Jan 02
Learn more about covert cameras and how to spy with this comprehensive top ten list.
Jan 02
Charter lands deal for Disney’s full streaming, TV services in the first half of 2013
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Charter viewers won’t have any shortage of TV choices this year — at least, as long as they like Disney-owned channels. The House of Mouse has signed a deal with Charter to bring its full deck of channels and services to the cable provider in the first half of 2013. The mix includes all national ABC, Disney and ESPN channels as well as their on-demand and authenticated streaming equivalents, such as WatchESPN. The Longhorn Network and local station retransmissions are involved as well. Neither side has mentioned the full terms, although it’s cast as a “multi-year” pact; we’ll take the uncertainty as long as we get more say in what (and how) we watch.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Jan 01
We’ve seen several reports over the last week about Intel’s set-top box efforts, and an impending CES launch. According to GigaOM, some of those rumors simply aren’t true. The site has confirmed with several sources at Intel that a set-top box (and a whole lot more) is in the works, but a CES announcement has not been planned. Instead, Media, the mysterious Intel division, which is run like a startup with staffers hired from other Silicon Valley companies rather than shifted from different departments, could be unveiled in March, or perhaps even at the AllThingsD Dive Into Media conference in February.
A detailed GigaOM report outlines the company’s plans, which do include a STB manufactured by Intel that would compete with Apple TV, but also solutions for other platforms, including computers, tablets and smartphones. According to GigaOM sources, the company has spent more than $100 million on Intel Media, so it’s clearly taking the effort seriously. Still, until Intel Media has been exposed to the market, it’s too soon to judge its success. Hit up our source link for the full scoop.
Update: Now the Wall Street Journal has chimed in, with its own reports from usual unnamed sources indicating that a launch could be pushed as far as Q4. The reason for the wide launch window? Trouble negotiating content agreements for those unbundled packages (at much higher rates than the channels currently receive) it reportedly wants to offer, although the rumors say Intel has reached at least one content deal — we’re guessing it wasn’t with ESPN. Whether this will ever appear or simply remain vapor like so many other rumored Intel software products remains to be seen, but just like the often hinted at Apple television, the licensing issues will probably be much harder to work out than any software or hardware.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Intel
Source: GigaOM, Wall Street Journal
Jan 01
Report: Intel’s TV Service Won’t Be Announced at CES, But More Details Emerge
Posted in: Today's Chili
Bad news for anyone who was excited for Intel to finally reveal its long-rumored set top box and TV service plans at CES next week. According to Janko Roettgers over at Gigaom, knowledgeable sources claim that Intel won’t be officially announcing its challenger to the Apple and Google TV at the show, but more tantalizing details have emerged. More »
Dec 31
Google tried it and failed. Microsoft’s spent years putting pieces in place with Xbox, but it hasn’t gotten there yet. And if you believe the rumors, Apple’s been working on it in secret for years. But the living room revolution we’ve been waiting for won’t be coming from the big three, according to a report from TechCrunch. More »
Dec 30
Silicon Valley is just begging for a good show to be made about it. Bravo’s attempt is not that show, but maybe Mike Judge’s can be. Or maybe this PBS one that’s now in the running. More »
Dec 27
I was digging around on the Wi-Fi Alliance website checking out the latest certified devices today when I came across an interesting batch of small displays from LG, all with Wi-Fi support built in.
It appears that a wide variety of LG’s small LED-backlit LCD televisions, ranging in size from 22″ to 29″ will offer Wi-Fi in the upcoming model year. While I’m not certain of the use for the wireless connectivity, I’d bet it’s to provide access to LG’s Smart TV or other digital services through these more compact displays. Up until now, LG’s internet-connected displays have been designed for the living room, but this new feature could put streaming video, images and other digital media in your bedroom, den, kitchen or other location where a large display doesn’t make sense. Sure, you could always buy an add-on box like a Roku or Apple TV for those locations, but having the feature built into the set should keep the cost lower for consumers.
The exact details on these sets have yet to be revealed by LG, but I’d bet they’ll turn up at CES 2013 in a couple of weeks.
