Xbox One rumor claims DVR is coming to replace Media Center
Even as Microsoft buries Windows Media Center, there’s a rumor that it actually does have a plan for a replacement. According to Paul Thurrott’s sources, the Xbox One will gain the ability to record live TV “probably this year.” That’s the kind of feature Microsoft originally envisioned for its all-in-on game console, but so far does not offer. The live TV tuner that’s available in Europe and coming to North America offers some trick play pause/rewind support, but full DVR functionality would be a big shift. The PlayStation 4 has a DVR for subscribers of to the Vue TV service, but that’s relatively expensive and only available in a few areas so far. Proper DVR support combined with that antenna (and hopefully, cable TV access for the people who haven’t cut the cord yet), could provide a more flexible option. Of course, if anyone has the technology prepared to roll out it should be Microsoft, but we’ll have to wait and see when/if it comes to fruition.
[Image credit: Stephen Brashear/Invision/AP]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Thurrott.com
Comcast burned $336 million trying to buy Time Warner Cable
Comcast’s failed bid for Time Warner Cable didn’t just leave egg on the company’s face — it was also horrendously expensive. The cable giant’s latest earnings suggest that it chewed through a total of $336 million in “transaction-related costs” for the would-be merger, $99 million of which was spent in the last quarter alone. And, as Ars Technica notes, this only accounts for directly related costs like legal fees, hired contractors and immediately relevant lobbying efforts. Not that TWC emerged unscathed, either, as it paid $200 million.
That final $99 million expense comes at a bittersweet time for Comcast. It racked up over $2 billion in profit during its first calendar quarter this year, but it also revealed that its internet subscriptions have grown so quickly that it should have more customers on broadband than TV as of this quarter. The company chalks this up to internet access being a “less mature market” with more room to grow, but it has also lost TV viewers in the past several quarters. In other words, it’s having trouble convincing people that they need much more than a decent internet connection and a Netflix account.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking, Internet, HD
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Comcast
NYT: New Apple TV will get a new, bigger remote
Tired of losing your Apple TV’s slim remote in the couch cushions? The New York Times reports that an updated version of the device will finally get a redesigned remote. The new control is described as being thicker, while also adding a touchpad for scrolling around, adding up to a size that’s similar to the remote Amazon ships with its Echo wireless speaker. The Apple TV remote achieves the goal of stripping out everything it can for a minimalist design — that’s a launch unit from 2007 pictured above, you can take a peek at the current model after the break — but with the number of apps and options available, it could probably use another button or two. Rumors have indicated the new model will arrive during Apple’s WWDC event packing an app store and internet TV subscription packages, which probably also plays into any design changes.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: New York Times
Time Warner Cable’s Xbox One app now streams live TV
Time Warner Cable’s Xbox One app, TWC TV, just became much, much more useful. The company has added live streaming for up to 300 channels, so you don’t have to miss out on a show when you’re at a friend’s place or can’t hook up cable in your gaming den. There are still 8,000 free and subscription-based on-demand shows, too, so you’ll usually have something to watch. Grab the free app today if you’re hoping to get a little more mileage out of your TV package.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Time Warner Cable (BusinessWire)
YouTube’s making ‘TV’ series and movies with its most popular creators
For many people, Netflix, Amazon Prime and those pirates episodes of Game of Thrones have all but replaced TV. YouTube’s another big draw for “cord cutting millennials,” but since its videos are all user-submitted, it’s almost powerless to stop its stars being poached by TV networks and movie studios. For instance, Fred: The Movie was a flop, but YouTube must have been terrified to see one of its biggest stars wander off so easily. That’s why the site is now setting up TV-style production deals with some of its most popular creators, as well as entering movie production partnership with AwesomenessTV.
The idea is that YouTube will bankroll four original series that it’ll own outright — in a similar way to how Netflix wants to lessen its reliance on its production partners. There are two scripted comedy shows, one from The Fine Brothers, the other from Smosh as well as a prank show from Prank Vs. Prank. Rounding out the list is an oddly described “murder-mystery reality series,” which makes us hope beyond hope that it’s an ersatz remake of Unsolved Mysteries.
