Apr 27

Rumor: Hulu Plus to Land on Xbox Live on April 29

Posted in: hulu, Miscellaneous Tech, streaming, Today's Chili, videos, xbox 360

Hulu Plus Logo

For those people who use their Xbox 360 are a primary form of both gaming entertainment and video entertainment, it might be finally time to invest in a Hulu Plus account. According to a post at Joystiq, Hulu Plus will arrive on the Xbox 360 on April 29th, finally ending the long wait that Xbox owners have had to suffer while PS3 owners gloated in their faces. 
The Xbox 360 has only had Netflix up to this point, but PS3 owners have had both Netflix and Hulu Plus access. That difference has made people looking to cancel their cable television in exchange for streaming video on the Web look more carefully at the PS3 than the Xbox 360. If the story is true and Hulu Plus does come to the Xbox 360 this week, it would put the two consoles back on even ground. 
[via Joystiq]
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Apr 22

Google Pulls YouTube from Roku Channel List

Posted in: Google, Miscellaneous Tech, set-top-box, streaming, Today's Chili, videos

Roku - YouTube Channel

If you have a Roku set-top box and you’ve been enjoying the ability to watch YouTube videos from the comfort of your couch, we have some bad news for you. The YouTube channel in the Roku channel lineup was actually an unofficial and unsupported one, and Google recently caught wind of the fact. They’ve asked Roku to pull it from their channel list, and Roku complied. 
Reportedly, the issue at hand was the fact that the channel used the MP4 version of YouTube videos that the service provides to mobile devices. That alone isn’t too bad, but the problem is that pre-roll advertisements and pop-up ads that appear over videos weren’t displayed, which made the service virtually ad-free.  
Roku noted that they’ve been in negotiations with Google to bring YouTube support to Roku boxes for a long time now, and while they don’t have an ETA for when Roku owners will be able to officially watch YouTube videos on their TV, they’d love for it to happen. If you already have the channel added to your list, you can still enjoy it, but as of now, it’s gone and new users can’t add it. 
[via GigaOm]
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Apr 19

Bang & Olufsen Reveals 85-Inch 3D TV

Posted in: Today's Chili

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If the reason you haven’t bought a 3D TV yet is because they’re not expensive enough, luckily Bang & Olufsen has stepped in.

The company known for egregiously expensive consumer electronics has debuted the BeoVision 4-85, an 85-inch TV that is one of the largest 3D sets on the market.

Oh, and because B&O just has to add features that sound cool but are totally useless, the TV actually moves. The motorized stand automatically lifts up the device to the ideal viewing position.

Pricing details have not been announced yet, but if you know B&O you can expect it to be more expensive than my car.

Via Engadget

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Apr 19

Study: People Still Like Their Movies On Discs

Posted in: blu-ray, Today's Chili

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Although Netflix and video-on-demand services are becoming increasingly popular, the majority of consumers are still watching movies on physical disc-based media.

According to market research firm NPD, 77% of consumers watched a movie on Blu-ray Disc or DVD in the first three months of 2011, the exact same as when NPD performed the same survey last year.

What this means is that even though people may be watching more media through streaming platforms, they aren’t willing to give up physical formats yet. Streaming is just a complement, not a substitute. At least not yet.

Via Investors.com

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Apr 13

Report: Is Apple Working on an HDTV?

Posted in: Apple, apple tv, hdtv, rumor, Today's Chili

New Apple TV

Rumors that Apple was planning to get into the HDTV business started initially back before the current Apple TV model was released. After the Apple TV hit store shelves, people resigned themselves to the likelihood that Apple had no plans to release a consumer HDTV, and moved on. 
Now, a new report by an analyst with Ticonderoga Securities says that it’s more than possible that Apple will launch an Internet-connected LCD HDTV before the end of 2011, retailing for close to $2,000. 
The report cites several “data points” that Brian White, the analyst who authored the report, picked up at a trade show in China this week, and says in essence that Apple isn’t happy with the Apple TV being its only major living room business play. 
Combined with Apple’s iTunes video sales and rentals and its devotion to Airplay – its technology for wirelessly streaming audio and video from iOS and Mac OS devices to one another and supported home theater equipment – White believes that Apple is well positioned to make a push into the HDTV market. 
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Apr 06

Netflix to Pay $1 Mill an Episode to Stream Mad Men

Posted in: netflix, Today's Chili
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Those vintage suits aren’t cheap–Netflix’s plans to add AMC costume drama Mad Men to its streaming offering will costs the movie service somewhere between $75 and $100 million according to unnamed sources at The Wall Street Journal. That number works out to mind boggling $1 million an episode.

