At present the content is only from YouTube partners Young Hollywood, Howcast, Rocketboom and Next New Networks, but this isn’t to say in the future YouTube Live Streaming won’t offer channels from major broadcasters.

There’s no plans at present to offer the live broadcast facility to the public at large – lets face it, it would be a nightmare to censor the variety of oddities that would no doubt be on show. However if the trial is a success, YouTube has ambitious plans to roll it out to more partners.

Of course this is great news for those with you with web-enabled TVs like the excellent Panasonic TX-P42G20B plasma and media devices like the cracking LG HB405SU Blu-Ray surround system – with them already having YouTube built-in, they can begin playing the channels right now.

With this development YouTube, and by extension Google, can become major players in the fledgling IPTV world, with YouTube bringing the content and soon Google bringing the Google TV hardware plus the requisite piles and piles of cash.

That’s not the only trick it’s got up its sleeve though, as Sony go all out to provide bloggers with the video cam of their dreams.

The Bloggie Touch is capable of full 1080p MP4 HD video and can also take still images at up to 12.8 megapixels. It comes with either 4GB or 8GB of memory on board, HDMI out and a built in USB ‘arm’.

It also boasts a plethora of aids and features to help you get that video or shot right first time including Steady Shot (yes, it steadies your wobbly hands) and Auto Macro, cleverly switching to a macro focus for objects closer than 4 inches.

A very social Sony Bloggie Touch

Being named Bloggie Touch also means it’s not wanting for social interaction, interfacing with smoothly with Flickr, YouTube, Picasa and Facebook, as well as Sony’s own Personal Space (a sort of free upload profile page from Sony).

Is it the blogger’s perfect video cam? We’ll hold our opinion until we’ve given it a thorough review. It’s got some stiff competition, but it certainly looks to offer all the features a video blogger would need.

The Bloggie Touch release date is scheduled for October 2010 in fetching silver or black, and will be $180 for the 4GB version, $200 for the 8GB (UK prices will be similar, inevitably!).

If you like the look of the Bloggie Touch but you can’t wait that long, check out the original Sony Bloggie with full HD recording a cool swivel lens for self portrait filming. Alternatively there’s also Flip’s cool little Mino camcorder with HD video and Facebook and YouTube uploading.

TV is going through a transformation the likes of which it’s not seen since the birth of Satellite TV.

New Internet TVs don’t just give you a TV with YouTube – they give you a whole new viewing experience that’ll transform your living room.

To guide you through the minefield of the different technologies available, we’ll take a look at 5 televisions that let you connect to that most social of video sites, YouTube.

TVs with YouTube – making the TV social again

Here at MediaMentalism, we’re all about the social. We’re also about the smart technology, but what really gets the MediaMentalism boat afloat is when the smart technology gets with the social.

Everything’s getting in on the act, from cameras that are Flickr friendly to blasting out your favourite tunes with a HiFi and Last.FM. Now even the TV is getting in on the social action, growing network interfaces and talking to the Internet.

Every TV manufacturer is doing things slightly differently though. To help you choose the best way of watching YouTube on your TV, we’ve looked at different models from different manufacturers, grouped according to the main TV tech being used.

Internet-equipped LED TV

Panasonic D25 LED LCD

While Samsung and LG have cornered the public’s eye with catchy adverts, Panasonic have quietly released their own LED LCD screen, the Panasonic D25 series. Keen AV followers will know that any Panasonic TV comes with an impressive heritage and the D25 is no exception.

Using a top-end LED backlit IPS panel, the D25 comes packed with Freesat HD to flex those HD pixels, 4 HDMI sockets, a very cool USB “HDD PVR” function which allows you to record onto a USB hard drive, and finally the all important Ethernet socket. Through this you have access to Viera Link, Panasonic’s web portal, which includes the usual news and weather, and also social elements like YouTube and even Twitter.

Now you can watch dancing mongoose and tell the world without touching a phone or PC!

The Top End 3DTV

Samsung UE40C8000 3D LED TV

Maybe LED is not enough for you, and you crave something that little bit more. Ok, how about the very cutting edge of television technology from one of the world’s biggest names in TVs?

Samsung’s 8000 series sets are not only the de rigeur LED LCD flavour but these uber-TVs have that trick up their sleeve that everyone wants – 3D. Looking stunning in brushed titanium, the 8000 is loaded with a full HD VA LCD screen (better than monitor-type TN LCD), Freeview HD, 4 HDMI sockets, 200hz motionplus and the all important network connection (WiFi optional).

Samsung’s web service is the very-90′s-named internet@tv and it offers an original take on the whole idea with widgets. You can add new widgets to the taskbar on the screen, from BBC iPlayer to Flickr and from Twitter to YouTube. The 8000 even has a Skype widget for video calls on the big screen, very 21st century.

