Hasta La Gadget!

With the rapid growth in media-streaming set-top boxes for televisions, it’s said that more people are using their TVs to watch online videos instead of their computers. Market research firm NPD Group reported that televisions are now the “primary screen for viewing paid and free video streamed from the Web.”

According to their latest survey, 45% of Americans are using their televisions as their primary display for watching online video content, while only 31% said they primarily used their computers to watch online videos. It’s almost a scary statistic if you know that just last year, 48% primarily used computers for online videos while just 33% used televisions.

However, it’s also not too surprising. The growth of different set-top boxes has led to a new revolution when watching online streaming content. Many companies have their own solutions, including Roku, Boxee, Google, and even Apple. Hard drive manufacturers like Western Digital and Seagate also have set-top boxes of their own.

What’s also unsurprising, is that Netflix came out on top as far as the most-used service for watching online content on the television. 40% of consumers use Netflix, while 12% use Hulu Plus, and 4% connect to Vudu. What about you? Have you made the transition to watching online video in the living room instead of on the computer?

[via BGR]

Users watching more online videos on TVs than computers is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sound familiar? Just days after the mobile apps for HBO, Cinemax and Hulu added closed captions support on iOS, a similar slew of upgrades have come to their apps on Android. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any change in the number of supported devices for any of them at this time. Hulu’s upgrade also adds on the option to share videos via Twitter, Facebook and other services, although the 10 second rewind button added on iOS does not appear to have made the cut. As usual you should see the new versions rolling around in the app store, hit the source links for more info.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Mobile

Hulu Plus, HBO Go and Max Go apps for Android updated with support for closed captions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu Plus for the PS3 debuted a couple of years ago, and obviously the software did not remain stagnant over the past two years. In fact, innovation has been the order of the day, as Hulu’s engineers in their Seattle office worked hard to digest consumer feedback in order to deliver the latest update so that your living room entertainment experience will be an unparalleled one. The new and improved Hulu Plus experience is now available on the PS3, where you are now able to access your favorite shows faster than before, thanks to larger and more vivid artwork that makes the entire navigation experience an easier one.

A tray-style format enables you to scroll through recommendations that are based on your viewing history, and you are also able to peruse through popular shows and movies, the top 100 clips on Hulu Plus, and movie trailers amongst others. A “Shows You Watch” feature has also been thrown into the mix so that your favorite content will be highlighted for quicker access. More on the updated search experience after the jump.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The Final Hulu Plus For PS3 Will Not Require PlayStation Plus, Hulu Plus launches on more living room devices,

We’re having a look at Dijit’s brand new iPad app called NextGuide today, seeing first hand how This app environment is made to fuse together the universes of live TV listings and streaming connections, and with it you’ll be working with all of your favorite media sources at once. Inside you’ll find standard TV listings, recommendations for the shows and movies that are appearing on your connected streaming apps, and a lovely bright and easy to work with user interface.

This app has you log in once and does not require an account to use, but you’ll benefit from having one. You’ll select from local TV listings with your ZIP code, iTunes, Netflix, and Hulu Plus. When you’ve made your selections, you’ll have a fully-activated set of panels that show you what’s on currently in each of your choices and what will be on soon as well – recommendations come for Netflix as well depending on what’s new. Once you’ve found the program you want, tap it.

Once you’re inside a listing for a show or movie you’re interested in, you’ll get a ton of information on the program as well as the actors in it – connections between shows exist as well, and sharing pops up all across the interface. If you find an episode of a show you want to see, or a movie you’ve been meaning to view, you have only to hit the “watch now” button to make it happen. Depending on the availability of the media, you’ll have the option of going to Netflix, Hulu Plus, the iTunes store, and hopefully more in the near future.

At the moment you’re essentially stuck with just Netflix and Hulu Plus, but we’re expecting that such choice services as HBO Go and Crackle will appear sooner than later. You can pick NextGuide up from the iTunes app store right this minute for free – it’s worth a tap or two if you’ve got Netflix or just want a snappy looking TV guide sort of situation – and don’t already use TV Guide, of course.

Dijit NextGuide hits the iPad and hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Hulu might be going through some big changes within the next month, Variety reports. According to an uncovered internal memo, Hulu may find itself without a CEO at some point September, and the company may end up with less content to offer its viewers. If all of this is true, it could potentially change the streaming service as we know it.

Apparently Hulu’s CEO woes are brought on by the buyout of one of its investors, Providence Equity Partners. That buyout is expected to close sometime next month, and when it does, Variety says that “any Hulu executive with a significant number of vested shares” will be able to cash out. Hulu CEO Jason Kilar obviously has a lot of shares, and stands to make as much as $100 million in the event that the Providence deal closes successfully. That significant sum has Hulu worried he may take his $100 million and resign from the company.

Despite the worries, sources say Hulu isn’t searching for a new CEO just yet. Apparently Hulu board members have been talking to Kilar about his future with the company first, but so far those talks have been “without resolution.” This Providence buyout could bring more problems aside from having to search for a new CEO, however, as the memo also signals an incoming change in Hulu’s licensing agreements. It may not be long before News Corp. and Disney pare back their next-day offerings in an attempt to bring more visitors to their own websites, for instance.

Also a possibility is the end of exclusive content on Hulu. It’s suggested that these upcoming changes – or at least the possibility of them – might help convince Kilar to exit the company, but at the moment, all we have is this memo and Variety’s sources to go on. We won’t know what sweeping changes this Providence buyout brings with it until the purchase is officially on the books, but if these rumors are true, get ready for a pretty big shakeup at Hulu’s offices.

Hulu CEO reportedly on the way out is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.