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Investors are cheering on Netflix as it moves from DVDs to streaming video, and keeps adding customers along the way. But "digital" doesn't equal "cheap" for Reed Hastings' company. In fact, the online move has cost Netflix at least $1.2 billion.

That's the amount Netflix has committed to paying Hollywood studios for the rights to stream their movies and TV shows. And it's up from $229 million three months ago, the company disclosed in an SEC filing yesterday.

Most of that leap comes from a five-year deal that Netflix previously announced with … Read more

The Windows Clipboard only displays basic file formats like text and bitmap when you copy a file to it, but in fact it makes a wide range of formats available; it just doesn't show them. NirSoft's InsideClipboard is a small, free utility that displays the binary content of all the formats currently stored in the Clipboard and lets you save the content of a specified format as a binary file.

Like most of NirSoft's utilities, Inside Clipboard is completely portable and runs as soon as you click the program file, with no formal installation required. It has … Read more

The number of pay TV subscribers in the U.S. declined slightly during the second quarter, but it's the economy and high unemployment--not so-called cord-cutters--that are to blame, according to a new report from In-Stat.

The number of "cord-cutters," or people who go cold turkey on their cable TV in favor of online programming, is actually low and is having a minimal effect on the industry, according to In-Stat's data released yesterday. The report also found that satellite TV and so-called telco TV (such as Verizon's Fios and AT&T's U-verse) both continue … Read more

Whether you believe in a kid-oriented laptop probably depends on whether you have kids, and whether you like the idea of them fiddling with your own computer when you're out of the room. Accordingly, your reaction to the Satellite L635 will probably vary.

Toshiba's Best Buy-exclusive Satellite L635 feels at first glance like a larger-scale version of the education-oriented Netbooks we've seen from Intel and others. A ruggedized look, bright colors, and a easy-to-clean keyboard create that impression most of all, but in reality this is a full 13.3-inch-screen laptop that isn't much different under the hood from the low-end doorbusters you might see in retail circulars. We got to check one out recently, and it seemed pretty much like many entry-level Toshiba Satellites we've used before, except for its rubberized keyboard.

Besides size and capability, another key difference lies in its target audience: this is meant for home use, whereas many of the educational Netbooks we've seen, such as the Intel Classmate and HP Mini 100e are institutionally targeted, many of them never even seeing the light of a retail store. The Satellite L635 will be at Best Buy starting September 26. … Read more

Google has been cleared in a YouTube copyright-infringement case filed by a Spanish broadcaster.

In its lawsuit against the search giant, Spanish broadcaster Telecinco claimed that YouTube should be held responsible for people who upload videos that infringe on Telecinco's copyrights.

But a federal court in Madrid rejected those claims today, ruling that it is the responsibility of copyright holders to identify such content and inform YouTube if it infringes on their copyrights.

In reaching its decision, the court also noted that YouTube offers content owners tools to remove any material that infringes on their copyrights, further putting the … Read more

If you were hoping to see HBO's content show up on Netflix's streaming service, things aren't looking too good for you.

In an interview with Bloomberg, HBO Co-President Eric Kessler went on the record as saying "there is a value in exclusivity," and that people would "pay a premium" for it.

That exclusivity comes in the form of HBO's own online streaming service called HBO Go, which the company launched in February.

Unlike Netflix and competitor Redbox, which are having to wait nearly a month to release some new films via their … Read more

Though it already enjoys a leading share of the e-reader market, is Amazon looking to carve out a wider niche by creating other digital devices?

A story from Tuesday's New York Times Bits blog says yes.

Citing "people with direct knowledge of the company's plans," the Times blog says the online retailer is looking to build other types of gadgets beyond the Kindle in a bid to retain and expand its niche in the digital marketplace. Amazon executives have reportedly watched in frustration as other companies have jumped onto the digital content bandwagon and are willing … Read more

Demand Media, the publishing company that achieved both impressive revenues and industry notoriety for its business model of fast, cheap content, is planning to go public.

The company filed an S1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday. The SEC filing reveals that Demand's revenues in 2009 were $114 million, with losses of $22 million. Demand hasn't yet specified a value for the IPO or the index on which it plans to trade.

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based Demand popularized the model that has become known as a "content farm" or &… Read more

Lost in the hubbub of whether Google and Verizon are nearing a secret deal to tier the Internet is the truth that few will say out loud: Net neutrality is dead on wireless networks.

A war of words erupted this week after a New York Times article that flatly stated that Google and Verizon Communications would soon enact the very definition of Internet tiering: charging content providers more to prioritize delivery to consumers. Cue Internet freakout.

Google and Verizon rushed to deny the story, with Google saying, "we have not had any conversations with Verizon about paying for carriage … Read more