YouTube adds 3,000 movies from major Hollywood studios to its stable

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YouTube’s been offering movies to rent since 2009, but the streaming service never really popped due to lack of popular content. Things are about to change. Thanks to super-duper partnerships with major Hollywood studios like NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. the collection of rentable movies from YouTube just got a whole lot more exciting. In a press release, YouTube says that customers can expect classic films such as Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King’s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me to start making their way into the video store shortly. New titles will continually be added to the library every week. The renting process is simple and works similarly to competitors out there (read: Apple TV, etc.). Sign into your YouTube account, browse the movies library, and rent a movie with your credit card. Pricing ranges from $2.99 to $3.99 depending on SD/HD resolutions and new releases vs. older selections. Interestingly the press release notes that the site supports video in up to 4k resolution, but I don’t see studios uploading that kind of quality in the foreseeable future. Once a movie is rented, customers will have 30 days to begin watching and once the movie is played it will vanish from existence in 24 hours. Note that movies are strictly streamed over the Internet and not downloaded locally. They are viewable on PCs and Google TVs only for the time being. YouTube is trying to differentiate itself by including “YouTube Movie Extras,” free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube’s unique community of content creators alongside the rentable movies.

Head over to youtube.com/movies to check out the new and highly improved movie selection. Full PR with FAQ after the break.

[Via YouTube 1, 2] Continue reading YouTube adds 3,000 movies from major Hollywood studios to its stable →

FOX renews ‘House’, ‘Bones’, ‘Family Guy’ & ‘The Cleveland Show’

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Well at least there’s one network that’s confident in their primetime lineup. The execs at FOX have greenlit the following shows to return for the fall 2011-12 season: House will return for it’s eighth and likely last season; Bones will be entering its seventh season; and Seth MacFarlane’s cartoons Family Guy and The Cleveland Show will continue to shine on Animation Domination Sunday, each entering their tenth and fourth seasons, respectively. These programs will join the previously renewed Fringe and American Dad on the network next season. FOX president of entertainment Kevin Reilly had a few words to say about the return of all these shows.

“Over the past seven seasons, House has redefined the medical drama and has given us one of television’s most compelling and iconic characters. From the producers to the incredible writers to the unbelievably talented cast and crew, the Houseteam is fearless in its creativity and I can’t wait to see what they have in store next year.”

“Bones is creatively fresh, it’s a rock-solid player every time it airs and this season it has helped us win on Thursday nights for the first time in our history. Hart Hanson and the fantastic cast and crew, as well as the millions of loyal Bones fans, make this show really special, and I’m excited to have it on our air for another stellar season.”

“For nine seasons, our viewers have been cracked up, delighted, surprised and, at times, gloriously disturbed by the mind of Seth MacFarlane — and they keep coming back for more. The Griffins and the Browns have become cornerstones of our Sunday nights, and we can’t wait to find out what new adventures Seth, Mike and Rich cook up for them next season.”

[Via Deadline 1, 2, 3]

Journey inside Microsoft’s Home of the future

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Located on the Redmond campus, the Microsoft Home was first opened in 1994 and since then it has given private parties a glimpse into the future. Three to fifteen years into the future, to be somewhat more precise. Though the Home is closed to the public, Channel 9’s Steve Clayton was recently invited inside with a camera crew and his all-too-brief tour is available for everyone to watch in the video embedded above. Microsoft’s Flora Goldthwaite is the tour leader and she admits that the technology inside the house is at the prototype stage; though Microsoft envisions these technologies to be possible in the near future, perhaps they won’t be used the way in which the Home demonstrates them. Anyhow, all of the quick demos are intriguing to say the least. From conductive charging plates that display UIs to next-gen media centers and kid’s rooms that project incoming text messages and Twitter updates, Microsoft’s home of the future certainly tickles the imagination.

[Via Channel9]

Mii sprouts to life on man’s arm…but how?

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Wow neat is this? A man known only by his Internet handle “cranberryzero” has integrated an augmented reality experience into his arm! If you’ve purchased Nintendo latest handheld the 3DS, you’d know that the system comes bundled with a pack of AR Cards. When you point the 3DS’ outer cameras at the cards an augmented reality game or a bunch of classic Nintendo characters come to life. Here, cranberryzero apparently walked into a tattoo parlor and came out with one of the AR Cards imprinted on his wrist. Now when he points his 3DS at his arm his personalized Mii grows out of it. A little bizarre, but still super cool right? Head over to the source link to watch a video of the magic in action.

[Via IHeartChaos]

Music video: Lady Gaga – “Judas”

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Check out the latest music video from the Haus of Gaga. The religious-themed single receives an appropriately-matched video that is directed by Gaga and Laurieann Gibson. Lady Gaga as Mary Magdalene gets caught in the middle of a love triangle of sorts between Jesus Christ and Judas the traitor (portrayed by The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus). Beyond the controversial religious tone, the choreography is all kinds of fun. Born This Way drops May 23.

