So there's this thing called "the Internet." You may have heard of it.. 15 years ago, Tom Brokaw filed a report about this strange thing, and today it looks like something out of a time capsule. Of course, the fun thing about Time Capsules is opening them, so it was awfully nice of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to post an early Brokaw report on the Internet on Hulu.

In it, Brokaw visits the "computer convention" in Las Vegas, and talks to Bill Gates, and Eric Schmidt, among others about the internet. What's funny about the clip is that Tom Brokaw, Bill Gates, and other people don't look that different, but the computers shown in the video look ancient, as do the little bits of internet content shown in the video.

[via The Business Insider]

Three movie studios have banded together to launch a new premium movie channel called Epix. The project was first announced in January. Eventually the network will be available from cable and satellite providers, but today Epix launched in private beta as a web site. Which makes sense, because the idea behind Epix has always been to offer HD video content both through the TV channel and over the web, Hulu-style.

Epix is a partnership between Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM. The goal is to offer the network for a low fee to cable and satellite providers so that Epix can be included in your basic programming package at no extra charge. Subscribers will then also have access to the movies online. In 720 resolution. Ad-free.

NewTeeVee reports that there are about 100 films available to private beta users today, including Iron Man. The video player is based on Flash and streams content at up to 3Mbps. There's also a social element to the video player that lets you schedule simultaneous viewings with up to four friends over the internet.

Incidentally, Epix never got around to purchasing the Epix.com domain name from its current owners. Instead, the site is hosted at EpixHD.com.

Pixelpipe defies definition a bit, but basically it's a mo-blogging / mobile micro-blogging tool that satisfies nearly every sharing feature I've ever wanted from my mobile since the first time I picked up a smartphone.

When I mention Pixelpipe to people they usually say, "Oh, like Ping.fm." Yes, yes, Ping.fm lets you update a ton of services but, Ping doesn't do video or audio -- although they've been threatening to do video for a while. On the other hand, while Pixelpipe does text, audio, photo and video, until recently there wasn't a convenient way to get your video to Pixelpipe while on the move.

Friday Pixelpipe launched a new version for Android phones, taking advantage of the newly released video recording features in Android 1.5. When I read the anouncement, I realized -- as much as I've pimped out Pixelpipe on my own Twitter feed -- I've never actually posted about it on Download Squad. For shame!

With clients for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, you can send quick updates, longer blog posts, just-snapped photos, just-taken video, and audio snippets to over 75 different social services. All your favorites are there (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, 12seconds, etc.. ) along with some services you might not have used -- If you can name all the logos on the PixelPipe list, you're doing better than I am.

Added to that, Pixelpipe will do traditional, non-social sharing like uploading to any ftp server, email any address or post to just about any blog.

Pixelpipe clients for all platforms are available for free at PixelPipe's site, and the updated Android client is available via the Android Marketplace from your phone.

As Boxee announced the (long overdue) release of it's Windows version, geeks everywhere itching to cut the Cable TV cord -- presumably leaving the one connected to the cable modem alone -- sighed lovingly, and once again began to wax poetic on whether or not Hulu would come back to Boxee.

Even Avner Ronen, CEO of Boxee sounded hopeful in his quick interview with NewTeeVee.

I on the other hand, think all of you are nuts. Hulu is not (officially) available on your TV and it never will be.

Boxee has been getting a lot of attention for its media center application that lets you manage and watch web video and movies stored on your desktop. But right now, the program is only publicly available for Mac and Ubuntu. There's been a Windows version in private alpha testing for a few months, but the key word there is private. No invite code, no access.

But that'll change soon. Boxee founder Avner Ronen says Boxee Alpha for Windows is going public on June 23rd.

No word on whether Boxee will include Hulu support that day or not. The company has been fighting an ongoing battle with Hulu over the issue of streaming Hulu video using Boxee's media browser. But Ronen has publicly stated that he's encouraged by the fact that Hulu has launched its own desktop media player.

One ostensible reason Hulu had been blocking Boxee was because Hulu's content partners didn't want to make it easy to watch internet streams of TV shows on an actual TV. But that's exactly what Hulu Desktop does. On the other hand, that could be the reason Hulu has been battling Boxee... because it has its own media player to promote.

