Cloud.tv Takes the Next Step in Customer Service with Dayframe Issue
Yesterday was a flurry of excitement for many people. Cloud.tv made a substantial update to Dayframe that added in some features, fixed some issues and offered up Chromecast support. Shortly after releaseing the news though, cloud.tv was forced to make an update that removed Chromecast support at Googles request. Not because they violated anything, but because their app was based off the developer preview SDK for Cast and not the official update release. The whole thing caused a lot of problems. Mainly because the SDK hasn’t been released because the roll out to Google Play Services hasn’t complete for every Android device yet. Of course all or reader already have it installed, well, you should at least.
Right after the everything went cray, cloud.tv contacted us to let us know their next move. Obviously they weren’t going to let those that bought the Prime feature be out the money if their primary reason of purchase was for Chromecast support. They Had us make an update and announcement on how to get ahold of them for a refund.
Today we hear from them again. With an even bigger step in the right direction to satisfy their customers over the whole mess. To make things right, they are offering anyone that bought the Prime feature yesterday a simple form to fill out so that they can give you Prime for free and issue a refund if you haven’t already gone that route.
Obviously this is above and beyond. A simple refund in this situation is more than enough for most since the Chromecast function was removed after an update that was pushed later in the afternoon. We knew Chromecast support would be coming back to Dayframe later and now we are hearing that it should be landing in an update later next week.
Fill out the form
Way to go cloud.tv. Personally, I think they handled the whole situation pretty spectacularly with all things considered.
Comcast is bringing its online Olympics coverage to Xfinity TV subscribers
By its nature, conventional TV offers limited coverage of large sports events like the Olympics — much to the chagrin of fans. Comcast’s Xfinity TV subscribers won’t have that problem with the Sochi Olympics, though. The cable giant is bringing its NBC Sports Live Extra app to X1 set-top box owners for the first time, giving them 1,000 hours of live Olympics video streams that would previously have required a desktop browser or a mobile app. Comcast is augmenting its regular coverage with recent technology as well. X1 users in some regions will get to watch primetime coverage through Xfinity On Demand as soon as the programming begins, and all Xfinity TV customers can use SeeIt to switch to an Olympics broadcast when it’s mentioned on Twitter. While we’d like to see the NBC app available through other TV providers, it’s still good news for athletics enthusiasts who insist on big-screen viewing.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: ABC News
Source: Comcast
Sky’s Now TV beta lets you stream shows on most Android devices
Android-toting Sky subscribers won’t have to worry about what hardware they use to catch up on their favorite shows. The British broadcaster has just launched a new Now TV beta that runs on most devices using Android 4.0 or higher, including tablets like the Nexus 7. It also introduces support for the £5 Entertainment Month Pass, which offers 10 live channels that include Comedy Central and Sky1. You can still use the earlier Now TV app if you’re running an older Android version, but don’t count on the software hanging around — Sky plans to phase it out later this year.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Source: Google Play, Now TV
TV stations try sharing their airwaves to make room for 4G traffic
TV stations selling spectrum in the FCC’s upcoming wireless auction may soon have a viable alternative to moving or shutting down their channels. Two Los Angeles broadcasters, KJLA and KLCS, have agreed to participate in a CTIA-backed pilot project that will test whether or not they can share airspace without interference. If the trial is successful, stations will have much more incentive to give up their frequencies for the sake of phone carriers eager for 4G bandwidth — networks will get to both keep their channels as well as reduce their operating costs in the process. Cellular providers will have to wait patiently for results, though, as the trial will run through the first quarter of the year.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Via: Recode
Source: CTIA
GetGlue and i.TV combine to create tvtag for iPhone, focus on real-time updates about live TV
After powering second screen connected TV experiences for other companies including DirecTV and Nintendo’s TVii app, i.tv acquired TV check-in service GetGlue last year to pull those experiences together. Now, GetGlue is relaunching as tvtag, an advertising-supported one-stop information and social network centered around television watching, full of information from broadcast partners, augmented in real-time by a team of live curators and TV viewers. At launch, the reworked app is available only on the iPhone, but CEO Brad Pelo tells us a version for Android is due in a few days, with a web experience and iPad-ready version launching shortly after that. The i.TV app is sticking around for now, but will be updated in the future, while DirecTV and Nintendo are already lined up for integration with the new platform.
The check-in and sharing features — and built-in user base — from GetGlue remain, but it’s the curated info that the company expects will separate it from other services. The “taglines” are built by over 50 employees creating high level tags for live TV (covering the majority of what viewers are watching, on any channel), which users then fill in with additional captures, comments and reactions. It’s also why tvtag thinks users will choose to open this app over Twitter and Facebook while they’re watching TV, with the ability to search info from sources like IMDB and Google, or add to the tagline with their own notes and doodles. Those taglines are available for browsing later for DVR viewing, but this experience is about live TV. For events like last weekend’s Grammys or Pro Bowl, and the upcoming Super Bowl, it can push play-by-play updates, as well as constantly refreshed stats and field positions.
