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YouTube is working hard to transition for an amateur video sharing site into a full-blown TV network and first-run movie-consumption destination. It’s creating its own TV shows and has made big deals, including one this morning with Paramount, for scads of tasty filmic content. But there is one big problem. You can’t rent YouTube movies in the one place you most want to: your big-screen TV.

Obviously, you could hook up your PC to your TV, but the quality and dependability (DRM could block the film from playing over your HDMI connection completely) could be suspect. Wouldn’t it make far more sense to rent digital movies directly through YouTube parent Google’s own living room product, the Web content/broadcast TV hybridGoogle TV?

Yes it would. Now rumor has it that Google TV will soon support direct YouTube movie rentals. There’s no timing, official announcement or statement from Google, but sources are telling Mashable this is a possibility. The use of the word “soon” is enough to give credence to the possibility that Google and YouTube might finally crack this all-important nut.

The reality is that, right now, for all the content YouTube is collecting, it simply is not on a level playing field with Apple and Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon’s Prime. These services are on set-top boxes (Apple has its own) that plug directly into your HDTV. No concerns about whether or not DRM rights will prevent movie playback. The experience for renting a movie on any of them is seamless.

If YouTube does go this route, though, it’s hard to imagine that it will even be able to introduce a subscription service alongside the premium movie rentals. YouTube’s legacy is free, bite-sized content supported mostly by ad overlays, no one will want to pay for content that was originally free on, say, broadcast television on YouTube – unless, of course YouTube offers an ad-free network. Then viewers might pay a monthly fee for the privilege.

YouTube has another problem, though. It needs more people to buy Google TV. Logitech walked away from the first Google TV after dumping millions into the program. However, at CES, a bunch of new manufacturers lined up with brand new Google TV hardware, so the future could be bright for YouTube Rentals. On the other hand, Google still has a lot of work to do on Google TV. The Sony Google TVs we have in Mashable’s office feature a compact, yet often inscrutable remote. I could go into all the myriad issues, but suffice to say that it often switches “enter” back and forth between two physical controls.

As most know, regular YouTube is, in addition to being on Google TV, already on set-top boxes like the Roku2, but it’s unclear if these partners will ever get YouTube Movie rentals or if Google wants to save that all for itself.

For now, YouTube is still a great platform for finding the best one-minute viral videos. Getting consumers to see it as more, no matter how many content partners and original programing YouTube adds could be a challenge, unless and until YouTube Movies finally arrive on Google TV.

Do you own a Google TV? Would the addition of YouTube Movie rentals change how you feel about it? Would you buy a Google TV just to have this feature? Tell us in the comments.

More About: Apple TV, Google, google tv, logitech, Movies, netflix, sony, YouTube

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There’s a rumor going around that Google is planning some kind of home-entertainment device — possibly and answer to the (also rumored) Apple iTV. Apparently Google’s living-room product will be Google-branded, controlled via Android phone or tablet and may eventually expand to do things like control your room lights or kitchen gear. It really sounds like a wonder gadget.

It’s also not going to work. Google’s already tried playing this game and lost. Google TV, launched to much fanfare in 2010, ended up being a boondoggle for the company. Although it promised to properly bridge the web and the television, it hit the same roadblock that other devices, like Boxee, stumbled over much earlier: content providers.

After the first Google TV device, the Logitech Revue, was launched, sites belonging to NBCUniversal, Viacom and Fox quickly began blocking their content from the Revue’s special version of the Chrome web browser. As they see it, they’re the ones who get to decide which screens customers can watch their content on — not Google.

Reviews of the Revue were mixed, with many pointing out the inherent clunkiness of using a keyboard to “watch TV,” but even if the device were perfect, it wouldn’t have mattered. Without the right content there’s simply no compelling reason to own the device. No one buys the “hockey puck” Apple TV because of its design — the get it because they know iTunes has movies and TV shows they want on demand.

SEE ALSO: 4 Big Moves Google Should Make in 2012

This has often been Google’s problem: too much focus on the product (whether hardware or software) and not enough on the ecosystem of the customer experience. Think back to the first Nexus phone: Google actually believed it could actually re-invent the way people buy phones, offering it up online, contract-free, for $529. It turned out that, as good as the product was, people loved getting cheap phones more than they hated the carriers.

For Google’s foray into the living room to succeed, it needs to offer up some compelling reason (read: content) that a customer simply can’t get from Apple, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Sure, there’s YouTube, but it barely counts since it has virtually no studio content and is only just starting original programming. And if Google offers better YouTube through Google devices, what happens to all the YouTube widgets and apps, which are on everything?