Right now all of the content on web video service Hulu is free and ad-supported. But News Corp chief digital officer Jonathan Miller (formerly of Download Squad's parent company AOL), says that could change. Speaking at an event last night, Miller said some of the TV shows and movies on Hulu future could be made available only to paying subscribers in the future.

There are no plans to launch Hulu subscriptions at the moment, and Miller was just speaking in hypotheticals. But News Corp is one of Hulu's two primary backers (the other being NBC), so if he thinks subscriptions are a good idea, it might be time to start throwing a little money in a piggy bank for a Hulu day fund.

[via Digg]

Just a few days after online video site Hulu launched a desktop application that makes it easy to find and view web videos on a television set, YouTube has followed suit. Kind of. What YouTube launched today is a speical version of its web site designed to look good and be easy to navigate on any TV hooked up to a computer with a web browser.

YouTube XL is essentially a front end for the main YouTube web site. You can watch most (but not all) of the videos found on YouTube using YouTube XL. And since it should work on any device with a web browser, you should be able to use YouTube XL with video game consoles that have web browsers, like the Nintendo Wii.

CNET reports you can't watch premium TV shows or movies on YouTube XL yet because Google is still working out licensing rights for that content.

Moovida is a cross-platform, open source media center application that runs on Windows, and Linux. A Mac version is in the works. Up until recently the project as known as Elisa, but the team behind the application have given it a new name and a new look.

Some of the new features in Moovida include auto-completion of your media library using the Yes.fm plugin, and the ability to show fan art for media files.

The interface has a sleeker, more professional look, that frankly looks a lot less like Apple's Front Row than the original Elisa user interface. Like Elisa, Moovida provides a 10 foot interface for managing your music, movies, and pictures. You can also use it as a media browser for internet video, music, and photos from a handful of sites.

[via instant fundas]

Every time we write a story about Hulu, international Download Squad readers ask us when the streaming television site will be available outside of the US. And I get it. Because that's how I feel every time I see a story about the BBC iPlayer, which lets UK residents watch BBC programming online.

Well, Hulu is working on rolling out service in other countries as soon as it can get broadcast rights and advertising deals in place. The BBC iPlayer thing is a bit more complicated, because British citizens pay a licensing fee to support BBC content, which means that while iPlayer content is available ad-free in the UK, it's geotargeted to work only for computer users in the UK.

But now The Telegraph is reporting that the BBC is in negotiations with Google to roll out an international version of th eiPlayer. It's likely that any international version would either include advertising or a subscription fee.

And of course, there's a chance that this whole thing could fall through or that it's just a rumor. But if it's true, we could soon live in a world where you can watch episodes of Heroes, Doctor Who, or 24 in a web browser without resorting to the shadowy areas of the interenet.

[via Gizmodo]

Not everyone has jumped on the streaming video bandwagon yet, so finding a good place to watch a big event can still be a little tricky. Say, for example, the 2009 Stanley Cup finals.

If you're a Red Wings or Penguins fan and might end up stuck behind a computer, here are a few places you might be able to catch the games. There's not a ton of information on official sites (*cough* NHL *cough*) about streaming plans, so hopefully these four sites will come through

CBC Sports - This one's certain. In their post about Cup finals coverage, CBC announced that all games will be streamed online. This might be a reverse Hulu - US users will likely be unable to access the feed.

Hulu - US users, tune in to Hulu - they carried a good portion of round three, so they may run some finals coverage as well.

MyP2P.eu and ChannelSurfing.Net - Quality might not always be the best, but it's better than missing out. Posts in the forums indicate that there will be users sharing video feeds during the finals.

Online video site Hulu has launched a desktop application for Windows and OS X that allows you to find and watch Hulu videos without firing up a web browser.

Hulu has been fighting a battle with media center application Boxee for months. Boxee is a desktop application that lets people interact with media on their hard drives or the web using a big screen interface that makes a good case for sticking your computer next to your TV. But Hulu's content partners like Fox and NBC make a lot more money when you watch TV shows through old fashioned TV broadcasts instead of on the internet, so I wasn't surprised to see Hulu disable Boxee support. But I was rather surprised to see Hulu launch its own desktop client today.

