Aereo sued by Boston TV station over copyright

Aereo has gotten into trouble with CBS and other networks over its live TV streaming.

Hearst has joined the long list of broadcast TV providers suing Aereo, the startup that delivers over-the-air TV programming to Internet-connected devices.

Boston broadcast TV station WCVB filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop Aereo from retransmitting its over-the-air signals without a license, claiming the service will cause harm to the station.

"If Aereo is permitted to profit from the unauthorized retransmission of copyrighted television programming, WCVB will be deprived of existing and potential revenue streams from advertising and authorized retransmissions," Hearst said in its 22-page complaint.

CNET has contacted Aereo for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Thus far, Aereo has been on the winning side of court battles. In April, an appeals court denied a preliminary injunction motion from television networks that would have prevented Aereo from transmitting recorded broadcast television programs to its subscribers. The court found that the networks "have not demonstrated that they are likely to prevail on the merits of this claim in their copyright infringement action."Aereo, which is backed by IAC Chairman Barry Diller, uses antenna/DVR technology to let consumers watch live, local over-the-air television broadcasts on some Internet-connected devices, including the iPad and iPhone. That capability has provoked lawsuits from TV broadcast giants including ABC, CBS (the parent of CNET), Fox, NBC Universal, and Telemundo, which alleged last year that the service violates their copyrights and that Aereo must pay them retransmission fees.

Record silent Instagram videos

The severed end of a TRRS headset cable.

Well, that trick did work for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 I had handy, and it may work for other Android devices as well. It did not, however, work with my iPhone.

It turns out that Apple hardware requires a specific resistance in the headphone components in order for the device to sanction the connected headset. By cutting out the mic from the cable (as well as the surrounding circuit board of tiny resistors and diodes), I stripped out the very thing I needed for the trick to work. My iPhone knew I was up to no good and it resorted to using its internal microphone instead.

Not one to give up easily, I tried a number of different TRRS jack adapters, such as the weird USB charging adapter from the iPod Shuffle, and even a VGA A/V cord. No dice.

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Finally, I hit on a solution. I have at my desk a guitar cable adapter made for iOS devices called AmpliTube iRig. The adapter runs around $40 new and comes with a great app for playing and recording your guitar. But assuming you're just using this to disable your iPhone's internal mic,inexpensive alternatives can be found for around $10 (though I make no guarantees on their compatibility). Just plug it into your headphone jack and leave the instrument input empty, and you've got an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad with a bypassed microphone, capable of creating silent videos for Instagram or Vine.

Convenient? Not really. But until either company sees fit to include a simple microphone mute button (if they ever come to their senses) at least this is a workable solution for silent video purists.

5 Best Chrome extensions for YouTube addicts

It's easy to get caught up in a personally curated YouTube video marathon. From a "G.I. Joe" PSA to sad cat diaries, there's no shortage of funny things to watch. Here's a collection of Chrome extensions that can do things like automatically crank up the quality of YouTube videos, or even pause them when you switch tabs.

AutoHD for YouTube
YouTube has a setting that will choose the best quality for your connection and player size. The HD option can be forced to turn on for full screen, but doesn't apply to all regular-size videos. So instead of having to click the icon each time you open a video, try this extension that will shows videos only in 720p or 1080p, when available.

Turn Off the Lights
When watching YouTube videos in anything but full screen, it can be hard to focus on actual video because of the related videos and ads that plague YouTube pages. This extension will dim out all the other junk and nicely frame the video you're watching, keeping your eyes from being so easily distracted.

YouTube Smart Pause
This extension is a must have for anyone who uses YouTube to do research. Instead of you having to pause the video each time you want to make a note or look something up, the extension will do it for you automatically.

YouTube Lyrics by Rob W
If watching music videos is your thing, this extension is for you. Lyrics will display off to the right so they don't block your view. Really great for people who want to learn the songs for karaoke contests.

YouTurn
Can't get enough of a song or comedy skit? The YouTurn extension will put it on repeat for you. Now you can just leave the tab open and enjoy hearing the same thing over and over.

Have another extension that you use to make your YouTube experience better? Share it with us in the comments!