CBS News is coming to Apple TV as a free app
If you’re a cord cutter who owns an Apple TV and is on the hunt for live news coverage, then you’re in luck. CBS News has launched an app for the streaming device that will provide 24-hour news programming. It also curates video playlists and news stories for users based on previously watched videos.
The app won’t require any sort of authentication, allowing anyone — with or without a cable subscription — to watch CBSN. It takes advantage of the 4th generation Apple TV’s Siri integration, letting viewers launch the live stream by telling Apple’s personal assistant they want to “Watch CBS News.” While the stream is playing on the top left-hand corner of your screen, users can also browse and bookmark related videos.
CBS launched its digital streaming channel back in 2014 and is only now releasing it on Apple TV. But the app has long been available on most mobile devices and connected TV platforms, such as Roku and iOS.
CBS is launching the news-focused channel just in time for its coverage of the Republican and Democratic conventions, which kicks off on July 18th and ends on the 25th.
Source: CBS
Create Netflix movie and TV show ‘mixtapes’ with Flixtape
If you’re looking for a weekend activity, Netflix has another option to guide your streaming habit. The company has a new Flixtape generator that takes a subject or phrase that you enter and compiles a mixtape-like playlist of three titles. You’re free to add more to keep the marathon going as well as re-order or nix the streaming service’s recommendations entirely for your own picks. Though the mixtape sentiment is there on the surface, when a TV show is selected, Flixtape lists the series as a whole, rather than specific episodes. It would be kind of like adding an entire album to the collection.
That being said, the tool is still handy for getting some suggestions. The list you see above was what I got when I asked for a baseball Flixtape. Not too shabby. A colleague typed in “I give up on life” and the results included ABC’s Scandal and the Netflix original Making A Murderer. Once you have the movies and shows selected and in the proper viewing order, you select an image from one of them to be the Flixtape cover, because the artwork is mandatory for this process. If you don’t want to make your own list, the service already has a few to choose from ranging from The Summertimes Flixtape to The Besties or Frenemies Flixtape. As always, once you have the final list, you’re free to share it on all those social channels for all the internet to see.
Source: Netflix
Samsung’s Serif TV is designed to blend in with your furniture
Other than size difference, most televisions on the market today look practically the same. With Serif TV, a sleek set that’s designed to blend in with your furniture at home or office, Samsung wanted to take a different approach. Earlier this month, the company announced that Serif TV would be coming to the US in August, after making its debut in Europe last year. We had the chance to see it ourselves at a launch event in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, and walked away rather impressed.
The first thing that stands out from Serif TV is how it doesn’t look like any of the latest televisions. Rather than sporting a thin bezel, the Serif TV features a thick plastic frame that drew inspiration from the typography in the serif fonts. More specifically, a capital letter “I.” Serif TV was designed by the Bouroullec brothers, a pair of French designers who are known for their high-end furniture creations.
Naturally, the user interface had to be different than the one on Samsung’s other smart TVs. While it’s still based on Tizen OS, meaning it can run applications such as Netflix, the UI is much simpler here. As you turn the Serif TV on, you’re greeted with these options: TV, apps, speaker, photos and clock. Everything looks extremely sharp, thanks to the screen’s 4K resolution. Samsung says it is the best picture quality it’s ever put in a 40-inch TV.
What’s more, the TV has a removable back that’s made out of fabric, which is intended to keep the cables coming out of it relatively hidden. Speaking of, the Serif TV comes with three HDMI inputs and two USBs. For the US version of the TV, Samsung went with a 40-inch model, though we’re told the company could introduce larger models in the future, depending on how this one plays out. In Europe, for instance, Samsung also offers 24- and 30-inch variants.
It’ll be interesting to see people’s response to Serif TV in the US, but chances are it will definitely appeal to some. The Serif TV will be available next month for $1,499, with pre-orders for the white version now open on Samsung’s online store. Meanwhile, the blue one is being sold exclusively thorough the Museum of Modern Art.
Starz brings its streaming video service to Roku players
Starz has made its cord cutter-friendly streaming service available on just about every major device imaginable, but what if you have a Roku player? Don’t worry, you’re covered. Roku devices in the US now have a Starz channel that offers all the access you’d expect to the service’s mix of original programming (such as Outlander or Power) and movies like Inside Out. As usual, what you pay depends on how attached you are to traditional TV — it’s “free” if you already subscribe to to a participating TV provider, or $9 per month if you prefer to watch online.
Source: Roku Stream Blog
‘Battlefield’ could soon be coming to a television near you
The popular Battlefield video game series from Electronic Arts and DICE is currently being optioned as a television series by Paramount and Anonymous Content.
This doesn’t mean there’s absolutely, definitely going to be a show based on the popular shooter, but there’s a strong possibility, and Paramount TV president Amy Powell has nothing but good things to say about the franchise and its “incredibly dynamic narrative” and “loyal fan base.”
