CW shows like ‘Arrow’ might be leaving Hulu this year
One of the worst parts about getting your TV fix through services like Netflix and Hulu is that your favorite show can disappear on any given day, with little warning. If you’re a fan of the CW (home to shows like Arrow, Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), it unfortunately looks like it’s getting a bit harder to stay up-to-date on the network’s shows. According to Variety, the CW will pull out of Hulu in favor of putting up its shows on its ad-supported website. As with the current (and expiring) Hulu deal, only the five most recent episodes of any particular show will be available.
It’s generally more work to get a stream from a network’s website up as compared to just jumping onto the Hulu app in your set-top box of choice, so it’s hard to say how this benefits consumers. Indeed, part of the reason that Hulu and the CW are parting ways is that Hulu wanted access to an entire season’s worth of current episodes, not just the five most recent. Hulu’s customers had been complaining about that restriction, but now it seems they won’t be able to watch the CW’s shows on Hulu at all.
However, there’s a bit of good news for Netflix users. A new deal between the network and the streaming giant means that shows will arrive on Netflix just a few weeks after the season wraps. That’s much better than the months it usually takes for a wrapped season to show up on Netflix. When all these changes will take place remains to be seen, but Variety believes the current five-year deals in place with Hulu and Netflix will expire this October.
Source: Variety
Facebook’s board of directors re-elects Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, the early Facebook investor and board member who admitted last month to secretly financing multiple lawsuits against Gawker Media, will officially remain on Facebook’s executive board, Mashable reports today. COO Sheryl Sandberg had previously stated that Thiel would keep his position because he “did what he did on his own, not as a Facebook board member,” but Monday’s annual shareholder’s meeting was the last chance for the board to acknowledge that his actions run counter to Facebook’s own mission statement. During the vote, the shareholders voted to keep all board members who are up for re-election, including Thiel. Mark Zuckerberg, who has the overriding vote as founder and majority stakeholder, approved the decision.
By bankrolling Hulk Hogan’s high-profile lawsuit against Gawker, Thiel drove the media company to bankruptcy. Thiel called his actions “one of my greater philanthropic things that I’ve done.” Thiel’s critics on the other hand, have called him a secretive billionaire waging a shadowy war to suppress the free press — or at least the part of the free press that publishes stories he doesn’t like.
“This contradicts the messages [Zuckerberg] has been sending—about Facebook being open, inclusive, and unbiased,” startup advisor and Stanford professor Vivek Wadhwa told Mashable.
Thiel, an ardent Trump supporter, was also part of a group of Facebook representatives who met with members of the conservative media to address accusations of bias in the social network’s Trending Topics section.
How ‘Game of Thrones’ put together its biggest battle yet
If you’re caught up on Game of Thrones, you’re probably still reeling from last night’s “The Battle of the Bastards.” The show is no stranger to big battle scenes, but it was an episode that still managed to outdo anything we’ve seen before when it comes to large-scale mayhem (even last year’s zombie-filled “Hardhome”). As you’d expect, it was all thanks to a smart combination of practical effects and CG, as the HBO behind the scenes feature below points out.
(Spoilers ahead, obviously.) To capture horses running at full tilt across the battlefield, director Miguel Sapochnik relied on a specialized remote controlled camera rig (dubbed the “Russian Arm”) that was sitting atop a Land Rover. And to turn its hundreds of extras into thousands, the show’s VFX artists implemented some heavy-duty crowd replication. There were also digital effects throughout the battle, including a swarm of arrows filling and falling from the sky, as well as composite effects weaved in to safely show things like soldiers flying off horses
Oh, and if you were wondering, that wonderful shot of Jon Snow confronting a wall of enemy soldiers on horseback, entirely on his own, was completely real.
Microsoft helps you create links to your phone apps
You know the problem — you want to go back to something you saw in a mobile app, but you either forgot to save your place or couldn’t save it at all. What to do? If Microsoft Research has its way, you’ll never be left scrambling again. Its uLink experiment creates links to mobile app pages on the fly, helping you find that hotel listing without having to re-do all the steps you took to see it. It’s a bit like Google’s deep app linking without the need to go online.
