RCDb, which credits itself as the company that used Blu-ray to bring Netflix service to the PS3, made a number of announcements today involving Cable and web technologies.

One of Android’s biggest selling points (so to speak) is that it’s free; Google doesn’t charge anybody a dime to use the operating system it would like to see powering phones, netbooks, and all other sorts of devices.  Unfortunately for Google, a major electronics manufacturer has concluded that using Android is still an expensive proposition.

The Wall Street Journal has the Blogosphere abuzz with rumors of Google testing a new set-top box with Dish Network, which would allow people to search television and online video content like YouTube. Google has given the usual "we don’t comment on rumor or speculation" statement on the subject.

For the most part, online video has been much less ad-heavy than television programming. It is this very fact that has likely been a large part of the medium’s popularity. Things may be changing, however.

According to Advertising Age, Nielsen is planning on making data available about the viewing of commercials that run in particular shows , whether they are viewed on TV or online. The data would start being available in September, and the publication says it will become the basis for ad negotiations next February.

Today, Yahoo proved that it’s all about bringing together TVs and the Internet, and also that it has plenty of allies in that mission.  The company announced new partnerships, a wide release of the Widget Developer Kit, and a significant range of new TV widget providers and content.

An advertising program that gives marketers access to little or no popular content isn’t worth much.  Fortunately for Google, Google TV Ads is moving further and further in the opposite direction, and today, an announcement concerning yet another well-known network was made.

Google has reportedly worked out another deal for its TV Ads unit. According to AdWeek, Google now counts Ovation TV, the arts cable channel among its TV Ads partners.

Over one-third of Americans (37%) say that television ads are the most helpful in making their purchase decision while 17 percent say newspaper ads are most helpful and 14 percent say the same about Internet search engine ads, according to a new AdweekMedia/Harris Poll.

Google announced today that it has entered a television advertising agreement with Broadway Systems. Apparently Broadway Systems announced this back on the 16th, but Google is talking about it today on the Traditional Media blog.

We have chronicled the slow death of the newspaper industry for a while now. First, there was the thought that maybe the Internet could displace newspapers with the delivery of content in a more timely and personalized manner. Newspapers decided that they were doing just fine and that they were moving into the digital world in a way that could help them maintain their content delivery fiefdom with no problems. Now, we see a landscape of wreckage where some of the most venerable names in newspaper including the Boston Globe are losing value both monetarily and in reputation.

YouTube is finally preparing to take on Hulu with premium content and better quality video from YouTube XL—preparing for a real big screen interface. You know, such as a television. Hulu is rather adamant about not going to television, so this could get to be a bit of a big deal.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, there was a lot of buzz around the web regarding a Twitter TV show. Variety reported that Twitter had partnered with Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment to develop an unscripted show about ordinary people "on the trail of celebrities."

Google is expecting a good year for Android, and it’s got plans for the mobile operating system. The company is planning "significant" products and partnerships.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Google was testing an online version of its Google TV Ads. They’re now launching Google TV Ads Online in beta by invitation only.

Nielsen has shared results of its "State of the Media" research. Not that this fact is surprising, but television is still the most preferred gateway for media consumption.

Google has conducted a study looking at how paid search affects TV viewing habits. The results are pretty interesting.

Adam Stewart, Google’s Industry Director for Media & Entertainment tells WebProNews that the research confirms that paid search is an effective way to build traffic for a network’s website and, as a result, increase viewership for content like online video.

A study from Nielsen and Ball State University found that 45-54 year-olds are the top consumers of video media. The study ran over the course of a year.

Data was gathered from traditional TVs (including DVD/VCR and DVR viewing), computers, mobile devices and other small screens like in-cinema movies, GPS and display screens outside of the home. Some key findings include:

It appears that television advertising is following a different trend than many have expected. Advertising Age is citing data from a recent study (due out soon) from Nielsen indicating that its doing better than ever. Some may find this a bit surprising with the increasing popularity of DVRs and online video.

Samsung’s seeking to make itself the go-to company in the field of on-the-wall entertainment.  At this year’s CES, the manufacturer displayed an array of televisions (incorporating LED, LCD, and plasma technology) that offer truly unique combinations of style and performance.