YouTube And The Olympics: 231M Video Streams And Up To 500K Concurrent Viewers

The less said about the quality of NBC’s Olympics coverage in the U.S., the better, but in terms of the quantity of live and recorded Olympics video streamed this year, the partnership between NBC and YouTube clearly worked out well. Even by YouTube’s standards, live streaming the Olympics for NBC was a pretty massive undertaking and the company just released new data about its Olympics coverage from earlier this month. At its peak, the service pushed out more than half a million livestreams at the same time. On NBCOlympics.com, YouTube says, viewers watched more than 159 million total streams and just over a third of these came from mobile devices and more than 50% were in HD.

In total, YouTube says, its users across the U.S. and 64 countries in Africa and Asia watched a total of 231 million video streams. The IOC’s YouTube Channel alone was responsible for 72 million of these and the “Team USA” U.S. Olympic Committee Channel registered more than 6.75 million views (though most of these views seem to have come from a few select videos and quite a few of the “Team USA” uploads currently have fewer than 1,000 views).

According to YouTube, the quality of the live video was also “better than ever before, with a 7X improvement in quality based on low buffering and high frame rates.” YouTube doesn’t say what exactly it is comparing this year’s numbers to, so it’s probably a good idea to take this number with a grain of salt..

[Source: TechCrunch]

Apple seeds new OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 beta (build 12B17) to developers

Less than a week after seeding the initial build of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 (build 12B13), Apple has followed up with a new build to developers. The beta, coming in at build number 12B17, has no known issues. Apple asks developers to focus on Active Directory, iCal, Microsoft Exchange in Mail, PAC proxies in Safari, SMB, USB, and WiFi and audio when connected to an Apple Thunderbolt Display.

10.X.1 OS X updates are usually maintenance updates released soon after the initial 10.X.0 release. The short amount of time between developer beta releases, and the small amount of builds between the earlier release and today’s release should point to that. However, the release notes are yet to be included in 10.8.1 seeds. (as shown above).

Earlier this week, Apple seeded a new beta of 10.7.5, a maintenance release for OS X Lion.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Fujitsu making laptops from unwanted CDs and DVDs

Back in our day, we used to listen to music on shiny plastic discs with lasers, not any of your new-fangled Zunes and what not. That was back when bands had sensible names, like the Dave Clark Five. These days, however, CDs and DVDs are remnants of a simpler time, a time before these kids were playing their Lady Gagas on their Rio Carbons. Fujitsu will be putting those outdated media formats to work again, with a recycling program that uses the material to build shiny new notebooks, starting with the Lifebook P772/E enterprise laptop, with more models to follow. According to the company, the new program is set to reduce the use of new plastic by 10 tons a year and slice C02 emissions by around 15 percent. More information on the program can be found after the break. Now please get off our lawn.

[Source: Engadget]

iPhone reportedly vulnerable to text message spoofing flaw

If you're an iPhone owner, you may want to use good judgment before responding to any out-of-the-blue text messages in the near future. French jailbreak developer and security researcher pod2g finds that every iPhone firmware revision, even iOS 6 beta 4, is susceptible to a flaw that theoretically lets a ne'er-do-well spoof the reply address of outbound SMS messages. As Apple is using the reply-to address of a message's User Data Header to identify the origin rather than the raw source, receiving iPhone owners risk being fooled by a phishing attack (or just a dishonest acquaintance) that poses as a contact or a company. A proof of concept messaging tool is coming to the iPhone soon, but pod2g is pushing for an official solution before the next iOS version is out the door. We've asked Apple for commentary and will get back if there's an update. In the meantime, we wouldn't panic -- if the trickery hasn't been a significant issue since 2007, there isn't likely to be a sudden outbreak today.

[Source: Engadget]

OnLive hits reset after being dragged down by expensive servers, confirms service will continue

OnLive has finally issued an official statement after rumors of mass layoffs first leaked out earlier today, confirming that its assets have been acquired into a newly-formed company with what it claims is "substantial" financial backing. The big news for users is that the OnLive Game and Desktop services will remain operational and continue to be supported. The release also claims a "large percentage" of OnLive staff is being hired into the new company with plans to hire more over time, while PR informs us the leadership team remains intact. Check the words straight from the source after the break.

We've heard from some of the people present for the meeting where the new plan was revealed today, confirming the company is going through a process known as Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC). A faster alternative to bankruptcy that doesn't involve the courts, it allows OnLive to deal with some of the issues it was facing, most notably an oversupply of servers for the number of users it had signed up. The ABC process allows OnLive to be unshackled from the expensive server contracts and bring in a new source of venture capital. Oh and that other major cost, the employees? Not all of the information is known yet, but beyond the loss of jobs, it turns out the stock they owned was in a company that no longer exists. We're hearing their benefits will end after August, however there are offers of contracts to answer questions about important topics like "where things are," in exchange for special form stock in the new venture.

Update: Joystiq has more information from a former employee, who estimated the average number of peak concurrent OnLive users at around 1,800 or so, and the amount of retained staff in the range of 20 percent. One other tidbit? The source expects OnLive to go after recent Sony acquisition Gaikai for infringement of a game streaming patent, so stay tuned.

