Hasta La Gadget!

Netflix’s website has suddenly changed (again), removing any queued Watch Instantly titles that aren’t currently available from view. Previously they entered the saved section of the queue, keeping a slot full and occasionally indicating when the movie would be licensed for viewing again. A blog post published after the fact suggests inactive titles on the list made things complicated (but not too complicated for the DVD queue, where the saved list remains), and that while they’re invisible, they’re not deleted and will still reappear when (if) a title is available to stream again. Users hugging the 500-item limit in their queue still have those ghost titles taking up a slot, although we’re told that will be fixed in the next few days.

If you want to see the list again just to go over it or queue them on disc, Hacking Netflix indicates FeedFliks (one of our favorite alternative queue management sites along with InstantWatcher) is still able to show your expired titles — for now. Just a bit of advice for Netflix: If you’re trying to show some appreciation to the millions of customers you expect to stick around through Q3 despite higher prices and an uncertain content licensing future, making arbitrary and unannounced changes to the way we access our data is the wrong way to do it. As it is, we’re forced to wonder if this move is less about streamlining and more about hiding the amount of titles that are going offline lately or in the near future.

Netflix abruptly yanks unavailable streaming movies from ‘saved’ view originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As a response to Spotify’s successful US launch, MOG and Rdio have both offered freemium versions of their respective streaming music services. They’re scared of losing the war to the Scandinavian invaders. But is it a race to the bottom? More »

Need another reason to be interested in the PlayStation Vita? Sony announced during tonight’s press conference that it will tie in with the only-available-in-Japan Torne DVR adapter (PlayTV in Europe and nonexistent in NA) for the PlayStation 3. Once synced up, it allows users to remotely tune into live TV streams Slingbox-style, browse listings and remotely schedule recordings via an app on the portable device. It should be ready to go at launch, while the ability to export recorded shows to the Vita like one of Monsoon’s boxes will be added later. For now however, we can only look on in envy and hope rumors of a PlayTV 2 eventually come true, and come out here.

PlayStation Vita’s Torne app pulls in live TV streams served up from a PS3 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free? Yeah, we all like free, but when it comes to streaming music, there’s always a catch. This time it’s a FreePlay “tank,” which lets you stream any of MOG’s 11 million songs from the web without subscription fees — well, at least until that looming gauge hits empty. The system adds a rather unique social media twist, filling tanks to different levels based on virtual interactions. And MOG’s CEO says many users should never hit empty — there are a variety of ways to earn free music, such as “interacting with advertisers in meaningful ways.” Like Spotify, MOG’s ultimate goal is to convert freeloaders to paid subscribers, and forking over $5 (Basic) or $10 (Primo) per month does have its benefits, including hardware integration and mobile access — both of which won’t work with the free version. Now that we have several free streaming options, it ultimately comes down to availability — having access to 11 million tracks could be great, but only if you can play the songs you want to listen to. So, do you MOG? And no, we also have no idea what that means, but you can check it out when the site goes live tomorrow morning at 9AM ET.

Continue reading MOG FreePlay brings 11 million songs to the web gratis, makes you work for free tunes

MOG FreePlay brings 11 million songs to the web gratis, makes you work for free tunes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ruh roh. That’s the sound emanating from Pandora’s stock price, which has taken a serious beating in the wake of two separate announcements in the past week. First off, Clear Channel and Echo Nest have teamed up to produce a self-proclaimed “Pandora killer,” with a new technology enabling IHeartRadio users to build out customized radio stations right on the app. As you’d expect, folks will be able to construct a custom playlist “based off the selection of a single seed song or artist, both online and on mobile phones,” and it’ll be featured when the app relaunches in beta form this week. In related news, Echo Nest has also concocted a Pandora-esque streaming radio feature for use in the Spotify app; it’s a gem called Echofi, and if you surf down to the source link, you’ll be able to give it a whirl. Type in a single artist, mash go, and watch as Spotify is launched and related music is spun until you decide you’ve heard enough. Here’s to competition… right?

Continue reading Pandora’s song-finding flair comes to Spotify, IHeartRadio via separate initiatives

Pandora’s song-finding flair comes to Spotify, IHeartRadio via separate initiatives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  Echofi, Billboard, IHeartRadio  | Email this | Comments