If you are looking for possibly the most Web-aware and technologically advanced TV, the Samsung 8000 series must be at the top of that list.

The 3D LCD Bargain

Samsung LE40C750 3D LCD TV

While Samsung’s 8000 series is at the high end of today’s TVs, it also has a price to match, so in these somewhat frugal days it’s always worth keeping one eye on the cheaper option. Though it may not have the ultra sleek titanium frame and LED technology of its fancy brother, the latest Samsung 7 series LCD TV (the C750) is still getting plenty of praise for its deep black levels, impressive 2D to 3D conversion and great viewing angle.

Still equipped with a raft of socketry (including the now standard 4 HDMI) and Freeview HD, the C750 runs the same internet@tv as it’s bigger brother, so you still get access to cool widgets like YouTube, Lovefilm, Twitter and more, but big screen Skype is kept back for the big boys toys only.

The C750 offers a taste of the big time for small potatoes, so if you’re on a budget, go check it out.

The Refined Plasma TV

Panasonic G20 Plasma

The Plasma vs LCD/LED debate has been going for some time now and shows no sign of stopping. Both have their advantages and their disadvantages – LED TVs are razor thin with a sharp picture, but plasma sets have better black levels and motion handling. Horses, courses!

Panasonic’s G20 series are plasma-based TVs and are one of the best options if you want both plasma technology and YouTube in your new TV with Panasonic Viera Cast. Using Panasonic’s NeoPDP panels (the closest any panel has come to Pioneer Kuro black levels), the G20 packs in a whole lot of tech for a fantastic, lifelike and vibrant image.

A full 1080p display, 4 HDMI inputs, 600hz motion, intelligent frame creation, Freeview HD AND Freesat HD, the G20 has optional WiFi and it’s THX certified so you know it’s been calibrated to motion picture standards.

Another distinct advantage plasma holds over LCD is how well it handles SD video, with LCD tending to be very matter-of-fact and showing all blemishes and noise. Plasma on the other hand will gloss over much of the issues in a similar way to CRT TVs did with video files, smoothing them out and making them look more like regular film.

With YouTube generally being at a lower resolution, plasma may well be the best way to view it on a 42″ screen. Plasma is often (incorrectly) assumed to be old technology, but visit any decent TV showroom or audio visual forum, and you’ll see the enthusiast’s TV of choice will have a plasma screen.

The Cracking Budget Choice

LG 42LD690 LCD TV

LG’s sets have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with excellent budget plasma panels, highly reviewed LCD set and revered top end LED model all doing well. Even though it is the cheapest option here, the LG LD690 is still an excellent HD TV for the money and carries on LG’s good name.

Coming packed with Freeview HD, the LD690 can also boast 3 HDMI inputs, 100hz TruMotion and network connectivity. LG have used that inconspicuous little ethernet socket to give the LD690 DLNA capabilites, allowing you to stream videos from any computers or network drives that are sitting on your home network – no boxes needed.

They’ve also used it for NetCast, LG’s answer to Panasonic’s Viera Cast and Samsung’s internet@tv. Netcast offers the viewer weather reports, photoshare, Skype video calls (soon) and YouTube, all on a 42″ full 1080p high-definition screen.

Significantly, as a majority of Channel 4′s demand service, 4OD, is on YouTube, you can now watch it on demand and in your front room. While LCD may not handle YouTube as gracefully as Plasma, it’s a sharper image with HD sources like consoles and Blu Ray players, and in the LD690′s case, it’s a few hundred pounds cheaper too!

The Clever Box of Tricks

WDTV Live

What if you’ve got a great TV already? Let’s say you’ve spent a few thousand on a 60″ Pioneer Kuro and nothing bests it in your eyes, but you still want to dabble in social media and the web on a big screen, so what’s the answer?

Western Digital’s WDTV Live.

Western Digital’s little box of tricks is not only an excellent networked high definition media player, capable of playing back AVI, WMV and MKV up to 1080p, but it also has the all-important on-line action.

The WDTV Live allows you to access YouTube, Flickr and internet radio from Live365, all up on your big screen. It also has HDMI out and optical digital out to get the best sound out of the little box into your hifi or surround system. The WDTV Live is a great YouTube player with a simple but powerful media player in the package too, and makes a great media hub at a fantastic price.

Summary

Ok, so there you have six ways to get the power of the internet into your front room – and this is just the beginning. The internet and our front rooms are merging, with services like Google TV, Zune Videos on the 360, Apple TV and many more aiming to stream not only YouTube but high definition films into our living rooms over the internet.

