Feb 28
Now that Titanfall has gone Gold, chatter is ramping up toward final release. What we’re seeing from the folks behind the wheel at EA Games and Respawn Entertainment is a … Continue reading
Feb 28
Microsoft is reportedly preparing a “Windows 8.1 with Bing” version of its desktop OS that would supposedly be offered free of licensing fees, as the company experiments with different monetization … Continue reading
Feb 28
Ultra HD 4K TV Cheat Sheet
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Panasonic AX8000 series is one of many 4K TVs coming in 2014.
(Credit: CNET/Panasonic)
Ultra HD, colloquially known as “4K,” is the latest buzzword, and the latest push from TV manufacturers.
While your next TV might not be Ultra HD, the one after probably will be.
Here are the basics of what you need to know about this latest advancement in TV technology.
Higher than HD resolution, and possibly more To put it most simply, Ultra HD is resolution greater than HD. Today this most commonly means a horizontal resolution of 3,840 and a vertical resolution of 2,160. This is four times the resolution of 1080p, which is 1,920×1,080. Officially, Ultra HD is a minimum of 3,820×2,160, also known as Quad HD. It also includes cinema 4K (4,096×2,160) and future resolutions like “8K,” or 7,680x 4,320.
Four resolutions compared: standard definition; full high definition; and the two kinds of ultra high definition (Quad HD and 4Kx2K).
(Credit: CNET)
With current products and content, Ultra HD is almost entirely just about this increase in resolution. Resolution is just one part of a good picture, however, and not the most important. Behind the scenes there’s movement towa… [Read more]
Related Links:
A plasma lover’s guide to LED LCD
Five steps for a better-looking TV
Crave giveaway: FlatWave amplified HDTV antenna from Winegard
Are 2K+ smartphone resolutions overkill? Maybe not.
Making headphones mono
     |
Feb 28
Vice President Underwood might know how to manipulate everyone from the president on down, but he doesn’t seem to know that deleting a text message doesn’t guarantee that it’s gone forever.
(Credit: Netflix)
The second season of “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey as ruthless politician Francis Underwood arrived in one big batch of 13 episodes exactly two weeks ago, and we’ve all been binge-watching since. By the way, if you haven’t yet made it all the way through season 2, this is about as far as you should read without risking spoilers. I’ll say that again in all caps for you skim-readers out there — SPOILER ALERT!!! That’s better.
The web of intertwined intrigue and drama this season also introduced a new plotline in which fictional Washington Herald deputy editor Lucas Goodwin becomes ensnared in a plot to gain access to an AT&T server farm with the assistance of shadowy hacker Gavin Orsay. Goodwin believes Orsay is assisting him in tracking down evidence of Underwood’s murderous habits. Unbeknownst to Goodwin, however, Orsay is a grudging informant for the FBI, which is entrapping Goodwin to send him off to prison and out of Underwood’s hair.
With so much tech and hacker content in the storyline, and “House of Cards” more or less a production of the Hollywood establishment (albeit Spacey and the awesome wing of said establishment), there were inevitably going … [Read more]
Related Links:
Snow day chant: ‘House of Cards,’ now now now!
Kevin Spacey: 37 seasons of ‘House of Cards’, anyone?
Netflix orders third season of ‘House of Cards’
What makes ‘Caper’ fly? Secrets from the superhero show’s creator
Amazon’s second wave of original pilots goes live
| |
Feb 28
Netflix recently held a Hack Day for its engineers to come up with tweaks to the popular streaming video service. Even though the activity was made primarily for fun, one of the resulting hacks is quite promising: a hack that uses information from a Fitbit to detect when you fall asleep and then pauses the video in response. It could give lazy people a reason to buy a fitness tracker.
Made by Sam Horner, Rachel Nordman, Arlene Aficial, Sam Park and Bogdan Ciuca, the Sleep Tracker not only pauses the video but also makes a bookmark of that point. And then it’ll report the boring video to Netflix. Just kidding. It should though.
Netflix makes no guarantee that the hack will make it into their software, specially since not everyone has a Fitbit or fitness tracker in general. But wouldn’t it be nice if all displays had this technology built in? Check out the Netflix blog to see more hacks from their engineers.
[via TechCrunch]
Feb 28
Low Latency No. 88: Fit fatigue
Posted in: Today's Chili
Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET’s Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Friday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here’s every Low Latency comic so far. [Read more]
Related Links:
Perfect Fit: Why the Samsung Gear Fit might be a hint of wristbands to come
Has Samsung missed the mark again with Gear updates?
The two things that need to happen before wearable tech goes mainstream: Google and Apple
Google, LG working on smartwatch to be unveiled in June
Samsung’s Gear Fit doesn’t run Android or Tizen
| |
Feb 28
Feb 28
We’re coming down off the Mobile World Congress 2014 high to find that things aren’t so fantastic here in the real world. Specifically we’re referring to the Mt. Gox bankruptcy, … Continue reading
Feb 28
The work done by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop doesn’t only just show up on Sesame Street and in the latest batch of Muppet movies. Any time you see a convincing looking creature in a commercial that wasn’t brought to life through CG, odds are the Creature Shop had a hand in its creation.
| |
Feb 28
Internet anonymity service Tor is working on a messaging client to offer Skype, Google Hangouts, and other IM users concerned about who might be reading their conversations a little piece … Continue reading
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.