Today, I have proof that you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with the subject matter of a spoof for it to be good — if the execution of said spoof is good enough, that is. Which is to say that even if you’re not a raging video game nerd, the comedy series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’ (sometimes known as HAWP) is a delight.

Video Games | | Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: BioShock XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

The series premise is simple: Brother and sister Anthony and Ashly Burch (with occasional help from their father) base each episode loosely around a different video game, with their choices of titles ranging from hardcore gamer favorites like Bioshock to good ol’ classics like The Sims.

Once they pick their video game, they have their fun. Sometimes, the approach is full-on parody, such as with the Rock Band episode. Sometimes, it’s more social commentary, such as when Ash “celebrates Fumito Ueada’s contributions to feminism” while playing the game Ico. (Despite the fact that you might not know what Fumito Ueada or Ico are — I certainly don’t — that episode’s focus on sexism in gaming makes it pretty accessible for complete video game neophytes.)

Video Games | HAWP | Ico XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Because of the heavy use of insider gaming references, HAWP hasn’t really spread beyond the video game community online, but guys, even if you’ve never played a game of Super Mario in your life, it’s worth checking out.

HAWP is amazing for two reasons. While Anthony’s no slouch when it comes to comedy, Ashly is a natural talent with amazing timing and reactions, not to mention a knack for impersonations. She’s a clear star — who already has a fanbase big enough to fund a feature film starring her — who deserves greater attention.

The other key to the show’s success is the lightning-fast editing, which not only prevents any episode from exceeding three minutes but brings its own character and voice to the series. That, plus the show’s slightly sadistic sense of humor, keep things fresh and engaging.

HAWP in its original incarnations ran on video game community Destructoid.com (where Anthony was an editor before getting a job as a writer for Gearbox Software) as well as other random video platforms like Viddler. It’s now currently hosted on GameTrailers.com and is shot and edited by Justin Yngelmo.

My one major complaint is that GameTrailers.com is kind of awfully designed, to the point where I feel that no actual human being can actually enjoy the experience of using that site. But you can get the first season on DVD. The Amazon.com description promises that it “works as a coaster.”

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): Should You Super-Syndicate Your Web Series?

Disney Sells Miramax for $660 Million; the deal ends a laborious six-month bidding process in which the founders of the independent film label, the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, fell short in their attempt to regain control. (NY Times)

Vevo Traffic Has Grown 62 Percent Since Launch; the online music video site says it attracted 62 percent more monthly viewers in the United States than it did at the start. (VentureBeat)

My Damn Channel Ramps Up New Programming; the web video entertainment hub is in the midst of rolling out an aggressive new programming slate buoyed by ten custom channels, including three set to debut this summer. (MediaWeek)

Bloomberg is Now Using Taboola’s Video Recommendations; Bloomberg.com is now incorporating videos throughout its site from Taboola, the video recommendations engine. (VideoNuze)

5min CEO: No ROI in Producing Videos for Just One Destination; Ran Harnevo says that without a syndication strategy, there is no direct ROI around video for content producers. (Beet.TV)

The Discovery Channel building gets in the Shark Week spirit. Photo by Flickr user kodismom.

The Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has been a long-standing tradition of the cable broadcaster, which first ran a full week of specials devoted to the more than 400 species of selachimorpha in 1987. This Sunday, August 1, begins another seven glorious days of shark-related programming. But what are your online viewing options?

The Discovery Channel’s official Shark Week site has no shortage of video available, with clip playlists like Top 10 Shark Attack Videos and Top 20 Shark Facts to whet your appetite for the cable programs.

Those video unfortunately are not embeddable, and for diehard shark fans they’ll probably come off as reruns. But there is some original online content happening this week. Discovery Channel has partnered with the Georgia Aquarium, which will be hosting the official online-Shark Cam, which will begin broadcasting at 12:30 PM ET/9:30 AM PT on Sunday.

The Shark Cam programming includes shark feedings (the Georgia Aquarium has four whale sharks — the world’s largest fish — as well as hammerhead, tiger and zebra sharks), in addition to live chats with shark experts.

You can also buy episodes from last year’s Shark Week on iTunes for the exceptionally reasonable price of $0.99 an episode (a price point Apple has been urging content partners to embrace).