Even YouTube itself is going high definition and even 3D, so it’s a very exciting time. The Web can be at your fingertips if you want it – enjoy yourself!

Google claim to have made the site easier to navigate, with bigger, finger friendly buttons, and they even claim it’s a better experience than any device’s native app.

Since YouTube mobile’s launch in 2007, the mobile web has grown exponentially and we are now not only filming on the move, we are expecting to film it in HD and upload it to YouTube without ever seeing a computer. With a cutting-edge device like Samsung’s fantastic Galaxy S on YouTube’s new site, this is entitrely possible.

Check it out (on your iOS or Android handset) at http://m.youtube.com

Obviously this is to show off the PlaySport’s waterproof abilities, as it will work happily in depths of 10 feet or less.

Its usual camera features aren’t too shabby, either – 1080p HD video recording, 2″ colour LCD screen and 5 megapixel camera, all for just £130 ($150) make for a great little device that won’t break the bank.

In addition, the PlaySport will also upload videos and pictures to Facebook and YouTube extremely quickly, making it the perfect camcorder to capture and share your treasured, er, underwater moments!

[Source: Pocket Lint]

The Samsung SMX-F40, SMX-F43 and SMX-F44 camcorders do this via Samsung’s Intelli-studio 2.0 software, which lets you edit, play and upload videos from any PC.

The interesting thing about Intelli-studio 2.0, though, is that all of the software is contained and executed within the camcorder itself. In other words, you don’t need to install any software onto the PC. You simply plug the camcorder into a PC via USB, and start editing, viewing or uploading.

The actual software runs on the camcorder itself, so you don’t need to worry about bringing a CD with you to get the editing software onto the PC you’re planning to use.

This is a nice feature. Not quite as easy as automatically uploading videos to YouTube via WiFi, but at least it cuts down on a lot of hassle, and lets you upload your videos from pretty much anywhere – even Internet cafes – with the minimum of fuss.

The cameras themselves aren’t bad, either. They each offer 65x zoom (52x optical), offer a timelapse recording option, 4 hours of continuous shooting, and capture over 6 hours of video per 16GB SD card. You can also use the camcorders as a digital camera, taking 1.9 megapixel images with 1600×1200 resolution.

Annoyingly, they only 720p HD, but this should at least keep the cost down when they’re launched in February(ish!) 2010.

Whereas today’s digital photo frames will let you view pics (obviously!) and videos, as well as a few other crude apps such as time and a calendar, the Sony Dash displays all your social media applications on a glorious capacitive touchscreen, letting you flick through them easily as if it were an obese touchscreen smartphone.

Sony envisage this as a device for the kitchen, lounge or bedroom (replacing your alarm clock), but with the amount of information it can provide, it’s hard to see how you’ll ever have time to cook or even get up!

More details of the Sony Dash after the jump.

The Sony Dash looks simply gorgeous! Not only does it look great, its interface is superb, and the information it displays is perfect if you’re permanently hooked into your social media lifestream. It really is one of those gadgets that evokes instant gadget lust!

It’s based on the Chumby platform, so supports over 1,000 apps, including all the usual suspects (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc.). You can see the apps in either small gadget mode or full screen, choose which apps you want displayed and where and tailor the device to your own personal preferences however you want.

The Dash has WiFi built-in and pulls in all the info it needs automatically, so you can see new tweets or updates in real-time without having to refresh.

The Dash also features its own speaker, as well as a headphnoe jack, and supports a number of Internet radio services, including Pandora and ShoutCast.

Using the Dash is simplicity itself, as it uses the same touch gestures we’re all used to now. Indeed, we’re so used ot them, it makes you wonder how we ever used gadgets without a touchscreen!

My only concern is just how am I supposed to get out of bed if I had a Dash? I already struggle to tear myself from the TV in the morning before I go to work. I wouldn’t even make it out of bed if my alarm clock also showed me all my friends’ Facebook statuses, tweets and pictures as well!

I can see it being really useful in the kitchen, though, as cooking is terminally dull, and in my perennially distracted state, having real-time updates of all that I’m interested in would be a god-send. No more watching the kettle boil (which apparently it never does while being watched) when you’ve got YouTube to watch instead!

The Sony Dash looks glorious and is seriously tempting for the socially addicted. It’ll cost jsut $199 when it’s released in April, which will make it even more tempting!

[Source: Engadget]

VIERA CAST (apparently the capitals are important!), will give access to a full range of social media apps, which you can watch on the high resolution screen that the new portable Blu-ray players offer.

Seems everyone is stuffing social media apps onto their gadgets theses days, but it’s how easy they are to use that will make or break them. Seeing your tweets on a portable Blu-ray player is one thing, but how easy can it be to write your own tweets from a remote control?!

