Deepfake videos are getting shockingly good

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

According to the ByteDance researchers, OmniHuman-1 only needs a single reference image and audio, like speech or vocals, to generate a clip of an arbitrary length. The output video’s aspect ratio is adjustable, as is the subject’s “body proportion” — i.e. how much of their body is shown in the fake footage.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/deepfake-videos-are-getting-shockingly-good/

LinkedIn amps up vertical video tools as uploads jump 36%

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

The Microsoft-owned social network for the working world has yet to go full TikTok. But with a big boost of usage — today it said that video uploads jumped by 36% compared to last year, while video creation on the platform itself grew 100% — LinkedIn is adding more features to woo more video activity: a new full-screen vertical video display for all users (not just those on mobile), along with a number of new tools to boost viewer engagement.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/linkedin-amps-up-vertical-video-tools-as-uploads-jump-36/

Netflix is removing nearly all of its interactive titles

image via theverge.com
image via theverge.com

The removal of the titles marks a disappointing conclusion to Netflix’s earliest efforts into interactive content. The company first launched the interactive titles in 2017 with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, and I remember being wowed (and horrified) by paths in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24287857/netflix-removing-interactive-titles-games

Instagram is lowering video quality for unpopular videos

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

The popularity of an Instagram video can affect its actual video quality: According to Adam Mosseri (the Meta executive who leads Instagram and Threads), videos that are more popular get shown in higher quality, while less popular videos get shown in lower quality. In a video (via The Verge), Mosseri said Instagram tries to show “the highest-quality video that we can,” but he said, “if something isn’t watched for a long time — because the vast majority of views are in the beginning — we will move to a lower quality video.”

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/27/instagram-is-lowering-video-quality-for-unpopular-videos/