Nov 01

Amazon, Netflix ink licensing deals with ABC, add new content for you to munch on

Posted in: amazon, business, content, deal, hdpostmini, netflix, Television, Today's Chili, TV
It was a pretty busy day for the Disney-ABC Television Group yesterday, as the company announced a new licensing deal with Amazon, while renewing its pre-existing agreement with Netflix. The Amazon deal will allow Amazon Prime members to access all prior seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, every episode of Lost, and all previous seasons of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, among other series. Amazon expects to add a total of some 13,000 titles to Prime Instant Video by “early next year,” and just in time for the holiday season (as well as the release of the Kindle Fire). The renewal of Netflix’s deal, meanwhile, ensures that the company will continue to offer episodes of shows like Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters, and Ugly Betty, as well as new additions, including Switched at Birth, Kick Buttowski and Alias. Basically, though, it’s just more of the same. But at a time when Netflix is losing customers in the wake of its price hike and Qwikster debacle, maybe stability isn’t such a bad thing. Surf past the break for a pair of dueling PRs.

Continue reading Amazon, Netflix ink licensing deals with ABC, add new content for you to munch on

Amazon, Netflix ink licensing deals with ABC, add new content for you to munch on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 31

Sony to divide TV division into three-headed monster, looks to bounce back

Posted in: hdpostcross, samsung, sony, Television, Today's Chili, TV, vizio

Looking to make a rebound in the ailing TV business, Sony has announced that it will split its television division into three. According to Reuters, the company is looking to keep operations in check with separate departments for LCD TVs, outsourcing and next-gen TVs. The company is wasting no time, as the move will take place on November 1st. The announcement also comes in advance of Sony’s quarterly earnings report this Wednesday which is predicted to be a quite a few eggs short of the full basket that was hoped for — due in part to its inability to compete against Vizio and Samsung. There are also rumblings that the company could be looking to sell off its almost 50-percent share of a liquid-crystal display collaboration with the aforementioned Sammy. It appears moves are being made to stay in the TV game, but the real question is will Sony be able to stop the bleeding (or, perhaps more appropriately, melting)?

Sony to divide TV division into three-headed monster, looks to bounce back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 28

Google gets ready to play traditional TV, preps original YouTube channels

Posted in: content, Google, hdpostcross, rumor, Television, Today's Chili, TV, YouTube

From rumors to reality: YouTube is taking a crack at original programing. Sources close to the Wall Street Journal say that the streaming outfit is partnering with a broad mix of media firms, production companies, and savvy content creators to launch 100 channels, generating over 25 hours of original content each day. Most of these channels aren’t slated to launch until next year, but when they do they are said to be backed by names like Ashton Kutcher, Tony Hawk, Jay-Z, and Madonna. YouTube is reportedly paying content partners over $100 million to jump-start this project, and hopes to create quality that can be sold to Advertisers. YouTube’s blog confirmed that the first of these premium channels is set to launch next month, with subsequent channels coming in waves over the next year. Hit the source link below so see YouTube’s official announcement and an early list of channels and content providers. We know you’ll join us in giddy anticipation of Shaquille O’Neal’s Comedy Shaq Network .

Google gets ready to play traditional TV, preps original YouTube channels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 28

Google TV 2.0: Android Honeycomb. Apps. Awesome.

Posted in: Google, streaming, Television, Today's Chili, top

When Google TV arrived last year, it possessed promise and potential that was never quite realized. Now Google TV 2.0 is here, armed with apps and a new content discovery system. And the search giant thinks they’ve got it right this time. More »

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Oct 26

Best Buy Pulls Analog TVs Off the Shelves

Posted in: Gadgets, Television, Today's Chili

This article was written on October 17, 2007 by CyberNet.

As a further indication that analog TV is on its way out and digital is in, Best Buy has announced that they have pulled all of the analog TVs they had left off of the store shelves.  Just about two months ago at my local Best Buy, they still had a small portion of one aisle dedicated to the analog TVs while flat panel and high definition screens took over aisle upon aisle of space. According to the AP, about a month ago all of the Best Buy stores were told to stop selling those TVs and to use the space for more of the flat panel screens.

The digital switchover already started around the world with Luxembourg being the first country to switch to digital broadcasting on September 1st, 2006. The Netherlands made the switch in December of 2006, while Finland recently made the switch on September 1st, 2007. As Richard points out in the CyberNet Forum, the digital switch over in the UK started yesterday. It’s happening everywhere, so when can we expect it to happen in the U.S.? Technically, the answer is “no later than February 17, 2009″ which is the date that has been ordered by the FCC, but that doesn’t mean it won’t change. Let me explain…

analog tv

An article that I recently came across written by a columnist for MSNBC back on April 24,2005 read: “Television as we know it may end at exactly midnight Dec. 31, 2006. That’s the date congress targeted, a decade ago, for the end of analog television broadcasting and a full cut-over to a digital format.” Well, December 31st 2006 came and went, and we still have analog TV. Perhaps this was due in part to the 70 million TV sets at the time that were still using rabbit-ears or a roof-top antenna? If so, we still haven’t made much progress because the recent statistic tells us that more than 60 million TVs in the U.S. still rely on an analog method.

This time around, I’m thinking that the February 2009 date will be enforced. People have had sufficient time to do something about this, and for those who don’t want to/can’t afford to go out and buy a new TV, the government will be giving them coupons so that they can buy a converter box which Best Buy will start selling early in 2008. The FCC also recently ruled that cable operators must make the local broadcasts available to their subscribers, even if they have analog TV, until 2012. According to Wikipedia, the FCC will review the case at that point, and they could decide to extend that date even further.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Oct 20

Siri, when will you run your first television ad?

