Netflix updated its video encoding to make downloads look better
From time to time, Netflix updates the technology it’s using to convert and compress each of the digital copies of movies it streams to customers. Because people watch from so many different platforms, in so many different situations, it has to be ready for any number of possibilities. Late last year, it revealed the use of a smarter way to apply compression, recognizing that different types of content (animation like Bojack Horseman vs. dark action scenes in Daredevil) need different levels of bitrate or resolution to look their best. Now it’s focused on enhancing the efficiency of compression, starting with the video it delivers to mobile devices.
Netflix:
- AVCMain: Our existing H.264/AVC Main profile encodes, using per-title optimization, serve as anchor for the comparison.
- AVCHi-Mobile: H.264/AVC High profile encodes using more optimal encoder settings and per-chunk encoding.
- VP9-Mobile: VP9 encodes using more optimal encoder settings and per-chunk encoding.
It’s using Google’s VP9 on some platforms (most Android phones), while H.264/AVC High profile works for others (anything iOS). The “per-chunk” encoding mentioned above mean that beyond just optimizing for the type of show or movie, it’s actually applying optimal settings across different parts of each video. Variety notes these pieces can range between 1- 3 minutes in length, and Netflix says that using this with Google’s VP9 tech can result in a video that has the same quality, but uses 36 percent lower bitrate.
That means it can look better on your phone, while also using less data, and taking up less space as a download. That last part is key, because the new encodes are currently rolling out in the new downloads feature, although they will be available for streaming on mobile devices in the “near future.”
Source: Netflix Tech Blog
Android 7.1.1 is rolling out now
Google’s excellent Pixel phones launched with Android 7.1, a minor update to Nougat that nevertheless included a few handy features. Now, Google has announced that Android 7.1.1 has started rolling out to other Android phones and provide a lot of those features to more users. Specifically, the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus Player, Pixel C and General Mobile 4G (Android One) will all start getting the latest version of Android soon.
As for what you can find from a feature perspective, Google has added support for its “image keyboard” that lets you easily find and send pictures and GIFs without leaving your messaging app of choice. Google says it’ll work inside of Hangouts, Allo, and the default Messaging app. Ironically enough, the feature has been available in the Gboard iOS keyboard that Google launched in the spring, but it’s good to see it coming to more Android phones now.
Android 7.1.1 also includes Google’s latest set of more diverse emoji, specifically focused on showing a “wider range of professions” for women. And it also contains the excellent app shortcut feature that originally launched on the Pixel — if you press and hold on an app’s icon, a sub-menu of shortcuts will show up. You’ll be able to quickly send a message to a specific contact or navigate to a saved location using these shortcuts, for example. They’re very much like the “force touch” shortcuts found on the iPhone, but that doesn’t make them any less useful.
As usual with Android rollouts, this won’t hit all phones at once. Google says it’ll become available “over the next several weeks.” But if you don’t want to wait, you can enroll your device in the Android Beta preview program and receive the update much quicker.
Source: Google
Microsoft’s second try at social chat bots arrives in Kik
Microsoft’s first foray into social chat bots didn’t go so well given that propensity for racist diatribes. It’s giving the concept another try, however, and this time it promises to be more successful. Twitter user Tom Hounsell has noticed the existence of Zo, a Microsoft chat bot currently being tested in the messaging app Kik. Effectively, Zo looks like an English-language version of Microsoft’s existing Chinese bot, Xiaoce. After briefly gauging your personality, it’ll participate in conversations like an overexcited teenager. The bot is far from perfect, but that’s what’s testing is for, isn’t it?
Notably, the bot steers clear of topics that could land it in the headlines, like you saw with Tay. Ask Zo about politics or Hitler, for example, and it will not-so-subtly try to guide you away from the subject. It’s also uncannily knowledgeable about Microsoft products, and will profess to being a Windows phone fan.
Kik is an unusual proving ground for Microsoft — you’d expect it to try the bot on Skype or a very large third-party service like WhatsApp. A mid-sized service like Kik makes sense, mind you. It limits testers to those who are genuinely interested in what Zo can do (you can request an invitation if you’d like to try), and reduces the chances that gaffes will reflect badly on Microsoft. If Zo branches out to other platforms, it’ll likely happen only after the crew in Redmond is confident that its bot will behave.
