Posts Tagged: videos
Microsoft’s AI tool can turn photos into realistic videos of people talking and singing
Microsoft Research Asia has unveiled a new experimental AI tool called VASA-1 that can take a still image of a person — or the drawing of one — and an existing audio file to create a lifelike talking face out of them in real time. It has the ability to generate facial expressions and head motions for an existing still image and the appropriate lip movements to match a speech or a song. The researchers uploaded a ton of examples on the project page, and the results look good enough that they could fool people into thinking that they’re real.
While the lip and head motions in the examples could still look a bit robotic and out of sync upon closer inspection, it’s still clear that the technology could be misused to easily and quickly create deepfake videos of real people. The researchers themselves are aware of that potential and have decided not to release “an online demo, API, product, additional implementation details, or any related offerings” until they’re sure that their technology “will be used responsibly and in accordance with proper regulations.” They didn’t, however, say whether they’re planning to implement certain safeguards to prevent bad actors from using them for nefarious purposes, such as to create deepfake porn or misinformation campaigns.
The researchers believe their technology has a ton of benefits despite its potential for misuse. They said it can be used to enhance educational equity, as well as to improve accessibility for those with communication challenges, perhaps by giving them access to an avatar that can communicate for them. It can also provide companionship and therapeutic support for those who need it, they said, insinuating the VASA-1 could be used in programs that offer access to AI characters people can talk to.
According to the paper published with the announcement, VASA-1 was trained on the VoxCeleb2 Dataset, which contains “over 1 million utterances for 6,112 celebrities” that were extracted from YouTube videos. Even though the tool was trained on real faces, it also works on artistic photos like the Mona Lisa, which the researchers amusingly combined with an audio file of Anne Hathaway’s viral rendition of Lil Wayne’s Paparazzi. It’s so delightful, it’s worth a watch, even if you’re doubting what good a technology like this can do.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-ai-tool-can-turn-photos-into-realistic-videos-of-people-talking-and-singing-070052240.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
How to download videos from X, previously Twitter
X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, lets users download videos from its website. This feature has been live since August 2023, when Twitter owner Elon Musk personally announced the feature via — how else? — an X post. Before you attempt to download the first video you see in your feed, though, know that there are a few limitations in place. First, the creator must explicitly allow downloads for the content they post. (That means, try as you might, you won't be able to download Engadget videos. Sorry.)
Also, as you might expect, given Elon Musk's push for paid subscribers, the ability to save videos from the website is only available to verified users — i.e., mainly people who pay for a Blue subscription.
A verified user can download content by tapping the ellipsis (…) menu on the upper right corner of the screen when a video is in full screen mode. Musk also said that X will soon make it easy to download videos on mobile simply by tapping and holding the content on the screen.
Previously, people have had to use to third-party websites and apps to be able to save videos. Of course, non-paying users still have to use those tools if they want to download content from X. That doesn't come as a surprise, seeing as the company has been releasing new features specifically for paying members while making the website less usable for the rest of its userbase. It announced in July that it will limit the number of DMs non-paying users can send to address its spam issues, and it also previously limited the number of posts non-verified users can see to 600 a day.
Meanwhile, X gave verified users the ability to publish posts with up to 25,000 characters and allowed them to post videos up to three hours in length. More recently, it also gave Blue subscribers the option to hide their blue checkmark in case they don't want to make it obvious that they're paying for the service. For those interested to see how X has evolved since Elon Musk took over Twitter, company CEO Linda Yaccarino has just published the list of changes it has implemented right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-blue-subscribers-can-now-download-videos-from-the-website-065336710.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
These 6 AI features on Google’s Pixel 8 series will improve your photos, videos, and life experience
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are already up for pre-order from $ 699 and $ 999 respectively with the Tensor G3 chipset providing the grunt. There’s a lot going on under the hood in terms of software, thanks to Google leveraging its use of AI with its newest flagships, adding or improving a number of enhancements […]
Come comment on this article: These 6 AI features on Google’s Pixel 8 series will improve your photos, videos, and life experience
Watch all of Apple’s Wonderlust videos right here
Apple has released a bunch of videos introducing the new iPhones and Apple Watches that landed on Tuesday. You can watch them all here.
Digital Trends
Great for watching videos, this Samsung tablet is on sale for $200
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, featuring a 10.5-inch Full HD screen that’s great for watching streaming content, is on sale from Best Buy for an affordable $ 200.