[Source: Engadget]

Sony unveils NEX-EA50EH pro camcorder with nary a dog or pony (video)

Sony is continuing to build out its NXCAM video camera line with the new interchangeable lens NEX-EA50EH, a surprise entrant that's aimed firmly at the run and gun professional crowd. It sports the same APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor as other cameras in the NEX line, and has notably added a rocker-style zoom lever for its brand new SEL18-200PZ 11x E-mount Servo Zoom Lens. That item is one of the first large sensor servo zooms we've seen, and packs continuous variable isis, auto focus and "Optical Steady Shot" active image stabilization. Another eyebrow-raiser is the model's still photo flair, with the ability to shoot 16MP RAW stills, a mechanical shutter with its own release button and a flash hot-shoe all squeezed in. Video is recorded up to 60fps at 1080P in AVCHD 2.0, presumably at 28 or 17 Mbps, toSD/SDHC/SDXC cards, Sony Memory Sticks or Sony's dedicated external SSD unit, which attaches to the camera. All that is topped off by an onboard shotgun microphone, a shoulder mount form factor and $4,500 price point (which has already changed twice on B&H). That means a lot of event or ENG pros who want large sensor results -- without all the DSLR foibles -- may be sorely tempted. See the PR and video after the break for all the details.

[Source: Engadget]

Sky Sports TV app for Android now available, brings live events to the UK and Ireland

Not to be outdone by The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Sky's just released its own application to keep football enthusiasts entertained while on the go -- at least Premier League fans using Android slabs. Unlike the ESPN app, however, Sky Sports is charging £5 (around $8) per month for its offering, though it will -- with the help of ESPN, no less -- stream over 100 EPL matches live, so you're not limited to only highlights and previews. That being said, Sky Sports TV also lets UK and Ireland folks watch other sporting events, including F1 races, PGA Golf and tennis events like the US Open. The bad news is the app currently doesn't support Jelly Bean-loaded devices, which, for now, will most likely only affect atiny section of Mountain View's user base -- if that's not you, though, the link to download is down below.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram 3's new Photo Maps feature adds location to your photo stories

Instagram 3.0, the free photo sharing app for iPhone, is available and provides a number of enhancements. The most impressive is the new Photo Maps feature.

By grabbing geolocation information that is saved with each photo, Instagram creates a world map of your images by location. As you zoom in on each location, say Florida for example, you see locations in that state, then in each city.

You can add new photos to your Photo Maps through the new photo upload screen, which features a prominent Add to your Photo Maps button. Instagram has also increased the length of the captions you can add to each photo, and provides a way to name a location.

[Source: TUAW]

LaCie's eSATA Thunderbolt Hub pushes data transfer to the max

The move from traditional I/O options toward Thunderbolt across the Mac line (with the notable exception of the Mac Pro) has meant some headscratching moments for users of high-end storage. Buying all-new Thunderbolt-ready RAIDs isn't an option for those on a budget, especially when there may be big investments already in eSATA-connected equipment.

As more Thunderbolt peripherals and accessories have made it to market, this conundrum is beginning to clear. LaCie's eSATA hub Thunderbolt Series, at $199, delivers eSATA performance and convenience for high-end video and graphics users at a price that's not out of balance.

[Source: TUAW - Read the full story]

Apple files plans for Oregon data center

The Apple Oregon data center is moving closer to reality. Apple has filed formal plans with the city of Prineville, and it looks like Apple will build a 500,000-square-foot facility. It's likely the data center will serve the Apple app stores and iCloud.

The plan shows two buildings with more than 500,000 square feet of what are described as 'data halls,' The Bend Bulletin reported Wednesday. The plan doesn't say when Apple might start building.

"They really didn't say how long they are looking at," Prineville senior planner Joshua Smith said.

An Apple spokeswoman, Kristin Huguet, referred Wednesday to the company's early statements on the development, which forecast "hiring dozens of people and bringing hundreds of construction jobs to the area" but didn't set a construction schedule." The two data centers will be neighbors across the street from the other.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple’s new set-top box to feature DVR-like media access and iPad-like icon interface

Going away from the constant rumors that Apple is building its own TV set, yesterday evening the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is in talks with cable television operators to use an Apple TV device as a set-top-box. Adding to yesterday’s report, the publication has shared another note today with more details of Apple’s vision for the new device. This evening’s report mentions is that Apple is looking to introduce a feature that will allow users to view a TV show at any time, even minutes after it has begun. iCloud DVR has a nice ring to it.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company proposes giving viewers the ability to start any show at any time through a digital-video recorder that would store TV shows on the Internet. Viewers even could start a show minutes after it has begun. Time Warner Cable Inc. offers a limited version of this feature called Start Over.

Furthermore, Apple is said to be working on a redesigned interface for the set-top box that is more in-line with the icon interface of the iPad. In recent months, users have begun to express their concern over the Apple TV’s UI, saying that the menus are confusing and calling the interface clunky. Social media features may also be added, allowing users to easily share thoughts on TV shows and movies.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read more here]

Google's Voice Search on Android adds support for 13 additional languages

Even though it's also on iOS now, Android is still the first love for Google's Voice Search and the company announced today it's adding support for an additional 13 languages on the platform, bringing the total to 42 languages and accents understood in 46 countries. The list includes Basque, Bulgarian. Catalan, European Portuguese, Finnish, Galician, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak and Swedish. Just like it has since at least 2010 when Voice Actions were introduced it will require Android 2.2 or higher, and is easily accessible either from the search box on your home screen or in the Voice Search app. We should note that it still only understands one language at a time and you may need to change some settings, also the new languages weren't showing up yet on every device we tried -- just some of them. Hit the source link for a few more details on how machine learning was used to extrapolate the pronunciation of all Swedish words based on thousands of samples from native speakers, or just grab a nearby phone or tablet and have Pau Gasol speak some Catalan to it -- although obviously Salvador Dali would be preferred, were he available.

[Source: Engadget]