Tina Fey’s 30 Rock was a surreal sitcom that turned the genre on
its head. High and low-brow comedy are treated as equals where
punch-drunk punchlines often sail over the heads of even the most
die-hard Feysians! To reinvent the 30-minute format, Fey also stole a
page out of David Letterman’s playbook – that is, disparaging jabs at
its own TV network.
I think pretty much every geek out there’s familiar with HBO Go. This is the app and website which allow you to watch every episode of your favorite HBO series and movies the network shows on your computer, mobile device, and on some set top boxes. I think most people agree that this app is a great way to catch up on Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire among other shows.
The problem for a lot of people is that watching content using HBO Go – or any other streaming video application – isn’t as good on your small computer screen or tablet is it is on the big screen in the living room. Thankfully, HBO Go is available on some devices designed to be used in living rooms such as the Xbox 360 and various Roku set top boxes. According to sources who claim to be familiar with negotiations between Apple and Time Warner, HBO Go will soon be coming to the $99 Apple TV set top box.
The sources claim that the app will be available for Apple TV users by the middle of 2013. HBO Go sure would be a nice addition to the Apple TV, which already has streaming applications for Netflix and Hulu Plus, as well iTunes, of course.
[via Bloomberg]
House of Cards may not be Netflix’s first stab at original content, but it’s by far its most important. Whether people turn to the streaming service for shows it can’t find anywhere else will define the company’s chance at future success. Which is why, starting today, the first episode of House of Cards is free to watch even if you’re not a Netflix member. More »
Clear your weekend plans, folks. Netflix’s newest original series, House of Cards, is now available to watch. All 13 episodes are live on the Netflix website and can be viewed for free with a Netflix subscription. Each episode is roughly 50 minutes long, giving you almost 11 hours of pure political drama.
This actually isn’t the first original series that Netflix has released. The streaming service launched Lilyhammer a year ago, and the company has plans to release two more original series, a reboot of Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove from Eli Roth, both of which are planned to be released this year.
House of Cards stars Kevin Spacey who plays a “ruthless and cunning” Congressman in Washington. Spacey is an Oscar award winner and starred in numerous blockbusters over the years, including Superman Returns, Pay It Forward, American Beauty, Se7en, and The Usual Suspects. The 13-episode House of Cards series was also produced by David Fincher, who directed a few episodes as well. He’s known for directing Fight Club, Se7en, and The Social Network.
While it’s not Netflix’s first-ever original series, it was no doubt the most difficult that Netflix has done thus far, working with a budget of $100 million throughout the 13 episodes. However, this won’t be the last original series for Netflix. The company plans to pump out at least five new shows per year to outdo HBO.
Netflix House of Cards original series now available is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
British Windows Phone owners won’t have to let their TV viewing habits slip while they’re on the move. TVCatchup has just posted the promised Windows Phone 8 version of its streaming app, giving locals access to live programming from the BBC, ITV and others. OS-specific optimizations aren’t extensive, but they exist — it’s possible to pin a favorite network to the Start screen, and to use voice commands to jump directly to a channel or guide. Viewers just need to hit the Windows Phone Store to stay on top of the latest shows with their Lumias.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Mobile
Source: Windows Phone Store
In the days of Downton Abbey, class distinctions were fairly
straightforward. There were the folks that owned the Abbey, the folks
that aspired to own the Abbey and then those that slaved over hot ovens,
spit and shined boots, delivered room service and scrubbed toilets.
Today those distinctions have blurred significantly where demographics
and psychographics tend to label you by your preferences.
Netflix has some pretty ambitious goals ahead of them. They’re constantly adding new content to their back catalog, and are always on the lookout for more. Plus, they have their first original series, House of Cards, premiering soon, with another original series, Arrested Development, coming later. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, says that they want to launch at least five new original shows a year in order to compete with HBO.
GQ posted up a profile of the company, where they talked with Sarandos about the future of Netflix and where its headed. Sarandos has $300 million in his budget that’s set aside for original content, which has already brought in three new original projects: House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, and Arrested Development.
