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Amazon signs Viacom for Prime instant streaming
Posted by John Ball Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Movies
Good news for everyone owning a Kindle Fire and subscribed to Amazon Prime (as well as owners of any other media streaming device with Prime compatibility,) as Amazon has announced that it will now offer its subscribers increased instant streaming of videos to supported devices. The press release states that users will be able to stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo.
All of this is made possible due to Amazon recently making a deal with Viacom, bringing the total number of available streaming offerings to over 15,000, all of which are supported on over 300 devices. Between Netflix, the Redbox-Verizon deal, and Amazon Prime, the streaming video subscription space is heating up!
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Comcast to bring Skype video calls to Xfinity
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet
Today, Comcast and Skype announced a partnership that will let Comcast customers make and accept wide-screen, high-definition video calls (as well as communicate via instant messages) through their television sets.
Skype on Comcast will let users identify incoming Skype calls via caller ID, accept incoming calls while watching TV, and import friends and colleagues' contacts from Facebook, Outlook, Gmail, and smartphone address books.
The Skype service will be delivered to Comcast customers via a combination of an adapter box, video camera, and a special remote that will let them input text as well as control their televisions. The other party does not need any special equipment beyond what is normally needed to use Skype.
Click to continue reading Comcast to bring Skype video calls to Xfinity
Deal of the Day: $350 off Sharp LC-60LE632U 60-Inch 1080p HDTV
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Displays, HDTV, Hot Deals
Dell has our Deal of the Day today with their 19% discount on the Sharp LC-60LE632U 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV. Features on this set? Try 1080p resolution, 120Hz Fine Motioned Advanced, X-Gen LCD panel with 10-bit processing, 4,000,000:1 contract ratio, built-in Wi-Fi, Vudu apps, Netflix streaming video, CinemaNow capability, and 4 HDMI ports. These usually sell for $1799, and this 19% discount brings the price down to $1449, saving you a nice $350 - and shipping is free:
Sharp LC-60LE632U 60-Inch 1080p HDTV for $1449
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
Bleeding Edge TV 381: Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Features, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Movies, Podcasts, Product Reviews, Videocasts, Videos
Earlier today we brought you the news that Hulu Plus will launch on the Xbox 360 tomorrow morning, noting that it will be free for all Xbox Live members (Gold or Silver) for a full week, even for those without a Hulu Plus subscription. After that, you'll need both a $7.99 per month Hulu Plus membership as well as an Xbox Live Gold account. Well, we've had access to a Hulu Plus preview on the Xbox 360, and we've put together a tour through the service and interface so you'd know exactly what to expect. We even give you a look at the (somewhat limited) Kinect support for Hulu Plus as well. Hit the play button above, or grab the download from one of the links below!
Big thank you to JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.
Hulu Plus launches on Xbox 360 tomorrow with one-week free trial for all
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Movies, Video Games
Xbox 360 users in the U.S. will have access to Hulu Plus starting Friday, Microsoft announced today.
Hulu Plus members will be able to stream the site's content over the Xbox 360 console, and those with the Kinect can control their Hulu queue with their voice or gestures.
As a promotion, Microsoft is teaming up with Jack Link's Beef Jerky, which will offer all Xbox Live users free access to Hulu Plus from April 29 to May 6.
"Through this sponsorship, all Xbox Live members (Free or Gold) will be able to enjoy Hulu Plus on Xbox Live, no Hulu Plus subscription or Xbox Live Gold membership required for an entire week," Larry Hryb, the director of programming for Xbox Live, wrote in a blog post.
For $7.99 per month, Hulu Plus provides users with access to full seasons of the TV shows it has available, as well as movies.
Click to continue reading Hulu Plus launches on Xbox 360 tomorrow with one-week free trial for all
Netflix secures syndication rights for ‘Mad Men’ on Watch Instantly
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment
"Mad Men" fans might not get a new dose of Don Draper until 2012, but Netflix has inked a deal with Lionsgate to stream all seasons of the show via Watch Instantly.
The first four seasons of the AMC drama will be available to U.S. viewers on Netflix starting July 27. Canadian customers already have streaming access to the show.
"Mad Men has been and continues to be a representation of TV at its best and Netflix is proud to be the syndication home for this acclaimed series," Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said in a statement. "This deal secures long term instant access to an iconic show for Netflix members for years to come."
