Hasta La Gadget!

Bad news, everyone. Five years into Futurama‘s revived presence on Comedy Central, the animated sci-fi series is getting the boot for the second time in its long and tumultuous history. Long-time fans will remember the first series finale (“The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings”) on Fox in 2003, the show’s brief rerun stint on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, the foray into four direct-to-DVD movies (which were separated into sixteen episodes for its inaugural season on Comedy Central) and its eventual deal with the cable network that brought us South Park and The Daily Show. But even after stunts like playing on our gadget obsessions and coming up with a brand new mathematical theorem, it seems the fine folks over at Planet Express just couldn’t slake Viacom’s thirst for viewers. So, with a heavy heart, we await the series finale (dubbed “Meanwhile”) to air on September 4th. But hey, maybe someone can convince Netflix to give life to yet another brilliant-but-canceled series?

Update: To check out a preview of the show’s final season — to debut on June 19th — take a peek at the second video after the break.

Filed under: HD

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Source: Entertainment Weekly

When we think of BBC iPlayer use on mobile devices, we most often picture someone catching up on dramas with their smartphone during the commute home. Not anymore: newly available March stats from the Beeb reveal that tablet viewing has overtaken phone viewing for the first time. The difference is slight — tablets are only 200,000 requests ahead, at 41 million — but it’s enough to suggest that many now prefer bigger screens when they’re away from a computer or TV. While the broadcaster hasn’t directly explained the change in demographics, it’s not hard to see a possible explanation based on viewer habits. The BBC notes that most tablet-bound iPlayer users watch TV, and most iPlayer TV time overlaps that of traditional viewing, when audiences are more likely to be at home with the larger devices at hand. If you’re one to curl up on the couch to watch Panorama on an iPad or Android slate, then, you may just be part of a growing trend.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD

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Source: BBC

Australians have long had access to the BBC, although a current four-channel lineup on Foxtel won’t completely satisfy fans of British TV when it’s just a sliver of the content they know. BBC Worldwide should be closing some of that (figurative) distance, though, with plans to offer a premium channel through Foxtel’s network. The as-yet-unnamed service will give Aussies a chance at first-run BBC shows about a year before they’d broadcast over the air there. and without ads. (Pretty good for not having a UK TV license.) The BBC content will naturally be available in HD, as well as for mobile streaming through Foxtel Go. About the only drawback to the channel outside of its premium nature is the mid-2014 start date, but that may be a small sacrifice for determined Anglophiles and ex-pats.

[Image credit: Teknorat, Flickr]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: The Next Web

Source: BBC Worldwide

4K TVs for less than $1,500? That’s the new world we live in, as we dive into Ultra HD, next Xbox rumors and more on this week’s podcast. Meanwhile, news of the death of Panasonic plasma R&D program was apparently greatly exaggerated, so we’ll figure out what to expect from the manufacturer in the future. Finally, we’ve got a fresh update in the always interesting news category of Dish Network Does Things.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

Hear the podcast

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Well, this is quite a blow to basic cable viewers. Up until recently, Comcast has allowed subscribers to access certain channels without adding a set-top box for every TV — instead, you’d simply connect your TV directly via coax (how quaint!). Now, certain customers have received word that their free ride will soon be coming to an end. The media giant will begin is expanding the area where it encrypts basic cable channels, requiring a single STB for each and every television that you plan to use. A Comcast Q&A document only addresses home users, so it’s unclear whether enterprise subscribers would also be affected — though that wouldn’t be out of the question.

We think the move could mean a more complicated (and pricey) installation at hospitals, university dorms and even neighborhood gyms, where TVs installed in cardio equipment often plug directly into wall jacks, not to mention the inconvenience you’ll be facing at home. This latest setback, of course, follows an FCC decision to allow companies to encrypt their basic cable channels — the authorization was reportedly granted to cut back on service theft, among other concerns. Comcast will be issuing up to two adapters to each subscriber at no charge for up to two years, assuming you request your equipment within four months of the date of encryption. That’s the good news, but encrypted content is quite a bummer, nonetheless.

Update: Comcast has already implemented encryption in certain areas — this latest move simply represents a wider rollout. Additionally, Comcast-issued set-top boxes are not required when a CableCard solution is in use. Boxee TV owners can receive a new E-DTA that turns Comcast’s encrypted cable channels into IP streams, as specified in an earlier agreement.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Comcast