Amazon Video is the first to support Samsung’s HDR10 Plus standard

Samsung has announced that Amazon Video is the first content partner to deliver HDR10 Plus content to Samsung TVs, with content set to arrive on Amazon Prime later this year.

HDR10 Plus is an evolution of HDR10 TV technology, and has been developed by Samsung. The South Korean tech giant made it available for use by third parties in March.

• What is HDR, what TVs and devices support HDR, and what HDR content can I watch?

HDR10 Plus improves upon HDR10 by incorporating dynamic metadata instead of static metadata that’s used in HDR10. Static metadata keeps the same brightness level throughout a TV show or movie, so some scenes that were meant to be bright, may be darker than originally intended because there will be other darker scenes that bring the overall brightness level down.

Dynamic metadata eliminates this effect, and allows the TV to adjust the brightness level on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis, meaning content can be shown just as the director intended.

Samsung has said all of its 2017 4K Ultra HD TVs, including the top-of-the-range QLED series support HDR10 Plus, but if you’ve got yourself a 2016 4K Ultra HD model, you don’t need to throw it out as it will receive a firmware update later in 2017 that will bring HDR10 Plus with it.

Kyoungwon Lim, Vice President of Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics said: “As an advanced HDR10 technology, HDR10+ offers an unparalleled HDR viewing experience — vivid picture, better contrast and accurate colors — that brings HDR video to life”.

“We’re excited to work with world-class industry partners, including Amazon Video, to bring more amazing HDR content directly to our 2017 UHD TVs, including our QLED TV lineup”.

Greg Hart, Vice President of Amazon Video, worldwide added: “At Amazon, we are constantly innovating on behalf of customers and are thrilled to be the first streaming service provider to work with Samsung to make HDR10+ available on Prime Video globally later this year”.

• What is Dolby Vision? Dolby’s very own HDR TV tech explained
• Samsung 4K HDR TV choices for 2017: QLED Q9F, Q8C, Q7C and Q7F compared
• Mobile HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Mobile HDR Premium explained 

The update to HDR10+ makes HDR10 content a greater rival to Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision already uses dynamic metadata to adjust brightness on a scene-by-scene basis, and can deliver accurate colours thanks to 12-bit colour depth which gives access to over 68 billion colours. 

David Attenborough’s hologram will help you study fossils in VR

Sir David Attenborough is no stranger to VR. The beloved naturalist and TV presenter has worked on immersive, look-where-you-like films for the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London, the American Museum of Natural History and Google. Now, the documentarian is teaming up with Sky and the NHM for a new experience called Hold the World, which allows you to pick up fossils and other rate objects. As you turn them over, a “hologram” of Attenborough will pop up and explain their importance.

Sky is working with VR and “immersive content production studio” Factory 42 on the project, as well as Dream Reality Interactive and Talesmith. A teaser image released by Sky (above) shows Attenborough with an Oculus Rift and Touch controller, however Dan Smith, cofounder and creative director at Factory 42, said it could work on “several” different headsets.

Attenborough will be shot using ‘volumetric capture,’ a VR filmmaking technique that uses over 100 cameras, pointing inwards, to record a person and their movement in 3D space. The approach allows developers to blend an actor’s likeness with video game-style environments other visual effects. Smith said Hold the World will take place in the NHM’s “beautiful backrooms,” which will be captured using photogrammetry, a combination of LIDAR (a laser-based equivalent of radar) and 360-degree photography. The objects, which include bones and skulls, will be recreated in a similar fashion, combining photogrammetry with some 3D modelling work.

Hold the World will go into production later this year, and there’s no word on when the experience will be ready for the public. “We are always looking for innovative ways to share our collection, and Hold the World offers the chance to explore it as never before,” Sir Michael Dixon, director of the NHM said. “Objects in the museum collection offer invaluable insight about the origins of life, the Earth and our solar system – stories that are key to understanding how we can best protect our planet’s future.”

Source: Sky

Amazon Opens Alexa’s Deep Learning and Voice Recognition Smarts to Chat Bot Developers

Amazon on Wednesday made the AI and voice-recognition software that powers the company’s Alexa virtual assistant available to all its cloud-computing customers.

Called Amazon Lex, the service will allow developers to make chat bot applications using Alexa’s voice recognition technology and leverage the AI’s deep learning abilities to enable their apps to understand more text and speech queries.

Amazon CTO Werner Vogels said that Amazon’s cloud-based work in processing how humans write and speak would make chat bots more helpful than the clunky tools they’ve been in the past.