And while Late Late Show‘s Craig Ferguson is taking on hosting duties for Discovery Channel this year, there’s no video yet of what he might bring to the festivities — except, of course, for this announcement of his new gig in June.

If we find more Shark Week-related video fun online, we’ll update this post accordingly. In the meantime, guys, Shark Week. Get excited.

Picture courtesy of Flickr user kodismom.

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): The State of Social TV

In the media: Panasonic kills tru2way TV
CED Magazine
The process of developing a retail set-top market based on tru2way (aka OCAP) technology has once again devolved into farce as the one ...
Panasonic Tunes Out Tru2way TVsLight Reading
Panasonic Stops Selling Tru2Way TV SetsBroadbandReports.com
Retail tru2way devices are officially DOA, even Panasonic stops trialEngadget (blog)

all 5 news articles »

Launched in April 2007, The Onion News Network has been delivering the comedy stalwart’s skewed perspective on current events through web video, making it possibly, in Chris Albrecht’s words, “the funniest video programming on the web.”

While ONN content is typically free to viewers, this month the network is experimenting with a premium offering available for $1.99. The justification for charging is this: The Onion’s latest news broadcast comes from the future.

Future News From The Year 2137 – Coming Summer 2010

Future: News From the Year 2137 is a 12-minute compilation of news broadcasts from the future date of July 23, 2137, captured via “wormhole satellite” and distributed through iTunes. The world it depicts is both different and similar to today (Miami is now an island, but people are still fighting over gay marriage) and while funny, the short somehow manages to be darker and bleaker than the Mike Judge film Idiocracy (if you’re frightened by that thought, you’re on the right track).

According to ONN director Judy Adler and lead graphics designer Chris Ervine, with whom I spoke via phone, Future: News was produced by a very small part of the Onion team — mostly Ervine — and was in production off and on for about a year. While technically this is the Onion’s first for-sale video offering, Adler likened it to what the paper edition does with its book compilations. “We were originally were going to release it like our other video content,” Adler said, “But as it grew and became more complex, we felt that it needed to be made into its own special project.”

Future: News‘s budget was higher than typical Onion video offerings, but Adler joked that it wasn’t that big a deal, because, “We’re a multi-billion-dollar network.”

Billions of dollars or not, money still has to be earned. Via phone, VP of Business Development Marc Lieberman said the $1.99 price point for iTunes came from looking at other TV content for sale at $2.99. “Because it’s shorter, we went with $1.99.”

Thanks to The Onion’s prior relationship with iTunes (ONN is currently the top podcast listed in their comedy section), Future: News was promoted very heavily in its initial launch week, climbing to the Number 2 slot in the comedy store.

However, Lieberman didn’t speculate on whether the experiment with a pay model counted yet as a major success. “We view this as a six-months-to-a-year-long process, and we’re not even a month in, so it’s too early to tell,” he said.

Future: News is currently available to U.S. and Canadian iTunes users, and will be available in the U.K. by late August. Beyond iTunes, portions of Future: News may appear on the Onion site on an ad-supported basis for two weeks at a time, and it’ll launch on other unspecified platforms this fall. As for iTunes, “It will be for sale for as long as it sells,” Adler said.

For ONN fans worried how Future: News‘s pay-to-view success might affect other episodes, Lieberman says have no fear: “We’ve heard that if this does well, we’re going to make it all for pay, and that’s not the case. We’ll never charge for [our main content].”

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): A Guide To Online Video Monetization Options

Netflix has seen its stock fall nearly 20 percent since its second-quarter earnings call, in which it failed to please investors due to just in-line revenue figures, higher subscriber acquisition costs and higher subscriber turnover. But were investors too rash in shedding their Netflix shares?

Probably, according to a research report issued by Morgan Stanley this morning that argues investor fears are overblown and that the long-term opportunity for Netflix might be bigger than had been anticipated.

In the report, Morgan Stanley analyst Scott Devitt argues that Netflix’s stock “overreacted” to the second-quarter results, overlooking strong earnings, as well as revenue and subscriber numbers that matched analyst expectations and its own forecast. As is often the case on Wall Street, meeting expectations wasn’t good enough; Netflix was really “expected” to surpass those forecasts.

