Verizon’s new FiOS deal will let you watch Comedy Central away from home

Verizon is about to make it much easier to catch The Daily Show when you can’t reach your TV on time. As part of a renewed carriage deal, Big Red will let you watch all of Viacom’s live channels (including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon) through the FiOS Mobile app when you’re away from home. You’ll also have access to all of Viacom’s authenticated TV Everywhere services, so you’ll get to stream on-demand shows through a wide array of apps and devices. There’s more on the way, too. Verizon says the renewal will let it offer a mysterious bundle of “marquee content” nationwide to its wireless customers — even if they don’t have FiOS — and it expects to roll out “innovative new TV packages” that better match viewers’ tastes. We doubt the channel bundle will disappear entirely any time soon but we’d welcome more choices and, hopefully, lower prices.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Verizon

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Source: Verizon

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Matchstick’s Firefox OS adapter sends media to your TV for $25

Looking for a streaming media stick that’s more accessible than Google’s Chromecast? You might have found it. After a few teasers, Matchstick has revealed the first Firefox OS-based media sharing adapter. The self-titled gadget lets you “fling” video, websites and other content from Firefox (naturally), Chrome and supporting apps to your TV. While the hardware should be a bit more powerful than Chromecast, the real allure is a completely open platform — you can tinker with the software and even build your own hardware if you’re the entreprenurial sort. A low price will help, too. Matchstick hopes to sell its stick for $25 this February, and that’s assuming you don’t back the upcoming Kickstarter project — get in early and it will cost $18. Even if Matchstick doesn’t get as much app support as Google’s device, it may be worth a look.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD

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Via: CNET

Source: Kickstarter, Matchstick

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Cable, the FCC and streaming killed Saturday morning cartoons

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one of your fondest childhood traditions has kicked the bucket: Saturday morning cartoons are no more. The CW has aired its last batch of Vortexx programming, leaving American kids without any animated broadcast TV to start their weekends for the first time in decades. From here on out, young ones glued to the tube will mostly be watching educational shows.

As for why this longstanding television staple has vanished? It’s a combination of regulation and technological progress. A 1996 FCC rule required that stations offer at least three hours of educational programming every week; to avoid interrupting affiliate programming, the networks scheduled most of that content on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, kids’ viewing options have increased dramatically. On top of dedicated cable and satellite channels like the Cartoon Network, they can now watch plenty of animation on Hulu, Netflix and other streaming services. In that sense, today’s children aren’t missing out — if anything, they’re making your inner 8-year-old a little jealous.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Via: Slashfilm

Source: Reddit

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NFL’s archaic blackout rules face government challenge

For decades, the NFL blackout rules have been in place to encourage fans to attend games rather than watch from the comforts of home. According to Recode though, that could change this week. The FCC will reportedly axe the long-standing policy that keeps pay-TV outfits like cable and satellite companies from broadcasting local events that don’t sell out. As the report points out, NFL fans are usually the most vocal about blackouts due to weekly showings on over-the-air networks (CBS, FOX, and NBC) and the 72-hour window required for a sellout ahead of kickoff. However, even after the rules are nixed, local stations will still be unable to show games that don’t fill all of the seats. While the NFL’s policies are tied to attendance, other leagues like MLB and NHL have rules in place to protect contracts with broadcasters. As you may recall, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has already spoken out about the NFL blackouts, saying that the league “not longer needs the government’s help to remain viable.”

[Photo credit: Rob Foldy/Getty Images]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Recode

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Tesco is closing its Clubcard TV streaming service

When Tesco launched Clubcard TV early last year, everything we saw suggested that the ad-supported streaming service would be nothing more than an experiment. That hunch has proved accurate, because the company has said it will shutter the free service on October 28th. According to a Clubcard TV support page, Tesco didn’t get “the level of repeat usage [it] had hoped for,” so it’ll close the service in order to concentrate on its more established resource, Blinkbox. The supermarket giant will still offer Clubcard points alongside Blinkbox movie purchases, though, which will suit those who intend to watch films on the new (and supposedly bigger) Hudl 2 when it’s unveiled later this week.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Clubcard TV Support

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Science shows why real space battles would be more Asteroids than Star Wars

You’re probably aware that most sci-fi space battles aren’t realistic. The original Star Wars‘ Death Star scene was based on a World War II movie, for example. But have you wondered what it would really be like to duke it out in the void? PBS is more than happy to explain in its latest It’s Okay To Be Smart video. As you’ll see below, Newtonian physics would dictate battles that are more like Asteroids than the latest summer blockbuster. You’d need to thrust every time you wanted to change direction, and projectiles would trump lasers (which can’t focus at long distances); you wouldn’t hear any sound, either.

For that matter, even close-up combat might not happen. Given the sheer distances and the limits of the speed of light, it might look more like classic naval warfare, which was defined by limited ship-to-ship communication and long-range shots based on estimates. It wouldn’t make for riveting entertainment, then, but that’s fine — despite the name, sci-fi is more about telling a good story than maintaining absolute realism.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Science, HD

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Via: Geeks Are Sexy, Neatorama, Gizmodo

Source: It’s Okay To Be Smart (YouTube)

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FAA gives Hollywood yellow light for drone operation

Six drone operators for movies and TV won’t have to do things on the down low anymore, now that the FAA has granted them special permission to legally film aerial shots. While the agency still hasn’t come up with a set of official rules for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it has deemed the companies’ drones safe enough (read: not a threat to national security). In return, though, these operators (listed after the break) must keep the drones within line of sight at all times and far from areas that threaten people’s privacy. Also, they must inspect their drones before each flight, and they’re prohibited from flying them at night. Still not a bad deal, considering most other industries are still waiting for the FAA’s blessing, though it’s unclear how they’ll be affected by the agency’s next traffic control system that’s not exactly fit for drones.

The six lucky operators are:

• Astraeus Aerial
• Aerial MOB, LLC
• HeliVideo Productions, LLC
• Pictorvision Inc
• RC Pro Productions Consulting, LLC dba Vortex Aerial
• Snaproll Media, LLC

Flying-Cam, whose drone is pictured above and who did the aerial shots for Skyfall, almost became seventh in the list. Unfortunately, the FAA wants more information from the company before it gets the coveted stamp of approval.[Image credit: Flying-Cam]

Filed under: Misc

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Via: The Verge

Source: FAA

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