The minds behind shows like Mr. Robot and True Detective, Anonymous Content has some talented folks working on the project. Michael Sugar, who previously won an Academy Award for Spotlight, and Ashley Zalt of Anonymous Content, have been chosen to act as executive producers if things indeed move forward.
It’s unclear at this time what iteration of Battlefield is being optioned, or if it’s even a direct adaptation of one of the games. The most current addition to the franchise is Battlefield 1, which is scheduled for an October release this year. It’s the series’ first excursion to World War I, and it could make for the beginning of an excellent television series.
Via: The Verge
Source: DICE
Netflix will stream CW shows a week after their season finale
Last month, rumors began circulating that those CW shows that were streaming on Hulu would make it to Netflix a lot faster. Well, those reports were accurate as the streaming service and the CBS and Warner Brothers network made the deal official today. Starting with the upcoming 2016-2017 broadcast season, the decidedly comic-heavy slate of Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and more will debut on Netflix as complete seasons eight days after the show’s finale airs. And yes, the just-aired seasons that wrapped up recently will be available as well.
Hulu only offers the five most recent episodes of current CW seasons anyway, so if you’re not able to watch live or at least follow along, you’ll only have to wait a week to binge on entire seasons. The deal also includes new shows that are set to debut on the CW this year: Frequency, No Tomorrow and Riverdale. Previous seasons of the CW’s shows were already available on Netflix, but like series from other networks/studios, they typically took months to arrive on the streaming service. At least now you won’t have to wait nearly as long to find out what Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have been up to recently.
Source: Netflix (PR Newswire)
Comcast will put Netflix on its cable set-top boxes
Comcast and Netflix have usually been bitter enemies, to put it mildly, but it looks like they can find some common ground. The two have announced a deal that will put Netflix on Comcast’s X1 set-top boxes sometime later in 2016. The terms of the pact aren’t public, but Recode tipsters understand that it’ll be similar to the arrangements Netflix has been making with other cable providers for years. You’ll hear more closer to launch, the companies say.
However the partnership shakes out, there are strong incentives on both sides to make it work. Netflix would undoubtedly appreciate the extra business from customers who don’t already have access through their smart TVs or media hubs. For Comcast, however, the deal may be more cynical. The cable giant is under pressure for strategies that are allegedly anti-competitive, such as strong-arming Netflix into a network peering deal and exempting its own streaming service from data caps. Including Netflix on the X1 would throw a bone to regulators looking for evidence that Comcast is stifling Netflix and any other service that poses a threat to its cable TV business. Also, it’s a simple admission of reality — while Comcast doesn’t like that Netflix lures some customers away, it can’t pretend that the hugely popular internet video provider will disappear.
Source: Recode
Samsung’s designer Serif TV reaches the US for $1,499
How much do you value design over sheer value for money? You’re about to find out. Samsung’s Serif TV is now available for US pre-orders through the Museum of Modern Art at a price of $1,499 — given that this is only a 40-inch set, you’re clearly paying for the typography-inspired body more than you are the electronics. Not that you aren’t getting some decent hardware. The Serif packs a 4K display with high dynamic range color support, and you’re getting perks that include an exclusive remote control, detachable legs and a custom interface with a simple “curtain mode” menu. If you’re at all interested in this conversation piece, the biggest obstacle may simply be having to wait until it ships in August.
Via: The Verge
Source: MoMA
Amazon adds PBS Kids shows to its children’s lineup
Amazon is always looking to pad its streaming library, and that includes new shows for younger viewers. The company announced today that it’s now the “exclusive subscription streaming home” for a number of PBS Kids series. Shows like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, Dinosaur Train and more are available to Prime members at no extra charge.
While some of those titles were already on Prime, they’re now exclusive to the service as some were also available on Netflix and other streaming options in the past. What’s more, Nature Cat and Ready Jet Go! are now on Prime for the first time. And now that the video service is available as a standalone subscription, parents can opt in during summer break.
Source: Amazon (Business Wire)
The Mill’s shapeshifting Blackbird can mimic any car
Securing exotic, high-performance vehicles for a video shoot can be an expensive and arduous ordeal. Between dealing with availability of the vehicle, location, and filming, setting up the perfect shot for movies or commercials is extremely difficult. With the Blackbird, The Mill has made it possible to shoot automotive content without needing a specific vehicle.
The Blackbird is the world’s first fully adjustable car rig that cannot only alter its chassis to match the precise length and width of almost any car, but its looks as well. Using CGI, the car rig can be re-skinned to look like any car, and its electric motor can be programmed to emulate the driving characteristics of the subject car, too. Automotive content producers no longer need the physical vehicle for a shoot as the Blackbird is a do-it-all-rig.
In addition to being able to drive and look like any car, the Blackbird can help users build a virtual version of its environment by using a combination of 3D laser scanning and high-dynamic range imagery. For those that aren’t as imaginative, The Mill has created a unique AR application that allows individuals to see the intended CGI vehicle on top of the rig.
As its name implies, the Blackbird was hand built in the same hanger as the Blackbird SR-71 supersonic jet by technicians from JemFX and took two years to complete.
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Source: The Mill, YouTube
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