Nevertheless, there were some other reasons for concern, including higher-than-expected subscriber acquisition cost (SAC), which jumped to $24.37, versus a record-low of $21.54 per subscriber in the first quarter. Netflix’s customer turnover, or churn, also increased in the quarter, jumping 5 percent from the first quarter to 4 percent. At the same time, average revenue per user continues to fall, as Netflix signs up more new subscribers on its cheapest plan, which offers one DVD out at a time and unlimited streaming for $9 a month.

The increase in SAC and churn were due in part to seasonality and Netflix managing its business for subscriber growth, as the second quarter typically tends to be weak in terms of subscriber additions. Viewed in that light, the addition of a million new subs in the quarter, down from 1.7 million in Q1 but up from 289,000 subscriber adds in the prior year’s second quarter, should be seen as a positive.

More importantly, Morgan Stanley believes that Netflix’s subscriber additions could accelerate in the near term, and that the long-term prospects for the company’s business are greater than once anticipated. The investment firm had previously downgraded Netflix on the belief that subscriber additions could slow after an initial bump from new subscribers on major consumer electronics platforms like the Nintendo Wii. But Netflix has seen better traction than expected on those platforms, and growth of its streaming business has caused Morgan Stanley to revise its thesis to believe that Netflix can exceed expectations on this front.

Furthermore, the investment firm sees Netflix’s addressable market increasing from the $10 billion home video rental market to compete in the much larger $35-$40 billion rental, sell-through and premium TV market. While a more competitive market, Netflix seems to be differentiated enough to compete against incumbents like major cable companies.

With the prospect of increased margin expansion, due to the lower cost of streaming versus its DVD-by-mail business, as well as Netflix’s ability to attract more and better content, Netflix’s future in streaming seems to be on the right track.

Related content on GigaOM Pro: Three Reasons Hulu Plus is No Threat to Netflix (subscription required)

Panasonic Tunes Out Tru2way TVs
Light Reading
The tru2way TV experiment appears to be over now that Panasonic has reportedly scrubbed its line of widescreen TVs with tru2way built-in. ...
Panasonic Stops Selling Tru2Way TV SetsBroadbandReports.com
Retail tru2way devices are officially DOA, even Panasonic stops trialEngadget (blog)

all 4 news articles »

The battle between Time Warner Cable and Disney over the retransmission fees required to carry ABC and ESPN channels on the MSO’s cable systems is heating up, with both companies already appealing to the public through websites designed to sway opinion in their favor. But as I write in my latest piece on GigaOM Pro (subscription required), the availability of that content online could be one reason that both Time Warner Cable and Disney have taken the fight public so early.

Time Warner Cable has brought back its “Roll Over or Get Tough” marketing campaign, which it originally launched during its retrans spat with Fox at the end of last year. Disney, meanwhile, is reminding consumers they could always switch providers with its own newly launched “I Have Choices” campaign.

While Time Warner Cable is trying to woo the public by showing how increases in retransmission fees eventually get passed on to the consumer, Disney is urging consumers on Time Warner Cable systems to find alternative service providers if they are afraid of losing access to ABC content. On its “I Have Choices” page, Disney suggests viewers tune into its programming on AT&T, Verizon or DirecTV in affected markets.

But how does online video affect the current retransmission debates? Well, consumers can find more content than ever before free online, with more than 90 percent of broadcast television shows over the last two seasons made available online, according to a study by Clicker released earlier this month. And it’s difficult to see Time Warner Cable — or any cable company — wanting to pay more for content that is made available for free through another distribution channel.

So far, the networks have argued that online video is complementary, not cannibalistic, to their broadcast properties. And to this point, short-term worries over the possibility of consumers “cutting the cord,” or even canceling their cable subscriptions, seem overblown. After all, more consumers in the U.S. pay for subscription TV services than ever before.

Networks are cautious about proposing online video as a substitute for the broadcast content. Even in its marketing campaign to let users know that they “have choices,” the one place that Disney is not telling users to go is online, where much of its programming is available for free on ABC.com or Hulu.

Even so, if Time Warner Cable does stop carrying ABC, users may take to watching their favorite shows online rather than switching providers, which is a precarious situation for both companies. Time Warner Cable would still make money from broadband subscribers, but those users won’t carry the same value as those that subscribe to higher-priced cable packages. And Disney would still make advertising revenue from its web video business, but not nearly as much as it does off the broadcast.

Both companies should tread carefully as their Sept. 2 deadline approaches to reach an agreement on keeping Disney’s content on Time Warner Cable. If the fight eventually drives users to watch more content online, Time Warner Cable and Disney could both lose out.

