LiveVideo Buys Revver

By Geoff Duncan March 5, 2008

Rumors of this transaction have been pending for some time, but official word was only released today: LiveVideo, a subsidiary of MySpace founder Brad Greenwood’s LiveUniverse, has acquired online video sharing site Revver. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, LiveVideo has acquired 100 percent of Revver stock, which values the transaction at under $5 million. The buyout total is probably a disappointment to Revver investors, who have sunk over $12 million into the Los Angeles-based company over the last few years.

“Merging with LiveVideo.com and getting access to have Revver.com and its content partners promoted by LiveUniverse’s network of Web sites is a win-win proposition for Revver and its creators,” said Revver CEO Kevin Wells, in a statement. “We expand our reach and enhance our ad products, and all content creators get a stronger media platform that offers greater potential for revenue sharing opportunities.”

LiveVideo will continue to run Revver as a separate property, although it will immediately combine ad sales and customer service operations for both companies.

Revver has been having a difficult time competing with the Google’s YouTube onlien video site, and has been trying to carve out a niche for itself in amateur and professional videos free of copyright claims, and providing tools to enable users to post videos to their blogs and social networking sites. Revver offers video creators a share of any ad revenue generated from video plays; this policy has led to a dispute with MySpace that has been running for over a year, in which MySpace blocks external services that generate revenue on content embedded in MySpace pages. MySpace also blocked PhotoBucket; it eventually acquired the company in July 2007 at what many (including Revver) believe was a significantly reduced price because Photobucket relied so heavily on MySpace users.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Smart Home

This Traeger smart pellet grill and smoker is $200 off at Best Buy

A man cooking food outdoors using the Traeger Pro 780 wood pellet grill.

It is just about the perfect time to be outside, at least in most places in the U.S. Not too hot, yet also with none of those reminders of winter that early spring likes to throw out at us from time to time. That means it is a great time to cook outdoors. And while there are plenty of excellent grill deals to peruse already, Best Buy has another incredible deal worth looking at. It's on the Traeger Grills Pro 780 Pellet Grill and Smoker, a product with WiFi-based control methods and a usual price of $1,000 that has been dropped to $800. That's a savings of $200 for a grill that gives you a ton of freedom in how you cook on it. To check it out for yourself, tap the button below. Or, keep reading to get a quick analysis of the product.

Why you should buy the Traeger Grills Pro 780
This version of the Traeger Grills Pro 780 Pellet Grill and Smoker with WiFIRE has a 780 inch cooking surface area with a two-tiered design. There's a large lower grill area and a smaller upper area that keep the grill's body compact (for its overall grilling area) at 27 x 49 inches. Fill the accompanying pellet hopper with up to 18 pounds of pellets that get fed to the fire via a brushless motor for continued fire-feeding that will last a long time.

Smart Home

Should you buy a new smart lock or retrofit your existing deadbolt?

Schlage Encode Plus smart lock installed on a wooden door to a living room.

When it comes to smart locks, all models essentially fall into two categories. The first category will be familiar to most people, as these are traditional smart locks built to replace your existing deadbolt. That means you'll get a whole new set of keys for your front door, as well as hardware that introduces smart features to your home.

The second kind of smart lock is a retrofit smart lock. These quirky devices are designed to fit over your existing hardware -- allowing you to keep using your old keys while also adding smart features. Both types of smart locks are great ways to upgrade your front door, but which is best for your home? Here's a closer look to help you decide if you should replace your traditional deadbolt with a smart lock or install a retrofit smart lock instead.
Consider your DIY skills

Web

Best Buy Spring sale: Save on TVs, laptops, appliances, and more

Best Buy BetaÙ

Best Buy is currently hosting an absolutely huge Spring sale. There are countless items on sale here with seemingly everything you can think of available. That means fantastic TV deals like being able to grab an for just $230 to astonishing laptop deals too. There are even plenty of refrigerator deals and other major appliances. There are so many items in the Best Buy Spring sale that you really need to check it out for yourself. The options are near endless. However, if you’d like to know what we’re recommending, keep reading and we’ll take you through your options.

What to shop for in the Best Buy Spring sale
If you need to kit out your home with better appliances, the Best Buy Spring sale will delight you. You can buy an for just $800, saving $300 off the regular price of $1,100. The washer has TurboWash 360-degree technology so five powerful jets spray clothes from multiple angles to give you a complete clean in under 30 minutes. There’s also built-in intelligence with AI selecting the optimal wash motions and settings for your washing. ColdWash technology is perfect for penetrating deep into fabric too.