hdpostcross – Page 2 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

BlueStacks takes on OUYA with Android-powered GamePop game console (video)

So you want a console for free, eh? BlueStacks is apparently prepared to offer you just that in its GamePop game console, which costs nothing for the month of May with a one-year subscription to the service (wouldn’t you know it, that costs $93.83 — just below the price of an OUYA at retail ). Like its counterparts, the GamePop is powered by Android (4.2) and runs mostly mobile games. The company isn’t sharing specs just yet, sadly. BlueStacks is promising “over 500” games, and has some top mobile devs offering credence with in testimonial. “We’ve been a featured partner in App Player since early on and they’ve delivered on every promise in terms of distribution,” Fruit Ninja studio head Shainiel Deo said, referencing BlueStacks’ App Player software . “GamePop is a great incremental channel for us.” Since games won’t be bought, but included in the subscription, devs receive a 50 percent cut of subscription revenue, determined by how often users play their games. Should you be interested in getting in early, pre-orders are now open at the GamePop website; we’ve also included an intro video from BlueStacks just below. Filed under: Gaming , HD Comments Source: GamePop.tv

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BlueStacks takes on OUYA with Android-powered GamePop game console (video)

BlueStacks takes on OUYA with Android-powered GamePop game console

So you want a console for free, eh? BlueStacks is apparently prepared to offer you just that in its GamePop game console, which costs nothing for the month of May with a one-year subscription to the service (wouldn’t you know it, that costs $93.83 — just below the price of an OUYA at retail ). Like its counterparts, the GamePop is powered by Android (4.2) and runs mostly mobile games. The company isn’t sharing specs just yet, sadly. BlueStacks is promising “over 500” games, and has some top mobile devs offering credence with in testimonial. “We’ve been a featured partner in App Player since early on and they’ve delivered on every promise in terms of distribution,” Fruit Ninja studio head Shainiel Deo said, referencing BlueStacks’ App Player software . “GamePop is a great incremental channel for us.” Since games won’t be bought, but included in the subscription, devs receive a 50 percent cut of subscription revenue, determined by how often users play their games. Should you be interested in getting in early, pre-orders are now open at the GamePop website. Filed under: Gaming , HD Comments Source: GamePop.tv

Roku can now tell you how to get, how to get to Sesame Street with new PBS channels

Big Bird (or “Big Yellah,” as we like to call him) and his Sesame Street cohorts are now available for streaming on your Roku box. Not just that, but his non-avian colleagues from PBS and PBS Kids are also making the trip, arriving today in new PBS and PBS Kids Roku channels. The two new channels offer more than the on-demand access to PBS programming you’d expect; PBS Digital Studios’ work is also available to stream (we’re quite fond of it , if you couldn’t tell). While it’s not 100 percent clear what exactly is available at any given time, PBS’ announcement says “hundreds of videos” can be accessed, which are pulled from the archives, from national and local daily programming, and include biggies like NOVA , Frontline , and American Experience (it stands to reason that heavy hitter Downtown Abbey won’t be available, given its exclusive license with Amazon starting next month). PBS Kids is similarly well-stocked, with “more than 1,000 videos,” which includes everything from Curious George to, yes, Sesame Street . There’s a short teaser video of the service being used just below the break, should you not be able to contain yourself until you get home. Update: According to Roku, not all Roku players support the new PBS channels. “Both PBS and PBS Kids are available immediately for all Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku LT, new Roku HD players and the Roku Streaming Stick in the US,” the company says. Heads up! Filed under: Home Entertainment , Science , HD Comments Source: Roku

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Roku can now tell you how to get, how to get to Sesame Street with new PBS channels

Financial Times: YouTube is close to launching paid-subscription channels

YouTube has been making its own space on multiple entertainment services for a while, but according to a report from the Financial Times , it’s now on the cusp of revealing its own subscription services for some of its specialist video channels. Rumored for several months, according to the FT ‘s unnamed sources it will include up to 50 different channels, with subscription pricing starting at “as little as $1.99 a month.” Google has already followed up, saying it had nothing to announce just yet, but that it was investigating “a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube .” Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , HD , Google Comments Via: Gizmodo Source: Financial Times (subscription)

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Financial Times: YouTube is close to launching paid-subscription channels

Nielsen preparing ‘Digital Program Ratings’ pilot program to track streaming viewers