Digital Trends
How to download YouTube videos on PC, iOS, Android, and Mac
Our guide will teach you how to download YouTube videos on PC, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Mac, and educate you on the ethicacy of doing so.
Digital Trends
Nike Training Club workout videos coming to Netflix on December 30th
Netflix announced today that Nike Training Club workout videos are heading to the streaming service. The first batch of videos will be available for all Netflix subscribers starting on December 30th.
Nike Training Club videos were previously exclusive to the iOS and Android app, which guides users through workout programs and wellness strategies. Nike says it will upload over 30 hours of videos to Netflix, released in two parts and available in 10 languages. Before arriving on Netflix, the only way to watch them on a big screen was to connect your phone to a TV, either through an HDMI cable or wirelessly with AirPlay or a Chromecast. Considering the limitations of working out while staring at a phone screen, starting a video from Netflix should give you one less excuse to avoid exercising (while helping Nike expand the app’s reach).
The first collection includes five programs spread across 46 videos. “Kickstart Fitness with the Basics” (13 episodes), “Two Weeks to a Stronger Core” (seven episodes), “Fall in Love with Vinyasa Yoga” (six episodes), “HIT & Strength with Tara” (14 episodes) and “Feel-Good Fitness” (six episodes) all arrive at the end of December. A second batch will arrive in 2023. Once the series is available, you can find them in a Nike collection on Netflix or by searching for “Nike.”
Nike Training Club was among the first high-profile mobile apps when it launched in 2009. It asks you to input your fitness goals and then uses workout videos, customized warmups, tips and motivation to help you stay on track. The service added Apple Watch support in 2018 and adaptive workouts for people with disabilities earlier this year.
Twitter now lets you put GIFs, images, and videos in one tweet
Twitter released an update that now allows users to combine GIFs, images, and videos in a single tweet.
Android | Digital Trends
All of the Far Out videos released by Apple today
Apple has dropped a bunch of videos highlighting all of the goodies unveiled at its Far Out event on Wednesday. You can watch them here.
Wearables | Digital Trends
How to download YouTube videos on an iPhone or iPad
There are several ways to save YouTube videos for offline viewing. We show you how to download videos to your iPhone so you can hang on to your favorites.
Mobile | Digital Trends
The best FPV drone videos of all time
Check out the some of the best FPV drone videos you’re ever likely to see, created by incredible pilots at the top of their game.
Emerging Tech | Digital Trends
YouTube Premium subscribers can now download videos on desktop browsers
YouTube is running a new experiment where users can finally download its videos on their desktop browsers without the need for insecure third-party apps or sites. The new ability is available via the Labs section on YouTube for Premium subscribers only. Besides being limited to YouTube Premium subscribers, the download on desktop feature is in […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube Premium subscribers can now download videos on desktop browsers
[Deal] Say goodbye to jittery videos with Zhiyun’s foldable Smooth-X Gimbal Stabilizer for just $42
How many times have you recorded a video of a special moment only to discover that it’s a shaky mess when you play it back? A gimbal stabilizer is a great way to create a smooth and steady video but its size makes it somewhat cumbersome to carry around the whole time. This is where […]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Say goodbye to jittery videos with Zhiyun’s foldable Smooth-X Gimbal Stabilizer for just $ 42
You can now move your Facebook Photos and Videos to Google Photos in the US and Canada
Back in December we told you of a tool allowing you to transfer your Facebook photos to other platforms. Well it is now starting to roll out with users in the US and Canada able to use the data transfer tool to move their Facebook photos to Google Photos starting today. The tool is part […]
Come comment on this article: You can now move your Facebook Photos and Videos to Google Photos in the US and Canada
Ring confirms it fired four employees for watching customer videos
Engadget RSS Feed
Android 11 might allow you to record bigger videos than ever
2019 was a great year for Android photography. We saw faster cameras that took better low-light pictures, and tons of competitive options even make their way into more affordable devices. Android photography is in a great place, but video recording is something that still leaves a bit to be desired. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 takes a […]
Come comment on this article: Android 11 might allow you to record bigger videos than ever
Google Photos is testing zooming in on videos
Google has added quite a few new features to Google Photos lately. Manual face tagging, yet another messaging service, and more have all come in just the last few months, making this one of Google’s most well-supported apps ever. 2020 isn’t going to slow that down, either. A new feature is hinted at in the […]
Come comment on this article: Google Photos is testing zooming in on videos
Queen and YouTube Present Three New Fan Music Videos for ‘You Are the Champions’ Campaign
More Than 10,000 Fans From Over 120 Countries Helped Create New Fan Music Videos for Queen’s Iconic Songs: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “A Kind Of Magic”
In celebration of “Bohemian Rhapsody” becoming the the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on YouTube, Queen and YouTube Music worked together with Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records to enlist the band’s loyal fans from around the world to help create brand-new, user generated fan music videos for three of the band’s most recognizable tracks: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “A Kind Of Magic” as part of the You Are The Champions initiative.
