Media Streaming Boxes get Facebook

The company Western Digital announced recently that their media streaming boxes were getting updates so that they would support Facebook and other goodies, all for the enjoyment of WD TV Live users. There is support for another feature of the media boxes, Blockbuster On-Demand, allowing users to buy or rent movies at the same time they can buy them in DVD or Blu-ray.

If you have your own WD TV Live box on your TV, you can enjoy all the features of your Facebook account, without experiencing any issues. The WD boxes now support Bluetooth keyboards, too, which makes it even easier to keep in touch with your friends on Facebook. Many users previously had to use the Live Hub offered by WD TV to get to weather reports and Facebook, but that extra step will no longer be necessary.

During the Presidential Inauguration in 2009, Facebook tested a new feature that allowed users to share their Facebook comments and updates alongside real streaming videos at CNN.com. They realized then how powerful it was to be able to see what friends were saying on Facebook but also on CNN. There were over one million status updates during the duration of the Inauguration, which ran for about two hours. Since that time, Facebook has worked with other entrepreneurs to enable the site to show updates in real time. Facebook Connect was even used during the elections in Israel.

The Facebook Live Stream Box is a feature that any developer or owner of a website can use, allowing Facebook users to connect with each other, sharing and posting updates, also in real time. The Live Stream Box can be run at concerts, sporting events, speeches or TV shows. You can even run the Live Stream Box during multiple-player games, or with any type of experience where a lot of people will be visiting one website concurrently.

Using the Live Stream Box on your site, you'll will be able to log into Facebook Connect and then you can share updates that will appear on your Facebook profiles and within the Live Stream Box. The updates will even appear in your friends' streamed home pages. Each of the users' posts will have a link back to your site's Live Stream Box, so that other Facebook users can discover what event you're watching, and join in. You can see updates from each user who is posting, or use a filter so that you'll only see your friends' updates.

It only takes a minute to set up your Live Stream Box, and you can include it within your own Facebook page or on a Facebook application. UStream offers live streaming concerts and other events, all from their Facebook page, so that you can join in live events with your Facebook friends.