Posted in: ad, Apple, ios 5, Ios5, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostmini, Television, Today's Chili, video
…after the break.

[Thanks everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Siri, when will you run your first television ad?

Siri, when will you run your first television ad? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 19

U-verse TV gets social with help from Miso, TV Foundry, Wayvin and BuddyTV Guide

Posted in: att, hdpostcross, hdpostmini, social networking, SocialNetworking, Television, Today's Chili, TV
BuddyTV screen shot

The fact is watching TV has always been social, which of course means it was only a matter of time before technology removed the physical proximity requirement from the mix. We’ve seen said requirement disappear from various content providers and now it’s subscribers to AT&T U-verse’s turn. The initial slew of options include Miso, TV Foundry, Wayvin and BuddyTV Guide. All four let you share what you’re watching while at the same time help you discover new content by being exposed to what your friends are watching. Of course none of them are exactly Facebook and U-verse isn’t anywhere near the most popular content provider in the country, but we’re glad to see someone pushing hard into social TV that moves beyond just sending status updates via our remote.

Continue reading U-verse TV gets social with help from Miso, TV Foundry, Wayvin and BuddyTV Guide

U-verse TV gets social with help from Miso, TV Foundry, Wayvin and BuddyTV Guide originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 05

Murata Tactile Controller TV remote hands-on (video)

Posted in: ceatec, hands-on, Japan, prototype, remote control, RemoteControl, solar power, SolarPower, Television, Today's Chili, video

What’s that, you’re not into changing the channel with that boring old remote, or even with your voice? Murata’s ground-up Tactile Controller brings a real twist to every couch potato’s favorite gadget. Quite literally. The company’s prototype remote uses touch-pressure pads and pyroelectricity to analyze the position of a piezoelectric film. In English: a plastic film produces tiny amounts of electricity at various voltages (output as data) when it’s forced into a variety of positions, letting you change the channel simply by twisting the controller in either direction, or flexing to adjust volume. The model we saw was a plastic sandwich of sorts, and also included four solar cells, capable of producing one milliwatt of electricity — just enough to power the device.

We put the controller through its paces at the company’s CEATEC booth, adjusting a TV’s volume and channel up and down, and, well, up and down, since that’s just about all you can do with the thing. The model we saw only supported five twist positions and four bending positions in each direction, so it could theoretically adjust those two basic settings more quickly based on how much pressure you put on the film, but realistically can’t do much beyond that. The Tactile Controller on display here is more of a proof of concept of sorts — with the concept being the plastic film technology itself, and not the battery-free remote control, which the company decided would be the most visual application for testing its new film, though not necessarily the most practical. Understandably, Murata doesn’t have any plans to release the remote that we saw today, but you can jump past this to see us do the twist.

Gallery: Murata Tactile Controller hands-on

Continue reading Murata Tactile Controller TV remote hands-on (video)

Murata Tactile Controller TV remote hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 03

Energy Star 5.3 now in effect, some chunkier TVs left out in the cold

Posted in: hdpostmini, LCD, LED, plasma, samsung, Television, Today's Chili, TV

A revamped set of Energy Star requirements went into effect last week, much to the chagrin of plus-sized plasma TVs everywhere. Under the new specification (Version 5.3), sets bearing that vaunted blue sticker will have to be, on average, about 40 percent more energy efficient than standard models, while larger displays will be held to even stricter requirements. The latest iteration also calls for qualifying TVs to adhere to a “hard cap” of 108 watts (irrespective of size), essentially disqualifying any plasmas at least 50-inches in size, and any larger, non-LED-backlit LCDs. Among those sets that qualified for certification under Version 4.2, a full 14 percent consume more than 108 watts (mostly 2010 models), and only three are LED LCD-based (including Samsung’s UN65D8000). Some newly disqualified 2011 models, however, may still bear blue stickers, due to Energy Star’s ongoing transition process. “With the intention of seeing products that meet the newest requirements on retail shelves when 5.3 takes effect, EPA halted certification of new TVs that met the 4.2 requirements (but not the 5.3 requirements) as of May 31, 2011,” Energy Star product manager Katherine Kaplan explained to CNET. “All new products certified since May 31 meet the 5.3 requirements. A product newly manufactured and certified in June had to meet the 5.3 requirements to be labeled.” Hit up the source link below for more details.

Energy Star 5.3 now in effect, some chunkier TVs left out in the cold originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 25

Murata wants to take couch potatoes by the hand and do the remote control twist

Posted in: remote control, RemoteControl, solar power, SolarPower, Television, Today's Chili

We’ve seen Murata’s marketing future and it involves either Chubby Checker, or that ’90s Helen Hunt movie. The Japanese electronics maker’s cooked up a flexible sensor device that’ll let you twist and shout bend your way to remote television control. Dubbed the Leaf Grip Remote Controller, the prototype UI design makes use of a special pyroelectric effect-free piezoelectric film that translates twisting into channel changing, rapid twisting to swap video inputs, bending for volume control and rapid bending to power the set on / off. The company’s also outfitted the non-clicker (which we’ll henceforth refer to as “the Twister”) with a photovoltaic cell, giving it the ability to charge — from your man cave? Kinks in its planning aside, sample shipments are expected to be delivered sometime next spring. But, before they rush this product out to market, may we suggest the inclusion of a sports-induced rage-proof mode?

Murata wants to take couch potatoes by the hand and do the remote control twist originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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