Via: MSPowerUser, The Verge
Source: Zo, Tom Hounsell (Twitter)
AT&T starts testing 5G wireless with Intel in Austin
Verizon may have beat AT&T to the punch, but no matter — the second-biggest US carrier has started testing 5G wireless technology that promises to bring gigabit bandwidth to our mobile devices in the coming years. In a blog post, AT&T says that it is taking the 5G bandwidth tests it was making in labs out into the field, with Intel and Ericsson serving as partners in this venture. Like Verizon, AT&T is using millimeter wave technology; in this case, the 5G technology is working inside of one of Intel’s Austin offices.
AT&T appears to be right on schedule — earlier this year, the carrier said that it was planning to run these Austin test by the end of the year. Specifically, AT&T says it is interested in how this new network will stand up to streaming 4K video, but it’ll also be testing a wide variety of office use cases including VPN, VoIP, “unified communications applications” and good old internet access. But 4K video is of particular interest, given how important video is to the mobile landscape.
It’s worth noting that this test does not mean we’re going to see 5G wireless technology any time soon. The standard hasn’t been decided yet, which means we might get a repeat of the nonsense back-and-forth over what exactly “4G” means that we lived through in 2010 and 2011. The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?
Source: AT&T
HSBC trialling app that automates your savings
While all the major banks have pretty good online facilities, there’s a whole breed of nimble startups using mobile apps and bank account data to create new, more personalised money management services. Hoping to learn some new tricks, HSBC announced today it has partnered with one of these fintech pups, Pariti, to launch a standalone iOS app geared towards “micro-savings.” The SmartSave app, which you can link to any bank account HSBC or otherwise, will automatically transfer money into savings or investments accounts based on user-defined rules.
By analysing your bank account, the app will determine when it’s “safe to save,” and you can set up daily, weekly or monthly transfers if you want a really structured regime. Alternatively, you can use one of the smarter options. Every time you spend, for example, the app can round the transaction up to the nearest pound and transfer the difference into your savings account, a few pennies at a time. You can also tell it to punish you for shopping at user-defined “guilty pleasures” stores, putting a small amount aside each time you treat yourself to another unnecessary item of winter clothing.
If, however, the app notices you saving too much and leaving your current account bare, it’ll tell you as much. Similarly, SmartSave will let you know if you could easily be putting more away for a rainy day. HSBC is launching the app as part of the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory sandbox initiative, which is supporting the development of new fintech services by slackening red tape to encourage live tests. This does mean that HSBC isn’t rolling SmartSave out to everyone, though, and instead will start with a six-month, invite-only trial involving 2,000 customers next week.
Google’s Trusted Contacts app lets people know you’re safe
In the event of an emergency, it’s not always easy to notify people that you are safe. Google knows that, so it’s created Trusted Contacts, a new app that can automatically share your status and location with friends or loved ones. It’s available today on Android and will soon be available on iOS devices.
The idea is simple: you select specific people in your address book as “trusted contacts,” friends or family members who you would feel confident knowing your phone’s activity status. When they open the app, they’ll be able to see if you’re “active,” basically that your phone is connected and moving, whether you were active in the past hour or whether your device has a low battery, is completely out of juice or has no connectivity.
Trusted contacts can also ask for your location if they feel you might be in danger. The app offers a five-minute window for you to approve or deny the request but should it not receive a response, it will share your position in order to “make sure that someone you trust will know how to find you if you really are in trouble.”
If you’re walking home late at night and would feel safer knowing that someone knew exactly where you are, Trusted Contacts can help there too. Instead of waiting for someone to request your whereabouts, you can proactively share your location with a friend or loved one and include a short status explaining what it is you’re doing. Once you arrive at your destination, hit the banner top of the screen or from the lockscreen and it’ll stop broadcasting.
Google says that while trusted contacts won’t need a Google account to see shared locations, they may need to sign in with one to request them. The app’s settings can also be tweaked at any time, allowing users to decide who they do and don’t want seeing their activity without having to re-add them at a later date.