More than 10,000 fans from over 120 countries around the world answered the call, submitting unique content via the YouAreTheChampions.com microsite, with each video focusing on one of three submission categories. The result is one of the world’s biggest musical collaborations: including a musician/singer performance-based video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” an entire dance-based video for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and a montage of bespoke work from visual artists for “A Kind of Magic.”
A true celebration of the band’s unique connection with their fans around the world, the videos show the band represented by multiple generations from every continent. To celebrate the launch of the videos, Queen’s Roger Taylor said, “Glad you could all join us. Welcome.”
Brian May said, “It’s one of the most rewarding things that can happen to an artist of any kind—to see that our work has inspired folk all around the world to create their own performances and visual art is a thrill. And the diversity of their vision is astonishing. Big thanks to everyone who participated.”
More below about the new fan-created music videos!
“Don’t Stop Me Now”: Polly Bennett, the choreographer who worked with Rami Malek for the film Bohemian Rhapsody, created a unique dance for fans to learn and film for this classic Queen song. More than 1,800 videos were submitted from individuals, groups, ballerinas, ice skaters and a few Freddie Mercury impersonators as well. The final video resulted in a choreographed performance with fans from all over the world dancing together as one.
“Bohemian Rhapsody”: Musicians and singers from around the globe were asked to submit footage of themselves performing the song and more than 5,400 from 110 countries answered the call, including harpists, classical musicians, a bassoonist and even a group of xylophonists! The result is a layering of performances from fans all over the world, playing and singing in unison to recreate the iconic track.
“A Kind Of Magic”: Visual artists submitted individual artwork in the medium of their choosing to depict the lyrics and melody of this iconic song. 2,773 artists from 92 countries submitted for the video, and the end result is a visual symphony of fan art that pays homage to the song’s lyrics and diverse representations of the band’s members dreamed in paint, animation, graphic designs, sand, flowers, and more. Check out the final videos, along with Queen’s catalog of classics on Queen’s official YouTube channel.
Roland’s app can sync four iPhones to shoot multi-camera videos
Engadget RSS Feed
Motorola has a solution for everyone that refuses to turn their phone to record smartphone videos
Smartphones have revolutionized the video industry, but it hasn’t all been positive. Being able to capture video anywhere, anytime is excellent, and you can even get really creative with some smartphone videography, but some people refuse to hold their phone properly when recording video. Yep, I’m talking about people that record something important, and they […]
Come comment on this article: Motorola has a solution for everyone that refuses to turn their phone to record smartphone videos
Queen launches ‘You Are The Champions’ campaign, giving fans a chance to star in three new user-generated videos on YouTube
Queen — in partnership with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records —has launched “You Are The Champions,” a unique new campaign that gives fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in three brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks. The campaign launched to celebrate Queen’s iconic music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” becoming the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on YouTube.
Speaking from the band’s current sold-out North American tour, founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that Bohemian Rhapsody has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to youarethechampions.com to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
As part of the campaign, musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of “A Kind of Magic.” And, finally, dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”).
“I was so happy to be asked to choreograph for this initiative,” said famed movement director and choreographer, Bennett. “Rami (Malek) and I spent a lot of time moving to Queen’s music while filming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ so I’m thrilled to encourage the world to do the same. Get dancing! I can’t wait to see what you make.”
In addition to the three music videos created by user content, a fourth video for “We Will Rock You” will re-create the song’s iconic BOOM BOOM CLAP using a collage of sporting event sounds. As a result, the new version will live as a sonic homage to the song’s energized relationship with sports.
Fans can visit youarethechampions.com to find out more and add their submissions* through August 18 by 11:59 p.m. ET. The final videos will be available on Queen’s official YouTube channel this fall.
*Terms and Conditions for UGC submissions here.
YouTube Music now lets listeners switch seamlessly between audio and music videos
Imagine listening to a new track by your favorite artist in the YouTube Music app and having the ability to seamlessly switch over to watch the music video — no pauses, no interruptions, just a simple transition that keeps the music flowing. That’s exactly what we’re introducing! Today, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers can now make a seamless transition between a song and its music video for uninterrupted listening and watching.
