Items tagged with Streaming
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 on an aggregate video streaming platform that will run on a set-top box similar to its existing...
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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. The same holds true for broadband extending its reach into more areas, with faster speeds. What's...
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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 event. As a result, users in China flocked to Twitch to tune into the event. It's a weird situation,...
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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, it gave content creators access to a level of tactile control that was traditionally exclusive to...
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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 ($7.99/month), Standard ($10.99/month), and Premium ($13.99/month). The Basic plan...
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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 an easy one. Microsoft is not the first company to see the potential in rolling out a streaming...
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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 listening experience that is supported by advertising, and a subscription service that lets users...
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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 of time, as opposed to those who fire up the streaming service to watch other types of content. "You're...
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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 have been flocking to Fortnite, including Ninja. Ninja is the guy who streamed with rapper Drake...
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Gaming on-the-go for most people means an app on a tablet or smartphone, and there are of course the folks who will do their mobile gaming with a laptop. The catch is that gaming with high-end games requires some serious muscle of the sort that many laptops, tablets, and smartphones simply can’t muster. A new streaming gaming service is launching in California called Shadow, and it will come to more locations later (exactly when is unannounced at this time). Shadow is like a “powerful Windows 10 PC” that allows you to surf the web, play games, and use high-end software on tablets and smartphones. Shadow can also turn basic laptops into workstation/gaming class machines. The...
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It's not as hard as it once was to procure content that takes full advantage of the latest crop of beautiful 4K televisions (and monitors), but to some, 4K is just half of the equation. The other half, of course, is HDR (high-dynamic range). With HDR, colors gamut coverage is delivered over a much wider area (hence, "range"), and accurate. In effect, colors will pop and, to borrow an old cliche', make the picture "more lifelike" than ever before. Netflix has offered HDR on some platforms for a while now, but has just now rolled it out on the PC. If you've been on the hunt for 4K Netflix in the past on your PC, the solution for HDR content delivery is probably not going to come as a...
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There has been an explosion of set-top boxes, streaming sticks, and media casting dongles over the past few years. To keep up with the times (and an ever growing field of competitors), TiVo has gone and refreshed its product lineup with a couple new DVR products, the Bolt Vox and Mini Vox, and a new TiVo Vox Remote with baked-in voice search functionality for looking up live TV, DVR, video-on-demand, and online streaming programs. The TiVo Bolt Vox comes with the new remote control. It is the flagship DVR in TiVo's lineup and combines the company's most powerful DVR with the popular online streaming services. Both it and the TiVo Vox Mini are largely unchanged from their non-Vox predecessors,...
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Nintendo isn't the most tolerant of game companies when it comes to letting fans make derivative materials or post lots of videos of Nintendo games online. One prime example is when Nintendo killed off the browser-based Mario 64 remake back in 2015. More recently it forced the indie developer making Super Mario 64 an online multiplayer game to remove all his videos from YouTube. Nintendo has a Creators Program in place that allows people to make videos including Nintendo IP in them, but Nintendo gets paid all the advertising revenue for monetized videos. It then shares that video with the gamers using a 70% cut for channels and a 60% cut for individual videos. Nintendo has made a big change to...
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There may be a new 4K Apple TV launching tomorrow, but a carefully-timed leak from Amazon is looking to steal the show today. We don't know if this was planned "corporate leak" from Amazon itself, but there are two new Fire TV products that will be arriving shortly from Amazon. The first model features a dongle-style form-factor, which houses some potent hardware (at least for a media streamer). Its design makes it more similar in concept to the Google Chromecast than the Fire TV Stick, which has been the entry point to Amazon's streaming TV offerings. This particular model, which goes by the codename "AFTN", will be a mid-range device that will sit above the Fire TV stick in the lineup. We also...