What’s perhaps the most interesting thing that Sarandos said during the interview, was that the goal of Netflix “is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.” Sarandos says that Netflix is able to pump out original content in a more timely manner since they commit to a full season of a new show, rather than create a pilot and see where it goes from there, a concept that’s rare in the television business.
Netflix’s hefty goal of beating out HBO means that we should be seeing a lot of great stuff from the streaming service this year and beyond, and all that really remains is to see if Netflix customers buy into the new original content, but as long as Netflix doesn’t pull another Quikster, we think they’ll be fine.
[via GQ]
Netflix planning at least five new shows a year to outdo HBO is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Verizon and Samsung announced today that an update has the official FiOS app. It includes support for even more channels (over 75 of them now), as well as support for more Samsung televisions and players, specifically the company’s 2011 and 2012 lineup. The app, which was launch over the summer, allows users to access content without having a separate STB, as long as they have Samsung TV or Blu-ray player.
The update also includes “Flex View,” which brings video-on-demand to FiOS users, and it includes around 25,000 movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. This is on top of the 75 live channels that are available. Previously, Verizon only offered 26 channels through the app, and now, users have access to Comedy Central, HBO, Epix, TBS, and more.
However, Samsung isn’t the only company that Verizon is working with. Verizon has an app on the Xbox 360, which actually saw an expanded list of channels back in December, and the company also released an app for LG televisions as well, which brings those 75 channels, as well as Flex View video-on-demand.
The app is available to download through Samsung devices right now, and if you already have the app installed, it will automatically be updated the next time you launch it. It won’t be long before other cable providers offer apps for smart TVs, including Comcast, so Verizon better get ahead of the curve as much as possible before others step in.
Verizon FiOS mobile app for Samsung TVs adds more channels and devices is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
In one of the smoothest and perhaps most irresistible measures made thus far for the new high definition television technology, Japan has announced that it will be broadcasting the 2014 World Cup in 4K. This means that everyone working with a 4K television by then (read: everyone with bottomless wallets) will be watching this Brazil-based sporting event inside Japan next year. So those of you with an entertainment establishment of any kind (sports bars, we’re looking at you), you’ll want to think about which model you want to pick up between here and then.
This announcement was made via the Asahi Times by the Japanese ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication and will also be marking the world’s first official 4G television broadcast. It would appear that this move may have something to do with the fact that Japan has several major-label manufacturers of 4K TV sets inside its borders, but you never know. Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and Sharp may very possibly have something to do with this push.
While there are bits and pieces of 4K Optimized media in the wild like Total Recall (good luck finding a copy), you’ll find that the current offerings from Hollywood and the like are still scant. This first broadcast will be pushed through Japan’s communications satellites rather than direct broadcast satellites, the second option coming on “at a later stage” according to Broadband TV News. We’ve still yet to hear exactly when the USA will be gaining such excellence in our above-and-beyond displays galore.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see recent explosions in 4K technology appearing over the past few weeks. SlashGear had the opportunity to check out several 4K TV sets at CES 2013 and we’re expecting more throughout the year – this high definition madness has only just begun!
World’s First 4K TV broadcast set for 2014 World Cup is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
While NHK’s Super Hi-Vision 8K TV is still some distance away from becoming an everyday presence in our living rooms, we may get the next best thing soon. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications expects to broadcast the 2014 World Cup next July in 4K, using free capacity on its communications satellites rather than the usual delivery methods — the bandwidth required is reportedly too much for conventional sources. The 4K airing is still coming two years earlier than originally planned, however, and should eventually spread to broadcast satellites and terrestrial networks. The fortunate ones who can tune in to the ultra-sharp futebol will need an exorbitantly-priced 4K TV set to watch, but it’s safe to presume that they’ll have some of the best viewing parties around.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Broadband TV News
Source: Asahi Times (translated)
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