Switching between songs and music videos is as simple as the tap of a button. Users will notice a video button at the top of the screen as they start listening to a song, and with a simple tap, they can instantly start watching the music video or flip back to the audio at the same point in the track.
This new feature simplifies listening to songs and watching videos, plus more!
- Discovering new music videos is easier than ever before. From recent mega-hits to deep cuts, if a song has a video, YouTube Music will surface a video button so switching between audio and visuals is just one click away.
- YouTube Music has perfectly time-matched over five million official music videos to their respective audio tracks, so no matter when or how often you flip back and forth between the two, you won’t miss a beat.
- When you flip from video to song, say goodbye to the other sounds that go with the music video — like those long introductions — and enjoy the song as it was intended.
- Not into music videos? We’ve got you covered. To stick to songs 100% of the time, visit your settings and turn off the music video option by toggling “Don’t play music videos” to the “on” position.
Whether you’re listening to your favorites or checking out new releases, your music experience just got way more interactive. To check out flipping between song and video, along with all the other great features, download the YouTube Music app for Android or iOS, and start your trial of YouTube Music Premium.
Brandon Bilinski, Product Manager, YouTube Music. He’s recently been listening to “Happier” by Marshmello & Bastille.
Backing up pictures and videos with Google Photos
There’s no denying you have way too many pictures and videos stored on your phone or tablet. Who’s really carrying around a dedicated camera these days? We all just use our mobile devices because of the convenience and image quality. But the potential problem with doing so is that you’ll be filling up internal storage […]
Come comment on this article: Backing up pictures and videos with Google Photos
Giving you more control over your Homepage and Up Next videos
Connecting our users with the content they love is important to us. We want to help viewers find new interests and passions — such as a new favorite artist, a new creator they can follow or simply the best food recipes. But there’s one true expert in what you want to watch: you. One thing we’ve consistently heard from you is that you want more control over what videos appear on your homepage and in Up Next suggestions. So we’re doing more to put you in the driver’s seat. Three specific changes we will be rolling out in the coming days:
- Explore topics and related videos on your Homepage and in Up Next videos: You can now more easily explore topics and related videos — such as baking videos, the latest late-night talk shows or your favorite music genre, and see more of what you love on YouTube. The options that you see are based on your existing personalized suggestions and are meant to help you find what you’re looking for faster. They could be videos related to the one you’re watching, videos published by the channel you’re watching, or other topics which may be of interest to you. This new feature can be found on the homepage when you scroll up, and on Up Next when browsing. It will be available for signed-in users in English on the YouTube app for Android and will be available on iOS, desktop and other languages soon.
- Remove suggestions from channels you don’t want to watch: Although we try our best to suggest videos you’ll enjoy, we don’t always get it right, so we are giving you more controls for when we don’t. We’ve now made it simple for you to tell us to stop suggesting videos from a particular channel. Just tap the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage or Up Next, then “Don’t recommend channel.” After that, you should no longer see videos from that channel suggested to you on YouTube. You may still be able to find them if you subscribe, search for them, or visit the channel page or Trending tab. This new feature is available globally on the YouTube app for Android and iOS today, and will be available on desktop soon.
|
- Learn more about why a video may be suggested to you: Finally, sometimes, we recommend videos from channels you haven’t seen before based on what other viewers with similar interests have liked and watched in the past. When we’re suggesting videos based on this, you’ll now see more information underneath the video in a small box. Our goal is to explain why these videos surface on your homepage in order to help you find videos from new channels you might like. This new feature is available globally on the YouTube app for iOS today, and will be available on Android and desktop soon.
 |
We hope you’ll find that these new features help you navigate the incredible breadth of content available on YouTube and more easily find great videos to watch. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Essam El-Dardiry, Product Manager, YouTube
YouTube declines to pull videos containing homophobic, racist attacks
Engadget RSS Feed
YouTube Music now offers YouTube Charts: Keep up with the hottest songs and music videos in the world
Looking to check out the top most-played songs this week on YouTube, the most-viewed music videos, or see what’s trending? We’ve got you covered! Fans can now easily access YouTube Charts as playlists that will appear on users’ home screens or by search. It’s ALL here and easy to find, watch and listen to what’s popular, rising and trending both locally and globally — all within YouTube Music.