“There’s massive acceleration happening here,” said Vogels, speaking to Reuters at the company’s cloud-computing summit in San Francisco. “The cool thing about having this running as a service in the cloud instead of in your own data center or on your own desktop is that we can make Lex better continuously by the millions of customers that are using it.”

Similar to how it operates its other cloud-based services, Amazon will charge developers based on how many text or voice requests Lex processes. The company’s hope is that its Alexa technology will take center stage in the current e-commerce boom based around chatbots. This week, Facebook announced its own virtual assistant called M, which can help users order food, while MasterCard also launched its own Messenger merchant bots for food deliveries.

Amazon’s move comes fast on the heels of similar announcements by the company, as it aims to head off competition in the virtual assistant space by rivals Apple and Google. Just last week Amazon opened up access to the far-field voice recognition technology found in its Echo smart speakers so that third-party manufacturers can make their own versions.

Alexa support is also increasingly cropping up in smart home devices, with chip vendors hoping to start shipping their own Alexa-like devices this year. Alexa is even set to appear as a built-in feature in some third-party smart products, like Ecobee thermostats.

Tags: Amazon, Alexa
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You can squeeze Juicero bags with your bare hands, no $400 machine needed

Why it matters to you

At least you know you can still grab a drink from a Juicero pack should the machine ever break down.

It probably looks kinda cool sitting there on your kitchen counter, but the Juicero may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

The high-tech juicer had Silicon Valley investors drooling with delight when they first set eyes on it in 2016, though its wallet-busting launch price of $700 left many consumers opting to stick with their regular order of Tropicana.

A cut to $400 this year, however, prompted renewed interest among fresh-juice fans and helped to boost sales of the machine, which squeezes fruit (or veg) mulch from a pack into a cup for a healthy eight-ounce drink.

Well, it turns out you can squeeze the juice out of the pack using your bare hands in the same time as it takes the pack-pressing Juicero.

While Juicero founder Doug Evans has declared that the juice press is capable of four tons of force — “enough to lift two Teslas,” he said — reporters from Bloomberg recently managed to extract the juice by squeezing the packs using only their hands.

“Hands did the job quicker, but the device was slightly more thorough,” the report said. “Reporters were able to wring 7.5 ounces of juice in a minute and a half. The machine yielded 8 ounces in about two minutes.”

Juicero’s specially designed juice packs cost between $5 and $8, and you can only purchase them if you have the machine.

The startup has so far declined to comment on Bloomberg’s report, though a person “close to the company” told the news outlet that the machine is mess-free, whereas using your hands might not be. Also, the Juicero machine automatically checks via a barcode on the pack that its contents are still fresh, although a date is also printed on the back if you want to check for yourself.

The news that the Juicero may in fact be little more than a pricey piece of counter candy comes in the same week that the startup expanded sales of the device from 3 states to 17. But at least owners now know that they can still grab a drink from a Juicero pack should their machine ever stop working.

If you have one, how do you feel about the fact that your bare hands are just as effective as the $400 Juicero when it comes to pumping the juicy mulch out of the pack?

A French presidential candidate is using his ‘hologram’ to reach more voters

Why it matters to you

The technology provides another way for politicians and other communicators to get their message across.

We’ve heard plenty of stories about famous musicians “returning from the dead” for performances using hologram-like effects, but now politicians — living ones — are turning to the same technology to reach more voters in a bid to boost their popularity ahead of elections.

Take French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. Just a few days before the first round of nationwide voting on April 23, the left-wing politician appeared simultaneously at seven different rallies across France — six of them as a “holographic” projection.

Also very active on social media, tech-savvy Melenchon addressed supporters at a rally in Dijon in the east of the country, while his “3D” image appeared in real time in six other cities, including one on Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean.

The politician, who sits four percentage points behind front-runner Emmanuel Macron in the latest opinion poll, spoke to a combined audience of 35,000 people, many of whom seemed impressed by the technical wizardry.

“It was great, very lively,” one supporter told France 24, adding, “It seemed like he was here with us.” Another said it was “cool and crazy to imagine Jean-Luc Melenchon was in Dijon and six other cities at the same time. It’s incredible he can spread his ideas in such a widespread and original way.”

Organized by London-based Musion 3D, Melenchon’s image required a custom-made lighting rig to obtain the most realistic effect, with the set-up replicated on all of the other stages. The signal was beamed live by satellite to the other French cities, presenting audiences with an extremely life-like version of the presidential candidate on the stage.

