Streaming video changed the internet forever

It’s 1995, and I’m trying to watch a video on the internet. I entered the longest, most complex URL I’d ever seen into AOL’s web browser to view a trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson’s long-awaited film adaptation of Mortal Kombat. I found it in an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, tucked away in the bottom of a full-page ad for the film. Online marketing at the time was such an afterthought, studios didn’t even bother grabbing short and memorable web addresses for their major releases, let alone dedicated websites. (Star Trek Generations and Stargate were among the few early exceptions.) After the interminable process of transcribing the URL from print, I gathered my family around our Packard Bell PC (powered by an Intel 486 DX and, let’s say, 8MB of RAM), hit return and waited as the video slowly came down our 33.6kbps dial-up connection. And waited. It took 25 minutes for it to fully load. After corralling my family once again, I hit play and was treated to an horrendously compressed, low-resolution version of the trailer I’d been dreaming about for months. It was unwatchable. The audio was shit. But that was the moment I became obsessed with online video. I imagined a futuristic world beyond my boxy CRT set and limited cable TV subscription. A time after VHS tapes when I could just type in a URL and enjoy a show or movie while eating one of those rehydrated Pizza Hut pies from Back to the Future 2. The internet would make it so. Looking back now, almost 30 years later,... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-03-01 17:00:14 UTC ]
News tagged with: #basic formula #streaming solutions #past decade #specific niches #criterion channel #pay $5 #beloved catalog #full control #early rumors #hefty chunk #choose precisely #launch safari #living room #20th anniversary #digital media

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Streaming video changed the internet forever'


Warner Bros.' Max streaming service launches with new $20 4K tier

HBO Max is completing its transformation into Warner Bros. Discovery's "Max" streaming service today, and it's launching with a new tier especially made for 4K ultra HD viewing. The Ultimate Ad-Free tier will set you back $20 a month or $200 if you're paying for a whole year, making it the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-23 09:27:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company plans #warner bros #dolby atmos #harry potter


Hello Sunshine’s CEO shares the questions her team asks to catalyze change

Sarah Harden says, “If there’s one word we talk about over and over again, it’s shifting from judgment to curiosity.” The morning I spoke with Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden I revisited Cheryl Strayed’s book, Tiny Beautiful Things. A compilation of letters from Strayed’s advice column, Dear... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-05-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reese witherspoon #advice column #daisy jones #production company #advancing women #book club


Quantum physics could offer a new way to study biology—and the results could change our understanding of life itself

There’s a chance our understanding of biology is radically incomplete. Imagine using your cellphone to control the activity of your own cells to treat injuries and disease. It sounds like something from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But this may one day be a... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-05-18 01:04:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction


Life-Changing Books for Every Reader: PW Talks with Laura Schreiber

The executive editor at Union Square & Co. looks to nurture the work of both debut and seasoned authors. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #union square


Sorry, Swifties: BTS revealed as authors of mystery book that intrigued the internet

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS will be out on 9 July, ending feverish speculation that the previously untitled book was a Taylor Swift memoirThe guessing game began this week when a mysteriously untitled book, scheduled for publication in July and known only as “4C Untitled Flatiron... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-12 01:34:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mystery book


7 Babysitters Club Books that Changed My Life

I can’t remember exactly when I discovered The Baby-Sitters Club books. Maybe it was at a Scholastic Book Fair at my school. But I’ll always remember the very first book, Kristy’s Great Idea, with its bright yellow cover and alphabet block letters. I saw four friends hanging out, and I... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-05 11:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great idea #electric literature #scholastic


Condé Nast Unveils Expanded Digital Video Slate During NewFronts

The digital media company Cond? Nast unveiled a slate of new video offerings, ad products and experiential franchises at its NewFronts presentation this morning in The Spiral at Hudson Yards, furthering its embrace of business lines that extend beyond its core editorial product. Speaking to a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-05-04 14:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #newfronts presentation #ad products #business lines #digital media


