Posts Tagged ‘TV’
BBC iPlayer Now Available on XBOX 360
Up until now I have been watching the iPlayer on my iPad and PS3 but today I can rejoice as the main hub for entertainment in our house finally gets the ability to view it too. Yes that’s right the BBC and Microsoft have finally agreed on the terms and conditions of the app and from today you can download it from the APPS section of your XBOX menu.
I’ve tested it and I have to say it’s a much better experience than on the PS3, which isn’t a dedicated app and rather a view of the website. On the XBOX though it’s easy to navigate, slick and gives you the ability to use your Kinect.
As far as I know this is UK only but please leave a comment below if you can access this in other countries.
Apple TV Dispatch Times Increase Ahead of 7th March Event
Whilst looking on the UK Apple Store yesterday I noticed that the dispatch times on the Apple TV had increased to 2-4 business days, meaning they aren’t carrying a lot of stock. This could tie into an update on the 7th March along with the iPad 3. Shipping times and availability in US stores is said to have increased as well all pointing to a possible new Apple TV being announced.
Possible updates to the new device could include:
- 1080p playback
- Updated processor
- iOS opened up to allow apps
- New demo’s of apps to launch a new TV platform
Let’s see what happens next week at the Apple keynote.
Netflix vs. LoveFilm: Which should you choose for the UK?
In the UK we have only really had one subscription streaming option for films – LoveFilm, which is an Amazon company delivering streaming and DVD postal services. Netflix is new to the UK. In it’s first few weeks I wanted to take a look at the impact into the UK market streaming video market.
Read on to find out more.
CES 2012: Peel Launches Social TV Experience
Like it or not social media is here to stay. Personally I love it. I have fun sharing my life with my friends and family via my mobile device since it allows me to essentially do it from anywhere. While I’m out in Vegas this week for CES my wife is tracking my movements via Twitter and my Foursquare checkins. At night when we speak she already knows most of what I did that day. Thanks to a new update the brains behind the iOS application “Peel” have added their own social networking spin in an effort to bring your TV out of the family room and into the interwebs.
Peel starts out as a iOS application which recommends TV shows to you based on your previous watching habits. The more you use it the smarter it gets by using a special algorithm to make suggestions. The new 2.0 update, available today, adds the ability to share your favorite TV shows as well as your “guilty pleases” – come on, admit it, you watch Jersey Shore right – with your friends, family and contacts, post recommendations on shows you liked, and comment on other people’s TV activity all within a free iOS application.
There’s even an add-on remote that allows you to tune right to the shows Peel thinks you’ll like all with a tap on your iPhone’s screen.
You can learn more about Peel or grab the free download by visiting the company’s web site here.
Review: BoinxTV- Ultimate Consumer Broadcasting!
Since I can remember I have always been fascinated with the how a video broadcast adds all the graphics to the show. For example, watching baseball on TV these days it’s common practice to have things like the score, balls, strikes outs and the inning on the screen most of the time. More recently we have been seeing what is considered the strike zone, which has turned many people at home into professional umpires. More examples we see are add-ons called “Lower Thirds.” These are exactly what they sound like, graphics added to the screen, which are on the lower third of the screen.
BoinxTV is a Mac only operating software, which puts all the producing in the hands of the person sitting at the computer. For what it offers the selling price of $499.00 for the full edition is great value. There is a home version which retaisl on the Mac App store for just 49.99. I would suggest checking out the site to see which software best fits your needs.
Want to learn more about BoinxTV? Click on through.
Set Your DVRs. TNT to Pay Tribute to Steve Jobs Tonight with Screening of “Pirates of Silicon Valley.”
TNT will pay tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs tonight with a special presentation of the TNT Original Pirates of Silicon Valley. The movie will air at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (ET/PT). The movie, which stars Noah Wyle as Jobs, Anthony Michael Hall as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Joey Slotnick as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, follows the fascinating and unforgettable race between technology rivals Apple Computers and Microsoft. From nights of dorm-room tinkering to days of boardroom scheming, their fierce and often humorous battle to rule the fledgling computer empire literally changed the world. It premiered on TNT in 1999 and was nominated for several Emmy awards.