Some have pointed out Motorola, which Google owns and is rumored to be building the device, could leverage its clout as a cable-box manufacturer to give this new system a boost. It obviously depends on what this mystery device ends up being, but if it’s something people need to actually buy, this isn’t going to work. Google and Motorola, though powerful brands, don’t have the same credibility Apple has in consumer products. Tons of people will line up for an Apple TV even before it’s even on sale — that would never happen with the other two.

So it really doesn’t matter if this new Google gadget connects to all your devices, lets you seamlessly control it with your phone and transforms into a jet. It really even doesn’t matter if it integrates with Google’s Android ecosystem better than any device. Google needs to get credibility in content before it can make a big splash in your living room.

It may be 2012, but content is still king, and another high-tech device that doesn’t put it front and center will just make Google look like the court jester. Again.

More About: apple, Apple TV, Google, google tv, hulu, Motorola, netflix, trending

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A number of U.S. senators are opposed to amending the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act to let Netflix automatically publish user views on Facebook via frictionless sharing.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who sponsored the VPPA, said in a hearing on Tuesday that he wanted to keep movie titles private on Facebook.

Netflix appealed to Congress to allow Facebook app users one-time consent to share video streaming histories instead of on a movie-by-movie basis. But Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, subcommittee chairman, said a one-time consent policy would be a breach of users’ privacy.

“It’s just as easy to click one ‘watch-and-share’ button,” Franken told AdWeek. “It’s no more burdensome to share each time as opposed to a consumer not being able to find out how to opt out.”

A Netflix integration with Facebook outside of the U.S., launched in 2011, allows users in 47 countries to see what friends are watching on Netflix. This new social layer to streaming movies is similar to the Spotify integration that broadcasts every single song you listen to on your news feed. The one country where it isn’t allowed: the U.S.

Check out the video above to learn more about the VPPA and Netflix.

Do you want your friends to see what you are viewing on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.

More About: Facebook, facebook application, mashable video, Movies, netflix, streaming movies, Video Privacy Protection Act

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Amazon disclosed Wednesday which companies will immediately offer apps for the Kindle Fire, ahead of the device’s Nov. 15 launch date.

Android apps and games from Facebook, Netflix, Pandora, Twitter, Zynga, Rovio, EA, Gameloft, PopCap, Rhapsody and The Weather Channel, among many others, will be available to buy in the Amazon Appstore.

The $199 touchscreen Android tablet, which is shaping up to be a potential hit this holiday season, will also give users free storage in the Amazon Cloud and Whispersync for books and movies. In total, consumers can choose from 18 million apps, games, movies, TV shows, songs, books and magazines.

The addition of popular apps and games will likely be a strong selling point for consumers and boost sales figures for the Kindle Fire. An early report in October said more than 250,000 Kindle Fires had been pre-ordered in five days after its unveiling (see gallery below). If true, that figure is likely much higher at this point. In comparison, Apple sold 300,000 iPads — including pre-orders — when it released the iPad in the U.S. in April 2010.

The Kindle will compete against several tablets such as Barnes & Noble’s $249 Nook Tablet, which comes out this week.

SEE ALSO: Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet vs. iPad 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 [CHART]

Amazon also said additional Kindle Fire apps include Allrecipes, Bloomberg, Comics by comiXology, Cut the Rope, Doodle Fit, Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja, Jenga, LinkedIn, Zillow, Airport Mania, Battleheart, Pulse, The Cat in the Hat, Quickoffice Pro, Jamie’s 20-Minute Meals, IMDb Movies & TV, and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox.

“We started talking to app developers everywhere the day we introduced Kindle Fire, and the response has been overwhelming,” says Dave Limp, VP Amazon Kindle, in a statement. This is only the beginning — we’re adding more apps and games every day across all categories.”

SEE ALSO: Is Kindle Fire Demand Beating the iPad? | Amazon Kindle Fire Just Hijacked Android

On Tuesday, Kindle Fire will land in 16,000 U.S. retail locations such as Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Staples, Sam’s Club and RadioShack.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: amazon, apps, Facebook, Gadgets, kindle fire, netflix, pandora, rovio, Zynga

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Get your fingers on the pulse of the social media community with this survey conducted by Lab42. It’ll get you caught up on the hot tech issues of the past couple of weeks.

For the data embedded in this infographic, market research firm Lab42 conducted a study online via social networks between Sept. 30 and Oct. 23, 2011 among 500 social media users, asking them questions about the iPhone 4S, Kindle Fire, Netflix, the radical changes in Facebook and more.

It’s a tight wrapup of the issues we care about. One ominous takeaway we noticed: Look out, Netflix — a surprisingly large proportion of your social-media-using customers are just about to jump ship:

Infographic courtesy Lab42

More About: infographics, iPhone 4S, Kindle, Lab42, netflix

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Netflix’s abrupt change in strategy includes a new name for the company’s DVD-by-mail service — Qwikster. And unsurprisingly Qwikster.com already has a placeholder saying the new service is launching soon.

