There’s nothing quite like missing the very last seconds of that show you so painstakingly DVRed. Especially if that show is a live sporting event, and you explicitly told the damned box to keep going for an hour or two afterwards. It shouldn’t have to be that way, though. And as Slate explains, there’s a better world of perfect recording just across the pond.
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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.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Source: Yonhap News Agency
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.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: Viacom (Twitter), The Verge
Source: Viacom
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.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
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
Remember LG’s EA93, that eye-catching 29-inch 21:9 “ultrawidescreen” monitor we played with at IFA last year? Well, it’s just spawned a couple offspring. Today in Korea, the company launched a TV set and an all-in-one PC which use the same 29-inch IPS panel with the same 21:9 aspect ratio, 2,560 x 1,080-pixel (WQHD) resolution and 178-degree viewing angles.
LG’s new all-in-one PC boasts a standalone TV tuner with instant-on (no booting required) and simultaneous PC and TV operation (PiP and several split screen modes). Details are few, but we know it features an Intel Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT640M GPU (3D capable) and HDMI / MHL inputs (to use the display as a monitor). The PC comes pre-loaded with an instant messaging app (and matching mobile version) which lets users watch television while chatting.
The TV set supports PiP and split screen, including a 16:9 plus 5:9 mode (HD broadcast plus connected smartphone), and offers a comprehensive set of inputs (DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI and MHL). Pricing is 1.49 to 2.29 million won ($1,315 to $2,021) for the PC (based on configuration) and 690,000 won ($609) for the TV.
Filed under: Desktops, Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Source: LG Korea
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.”
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.
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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