Wednesday links: Netflix's prototype video player ... Comedy kills online

Getting ready to head off on a week of travel, so posting will likely be light...One of the talks I'm giving, next week, covers some of the lessons that innovators can learn from Hollywood's long history of absorbing new technologies. I plan to post some of that -- slides or notes -- here soon.

Two stories that caught my attention this morning:

- Netflix recently showed an online video player that it may soon integrate into its Web site, making "Watch Now" movies accessible to Mac users like me. (Via Hacking NetFlix.)

- USA Today observes that what Web video viewers really want is to laugh. (Via Thompson on Hollywood.)