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Apr 14

ABC reveals iPad app statistics, says it’s ‘pleased’ with results

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, ipad, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, TV

There’s no question that ABC’s free iPad app was one of the highest-profile apps to launch with the device, and ABC has now finally revealed some hard numbers to give an indication of just how successful it has been. According to The Wall Street Journal, ABC says the app has been downloaded 205,000 times in the ten days following the iPad’s debut, and that is has been used to watch at least part of 605,000 TV shows. Perhaps the best news for ABC, however, is that the app has served up “several million” ad impressions, although the exact number is apparently still being calculated, with ABC only adding that it is “pleased with the results.” Also, the most popular single show watched with the app? Why the episode of Modern Family where Phil Dumnphy gets an iPad, of course.

ABC reveals iPad app statistics, says it’s ‘pleased’ with results originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 03

iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video)

Posted in: app, Apple, hands-on, ipad, netflix, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, video

Having ABC’s entire catalog of programming stowed away in your iPad is a great trick that gets you within earshot of Hulu-level awesomeness. Granted, that’s not quite what the free ABC Player provides — we’re only finding a handful of episodes for most shows — but it’s a start, especially considering how great the content looks. Flipping the iPad on its side automatically takes you to a full-screen view that streams almost instantaneously over a fast WiFi connection, though we’ve found one annoying bug — triggering the orientation lock immediately pops it back to portrait, effectively rendering the lock useless within the app. Connected to a Verizon MiFi with good EV-DO Rev. A signal strength, we were pretty blown away by how good the video still looked; it took only a few seconds longer to start streaming, but otherwise, it’s a fantastic option (of course, your 5GB monthly cap might be bruised and battered to a pulp within a few days if you’re a heavy user).

Netflix looked great, too, though the interface isn’t as slick as ABC’s — it’s clear that these guys threw the app together in a hurry. The first thing you see when you open it, for instance, is the company’s standard web-based login — it’s literally just the Netflix website. Don’t get us wrong, it works just fine, but there were definitely plenty of opportunities for iPad-specific customization here. The trend continues after you log in, where you see the same view you’re already familiar with when you peep your queue and Watch Instantly selections from a browser on a PC. Streaming worked quite well in both orientations; it appears to just use the iPad’s in-built video player, and that’s fine with us. We noticed some stuttering over 3G after we stopped filming our demo, but the good news is that it only happened once, and the footage looked just as good over the MiFi as it did connected to our cable modem. Follow the break for video of both ABC and Netflix in action.

Gallery: iPad ABC Player hands-on over 3G

Gallery: iPad Netflix streaming hands-on

Continue reading iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video)

iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 25

Netflix finally ships out Watch Instantly discs for Nintendo’s Wii

Posted in: netflix, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, now shipping, NowShipping, ship, shipping, ships, stream, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, watch instantly, WatchInstantly, wii

Wii owners have been waiting for this day to come since early January (or before, arguably), and at long last it looks as if the rental superstar has come through. Customers around the US are receiving email notifications today stating that their Watch Instantly disc (required for Netflix playback on the Wii) has shipped, and it should be waiting in their mailbox before this weekend begins. We’ll be interested to see how the streaming service performs on the weakest of the three major consoles, but given that no 1080p content is available, we doubt they’ll be any major snags. Let us know when your disc arrives and how the experience is down in comments, won’tcha?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Netflix finally ships out Watch Instantly discs for Nintendo’s Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 15

Disney renegotiating Starz deal, might pull movies from Netflix streaming

Posted in: content, Movies, netflix, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili

Looks like the movie studios are beginning to realize that Netflix is racing away with the streaming market, and things are starting to change fast: hot on the heels of Warner forcing Netflix to accept delayed DVD rentals in exchange for better streaming terms, Disney and Starz are reportedly renegotiating their deal, and blocking Netflix is one of the terms. Most new releases on Netflix right now are part of the StarzPlay package, and the studios don’t get a cut, since they’ve already sold those rights to Starz. As we all know, the studios aren’t big fans of not getting a cut, so what Disney is trying to do is block Netflix from dealing with Starz and force it to license streaming rights directly — not the end of the world and certainly not impossible, but a move that has the potential to disrupt service and raise prices. As of right now, things are status quo and no one’s talking on the record, but we’ve got the feeling there’s a shakeout coming — stay tuned.

