Orb Networks have launched a new app for Android that allows you to stream internet video from Hulu, ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX, and other TV networks to your phone or tablet without paying for a Hulu Plus subscription. Orb Live can also stream content from Netflix, but you’ll need a Netflix subscription, and if you have one of those you’re probably better off using the official Netflix app as long as you have a supported device.

The only catch is that in order for the $9.99 Orb Live app to do its thing you’ll need to download and install an app on your Windows or Mac PC. That’s because Orb uses your PC to grab the video from the internet, transcode it to a mobile-friendly format and beam it to your device.

Orb Live can also stream local photos, videos, and music from your computer to your mobile device.

The Android app works much like the Orb Live app that launched for iOS in July.

One downside to using Orb Live is that you’ll need to leave your PC running all the time if you want to be able to stream media to your phone or tablet. Another is that the Orb Live service is pretty CPU-intensive, so you’ll need a reasonably powerful computer unless you want choppy video streams.

Orb Live is available as a free download from the Android Market.

The good news is that CNN is now broadcasting its 24-hour live news channel over the internet for free. You can tune in on a desktop web browser or using an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. The bad (but not particularly surprising) news is that you’ll need to be a paid TV subscriber to use the service.

If you go to CNN.com/video and click the Live button, you’ll see a key icon that says “Unlock to watch.” In order to unlock, you need to provide your account information for your cable, satellite, or other premium TV provider such as Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-Verse.

That makes sense, since CNN and television providers work out deals worth an awful lot of money. But considering just how much news CNN and other news outlets offers for free on its website — and the fact that there are commercials embedded in the live stream, it’d be nice to see the network come up with a way to offer a stream for non-subscribers.

If you’re not a cable subscriber — or if you have an Android device, you can always get live news coverage from Al Jazeera English.

The good news is that the BBC has finally released an official BBC News app for Android. The bad news is that unlike the networks' iOS app which is available internationally, the BBC News app for Android is only available to UK residents at the moment. The (other) good news is that an international version is on the way.

If you happen to be one of the folks who can download the app, you can read the latest stories, view full-screen articles and videos, sort stories by subject, and even personalize your homescreen using the edit function to add or remove categories.

BBC News is available for Android 1.6 and up, but if you happen to have be running Android 2.2 or later with support for Adobe Flash you can also watch live streams of the BBC News channel. My guess is that’s the reason the app isn’t available outside of the UK yet. The lisense fee paid by British television viewers funds the BBC, so you typically have to be in the UK to view live content from the network.

My guess is that when the international version of the app hits the Android Market, live streaming won’t be an option.

DirecTV may have been the first US television provider to announce plans to provide HBO GO mobile video apps for iOS and Android, but it won’t be the only company to do so. In a video teaser posted on YouTube, HBO promises that HBO GO will soon be available on smartphones and tablets as well as laptops.

The short video gives us a decent look at the upcoming iPad app and a brief glimpse at an Android smartphone app.

The app will let HBO subscribers view every episode of HBO programs, as well as movies. The iPad app appears to have a touch-friendly grid or programs to choose from, with tabs for all shows, features episodes, and  family shows. Movies can be sorted alphabetically or by genre or you can view featured videos or collections.

It sounds like a great value-added feature for HBO subscribers. I’d love to see HBO offer a subscription option for people who don’t want to sign up for an expensive cable plan just to watch the latest episodes of True Blood and Boardwalk Empire though.

You can check out the video after the break.

via NewTeeVee

As expected, Sony has launched a Crackle video app for iOS, and it’s actually pretty nice. While Crackle may not have the same kind of following (or deep content library) as Netflix or Hulu, the service does have a decent range of movies and TV shows to choose from. Now you can watch them for free on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

The service is ad-supported, which means you’ll need to sit through a 30 second ad before starting your Seinfeld or Jackie Chan Adventures episodes. The app also has an annoying way of showing you yet-another-ad if you exit a video and then try to resume — even if you just finished watching one.

That said, it’s hard to argue with the price. The Crackle app also has some decent films to choose from. You won’t find any current blockbusters, but you can watch Ghostbusters, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, The DaVinci Code, Dr. Strangelove, and dozens of other titles.

Crackle is available as a free download from the App Store.

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Sports network ESPN has launched a new app called WatchESPN which lets users watch live programming from ESPN, EPN2, EPNU, and ESPN.com on an iPhone or iPod touch. An iPad version is also in the works, but it’s not due out until next month.

The full WatchESPN experience is currently only available for Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV, and Bright House Networks customers. Verizon High Speed Internet customers can access ESPN3 content as well.

The app features a program guide and search function, but the main feature is live streaming of sporting events and news programs.

ESPN says it’s working on apps for other smartphones and tablets as well.

via Engadget

Leave it to Cablevision… True to form, the company has thrown caution to the wind and launched the full fledged iPad app cable subscribers have been waiting for. It offers more than 300 channels of live television and more than 2,000 titles of video on demand content with more on the way.

The app also offers a searchable program guide, the ability to schedule DVR recordings, parental controls, and closed captioning.

While other television providers attempt broker deals and succumb to studio pressure, Cablevision has simply opened the firehose. Your iPad is your television. As with any set-top box, content is delivered from Cablevision’s head end into one’s home and doesn’t rely on Internet delivery.

Cablevision’s Optimum for iPad is available as a free download from iTunes, although you’ll clearly need to be a Cablevision subscriber to use the app.

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While Comcast was first to announce their intentions to bring live cable television to the iPad, Time Warner Cable is first to execute with the release of TWCable TV. The free app lets Time warner customers view about 30 select cable TV channels over a home WiFi connection, including Bravo, Food Network, and CNBC. More channels will be available later.

But DISH Network would like to remind us that they were the first provider to offer live (and recorded) content via their Slingbox-enabled VIP 922 DVR. But it’s a bit of a trade off. They provide access to all channels from within and beyond the home, yet it’s potentially a kludgy experience. (And the more attention they get, the more likely it is that the studios will object to that unlicensed placeshifting beyond the home.)

TWC’s iPad app looks pretty smooth by comparison and content is streamed directly from their servers, so you don’t need a special set top box and you don’t have to sacrifice a TV tuner on your home theater system to watch TV on your iPad.

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