Every country — all 29 markets — will get five charts playlists: three specific to their country and two global lists. Fans can also add their favorite charts to their library so they can stay up-to-date on what’s trending on the platform.
YouTube Charts are the go-to destination to see what music is hot on YouTube and now include the following within YouTube Music:
Top 100 Songs: The most played songs on YouTube (global and local charts available)
The Top Songs chart combines the number of views of a song on YouTube (including the official music video, official song used in user-generated content and lyric videos). The Top Songs chart is updated weekly on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST. Each country will get both a global and country-specific version of this chart. This week, the U.S. list is topped by “thank u, next,” followed by Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE (feat Drake)” and Halsey’s “Without Me.”
Top 100 Music Videos: The most viewed music videos (global and local charts available)
The Top Music Videos chart goes beyond the song and gives fans the chance to dive into the most viewed official music videos on the platform. Top Videos is updated weekly on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST. Each country will get both a global and country-specific version of this chart. This week, the U.S. list is topped by the same two tracks as the songs list, with Nicki Minaj at #3 with “Good Form ft. Lil Wayne.”
Top 20 Trending (local chart)
The new Trending chart is updated multiple times a day to provide a unique, real-time view of the hottest new music fans are enjoying in a specific country. The Trending chart is YouTube’s first dedicated external signal of the most-viewed new music on the platform, providing an instant snapshot of what is driving music culture. Ariana Grande completes her clean sweep in the U.S. this week, with XXXTENTACION’s “Guardian angel” and Kodak Black’s “Calling My Spirit” rounding out the top 3.
The charts, currently topped globally by Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” are the most accurate reflection of what’s happening in music culture and based purely on the number of views from more than 1 billion global music fans on YouTube each month. Full details about how YouTube charts are calculated can be found here.
Elliott Breece, Product Manager at YouTube Music, recently listened to “If It Isn’t Love”
Ask Engadget: Which USB-C mic will improve my vacation videos?
Engadget RSS Feed
[TA Deals] Download your favorite videos with a discounted PullTube license!
Streaming services are great, but sometimes you don’t have a reliable connection or you just really want your videos offline. That can be hard to do without knowing what you’re doing, but that’s where PullTube comes in. Right now we’re offering a lifetime license for PullTube, a program that will effortlessly save your favorite videos […]
Come comment on this article: [TA Deals] Download your favorite videos with a discounted PullTube license!
You will soon be able to download your photos and videos directly from Instagram
One of the great frustrations about Instagram is the inability to download the photos and videos (or any other information) you’ve uploaded to the social media app. Unlike Facebook with its Download Your Information tool, Instagram doesn’t have that option unless you are willing to use a third-party app, although this could be about to […]
Come comment on this article: You will soon be able to download your photos and videos directly from Instagram
Wireless mic Mikme brings high-end sound to mobile videos
There are plenty of portable audio recorders and microphones on the market, but MikMe goes a step beyond all of them. It's a compact wireless microphone that synchronizes with an iPhone app, allowing you to make quick mobile videos with high-quality…
Engadget RSS Feed
Facebook slips a screen-sharing feature into Live videos
Facebook has quietly launched a new feature for Live videos that makes sharing your screen a painless experience. Instead of downloading a third-party service, you can now simply click the "Share Screen" button that appears once you enter the Live mo…
Engadget RSS Feed
New Facebook Watch platform for videos coming up next
Facebook has announced their next platform to be released, a video streaming service called Watch. Many are pointing to the new Watch as being Facebook’s answer to YouTube TV, although Facebook says they are capitalizing on their own success with making video available on their platform. Watch will serve as a hub to help users find […]
Come comment on this article: New Facebook Watch platform for videos coming up next
Introducing a new way to share YouTube videos
Remember the first time you heard the opening beats of “Despacito”? Your ears perked up, your foot unconsciously tapping beneath the table. Like every “Despacito” loving person before you, you can’t help but dance, and when you’d finally caught your breath, you had to share it with all your friends. It would be wrong to keep something this good to yourself. And that means you had to copy and paste a link into an email, social or messaging app to share that moment.
But like chats around the water cooler, shouldn’t sharing a video be as easy as saying, “Have you heard this new song?” We’ve been experimenting with a better way to share videos on YouTube since last year. Thanks to all your feedback, we made some improvements and are now ready to roll out this new sharing feature to all users globally.
Starting today, you can share videos with your friends and family directly on YouTube. Not only can you share and receive videos in the app, you can also chat about them right on YouTube, reply with another video, invite others to the conversation, and more. We think it’ll make sharing easier, faster and more fun on your phone. And if you want to continue sharing videos through other apps, you can still do that too.