Disney renegotiating Starz deal, might pull movies from Netflix streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 18

Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly

Posted in: hulu, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili

See this forlorn-looking male model? He’s got a lot on his mind. Really, he’s just like the rest of us — a starry-eyed dreamer who’s headed to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. To this end, he’s shacked up with four fellow photogenic wannabes in a Hollywood crash pad where they’ll be webcast 24-7 for Simon Fuller’s new Internet-only talent show, If I Can Dream. In addition to weekly episodes broadcast on Hulu, ~~voyeurs~~ viewers will be able to watch the action in the house live, as it goes down. You see, Hulu (who’s not had much luck getting a foothold outside of the states) will be streaming the thing to select international markets in an attempt to spread their brand and influence worldwide. Will it work? Who knows? Besides, Jersey Shore is more our speed. PR, video after the break.

Continue reading Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly

Hulu to stream reality show internationally, incessantly originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 14

BBC redoubles its Wii efforts with dedicated iPlayer channel

Posted in: streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, wii

The BBC’s iPlayer streaming video / radio service has been available on the Wii in the form of a browser-based app for some time now, but it looks like it’s now set to step up its game considerably with a full-fledged iPlayer Wii channel. Launching in the UK on November 18th, the new channel boasts a streamlined, Wii-friendly interface that was apparently the result of extensive testing, and includes a number of other smaller design touches, like some nifty background animations during radio programs, and some use of the Wiimote’s rumble feature for added feedback. Best of all, the whole thing’s completely free — now, about that UK-only part…

[Via BBC News, thanks Lenny]

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

BBC redoubles its Wii efforts with dedicated iPlayer channel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 01

brite-View’s CinemaTube adds 1080p streaming, YouTube XL to the mix

Posted in: hdtv, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, YouTube

We’re not sure who decided to follow up the award-winning brite-View CinemaCube with something called the CinemaTube, but the latter certainly lives up to its change of a single letter, adding full 1080p streaming and embedded YouTube XL to its predecessor’s already potent mix of supported video and audio formats (including H.264, XviD, and MPEG1/2/4), a bit.torrent engine, and USB storage support. Shipping on September 21, it’ll retail for $129.99 — but if you pre-order now you get it for $99.99. Hit the read link for all the gory details. We’re praying that the company’s next device is not called the CinemaRube — that would be just plain mean.

[Via GizmoScene]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Networking

brite-View’s CinemaTube adds 1080p streaming, YouTube XL to the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 10

Roku Video player now streaming live HD baseball games from MLB.TV

Posted in: Sports, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili

We’ve always loved the Roku Video Player, and it’s getting even more flexible over time — in addition to Netflix and Amazon video rentals, the $99 box can now play, pause, and rewind live HD baseball games in 720p from MLB.TV, as well as play archived games from the previous week on demand. You’ll have to pay the one-time MLB.TV subscription fee of $35, but that’s not terrible, especially if you’re an out-of-market fan looking to catch your favorite team without having to trek out to a bar. Now if only the NFL would let anyone but DirecTV carry Sunday Ticket, we’d be all set.

Gallery: Roku Video Player MLB.TV interface

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Roku Video player now streaming live HD baseball games from MLB.TV originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 27

Hulu to PlayStation 3 browsers: “This video is not available on your platform”

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, flash, hulu, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili

The PlayStation 3 has kept access to Hulu even without PlayOn or other workaround while others were blocked — with the exception of its own remote friendly desktop software — thanks to its browser’s Flash support, but this morning multiple users have reported the above message indicating “Unfortunately, this video is not available on your platform. We apologize for any inconvenience.” Some odd glitch related to the recent 2.80 firmware update or other temporary problem, or is this the latest platform to get the Boxee treatment when trying to bring streaming video to TV screens? We’ve reached out to Hulu for an explanation but so far, haven’t heard a response. Interestingly, the Hulu TOS was just updated as of June 26, and although we haven’t found any PS3-specific passages, changing a browser’s user-string to match the console reveals it is definitely being specifically blocked.

[Thanks Sev, and to Tyler from FormatWarCentral.com for the picture]

Hulu to PlayStation 3 browsers: “This video is not available on your platform” originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 26

ZINNET debuts brite-View media players, streamers

Posted in: hdtv, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili

ZINNET, a company we’ve mostly seen hocking digital converter boxes to old-school broadcast TV owners, has just announced the brite-View line of media devices for digital download fans. The CinemaCube ($89.99) plays media from either an attached USB hard drive or over your home network, supports RM, RMVB, MP2, AVI, H.264, VOB, MOV, MKV, DivX, Xvid, and WMV video files up to 1280X720 HD (720p), and sports its own bittorrent client. Air HD ($399.99) is a wireless HD transmitter and receiver kit that supports up to 1080i@60Hz, 1080p@24Hz HD picture quality / 30Hz HD quality with less than 1ms latency, up to 70 feet. We’ll be interested in seeing how these guys stack up against some of the other players out there — in the meantime, peep the gallery below.

Gallery: ZINNET debuts brite-View line of multimedia devices