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MGM spends $1 billion to take full control of the Epix channel

Epix has long been the baby of four studios (Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount and Viacom), but it’s about to have just one parent. MGM has bought out the stakes of its partners for just over $1 billion, giving it full control over the internet-friendly, movie-focused TV channel. The move will still see Lionsgate and Paramount supplying first-run movies as part of “multi-year” deals, so don’t panic about a sudden dearth of content — this is more about a changing media landscape than any kind of feud. The acquisition should close later in April. In unveiling the deal, Epix chief Mark Greenberg is quick to acknowledge that the “priorities have evolved” for some of its soon-to-be-ex partners. While he doesn’t go into detail, Lionsgate just bought Starz — why would it split its attention between two networks that accomplish similar goals, both online and off? Viacom, meanwhile, is backing away from offering its freshest content on streaming services as it worries about getting its finances back in order. You probably don’t have to worry about Epix’s long-term future, but don’t be surprised if you see a greater emphasis on MGM’s media offerings than before. Source: MGM

The Blair Witch Project Almost Had a Far More Gruesome Ending

The final shot of The Blair Witch Project is haunting. It’s Michael standing in a corner, turned away so he won’t see the terrible thing about to happen to Heather, who is holding the camera. However, in a new interview, the filmmakers explained that was almost changed before release. Read more…

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The Blair Witch Project Almost Had a Far More Gruesome Ending

YouTube Launches ‘YouTube TV’ In Select Markets

In late February, YouTube unveiled its live TV service called YouTube TV, which offers live TV streaming over the internet for $35 per month with no long-term contract required. The company has officially launched the service today in five select markets: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, and Philadelphia. YouTube says that more markets are coming soon, however, details on when/where are scarce. PhoneDog reports: A membership to YouTube TV costs $35 per month and includes live streaming of channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and others. Subscribers also get an unlimited cloud DVR for recording shows that’ll last up to nine months, and six accounts that each get their own recommendations and cloud DVRs. YouTube is offering a free one-month trial of YouTube TV so that everyone can give it a try. After your first paid month, YouTube will give you a Google Chromecast to thank you for sticking with the service. Source: YouTube Official Blog Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Giant murderbots will fight for their countries in August

Who’s ready for a robot rumble? Back in 2015, we told you about MegaBots , a team of American engineers building a piloted combat robot to battle Kuratas , a 13-foot mech built by Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industries. Two years later, it looks like the big fight is finally happening. The Giant Robot Duel will take place this August, MegaBots today announced. MegaBots’ creation, the Mk. III, is 16-feet tall and weighs 12 tons. The company has steadily worked on it for the past two years, documenting its progress on its YouTube channel . But, it’s only been seen in pieces so far. The fully assembled robot will be unveiled in an upcoming video. There’s no word yet on exactly when the big event will take place. MegaBots said that the original duel suffered a significant scheduling delay after the venue fell through, which is why the new location is a secret. Fans will learn more about the robots and their fight in the next few months, and they’ll have the chance to see the completed Mk. III in the San Francisco Bay Area in May. Then, they can watch the big fight on MegaBots’ and Suidobashi’s YouTube and Facebook channels. Source: MegaBots

Over 8,000 Uber, Lyft drivers fail new Massachusetts background check

More than 8, 000 Uber and Lyft drivers have been denied licenses to operate in Massachusetts under a new, stricter state background check law , according to the Boston Globe . The most common reason? Issues with the driver’s license status, including suspensions. Under the new law, which went into effect in January, drivers for ride-hailing companies must undergo a two-part background check, one from the companies and one by the state. Out of 70, 789 applicants, 8.206 drivers were rejected, according to a state review. Hundreds were turned down because they had serious crimes on their record, including violent or sexual offenses. Others had drunk or reckless driving offenses. 51 applications came from alleged sex offenders. Uber has faced criticism in the past over its handling of background checks. District attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco filed a civil suit against the company in 2014, claiming it failed to unearth the criminal records of 25 drivers in those areas. But, both Uber and Lyft point out that the Massachusetts background check delves much deeper into a person’s history than theirs do, which is unfair to drivers who are trying to turn their lives around. “Under Massachusetts law, Lyft’s commercial background check provider, like all consumer reporting agencies, is legally prevented from looking back further than seven years into driver applicants’ histories, ” Lyft told the Boston Globe in a statement. “The state does not face the same limitation, which likely explains why a small percentage of our drivers failed the state’s background check while passing ours.” “Thousands of people in Massachusetts have lost access to economic opportunities as a result of a screening that includes an unfair and unjust indefinite lookback period, ” Uber said in its own statement. “We have an opportunity to repair the current system in the rules process so that people who deserve to work are not denied the opportunity.” Massachusetts is hardly the first state to push back against ride-hailing companies. Now that Uber and Lyft are becoming ubiquitous across the country, and with self-driving cars on the horizon, over 30 states have passed regulations to tackle some of the companies’ thornier issues. Via: Cnet Source: Boston Globe

