Though powering .gov websites isn’t at the core of the U.S. government’s financial woes, certain agencies will take their websites offline if there is a shutdown on Tuesday. Ars is reporting that the Library of Congress, the National Parks Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission would shut their websites off in a shutdown.
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As a part of delivering its newest lineup of Kindle Fire HDX tablets with Fire OS 3.0, Amazon also added a new feature to its Prime Instant Video subscription plan that Netflix, Hulu and the rest don’t have: downloads. The company told AllThingsD that this ability applies to “tens of thousands” of items from NBC, Viacom, Sony, Warner Bros. and CBS, with downloads ready for up to 30 days, and viewable for up to 48 hours after users start watching. Amazon hasn’t announced any plans to bring the feature to its older slates or other platforms, nor has it shared other details about how it works. We’ll have to wait and see if the competition negotiates / implements similar features soon — that we can’t even watch some OITNB or House of Cards stored on a tablet during a plane ride without going to some third party tech like PlayOn seems absolutely silly.
Update: As a point of clarification, Amazon’s product description reveals that offline playback for Amazon Prime videos is also possible on the newly released Kindle Fire HD. [Thanks, Quinn]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
When YouTube’s offline viewing feature launches in November, don’t expect to find Vevo on board. According to Variety, the music video service has opted out of the functionality, which will let users download videos on Youtube mobile apps for up to 48 hours of offline playback. YouTube reportedly gave Vevo and other partners a chance to opt out of the upcoming feature, so — while Vevo is the site’s biggest content supplier — this news is hardly scandalous. It makes sense, too; the music video provider has its own apps to promote, after all.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: Variety
Need more clarification on how YouTube’s offline video feature for mobile will work? Well, All Things D has shed a little light on the process via a memo Google sent to its YouTube partners. Turns out, offline video will be enabled by default in the YouTube app when it goes live in November, but wary partners do have the option to opt-out and can make that change right now. On the viewer end, all cached videos, accessible through the YouTube app’s “on device” section, will be available for a 48-hour offline window that refreshes whenever the app reconnects to the internet. And, yes, there will be ads, but they’ll be of the in-stream variety only. The new functionality doesn’t apply to any movies or TV shows that Google offers for rent or sale and it’s also still unclear if music videos will be whitelisted. But, hey, at least now you’ll have one more way to watch this glorious weirdness when you’re out of signal range.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: All Things D
YouTube’s Android app added the ability to watch precached videos (while still online) last summer, but Google’s video streaming unit isn’t stopping there. A post tonight on its Partners & Creators informed video makers that viewing of stored videos with no internet connection is coming soon. According to the blog the feature is coming to its mobile apps — following up on the recent updates on Android and iOS — in November, and will let viewers store videos for disconnected viewing for a “short time.” We don’t know if that consists of minutes, hours or days at a time but we’ll keep an eye out for more details — perhaps this is what the team that used to work on video responses has been up to.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: YouTube Creators Blog
Comcast announced plans for cloud based recordings with its upcoming X2 platform rollout, but FierceCable has spotted an iOS app in iTunes that’s ready for the feature. Published by Comcast Interactive Media, the Comcast Labs DVR app promises access to user’s cDVR service while behind their Comcast modem. What we can see of the UI is very basic, but the setup screens promise a “revolutionary new DVR that streams live TV and shares your recording to tablets, phones and all your TVs” and download recordings to mobile devices for viewing “on the go away from home – even offline.” There’s no hint as to when this will be available for more people, but the evidence is clear that it will take on competition including Sling, DirecTV’s Nomad and TiVo’s Stream.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: FierceCable, iTunes
The UK’s Channel 4 is no stranger to on-demand programming, and now it’s bringing the convenience of offline viewing to the mobile version of 4oD. In the latest update for Android and iOS, registered users can download shows that aired during the past 30 days, all for free. From there, users have seven days to view the content before it expires. There’s a subtle catch, as all programming must be downloaded over WiFi, from within the UK or the Republic of Ireland. Once downloaded, however, shows can be watched offline from anywhere. Offline viewing is currently restricted to the network’s commissioned shows, but it’s looking to add programming from other studios in the future. Consider this Channel 4’s way of keeping up with the Joneses… or in this case, the BBC.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Channel 4, App Store, Google Play
Tired of needing the pesky internet for all your cloud-related, Microsoft-hosted files? Tire no more, as SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 adds the ability to make files available offline across your SkyDrive-enabled devices by simply clicking a button. After enabling said functionality, those files will become available across your devices even when you’re away from the information superhighway (perhaps in the rural roads of Maine, per our recent experiences).
We took a deep dive into Windows 8.1 in late June, exploring the SkyDrive functionality as well as a whole mess of other features — you can find that piece right here. Windows 8.1 will arrive for the Windows 8 loyalists in the coming months (starting in August), but a preview version is available right now.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Sony Music Unlimited is still a relative newbie on the iOS scene, but users will soon find a new revision that brings high-quality streaming and offline playback to the fold. According to Sony, version 1.3 of Music Unlimited for iOS is just around the bend, which will bring the ability to download entire albums or single tracks that can later be accessed within the app’s offline mode. Also new in the latest update, you’ll find high-quality streaming of 320 Kbps AAC files, which can be enabled in the app’s settings. Sadly, you can’t download high-quality files for offline playback, but at least iOS users can take solace in parity with the Android version.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Sony
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Sony Entertainment Network
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