EpixHD promised to bring the social media heat along with the online movie streaming component of its service, and now it has partnered with ClipSync to do just that. Netflix and a few BD-Live enabled titles might argue with the "first true Social TV platform" claim, but form what we can see, it should be very easy to pick up a viewing party of other EpixHD subscribers and catch a flick via your web browser while chatting. It looks like the network may also take a page out of the Blu-ray book with movie screenings featuring stars of the films, but that's still in the distance. Anyone up for another EngadgetHD viewing party?

Microsoft's Xbox 360 may call itself the only console to stream Netflix, but all that could be changing -- and soon. As Netflix continues to pull in new subscribers (and cash flow) like it's no big deal, the company is apparently looking to spread its wings even further by integrating its wildly popular Watch Instantly feature into "a device already owned by a large number of consumers." Naturally, the most fitting candidates for that would be Sony's PlayStation 3 or Nintendo's Wii, though the company has yet to come forward with anything concrete. Just so know you, Netflix credits the Xbox 360's streaming integration as the main reason some 2.4 million customers have signed up since late 2008, so it's more than apparent that it loves the game console. Any bets for when this will go down, or are you just plugging your ears in order to avoid potential disappointment?

[Via Joystiq]

Series 3 and HD TiVo owners have a little bit of newness waiting for them at the TiVo Central Online website in the form of Now Playing and To Do lists for their bleeping and blooping DVRs. After playing around with the new features, we have to admit that while they come in handy for managing TiVo scheduling, but we're hoping that the improvements don't stop there. For example, we keep clicking on entries in the Now Playing list, expecting to get a placeshifted stream (or at least a "Keep until/Delete now" dialog; but the video remains safely locked away on our TiVo. While we're wishing, who do we talk to about getting a guide view that shows only our favorite channels?

Want to get a look at the new MLB.tv, and don't want to spend any money to do it? Two spring training games tonight and three games tomorrow afternoon will be loosed on your Adobe Flash equipped PC, complete with the high definition video, Live Game DVR functionality, Multi-Game viewing, picture-in-picture and more. Go ahead, give it a shot and let us know if you're satisfied.

It's a bit surprising to see the Disney family of channels mixing it up with the riff raff like YouTube and, potentially, Hulu given so much time spent increasing its online video presence already (ABC.com, ESPN 360, etc.) but here we are. The deal with YouTube will put video clips (with shared advertising revenue from 15 second prerolls, overlays and banners) and all ESPN to embed its own player on YouTube's page, similar to the deal with CBS and its March Madness Silverlight powered page. About the possibility of a deal with Hulu, Disney's not talking, but if they do take an equity stake, hopefully it will bring the same priority for HD streaming (and boxee cooperation) that's been pushed on its own site.

Surviving long after its removal from DISH Network as an online offering, Monsters HD has finally succumbed. Fangoria Online's revealed that it, unlike bloggers, could not survive on the Internet alone. That shouldn't stop you from heading over and checking out a few classic horror flicks for free in high definition, so punch the read link to see Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jeepers Creepers and others but by the end of this month it will all be over.

[Via Fangoria Online]

Clearly catering towards the wants, nay, needs of the average American couch potato is TiVo and Domino's Pizza, which have collaborated in order to bring on-sofa pizza ordering to broadband-connected TiVo subscribers. If you'll recall, this service was actually announced for Australia earlier this month, but users in the US of A get the first chance to indulge. 'Course, this is far from the first unorthodox method of ordering pizza, and the lack of a scheduled delivery option is certainly a weak point, but this widget does reveal that all sorts of differentiating applications could eventually find their way to a TiVo box near you. Feel free to give it a spin tonight, but don't blame us if that backlit remote gets dimmed from grease seeping into the crevices.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

Nothing crosses borders like couch potato culture, and according to the linked report, Australian TiVos will get the power to order pizza right through the device in 2009. But that's not all -- TiVos down under are reportedly getting access to all sorts of third-party online offers, including a movie store with (gasp) more than 100 titles. To kick things off, users will get free access to the library from next week until March. We're all for the patient TiVo buyers down under getting increased functionality (just like the US), but we'll stick to a laptop for picking out our toppings, thanks.