These shared videos all live in a brand new tab on your YouTube mobile app, making it easier than ever to catch up on videos your friends have shared or to show them a few of your own favorites.
Start a group, share your favorite “Despacito” version and make a friend dance!
Benoît de Boursetty, Product Manager, recently shared “A new way to share on YouTube.”
Facebook is bringing gaming videos to the living room
Facebook is determined to become a destination for gaming videos, and that includes when you're lounging on the couch. It's adding a dedicated gaming tab to its TV app that will highlight videos from the games, developers, eSports teams and personali…
Engadget RSS Feed
Enjoy your personal concert with VR videos on YouTube
Any music fan will tell you, there’s nothing better than seeing your favorite band live. But if you’re one of the millions of people who can’t make it to a show, YouTube is giving you the next best thing. We’re working with some amazing artists to bring you live performances and music videos in VR.
And today Gorillaz – hailed by “The Guinness Book Of World Records” as the planet’s Most Successful Virtual Act – have announced their return with the release of a new video directed by Jamie Hewlett, featuring four tracks from their highly anticipated forthcoming album “Humanz.” The epic six-minute animated film – titled “Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)” – provides an extraordinary cutting-edge VR experience to include the track “Saturnz Barz” in full, plus highlights of “Ascension,” “Andromeda” and “We Got The Power.” You can check it out here fresh from the oven.
With these new immersive experiences, you can transport yourself to top music festivals and killer concerts, without having to deal with the crowds. This weekend, you can check out Ultra Music Festival live, with a set from Hardwell live streaming in 360 degrees. And you can already experience highlights from Coachella on YouTube, without having to bear the heat of the desert.
We’ve also been working with some of your favorite artists to experiment with new ways to tell the story behind their songs and allow you to be immersed in the video. Sit next to Sampha on the piano bench while he performs “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano.” Step into Hunter Hayes’ recording studio as he builds each musical component of his current single, “Yesterday’s Song.” Check out Young The Giant’s latest single, “Silvertongue,” as though you were in the audience. Watch The Naked & Famous official music video for “Higher” shot at the YouTube Space LA. And you can use VR to travel behind the scenes, too. Check out Florida Georgia Line as they shoot “May We All” at the Tennessee National Raceway in Hohenwald.
You can watch these videos using the YouTube VR app available on Daydream or with Google Cardboard. If you don’t have a headset, don’t worry, you can still get the 360-degree video experience on your mobile phone or desktop. It’ll be like you’re virtually there with your favorite band.
Vivien Lewit, Global Head Artist Relations, recently watched “The Range – Florida (Official 360° Video).”
Step into the games with new VR videos
YouTube’s become a global destination for people who love watching gaming videos. And we want to take gamers’ viewing experience a step further by exploring how VR videos can put them right at the center of the action. That’s why we partnered with gaming creators and publishers to experiment with the production of 360 and VR videos. What’s come out of those experiments, from “League of Legends” to “Minecraft,” was pretty exciting.
From Let’s Play to trailers, there’s a really wide range of gaming content on YouTube, and a lot of these different style videos are now also becoming available in VR. You can check out gameplay from global creators as well as gaming-themed live action videos celebrating games like “Call of Duty.”
Game publishers are also getting involved in VR gaming videos in a big way, from the immensely popular “Clash of Clans” 360-degree video by Supercell to documentaries uploaded by “World of Tanks” publisher Wargaming. Even eSports organizations are producing content for VR, uploading 360-degree content from top events like the “League of Legends” World Championship Finals.
But what if you just want to chill and watch some gaming-themed entertainment content? We got you covered with videos ranging from the classic “Red vs. Blue” series to Stampy’s “Wonder Quest.”
To give you a taste of gaming experience in VR, check out the playlist above for some of our favorite videos so far. It’s a good cross section of the kind of gaming videos we offer in VR, many of which can make you feel like you’re standing inside the game itself. You can watch these videos using the YouTube VR app available on Daydream or with Google Cardboard. If you don’t have a headset, don’t worry, you can still get the 360-degree video experience on your mobile phone or desktop.
Ryan Wyatt, Head of Gaming Content, recently watched “Clash of Clans: Hog Rider 360°.”
