streaming video

Apple is set to approve the web browsing iPhone app Skyfire for release later this week. Although other third-party web browsers exist, Skyfire is unique in that it makes playing Flash content possible on iOS devices. The app works by downloading Flash content to its servers and converting it for display in an HTML5 pop-up window on the iPhone.

Don't get too excited just yet. Sites such as Hulu won't work due to licensing concerns, and you can't play Flash games with the Skyfire browser. These functions are still limited by Apple, although the video content alone will open up vast swaths of the Internet to iOS devices that until now appeared as a blank page.

The wait is finally over for Netflix subscribers interested in streaming video on their iPhones. The highly anticipated Netflix app version 1.1.0 went live in iTunes and can be downloaded for free. Netflix subscribers now have access to their Instant Queue and can watch movies using a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection.

Movies that are interrupted can be continued on the iPhone later or on other devices such as an iPad or a computer. The new iOS app is a universal app, meaning it also works on the Apple iPad. Netflix includes high-speed scrubbing controls and switches between full letterbox format and a zoomed video view which fills more of the iPhone screen.

Vimeo has expanded its embedded video offerings to include iOS optimized HTML5. The video sharing site first launched iPhone-compatible viewing earlier this year with a limited selection of content. Although selections have been greatly expanded with the Universal Player, there are still videos that require a Vimeo Plus account to view on a mobile device.

Vimeo is even offering a Javascript snippet to help automate the embed code updates for those who have posted content on their web sites. The Universal Player has been under development for some time, and Vimeo plans to add support for more players as needed.

Microsoft is adding iPhone compatibility to Silverlight and has already demonstrated the technology. No modifications to Safari are necessary, as the software will send video in an iPhone-compatible H.264 stream just like YouTube and other streaming sites do currently.

Content providers will have the option of making their Silverlight streaming video iPhone-compatible now that Microsoft has added the feature on the server side.

Watching some of the incredible videos posted on Vimeo is now possible using your iPhone. The video sharing site is working on H.264 encoding its content for mobile viewers. Until now, watching Vimeo content required a web browser with Flash.

For the time being a selection of staff picks and HD showcase videos are available using iPhone and Android devices, with more videos on the way. Vimeo is known for offering streaming video in 720p HD quality and banning commercial content.