[Via PVRblog]

At this point, there are simply too many online video viewers to count, but Recast Digital is doing something pretty special. Just spouting off about the technology is a real yawn-fest -- after all, it's not like you really care just how proprietary its "proprietary method of optimizing playback performance of HD video within Flash is, you just want it to look great. The outfit has established a "video showcase" site which shows off just what its technology can do, and at least on the surface, the results are fairly fantastic. Hard to say exactly where you'll see the tech end up (ads, trailers, etc. are our guesses), but you can have a peek at the showcase site by checking out the read link. Full release is after the break.

The New York Times got an early peek at the Metropolitan Opera's new HD video on-demand streaming website, set to launch October 22, and came away with a few complaints. While the sound was described as clear and rich, accompanying sharp video, browser glitches and the need to download an add-on for the Move Networks based player made for a clumsy experience. If a $15 subscription month long subscription is too much, individual operas are available for $3.99 to $4.99 with 13 high definition performances available initially. Being this close to the launch makes us think back 125 years ago when you had to actually go to the Met to see an Opera or the old days of 2007, when you had to put on pants and leave the house to get a high definition show. The future, is now.

Almost all experts agree that internet viewing is growing in popularity, be it TV shows or just random clips to escape from reality, but we've all wondered just how viable the world wide web was as a standalone source of programming. An insightful writeup over at The Daily Cardinal got us thinking even more, as it points out one advantage online TV has over standard TV in almost every instance: community. As the author stared into the 900+ options in a satellite EPG, he at first "marveled at the number," but soon he found the overload to be "just annoying." From there, he noted that internet TV brings near-instant viewing on anything you have a mind to search for, and while he couldn't remember the last time he and his pals had a great time hovered around the traditional tube (Super Bowl notwithstanding), he vividly remembers the first time his posse checked out the "Charlie Bit Me!" clip on YouTube. Frankly, we still don't think internet TV will be eating into pay-TV anytime soon -- if anything, it'll act as a complement -- but for those thinking the former had zero advantages over the latter, should you not think again?

Batman and Sleeping Beauty might have something in common pretty soon, as DVDTown reports Warner Bros. is considering making The Dark Knight its first release with BD-Live features. If they're planning on testing for synchronized watching among groups with chat running alongside the movie, the summer's biggest flick (and w/ IMAX sequences already coming home) seems like a good place to start. All we can hope is that it comes out sooner rather than later, apparently some people have too much time on their hands.

[Via MovieWeb]

We won't restate the irony found in an internet tycoon bashing online TV (oops...), but Mark Cuban has seemingly come up with a few brilliant ideas since claiming that internet video was a failing enterprise back in March. Essentially, Mr. Cuban reckons that HDTV currently being delivered over the internet to LCD monitors around the globe should actually not be transmitted via the compressed methods currently used. Rather, he asserts that we should "move the video cloud to the node and encode and insert into traditional video distribution systems." In other words, deliver internet TV to your existing cable / satellite set-top-box, giving end-users the ability to create playlists and customize shows. We'll admit, we're warming to the idea in general, but trapping users into a cable / satellite bill isn't that appealing for those who lavish the ability to watch some of their HD via OTA and some of it via the 'net. Still, we're sure he's got that niggle all figured out too -- but why would he reveal his secrets before taking it to the bank?

[Thanks, VANBROTHERS]

With a report emerging this week pegging Best Buy as the go-to location for Blu-ray Disc purchases, it stirred up some curiosity here at Engadget HQ. Personally, we prefer to snag our discs online; there's just something about receiving those corrugated boxes on our doorstep that does it for us. We're interested to see where you procure most of your own BD titles -- in a store (which one?), online (which e-tailer?) or out of the back of a white panel van? You can keep quiet if it's the latter.

BD-Live offerings to date have been pretty tame, but Disney's got a few tricks up its sleeve for the first release in its Platinum Edition series, Sleeping Beauty. Blu-ray owners with compatible hardware will be able to chat with friends during the movie using a laptop, BlackBerry or other PDA, make video messages and send them to others, play trivia games, and earn points used to trade in for ringtones, wallpaper or other items. From the moment the disc hits the tray, the iconic castle will feature a backdrop sync'd with weather conditions in the viewer's hometown. As noted in USA Today some owners of Blu-ray players sans-internet will miss out, but with a street date of October 7, there's still time to grab a PS3 or one of the compatible standalone boxes coming on the market. Customer desire for next gen networked features hasn't always been incredibly enthusiastic, but we suspect once the 'tween group gets into this (and High School Musical 3 hits Blu-ray) things could change.