Don’t expect to see uLink everywhere in the near future. Microsoft has only shown it running in Android so far, and the current implementation is fairly basic (you shake your phone to add bookmarks and visit a simple app to see them). Regardless, it’s easy to see a future where you can always revisit specific spots in your favorite apps.
Source: Microsoft Research, YouTube
Spotify Has Twice as Many Paid Subscribers as Apple Music
Spotify confirmed to The Telegraph today that it now has more than 100 million monthly active users worldwide, including approximately 30 million monthly paying subscribers.
Comparatively, Apple services chief Eddy Cue announced at WWDC 2016 last week that Apple Music has 15 million paying subscribers, just two weeks before the streaming music service turns one year old. Apple Music was at 13 million subscribers in April and 11 million subscribers in February, meaning that it has been growing at a rate of about 2 million subscribers every two months.
Spotify, which launched in Europe in October 2008 and expanded to the U.S. in July 2011, thereby remains the world’s most popular streaming service, but Apple Music is quickly closing the gap. Both services cost $9.99 per month for individuals and $14.99 per month for families, while only Spotify offers a free ad-supported tier.
Nevertheless, Spotify recently said that Apple Music has helped, not hurt, its business. Since Apple Music launched on June 30, 2015, its European rival has grown at a faster pace than beforehand. Spotify has now surpassed Skype as the most lucrative European startup, with an estimated valuation of roughly $8.5 billion.
“It’s great that Apple is in the game. They are definitely raising the profile of streaming. It is hard to build an industry on your own,” Jonathan Forster, a vice president and one of its first employees, told Reuters in an interview.
“Since Apple Music started we’ve been growing quicker and adding more users than before.”
Despite rising users and revenues, Spotify continues to operate at a loss due to expensive royalties and revenue sharing with music label partners. The report claims Spotify’s losses rose by 10 percent to $195.7 million (173 million euros) last year, prompting some investors to question the viability of its business model.
Tags: Spotify, Apple Music
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E-Book Buyers to Start Receiving Credits on Tuesday as Part of Apple Price Fixing Settlement
Starting on Tuesday, June 21, U.S. customers who purchased e-books from Apple and other retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble will begin receiving payouts from the $450 million settlement Apple agreed to pay after being found guilty of conspiring to fix the prices of e-books.
Customers will be receiving a $6.93 credit for each book that was a New York Times bestseller, and a $1.57 credit for other e-books. Customers eligible for credits include those who purchased e-books between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012.
Attorneys say the process is uniquely simple for consumers — credits will be automatically sent directly into the accounts of consumers at major book retailers, including Amazon.com Inc., Barnes & Noble Inc., Kobo Inc. and Apple. Retailers will issue emails and put the credits in the accounts simultaneously.
If e-book purchasers requested a check in lieu of a credit, they will receive a check. If purchasers received a credit during the first round of distribution of publisher settlements, and they did not opt out, they will automatically receive a credit.
The U.S. Department of Justice first accused Apple and five other publishers — HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and Penguin — of colluding to fix the prices of e-books in 2010, suggesting they had worked to raise prices of e-books to weaken Amazon’s dominant position in the market and restructure the business model of the industry.
While all of the publishers settled early on, Apple fought the accusation for years and maintained its innocence, but ultimately, a ruling in 2013 found the company guilty of price fixing. A series of appeals were unsuccessful, and after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, Apple was forced to pay a $450 million settlement.
$400 million of that $450 million is earmarked for customers who purchased e-books, with $30 million going towards legal fees and $20 million going to states who were also involved in the lawsuit.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook to Host Fundraiser for House Speaker Paul Ryan
Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to co-host a fundraiser for House Speaker Paul Ryan next week in an attempt to strengthen Apple’s relationship with key Republicans, reports Politico. The announcement comes following news Apple has decided not to donate money and Apple products to the Republican National Convention, reportedly because of comments made by presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
Cook and Ryan will host a private breakfast on Tuesday, June 28 in Menlo Park alongside longtime Apple treasurer Gary Wipfler. Money raised will benefit Ryan and a fundraising committee that helps elect other House Republicans. Invitations were sent out today, and Politico was able to obtain one.
