Video World Insider Week in Review

It's tough to deny by any measure that streaming video isn't rapidly gaining ground in peoples' homes and on the go. A sector with rapid gain generates a lot of news, and that's exactly what we were waiting for.

A big week in streaming video meant a whole lot of news to tackle, so now, we take a look at some of the biggest events with our Week in Review coverage!

First, Redbox joined in the streaming video stakes with Redbox Instant. Backed up by Verizon (News - Alert), some early details slipped out about the site that ran Redbox Instant before succumbing to password protection. The early details suggest Redbox Instant will go into a full launch possibly on December 17, and has a series of apps already coded for Android (News - Alert), iOS and Xbox 360.

The service is set to cost $6 a month – beating Hulu Plus and Netflix – but users can up that price to $8 per month and get not only streaming access, but four Redbox credits at the kiosks.

Latin America's Totalmovie made the next big hit in news, as the over-the-top streaming operator looked to make a move on Netflix with a new live television service available across the 40 countries in which it currently offers subscription service. Billed as the first ever live online TV service by parent company Grupo Salinas, it will not only offer movies, but also catch-up TV service.

The firm will have plenty of competitors in the field, of course, but with its live element, it looks to be a match for many of the region's big names.

Streaming video isn't just about entertainment; it's also about security. That was the point of our next news item, as Camera Manager offered a new means to get access to security cameras worldwide via the cloud. Offering great security with comparatively few drawbacks – there's no base unit to be stolen, for example, meaning extra security – it's an excellent indication of just why Video Surveillance-as-a-Service (VSaaS) is set to become a very big deal in the sector.

Then we took a look at the changing video game market, and how digital distribution is most likely to change the way we buy video games. While the removal of the used game market will be a huge blow to many gamers, greatly reduced prices on video games overall are likely since many of the standard costs associated with game distribution would be removed.

But with the way gamers play also changing, the market may not be the only thing in the midst of upheaval.

Finally, big news came out of Dish Network and EchoStar Technologies, who wanted power savings for their set-top boxes. Shutting down a Dish Network box is the same thing as launching a reset on the device, and requires the system to find a new connection, which can take several minutes. Avoiding this, many leave their set-top boxes on at all times, and that means a lot of unnecessary energy going into a lot of set-top boxes.

Dish and EchoStar are part of a wider coalition out to reduce that amount of energy expended by the equivalent of four power plants' worth of output.

That was the week that was in streaming video, and with plenty going on, it's no wonder our global online community is constantly keeping a watch for fresh news. So be sure to join us back here next week for more, and of course, every week for our Week in Review coverage!