The first four seasons of the show are set to hit Netflix mid-July. After season five finishes airing in 2012, it will hit the service–as will the recently announced seasons six and seven.

The deal with Lions Gate marks the latest in a handful of signings for Netflix. The service also recently struck a deal with Miramax, which will bring movies like Pulp Fiction to the site. Netflix is also said to be in discussions with NBCUniversal.

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Apr 06

DISH Network Buys Blockbuster

Posted in: Movies, Today's Chili
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Ailing movie rental chain Blockbuster has a new owner–DISH Network swooped in and bought the once mighty company, bidding around $308 million. The price, which is likely to work out to around $228 million in cash, beat out bids by Blockbuster shareholder Carl Icahn, SK Telecom in South Korea, and a team of Blockbuster lenders headed by Monarch Alternative Capital.

A hearing to approve the acquisition will be held on Thursday. DISH, for its part, expects the whole thing to close by the end of the second quarter of this year. The deal is contingent on a number of factors, including approval from a bankruptcy court.
From the sound of it, DISH is in the deal primarily for brand name recognition. From the company’s sales EVP, Tom Cullen,
With its more than 1,700 store locations, a highly recognizable brand and multiple methods of delivery, Blockbuster will complement our existing video offerings while presenting cross-marketing and service extension opportunities for DISH Network.While Blockbuster’s business faces significant challenges, we look forward to working with its employees to re-establish Blockbuster’s brand as a leader in video entertainment.
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Apr 01

Studios Charging $30 For Gently Used Movies

Posted in: Movies, Today's Chili
You’ll pay $12 to see a movie in theaters and $5 to rent a new movie at your local Blockbuster (well, fewer and fewer on the latter front, I suppose). How much would you pay to rent a movie fresh out of theaters, not quite ready for the DVD release? A number of major Hollywood studios are betting that the number is pretty high. Time Warner, Sony, Comcast and News Corp-owned studios are experimenting with new rental pricing–$30 a pop.
The studios have christened the new pricing plan “premium VOD.” The main justification for the pricey entrance fee is the absurd amount of money is costs to actually watch a film in theaters. Now, granted, the aforementioned $12 is New York prices–the national average is apparently closer to $8. But let’s say you invite some friends over and make popcorn in your microwave. You may actually be getting off cheap at $30.
At the very least, this is a sign that Hollywood is open and reasonably flexible when it comes to monetizing films in the future–and heck, it sure beats the MPAA’s standard policy of suing Internet users.
The films will be available 60 days after their theatrical run ends. The studios don’t expect premium VOD to eat into box office, as the lion’s share of money comes from the first few weeks of a film’s release. 
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Mar 28

Harry Potter, Inception Coming to Facebook Streaming

Posted in: netflix, Today's Chili
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Granted, it’s probably not quite time to begin hailing Facebook as a serious competitor to the Netflixes and Hulus of the world, but the social network seems to be off to a fairly strong start, considering that, until this week, the site only offered a single film: The Dark Knight. 

Warner and Facebook are still in the trial stages of this new offering, but the studio is upping the ante a bit, with the addition of three high profile flicks–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Inception.

Also in the lot are Life as We Know It and Yogi Bear, bringing the full movie tally for the site up half a dozen. All movies can be streamed their respective fan pages or the Warner page. They can be rented by the clicking the Watch Now button. Rentals run 30 Facebook Credits or three human American dollars.
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Mar 25

Man Gets $16.4 Million Time Warner Cable Bill

Posted in: cable, Today's Chili, Weird News
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Those premium channels really add up, huh? Ohio resident Daniel DeVirgilio’s bank rejected his cable payment request–apparently his account couldn’t handle the $16.4 million bill, which was up a bit from the usual $80 a month. 

DeVirgilio jokingly chalked the whole thing up to his recent addition of Showtime premium channels to his selection. The actual culprit, it turns out, is human error. A Time Warner apparently typed in the wrong number (only off by a few decimal points). The company apologized via form letter and added that it’s working to take care of the really, really expensive problem.
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