One of my favorite Web apps got an upgrade recently, and this morning I had a chance to test it out. Cooliris has added a browser plug-in to replace the default full-screen app launch it’s had to date. I’ve played with Cooliris on and off for the past ten months, and while I love the interface, it rarely occurs to me to launch the application for browsing. That could change now that there’s no separate application to launch, just a Firefox (or IE, or soon-to-be Safari) tab.

ReadWriteWeb covered the update in detail, which includes other features like hyperlinked metadata for Flickr. However, perhaps the one note left out is how this (hopefully) sets up Cooliris for integration with new sites. I am firmly convinced that Cooliris has the interface for online shopping. If the technology was officially integrated with, say, Zappos, where someone could click on the nifty Cooliris button to bring up a 3D wall of shoes, I believe awareness of and demand for the app would skyrocket. Not to mention, it could potentially drive new revenue for online vendors. In an Apple iPhone world, where the importance of user interface has been significantly elevated, Cooliris should be in its glory.

Last night, Ben Drawbaugh (EngadgetHD) and I discussed Boxee’s recent news with Randall Bennett of TechVi. MLB’s endorsement of Boxee’s platform goes a long way towards validating their model – premium content providers can get paid using alternative distribution methods, happily coexisting with Internet-exclusive video produced outside of big media channels (like a TechVi or Revision3). Something Hulu’s currently unwilling to embrace beyond of their explicit control. We also touch on the new Boxee Windows client and where Boxee could go next.

Boxee held it’s “Boxee Event” in San Francisco last night. They declared the winner of their App Dev Challenge and made several announcements. Most notable (says Dave), Boxee has integrated MLB.TV Premium. MLB.TV is MLB.com’s online subscription service with high quality video streams of live games with premium features like DVR functionality and HD video when available. Boxee also released their Windows version as a public beta, meaning anyone can download and try it out.

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Wanting to check out a “few” new apps?  Thanks in part to the Boxee dev challenge, Boxee has a boatload of new apps to show off.  The list has some really ingenious ones and some incredibly bizarre ones, but you can’t argue that there aren’t enough apps these days can you Boxee’s dev is open for voting so if you’re a Boxee user and want to vote for your favorite app do so before the polls close on June 22nd at 11:59pm PT. Winners will be announced at the Boxee event in San Francisco on June 23rd. They also plan to launch the Windows version of Boxee, announce new partnerships and share more info about the boxee beta at the event. More info at the Boxee Blog.

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Like many ZNF readers, I parked myself in front of the various WWDC live blogs today to monitor Apple’s Job-less announcements. Snow Leopard (only $29!) and iPhone 3.0 software (coming 6/17)  were obvious topics for a developer conference. I was mildly surprised to see some minor laptop hardware improvements and price drops, especially that SD slot after all these years. And then, of course, came the main event: The new iPhone 3G-S (6/19) with updated camera, video recording, voice control, faster processor. And a compass? Here’s a roundup of my tweets today, pre- to post-show:

• What, there’s an Apple event today? How’d that sneak up on us…
• @toddbarnard I try to stay out of the prediction business, but expect iPhone 3.0 software and Snow Leopard to ship very soon.
• Most assume an iPhone announcement today, which is a safe bet. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if Jobs holds a dedicated launch mid-month.
• And I’ve pretty much given up on my dream of an non-Quicktake Apple camera this decade. Thinking a rugged Panasonic DMC-TS1 is in my future.
• Wish that SD card slot was a $29 upgrade like Snow Leopard.
• @phonescooper The US MMS and tethering hold up? AT&T has to figure out how to upsell and bill those features.
• TomTom on iPhone looks HOT. Too bad I can’t stream Slacker and take calls while it’s running.
• Water bottles on the podium and blown demos. See, Apple is quite human. Without Jobs.
• We will call it 3GS – the S stands for ’spensive!
• Does the Nike+ puck pedometer work with the iPhone yet or do I need the 3GN model?
• My grandfather had a compass in his car like 30 years ago. Didn’t seem very useful back then.
• Finally, the Nike+ kit is supported. Now I really have no excuse for such a sedentary lifestyle. WiFi battery life looks outstanding.
• When will we found out the cost and fees (?) associated with TomTom. Gotta do the math versus bundled Sprint/Pre GPS service.
• Botswana must wait until August for the 3GS?? That’s so not right.
• Not overwhelmed with this evolutionary upgrade. Any of these could still be my next phone: Tour, Pre, 3GS, Ion/Magic. Hmmmm.
• Stunned Apple/AT&T pulled off a $99 iPhone. (Hope to make up revenue via apps?) Competitors must be pretty depressed today.
• Retweet @gpstracklog: TomTom iPhone video via @ClubTomTom http://s.tomtom.com/C [Me: Still no price or date...]
• Thought the deal was us original iPhone suckers get a $200 upgrade to 3G, but Apple’s upgrade page now quotes me $300 for 3G or $400 for 3GS.
• iPhone 3GS pricing got you down? Watch Brett Michaels’ crushing blow at the Tony Awards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IKC88I7hNg
• @cheerose What AT&T doesn’t seem to realize is that my $20/mo gen 1 iPhone data/text rate will always trump a $400 digital compass.
• @Elan I was able to skip the upgrade to the iPhone 3G because I also own(ed) a Nokia N95 and Blackjack 2 – both 3G. Not sure what’s next.