To read the full piece on GigaOM Pro, click here. (subscription required)

Panasonic Stops Selling Tru2Way TV Sets
BroadbandReports.com
Back in January of 2008, the cable industry announced Tru2way, a re-imagining of OCAP technology that was intended to integrate set-top box functionality ...
Retail tru2way devices are officially DOA, even Panasonic stops trialEngadget (blog)

all 3 news articles »

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

Motorola’s New Multi-Room DVR Software
The multi-room DVR launches continue to roll. Cincinnati Bell is now deploying Motorola’s software-based whole-home DVR solution, giving subscribers access to DVR features on up to eight client boxes over an in-home MoCA network.

The 3D TV Road Ahead
Two stories on 3D this week point in opposite directions for the future of the technology. On the one hand, Panasonic introduced a 3D camcorder designed to get consumers interested in producing their own 3D content. On the other hand, a publication covering Hollywood, has posted data suggesting that the revenue share from 3D movie screenings is declining.

Motorola Set-Tops for Comcast AnyRoom DVR
Comcast has officially launched its multi-room DVR service, dubbed AnyRoom DVR, in parts of Oregon and Washington. The long-anticipated service uses Motorola DCX set-tops with MoCA, and connects up to three client boxes to one 500GB DVR hub.

Revisiting Video Cache-and-Carry
There are a number of interesting discussions taking place now over different business models for paid TV content, but one current debate feels a bit like a throwback to 2007: the practicality of video streaming versus video downloading.

There are two types of people in this world. I learned this week that you can actually draw a big fat line down the middle of all humanity. Standing on one side of that line are the vast majority of humans on the Earth. These are the people who, when I said, "I'm going to Comic-Con 2010 for my book tour," replied: "Comi-Wha?" Now, on the other side of this line stand the proud few who, when I said, "I'm going to Comic-Con 2010 for my book tour," their eyes lit up, their pulse quickened and they replied...

Okay, guys, it’s time to call it a day on yet another genre of online video — joining Roommate Comedies and iPhone App Reviews in the Online Video Vault of Overdoneness are shows about Craigslist. The only reason I feel comfortable putting this genre away, though, is that the reality series Craigslist TV might be as good as it’s going to get.

Two previous series that have explored the strange tales to emerge from the bulletin board service — INST MSGS and Missed Connections Live — did so by taking anonymously posted ads and projecting characters upon them. But Craigslist TV actually follows real Craigslist users from the moment of posting their ads to the end result, whether that’s meeting a cute stranger spotted at Subway or performing chores for free dressed as a ninja.

The production values are great — including the sound, which is always tricky in a documentary/reality format — and the choice of stories told. The key to any reality show is casting, and the producers here have a talent for finding outgoing and camera-friendly people. Sometimes, they’re almost a little too enthusiastic — 28-year-old Charity isn’t exactly “vivacious” about her open casting call for a husband. The more accurate word would be “crazed.”

But Megan, who’s looking for a futon subletter, manages to be energetic and relatable at the same time.

Beyond the fully-produced documentary episodes, there are also installments sent in by the adventurous Nikki, who’s using Craigslist to travel around the country — she promises to be a strong recurring character over the show’s life.

However, the episode length is an issue — while they’ve found great characters to showcase, there tends to be a little too much chatter with the subject and the middle section has an unfortunate habit of dragging. The worst offender is the four-part episode which documents aspiring fashion designer Michael Mullen’s efforts to get Sandra Bullock to wear a dress he designed for her to wear at the Oscars. Combined together, the installment is over 20 minutes in length, contains a lot of dead weight and doesn’t have a very satisfying conclusion. Other episodes are under ten minutes, but they could all use some slightly tighter editing.

With the exception of the length, though, it’s a great package, one that’s racked up consistent five-figure viewcounts since launching in May 2010 and may have me continuing to tune in.

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): Can Online Video Show Us the Future of Newspapers?

Monsoon Multimedia is soon coming to market with a new box called the Vulkano that incorporates place-shifting, time-shifting, web video and personal video sharing all in a single platform, eliminating the need to own multiple devices.