In Musion’s own words, its “holographic projection system takes advantage of the most innovative 21st century technologies, transforming the Victorian-age Pepper’s Ghost optical illusion into a state-of-the-art multimedia platform that enables 3D holographic projection … Unlike traditional 3D, viewing Musion does not require 3D glasses because holographic projection is not a stereographic effect. Instead, the hologram illusion is created by using projection to provide the viewer’s eyes with other visual cues – reflection, light, shadow, movement, and contrast – that fool the brain into thinking it is seeing a 3D image.”

It’s certainly a neat idea for helping Melenchon to reach more voters in the most realistic way possible besides being physically present, and the candidate has enjoyed a surge in the polls in recent weeks. You never know, maybe a few more simultaneous rallies in multiple cities — with the help of his trusty hologram — might help see him over the line.

HTC U flagship with Edge Sense is launching on May 16

The HTC U will be powered by a Snapdragon 835.

We’ve seen several leaks of the HTC U in recent weeks detailing the Taiwanese manufacturer’s upcoming flagship. HTC has now confirmed that it will unveil the HTC U on May 16 in Taiwan. In a short video teasing the device, HTC showed off Edge Sense, a unique feature that’s coming to the flagship phone.

Squeeze for the Brilliant U. 05.16.2017 https://t.co/89OuHXbBlt pic.twitter.com/jLaeFD2wMW

— HTC (@htc) April 20, 2017

According to leaked documents, the HTC U will feature a touch-sensitive frame that will allow you to squeeze the sides of the frame to perform actions, like launching an app or taking a photo. The phone itself has specs you’d expect in a flagship launching in mid-2017, including a 5.5-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage (Chinese variants get 6GB RAM/128GB storage), 12MP camera, and a 3000mAh battery. Like recent HTC devices, the HTC U is rumored to eschew the 3.5mm jack, but it may offer water resistance.

With the company’s last flagship — the HTC U Ultra — fizzling out, HTC badly needs a win in this segment. The HTC U looks like it will have the hardware to go head to head with the likes of the LG G6 and the Galaxy S8, but that’s just one part of the equation. With Samsung heavily promoting the Infinity Display and LG counting on its camera prowess, HTC needs an easily marketable feature to entice customers to pick up its phone. And it looks like that feature will be Edge Sense. We’ll find out in three weeks’ time if the feature offers any tangible real-world utility or if it turns out to be another gimmick.

What would you like to see in the HTC U?

HTC U to be unveiled on 16 May, Edge Sense technology confirmed

HTC has sent out invites for a media event on 16 May 2017 to take place at 2pm in Taipei, 2am in New York and 7am in London. The event is undoubtedly for the HTC U, the company’s 2017 flagship smartphone that will sit above the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play.

• HTC U ‘Ocean’: What’s the story on HTC’s next flagship?

The invite itself has the tagline “Squeeze for the brilliant”, and a letter U with its sides caved in slightly. This is a huge hint to confirm one of the features that we’ve written about several times, and that’s a touch-sensitive frame. Expected to be called Edge Sense, the technology will place sensors around body of the phone that will be used to control various functions.

As to what functions can be controlled remains to be seen, although a leaked video shows the sides being used to call up a side panel of apps and then being able to select one by scrolling your finger or thumb along the edge.

It appears to make controlling the phone a lot easier with one hand, as you don’t need to stretch your thumb across the screen. You will still likely need to if you want to type something using the onscreen keyboard.

Squeeze for the Brilliant U. 16.05.2017, London 7am. https://t.co/DBSzMqzLLj pic.twitter.com/sKYqRGEyaK

— HTC UK (@HTC_UK) 20 April 2017

HTC has sent out a tweet to accompany the invite that shows a phone, which could have a screen that takes up the entire front of the device – although some alleged official press pics show a front-mounted home button – being held in a hand and given a small squeeze. The video doesn’t show what action this causes on the phone though.

• HTC might unveil HTC U flagship with ‘touch-sensitive’ frame
• Amazing HTC U ‘Ocean’ press pics leaks, here’s the flagship handset

There’s just under a month to go until HTC unveils its new flagship, and we can’t wait to see just how the Edge Sense technology will be implemented. Other specs for the HTC U are said to include a 5.5-inch WQHD 2560 x 1440 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 12-megapixel rear camera, 16-megapixel front-facing camera, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, Android 7.1 Nougat and HTC’s own Sense 9 UI.