Short videos show the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its design
Go ahead, Samsung. Continue teasing the launch of your 2017 flagship. That’s not stopping the Galaxy S8 from leaking in various photographs and videos until the official announcement later this month. People are getting their hands on pre-release units and leaking the Galaxy S8 for looks that you can enjoy early. Today there’s another leak, […]
Come comment on this article: Short videos show the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its design
One billion captioned videos
I envision a future where everything will be captioned, so the more than 300 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing like me will be able to enjoy videos like everyone else. When I was growing up in Costa Rica, there were no closed captions in my first language, and only English movies had Spanish subtitles. I felt I was missing out because I often had to guess at what was happening on the screen or make up my own version of the story in my head. That was where the dream of a system that could just automatically generate high quality captions for any video was born.
Today I am lucky to be making my dream a reality as part of a team at YouTube exploring innovative ways to make captions more available for everyone. Over the years we have made great strides both in terms of the numbers of videos with captions and also in the accuracy of those captions.
Google first launched video captions back in 2006. Three years later these efforts were taken to a whole new level with automated captions on YouTube. This was a big leap forward to help us keep up with YouTube’s growing scale. Fast forward to today, and the number of videos with automatic captions now exceeds a staggering 1 billion. Moreover, people watch video with automatic captions more than 15 million times per day.
One of the ways that we were able to scale the availability of captions was by combining Google’s automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology with the YouTube caption system to offer automatic captions for videos. There were limitations with the technology that underscored the need to improve the captions themselves. Results were sometimes less than perfect, prompting some creators to have a little fun at our expense!
A major goal for the team has been improving the accuracy of automatic captions — something that is not easy to do for a platform of YouTube’s size and diversity of content. Key to the success of this endeavor was improving our speech recognition, machine learning algorithms, and expanding our training data. All together, those technological efforts have resulted in a 50 percent leap in accuracy for automatic captions in English, which is getting us closer and closer to human transcription error rates.
 |
| Automatic captions example from our previous model |
 |
| Automatic captions example from our current model |
Continuing to improve the accuracy of captions remains an important goal going forward, as does the need to keep growing beyond 1 billion automatic captions. We also want to extend that work to all of our ten supported languages. But we can’t do it alone. We count on the amazing YouTube community of creators and viewers everywhere. Ideally, every video would have an automatic caption track generated by our system and then reviewed and edited by the creator. With the improvements we’ve made to the automated speech recognition, this is now easier than ever.
I know from firsthand experience that if you build with accessibility as a guiding force, you make technology work for everyone.
Liat Kaver, product manager, recently watched “27 Things You Might Not Know about Star Wars – mental_floss List Show Ep. 450” with automatic caption track.
How to play YouTube videos in the background on iOS and Android
Playing YouTube videos in the background can be a real chore. Thankfully, apps such as Safari and Firefox — along with the premium offerings like YouTube Red — make it easy to do on your mobile device.
The post How to play YouTube videos in the background on iOS and Android appeared first on Digital Trends.
NFL loosens its policies on teams posting GIFs and videos
The NFL's current rules social media posts have been rather draconian, even after a recent rethink. Football teams couldn't post any video during the game window until the NFL made a sanctioned clip available on its servers, and they couldn't create…
Engadget RSS Feed
How to save your Vine videos before they disappear forever
If you’re one of the millions of Vine users, you might be disappointed to hear that the popular service is shutting down in the near future. Thankfully, there is a way to save your videos before they disappear forever.
The post How to save your Vine videos before they disappear forever appeared first on Digital Trends.
True colors: adding support for HDR videos on YouTube
We believe in the power of video at YouTube. It’s what allows for the creativity, connection, and fun that brings together our community of creators and viewers. And over the last 11 years, we’ve worked hard to push the boundaries of online video. We’ve added product features and made new video and audio formats available to everyone, from HD to 4K video, live streaming, 3D, 360-degree video, and spatial audio.
Today we are adding support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos on YouTube. HDR videos have higher contrast, revealing precise, detailed shadows and stunning highlights with more clarity than ever. Support for wide color gamut means colors are more vibrant. Simply put, HDR unlocks the most spectacular image quality we’ve ever streamed.
Starting today, you can watch YouTube videos in HDR on supported devices, such as HDR TVs with the new Chromecast Ultra, and soon on all 2016 Samsung SUHD and UHD TVs. If you’re using a device that doesn’t yet support HDR, don’t worry, videos will still play in standard dynamic range. As more HDR devices become available, YouTube will work with partners to enable streaming of the HDR version.