Monsoon is maker of the HAVA place-shifting device, a lesser-known competitor to Slingbox. The company is now making the same place-shifting technology available as part of its new product, enabling users to take live television, stream it over the Internet and watch it on other computers or a number of other devices. But it is adding a ton of other features, such as DVR capabilities and connectivity with various mobile devices.

The box enables viewers to have an integrated programming guide through which they can access broadcast TV content, time-shifted or DVRed content, and broadband video content from sites like YouTube and others all in one place. They can then view any of that content directly through their TV, as well as through their PCs and Android, Blackberry, iPhone or iPad devices on WiFi and 3G networks. Users can also schedule recordings and view those recordings by streaming to their preferred device, or easily transfer files of those recording to PCs or other devices.

Currently Vulkano only supports viewing YouTube content through the TV, using the YouTube API. But soon it will also support other services, according to Monsoon EVP of Sales and Marketing Colin Stiles. The company is looking to add content providers such as Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and Sonic’s RoxioNow to the platform. In the meantime, users can view personal media via Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP).

The Vulkano has multiple configurations, including units with 8GB or 16GB of SD storage, as well as units with 500GB or 1TB of hard disk storage. Prices range from $259 for the 8GB SD-powered device to $379 for the version with a 1TB hard drive. Monsoon is taking pre-orders for the device at www.myvulkano.com for shipment in early August. The product will also soon be available through various online retailers and in select brick and mortar stores.

Related content on GigaOM Pro: Apple’s Path to the Living Room (subscription required)

Retail tru2way devices are officially DOA, even Panasonic stops trial
Engadget (blog)
Tru2way was originally touted as a way to integrate 3rd party HDTVs and set-tops boxes with all the services cable providers have to offer, is now just yet ...

Redbox has started to offer Blu-ray discs at 13,300 of its 23,000 its rental kiosks, the company announced today. Customers have to pay a slight premium for the discs, with rentals costing $1.50 a night, as opposed to the $1 rental price that Redbox is famous for. The company has announced that is going to expand the availability of Blu-ray discs to all of its kiosks by this fall.

Redbox hasn’t said yet how many Blu-ray titles it offers, and consumers can use the Redbox website to check which kiosks in their neighborhoods have Blu-ray rentals, but the site currently doesn’t offer any option to specifically search for or reserve Blu-ray titles. That means consumers will have to decide on the spot whether they’re willing to spend an extra $0.50 for the Blu-ray version of a movie.

Another challenge for Redbox could be that its kiosks can only offer limited inventory, with each kiosk storing up to 630 disks of up to 200 different movie titles. Introduce different formats to chose from, and the number of available titles will inevitably go down. Redbox seems to bank on the fact that eventually enough consumers will have Blu-ray players to make the choice between the formats obsolete. The company’s press release quoted numbers from the Digital Entertainment Group, estimating that there have been 19.4 million Blu-ray players sold in the U.S. so far.

Redbox also wants to extend its kiosk offering with an online streaming service will reportedly be unveiled this fall.

Related content on GigaOM Pro: Slow and Steady, Netflix Pulls Ahead in Streaming Video (subscription required)

Google TV-related products will eventually be as profitable for Logitech as its entire lineup or PC peripherals, CEO Jerry Quindlen said during an earnings call for the company’s first fiscal quarter today.

Logitech saw better than expected earnings during the quarter and in turn raised its sales outlook moderately (up from $2.3 billion to a range of $2.3 to $2.35 billion). Missing from that outlook is any increased revenue from Logitech’s Google TV set-top box dubbed Revue, which is scheduled to go on sale this fall. The company announced that Revue won’t contribute to its bottom line because it plans to reinvest any gross profit straight back into consumer marketing.

Asked about the motivation behind this arrangement during the company’s earnings call, Quindlen said that these investments reflect Logitech’s view that this is “a great opportunity” for the company to sell peripheral devices. He also hinted at the fact that the marketing investments may be part of Logitech’s deal with Google to be part of the initial launch lineup for the new platform by saying the spending was “not our discretion.”

Logitech has long said that it views its set-top box as an opportunity for add-on sales, with Quindlen telling me in an interview in May that Logitech is looking at video calling in the living room as an opportunity to sell some of its webcams (see the complete interview embedded below). Quindlen said during the earnings call that gaming on Google TV devices, for example with Flash games, would offer additional opportunities.

