Hasta La Gadget!

If you were still wondering why Netflix chose right now to split apart its unlimited DVD and streaming movie plans you need look no further than the just released Q2 financial report. According to the numbers, 75 percent of new subscribers were picking streaming only plans, while the total number of people on the hybrid DVD / streaming plan had actually decreased slightly, even as it breached 25 million subscribers worldwide. Of course, it did notice the intense backlash to the new rates, but predicts that after the hit of cancellations by the end of the third quarter it will still have 22 million people subscribed to streaming, 15 million total subscribed to DVDs, and about 12 million customers with both. Waiting on that Facebook integration? Don’t hold your breath, while the new features are due to launch soon in Canada and Latin America, it claims ambiguous wording in the Video Privacy Protection Act is holding things back domestically.

Other details include confirmation it will not look into purchasing Hulu, and that it’s still negotiating a renewal of its deal with Starz. While the DVD business may have peaked, it’s not quite dead yet and Netflix indicated it will start marketing that feature again in the fourth quarter. Click the source link to paw through the PDF yourself, we’ll be keeping an ear tuned to the investor call later to find out exactly what the company’s executives are thinking.

Netflix rises to 25 million subscribers in Q2, thinks DVD business has already peaked originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu needs owners who aren’t ancient and terrible. Apple needs a streaming video service that isn’t ancient and terrible. So based on those unconfirmed reports that Apple is interested in buying Hulu, I have only one demand: DO IT. More »

Chances are you’ve already seen the Sonos Play:3 thanks to the leaktacular thing we call the internet. Now the tiny streaming Hi-Fi system is official and ready to start beaming that shiny new Spotify account you just scored all around your home. Inside the relatively compact chassis is a trio of digital drivers, one tweeter and two mid-range, as well as three Class-D digital amps. Unlike its big brother, which has been rebranded the Play:5 (instead of the S5), there’s no active subwoofer on board, but it does sport a passive bass “radiator” that adds a surprising amount of depth to this little shelf speaker. The $299 streamer requires a Bridge ($49) to actually kick out the jams but, once you’ve got the basic system in place, you can tack on additional Play:3s and even combine them as a stereo pair for better separation of those all important right and left channels. There’s even an accelerometer built in that automatically switches from standard to mono and tweaks the EQ settings when the speaker is turned on its side. We only spent a brief period of time with the Play:3, but it was surprisingly loud and quite clear even at neighbor-annoying volumes — though, we’re reserving final judgment until our review unit shows up. In the meantime, check out the galleries and the PR below.

Continue reading Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on

Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still trying to scratch that itch left by the slow fade out of the Casey Anthony drama? Well, good news kiddies, CNN is pointing its 24-hour news hose straight at your face over a little thing we like to call the internet. The OG cable news network is finally returning to the streaming fray (die-hard Blitz-heads may remember a little service called CNN Pipeline) and offering live feeds of CNN and HLN, online and through its iOS apps. Unfortunately, just like HBO Go, you’ll need to have a pay TV subscription through AT&T, Comcast, Cox, DISH Network, Suddenlink or Verizon to access the streams. For the moment Android users are left out in the cold but, that’s ok, fans of dessert-themed OS names can pull in Al Jazeera English free of charge.

Continue reading CNN starts streaming 24 hours of ‘news’ online and on your iPhone

CNN starts streaming 24 hours of ‘news’ online and on your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While US residents seethe over increases in Netflix’s pricing, our neighbors in Canada are upset by the competing Movie Club package Shaw Cable is offering. The $12 per month service offers unlimited access to “hundreds of the best Hollywood movies” and plans to have high definition feeds later this summer for an additional $5 (cable companies in the US have a similar scheme under the name Vutopia.) Causing the issue are promises that “the only limit is the number of hours in your day” unlike bandwidth capped streaming from unnamed services like Netflix. While Movie Club viewing over the internet on a PC, tablet or other device is capped just like any other service, access via the cable box is not metered. That distinction doesn’t sit well with subscribers and consumer groups arguing for net neutrality, particularly as the CRTC is in the midst of hearings over usage-based internet billing. While that case hasn’t been decided, our own ruling is already in and is firmly against Shaw, or anyone else, advertising based on advantages that exist only due to policies it created in the first place.

Continue reading Shaw Cable’s Netflix competitor bypasses bandwidth caps on its way to the TV

Shaw Cable’s Netflix competitor bypasses bandwidth caps on its way to the TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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