Back in June, Netflix announced that it would be rolling out individual user profiles at some point over the summer, and today they’ve done just that. The company is finally ready to release a feature for its streaming service that many users have been dreaming about for awhile now, and it’s finally here. Individual profiles […]
The BBC might be a stalwart bastion of television broadcasting, but that’s not stopping it from expanding its ventures into the wonderful world of online programming. Today, BBC Three announced that it would try its hand at digital-first content starting with the second series of Jack Whitehall’s Bad Education. As more and more viewers turn to the internet for their TV-watching needs, the BBC has proven itself eager to keep up with demand, first by unveiling its plan to debut certain programs online in addition to producing iPlayer-exclusive dramas. iPlayer has long been one of the best ways to catch up on your favorite shows when you miss them on the air, but with this new development, the BBC seems interested in shifting the paradigm — at least when it comes to a few select programs — to favor online viewership.
Via: The Next Web
Source: BBC
It seems like cable companies are always having trouble striking deals with TV networks but this giant fail is especially ridiculous: Time Warner Cable has removed CBS from its channel lineup in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, etc. and Showtime from its nationwide cable service. That’s pretty embarrassing, even for Time Warner.
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The Chromecast was arguably one of the most talked-about new products that was revealed by Google earlier this week. The new Nexus 7 and Android 4.3 were cool and all, but the Chromecast definitely got most of the attention, and it’s easy to see why: it’s a media streaming device the size of a dongle, and it only costs $35 ($11 after the 3-month Netflix discount, which has since been discontinued). However, after playing around with it for a little while, I’ve noticed that it’s an awesome device for some people, and an awful device for others.
Perhaps the biggest point that’s being argued over is the lack of streaming options available for the Chromecast. While more and more services will eventually support the new device, only Netflix, YouTube, and Google Play are supported. This is obviously a huge turn-off for those who take advantage of the likes of Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, etc., but for me, the only streaming services I use are Netflix and YouTube (okay, I use Spotify too, but I never use it on a TV anyways). Then again, these other services can be accessed through the Chrome browser and relayed to the Chromecast, so not all hope is lost there.
But the support for Netflix and YouTube means that the Chromecast supports all of the video streaming services that I use, which is a huge win for me, but a huge loss for those who use anything other than these two services. Again, though, the Chromecast SDK will allow more and more streaming services to add support eventually, so the only question is when that will happen.
The Chromecast is great for a variety of things, including presentations (just as long as your presentation is through a Chrome browser, which shouldn’t be too hard, thanks to Google Drive’s Presentation app). You can mirror a Chrome tab to the Chromecast, and keep browsing other tabs on your computer while that tab remains on the TV. And yes, if you’re on that active tab, any action you do will be mirrored to the Chromecast, which is great for showing a large crowd something on your computer.
However, a huge complaint that I have after playing around with it for about an hour, is that it’s just not as convenient as a streaming set-top box like an Apple TV or Roku. It’s also harder to use for those who aren’t tech-minded. My wife, for example, found the process of using the Chromecast to be extremely tedious compared to just browsing around on a set-top box using a remote control. She found it was quicker and easier to select the content she wanted on a set-top box rather than using the Chromecast.
However, even though I’m pretty tech savvy, I still found the Chromecast to be a little tedious at times. For example, I love watching episodes of How It’s Made while I fall asleep, and the nice thing I like about set-top boxes is that they’ll automatically play the next episode. Chromecast doesn’t do this. Instead, after a show is over and I want to watch another one, I have to wake my smartphone, and scroll down to the next episode. Sadly, there’s no option of just tapping “Next” in the Netflix app. With that said, it’s simply just easier to use a remote control in this instance.
Obviously, that’s a very specific example of when the Chromecast doesn’t exactly work well, but from an overall perspective, I really like it. It’s extremely portable, so I can take it with me when I travel and use it in hotel rooms to watch my Netflix shows, instead of using my laptop’s small screen and awful speakers. It’s also a great device for parties, especially when you’re all gathered in the living room and you want to show everyone a funny YouTube video. All you have to do is bring it up on your smartphone and beam it the Chromecast to have it start playing on the big screen.
In a broader sense, the only downside is latency. Google already said that gaming is out of the question because of slow latency, and pausing/resuming video, as well as adjusting volume took a second or two to kick in for me. Granted, I was in a room in my apartment that gets really crappy WiFi coverage, so I’m guessing the latency would be a bit better than this in a well-covered area.
As far as the extra USB power cable that everyone keeps complaining about, it’s really not a big deal. Yes, Google was pretty shady in skimming over that bit of information during the announcement, but if you have a USB port on your TV, it’s seriously not a huge problem at all. Even if you have to plug it into an outlet, it’s plug-and-forget.
Obviously, the Chromecast may not be anything too special right now, except for it’s extremely-low price point, but I can only see the device getting better and better as time goes on. Thanks to the accompanying SDK, we should be seeing more and more apps support the Chromecast, and we wouldn’t be surprised if hackers got their hands on it as well and did some really neat stuff with it. And of course, we reckon you’ll be able to grab a Chromecast for next to nothing on eBay once the hype settles.
Chromecast is a viable STB replacement, but not for everyone is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It’s no surprise that Android runs on all sorts of different resolutions, including small smartwatch displays, all the way up to the Nexus 10′s better-than-Retina-quality screen. However, we could see Android devices in the future rocking 4K resolutions, thanks to an interesting piece of source code in Android 4.3.
