There are two sections: On Demand and Live streaming. The live streaming is pretty self-explanatory – you tune in to CNBC as if you’re using a TV. (click to view the whole screen)

The “On demand” section provides you with access to shows you’ve missed. Or at least, that’s the theory. In practice, I wasn’t able to find a particular show I wanted to see again. It could be a search issue – the search is a FAR cry from Google Video.

The search results seem totally irrelevant - probably for lack of good meta data describing the video. You can still select from 10 or topical channels like Global stories, US stories, Europe stories, etc.

Is it worth $14 a month? I’d say it depends if you have easy access to CNBC or not. The videos are a bit slow and you’ll have a hard time to find a specific show you’ve missed. Till the end of June, CBNC has a special offer – $9.99 per month, so if it sounds like a deal – hurry up.

Tags: cnbc, finance, financial, google video., review, tv, video on demand

cnbc, finance, financial, google video., review, tv, video on demand

I’ve been a long time Sony fan, when it comes to camcorders (especially HD ones). So I’m pretty excited about this news bit from Sony!

David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said, “PLAYSTATION Eye is a great example of how we have moved forward so significantly with our technology. PLAYSTATION Eye has four times the resolution, twice the framerate and double the sensitivity of its predecessor EyeToy USB Camera. With the technology that we now have at our disposal we will be able to dramatically improve the communications experience enjoyed on PS3”.

Here’s the tech specs!

• 4 channel audio input:16 bits/channel, 48kHz, SNR 90db
• 56º to 75º Field of View zoom lens
• 2.1 F-stop, <1% distortion, fixed focus (25cm to 8 at 75º FOV)
• 640 x 480 at 60 frames/second
• 320 x 240 at 120 frames/second
• USB2 high-speed data transfer
• Uncompressed video or optional JPEG compression

The resolution and the frame rate are nothing short of groundbreaking. I’m not sure it will only work with PS3 though, USB 2 makes it PC-ready as well.

Tags: bandwidth, FMS, google video, logitech, media, video, webcam, youtube

bandwidth, FMS, google video, logitech, media, video, webcam, youtube

Podtech is producing podcasts by the bucket load, yet they can’t get the right audio levels. Proof below:

Exhibit A: Too much talking in the background

Exhibit B: You can bearly hear Scoble’s comments

Tags: audio, audio levels, mic, microphone, podcasts, podtech, vodcasts

audio, audio levels, mic, microphone, podcasts, podtech, vodcasts

When I met Jumpcut earlier this summer, they had 11 employees, had raised $1 million in seed money, and were trying to close another round. Perhaps it has to do with Jumpcut’s fairly advanced experimentation with Flash, led by former Macromedia developer Ryan Cunningham.

When I proposed buying Jumpcut might be a good competitive edge for one of the online video sharing sites or portals, CEO Mike Folgner told me he’d wasn’t looking to settle down with just one company, rather to build partnerships with everybody. Ah well…I can understand how a Yahoo acquisition offer could be persuasive.

Guess she’s right. Only problem is once Yahoo buys you there isn’t much AGILE development anymore. There’s some internal competition to boot. UC Berkley and Yahoo have already been developing a their own video mashup site. I guess they simply want to take Jumpcut off the market before Google buys them. Or, God forbid they become a real hit like Youtube!

Tags: editing, google, jumpcut, mashup, mixing, online, social, video, yahoo

editing, google, jumpcut, mashup, mixing, online, social, video, yahoo

One of the reasons I’m posting it is because it took O-zone’s hit (mostly in Europe though?) and transformed it into a DIY video marathon. All kinds of people did covers, some pretty elaborate like the one from the students at UBC.

Tags: content, democracy, diy, numa numa, video, youtube

content, democracy, diy, numa numa, video, youtube

My webcam is a Logitech Communicate STX (admittedly an USB 1.1 cam). I’ve tested its throughput and the stream hits about 300Kbps on my FMS console at its highest resolution. Is this bad? Or rather, how bad is it?

Low-budget filmmakers’ favorite cam right now is the Panasonic HVX200. Two reasons for this warmth and affection: 1) support for variable frame rates; and 2) ignoring HDV standard and hitting a higher note with DVCPRO HD (100Mbps).

Hmm, comparing 300Kbps to 100Mbps seems insane. Yet, one look at Youtube and you’ll probably see that the next generation of filmmakers will probably go as low as it’s economically possible. When you consider the distribution channel (be it youtube or google video), it’s obvious it doesn’t matter what you shoot with.

Just as a reference though, you need to look at a Canon’s security camera – I’m sure it will work out as a “webcam” as well (above).

Tags: bandwidth, FMS, google video, hvx200, logitech, media, video, webcam, Webcams, youtube

bandwidth, FMS, google video, hvx200, logitech, media, video, webcam, Webcams, youtube

Shopping for a webcam

Webcams are much simpler really. Their lenses are so small, it seems it ALL boils down to USB speed. At the same time, Logitech is known to play tricks on users, putting the USB 2.0 logo on USB 1.1 webcams. So I had to become an “expert” on the subject. Here’s what I found out:

Is USB faster? The truth is that USB 2.0 is not necesarily faster because USB 2.0 is simply a standard. It’s not a benchmark. Currently, there are three speeds for transfering data via an USB interface:

• USB High-Speed – transfer speed of 480 MBits/second
• USB Full-Speed – transfer speed of 12 MBits/second
• USB Low-Speed – transfer speed of 1.5 MBits/second

The USB 1.1 specifications cover the full-speed and the low-speed transfer rates. So if your webcam (or any other device) is USB 1.1, it is using low or full speed.

USB 2.0 added the specification for a high-speed data transfer (480 MBits/second). There are MANY webcams out there, however, which boldly sport the USB 2.0 logo but transfer at speeds of 12 MBits/second or even lower. The fact that they’re USB 2.0 compliant doesn’t automatically mean they are high-speed.

To put this into perspective, HDV transfers at 25 Mbps; Panasonic’s DVCPRO HD supports speeds up to 100 Mbps. The end-users’ experience will also depend on broadband penetration.

For the record, I bought a Logitech Communicate™ STX today – a USB 1.1 webcam for test purposes. User-generated content – here I come.

Update: I was wondering what will happen if you hook a Panasonic HVX200 to a capture card and compare the stream to the one coming from a High-Speed USB webcam.

Tags: bandwidth, camera, logitech, standards, usb, webcam

bandwidth, camera, logitech, standards, usb, webcam