Cook is hosting the fundraiser on his own accord, as Apple does not have a corporate political action committee like Facebook, Google and other tech giants in Silicon Valley. Still, the move reflects Apple’s desire to court Republican and Democratic officeholders alike, even at a time when it has serious reservations about Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee.
Over the weekend, Apple told Republican leaders it would not donate resources to the convention due to Trump’s comments on women, immigrants, and minorities, despite having traditionally made donations to both the Republican and Democratic conventions.
HP has also announced that it will not provide funding, but Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have all agreed to provide support to the upcoming event. It is not clear if Apple will donate to the Democratic convention.
As Politico points out, Cook has made an effort to bolster relationships with both Democrats and Republicans in the past, with donations to Senators and Representatives from each party.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tags: Tim Cook, Paul Ryan
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iPhone 7 Rumored to Ship With Standard 3.5mm EarPods and Lightning Adapter
Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be manufactured without a 3.5mm headphone jack, leading to speculation about the accessories that will be included alongside the two devices.
Lightning-equipped EarPods and wireless EarPods are two rumors that have been bandied about, but a new report from Japanese site Mac Otakara suggests Apple may ship the iPhone 7 with standard 3.5mm headphones and a 3.5mm jack to Lightning adapter to allow them to connect to the new devices.
Mac Otakara’s information comes from sources at Computex Taipei 2016 and the reliability of those sources cannot be confirmed. Shipping EarPods with a 3.5mm jack included seems like an unusual choice for Apple, even if an adapter is included in the box.
At Computex Taipei 2016, many manufacturers showcased their new Lightning audio adaptors, and it seems there has been rumors that the headphones to be included with the new iPhone 7 series will still come with its own headphone jack as usual, and that a Lightning headphone jack adaptor will also be included in the package.
Past rumors, including one from Mac Otakara itself, have suggested Apple will introduce a new EarPods design that connects to the iPhone via Lightning or Bluetooth, something that would better ease the transition away from the 3.5mm jack than an adapter. We’ve only heard a few rumors about the EarPods, though, so Apple’s exact plans remain unclear.
Mac Otakara’s report also reiterates claims 256GB of storage will be an option and suggests the iPhone 7 will feature speaker holes on both the right and left sides of the Lightning port, filling the space left by the headphone jack. Rather than introducing stereo sound, the site believes the two speakers will be “on a monaural system.”
Rumors about the fate of the space left by the removal of the headphone jack have been mixed. Early rumors pointed towards two speakers for stereo sound, but later rumors and design schematics have cast some doubt on whether the iPhone 7 will feature dual speakers.
A lot of the information we’re hearing about the iPhone 7 is mixed, making it difficult to narrow down the exact features we can expect to see, but the removal of the headphone jack is one of the most consistent rumors we’ve seen about the device. Other expected features include an iPhone 6s-style design with relocated antenna bands, faster LTE and Wi-Fi, a more water resistant casing, and dual cameras for the larger iPhone 7 Plus.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: macotakara.jp
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Xbox One S vs Xbox One: What’s the difference?
With Sony revealing before E3 that an upgrade to PS4 would not appear at the show, the stage was set for Xbox to upstage its main rival with a hardware unveiling of its own.
It even revealed that two new consoles will be coming in the next 18 months: Project Scorpio in 2017 and the Xbox One S this year, in time for a Christmas push.
That complicates matters somewhat, because you might want to wait an extra year for a higher spec’ed machine. But should you be in the market for an Xbox in the interim, you’ll be wondering whether to get an Xbox One S when it is available or opt for an existing model, especially as it will undoubtedly be heavily discounted soon.
That’s why we’ve put them head-to-head in spec terms to help you make your mind up.
