more

In a press call on Thursday morning, CNN and YouTube will unveil the details for the cable news channel's upcoming presidential debate coverage, claiming that the two are "teaming up to provide an unprecedented debate format offering voters a larger role than ever before in debate history."

The press event will feature Jon Klein, president of CNN U.S.; David Bohrman, CNN's senior vice president and Washington, D.C. bureau chief; Chad Hurley, YouTube's CEO and co-founder; and Steve Grove, YouTube's news and politics editor.

The traditional ownership format of televised presidential debate content, … Read more