EU wants to know if US studios’ TV deals restrict pan-European viewing
Many European TV aficionados are all too familiar with US content exclusives; you can’t watch that hit American movie unless you’re with the right provider. However, the European Commission is concerned that these deals go one step too far. It’s now investigating whether or not some exclusives violate antitrust rules by preventing access beyond a single EU country, effectively carving up the continent’s TV market along national borders. Would-be viewers beyond a carrier’s home market shouldn’t have to suffer, the EU argues. There’s no deadline for the investigation, and there are no guarantees that it will lead to action against broadcasters. However, the move is still good news for Europeans who want more choice as to how (and when) they watch US shows.
[Image credit: European Union – European Parliament, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: European Union
Android TV at CES 2014 highlighted by Chinese manufacturers Hisense and TCL
The project formerly known as Google TV has a limited presence on the CES show floor in 2014. While a number of companies are still working up Android-powered boxes and dongles, the largest TV manufacturers we saw on the floor promoting it were Hisense and TCL. Both are showing off skinned versions of Android TV with Google Play, which look different, but offer similar features like gesture and voice control. Hisense was also showing a new version of its Pulse add-on box, which sports some very Chromecast-like video sharing features. Announced in December, Pulse Pro will ship later this year with Android 4.2.2 and brings a new remote with an integrated microphone for voice control. Hisense’s Android TVs include its Ultra HD H9 and H8 line
While other manufacturers focus on their homegrown smart TV platforms, it appears Google is doing battle by opening up the services and apps it developed for Google TV to the companies interested in using Android. We’ll see if this looser approach helps its reach any, or if Google has any major surprises up its sleeve in 2014, like that Nexus TV box that has been rumored.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Hisense
Samsung: cheap OLED TVs won’t be ready for three to four years
We hope you weren’t counting on OLED TV prices coming down any time soon. Samsung’s HS Kim warns USA Today that affordable OLED sets likely won’t be available for another three to four years — a year or two later than he first expected. Manufacturing troubles are keeping prices high, he says. If it’s any consolation, though, Kim believes that 4K TV will reach the mainstream faster than 1080p. A number of broadcasters plan to jump to the higher resolution this year, and Samsung has a slew of content deals that could encourage some early Ultra HD upgrades.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Via: OLED-Display.net
Source: USA Today
BBC rolls out enhanced ‘Red Button’ features to major Smart TVs
The BBC’s Connected Red Button service promised a new level of interactivity when it launched in the UK a year ago, including news and weather overlays, recommended viewing (curated by actual, real-life humans) and alternative streams during live sports events. The downside was that it was originally only available to Virgin TiVo customers, but the Corporation promised to extend it to more platforms and, finally, this seems to be happening. As of today, owners of Samsung and Sony smart TVs should both have access to a beta version of the service when they press the red button on their remotes (although a few Sony-heads may have already noticed this going live just before Christmas), while LG smart TVs are on track to gain access early this year. A long list of compatible devices can be found at the source link below, but there’s still no sign of any standalone Freesat, Freeview or YouView set-top boxes, which were supposed to get improved Red Button access in 2013.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Connected Red Button TV models
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Mike Dunn
CES is always a big show for TV manufacturers, but what about the video that we’ll actually be playing on those sets? Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn will join us to discuss his company’s vision.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Tablo streaming DVR now available for pre-order, ships in February for $219
Nuvyyo promised that its internet-savvy Tablo DVR would arrive early in the new year, and it’s making good on its word by launching pre-orders. You can now buy two- and four-tuner versions of the streaming video hub at respective prices of $219 and $250, with both models due to ship in February. Either set-top box will let you record over-the-air TV to your choice of USB storage without having to pay extra fees, although dedicated viewers will want to shell out for a programming guide subscription at $5 per month, $50 per year or $150 for life. Tablo may not be the cheapest way to wean yourself off of cable or satellite, then, but it’s potentially a big bargain if you don’t want to give up timely access to TV shows just because you’ve cut the cord.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Tablo
Netgear’s NeoMediacast is an Android-powered TV set-top on a stick
Most of the equipment we get from our telecom providers is nothing to get excited about, but we might make an exception for Netgear’s NeoMediacast. The Android-based HDMI dongle lets providers both offer their own services and support third-party apps without having to build their own set-top boxes or go the traditional TV route. Your cable company could let you stream your favorite shows on a bedroom TV, for instance, while making it easy to check social networks or play your local media library. The NeoMediacast is also relatively futureproof with 802.11ac WiFi, Miracast media sharing and support for both microSD and USB storage. Carriers and service operators can start using Netgear’s device in the first half of this year, although they’ll likely need to customize its software before it reaches your home.
Filed under: HD
Source: Netgear (1), (2)
Toshiba cares not for 4K, has an ultra-wide 5K TV ready for CES
4K? Pah, Toshiba’s already working on something, you know, one better. One of our eagle-eyed readers sent in this picture of a “5K” extra-wide UHD TV on the show floor. Of course, like LG’s 5K model, this is really just a 4K TV with a thousand extra pixels tacked on at the edges, but the plain technical facts shouldn’t detract from this spectacular work of corporate one-upmanship. Naturally, we’ll probably find out more about this hardware in a day or so, but until then, we’ll just have to gaze upon this slightly blurry shot and wonder.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Samsung’s Ultra HD TVs will stream 4K video from Amazon, Comcast, DirecTV, Netflix and more
Samsung’s Ultra HD TVs won’t sell themselves — they need the content to justify all those extra pixels. To that end, the Korean tech giant has just announced partnerships with companies that will deliver 4K to the masses. Amazon, Comcast/Xfinity, DirecTV, M-Go and Netflix are all working with Samsung to stream the higher-resolution video format through their native Smart Hub apps. You won’t necessarily have to subscribe to a service to get extra-sharp media, though. Samsung is going to sell a UHD Video Pack that stuffs a hard drive full of 4K documentaries and movies, and it will offer downloads of additional shows throughout the year (for a total of 50), similar to the service Sony launched last year. Ultra HD content still won’t be ubiquitous in the wake of the deals, but they might give you a good excuse to buy your dream TV a little early.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung, Amazon
Panasonic ups its smart TV game with the VIERA Life+ Screen, complete with voice and facial recognition
Panasonic’s taken to the stage at CES and has just revealed the VIERA Life+ Screen in an effort to “redefine what a 21st Century TV should be.” Televisions under this banner are kitted out with Xbox One-like facial recognition that will display information relevant to users on an “Info Bar” relegated to the lower part of the screen. Voice recognition has also been baked into the set along with a feature called “myStream” that helps you keep favorite channels organized. And of course, it wouldn’t be 2014 without social integration, particularly content sharing and Facebook notifications. When it comes to picture quality, the line of sets shown off today boasts a 4K LED display (which is said to look just as good as the company’s old plasma tech) and will come in 58 to 65 inches when it arrives this year, with an 85-inch — the firm’s first LED TV of that size — joining it later in 2014. Even if you aren’t in the market for a UHD TV, every one of the outfit’s 4K and 1080p sets fresh out this year will have the VIERA Life+ Screen moniker attached.
Filed under: HD
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