To make it possible for Android to run on all sorts of different resolutions, it must support a vast number of pixel densities for app content. This means that there are different categories for different resolutions, including Low DPI (LDPI) for 120 DPI devices, Medium DPI (MDPI) for 160 DPI, High DPI (HDPI) for 240 DPI, Extra High DPI (XHDPI) for 320 DPI, and Extra Extra High DPI (XXHDPI) for 480 DPI.
However, Android 4.3 includes a new DPI range called Extra Extra Extra High DPI (XXXHDPI) for devices that have 640 DPI. According to the comments in the source code, this category is intended for 4K displays. Obviously, this refers to 4K televisions specifically, meaning that Google might have plans for a device that’ll support the higher resolution.
Whether that device is a new set-top box or what is anyone’s guess, but it’s possible that the company could update its Google TV with Android 4.3, that way it could play 4K content on the higher-res televisions that no one can really afford yet. However, this merely seems like a tactic that Google is using to prepare early for the future.
Then again, it could also just a move by the Android team to cover their bases. The HTC One was pushing the envelope for DPI with its 468 pixels per inch. The added category to Android 4.3 could just be a cushion that Google is adding, but we really think that Google may have something cooking in the 4K realm.
SOURCE: Android Police
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean code hints at 4K resolution support is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
A television with a 4K resolution is still pretty rare these days, and also still very expensive. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be exceptions. Chinese television maker TCL just announced a new 50-inch 4K HDTV with a price tag of just a dollar shy of $1,000, which is less expensive than most other 1080p televisions on the market today.
How does a 4K HDTV cost only $1,000? Well, the biggest factor is that it’s a cheap Chinese manufacturer, compared to top-quality brands like LG or Samsung, but another big reason for the low price tag is that the TV doesn’t come with the bells and whistles like THX certifications and internet-connected Smart TV features.
TCL is the second manufacturer to provide budget 4K televisions, with Seiki being the first, thanks to their 39-inch 4Ker for only $700 and their own 50-inch model for $1,500. However, the TCL 50-incher costs $500 less, meaning that this is the cheapest 50-inch 4K TV around, and it’s probably the cheapest that big-screen 4K televisions will go — at least until a few years from now.
Other televisions in TCL’s lineup for this year include regular HDTV models at 40-, 46-, and 55-inch sizes, priced at $399, $499 and $799, respectively. TCL’s 4K variant will start shipping in September, while their traditional 1080p models will begin shipping at some point next month.
While 4K (also referred to as Ultra HD) is still in its early stages, it seems like the next progressive step in the evolution television. While we don’t see too many 4K offerings on the market just yet (and the ones we see are extremely pricey), we very well may see 4K become more ubiquitous as time goes on, with prices coming way down in the next couple of years.
TCL 50-inch 4K HDTV arrives with $1k price point is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Chromecast promises to provide a very low cost option to bring your online media to your TV, regardless of the device you use, from a PC, Mac, tablet or phone. Available for $35, it makes a strong competitor to current offerings.
At an event where everyone was expecting a new Android tablet ( and got one) Google announced something far more interesting and important: The Chromecast, a small stick that jacks into the back of your television via HDMI and allows …
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The US Department of Defense values its wireless spectrum more than many government agencies, and it has been reluctant to lose those airwaves to private providers through government auctions. It just had a change of heart, however: the Pentagon tells the NTIA that it’s now willing to free up spectrum in the 1,755MHz to 1,780MHz range. The proposal would have the military shift much of its wireless use into nearby 1,780MHz to 1,850 MHz bands, while moving other tasks into frequencies between 2,025MHz and 2,110MHz. Problem solved? Not quite, unfortunately — NAB members use the 2GHz range for TV, and they’re more than a little worried about interference. The military’s suggestion should kickstart negotiations, though, and carriers are optimistic that there will eventually be a deal that gives them the bandwidth they crave.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, HD, Mobile
Source: Wall Street Journal
Both LG and Samsung seem to be doing some direct battling with their new OLED displays, which isn’t surprising at all and quite expected really. Samsung will begin selling its new curved OLED HDTV in the US starting sometime this week, with LG barely beating them out with theirs releasing today. The best part is, Samsung’s offering also has the same exact price tag.
Samsung’s OLED TV will sell for $15,000 in the US at some point this week, according to a listing on Value Electronics. The retailer says that shipments of the new curved OLED television from Samsung are on their way, and they believe they’ll be the first retailer to sell the TV, with availability coming later this week.
We caught Samsung’s curved OLED TV at CES 2013 back in January when the company began showing off the display, and it was obviously something impressive to look at. OLED technology provides a much better picture than LED and Plasma, thanks to the even darker blacks and vibrant colors, not to mention the low-power capabilities.
Samsung will offer two versions of the new OLED display, one which is curved and the other which is a flat design, the latter of which hasn’t been detailed yet as far availability is concerned, but we’re guessing that model may be a bit cheaper than its curved brethren.
No word on what other retailers will be selling the new television, but we’re guessing many of the big stores will carry the new curved display. $15,000 is a hard pill to swallow, but there’s bound to be some HDTV enthusiasts out there willing to spend that kind of money for the best picture possible.
VIA: CNET
Samsung curved OLED TV arriving in the US after Korean release is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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