Hasta La Gadget!

If there’s one thing a fledgling technology needs, it’s good marketing. That aside, the next most vital thing is industry support. Today, an even dozen broadcast groups have banded together in order to back the soon-to-launch Mobile DTV format (ATSC-M/H), with Belo, Cox, E.W. Scripps, Fox, Gannett, Hearst, ION, Media General, Meredith, NBC, Post-Newsweek and Raycom forming a joint venture to develop a “new national mobile content service.” The service will utilize the broadcast spectrum already set aside in order to allow member companies to “provide content to mobile devices, including live and on-demand video, local and national news from print and electronic sources, as well as sports and entertainment programming.” That’s pretty big news for a tech that’s been struggling to gain acceptance in America, and if all goes to plan, Washington, DCers will get a chance to indulge first when it goes live in the nation’s capitol on May 3rd. A showcase on that date will demonstration a Mobile DTV-capable Samsung Moment and Dell Mini 10 (amongst others), though we’re still having a tough time digging up firm pricing for any of those. Get ready, folks — Pimp My Ride is about to get a huge second wind.

Mobile DTV gains national mobile content service, broadcast group support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everyone’s streaming media darling, Netflix, has just reached terms with both Universal and Twentieth Century Fox. Both agreements beef up Netflix’s streaming content while limiting Netflix to renting DVD and Blu-ray discs 28 days after the retail street date — yup, just like with Warner Brothers. To put that into perspective, while Twentieth Century Fox’s “Avatar” DVD/Blu-ray will hit shelves on April 22nd it won’t be available for Netflix rental until the end of May. On the plus side we’ve got a first time, Netflix TV streaming agreement with TCF — albeit, released in a window it decides. Content includes the complete prior seasons of shows like “24,” “Bones,” and “Lie to Me” in addition to older library titles like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Can’t say we didn’t see this one coming.

Netflix inks with Universal and Twentieth Century Fox: first TV streams, more films, and 28 day rental delay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that ABC and CBS are hard at work adapting episodes of their TV shows for the iPad, with both set to offer streamable programming to new slate owners immediately upon launch. Their delivery strategies diverge slightly — ABC will use the app that was unearthed (and confirmed by us) this morning whereas CBS will stream through the browser (hello, HTML5!) — but the eventual user experience will be a commercial-supported affair that should be familiar to those who’ve used their respective online streaming services already. All that remains now is for NBC and Hulu to fall in line, as expected, and your portable media consumption menu will be complete. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to iTunes Store pricing for episodic TV programming, which will soon be up against free (or in Hulu’s case, potentially subscription-based) alternatives.

Update: And here comes the official presser for ABC’s plans, alongside ESPN SportsCenter XL and a handful of Disney apps.

WSJ: CBS bringing free HTML5-encoded TV shows to the iPad, ABC plans detailed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to get our attention in a hurry? Tip us on a digital magazine concept for the iPad that combines footage captured by a prototype RED Mysterium-X sensor from inside of a Frank Miller style, noir hellscape. Of course, just because it was created for the iPad doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t applicable to any of the hundreds (not an exaggeration) of tablet devices destined to arrive over the next year. The feature concept, created by Alexx Henry and Andrew Grant together with co-directors Cory Strassburger and Ming Hsiung, redefines the art of infotainment. And make no mistake: as mainstream media fights for eyeballs this is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They’re back. There’s no choice left. And publishers are ready for war. See the video (and making of) after the break.

Update: While the making-of video says the footage was shot using a “RED Epic M-X Sensor” a screen grab of the actual camera shows that it’s a RED ONE, not an Epic. Image after the break.

Continue reading Viv magazine iPad concept is sin city, man (video)

Viv magazine iPad concept is sin city, man (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were filled with excitement the moment Sony took the wraps off of its Dash personal internet viewer back at CES, but after learning that this was less of a tablet and more a sophisticated widget machine for in-home use, our joviality was understandably squashed. Today, Sony has given the doubters a reason to perk back up and pay attention, as the April-bound device will ship with the ability to stream Watch Instantly content from Netflix. As if that wasn’t enough, Demand Media will also be offering Dash-tailored portals to content from eHow, Golflink and Livestrong.com, and it’ll have no issues streaming “online music videos, television, or film content on-demand” to the 7-inch touchpanel. Still not convinced that this thing is worth $199? It’s just an external battery mod away from greatness, you know!

Sony Dash given ability to stream TVs and movies from Netflix, new lease on life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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