Other than the big social networks, competition to provide synced TV info on other screens like your phone, tablet or PC is fierce, with everyone from Google Now, Dijit’s recent acquisition Miso and Yahoo’s IntoNow offering similar features. IntoNow is one of the most similar, adding the ability to ID TV content via audio and a complete feed of images from live TV channels to the mix. tvtag is more than an app however, and since it can open up access as an SDK or API, we may see its features and content pop up in other apps and on other devices soon. Still, given the following GetGlue has been able to attract we expect to see plenty of tvtag shares popping up in our timelines — we’ll see if its exclusive information and tight TV-focused environment is enough to keep its audience coming back.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Nintendo
New Apple TV may include a revamped interface, more kinds of content
The current Apple TV is long in the tooth, to put it mildly — the basic design emerged in 2010, and the 2012 refresh was really about keeping up with the Joneses. However, 9to5 Mac claims that there’s a substantial update in the pipeline this year. Apple is reportedly “well into testing” a fourth-generation media hub that would include both a reworked (if still iOS-based) interface and new forms of content. Just what that content would be isn’t certain. iLounge hears that an Apple TV software revision may bring games and Bluetooth controller support, but it’s not clear if this would also entail a full-fledged app platform. If any of the rumors are accurate, we may not have to wait very long for the improved living room experience. The 9to5 tipsters believe that the new Apple TV will likely ship in the first half of the year, and iLounge anticipates new software by March.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Verizon finally takes control of Intel’s doomed internet TV service
Intel’s whirlwind fling with IPTV has come to an end, as all its assets from the ill-fated OnCue project have been sold to Verizon. Started less than a year ago to create a product with “beautiful industrial design” that could stream movies, TV shows and other media, it quickly fell out of favor with Intel brass. Following rumors it would be killed, a possible Verizon deal was reported, which has now been finalized for undisclosed terms. Verizon will get all related intellectual property and said that all 350 Intel employees working on the project will be retained. It added that it already has extensive content and customer relationships for video delivery — a reported stumbling block for Intel — and will use the tech “to better serve audiences on a wide variety of devices.” We’re not sure if that’ll include any tie-ins to Big Red’s Redbox Instant streaming service, which hasn’t exactly made the likes of Hulu or Netflix nervous (yet).
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Verizon, Intel
Via: The Verge
Source: Intel
Nickelodeon’s new interactive kids channel will bring streaming features to live TV
As parents have rapidly discovered, kids don’t really mind the drawbacks of Amazon or Netflix streaming (limited, older versions of the same content library) and just want to watch their favorite show, often repeatedly. That’s where the internet services are beating traditional TV channels, and Nickelodeon has been preparing an answer. As confirmed to the Wall Street Journal and Fierce Cable, its new “My Nick Jr.” channel will appear in the guide like any other but provides a custom lineup of shows based on preselected preferences, and even cuts out the ads. Other features will let parents monitor what their kids watch and set time limits, while the kids can rate shows with a smile or frown.
There’s no word on the technology behind My Nick Jr., but it’s coming to Verizon’s FiOS TV service first in the US, and eventually mobile devices too. Viacom already tested out the service on France’s CanalSat, and hints that the personalized channel concept could spread to its other networks like MTV. A major issue holding it back however, is the presence of millions of older cable boxes that won’t be able to handle the new setup. So far, massive conglomerates like Viacom and the existing US TV carriers have shown little interest in chopping up their bundles or offering video on-demand style access as an alternative. Besides an abundance of network-specific mobile apps this channel is one of the first steps towards that line, we’ll see if increasing competition and original streaming content pushes things further.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Verizon
Source: Fierce Cable, Wall Street Journal
Sky’s AdSmart brings targeted advertising to your TV
As it turns out, Sky isn’t prepared to sit and watch while its business get trashed by Google and chums. To get in on the targeted advertising game, the broadcaster is launching a new platform on its UK set-top boxes, called AdSmart. The system works by sending a library of clips direct to your Sky+HD box, which will run during ad breaks in live broadcasts in place of the standard national ads transmitted to everyone else. So, while the rest of the country is being sold nappies, you could be watching a pre-downloaded ad for a new phone, for instance. The targeting might not be totally precise, however, because we’re told that the only information Sky has access to is your post code and your Experian-supplied credit report, but hey — perhaps you’ll be clued-in when your local restaurant begins offering a new menu.
[Image Credit: dagoaty, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Sky Corporate
Source: Sky AdSmart
Michael Bay’s ‘Black Sails’ hits iTunes, Amazon and YouTube a week before TV premiere
It’s no longer strange to see a TV series premiere online before it reaches traditional broadcasters, but Starz is planning a truly special internet debut for its latest project, Black Sails. The first episode of the Michael Bay-produced pirate drama will be available for free through a wide range of online portals on January 18th, a week before it reaches conventional TV. Starz will both host the free show itself as well as offer it through Amazon, iTunes, Machinima’s YouTube channel (a first for Starz) and Xbox Video. Charter, Comcast, Cox, Dish and Time Warner Cable will let you watch through their platforms, too. There’s no guarantee that the digital screening will help Black Sails build an audience, but Starz has a second season in the pipeline — the show is already off to a promising start.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon
Via: The Verge
Source: Variety
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