PowerDVD Mobile for Android brings streaming media to your Honeycomb tablet

Heads up, PowerDVD fans, a new streaming solution is in the Android Market that’s designed specifically for your Honeycomb-powered tablet. It’s known as PowerDVD Mobile for Android, but don’t let the name fool you, because smartphones need not apply. The software allows users to stream media from PowerDVD on their computer directly to the tablet, share media between tablets, and stream media from the tablet to DLNA-certified TVs. Additionally, users will find CyberLink’s all-in-one media player that combines support for videos, photos and music, along with the ability to touch up snapshots and create slideshows. If you’re looking to hop on board, the software sells for $20 in the Android Market, although users of PowerDVD 11 Ultra may activate a free version with a code that’s provided in the desktop version of their software. As usual, you’ll find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading PowerDVD Mobile for Android brings streaming media to your Honeycomb tablet

PowerDVD Mobile for Android brings streaming media to your Honeycomb tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starz ends renewal negotiations with Netflix, will pull movies from streaming in February

Starz has apparently decided it can live without the hundreds of millions of dollars a renewal of its content licensing deal with Netflix was expected to bring and announced an end to negotiations today. According to the Company Town blog, talks broke down over Starz’s insistence that Netflix implement tiered pricing, and charge customers even more for access to its content. That means when the current deal expires on February 28, 2012, they will all go away, including a number of its newer release flicks from Sony (already pulled) and Disney that Starz has exclusive licenses to and Starz content like Camelot and Spartacus. To make matters worse, all of this is going down the same day as a price hike makes it more expensive to keep both disc and streaming services.

While Starz claims the move is a part of its strategy to “protect the premium nature of our brand by preserving the appropriate pricing and packaging of our exclusive and highly valuable content” as well as “evaluate new opportunities”, Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey is quoted as saying it can redirect the Starz money to deals with other content providers to “maintain or even improve the Netflix experience.” Beyond Starz, in the US Netflix also has access to newer movies from its deals with Epix and a few smaller distributors like Relativity Media. Check Starz’s statement in full after the break, and let us know if this is changing your answer to yesterday’s poll question.

Continue reading Starz ends renewal negotiations with Netflix, will pull movies from streaming in February

Starz ends renewal negotiations with Netflix, will pull movies from streaming in February originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos

Today at IFA 2011, one of Samsung’s many announcements is an update to its Smart TVs that will place YouTube’s library of 3D videos front and center for users to stream. So far one of the major issues for 3DTV owners has been a lack of content, but since it launched support for 3D videos two years ago, YouTube has accumulated quite a library of both professionally developed and user generated videos for viewing. HDTVs from LG added access to the site’s 3D content earlier this year, and the update is expected to appear across the Samsung lineup across the second half of 2011. We spoke with one of the engineer’s responsible for the initial rollout of YouTube’s 3D support, Pete Bradshaw, and he mentioned the project’s genesis as one of Google’s famous “20 percent” projects that was worked on on the side, but has now drawn the support of a multiperson team to support, and a rapidly expanding number of viewers and content creators uploading videos to the service. The intent is to make viewing 3D just as easy as watching anything else, once users film in 3D with their phone or camera, they can upload it to YouTube and watch on TV (or mobile device) without worrying about the formatting and technology involved. We’re still a few steps away from the magic bullet that removes the current hurdles for wider 3D acceptance in the market, but if you’re one of the (not so early at this point) adopters with the hardware to handle it, you’ll probably appreciate anything that makes more content available easily. Check after the break for the press release and a few sample videos to check out.

Continue reading Samsung’s Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos

Samsung’s Smart TV update will feature YouTube 3D videos originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu launches streaming in Japan for about $20 US monthly

Hulu may not have a new owner yet, but it does have an international presence now that it launched a subscription service in Japan today. Hulu.jp brings “hundreds of premium feature films and thousands of episodes of popular TV shows” to bear, for ¥1,480 per month ($19.19 US). The service is appears to be bringing an American flavor to the island, with film selections like Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon and Men in Black and TV shows including Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, Fringe and Grey’s Anatomy. Overall the list looks more like Netflix than Hulu’s free or Plus services in the US do. So far Japanese users can stream the content directly to Panasonic TVs, iOS and select Android devices, with Panasonic Blu-ray players, Sony Blu-ray players and TVs, Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles and Android tablets all relegated to the “coming soon” list. Check the press release after the break for a full list of content providers signed up so far or just hit the source link to try out a free month so you can decide whether or not it’s worth your yen.

