There’s been a distinct trend lately toward multi-screen views for online video applications. The Olympics Silverlight player included four screens for watching multiple events simultaneously. Verizon and the NFL are once again offering multiple camera angles for football games to online subscribers. And now Ars Technica reports on the latest from CoolIris and its browser plugin PicLens, which lays out search results visually, allowing users to scan across images and launch different video feeds from a single browser page.

The increasingly visual Web is a channel-surfer’s dream. (Though a cynical part of me wonders if we’re once again dumbing down the info-gathering process by eliminating the need to read anything…) The bandwidth implications, however, are a bit worrisome. From a consumer perspective, the more we see bandwidth caps and Internet slow-downs during heavy usage periods, the more applications like PicLens seem unrealistic for every-day use. It’s a never-ending battle. Internet bandwidth increases, and new heavy-bandwidth applications are introduced.

On a lighter note, check out the gallery of PicLens screenshots below. The app currently supports content from Amazon, Flickr, YouTube, SmugMug, Google, Yahoo, DeviantArt and Photobucket. I’m planning to download the full application and give it a real test run soon. Drop a comment if you’ve already tried it out.

Originally demo-ed at CES 2007, SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows has finally been released (as a public beta).

Unfortunately, SP 2.0’s launch is most notable for what it lacks: Clip+Sling. Clip+Sling, plus the associated Sling.com video portal, was intended to allow Slingbox owners to capture and share memorable television segments online. However, Sling didn’t want to hold up delivery of the (other) new 2.0 functionality and interface while they continue to negotiate studio/network partnerships - such as the announced CBS and NHL deals. Hence, the neutered SlingPlayer 2.0 release. I’m not personally troubled by the continued delay and implied recording limitations, as I’m more interested in sharing my video game shenanigans rather than TV highlights… Something already available on Hulu.com for those who can’t wait.

So what does SP 2.0 offer? In terms of new features, the biggies are a 60 minute video buffer and EPG. The video buffer allows you to pause or scrub through playback, without the lag associated with remotely controlling a DVR. OR a major bonus for those without a DVR. And the EPG is exactly what it sounds like - an electronic program guide of your local television lineup. SlingPlayer 2.0 also sports a modern, refreshed UI that I find visually appealing. Though I wonder if some existing SlingPlayer 1.x users will find it a bit too minimalist - channel favorites buttons have been removed from the bezel and you can no longer click into the frameless video window mode.

A less obvious, but valuable service is the implementation of Sling Accounts. Instead of tracking an arcane and unique Slingbox Finder ID, your Slingbox is now associated with your email address (and a password). In the short term this is only being used within SlingPlayer 2.0, but I can imagine it becoming an efficient service to utilize via mobile clients and the upcoming SlingCatcher. In addition to storing to storing Slingbox IDs online, the Sling Account will also recall box location (think EPG) and guide favorites.

US and Canadian customers can find the SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows download here. (In lieu of the programming guide, Canadians are offered a grid of channel favorite buttons.)

If your iTunes collection is anything like mine, you’ve been importing music over a period of years and are stuck with missing or inaccurate track data and album art. TuneUp purports to help by analyzing your library on demand and filling the gaps, as you can see from the demo above. The software, which appends itself to iTunes, is Windows-only for the time being, though OS X support is expected later this year - when I’ll be giving it a whirl. The demo app cleans up a 500 track labels and seeks out 50 album covers… And if you’re pleased with the results, an annual subscription of unlimited usage runs $12/yr or you can opt for a $20 lifetime license.

In the past, I’d used a program (that I can’t recall) to import missing album art (from Amazon?) with limited success and I’ve read of MusicBrainz, a community driven option for album/track tagging. Assuming the TuneUp trial trial works reasonably well, I’d rather just pay the $12 and get it done in one fell swoop using legit sources.

Following Kevin Tofel’s lead, I’ve taken a look at ZNF browser stats in honor of the (world-record breaking) Firefox 3 launch. The snapshot above represents the last 30 days and isn’t that different from the same period of time a year ago - the percent of Firefox readers is actually down a bit, while Safari and IE are up. However, that Safari line item encompasses OS X, iPhone, and PC clients. Nearly 20% of Firefox visitors are already running 3.0.

Firefox is my (multi-platform) web browser of choice - I’ve been on v3 nearly full-time since March. Which is no surprise considering I’ve been a FF user since the pre-v1 days. And I still remember surfing the early, barren incarnation of the web via Mosaic and Lynx back in the Mesozoic era when WWW ≠ Internet.

This post’s author, The Media Patriot, is a fellow consumer who enjoys music and television but condemns DRM. His anonymous pseudonym pays homage to the original participants of the Boston Tea Party.

Are you getting all the sports coverage you want from your cable or satellite provider? Ever wonder if that UEFA Euro 2008 soccer match you have been waiting four years for will even be televised?

Last weekend was the annual 24 hours of Le Mans sports car race in France. This year’s broadcast was quite poor since Fox’s Speed TV inexplicably decided to televise only a few hours worth of racing, compared to years past when the coverage was nearly end-to-end.

Seeking a way to watch the race in its entirety, we turned to MyP2P EU and their people powered network of SopCast relays and excellent support for the Video LAN client (VLC) media player. The event was being broadcast in Europe on EuroSport 1 and just like Speed TV, they broke away several times for other sports coverage (soccer, cycling and rugby) – but then a quick visit to http://myp2p.eu saved the day. MyP2P provides a way for intrepid motor sport fans to share their home satellite signal with the world, using either SopCast or VLC built in media servers.

