Sony puts micro ads on Wimbledon player, ushers in an era of 4K marketing

Sony puts micro ads on Wimbledon player, welcomes commercialism in 4K

Sony is shipping its Bravia X9 line of 4K TVs in the UK this week, and it wants to convey the advantages of all those extra pixels. The solution? Advertising that’s as finely detailed as the screens themselves. It’s putting micro ads on the fingernails and uniform of tennis player Anne Keothavong as she makes her way through Wimbledon, showing how the extra detail pays off. Few of us will get to see the ads in full clarity, however — while Sony and the BBC are recording some of the event in 4K, they’re playing that footage at an experience zone on the Wimbledon grounds. We’re not looking at a decisive marketing coup, then, but those left squinting at home will at least know what they’re missing.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Sony

Intel talks set-top box for 2013: traditional TV’s last gasp

This week there’s a bit of an insider tip floating about speaking on Intel’s very first HDTV set-top box, on that’ll be offered at retail for web-streamed live TV. This device is said to be working with web connectivity that needs no television package plan, therefor aiming to do the traditional TV industry a blow

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Samsung reportedly shipping 55-inch OLED TV to South Korea next week

Samsung reportedly shipping 55inch OLED to South Korea next week

Samsung told us to expect its 55-inch OLED TV sometime in July, but there’s now a chance that South Koreans will get an early look. Yonhap News Agency hears through tipsters that the premium set could ship to Samsung’s homeland next week, with a price somewhere north of 10 million won ($8,840). It might not be alone, either — those same sources also claim that the company’s curved OLED TV may arrive at the same time. Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything, but such moves would line up with the firm’s tendency to debut products in its home country. Besides, Samsung rarely lets any of LG’s salvos go unanswered.

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Source: Yonhap News Agency

Viacom lands deal to show TV highlights on Twitter starting August 25th

Twitter bird on a TV logo - inspiring!

While Viacom hasn’t always understood how this whole internet video thing works, it’s showing some tech savviness today with confirmation of rumors that it’s joining Twitter’s Amplify program. Beginning with the MTV Video Music Awards on August 25th, Viacom will deliver ad-backed video highlights on Twitter for shows and events across its channel range, including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. In theory, the agreement is a win for everyone: Viacom and Twitter get more revenue, while we get a legal way to revisit those inevitable celebrity slip-ups. The two sides haven’t said how long their partnership will last, although we wouldn’t be surprised if results from the VMA broadcast help shape the deal’s future.

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Via: Viacom (Twitter), The Verge

Source: Viacom

The Xbox One and live TV — here’s what to expect

Xbox One OneGuide

What’s in a name? A whole lot, if you’re asking yours truly. “All Your Entertainment. Input One.” Such intriguing statements were declared in a document that leaked from Redmond last summer. The slogan “All in one, input one” was on the Microsoft banners decorating the LA Convention Center for E3 this year. But this probably left many wondering: what is “input one,” exactly? It didn’t go unnoticed by those who follow the TV industry. Input one is commonly used in the biz to refer to the TV input most Americans use to access the majority of their content. This is the input that’s displayed when the TV is turned on, and it’s the input that most connect their set-top box from their cable or satellite provider to. Naturally, it’s a highly coveted position in the content industry and one that is well fortified by the incumbents.

Microsoft has had its sights on input one for a long time, and this particular go-round isn’t all that unfamiliar. The Xbox One intends to share input one in what I’d call a man-in-the-middle attack. How well it works won’t be revealed until later this year, but clicking through will reveal how I think it’ll play out, why this attempt is a direct result of industry constraints and finally, how it matches up with the competition.

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Vdio streaming service opens up to public in US and UK

Popular music streaming service Rdio launched a companion video streaming site back in April for a limited number of users. Vdio, as it’s called, is now open to everyone inside the US and UK. Previously, only Rdio unlimited subscribers had access to the new service, but it’s now open to the public and is ready

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Amazon original series won’t follow Netflix release model

Amazon recently picked Alpha House as one of its new original series coming to the company’s Instant Video streaming service. However, unlike Netflix, Amazon won’t be releasing the entire season all at once. It’s not certain what release model Amazon will use, but the company has said that it will indeed be a “different model.”

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Next3D’s plan to bring recorded video to the Oculus Rift

Next3D's plan to bring recorded video to the Oculus Rift

The dream of wearing a lightweight headset, like the Oculus Rift, in order to simulate physical presence isn’t limited to the imaginary worlds of video games. One man’s vision is that of immersive TV shows, movies and live sports. In fact, David Cole, co-founder of Next3D and an industry veteran who helps content creators and providers produce and deliver 3D, has been using his Rift dev kit to bring TV and film to life since the kits started shipping in March. The company is combining its video processing and compression technology with its experience in content production and stereoscopic delivery to offer what it’s called Full-Court.

Next3D hopes to leverage its existing relationships with creators and providers to assist them in jumping into the world of live-action VR content. This includes both pre-recorded and live broadcasts. We wanted to see this firsthand, so we jumped at the opportunity to witness the creation of content and experience the results. This trial run of Next3D’s stereoscopic, 180-degree field-of-view camera rig, and the post-processing to adapt it to VR, was part of the production of the paranormal investigation show, Anomaly, at Castle Warden in St. Augustine, Fla. Being nearby, we braved the perils of the haunted surroundings to tell you about what we hope is only the beginning of virtual reality content.

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Netflix Families teaches users about streaming, recommends family flicks

Netflix made a huge impact with the younger crowd when it introduced “Just for Kids,” a dedicated section of Netflix that recommends TV shows and movies for young children to watch on a Saturday afternoon. However, Netflix wants to bring the whole family together for movie night, and that’s why they have launched Netflix Families.

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Apple TV iOS 5.4 beta includes iTunes Radio, Conference Room mode

With the announcement of iOS 7 last week, Apple showed off a handful of new features coming to the new mobile OS later this fall, including Control Center and an entirely new design that aims to be a flatter design than past iterations. While Apple TV was left out of the discussion during the event,

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