Items tagged with Streaming
Netflix fans have a love-hate relationship with the streaming giant at times. It certainly has some fantastic original movies and series, but it also has some junk filling up the bulk of its catalog. Netflix had a gigantic budget for 2018 of $8 billion and to cover the cost of all the original programming it makes, and cover debt, Netflix is raising prices for all of its 58 million U.S. subscribers. The price increase is the biggest increase since Netflix launched its streaming service over a decade ago. The most significant price hike will come to subscribers on its most popular plan that allows...
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Streaming gaming services will soon be on the market in force giving gamers plenty of options to choose from. This week we talked about a rumor that Amazon was developing a game streaming service to rival services in the works from Microsoft and Google. A new rumor floating around suggests that wireless carrier Verizon is working on its own Verizon Gaming streaming service. Reports indicate that the Verizon Gaming service is currently in alpha testing on the NVIDIA SHIELD TV set-top box. The Verge claims to have seen documentation that states the streaming gaming service will eventually make its...
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An increasing number of companies are trying their hand at game streaming services, which remains a niche sector but could one day be huge. Sometime soon, we may be able to count Amazon among them. That's because the world's largest online retailer is reportedly developing a game streaming service to rival those that are offered by Sony (PlayStation Now), NVIDIA (GeForce Now), and others. In a sense, Amazon is already in the game streaming space. The company acquired Twitch in 2014 for $970 million and has since incorporated it into its Prime member subscription. Amazon Prime subscribers who own...
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The streaming market is booming, and everyone and their dog wants in on the action. Apple has of course been involved in streaming for a while, thanks both to its iTunes store and also its standalone Apple TV device. But as rumor has it, the company is going to begin taking things much more seriously over the next year. It's not difficult to find a streaming device that does the job you need it to for a reasonable price. Google has Chromecast, and then there's of course Amazon's Fire TV and also Roku. The problem for Apple with those devices is that they're inexpensive, and with a starting price...
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In an effort to expand its footprint in emerging markets, Netflix is rolling out a $3 monthly subscription plan that is for mobile devices only. This may or may not be a permanent thing—as of right now, the ultra-cheap mobile plan is part of a wider test as Netflix looks to gain ground in the streaming space with cheaper packages. The $3 per month plan shouldn't come as a surprise, not after Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently indicated plans to test cheaper packages. Netflix is testing a mobile-only subscription for around $3 per month in a handful of countries worldwide, including Malaysia...
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The cable/satellite industry is finally having to face the music: customers are getting tired of rising TV service prices and are looking for alternative solutions. According to a recent report, Americans are fleeing cable and satellite TV packages at an increasing rate as they flock to OTA local channel broadcasts paired with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Comcast is keenly aware of this new dynamic; the company lost 106,000 cable subscribers during its most recent quarter. To help keep customers in the fold, however, CNBC is reporting that the cable giant is working...
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Cable and satellite TV providers are losing customers, and it's not because any of the services are lacking in content. That is not the issue. Instead, an increasing number of customers are 'cutting the cord' and going with one or more streaming services. The primary reason for going that route is because streaming solutions are generally cheaper. This has been a threat to cable and satellite TV providers for a long time now. However, as services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and others add more content and options, the threat of losing customers to the cord-cutting movement gets bigger....
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China is a huge market for gaming, and likewise, Twitch is the largest streaming platform in the world. Unfortunately for Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, it will have to forge ahead without a presence in China, at least for now. China decided to block Twitch not longer after the streaming service experienced a surge in downloads in the area. Twitch is gone from Apple's App Store in China after recently rising to near the top of the chart, landing at No. 3 among free app downloads. The rise in downloads is attributable to the Asian Games, and state broadcaster CCTV deciding to now to air the esports...
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The first new product from Elgato since it was announced that Corsair was acquiring part of the company has now landed. The Stream Deck Mini slots into the line of Elgato streaming and video production tools for gamers. Stream Deck Mini is a smaller, cheaper and less complex version of the the Elgato Stream Deck for gamers that don't need all the bells and whistles of the original. Stream Deck Mini has six fully customizable LCD keys that allow content creators to switch scenes, launch media, control chat, configure unlimited actions, and more. "When Stream Deck launched just over a year ago,...
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If you purchased a new television recently, there's a better-than-good chance that it is a 4K Ultra HD set, as those have become the norm, and not the exception. One way to take advantage of the added resolution (over Full HD) is through select content on Netflix. Depending on the luck of the draw, however, you might be charged an added fee to have access to 4K streams. But wait, isn't that already the case? It sure is, but Netflix is reportedly testing a new tier that is pricier than the current Premium tier. Here is how things currently stand: Click to Enlarge Netflix currently offers three tiers—Basic...
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Microsoft Research and its cloud engineers are busy building a cloud network that promises to deliver console-quality game streaming on any device, the company's Phil Spencer said on stage at E3. While details are light at the moment, Microsoft did say that the upcoming service is rooted in its artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. To what extent remains to be seen, as does everything else about the new service. Spencer did not elaborate on when the service might launch or what pricing will look like. Still, it's an interesting path that Microsoft is embarking on, and not exactly...
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Spotify is headed towards a pivotal moment with an initial public offering (IPO) looming next month. As the world's largest music streaming service, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the company's IPO. Leading up to the big day, Spotify made an interesting revelation, saying that around two million music listeners have managed to skip listening to ads without being a paid subscriber by using unauthorized third-party apps designed to block ads. These apps can essentially be seen as ad blockers for Spotify. It's unfortunate for Spotify, which offers two main tiers to choose from—a free music...
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Hey, good news everyone, Google is going to be serving up more ads through YouTube in between music videos! Isn't that awesome? Wait, you're not stoked? Well then, that is unfortunate, because apparently the video streaming site will forge ahead with showing a greater number of ads to some users. It's part of an effort to get more people to subscribe to YouTube's music service. Lyor Cohen, YouTube's head of music, told Bloomberg that the ad campaign will primarily target people who mostly use YouTube as a music service. These are people who passively listen to music on YouTube for long periods...
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At some point most gamers have probably heard someone (normally a parent) say that you can't make a living playing video games. That most certainly isn't true anymore. You can make an incredible amount of money playing games, but it's challenging work and there is intense competition in this sort of profession. Perhaps the biggest money-making streamer on the planet is a dude name Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and his game of choice is the incredibly popular Fortnite. Fortnite hasn't been without its controversies, most notably that it directly copied PUBG. Despite any ire between the two games, players...
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