Hulu Desktop beta is designed to let you navigate Hulu from your couch, and it works either with a mouse and keyboard or a Windows Media Center or Apple remote control. You can use the desktop client to search for videos or browse through media by category. Videos can be viewed in full screen mode, and when you use the navigation tools to find additional programming the video will continue playing in a small window.

If you link Hulu Desktop to your Hulu account you can access your personal information including your Hulu queue from the desktop client.

Hulu Desktop is one of the first tools launched as part of a new Hulu Labs, a new experimental section of Hulu. Other Labs tools include the ability to browser for programs by original air date, video recommendations based on your viewing history, and video panel widgets.

Update: Oh yeah, before you ask... Hulu Desktop won't work outside of the US any better than the web version of Hulu does.

TinyChat is a service that lets you create an instant web-based chatroom with a unique short URL that you can share with anyone you want to talk to at the drop of a hat. We've covered the service before, but today TinyChat rolled out two new features: video chat and support for screen sharing.

The screen sharing application is a bit rough around the edges. But when it works, the user that wants to share their screen with other participants clicks a button and a Java applet opens up that lets you broadcast your Windows, Linux, or OS X desktop to all participants in the conversation. One problem is that once you fire up the screen sharing application the only way to make it go away is to restart your browser and/or Java. You shouldn't have this problem if you're trying to view someone else's desktop, only if you're trying to share yours.

The video chat feature is much simpler to use. If you have a mic and/or camera plugged into your computer, you can talk to participants in the web chat face to face.

The basic service is available for free, but TinyChat also offers pro accounts with premium features like the ability to password protect and record chats. Pro members also have higher quality video. If you're using the free version you'll see a pop up asking you to sign up for a Pro account periodically. It's only supposed to pop up after 5 minutes and then again every half hour or so, but right now the nag screen appears every few minutes.

In addition to paid accounts, the folks behind TinyChat are hoping to market the application as a white box solution for web publishers looking for a way to integrate text and video chat with their web sites. For example, instead of just asking readers of a blog to leave comments, you can have them click a button to participate in a chat about a post without leaving your site.

Time is quickly running out for you to join the Screencast 4 Cash contest for a chance to win big by teaching others via screencast.

To be eligible, entries must be submitted by 11:59PM CST on Monday, June 1st. So far, creative contestants have uploaded screencasts on everything from using MAME to being a Google search ninja.

Just as before, entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit. The grand prize will be determined by a panel of judges including some of your favorite Download Squad bloggers.

Even if you're not the teaching kind, there's no excuse not to put on your own critics hat and vote for your favorites! Every vote puts a dime in the pocket of the Youth for Technology Foundation, so every click goes a little bit further in support of the geeks of tomorrow.

Skype 4.1 beta for Windows is out today, and it adds a few new features. Probably the biggest change is the addition of screen sharing technology. While Skype typically rolls out new features for its Windows client before adding them to Skype's other platforms, this feature has been available in Skype 2.8 beta for Mac for a while now.

When you're chatting with a Skype contact, you can now click a Share button in order stream your entire desktop or just a portion of your screen with your contact.

Skype 4.1 beta for Windows also allows you to import contacts from other services including Gmail, Windows Live, Yahoo!, AOL, and LinkedIn. You can also send contacts to other Skype users and there's a birthday reminder feature.

The update also brings some bug fixes and audio and video improvements.

There are a lot of ways to download videos from YouTube, a lot of ways to convert those videos, and a lot of ways to download music from MySpace. I'm used to thinking of all that as requiring a few different apps or web-based tools, but Farkie does it all. Farkie aims to be the only downloader you need for videos, music, flash games and other media on websites, and it's even got a Firefox add-on.

To use Farkie, you just have to paste the URL of the page you want to download from into Farkie's form, and let it do the rest. You'll get a list of all the media on the page (and check boxes for file types, so you can filter if there's a lot there), and you can download any of the available files via links.

It can even convert YouTube videos for you, into wmv, m4v, mov, and a bunch of other formats.