And if you want to watch some amazing content in HDR today, we got you covered. We’ve worked with YouTube creators like MysteryGuitarMan, Jacob + Katie Schwarz, and Abandon Visuals to bring you great content in HDR.
Starting today, any creator can upload HDR videos to YouTube. You can learn more about uploading HDR videos here. To make sure creators can tell awesome stories with even more color, we’ve been working with companies across the industry. We’ve worked with the DaVinci Resolve team to make uploading HDR just as simple as SDR videos to YouTube. We’ve also outfitted the YouTube Spaces in LA and NYC with all the gear needed to produce great HDR content.
HDR adds a whole new dimension of creative freedom and visual spectacle, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of what this means for storytelling. We can’t wait to see the amazing videos you’re going to make with HDR.
Steven Robertson, Software Engineer, recently watched “History of Japan,” and Sanjeev Verma, Product Manager, recently watched “Flaming Wire Wool.”
Second presidential debate-related videos rack up 40 percent more views than the first
Sunday’s highly-anticipated debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew new levels of interest from the YouTube community. The closely watched live debate and on-demand videos surrounding it generated over 124M views since Sunday, representing a 40 percent increase compared to the first presidential debate, which drove 88M views.
Of course many viewers came to YouTube to watch the debate live and we saw over 1.5M peak concurrent viewers, five times higher than the second presidential debate in 2012, and over 2.5M live watch hours, nearly six times higher than 2012.
Those viewers were highly engaged as well. On average, they watched the debate for nearly 25 minutes. And they came from all over the globe. After the U.S., top countries by viewership were: Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain and Vietnam.
While much of the attention was on the debate, commentary continues to be a hot topic on YouTube. Sketches from some of the most popular late night shows were amongst the weekend’s most-viewed videos leading up to the debate. If you’re looking for a laugh after Sunday’s heated debate, check out Jimmy Fallon’s Trump calls Madea and Saturday Night Live’s Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Debate Cold Open.
The final presidential debate is next Wednesday, Oct. 19, and we’ll bring you all the action live on YouTube from Las Vegas, Nev.
Brandon Feldman, YouTube News & Politics, recently watched the second presidential debate.
Elsewhere’s app and glasses make videos pop out in 3D
With $ 50, an iPhone, and a pair of glasses that look like Benjamin Franklin’s bifocals, you can add some depth to your videos, thanks to Elsewhere. The iOS app comes with a pair of spectacles.
The post Elsewhere’s app and glasses make videos pop out in 3D appeared first on Digital Trends.
How to transfer photos, videos, and more with Android Beam
Android Beam has been around since 2011, but no one seems to know about it. It’s an easy way to quickly transfer content between two Android devices. Here’s everything you need to know regarding the feature, including how to properly set it up.
The post How to transfer photos, videos, and more with Android Beam appeared first on Digital Trends.
YouTube’s first live 360-degree videos were little more than tech demos
Last week, YouTube started supporting live 360-degree video streams in a bid for more-immersive video content. Though users have been able to upload and watch 360-degree video for over a year, it's only now that Google is introducing the option to be…
Engadget RSS Feed
Who needs a camera roll? You can now take photos and videos within Flipagram
Flipagram has launched an update to its app that allows you to take photos and videos straight from the app — you’ll no longer have to browse through the camera roll in order to create media for Flipagram.
The post Who needs a camera roll? You can now take photos and videos within Flipagram appeared first on Digital Trends.
An exciting new way to watch 360 videos on YouTube
Over the years, we’ve received thousands of innovative feature requests from our users. But there’s one suggestion we’ve heard over and over again, and today, we’re finally able to make it a reality.
We’re proud to introduce the ability to watch videos on YouTube in 360 degrees —sitting right next to Snoop Dogg.
We call it SnoopaVision.
SnoopaVision is a cutting-edge 360 experience that combines two undeniable trends:
- 360 is the future
- Snoop Dogg
To get started, just click the SnoopaVision icon in the lower right of any video. Try it now for popular videos like “6ft Man in 6ft Giant Water Balloon” and “Double Rainbow Song,” and see the full list at youtube.com/snoopavision.
Sometimes, it’s the most obvious ideas that are the best, and that’s certainly the case with SnoopaVision.
Ben Relles, Head of YouTube Innovation, recently watched “Crazy Mountain Biker with SnoopaVision” in High Definition (which is also the name of Snoop’s new album, coming soon).
Twitch comments for pre-recorded videos are like a slow chatroom
Engadget RSS Feed