The deal is noteworthy because Netflix is paying for the syndication rights to "Mad Men"; reruns will not air on other broadcast or cable TV channels.
Click to continue reading Netflix secures syndication rights for ‘Mad Men’ on Watch Instantly
Time Warner removes Fox, Viacom, and Discovery channels from iPad App
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Software
Amidst a controversy over streaming rights, Time Warner Cable has agreed to remove content from Fox Cable Networks, Viacom, and Discovery from its iPad app.
All three networks were "willing to threaten to sue over it," Jeff Simmermon, director of digital communications at Time Warner Cable, wrote in a blog post, so Time Warner has pulled the networks from its iPad streaming for the time being.
Specifically, Time Warner will remove streaming access to 11 channels: Animal Planet, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, FX, MTV, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Spike, and VH1.
Time Warner still maintains that it has "every right" to stream content from these channels via its iPad app, but said it will focus its iPad efforts "on those enlightened programmers who understand the benefit and importance of allowing our subscribers - and their viewers - to watch their programming on any screen in their homes."
Click to continue reading Time Warner removes Fox, Viacom, and Discovery channels from iPad App
Showtime Picks Up Chew Script
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Television, Image Comics
Tony Chu will soon be taking literal bites out of crime... on TV.
Showtime recently purchased a script -- written by Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer -- based off of John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew, which chronicles FDA Agent Chu's detective work, primarily performed thanks to the psychic impressions he receives from eating things (which aren't always the most edible).
Circle of Confusion, the company behind fellow Image TV adaptation The Walking Dead, is fueling the project, which Stephen Hopkins is set to direct and executive produce.
While I imagined back-to-back marathons of Chew and The Walking Dead on AMC, I take comfort in the fact that Chew has found its TV home at Showtime, which has seen a show centering on a serial killer continue past five seasons.
The biggest question, of course, is whether or not Ken Leung will be cast as Tony...
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| Deadline
App Store coming to Google TV
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Home Entertainment, Rumors, Software
A version of the Android Market for the Google TV platform is due "very short term," the general manager overseeing Google TV products for Logitech said Tuesday.
Speaking at the OTTCon here on Tuesday, Ashish Arora, the vice president and general manager for Logitech's Digital Home Group, was asked on a panel discussion whether Google TV owners would be able to take advantage of other Android apps soon.
Arora answered in the affirmative, although his answers didn't quite nail down the timeframe. "It will happen shortly," he said. "It's a given that it will happen this year, 100 percent," he said.
"We're talking about a very short term," he said.
Although Arora does not work for Google, Logitech was one of the key launch partners for the Google TV platform, with Sony. Logitech launched its Logitech Revue in October. At the time, some of the personalization aspects from other Google services were missing, part of Google's practice of launching a product and adding functionality over time.
Click to continue reading App Store coming to Google TV
Bleeding Edge TV 374: Intonow for iPhone is like Shazam for TV
Posted by Reza Malayeri Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Apple, Cell Phones, Features, Home Entertainment, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos
IntoNow is a free app for the iPhone that allows you to connect with your friends around the shows you love. Simply place your iPhone in front of the TV, and IntoNow uses it's SoundPrint technology to recognize whatever you're watching. Once your show or movie is tagged, you can see how many other people are watching, share it with your friends, review it on IMDB, add it to your Netflix queue, and buy or rent it on iTunes.
IntoNow's SoundPrint technology covers more than 140 million minutes of previously aired shows, or the equivalent of 266 years of video. It can recognize a show even if it's airing live for the first time. SoundPrint has an index of "more than 2.6 million airings, indexed during the past five years, and it’s growing by the second." They describe SoundPrint as a “fingerprinting” technology; a series of algorithms that can quickly identify a show based on the audio. They've has even made a SoundPrint API available for developers, so look for more applications to come out using SoundPrint technology.
Internet-connected social TV is becoming the new trend in technology, and data is showing that Americans are using TV and Internet together on an increasing basis. Google and Apple have launched their own internet connected set top boxes, and companies like Comcast and TiVo are major players as well. The future of social television looks very promising, and soon we'll all be "checking in" to our favorite TV shows on a regular basis, using awesome technology like IntoNow and SoundPrint, or other social apps like GetGlue.
Check out a demo of Intonow's social TV app in this episode.
How many times do you catch yourself watching tv while you're on the internet?
Big thank you to JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.
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