channel

Google paying $100 million for YouTube content, report says

Google is taking aim at the cable industry by putting up $100 million to develop original content for dozens of new YouTube channels, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

YouTube hopes to roll out the new channels next year, according to the report, which cited unidentified people familiar with the matter. The Web giant is near deals or has already reached agreements with skateboarder Tony Hawk and media companies Warner Bros. and News Corp.'s ShineReveille, the company that produces "The Office" and "Ugly Betty." Other expected partners include FremantleMedia, BermanBraun, IAC's Electus, Everyday … Read more

Create personalized news feeds with ChannelCaster

ChannelCaster for Android lets users create and publish personalized "channels" that aggregate news from thousands of supported news sources. In addition to all of the expected big-name publications and blogs, ChannelCaster can pull feeds from Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter. Its design is clean and visually appealing with its sharp, vibrant thumbnails, and its navigation is incredibly simple with only three main tabs along the top of the app.

The Favorites tab is really the heart of the ChannelCaster experience. This is where you save your most frequently visited channels, and presumably where you'll spend most of … Read more

DAR.fm, a TiVo for radio, will enable downloads

Michael Robertson, founder of such companies as MP3.com and Lindows, appears to be daring big radio and music companies to challenge him on copyright again.

Robertson's latest company DAR.fm, billed as a TiVo for Web radio, is expected to announce tomorrow that the service will enable users to capture the radio shows they record instead of just streaming them to their PCs or Web-connected devices. In the future, DAR.fm users can record talk shows and music and download them to iPads, iPhones, or Android devices, Robertson told CNET today. Not surprisingly, DAR.fm users can store their recordings at Robertson's digital-locker service, MP3tunes.com.

The new feature is available for free for the first series, which means that if you listen to say, NPR's "All Things Considered," DAR.fm will record it and download it daily for free. For more series, up to 10, a user must pay $39.95 a year.

So, how is this different from subscribing to a podcast?

Remember that not all radio shows offer a podcast. Fans of Rush Limbaugh must pay a yearly subscription. Some shows post their podcast three days after they air and some offer only highlights. Robertson promises that DAR.fm can record any show on the Web, period.

The download feature will certainly be reviewed closely by the big radio companies, such as Clear Channel and CBS Radio ( which shares the same parent company as CNET), as well as record companies. "Yes, it's hard to imagine that the record labels are going to be excited about this," Robertson conceded. … Read more

New Channel Master DVR records OTA, streams Vudu but not Netflix

Cutting the cable can be done, but one of the toughest challenges is replacing live TV programs, like sports and local news. We've long been advocates of over-the-air (OTA) HDTV to fill the gap, but there aren't many OTA DVRs and the existing models have significant drawbacks, including the Channel Master CM-7000PAL we reviewed earlier this year.

Channel Master has announced a new over-the-air DVR this morning, the Channel Master TV, combining TV recording functionality with the ability to stream Vudu. Unlike TiVo, the Channel Master TV does not require a monthly subscription, instead relying on free electronic … Read more

Behind the scenes at Microsoft's Channel 9

REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft's June rollout of a niche software development kit that lets developers create PC applications for its Kinect motion-sensing game was a breaking news moment for the tech evangelists of the tiny Channel 9 unit.

Channel 9 is a group of 10 full-time employees and dozens of volunteers from within Microsoft, who produce video programming for the Web to connect the company with the folks who write software applications that run on its platforms. When the Kinect for Windows SDK debuted, it was an all-hands-on-deck moment.

Channel 9 aired four hours of live video with how-to sessions … Read more

SPB TV streams mostly obscure channels to your Android

SPB TV lets you watch over 150 television channels from all over the world, giving you both live and on-demand video streams right on your Android device. But be warned: watching streaming video does require a strong Web connection--preferably Wi-Fi or 4G--so if you don't have one, you may very disappointed.

When you first fire up SPB TV, the app takes a minute to download channel data to your device. Once it's done, you can go ahead and skip the prompt for your personal information, as the app works fine without it. From there, just swipe through the … Read more

The 404 875: Where we jump the Shark Week (podcast)

It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, so The 404 wants to remind everyone to stay safe when you're playing in open waters. Joey returns as a substitute for Jeff, and today we're chatting about a kid who changed his name to Emperor Spiderman Gandalf Wolverine Skywalker Optimus Prime Goku Sonic Xavier Ryu Cloud Superman HeMan Batman Thrash.

In other news, Boston schools are testing a class on Facebook breakup etiquette, GQ's list of the worst-dressed nerds, a pregnancy status addition to Facebook, and a bite counter that has a lot in common with the Shake Weight.

The 404 Digest for Episode 875

Dynamic duo take superhero names. Boston-area schools teach 200 teenagers Facebook breakup etiquette. Bite Counter helps you lose weight by keeping track of every bite you take. Mark Zuckerberg beats Steve Jobs for worst-dressed geek. Facebook adds pregnancy status.

Episode 875 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

'Top Gear' set builds gearhead heaven in California

IRVINE, Calif.--Hidden away on an arid stretch of Orange Country land that once housed a Marine base, a wonderland for gearheads exists--complete with super cars, a test track, and custom automobiles lined side-by-side halfway to the mountains. It's the set where the History Channel produces the U.S. version of "Top Gear," the BBC's hit car show.

"Top Gear" returns on July 24, and BBC Worldwide Productions and History Channel invited CNET to visit the set earlier this week on the final day of shooting for the second season.

While show hosts Adam Ferrera, Rutledge Wood, and Tanner Foust shot segments and recorded voiceovers for upcoming episodes, I explored the set and wandered blissfully through the fleet of elite, custom, and wrecked vehicles sprinkled around the studio grounds. I even got to set foot on the esteemed track where The Stig (the show's anonymous racing driver) power-tests some of the world's elite cars. … Read more

Storm chaser

If you're a weather nerd, and in particular if you're fascinated by hurricanes, you likely love looking at storm photos. If that's the case, you should check out The Weather Channel Screensaver. This program will adorn your desktop with a multitude of hurricane-related images as well as your local weather conditions.

The program attempts to install a toolbar and a couple of spammy-looking browser add-ons when you install it, so be careful during the installation process if those are things you don't want. Once the screensaver is installed, there are quite a few options for customizing … Read more