Continue reading Hulu launches streaming in Japan for about $20 US monthly

Hulu launches streaming in Japan for about $20 US monthly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum

Revo K2

Revo’s K2 can pull in FM, DAB and DAB+ broadcasts, stream internet radio and tunes from Last.fm. Not enough? Well you can hook up your iPod, iPhone or iPad too, and pull in music wirelessly from the library on you computer. It pumps out a total of 40-watts of “room-filling” audio using four drivers powered by a pair of Class-D amps. But let’s be honest — you want’ it cause it’s pretty. The hidden-until-activated OLED screen, aluminum body, and black rubber accents are the real draw here. Sure the iOS remote apps and DLNA compatibility are nice to have, but this £299.95 ($488) radio is all about drawing attention. The K2 is available for pre-order now and will start shipping on October 17th, while the Revo RadioControl app should land in iTunes around the same time. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.

Gallery: Revo K2

Continue reading Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum

Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix price hike kicks in tomorrow, but you may not have to change right away

The time is running out on August, and with it goes the existence of Netflix’s streaming and disc services as a single package for $7.99. Keeping both (on the 1-disc plan) will require a $15.98 payout every month starting tomorrow, but if you’re one of the many crying loud and often that they’ll downgrade or cancel rather than pay more then hang on — you may be able to squeeze a few extra days out of your current package. Hacking Netflix points out that the price won’t actually switch until your “Next Billing Date” after September 1st, but you should change two days ahead to avoid being billed. For us that’s not until the 17th, so we have a couple more weeks to continue not watching the rented discs that have been languishing on our coffee tables without paying extra for the privilege. Your date may vary, so check out your account page to find out the specifics. Of course, we are wondering that after the shock has worn off, is everyone still escaping to friendlier locales, scaling back their Netflix subs or just eating the extra charge? Let us know in the poll below.

View Poll

Netflix price hike kicks in tomorrow, but you may not have to change right away originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quantum Phantom program turns your smartphone into a wireless mouse (video)

The last time we saw Ben Wu, he was busy hammering away at Quantum Phantom — a prototype program that allows users to manipulate their desktops with a simple webcam. Now, the engineer has expanded the concept to smartphones, as well, with a system that effectively turns any camera-equipped handset into a wireless mouse. To achieve this, Wu hooked up his Android phone to his PC via WiFi and used the IP Webcam app to create a video stream server. The results, by Wu’s own admission, aren’t exactly elegant (due to an unwieldy configuration process and low-res camera), though he still managed to use his creation to sketch an onscreen smiley face. Watch it for yourself in the demo video, after the break.

[Thanks, Ben]

Continue reading Quantum Phantom program turns your smartphone into a wireless mouse (video)

Quantum Phantom program turns your smartphone into a wireless mouse (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More DirecTV Nomad info uncovered, but details are still fuzzy

Even though DirecTV’s website is ready to start doling out the information on its elusive Nomad TV box, a post on Gizmo Lovers digs through the available information to show just how much there is to know, and how much is still unknown. Between on a DirecTV satellite installer training video, a suggestive press release by fellow RVU member Morega and the long running rumor thread over on DBSTalk, the technology in play is certainly capable of both Slingbox style streaming and TiVoToGo sideloading, but what will actually be enabled is unclear. Once it rolls out, the Nomad will connect to multiroom capable satellite boxes via a wired network connection and transcode the video streams it pulls in for other devices like PCs and mobiles. All the other details are shrouded in rumor, regarding its use of h.264 and how much internal storage is available, but if you’re wondering whether the long delayed DirecTV will really be able to compete with Sling, Monsoon and the flood of TV-streaming iPad apps available in 2011 then hitting the source link below is a good way to get started.

More DirecTV Nomad info uncovered, but details are still fuzzy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google remains committed to TV business, expects more partners soon

Wondering what Mountain View has in store for Google TV — that half-baked content platform available on only a small handful of devices? Well, it’s not going away, apparently, and may even cross the Atlantic into Europe next year. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is currently making waves in Scotland, giving Edinburgh International Television Festival attendees a rather vague overview of what the next generation of Google TV may look like. Schmidt said that the service has yet to take off because it’s currently integrated with (a rather limited selection of) TVs, which we don’t tend to upgrade more than once or twice a decade. He added that additional hardware and content partners will be coming soon, though, and didn’t deny that Google TV could end up on Motorola cable boxes — an obvious move, given the company’s recent acquisition announcement. With widespread implementation and many more content partners, Google TV could definitely be a hit, but with ABC, NBC and CBS still unwilling to come onboard, the struggling service likely has a very rocky road ahead before it can be deemed a success.

Google remains committed to TV business, expects more partners soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DirecTV’s Nomad teaser page suggests a Slingbox competitor, but little else

It’s been a while since we heard anything solid about the DirecTV Nomad unit, but a teaser page recently went live on the satellite company’s website showing the device. The tiny pic isn’t incredibly revealing, but other than “coming soon” the page also displays a laptop, phone and tablet — likely targets for viewers to watch their TV broadcasts away from the satellite box. That MDR1R0-01 remains scarce, but hit the source link and keep your eye peeled on that URL for more information about DirecTV’s competitor to the Slingbox / iPad apps being offered by other TV providers.

[Thanks, Tyler]

DirecTV’s Nomad teaser page suggests a Slingbox competitor, but little else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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