READ: Xbox One S preview: Thinner, better PS4 beater
Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Design
Design is undoubtedly the biggest and most noticeable change between the original Xbox One and the newer, slimmer Xbox One S. In fact, Microsoft has removed 40 per cent of the body mass, making a console that’s just over half the size of its predecessor.
Pocket-lint
It’s an important change, considering the huge size difference that exists between the PS4 and the Xbox One. As is the fact that you’ll be able place it vertically, and that the power brick is internal.
That means instead of having it lie flat, taking up tonnes of room on a shelf and having a chunky power brick lying next to it (or on the floor somewhere), it can neatly stand next to your TV with nothing but a couple of cables attached. It’s clearly a much neater all-round package.
Like the Xbox One, the One S’s has a two-face design. One half of the device has a single solid texture and matte finish, the other half is patterned.
Unlike the Xbox One, however, it has hundreds of machined holes and dots on one half, and not the diagonal line and slits. This is partly for aesthetic purposes, and partly for cooling. A large circle section underneath the machined holes acts as the air vent to cool all the internal components. Arguably, having it stand vertically with more of its surfaces exposed to the air will help cooling too.
Although it’s undoubtedly a much more aesthetically pleasing design in general, at the moment, it is limited to just the white finish initially. In contrast, the current Xbox one has a number of custom designs thanks to tie-ins with some of the most popular game titles. We expect the One S will soon join in with those, especially with the holiday season coming up in a few months.
Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Controller
While the console remains instantly recognisable, the updated Xbox Wireless Controller has seen some welcome changes.
Pocket-lint
It looks similar to the original but, like the console, is a touch sleeker and now has a grippy finish underneath the handles to ensure it stays in your hands and doesn’t slip out.
It also has twice the range of its predecessor, just so you won’t have to huddle around your TV so closely. And it works with Windows 10 PCs, tablets and phones via Bluetooth too.
READ: Xbox One S: Release date, specs and everything you need to know
Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Features
Apart from its design, the biggest change we see in the Xbox One S is that it’s 4K capable.
Not only can it stream 4K Ultra HD content from services like Netflix or Amazon Instant Video, but the console also supports 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback. This is a big deal for more than one reason, but predominantly because – for those you currently in the market for a decent Ultra HD Blu-ray player – you’ll struggle to find one as competitively priced.
Noot only are you getting a great gaming console, you’re also getting a 4K Blu-ray player for less than those from the likes of Samsung or Panasonic.
Xbox One S also supports HDR 4K content, meaning videos will be both sharper and feature a much higher dynamic range. In simple terms: If you have a 4K HDR TV, your movies are going to look awesome.
HDR capabilities also mean that your games will look better too. Darks will be much darker thanks to the higher contrast ratio. Although it doesn’t support 4K native gaming yet, it is capable of 4K upscaling, so even games should look better on a 4K TV.
In terms of other features, it’s a case of one lost, one gained. The Xbox One S doesn’t have a dedicated Kinect port, confirming that Microsoft isn’t as concerned about its motion-tracking technology as it once was. However, you will still be able to connect a Kinect using a USB adapter, plugged into the USB port on the console.
As for the one gained, the One S has an IR blaster built-in, so that you can switch on your TV, audio receiver or satellite receiver without needing to go hunting for all of your remotes.
The USB port is now on the front of the console too, rather than the side. As is the pairing button to connect to wireless controllers. And the on/off switch is physical on the Xbox One S rather than the touch panel found on the original Xbox One.
Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Pricing and availability
The 2TB launch edition of the Xbox One S is available to pre-order now for £349, but there will be both 500GB and 1TB versions of the console in the future, priced at £249 and £299 respectively. In comparison, you can pick up the current Xbox One in various bundles and deals starting from around £230.
If you are in a mad dash for an Xbox One because a game has just been released and you can’t wait a few months, you can probably find a bargain out there for the original model. But it could be worth holding off, especially if you have a 4K TV.
The 2TB model will be available from August, with the others following soon after.
Conclusion
If you’re already in the market for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, then it’s hard to see a reason not to buy an Xbox One S. Even if you already have an Xbox, it could be the sole reason to encourage you to upgrade.