4K cricket next to hit Sky Q and David Attenborough becomes a VR hologram

After showing the majority of its Premier League football matches in 4K for a while, Sky added Formula One races, qualifying and practice sessions to its Ultra HD line-up. Now comes another Sky Sports mainstay: cricket.

The company has announced that Sky Q 2TB box customers will be able to watch this summer’s Test matches between England and South Africa in 4K.

The on-pitch action, plus statistics, graphics and Hawkeye ball paths will all be shown in Ultra HD for those capable of viewing it. It will, of course, be available in Full HD too for those with Sky+HD and Sky Q 1TB boxes, as well as through Sky Q Mini devices.

• How to watch F1 2017 in 4K Ultra HD

Sky Sport’s first live Ultra HD Test match starts on 6 July, with the event held at Lord’s. That runs through to 10 July.

The others are 14-18 July, 27-31 July and 4-8 August, being held at Trent Bridge, Oval and Old Trafford respectively.

In addition to 4k sport, Sky has announced that it is once again working with Sir David Attenborough in order to render him into a virtual reality hologram.

Sky

He will be the virtual guide in a VR tour of London’s Natural History Museum the broadcaster is developing with specialists Factory 42, Dream Reality Interactive and Talesmith. Called Hold the World, as you can go “hands-on” with virtual versions of some of the exhibits, it will be the first fully interactive production by Sky.

In its Q3 financial report, Sky also revealed that Sky Q is now installed in over one million homes in the UK and Ireland.

The long-awaited new feature for the Sky Q box, which adds the ability to record six channels at once while watching another, much like the Virgin TV V6 box, will go live in the summer.

FTC letters warn social media stars about advertising labels

Over the last few months, the feds have slowly turned their attention to the spread of advertising over social media. With a lack of rules and information, celebrity “influencers” paid to push products on their growing audiences haven’t had consistent guidelines on how to reveal those relationships. Last year, the FTC pressed brands to educate influencers, and now it has sent over 90 letters to influencers and marketers alike. Those letters indicate that any material connection between an endorser and advertiser “should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless it is already clear from the context of the communication.”

While the FTC did not say who it sent letters to, The Fashion Law notes that Public Citizen’s formal complaint cited big names like the Kardashian/Jenner family, David and Victoria Beckham, Drake and others. The FTC did say that its letters responded to a sample of Instagram posts, and noted that some of the tactics used to mark advertising didn’t go far enough. Particularly, tagging a post with simply “#sp,” “Thanks, [Brand],” or “#partner” isn’t easy enough for consumers to understand, and putting a tag beyond the third line of text (where it would be hidden unless someone clicks the More button), just doesn’t cut it. Anyone who wants to stay in the clear should include terms like “Ad,” “Promotional” or “Sponsored” early and often.

The letters don’t include any enforcement action, but a more thorough investigation could be the next step.

Via: The Fashion Law

Source: FTC

Over 1,000 Intercontinental hotels hit by a data breach

The Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) thought only a handful of Holiday Inns were affected by a data breach that happened last year, but it turned out to be a much bigger deal. In a statement posted on its website, IHG has admitted that it found signs of malware designed to access credit card data used at front desks in a lot more locations. It didn’t mention a specific number, but it linked to a tool where you can look up which Holiday Inns, Intercontinentals and Crowne Plazas were affected. A Krebs on Security reader did some digging, though, and found 1,175 properties in IHG’s tool. That’s a sizeable chunk of the 5,000 hotels it has worldwide.

According to the hotel chain’s investigation, the malware was active from September 29th to December 29th, 2016. Since it was designed to pilfer info from a card’s magnetic stripe, the company believes it could have stolen guests’ CC numbers, expiration dates and verification codes. The malware showed no signs of activity after December 29th, but IHG wasn’t able to remove it from cash registers until around March 2017.

Based on IHG’s tool, only hotels in the US and Puerto Rico were affected, but a spokesperson told USA Today that the company still isn’t done investigating its other properties. The chain could very well update the tool later with even more locations in other parts of the globe. Those who stayed in any IHG-owned property late last year may want to keep a close eye on their credit card transactions.

InterContinental Hotel Group breach explodes, from 12 hotels (lots of Holiday Inn’s) to more than 1,000 https://t.co/FBFW5ZNVFB

— briankrebs (@briankrebs) April 19, 2017

Via: USA Today

Source: Krebs on Security, IHG