WebTV

Discovery Media today said it's acquiring Web video company Revision3.

As part of the deal, Revision3 will continue under its same management structure, the two companies said, however no details have been provided about if and when Revision3 video content will end up on Discovery's TV channel lineup.

"Discovery's mission to ignite viewers' curiosity and its history of pioneering new platforms -- from cable to HD to 3D -- make it the logical leader in this explosive new wave of digital video growth," said JB Perrette, Discovery's chief digital officer in a statement.

"… Read more

Intel looks to be the latest tech company to want a piece of the online TV action. But it's a tough business and judging how others have fared, it's hard to say whether the chipmaker could ever be successful.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Intel, the world's largest maker of microsprocessors for computers, is considering offering an online TV service to consumers that would compete with services from cable operators, satellite TV providers, and phone companies.

The Wall Street Journal said the offering would be delivered via an Intel designed set-top box and would … Read more

If Google managers hope to license premium TV shows and films for Google TV and YouTube, they should do what Netflix did and "build relationships through traditional means."

That's the recommendation of one studio executive who was referring to a tradition that has helped forge partnerships in the movie industry for decades: doing lunch. Sounds simple, but in an industry that relies so heavily on personal relationships forged over arugula salads and sparkling water, Google's usual data-heavy, interchangeable-executive approach doesn't cut it. In Hollywood, it seems, Google has had a people problem.

Google managers now … Read more

A startup called Snapstick is introducing its spin on Internet TV today that it hopes will compete heavily with Apple TV, Google TV, and other set-top boxes.

If you believe the demo video, a person holding an iPhone can "flick" the content toward a TV screen, which will suddenly begins playing the same content.

But how? Snapstick doesn't miraculously siphon videos from the iPhone to the TV. At this early, private beta stage, it's a software platform that can help your TV display streaming Web content--like those jealously protected Hulu videos--on its screen. Although that iPhone--or … Read more

Prince Philip is the tall chap who married the queen of England, enjoys making beautifully inappropriate comments, and feels intimate contact with his television might be necessary in order to make it work.

In a revealing interview, only some of which seems to have appeared on the Buckingham Palace YouTube channel, the prince laid bare his electrical dysfunction, one that many might, secretly or not, actually share.

His interviewer, a rather well spoken chap called Kevin McCloud, brightened up the pages of London's Times newspaper with some of the prince's heartfelt words.

Perhaps the most elegant of the … Read more

Apple reporter Tom Krazit drops by the studio to talk about how Apple's iPhone, largely ignored by IT departments in its first generation, is now making its way into more and more companies' tech arsenal.

Also in this podcast: Sun Microsystems announces it's laying off up to 6,000 employees; Barack Obama says he'll post his weekly public addresses to YouTube; eBay shuts down inauguration ticket scams; and Netflix's CEO dreams of radical change in the realm of home TVs.

Today's stories:

Businesses warming up to the iPhone

Sun chops heads: Can it get any respect?… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Let's try combining the Web and TV sets one more time, says Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

Hastings told an audience Thursday at the NewTeeVee Live conference that TV sets are key to the future of Internet video and all next-generation sets should come equipped with Wii-like controllers, browsers, video codecs, and some serious processing power.

"The real breakthrough will be in remote controls," Hastings said. "The video game generation is comfortable with pointers (like the one from Nintendo's Wii video game) for the TV. Remember, it was a revolutionary event when we went from … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Michael Eisner wasn't miffed enough at Veoh to stop him from investing in the company once again.

Last week, the former Disney chairman took the stage at Digitas' "Newfront," a showcase of Web video for potential advertisers held in New York. Joining him was Veoh's founder Dmitry Shapiro.

According to Silicon Alley Insider, Eisner used the opportunity to chide Shapiro about when Veoh, a company that bills itself as a Web TV network, is going to pay off. Silicon Alley Insider called the exchange between the two men "uncomfortable."

On Tuesday, Shapiro was … Read more

Last week I got a chance to meet with J.D. Heilprin, the founder and president of a new video service called Modern Feed. It's a smart product, taking hosted video programming from a variety of sources and consolidating it into a single directory that's curated by human beings. The entire experience revolves around a small navigator that sits atop your browser in its own frame. It lets you browse around playlists, search for your favorite shows, and jump around to various content providers without getting lost.

What makes the product noteworthy is that it's taken some … Read more