Hasta La Gadget!

Welcome to the summer doldrums between the Olympics, and later in the fall when new shows premiere and the box office hits get their home releases. There are a few things to keep an eye out for with some premieres and finales, plus a series of Disney combo packs on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

WarGames

The 1983 hit starring Matthew Broderick as a young hacker who takes the US to the brink of World War III is finally here on Blu-ray. Judging by the descriptions we’re not seeing a lot in the way of extras above and beyond the 2008 25th Anniversary release on DVD, but we’ll take what we can get and hey, it’s currently on sale for less than $13.
($12.86 on Amazon)

The Newsroom

Already renewed for a second season, Aaron Sorkin’s drama about the daily life of a fictional cable news channel wraps up season one this week. Whether you think the show’s style is smug and self serving or witty and sophisticated, there’s at least been plenty of time in the ten episodes to make up your mind. Reportedly internet trolling will play a big part in the season finale, not that we’d at all be familiar with that phenomenon.
(August 26th, HBO, 10PM)

The Inbetweeners

Since Skins did so well in its transition from the UK to the US, MTV is apparently trying again with The Inbetweeners. A series focused on a group of high school boys making the transition to adulthood, it seems hard to see this following the path of The Office and not other ill fated shows. Of course, the US version of Being Human wasn’t all bad, so maybe there’s a chance?
(August 20th, MTV, 10:30PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 20th – 26th)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Must See HDTV (August 20th – 26th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Missed out on claiming digital copies of video included with your discs because the expiration dates have passed? Well, Warner Bros. wants to make such frustrations a mere memory, as Tech of the Hub has found it’s silently updated the use-by dates of a significant portion of its catalogue. By browsing the WB digital copy support page, it’s evident most titles are now available until May 17th 2017, although we did find several exceptions. Some may discover that despite the extension their original codes won’t work, but Gabe at Tech of the Hub was swiftly provided with fresh and functional ones when he notified WB, so we assume you’ll get the same treatment. With streaming support now available for many of these digital copies through iCloud and expiration dates a thing of the far future, there’s never been a better time to pack those shelves with limited editions and classic re-releases.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Warner quietly extends the expiration dates of digital copies, discs remain ornamental originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still not sure about the Sci Fi / Syfy Network name switch, but whatever you call it the network is the latest to jump on the trend of second screen features. Currently available on the latest version of its iPad app (and listed as “coming soon” for Android tablets on the official page an in the demo video embedded after the break), Syfy Sync will work with certain shows to pull up interactive content on your mobile device along with whatever is playing on TV. The first show to get the treatment is the season premiere of Face Off airing August 21st. Naturally, there’s a social media element as well, with sharing to Facebook and Twitter, as well as integrated GetGlue check-ins. Whether or not you dig the second screen aspects or are just waiting for some better shows to come on, there are other upgrades with a new UI as, show related photo galleries and support for AirPlay to play the app’s video clips on your TV. Syfy for iPad 2.0 with sync is available for free in iTunes, we’ll let you know when the Android version is upgraded and if similar features head to any other mobile platforms soon.

Continue reading Syfy for iPad app adds Sync feature, second screen content launches Tuesday with Face Off (video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablet PCs

Syfy for iPad app adds Sync feature, second screen content launches Tuesday with Face Off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not to be outdone by The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Sky’s just released its own application to keep football enthusiasts entertained while on the go — at least Premier League fans using Android slabs. Unlike the ESPN app, however, Sky Sports is charging £5 (around $8) per month for its offering, though it will — with the help of ESPN, no less — stream over 100 EPL matches live, so you’re not limited to only highlights and previews. That being said, Sky Sports TV also lets UK and Ireland folks watch other sporting events, including F1 races, PGA Golf and tennis events like the US Open. The bad news is the app currently doesn’t support Jelly Bean-loaded devices, which, for now, will most likely only affect a tiny section of Mountain View’s user base — if that’s not you, though, the link to download is down below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Sky Sports TV app for Android now available, brings live events to the UK and Ireland originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 07:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may not have quite the catalog of Netflix (or the same HD quality), but Sony Pictures’ Crackle streaming service does have one big thing going for it: it’s completely free. It’s also found its way onto plenty of different platforms (most recently Windows Phone), and that run has now continued with its expansion onto Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet (but not the Nook Color). What’s more, while there’s no release date confirmed just yet, Crackle says that the app is “coming soon” to the Kindle Fire as well. It’s also revealed that the app has now seen 11 million downloads across all mobile platforms — a figure that may now see a boost not only from the new Nook app, but from the just-updated Android and iOS apps, which each boast a redesigned interface and support for TV playback via AirPlay or HDMI.

Continue reading Crackle’s free movie streaming expands to the Nook Tablet, Android and iOS apps updated for TV playback

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software

Crackle’s free movie streaming expands to the Nook Tablet, Android and iOS apps updated for TV playback originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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