B.J. Best, Andrew Ervin, and Brittney Morris on Video Games, Storytelling, and the Importance of Play

Writers B.J. Best, Andrew Ervin, and Brittney Morris join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri to discuss the narrative realms of video games and the evolving space they inhabit. The group reminisces about their first... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-04 08:53:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #brittney morris #video games #book festival


New Leaf Literary & Media Evolves Team to Meet Changing Industry Demands

The New York City-based literary agency announced three new director-level promotions among several new hires and staff changes across the agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary agency


Digital content platforms and streamers pitch new ad formats in short and long-form video on NewFronts day two

On IAB NewFronts day two, digital content platforms and streamers pitched new ad formats (with a focus on artificial intelligence and shoppable content) in short-form social video and longer-form TV shows and movies. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-05-03 10:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad formats #artificial intelligence #digital content


The NewFronts Evolves Amid a Changing Marketplace—but Is It Enough?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual NewFronts is almost here, which for advertisers means a week of sprinting around Manhattan to view multiple presentations from digital publishers. But for Day 3 of this year's digital content event, taking place May 1-4, in-person attendees will be... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-04-10 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishers #taking place #digital content


‘LBF-BCBF’ 2024 Conflict Resolved: London Date Change

Gareth Rapley announces a long-term move for London Book Fair to March, away from Bologna's 2024 dates. The post ‘LBF-BCBF’ 2024 Conflict Resolved: London Date Change appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-06 15:08:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #london book fair


Writing History Showed Me a New Way to View Climate Change

Two new books, a U. K. paperback and a world first edition, were delivered to my door on the same day last week. I put the books side by side on the table. The first, suggestive of dark happenings in the past,  was The Lion House: The Rise of Suleyman the Magnificent. The second book’s […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-03 08:52:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Internet Archive’s Literary Civil War

The beloved online athenaeum just lost a big court case. Librarians fear it’ll make ebooks less accessible. So why are some writers cheering? Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2023-03-31 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #internet archive #ebooks


Gabrielle Zevin takes us inside her video game-inspired, juggernaut bestseller

Bestselling novelist Gabrielle Zevin joins the L.A. Times Book Club April 22 to discuss 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow' at the Festival of Books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-29 14:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #times book


Internet Archive violated publisher copyrights by lending ebooks, court rules

A federal judge has ruled against the Internet Archive in its high-profile case against a group of four US publishers led by Hachette Book Group. Per Reuters, Judge John G. Koeltl declared on Friday the nonprofit had infringed on the group’s copyrights by lending out digitally scanned copies of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-03-25 16:46:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early days #doors due #copyrighted works #legal challenge #maria pallante #global scale #google books #penguin random house #libraries


In a Swift Decision, Judge Eviscerates Internet Archive’s Scanning and Lending Program

After nearly three years of litigation, federal judge John G. Koeltl ruled that the Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four plaintiff publishers by scanning print editions of their books and lending them online. The ruling comes just days after a March 20 hearing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lending program #plaintiff publishers


Are Literary Agents Seeing Changes in Publishing with Increased Book Bans (A Survey): Book Censorship News, March 24, 2023

Are publishers acquiring fewer LGBTQ+ and diverse books in the wake of rising censorship? This week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-24 10:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse books #literary agents


Movie Alert: 'Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret' and 'Judy Blume Forever'

Next month two Judy Blume films will grace the screen, one based on a beloved novel and the other on Blume's own life and work. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #movie alert


4 Amazon privacy settings you should change right now

Like most big tech companies, Amazon collects large amounts of data on its users, in part of the purpose of targeting ads and training its Alexa voice models. Look in the right places, though, and much of this data collection can be minimized or prevented, and you can even opt out of... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-03-22 10:45:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #targeted ads #worth taking #voice recordings #voice commands #fire tablets #kindle e-readers #kindle