Hasta La Gadget!

BBC iPlayer for iOS just got a big update that makes it easy to keep watching — even in less than ideal conditions. The app now supports AirPlay streaming for downloaded shows, letting users watch on the big screen when there’s no internet connection. Searching is also much improved; iPlayer now groups results by series, and iPad users get a dedicated search section. It’s easier to start watching recommended shows, too. The update is sadly limited to the UK version of iPlayer, but those fortunate Brits can grab the new app through the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD

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Via: iMore

Source: App Store

Apple TV got an over-the-air update today that added a couple of great new apps to the platform—Vevo, Disney, Disney XD, and an app from the Smithsonian.

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We hope you aren’t depending on your Chromecast for local media playback. If you are, the device has just become a paperweight — temporarily, at least. Google’s most recent Chromecast update disables playback from external video sources, breaking third-party apps like AllCast and Fling that use the code for local-only streaming. Developer Leon Nicholls is hopeful that functionality will return when the official Cast SDK is ready for public apps, although we wouldn’t count on it. As Android Central notes, Google isn’t promising local media support on the Chromecast; for now, it’s focused on the cloud.

Update: In a statement mentioned by dnengel84 in the comments and posted by The Verge, Google says that it’s willing to support local content; these are “early days” for the SDK, and the feature set is likely to change. Read the full statement after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Google

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+), Leon Nicholls (Google+)

We love us some Chromecast, but it’s got its shortcomings. While there are more and more services snuggling up to ‘casting, the ultimate dream is being able to cast everything. We almost had a third-party app that could do exactly that, until Google put a stop to it.

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Orb has long kept busy making its media streaming solutions compatible with everything from Android to the Wii, but now the business as we know it is trotting off into the sunset. Joe Costello, founder and CEO of Orb Networks, quietly announced on the firm’s website that the team and technology have been acquired by one of its “large strategic partners who completely shared the Orb vision for building a standard platform for media solutions and beyond.” Costello didn’t divulge the buyer’s identity, but noted that their new owners had been “investing aggressively in this technology,” and Orb will lead their streaming media charge.

Although the company stopped selling its products in May, it will continue to honor the one year replacement warranty for Orb Music and TV. The hardware and Orb BR should continue to work, but changes made by streaming services could throw a spanner in the works, as bug fixes and updates are off the table. Orb Live apps, on the other hand, rely on the firm’s cloud servers that are slated to shut down by the end of the year. Mycast, the outfit’s free service, is expected to work through August, but won’t see life past 2013. Hit the source links below for Orb’s parting words.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: HD

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Source: Orb (1), (2)