Check your local TV listings for the TNT channel in your area an be sure to tune in tonight!
Can Dish Network Really Compete with Netflix?
If you haven’t already heard the big news, Dish Network, who owns Blockbuster, has decided to step into the realms of streaming and provide their own service. This news has come at a very interesting time due to Netflix’s announcement to split their streaming and DVD-By-Mail services into two separate companies.
Dish Network plans to take the old Blockbuster streaming service and bundle it into the packages for current Dish subscribers. As always there is a catch, Dish Network is limiting this to only their subscribers, so in order to get in on this deal you would have to buy the lowest Dish Network plan which includes 55 channels for $19.99 and on top of that you would have to pay $10.00 a month for the streaming service. If you bought the $40.00 package which includes 200 channels, you would receive the streaming service free for one year.
Zero1.tv Unveils New VooMote Zapper at IFA 2011
Get ready for another entry in the iPhone remote control arena. Zero1.tv has announced a new remote called the VooMate Zapper while at this year’s IFA. Coming in October the Zapper will attach to the bottom your your iOS device into the thirty-pin connector. The remote, which is going to be available in 11 different smart cover color options and includes matching cases to compliment anyone’s style, combines a programming guide as well as social networking features into the remote control. Once you download the free iOS application from the iTunes App Store you’ll be able to switch channels from a lengthy range thanks to 4 built in IR transmitters. The Zapper is tiny too so it won’t weight down your iOS device – measuring in at about the size of a paper clip. No word yet on pricing.
Learn more here.
Review: Surc iPhone 4 Universal Remote Control Case
Does the pile of remotes in the photo above above look familiar? Perhaps you have something similar sitting in your family room, TV room, bedroom, or somewhere else in your home. Every piece of audio or video equipment we purchases these days seems to come with a remote. Remotes are supposed to make things easier for us. In my living room alone I’ve got at least five different remotes sitting in my cabinet. A universal remote allows you to control all of your components through via one device. That’s great in theory but the problem is that most universal remotes can only be programmed to work with a few components. That means they are limited to working in only one room so your stuck with a different universal remote for each room in your home. The Surc Universal Remote allows you to program different remote layouts for the many rooms in your home allowing you to take it from location to location and control all of the components in each. Roll all that into a protective iPhone 4 case that works with both the AT&T and the Verizon versions of the iPhone 4 and you’ve got Surc.
Read on for my full review.
Steve Jobs’s Thoughts on the TV Market
Lately, the rumor mill has been once again been flooded with claims that Apple is planning to make a full-fledged television set. While this claim is certainly enticing to Apple fanatics everywhere, Steve Jobs was asked a similar question last year. Steve Jobs attended D8, a conference devoted to talking with the most influential figures in technology. During his time at the conference, he was asked about whether it is time to redesign the TV user interface and if Apple has plans to penetrate the TV market. Steve pointed out that there is a fundamental problem with the television market, particularly the go-to market strategy. The go-to market strategy that is currently in place is that your cable or satellite provider provides customers with a TV box through which to get their content. The result is a fragmented, unsatisfying user experience.
Steve mentions that the only way to penetrate the TV market at all is to add another box on top of your TV to deliver specific content. Again, Steve points out that the result is a table full of remotes and an entertainment center with 5 different boxes. He adds that if you want to penetrate the TV market effectively, a company must completely redesign the way it delivers content to customers across all aspects of television. Unfortunately, that currently isn’t possible due problems such as the thousands of different cable and satellite television providers across the country and the lack of a “GSM-like” standard for both national and international use.
Steve closes the question with: “…people smarter than us will likely figure this out. That’s why when we say the Apple TV is a hobby, we use that phrase.” Indications as of June of last year point that Apple has no interest in the TV market because it lacks a viable marketing strategy. As I turn on my satellite receiver today, I can’t help but think that Steve’s hobby will likely last a while longer.
Do you think Apple is working on a television set? If so, would you buy it? As always, let us know in the comments below!
Source: All Things D
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