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Over 8,000 Uber, Lyft drivers fail new Massachusetts background check

The Windows 10 Creators Update is now available for manual upgrading

Enlarge / This option is the best way of transitioning out of the Insider Program. (credit: Microsoft) The “official” release of the Windows 10 Creators Update , version 1703, won’t come until Patch Tuesday on April 11, but if you want to upgrade now—and don’t want to enroll your system in the potentially unstable Windows Insider Program—you can now do so. The Windows 10 Update Assistant will upgrade any Windows 10 Home or Pro system to the Creators Update; you’ll need to grab the latest version of the Assistant and then run it, but it should be straightforward enough. If you’re upgrading more than one machine or want to perform a clean install, the Media Creation Tool, available from the same link, is the better bet; the Media Creation Tool can fetch an ISO to burn a DVD or create a bootable USB drive, and that can be used for bare metal installs. The Creators Update itself is build 15063.0, but there will be a small Cumulative Update delivered on April 11. Previews of this patch have been rolled out to insiders, with the fast ring Insiders on 15063.14 and slow ring Insiders on 15063.13. Using the Update Assistant or Media Creation Tool appears to also update to 15063.13. This situation may well change by the actual release day next week. Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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The Windows 10 Creators Update is now available for manual upgrading

The Biggest Misconceptions About VPNs

Have you heard? Internet service providers want to sell your data and a virtual private network (VPN) is the best way to tell them to shove off . There’s a problem though. VPNs are notoriously shady, are more complicated than they look, they’re unregulated, and can be more of a security risk than they’re worth if you… Read more…

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The Biggest Misconceptions About VPNs

Taser Debuts Orwellian New Name, Offers Free Body Cam to Every Cop in America

On Wednesday, stun gun maker Taser announced that it’s offering free body cameras to every police department in the United States. That’s 700, 000 cops across 18, 000 departments. Rebranding itself as “Axon” (as in the nerve fibers that connect neurons throughout the human body), the company said in a press release that… Read more…

Sony’s SSDs can withstand the torture of capturing 4K

Aspiring 4K filmmakers who want the best quality can buy pro-level RAW video cameras on the cheap, or use a DSLR with an external 4K recorder like the Atomos Ninja 2 . However, the SSDs on such devices often record and dump out high bit-rate 4K video multiple times a week, so they need to be much faster and more durable than the one on your laptop. That’s where Sony comes in with its latest G Series Professional SSDs, which can write up to 2, 400 terabytes without failing and use tech that prevents disastrous frame dropping. Sony says the SV-GS96 960GB model’s 2, 400 terabyte rating will let you fully write the drive five days a week for ten years without failing, while the 480GB model (SV-GS48) gives you about half that durability. Both drives can read at up to 550 MB/s and write at 500 MB/s, but Sony adds that the drives “feature built-in technology preventing sudden speed decreases, while ensuring stable recording of high bit-rate 4K video without frame dropping.” The drives also have built-in data protection tech that protects them from power failures and connectors that can handle 3, 000 removal and insertions, “six times more tolerance than standard SATA connectors, ” it says. Performance and ruggedness comes at a price. The 960GB unit costs $539, compared to around $350 for a Kingston HyperX Savage 960GB drive, a model that’s rated to capture 4K RAW video with Blackmagic’s BMCC camera . The 480GB SSD is a bit more reasonable at $287 compared to around $190 for the equivalent Kingston model. Considering the thousands that an SSD failure could cost , filmmaker will likely see the difference as chump change. Sony says they’ll arrive in May 2017. Source: Sony

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Sony’s SSDs can withstand the torture of capturing 4K

Gigabyte Firmware Bugs Allow the Installation of BIOS/UEFI Ransomware

An anonymous reader writes from a report via BleepingComputer: Last week, at the BlackHat Asia 2017 security conference, researchers from cyber-security firm Cylance disclosed two vulnerabilities in the firmware of Gigabyte BRIX small computing devices, which allow an attacker to write malicious content to the UEFI firmware. During their presentation, researchers installed a proof-of-concept UEFI ransomware, preventing the BRIX devices from booting, but researchers say the same flaws can be used to plant rootkits that allow attackers to persist malware for years. The two vulnerabilities discovered are CVE-2017-3197 and CVE-2017-3198. The first is a failure on Gigabyte’s part to implement write protection for its UEFI firmware. The second vulnerability is another lapse on Gigabyte’s side, who forgot to implement a system that cryptographically signs UEFI firmware files. Add to this the fact that Gigabyte uses an insecure firmware update process, which doesn’t check the validity of downloaded files using a checksum and uses HTTP instead of HTTPS. A CERT vulnerability note was published to warn users of the impending danger and the bugs’ ease of exploitation. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Gigabyte Firmware Bugs Allow the Installation of BIOS/UEFI Ransomware

Ken May

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