HDR gaming might also be something you’d like to have for your brand, spanking new 4K TV. And the entry level price of the S is reasonable to say the least.
However, if you’re happy to wait and want true 4K gaming, you may be best to hold off until next year. Project Scorpio is coming at the end of 2017 with 4K gaming and high quality VR. But it will no doubt be very pricey on launch, so that could be a factor too. At least Microsoft has promised that all games released for Xbox will be compatible across all of its machines, just with slight benefits for the consoles with more oomph.
Lego Dimensions (2016) preview: Harry Potter, Gremlins and more
Warner had already announced the upcoming wave of franchises for year two of Lego Dimensions ahead of E3, but going hands-on with the minifigures was where the real excitement started.
Having pulled out all the franchise-stops in its first year, with the likes of Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future and Doctor Who, the challenge for this year’s Lego Dimensions freresh was to find as rich a range of stories to bring in brick form in 2016.
In a nutshell, Warner has done it again. And in style.
Lego Dimensions: Wave 6 assembles and characters
At E3, we got to play with Wave 6 of the expansion packs, both on the screen and with physical Lego. The new Ghostbusters movie, Adventure Time, Harry Potter and Mission Impossible all looked the part and expanded last year’s gameplay considerably.
The biggest change here is the new Story pack for Ghostbusters. The box includes a set of bricks to enable players to remake the Toy Pad in Ghostbuster form. It also includes minifigures of characters from the new film that unlock an adventure world, 6 new levels and the new battle arena mode.
Lego Dimensions: Battle arenas
This battle arena feature is an addition for any of the new minifigures (each denoted by an orange rather than blue base this year). It’s a four-player split-screen challenge that can be strung together to create multi-player tournaments.
Lego Dimensions: Game director speaks
It’s a nice touch. Not only because it offers a new mode of play but because it’s another way to continue using your existing collection of minifigs. And all this is available without the need for a new Starter Pack this year – unlike competitors in the toys-to-life genre.
We had a tour of the new levels with game director Arthur Parsons. He was keen to underline this fresh approach to compatibility. “It’s the second year of Dimensions, nothing is incompatible, everything works with everything.” This is a very nice touch as it offers good value and does away with questions over what works with what.
Talking about Wave 6 Parsons highlighted what will be coming in September: “Mission Impossible and Ethan’s minifigure is great with voice work from the movies. We’ve also got Adventure Time which is such a popular show. We’ve got Harry Potter, Ghostbusters and the A-Team,” he continued.
“Then on into November we have Fantastic Beasts. Then onto Sonic and Goonies.”
It’s an impressive line-up but it is important that pricing is appropriate. The new big Story expansions have yet to get an official price but will likely be quite a bit more than even the £25 Level packs from last year.
Lego Dimensions: Hire a hero returns
Helping negate some costs is the return of the hire a hero feature which Parsons confirmed would be in Year 2 of Lego Dimensions. This enables players to try out characters before actually buying them. That way, they can decide which offers best value for what they want to do in the game.
Parsons confirmed that there are still no plans to offer upgrade trees for the Lego minifigure characters like players are used to in Skylanders, although again you can do this with the vehicles and gadgets that can be rebuilt in different ways.
Lego Dimensions: Updated packaging
Also on display at E3 was the retail packaging for Lego Dimensions. This is similar to last year’s although offered some expanded information about which Battle Arenas each pack would unlock when placed on the Toy Pad.
Lego Dimensions: Retail packaging
With the demise of Disney Infinity and the rise of various start-up competitors, like Anki Overdrive and Infinite Arms, the toys-to-life space is on the move. Lego Dimensions and Skylanders are still the two big incumbent games and neither are resting on their laurels. At least, that’s our take after E3 2016 closed its doors.
Lego Dimensions will be hard to beat. It has such a wide ranging and well known line-up of TV and film stars at its behest. Who could resist Knight Rider, Gremlins and the A-Team?
Not us, that’s for sure.
