While Roku doesn’t offer an officially sanctioned YouTube channel, many of us have been enjoying that content through a “private” offering created by The Nowhereman. In fact, he’s such an exceptional developer, Roku brought him on as an employee (where he’s known as Chris). Yet that puts them in an even more awkward position now that Google has taken issue with the unlicensed YouTube channel.

A blog comment tipped me off to the situation, that I confirmed on the forum… The YouTube channel remains functional for the folks who’ve previously activated it, yet no new subscribers are permitted. I reached out to Roku who also corroborated the situation, saying “we received a takedown notice from YouTube’s legal team and are in the midst of negotiations with them.” They’re hopeful of having more information to share with the community next week.

I can’t say this comes as any surprise. Some of the best channels and content provided through the Roku media streamer exist without their owners knowledge or consent. Having moved over a million units and entered the brick & mortar retail space, Roku’s customer base exceeds the geeky and industry crowd these days. Meaning, many are blissfully unaware of content licensing complexities and Roku’s tacit endorsement of repurposing web video without a deal. Which has led to some interesting conversations on the company-run discussion board. For example, one member wondered how he might record Roku content and was scolded by the forum police:

you can’t legally record streaming content from the box. Roku’s forum isn’t the appropriate place to discuss illegal methods.

An excerpt of my reply:

That’s a pretty broad generalization and there are a variety of digital media scenarios that haven’t yet been legally tested. Incidentally, I’ve uploaded a number of videos to YouTube… which you can view through Roku’s non-sanctioned YouTube app. Yet no advertising revenue can be generated for me via that method. So who’s swiping whose content at that point? 

Additionally, some interesting assumptions:

The stuff you’re referring to [NCAA, HGTV, CNN] is made available for free via the web- the channels you’re questioning are just passing it thru to the Roku, presented identically as they were on the web. There’s no “stealing” going on if it’s already free to all all to stream.

And my counter:

I didn’t claim it was stealing. However, it is subverting the content from its intended purpose and I’m willing to bet many of those providers have language which prohibits that. And online content is rarely free for all to stream – there’s advertising material that surrounds the video, whatever metrics they choose to run, regional restrictions, etc. Roku may be too small or these providers may not care.

On an intellectual level, it’s all quite fascinating. But, as a customer, it’s more likely quite frustrating. The bottom line here… If YouTube is on your must-have list, buy a WDTV, Apple TV, or TiVo.

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

Now don’t dump UStream just yet: “certain YouTube partners” are the first to gain access. YouTube says that the service will gradually be opened up to more and more partners, although it did not specifically say whether or not consumers would be able to use the live streaming. I’d venture to guess this is in the works, but obviously YouTube will need to make sure their servers would be able to handle the obvious extra load above their traditional video business.

Al Jazeera English has already been using this technology for at least two months now, helping that channel further reach US audiences that so far are still shut out by cable companies from being able to watch it on their televisions.

If you’re interested in checking out some live video on the site, head over to this page on the company’s website. Nothing too interesting so far– let’s hope that the company attracts some more high-profile content providers.

The Wall Street Journal’s unnamed sources say YouTube is planning a major redesign focused on “channels.” To that end, the company will reportedly spend up to $100 million to commission low-budget, professional content. Roughly 20 of the channels will host several hours of original programming per week, the Journal reports.

The goal is to turn YouTube from a workday time waster into a living room fixture. YouTube once tried to wade into premium content, with a redesign emphasizing movies and TV from big studios, but the Journal says YouTube didn’t want to spend the licensing fees to compete with Netflix. Last month, YouTube acquired Next Now Networks, a producer of small-scale, professional web video content.

But content isn’t the only thing that’s lacking when you try to rely on the Internet for video. You’ll also miss the passive viewing of television, where you can just pick a channel and get a steady stream of content without any effort. Perhaps that’s where the redesign comes in, but the Journal doesn’t say whether the “channels” will be like the passive viewing experiences you find on television or something else entirely. I’ll be disappointed if they’re just glorified categories.

YouTube’s set-top boxes may be getting an overhaul as well. In February, the company posted job ads seeking engineers for a “next-generation console-based TV experience.”

Whatever happens, the Journal says it’s not happening overnight. YouTube reportedly plans to phase in its changes over time, starting before the end of the year.

Remember this guy?

If you’ve spent any time at all on the internet in the last few years, you’re probably responsible for one of the 18 million (now approaching 19 million) views of his video, mashing together years’ worth of self-portraits into a few minutes of thrashing hair and regular shaving.

His name is Noah Kalina, he’s a New York-based photographer, and he has teamed up with some other people to create Everyday an iPhone app that makes it super-easy to create your own version of this video.

The app thinks about everything, so you don’t have to. It helps you line your face up in roughly the same position every time you take a shot. It reminds you to take your photos on a regular basis. It saves them all for you, and when you’ve taken enough, it automatically turns them into a timelapse video, ready for posting online.

Note the word “enough” there. This app is best suited to people who aren’t in a hurry. Even after a month of daily photos, you’re not going to have much to show. This app is making a big splash at launch – and deservedly so, because it’s beautifully made – but we’re going to have to wait about a year to start seeing good videos.