Star Wars comes to Blu-ray September 16, with bonus content galore

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On May the 4th Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox outed a press release detailing the impending Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray. The nine-disc ultimate collection releases September 12 internationally and on September 16 in North America. All six films can be viewed in 1080p high definition and 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. The collection includes over 40 hours of bonus content like “vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.” Jump after the break to find the aforementioned PR to get the full lowdown. Also, make sure you open up the gallery below to get a look at the fantastic box art for the original and prequel trilogy Blu-ray bundles. Oh, and May The 4th be with you!

[Via StarWars]

Continue reading Star Wars comes to Blu-ray September 16, with bonus content galore →

Trailer 2: Green Lantern

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Warner Bros. released a new Green Lantern trailer this week, and this one might just be the most exhilarating of them all. There’s plenty of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, but this time around we get to see more of Parallax the universe destroyer, the mad scientist Dr. Hector Hammond, and the infinitely gorgeous Blake Lively. This movie is going to be EPIC. It lands in theatres June 17 in 3D.

Glee goes 3D for upcoming concert film

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The Glee kids are kicking off their second nationwide Glee Live! In Concert! tour later this month. If you missed out on purchasing tickets, Twentieth Century Fox and Glee creator Ryan Murphy have plans to make things right. This summer a feature film based on the concert will hit theatres and they’re going to call it GLEE LIVE! 3D! (so many exclamation points!). The film will comprise of the tour’s musical numbers, including the memorable “Don’t Stop Believin'” cover, and some behind-the-scenes action. It’ll all be captured in three dimensions, with director Kevin Tancharoen (Fame, Mortal Kombat: Legacy) and producer Ryan Murphy calling the shots.

Says Murphy: “This tour was all about going out and performing for our amazing fans who have supported our show from the beginning, but due to the limited time we had to travel during our hiatus, there were only so many cities we could get to before we had to resume work on the television series. We knew that not every fan who wanted to attend a concert would get that opportunity. Now, thanks to our friends at Twentieth Century Fox Film, we’ll be able to bring the concert experience to movie theaters across the country in full three dimensional glory. We promise every passionate ‘Gleek’ a cinematic experience that will have them singing and dancing in the aisles.”

The concert film releases August 12 and will remain in theatres for a limited two-week run…that will likely be extended due to the hit FOX show’s rabid fanbase.

[Via EW]

HP Veer 4G comes to AT&T May 15 for $100

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Back in February, HP formally introduced three new WebOS-enabled devices imagined by the Palm godfather Job Rubinstein. The HP Veer, the smallest of the bunch, is hitting the market first and it’s coming to AT&T. Described to be the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards, the newly branded HP Veer 4G goes a little something like this: 2.6-inch (320×400) glass touch display, an 800MHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, built-in GPS, WiFi 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, 8GB of storage, accelerometer, proximity, and light sensors, Adobe Flash Player support, it can act as a mobile hotspot supporting up to 5 WiFi-capable devices, HSPA+, one USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It runs WebOS version 2.1 and comes in black and white variants. When it drops May 15 the palm-sized handset will set you back an affordable $99.99, two-year contract with AT&T required. Full PR after the break, as is an image that shows you just how pint-sized this thing really is.

[Via Palm] Continue reading HP Veer 4G comes to AT&T May 15 for $100 →

Nintendo Wii drops to $149.99 on May 15, gets bundled with Mario Kart

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After almost five years on the market, Nintendo has finally decided to drop the price of the Wii from $199.99 to $149.99, effective May 15. In addition, the Wii Sports + Wii Sports Resort bundle will no longer be available. The lower priced Wii, still available in black and white, will come packaged with Mario Kart Wii and matching colored Wiimote (with built-in Wii Remote Plus functionality), nunchuck, and Wii Wheel accessories. The new black Wii Wheel will also be made available for purchase separately for $9.99.

On that same May day, Ninty will launch the new Nintendo Selects collection of Wii games. The companies most popular Wii games such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, and Wii Sports will sell for a low $19.99.

[Via Nintendo]

Apple refreshes iMac with Intel quad-core processors, next-gen AMD graphics, and Thunderbolt

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This week Apple temporarily shut down their online shop and when it came back it was freshly stocked with the brand new iMac. Just like the last product refresh, things look the same on the outside. On the inside, however, Apple has raised the bar for the all-in-one package. The new iMac features “Sandy Bridge” Intel quad-core processors across the line, next-gen AMD graphics, and it joins the MacBook Pro in sporting the speedy Thunderbolt port. Pricing starts at $1,199 for the base 21.5-incher and $1,699 for the 27-inch model.

Hop on after the break for the full rundown.

Continue reading Apple refreshes iMac with Intel quad-core processors, next-gen AMD graphics, and Thunderbolt →