For its part, VIERA CAST now supports

• Netflix
• Pandora
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Picasa

as well as Fox Sports, Bloomberg news, and Amazon Video on demand. That’s quite a range, so even if text entry is tricky, you’ve at least got easy access to videos and music.

Both portable Blu-ray players feature tonnes of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, an SD Memory card Slot (which can also play back JPEG images and High Definition video), a USB port, Dolby Digital and DTS HD, and VIERA Link, which uses HDMI to control all VIERA Link combatable products with one remote.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung have managed to endow (for that really is the right word!) the CL80 not just with cracking camera optics and all sorts of image improvement trickery, but also a plethora of connectivity options including WiFi, Bluetooth and DLNA. And HDMI. And then they threw in email as well. Oh and auto-uploads to a range of Web apps!

Seriously, the list goes on and on. So I suppose I’d better start then (deep breath!)

Samsung CL80 camera specs

First, the camera. The CL80 offers the following:

• 14 megapixels
• SchneiderKREUZNACH lens
• 720p video recording
• 7x optical zoom
• Digital image stabilization
• Smart face recognition with up to 20 faces
• Smile shot, blink detection, red-eye fix
• Panorama shot
• Object tracking auto focus
• Smart filter

Nothing too amazing there – indeed, it’s not that different from the latest top end camera phones! However, it’s the other features that Samsung have added that make the CL80 a revolutionary camera.

Connectivity

The CL80 is all about connectivity. To that end, Samsung have given it the following features:

• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• DLNA
• HDMI

This means you can view your shots in loads of different ways:

• Connect the CL80 to your HDTV via the HDMI connection and a cable
• Upload the pics to your PC via WiFi and view them there
• If your HDTV supports DLNA and WiFi, you can view the pics on your telly without the need for wires
• Same goes for a DLNA-equipped PC
• Transfer your pics to your digitial photo fram wirelessly (if your photo frame supports WiFi and DLNA)
• Share your photos with your own or your friends’ mobile phones via Bluetooth

One touch uploading to the Web

What if you want to upload your pics to the Web? Nom problem – if you’re in range of a WiFi connection, you can automatically upload them to the following:

• Facebook
• Picasa
• YouTube

Email sharing

Photo sharing Web sites not your thing? Fine, simply email your pictures instead. Yep, not only has the CL80 got an email client built-in, it’s also got a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard, so you can write an email, attach the pic, and send it to whoever you want!

Somebody from Samsung’s mobile phone division obviously walked into the wrong room one day and started working on the CL80 thinking it was Samsung’s latest wonder phone!

Other Features

I’ve still not finished, though. Aside form all the connectivity and super-sociable gadgets, the CL80 also features a tonne fo super-cool tech, including:

• 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen
• 720p HD video recording
• SmartGesture touchscreen interface, which lets you access the phone’s various menus using swiping and gestures (told you someone from their phone division got lost!)
• Accelerometer – scroll through your pics by tilting the camera left or right

The Samsung CL80 – superb!

The Samsung CL80 is a fantastic new camera, and probably the most sociable camera around. With its huge range of connectivity options and super-easy uploading to loads of different Web sites, the CL80 makes it absurdly simple to share your photos with anyone or any device.

And surely that’s the point of photos – to share? I don’t want to go all wishy washy on you, but how many photos have you got trapped on your hard drive, or in your mobile phoe or camera?

At last, camera manufacturers are making a real effort to help not just take great photos, but to let others see them as well.

Samsung should be congratulated on make a cracking camera with the CL80 that really helps the user get the most out of their memories.

[Source: Gizmodo]

The SLICE uses a Kodak Share button, which, when connected to a PC, will automatically upload your pics and videos to whichever service you want.

And what services can you choose from? These ones:

• Facebook
• Flickr
• YouTube
• Kodak Gallery

As for specs, the SLICE is a 14 megapixel camera with a 3.5″ touchscreen, and can shoot video at 720p (30fps) as well as photos.

Point-and-shoot users will be made happy, as the SLICE has been designed for easy use, with none of the fiddly adjustments that you need to make to get good pics on more professional cameras. As such, the SLICE will “…analyse scenes and automatically adjust camera settings to deliver beautiful pictures more often”, according to a spokesperson.

The Kodak SLICE release date is set for April 2010, where it will set you back £299.99 in the UK (or $349.99 in the US). You can buy versions in black, nickel, and, er, radish! Quite why Kodak chose radish as a colour is anyone’s guess, but at least it’ll make the cmaera stand out from the myriad other black and silver models!

[Source: Pocket-Lint]