I’ll make a note in my calendar for March 22nd next year, and we’ll see.

(This post republished from Techland.)

Iunderstand that record labels need to protect their copyrights, but sometimes, they ought to make exceptions, as with this sign language adaptation of Cee-Lo’s “Forget You” (as the PG-13 version is known).

The YouTube video, put together by a college student named Anna, has been viewed over 1.3 million times since she uploaded it in December. As the audio track plays in the background, Anna delivers the lyrics with emphatic sign language.

Only now, the audio part is gone, thanks to Warner Music Group. In its place is a notice: “This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG. The audio has been disabled.”

I suppose you could argue that if someone is deaf, they can’t hear the music anyway. But there are shades of hearing loss, and that argument is beside the point. As plenty of YouTube users note in the video’s comments, Anna’s adaptation promotes the song. It leads to sales; there’s even a link to Cee-Lo’s official YouTube page in the description.

It’s not like Warner Music Group is afraid of YouTube, either. Cee-Lo’s official music video for the song appears as a suggested link from Anna’s video. The only difference between the official version and the sign language adaptation is a meager bit of ad revenue and a direct link to iTunes.

I find it hard to believe that some heartless WMG lawyers stumbled upon this video and removed its essence. YouTube does employ automated systems to sniff out copyright violations, so maybe a bot was to blame. In any case, there needs to be a better way of dealing with things like this. Perhaps instead of stripping the audio, the video should be forced to include ads and an iTunes link — no harm, no foul.

But for now, I hope WMG realizes that a Cee-Lo fan who shares the music with a new audience is not to blame for the music industry’s problems.

But now, a Google job posting, spotted by Gamasutra, seeks an engineer to “build the next generation game-console-based TV experience with You Tube video content” and “integrate and optimize with distribution channels and devices including all major game platforms.”

In other words, we might someday see a native YouTube app for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and maybe even Nintendo’s Wii.

YouTube already has a couple of websites optimized for the television screen. The first is YouTube XL, which lets you select videos from a sidebar menu and a scrolling list of thumbnails. There’s also YouTube Leanback, a more passive and serendipitous experience that runs a continuous feed of curated playlists. Both sites can be navigated by keyboard and have a simple search-by-text utility.

As it stands, the Playstation 3′s Web browser can access YouTube XL, but not Leanback. (I got the following message when trying to load the latter: ”We’re sorry, PS3 doesn’t support YouTube Leanback yet, but we’re working on it!”) The Wii’s web browser can only access a special Wii-friendly YouTube interface, and the videos are choppy and slow. The Xbox 360 has no Web browser, so it can’t get to YouTube at all.

There’s clearly an opportunity for YouTube to do more with game consoles. In addition to needing an interface that’s centered around thumbsticks and buttons, I’d like to see an even greater focus on curation, with playlists for professional content such as TED talks and Red vs. Blue. That’s something I’d want for YouTube Leanback in general, but a push into game consoles could be the catalyst.

Here’s the listing if you think you’re Google material.

But unlike Ed, I’m not lamenting cable companies’ stonewalling of the channel because, well, I don’t subscribe to cable. Still, I get the desire to watch Al Jazeera English’s coverage on a television, so I’m glad Roku has stepped in with a solution for its set-top boxes. Roku owners can now tap into Al-Jazeera English’s live feed through the Newscaster app in the Roku Channel Store.

That’s a pretty nice development for web video in general. One of the common complaints with cord-cutting is that you lose access to 24-hour news networks such as CNN or Fox News, who only make their feeds available to pay TV subscribers. Al-Jazeera English provides a good workaround, albeit one that won’t give you national news coverage if you’re in the United States.

In addition to Roku, YouTube is now running a live feed of Al-Jazeera English, potentially allowing the Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and other connected TVs and set-top boxes to access the channel. I’ll be able to test that out on the two consoles’ web browsers in an hour or so, and will update with the results. (Update: No luck with the YouTube feed on Playstation 3 or Wii, but I did get the feed from Al-Jazeera’s own website running in the PS3′s web browser.)

You’ll see the DivX HIQ option right below YouTube’s Start and pause button.

Among other things, DivX HIQ:

• Reduces dropouts indicated by that rotating circle you often see when Flash is downloading the streaming video. The stream is definitely smoother.

• Reduces CPU use, making it ideal for notebook and netbook users, because you’ll save battery life.

• Has a better looking maximized viewing window, plus a nifty, smaller pop-out window you can move to anywhere on your screen.

• Optionally saves YouTube videos automatically to your hard drive.

One thing not to try is DivX’s offer to permanently substitute itself for YouTube’s default player — at least until DivX HiQ is out of beta. For now, I’ve noticed that YouTube’s player sometimes starts first and runs for a few seconds before DivX HiQ kicks in.

Click on DivX HIQ for a smoother ride.

Watch the DivX HiQ product manager take you through an introduction and demo some features. [Thanks, Roger.]

[This post is excerpted from Steve's TechBite newsletter. If you liked it, head here to sign up--it's delivered on Wednesdays to your inbox, and it's free.]