Dec 27
One of the reason TV commercials are so bothersome to most people is because the vast majority are for products we simply have no interest in. Commercials could be more bearable if they were targeted the things that we liked or at least had a passing affinity for. Gracenote has a new ad replacement system able to personalize TV commercials set to begin trials in 2013. The system will show different people different commercials during the same timeframe.
The Gracenote system will be demonstrated at CES next month. The targeted commercials are expected to fetch higher prices and help enlarge the TV ad market. Gracenote was originally a music company that was purchased by Sony in 2008. The original service offered by the company helped music services such as iTunes and others identify, scan, and match songs to metadata.
The TV ad replacement system uses a smart TV or set top box running the ad replacement technology. That technology would use video fingerprinting similar to the company’s music technology to identify what the viewer is watching and when the show was about to show a commercial. This is also integrated with data about gender, age, income, and whether you rent or own your home.
All that data is used to determine what TV commercials would be most appealing to you. Once the tech chooses the best commercial for you, it’s delivered via an IP-based delivery engine and a version of the Opera browser overlays the new ad over the default commercial aired on TV. The browser then automatically closes when the commercial finishes and returns you to the show you are watching. I can’t imagine advertisers running nationwide campaigns on popular shows appreciating a company co-opting their ad space like this.
[via TechCrunch]
Gracenote ad replacement system will personalize TV commercials is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 26
We’re ramping up rather quickly towards one of the biggest tech events of the year here in the USA with CES 2013, and with it Samsung intends on riding in with a full Smart TV user interface refresh. This update has been tipped by Samsung itself on its own Flickr account where it’s shared an image of one of its Series 8 model televisions from last year – this indicates that the user interface update will not be for new models only, but for legacy models as well. Good news for you Samsung Smart TV lovers of old!
This update appears to be bringing with it new ways to access your television channels with live broadcasts as well as massive amounts of on-demand shows and movies. This version will have a brand new background – an aesthetic tweak that could mean a lot of saved retinas – and a slightly smoother-looking interface overall. You’ve got the ability to work with your apps and photos as always and the full interface will be popping up inside of 2013 without a doubt.
“Samsung Electronics introduces a whole new “Smart Hub” at 2013 International CES in Las Vegas from Jan 8th. The new Smart Hub is Samsung Smart TV’s dedicated contents platform where viewers can enjoy various contents such as real time broadcasting TV programs, on-demand movies, apps, and photos. The platform changed the design of background image and simplified the user interface to better serve the customers.” – Samsung
This update does not, of course, tip us off as to what Samsung will be bringing to the smart television market as far as hardware goes. This update being shown on the Series 8 machine shows us that while the newer models will certainly be getting the upgrade, the software is made for their full lineup. There’s a massive Samsung CES press conference set for Monday, January 7th (that’s during CES, of course), that you’ll want to tune in for with SlashGear – we’ll be there right on the money!
Let us know if you’re pumped up for CES 2013, especially on the Samsung Smart TV tip, and what you plan on doing with all that holiday cash you just picked up over the past couple of weeks. We’re pumped to bring on our recent review of the massive Samsung UN75ES9000 75-inch Slim LED HDTV as well as more Smart TV news than your brain can swallow – see the timeline below to catch up!
[via Samsung]
Samsung Smart TV set for UI refresh at CES 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 26
LG has offered up a few specifications on an interesting home television display that will be on display at CES 2013 in a couple weeks. This isn’t a traditional TV, it boasts a 100-inch screen with thin bezels and an ultra-short-throw projector. The projector needs only 22-inches of distance to throw a 100-inch image.
Most projectors need 10 feet or more to throw a 100-inch image. LG promises a theater-like experience at home without the difficult installation required for typical projector systems. The 5.7-inch-tall box supports full 1080p HD resolution and a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. The lamps used in the projector are supposed to last as long as 25,000 hours, significantly longer than traditional projectors.
The system also supports LG’s Smart TV platform including integrated Wi-Fi and access to premium streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. The projector has three HDMI inputs, an optical audio output, and an RS-232 interface. There’s no word on pricing or availability for the new laser TV at this point.
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