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The big event of the weekend was certainly the boxing match last night between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC champ Conor McGregor. The fight was a spectacle during the promotion and many people shelled out $99.99 to watch the fight via pay-per-view (PPV). However, for some fans, the crushing demand for the fight streams led to trouble watching what they paid for. During the event both the UFC and Showtime PPV were having issues due to intense network load, leaving some who paid unable to watch the fight. As you can imagine. fans who had waited months to watch the fight, and coughed up their $100 weren't happy. The UFC tweeted that overwhelming traffic was making it hard for users to log into the...
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Fall is almost here, which means cooler weather (unless you live in Texas where fall weather is at least three months away) and sports to watch on TV. This is when many cord cutters start to get nervous. It's great to not have to pay that cable (or satellite) bill, but it's not so great to miss out on all the cool fall shows and football games. Hulu has your back though with the announcement of a new Live TV streaming service that supports both Mac and PC platforms. Hulu hasn't come out and said that this service is beta, but it sure sounds like it is. Hulu is warning Mac and PC streamers that "...rather than wait until we’ve finalized our new Web experience, we’re opening up a basic version...
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If you are a fan of watching live TV without shelling out for cable or satellite service, you may already be familiar with Plex. New features for Plex have been rolled out, and the announcement has something for Android and Apple fans to get excited about. Android users can now watch Live TV on their mobile device and record shows, movies, sports, and more using the Plex DVR. Live TV support for Plex is now on Apple TV as well. Using an existing antenna and tuner, you can watch local programs including sports and news all live and if you have a Plex Pass these features are free. Live TV and DVR are also now out of beta with Plex; that means support for Live TV is available on Apple TV, iOS, Android,...
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Microsoft has begun rolling out a new update to Xbox One and Xbox One S game consoles that includes a handful of goodies based on customer feedback. One of those is the ability to upload custom Gamerpics. Rather than being forced to choose from a preset selection, Xbox One gamers will be able to use actual photos of themselves, or whatever they want, on their Xbox profile. "Choose how you want to express yourself," Microsoft says, though the company also warns to "keep it clean." Any uploaded Gamerpics must abide by Microsoft's Code of Conduct, which prohibits "controversial" content, including pornography, violent content, anything involving sensitive events (current or historical), and so forth....
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Streaming providers such as Netflix and Hulu have both done pretty well with original programming. Each one has their gems—Strangers and Narcos are two that come immediately to mind for the former, while Quick Draw and Difficult People are hits for the latter. Seeing the success that others are having, it now appears that Facebook is interested in getting in on the action.According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the social networking site is currently in talks with Hollywood studios and agencies about the possibility of producing original television shows that would launch by the end of summer. It is said that Facebook would be willing to invest up to $3 million per episode, which is...
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If you thought the esports phenomenon would eventually fizzle, think again. Esports is as popular as ever, and just as importantly, it continues to grow and attract major participants. To keep the good times growing, game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment announced today a two-year deal with Twitch that gives Amazon's streaming service live-streaming rights to select esport content. The deal gives Twitch third-party streaming rights for many of Blizzard's most popular esports events and games, including Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Overwatch. There will be over 20 major individual events that get live-streamed through Twitch, including the...
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Music lovers have a bunch of options when it comes to streaming on-demand subscription services. One of them is Google Play Music, which has attempted to set itself apart from the pack by tossing in free access to YouTube Red, its ad-free membership program for YouTube that also lets you save videos for offline viewing. If you're still on the fence, Google is currently offering a four month trial to kick its music service's tires. That is up from two months, though it is not clear how long the promotion will last. In order to see the four-month offer, you must use a special link, which is a custom URL containing a coupon for the two additional months. Otherwise you'll see the regular free trial....
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It can be difficult to make video game streaming a profitable venture, especially if you are one of the “little guys." Monetising online content these days is a challenge no matter what platform it's delivered on. However, Twitch recently announced their Affiliate Program, which will enable thousands of game streamers to earn money. The Twitch Affiliate Program will help to bridge the gap between non-partnered streamers and Twitch Partners. Twitch remarked, “... for every streamer that achieves partnership, there are thousands more striving toward that goal, many of them sharing amazing content with strong, passionate communities, but without access to on-platform tools that would allow...
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