video

Check your videos from head to toe with VideoSpec for Mac

When releasing videos, you often find yourself with precise requirements on either actual file size or quality. To lend you a hand in such tasks or for analyzing your exported videos, VideoSpec for Mac is a useful and feature-packed toolset built upon open-source libraries and utilities.

VideoSpec for Mac performs the tasks of a video analyzer. It will let you inspect every video property you might be interested in. On launch, simply drag a video onto the main window, and all the information relevant to codecs used, bit rate, resolution, size, compression, and much more will be displayed for both … Read more

GameStop: PlayStation 4 demand to outpace supply at launch

GameStop reported its earnings yesterday, but perhaps the biggest news came from its earnings call, in which it said that demand for the PlayStation 4 is already showing signs of strength.

According to GameStop President Tony Bartel, "nearly 900,000 members have already signed up for the PlayStation 4 First to Know List." That list provides all of the latest details on the PlayStation 4 to customers and is usually a strong indicator of the number of people who might preorder the device when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter.

Bartel went on to tell investors … Read more

Console on the cheap, games on the free with $99 Ouya (hands-on)

After seeing it in person this week, I can safely say that the Ouya game console does indeed exist. Now, will it quickly piggyback its way into millions of living rooms thanks to its low price and free-to-try games or assume a place in the pile of wouldbe consoles that failed to mount a legitimate challenge gaming’s mainstream? My bet’s on it finding a comfortable place somewhere in the middle; however, having only spent an hour with the console this week, it wouldn’t be fair to make any final judgments.

What I will do is attempt to … Read more

YTD Video Downloader 4.0

Formerly known as plain old YouTube Downloader, the recently renamed YTD Video Downloader updates to version 4.0 with a promise of 2x faster downloads and 2x faster video conversions, and perhaps more usefully, the ability to resume downloads after the temporary loss of an Internet connection. As usual, the installer includes a Spigot-based YTD Video Toolbar and offers to change your default search engine to Yahoo and add 5-6 shopping extensions to Google Chrome. Clicking the "Decline" button during the lone advertising screen in the installer lets users easily opt-out of all offers.

Downloading worked very well … Read more

Amazon adds Silicon Valley startup comedy to pilot lineup

Amazon has added another comedy TV show pilot to its original programming lineup -- and this time it's about Silicon Valley startups.

The series, called "Betas," centers on four computer geeks and "their quest for nerd fame as they attempt to crack the ultimate code." This brings the total number of pilots slated for production on Amazon's Prime video service to 14. The episodes will air on Amazon Prime Instant for free so customers can offer feedback on which pilots Amazon's production group, Amazon Studios, should make into a season-long series.

The creatives … Read more

Don't miss these new Grand Theft Auto V screenshots

Since its first release in 1997, the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video game series has given gamers a nearly unlimited supply of chaos and mayhem on virtual city streets. For several months now, Rockstar has been teasing hungry gamers with exciting screenshots from the highly anticipated GTA V.… Read more

Wachowskis of 'Matrix' fame bring sci-fi series to Netflix

Late next year, as we're glued to our screens watching Netflix's newest original TV series, will the online-movie powerhouse somehow be tapping our bodies' electrical energy and selling it to evil machines?

If the credentials of the show's creators are any indication, that's a distinct possibility.

"Sense8," a sci-fi show Netflix describes as a "global tale of minds linked and souls hunted," is the brainchild of the Wachowskis -- aka sibling duo Andy and Lana Wachowski, the masterminds behind "The Matrix" movies. The 10-episode first season of "Sense8" will be available for streaming in late 2014, Netflix announced today.… Read more

First Battlefield 4 trailer ignites the senses

This fall, many gamers will return to the battlefield -- Battlefield 4, that is. We've got all the details, including preorder information and console availability.

During an event yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, game maker DICE delivered a heart-pumping trailer featuring 17 minutes of Battlefield 4's single-player action. As Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" played in the background, the montage opened with the protagonist, Recker, waking up to find himself and his outfit trapped in a Jeep that was sinking to the bottom of the ocean.… Read more

Amazon expands X-Ray actor bio feature to TV shows

Curious about what other shows feature the actress playing Lady Grantham on "Downtown Abbey"? Kindle Fire users can now find out instantly using Amazon's X-Ray feature.

The e-commerce giant today said it has expanded its X-Ray for movies feature to TV shows, providing real-time access to actor bios when watching a show. Just tap on the Kindle Fire screen while watching "Downtown Abbey," for example, and a drop-down menu of the actors appearing in the current scene appears. Viewers then can select whichever actors they're interested in to see their bios. X-Ray draws its … Read more