For the uninitiated, VLC media player functions as a streaming media player and a streaming media server of sorts, by relaying what you are watching back out to the world using P2P. You can use the VLC to record an incoming stream to watch later, or re-encode a stream to a different supported format type. The VLC media player is completely free, released as Open Source, supports streaming H.264 and is available for Linux, Mac and Windows. From the website:

The VideoLAN streaming solution includes two programs; VLC media player which can be used as a server and as a client to stream and receive network streams. VLC is able to stream all that it can read…

The tricky part is configuring the SopCast client to launch the VLC player, here’s how:

• Launch the SopCast client.
• Sign in anonymously and then click “Options”.
• There you will see the means to add the path to the VLC executable.

Now, when you click on any of the personal broadcasts at myp2p.eu, you’ll be able to watch using the VLC media player and record the stream to your local hard disk for play back later – TiVo without the TiVo.

“But I don’t want to watch on my computer, I want to watch on my TV.” You will be happy to know that the SopCast, VLC and Windows only TVU players all have the means to present streaming video with no chrome, filling 100% of the screen. Sound off in the comments with the best way to send PC video direct to your big screen TV.

While the XBMC desktop port continues, a new player (Boxee) is stepping in to create a (free) unified front-end that layers social networking features on top of traditional media extender functionality. For those unfamiliar with XBMC, I’ll go ahead and quote myself:

when you’ve completed the upgrade, the classic Xbox is more capable, useful, and affordable than most most media extenders out there - including the 360. All sorts of multimedia can be streamed across your home network, played back from the local hard drive, or via the optical drive. Hooks into YouTube and Apple’s movie trailers are included, plus all sorts of other widgets are available.

Of course, that description was specific to the original XBMC running on classic Xbox hardware (XBMC = Xbox Media Center) - but the experience is being translated into a (multiplatform) computer app. While XBMC development has been doing OK on it’s own, it’s still remains largely the province of geeks. To go mainstream, we’ve got to get past compiling code and installing Python scripts. By bringing leadership equivalent to the Mozilla Corporation to bear on this problem, Boxee should be able to speed and enhance development.

Boxee’s currently self funded and the team is comprised of about ten people, including a former Sling Media colleague. I was provided an advance look at a pre-alpha build and found the visual interface both pleasing and speedy, with some innovative new methods of media interaction (think: friends) for this category.

As far as challenges, Boxee’s will be no different - the space is getting crowded and the market for computer-based media centers is finite. According to NewTeeVee, they may ultimately look for hardware partners. My short term suggestion: Let me replace the AppleTV experience. Apple’s hardware is pretty solid and priced right at $229 but, while not quite a wall-garden, software functionality is limited. I assume the XBMC MPEG-2 codec is unlicensed and, as a commercial venture, Boxee will be on the hook for royalties (if they provide playback).

Hit Boxee.tv to request an invite for alpha testing (Mac & Linux), which begins Monday.

Free Internet radio service Pandora just launched an Adobe Air desktop client (Windows and OS X). At first blush, I wasn’t so impressed - the visual footprint is rather large, so why not just leave Pandora running in a Firefox tab? Kevin Tofel asked how it runs minimized (or hidden), and I discovered a nice little contextual menu making the app worthwhile. While I generally listen to XM Online these days, I’d likely visit Pandora more frequently if they include ‘next track’ and volume adjustment menu items.

TiVo Desktop version 2.6.1 (download here) was launched on April 9, 2008 (See TiVoPony’s announcement, Megazone’s post, and TiVo’s press release). For TiVo Desktop users that have upgraded to TiVo Plus ($24.99 USD), the most important new feature of version 2.6.1 is its integrated support for video podcasts.

Video podcasts of your choosing can now be served up from your PC to your TiVo Series 2, 3 or TiVoHD. Once setup (see below) the TiVo Desktop software monitors your video podcast directories and automatically copies newly arrived video podcasts to your TiVo (sorted in podcast-specific folders).

This is a marked improvement over the prior ‘walled garden’-only offering. Under the walled garden service (which still exists), TiVo chooses which video podcasts you can subscribe too (see my prior critique here). With the new 2.6.1 functionality, you decide which video podcasts you want on your TiVo.

Also, for the first time, version 2.6.1 provides TiVo Series 3 and TiVoHD users with higher quality PC to TiVo transfers. HD video content residing on your PC (video podcasts, TV shows, movies etc.) transfer to high definition TiVo units at 720p compared to 480p previously (480p is still used for HD transfers to Series 2 units).

While not being promoted by TiVo, the TiVo Desktop software can monitor any folder on your computer - not just podcast folders. So, when new content appears in that folder, say, for example, a BitTorrent folder, the software will automatically copy that content to your TiVo as well.

I installed and tested version 2.6.1 on my Vista 64 PC, and I’m delighted to report that it just plain works! A bit of a happy surprise given the hair pulling I’ve gone through with prior TiVo Desktop installs.

Below I describe the installation process, demonstrate how to use TiVo Desktop to serve video podcasts to your TiVo and discuss areas where improvements are still needed.

Read the rest of this entry at The Daleisphere »