YouTube

Samsung just announced the availability of YouTube on select Samsung Blu-ray players. Owners of the BD-P1600, BD-P3600 or BD-P4600 Blu-ray players will be able to view YouTube content by uploading the service at no cost.

To access YouTube from your Samsung Blu-ray player, simply press a button on the remote control from the main screen. Videos can also be searched via a mobile phone-like on-screen key pad. The categories listed are very similar to that on the YouTube website. Please note that to use this service, the Blu-ray player must be connected to a wired or wireless internet connection.

For more information on Samsung Blu-ray players, visit www.samsung.com

MSI just announced the Switch to One Touch MSI Wind Top video contest. Entrants have two months to create a video emphasizing the benefits of upgrading to a MSI Wind Top Touch Screen All-in-One PC versus owning a traditional PC.

The contest runs from June 22, 2009 through August 22, 2009 and the top 5 entrants receiving the most votes will win a Wind Top AE1900, valued at $529. Vote casting will be held on the Switch To One Touch Contest website, http://us.msi.com/SwitchToOneTouch.

Here are the prizes:

• First 50 Video Submissions win a MSI USB Thumb Drive
• 20 lucky individuals that vote each week, will be chosen at random to receive an MSI sportswatch
• 5 Grand Prize Winners will each receive the critically acclaimed MSI Wind Top All-in-One Touch PC ($529 value)

For more information and contest rules, visit http://us.msi.com/SwitchToOneTouch

Flip Video just announced its new FlipShare software that makes sharing personal videos from your Flip camcorder easier than ever. With FlipShare you can publish your own personal video channels online with Flip Channels, as well as upload to MySpace and YouTube.

The new Flip Channels feature lets you share Flip content with the people you choose. Once you create a Flip Channel, their personal Flip Channels can be viewed online at FlipShare.com or on any iPhone (with the new FlipShare for iPhone app, available soon).

The new version of FlipShare software will begin shipping as the on-board software for all Flip Video camcorders today (June 16, 2009). The free software can also be downloaded by visiting www.theflip.com. The FlipShare for iPhone application will be available free in the iPhone App Store.Read more

Cyberlink today announced YouCam 3, new webcam software for live chats and video blogging. What makes YouCam 3 different from other software is it is the first webcam software that lets you upload videos directly to YouTube or Facebook.

Other features of YouCam 3 include face-tracking technology, video noise reduction, auto zooming, new animated effects, new scene locations, automatic lighting, a desktop capture mode and it also supports HD webcams, netbooks and more.

CyberLink's YouCam 3 is now available online, and supports the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, and Korean. YouCam 3 is priced at $34.95 for a single license download.

Sure, you can buy Disney content in the iTunes store from Apple. You can watch some Disney content on Disney's Web sites, ESPN, Disney.com, etc. Now that Robert (Bob) Iger is thinking outside the box, and embracing the quick popularity of Hulu you will be able to find Disney content on Hulu too. It helps that Iger was offered an equity position in Hulu to make this work for Disney.

The ability to place content in front of many people is the reason for BIG companies like Disney to embrace Web sites like Hulu. Sure, YouTube is the most popular video site out there today, and the short-form content is fun to watch. Even the guys at MythBusters are creating content around YouTube hoaxes, myths, and truths. In my opinion it is the quality of your Internet connection that will ultimately make these sites like Hulu more successful.

There are also the televisions that have hardware built right in making Internet video content easier to access. After all… we only want to watch what is available, and Disney has made a great decision in embracing Hulu.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association's 2009 report Digital Imaging - A Focus on Sharing, more than 40% of consumers who share videos think it takes too much time to upload them. They won't be thinking that anymore. Now, with Eye-Fi's newest wireless memory cards, you can upload your videos wirelessly and automatically directly from your digital camera to Picasa, Photobucket, SmugMug, YouTube and Flickr. You don't even have to turn on your camera! Could it get any easier than that?

The 4GB Eye-Fi Share Video and Eye-Fi Explore Video cards also automatically geotag photos and videos with location information of where the video or picture was taken. Hotspot access is available from more than 10,000 Wayport and open hotspot locations in the United States to upload when you're away from home.

Eye-Fi's newest wireless SD memory cards are now available with an MSRP of $79 (4GB Eye-Fi Share Video) and $99 (4GB Eye-Fi Explore Video).

For more information visit www.eye.fi.

Samsung just announced that its SMX-F34 camcorder received a 2009 TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) Award, as the Best Entry Level Camcorder. Quite an honor for Samsung, the TIPA Awards recognize the world's best digital imaging products each year.

The SMX-F34 is Samsung's YouTube compatible compact digital camcorder. The handy Web & Mobile shooting mode lets you record in the format and resolution that YouTube requires, making getting your videos to the web faster than ever. The camcorder also includes a Photo mode so you can to use the SMX-F34 as a digital camera.

The SMX-F34 features a memory card slot for SD/SDHC and 16GB of internal flash memory. With H.264 compression, up to eight hours of standard definition video can be recorded using the 16GB built-in memory. Other features include a battery life of up to three hours, Schneider optics, built-in memory, and Samsung's 42x Intelli-Zoom. The MSRP for the Samsung SMX-F34 is $299.99.

To see more 2009 TIPA Award winners visit www.tipa.com/english/XIX_tipa_awards_2009.php.