However, @Qwikster on Twitter was already taken by one Jason Castillo, whose tweets are probably very far from what Netflix’s PR department envisioned for its Twitter promotion.

Jason hasn’t been tweeting much, but his tweets revolve mainly around weed and girls, and are sprinkled with a healthy dose of curse words, as you can see in the examples below.

@Qwikster’s follower count, on the other hand, has quickly risen to more than 500 (@Qwikster himself follows only 59 Twitter users), undoubtedly because some Netflix users followed it thinking it must be the official Twitter account of the new service.

We’re looking forward to seeing how Netflix handles this one, and, of course, we’re eagerly awaiting new tweets from the current @Qwikster owner.

More About: netflix, Qwikster, Social Media, Twitter

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After staying silent for months, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is now going the distance to win back customer trust.

Hastings, in an attempt to quell a customer revolt, has apologized for how Netflix handled its recent price hike. It also separated its DVD and streaming businesses by rebranding its DVD by mail service to Qwikster.

To explain the change and to emphasize how sorry he is about how poorly Netflix communciated with customers, Hastings and new Qwikster CEO Andy Rendich recorded a YouTube video that dives into what went wrong and what the company is doing to fix it.

Check out the video above and let us know if you think Netflix has done enough to appease angry customers in the comments.

More About: netflix, reed hastings

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Mashable has been witness to a lot in our six years of existence. From the the rise of social networks (like Facebook) to the fall of world leaders (like Hosni Mubarak). We’ve seen the spread of social media to all corners of the globe and reported on its profound impact and influence on nearly every aspect of our daily lives. During that time, Mashable has grown up as well, from a small, one-author blog about web tools and emerging social networks to the web’s largest independent news website dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology.

The infographic below documents just some of the major events we’ve reported on over the past six years. It serves as a timeline of both the advance of social and digital technology into the mainstream, and of Mashable’s evolution, as we continue to expand our coverage scope to keep pace with the spread of digital culture.

What digital, social media or technology news events had the most impact on you? Let us know in the comments.

Infographic design by David Foster

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Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today.

Spotify Arrives in the U.S.

The highly praised European music service Spotify is now available in the U.S. with four major labels on board.

People will have the option to sign up for two plans: $4.99 per month for its unlimited, ad-free service, and $9.99 per month for the premium, mobile service.

Klout CEO Reveals Details About Foursquare Integration

Klout CEO Joe Fernandez told Mashable Klout is still figuring out exactly how Foursquare will factor into the hush-hush Klout algorithm. Fernandez also said Klout users’ scores will only go up once they add Foursquare to their Klout dashboards.

Netflix Expands NBC Deal as Customer Anger Mounts

On the heels of a price increase for Netflix DVD and streaming services that prompted much criticism, Netflix and NBC Universal renewed and expanded their live video streaming deal.

The agreement will bring more content to Netflix, including shows such as Leave it to Beaver, Psych and Law and Order: SVU.

Further News

• Twitter for Android users with multiple Twitter handles are now able toggle between accounts on their Android app without having to log out and log in again. Additionally, users will now receive push notifications.
• One-third of of iPhone owners (34%) mistakenly think they own or have owned a 4G smartphone, according to a survey. A 4G iPhone, however, doesn’t yet exist.
• Amazon’s rumored tablet computer will be introduced before October, according to a report. It’s one of three new hardware products from Amazon coming in the third quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal
• Google’s live traffic feature on Google Maps has expanded to 13 more countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59

More About: android, apple, Google, netflix, spotify, twitter

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Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today.

Twitter Unveils New Homepage

Twitter has started rolling out a new version of its homepage, simplifying the interface and refining its pitch to potential new users.

Twitter in Talks To Buy Stealth Startup Bottlenose

Twitter is in talks to buy Bottlenose, a stealth personalization startup that bills itself as “the smartest way to personalize and filter Twitter,” sources close to the matter told Mashable.

Mad Men Coming to Netflix

Netflix has signed a multiyear syndication deal with Lionsgate that will bring the first four seasons of Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men to Netflix’s instant streaming service beginning July 27.

Facebook Reaches Out to Journalists With Page, Workshops

In an attempt to promote the use of Facebook in the newsroom, Facebook has unveiled a new Page and meetup program for journalists.

Further News

• DISH Network is the winning bidder in a bankruptcy court auction for the assets of movie rental company Blockbuster.
• YouTube has revamped its interface for related searches and advanced search options. Now users can select multiple filters in a category, as well as combine related searches.
• Mozilla has published a list of 10 Firefox add-ons that hinder the browser’s performance the most.
• T Magazine has a launched a Tumblr.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59

More About: facebook, first to know series, mad men, netflix, twitter

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