Via: Google Blog
Source: Trusted Contacts (Play Store), Trusted Contacts Dashboard
Foxconn exec faces 10 years for stealing 5,700 iPhones
A senior manager at Foxconn, the company that makes Apple’s iPhone handsets, is facing 10 years incarceration after being charged with the theft of 5,700 iPhones valued at nearly $1.5 million. According to AsiaOne, the Taiwanese testing department manager, identified only by his family name Tsai, coerced eight of his subordinates to smuggle iPhone 5 and 5Ses out of the Foxconn Shenzhen plant between 2013 and 2014.
Apparently, these phones were designated for testing, rather than sale, which could explain how the gang managed to take so many without tipping off security. However, an internal audit conducted earlier this year outed the group.
Via: Business Insider
Source: AsiaOne
The Engadget Podcast Ep 16: Feds Watching
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O’Brien to talk about the week’s biggest tech news, including Nike’s new self-lacing shoes, Netlix’s offline mode and “yelfies.” Then they’ll rant about what’s been bother them this week, whether that’s DirecTV, crappy touchpads or Amazon’s convoluted pile of apps. Lastly they’ll try to unravel the complicated mess that is Rule 41 and what it means for privacy in America.
Wins
Loses
Winning %
Christopher Trout
5
1
.833
Mona Lalwani
3
1
.750
Devindra Hardawar
14
10
.583
Dana Wollman
10
8
.555
Chris Velazco
3
3
.500
Cherlynn Low
7
9
.437
Nathan Ingraham
4
6
.400
Michael Gorman
1
5
.167
Relevant links:
- Yelp wants you to add a ‘Yelfie’ to your restaurant reviews
- A first look at Nike’s self-lacing HyperAdapt sneakers
- Netflix’s offline viewing mode was inevitable
- Amazon needs to simplify Prime Video to compete with Netflix
- AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming service launches on November 30th
- DirecTV Now is a good start for AT&T but nothing truly original
- How an obscure rule lets law enforcement search any computer
You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Facebook
Subscribe on Google Play Music
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe on Stitcher
Subscribe on Pocket Casts
LG promotes its Home Appliance boss to Chief Executive
After a couple of rough quarters for its mobile phone division, LG announced today that it will promote Jo Seong-jin, the head of its profitable Home Appliance business, to the role of Vice Chairman and CEO of the company. While the company’s new flagship phone, the LG V20, appears to be selling well, the mobile division as a whole has been dragging the company down since Q3 2015 despite record numbers from the the home appliances division.
Despite those losses, LG’s mobile division boss Juno Cho will have another opportunity to help his group bounce back from flops like the LG G5. Cho is keeping his position for now, but the South Korean company also promoted 57 other executives this week, compared to the 38 it promoted in last year’s yearly restructuring.
Also worth noting: Mr. Jo only holds a high school diploma and no bachelor’s degree, but he’s been with the company since 1976 when he helped develop LF’s first automatic washing machine. (Earning him the nickname “Mr. Washing Machine” in the process.) Since taking over LG’s Home Appliance and Air Solution company in 2015, Jo helped roll out the high-end LG Signature brand which is responsible for smart home and IoT devices like this smart fridge with whopping 29-inch tablet built-in.
Via: ZDNet
Source: LG Newsroom
The White House goes augmented reality with new ‘1600’ app
Following the breakout success of Pokémon Go, the White House is apparently looking to capitalize on the sudden interest in augmented reality. A new, official White House app called 1600 allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet and a $1 bill to take a tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“From hosting festivals on the South Lawn to allowing people to explore its rooms via Google Street View,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest writes today, “President Obama has used traditional events and new technology to open up the doors of the White House to more Americans than ever before.”
While the app won’t give you any actual security clearance, it does give you a cute, 3D-interactive version of the White House when you point your camera a dollar bill. As you fly around the tiny, Minecraft-esque White House, you can even watch as major events like like state arrival ceremonies and the annual Easter Egg Roll unfold.
The app is free to download (Thanks, Obama) and was built by the White House Historical Association and Nexus Studios. It’s available for iOS and Android devices.
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
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