I need not fear my enemies because the most they can do is attack me. I need not fear my friends because the most they can do is betray me. But I have much to fear from people who are indifferent. – Russian Proverb

Now I know that most people don’t really care about the mechanics behind playing video files and I can’t say that I blame you for caring more about your content than the technology behind it. So while this post will get into some of the more mundane mechanics of the codec industry, I ask that you stick with me because behind the scenes a war is being fought for control of your very television. This particular codec battle has been going on for over 10 years now.

When J.D. Rockefeller set out to monopolize the oil industry, there were several crucial areas where he attacked. He knew that he couldn’t control all of the oil fields because it was literally bubbling out of the ground, but what he could control was the distribution method for getting oil to the end customer.

In building his monopoly he seized assets used to transport oil from raw material to the end consumer. Whether it was owning all of the oil pipelines, so that he could control what oil cost him, owning the railroads so he could dictate how far his competitors could reach or owning the distribution points where consumers bought kerosene to light their homes, he made sure that he had control over every aspect of it. This was good for Standard Oil investors, but wasn’t very good for competitors or consumers.

Online video may not seem like it has a lot to do with the oil industry, but if you look at it’s early development, there are many similarities. So much content is bubbling up that the real challenge isn’t finding video oil, it’s getting it to consumers. Instead of pipes, now we have internet access, instead of railroads there are CDN networks, instead of gas stations, there are operating systems ready to serve us 24 hours a day.

In all of these industries, competition has been limited to a handful of big companies, but the industry that I’m most interested is much smaller than any of these. In the grand scheme of things, codecs (and the filters that go along with them) are the refineries of the video world. They take digital signals and convert them into the flickering magic that appears on our screens. Consumers may not understand the technical details behind it, but they are a crucial chokepoint in your digital video experience.

This battle has been fought on many fronts, but in the end it always comes down to one issue. Those who think consumers should have a choice and those who think they know better. It’s about control over your entertainment experience. Who, What, Where, When, and How you are allowed to consume YOUR media. On one side, well funded corporations with huge financial stakes, on the other, an unorganized patchwork of misfit companies and an army of guerrilla volunteers desperately fighting for a better entertainment experience for all of us.

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Adobe’s announcement to bring Flash to the living room is undoubtedly the biggest news out of this year’s NAB show. While much of the focus of the annual event put on by the National Association of Broadcasters goes to the business of producing content, there are always a few flashy tech demos in the mix as well. In this case, flash is the operative word with Adobe making its Flash platform available to hardware manufacturers for use in “Digital Home” devices. According to Adobe, the first devices optimized for Flash will ship in the second half of 2009.

At a time when the convergence of TV and the Internet resembles a snowball rolling downhill, Adobe’s news is like a fresh layer of the white stuff on a steepening slope. Flash means Hulu, YouTube, and more on your TV with apps that can be re-written and customized at will. It brings up a thousand and one questions. How will cable/telco TV providers implement Flash, and what are the implications for their controlled television environments? Is this a competitor to Yahoo Widget TV, or complementary? Will media extenders like Roku gain more traction with the addition of Flash?  (I just plug my netbook right into my TV…) Will greater availability of Flash increase bandwidth usage? And, as Ars Technica points out, will Flash bring your TV to a grinding halt the way it sometimes does to your browser?

My sources trolling the floor at NAB tell me that Adobe’s demo of Flash on a set-top runs surprisingly well – so smooth you can’t tell the difference between it and traditional QAM video delivery. That plus slick HD menus makes the technology drool-worthy. Will it play out as beautifully in the real world? Probably not in the near term, but Flash certainly opens up a lot of interesting possibilities for the future.

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