At the same time, YouTube is teaming up with Brian Robbins, head of terribly-named studio AwesomenessTV and the figure behind Fred: The Movie. The deal will see Robbins’ outfit create “several feature-length films” over the next two years, all starring YouTube stars and premiering on the Google-owned video site. Let’s just hope that they all build into a Marvel Cinematic Universe-type situation, where Mamrie Hart leads a team of YouTube stars to fight an alien invasion led by The Gabbie Show.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Google
Via: Deadline
Source: Google
Sainsbury’s oft-forgotten streaming service comes to Chromecast
Supermarkets can now insure your car, offer broadband and mobile services and, on the odd occasion, actually sell you food. In recent years, some of these grocers have expanded into streaming, launching online video, music and book services to supplement their DVD, CD and paperback sales. Not long after Tesco divested itself of all of its Blinkbox services in an attempt to battle back from its £6 billion yearly loss, grocery rival Sainsbury’s is doing more to remind people that it too is in the streaming game. Today, the company has announced that its movie and TV streaming apps have gained Chromecast support, finally bringing it in line with bigger rivals like Netflix and Now TV.
A quick look at the Sainsbury’s Entertainment apps shows that the supermarket added the feature to its Android app earlier this month, with its iOS app gaining Chromecast integration over this past weekend. Once set up, you’ll be able to buy or rent titles from its catalog and throw them over to your big screen with a touch of a button, allowing you to then use the app as a dedicated remote control. After adding a dedicated Roku channel late last year, Sainsbury’s is slowly adding devices to its list of supported hardware, maybe in the faint hope you’ll choose its marketplace over the more the established streaming services already competing for your money.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Sainsbury’s Entertainment (App Store), (Google Play)
Sky’s closing its dedicated 3D channel
Once touted as the next big thing in television and film, 3D has ultimately failed to find an audience. It’s been five long years since Sky first introduced 3D programming, starting with a Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea, but after it chose not to schedule any matches in 3D for this past season, its TV future was called into doubt. Following that pretty big warning sign, Sky’s latest move appears to have driven the final nail in its coffin: from June, the broadcaster’s dedicated 3D channel will close and move on-demand.
That means all of Sky’s dedicated 3D content will be shared across the Sky Box Sets, Sky Movies and Sky Store sections of the TV Guide, with each section gaining a new 3D segment. Around 60 shows and films will be available, including Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, as well as nature documentaries such as David Attenborough’s Flying Monsters. Good news if you’re still invested in 3D, but for the majority, Sky’s announcement will barely register on their TV radar.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: What HiFi
Source: Sky
NBC’s live sports streaming comes to Apple TV and Roku players
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: NBC Sports (1), (2), Roku Stream Blog
Aziz Ansari is getting his own Netflix comedy series
Netflix must have liked the response to Aziz Ansari’s latest stand-up special, as it’s about to give the comedian a lot more screen time. Deadline understands that the streaming service has ordered a 10-episode series co-created by Ansari and Parks and Recreation executive producer Andy Yang. It’s not clear what the plot of the show will be (there’s hints of a semi-autobiographic theme), but it’ll be co-produced by some of Ansari’s Parks and Recreation pals and include guests like Homeland‘s Claire Danes. One thing’s for sure: between this and revivals like Fuller House and Wet Hot American Summer, Netflix is betting heavily on funny fare to keep you as a subscriber.
[Image credit: Donald Traill/Invision/AP]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Deadline
Netflix wants to own its original shows
Despite all the “Netflix original” branding plastered over shows like House of Cards, it’s not technically Netflix’s content. That’s a big reason why you’ve had access to some of it through TV providers, and even Amazon. The streaming giant plans to change that shortly, though. Netflix’s Reed Hastings tells Bloomberg that his company will soon be “taking on ownership and production” for original programming. The move will expose Netflix to more risk if there’s a flop, but it’ll give the service much more control over where its content is available (hint: probably not at Amazon). And if Netflix does license anything, it’ll get a proper cut of the action.
The executive isn’t saying which productions will be completely in-house, although Bloomberg suggests that one might include Flaked, a Will Arnett comedy expected in 2016. Whatever happens, it’s clear that Hastings and crew want to compete more directly with the likes of HBO, which also owns the bulk of its shows. Netflix wants to have true exclusives and otherwise reduce its dependence on material that could vanish in a heartbeat.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Bloomberg
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