However, it looks like Logitech is going to expand its product line to actually sell apps as well. Quindlen didn’t want to share details about the company’s app monetization strategy during the earnings call, but the slides for today’s earnings (PDF) list apps as part of the company’s fall line of products. Quindlen said that there will be Logitech apps available at launch, and that the company is working on additional apps to be published down the line. These could include both apps for Android smart phones to remotely control Google TV devices, as well as apps residing on the device itself.

One question unanswered today was the pricing of the Logitech Revue set-top box. Google and Logitech are exclusively cooperating with Intel on the chip sets for Google TV devices, and TV manufacturers like Panasonic have in the past lamented the high price point of Google TV hardware. Logitech could decide to aggressively price its companion box to capture the market and then make money down the line with add-on sales.

Quindlen said today that the Logitech Revue is part of the company’s strategy to get Google TV in consumers’ hands, but not anything that will generate huge revenue by itself. In fact, he’d even be open to ditching the box altogether at some point and solely providing peripherals. From the earnings call, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha:

“(W)e may not be in the box business in the future. We haven’t made that strategic decision at this point. What we’re trying to do is, we want to see the box out there, the companion box is what I’m referring to, so that a standard consumer experience is established in the marketplace. And so we have a vested interest to see that happen.”

Related content on GigaOm Pro: TV Apps: Evolution from Novelty to Mainstream (subscription required)

Cable, Telco Execs Meet With FCC Again Over Possible Broadband Bill; talks over the FCC’s authority to regulate net neutrality issues continued this week. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Libraries Top Netflix, Redbox When It Comes to Loaning DVDs; your local library may not have online streaming, but U.S. libraries loan more DVDs each day than Netflix. (Yahoo News)

ESPN 3D Lines Up First Three College Football Games; network will present Boise State-Va.Tech, OSU-Miami and Clemson-Auburn contests in the enhanced format. (MultiChannel News)

Lovefilm, the Netflix-of-Europe, Signs Deal With Widevine; DRM should help Lovefilm to expand its presence on connected devices. (TechCrunch Europe)

YouTube’s Playlist Bar; video site is experimenting with a persistent playlist bar to display users’ video queue. (Google Operating System)

FCC Extends Comcast/NBCU Comment Period; opponents of the deal now have until August 19 to respond to Comcast’s latest filing. (MultiChannel News)

Lost In Val Sinestra: A Mesmerizing Movie Trailer Featuring Your Facebook Friends; Swisscom promotes its TV offerings with trailer that incorporates of your social graph. (TechCrunch)

Ex-Publicis Exec David Kenny Joins Akamai As President; Kenny will run Akamai’s general business operations, including global sales, marketing, engineering and networks. (paidcontent)

62nd Emmy Engineering Awards Recipients
Deadline.com
Using the technology EBIF, Showtime Sports Interactive offers viewers live polling, fighter stats and bios, ring records, a trivia game and fight calendar. ...

and more »

Good news for all those YouTubers who have a lot to say — everyone’s favorite online video site is now giving you more time to say it in. Five whole minutes more.

On the YouTube blog, the company announced today that all users can now upload video files that are up to 15 minutes long, up from the site’s previous (and long-running) limit of 10 minutes for non-partner videos.

Product manager Joshua Siegel wrote that the increase was due to adoption and confidence in its Content ID system, a fingerprinting technology that enables rights holders to take over or take down videos that have been uploaded by YouTube users without their permission. YouTube says that now, nearly three years after launch, “all of the major U.S. movie studios, music labels and over 1,000 other global partners use Content ID to manage their content on YouTube.”

YouTube might also just figure it has the network capacity to handle longer videos. The site has gradually added features and functionality that has boosted the quality of videos and potential file sizes that users can upload. In late 2008, YouTube started accepting HD videos and a few months later doubled the maximum file size limit. Last November it added support for 1080p video, and then a few weeks ago extended support for users to watch some especially large videos in their native 4096p resolution. With the capability to process all that HD video passing through its pipes, YouTube no doubt believed it could handle video uploads that were 50 percent longer.

To encourage users to take advantage of the new upload limit, YouTube is asking users to make videos detailing their “15 minutes of fame” and uploading them by August 4. YouTube will review videos tagged “yt15minutes” and will select a few of the more interesting to be highlighted on the YouTube homepage.

Related content on GigaOM Pro: Why Viacom’s Fight With YouTube Threatens Web Innovation (subscription required)