According to the Wall Street Journal , Nielsen’s TV ratings are about to get some company, with a system that covers internet watchers . A “Nielsen Digital Program Ratings” pilot program will debut with participation from N BC, Fox, ABC, Univision, Discovery and A&E, tracking the viewership of streaming video they post on their websites. AOL (parent company of Engadget) is also reported to be participating, as the networks compare the data to their internal statistics before the ratings system gets a wider rollout. Of course, even the system they’re testing will only jump so far into the future — while it will track viewing on computers, it’s still leaving out phones and tablets. Networks want to track anywhere content is viewed — one of the issues we’ve been told they have with tech like Aereo or TWC TV — to sell ads against it, we’ll wait for more details to see if they’ll have any success extending the current model to other types of screens. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , HD Comments Source: Wall Street Journal

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Nielsen preparing ‘Digital Program Ratings’ pilot program to track streaming viewers

Yahoo snags exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live’s archives (update: clips only) starting September 1st

Yahoo may have failed in its bid to acquire Hulu last year, but CEO Marissa Mayer announced it’s snagged rights to show something the streaming site has been known for: Saturday Night Live . The deal with Broadway Video will give Yahoo exclusive online access to archived SNL content from 1975 through 2013 including show clips, “select” musical performances, behind the scenes and dress rehearsal clips. Yahoo will also have non-exclusive access to show current season Saturday Night Live clips in the US and a license to distribute library show clips internationally. Beginning September 1st, those archived clips will be pulled from other internet video platforms (presumably Hulu and Netflix — update, see below) for one year. The press release (included after the break) indicates Broadway and Yahoo will celebrate the partnership at Yahoo!’s Digital Content NewFront event on the 29th. We’ll see if there’s more to learn about Yahoo’s ever-evolving media strategy then. Update : The devil is in the details, and it appears that while Yahoo does have exclusive access to the SNL “clips” archive, that is not the same as full episodes. While that may seem arbitrary to the layman, what it means in effect is that later this year you’ll still be able to stream full episodes of SNL on other online services — just not clips. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Yahoo! Yodel , Marissa Mayer (Twitter)

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Yahoo snags exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live’s archives (update: clips only) starting September 1st

Yahoo snags exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live’s archives starting September 1st (update: clips only)

Yahoo may have failed in its bid to acquire Hulu last year, but CEO Marissa Mayer announced it’s snagged rights to show something the streaming site has been known for: Saturday Night Live . The deal with Broadway Video will give Yahoo exclusive online access to archived SNL content from 1975 through 2013 including show clips, “select” musical performances, behind the scenes and dress rehearsal clips. Yahoo will also have non-exclusive access to show current season Saturday Night Live clips in the US and a license to distribute library show clips internationally. Beginning September 1st, those archived clips will be pulled from other internet video platforms (presumably Hulu and Netflix — update, see below) for one year. The press release (included after the break) indicates Broadway and Yahoo will celebrate the partnership at Yahoo!’s Digital Content NewFront event on the 29th. We’ll see if there’s more to learn about Yahoo’s ever-evolving media strategy then. Update : The devil is in the details, and it appears that while Yahoo does have exclusive access to the SNL “clips” archive, that is not the same as full episodes. While that may seem arbitrary to the layman, what it means in effect is that later this year you’ll still be able to stream full episodes of SNL on other online services — just not clips. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Yahoo! Yodel , Marissa Mayer (Twitter)

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Yahoo snags exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live’s archives starting September 1st (update: clips only)

Netflix will switch from Silverlight to HTML5, explains what it’s waiting for first

Due to Microsoft’s confirmation that support for its Silverlight plugin will end and the rise of plugin-free browsers, Netflix will eventually need to stream to PCs using something other than the tech it’s had in place since 2008 .The company has already implemented one example of the technology for Samsung’s ARM Chromebooks , and plans to bring it to Chrome on PCs and Macs eventually. Right now, it’s waiting for several W3C initiatives it’s been working on called the HTML5 Premium Video extensions that handle things like video quality and DRM support to be fully implemented. Once the last one (Web Cryptography API) is available, it can ditch the custom API plugin it’s currently using and begin testing on PCs and Macs. Not mentioned, is any support for other platforms like Linux , although Netflix says it can’t wait until the features are ” implemented in all browsers!” Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , HD , Microsoft Comments Source: Netflix Tech Blog

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Netflix will switch from Silverlight to HTML5, explains what it’s waiting for first

Dish Network bids $25.5 billion for Sprint, goes head-to-head with Softbank

In the battle for Sprint’s heart, Dish Network always seemed to be stuck in the “friend zone”. That’s not the case anymore, however, now that Dish has quietly lobbed an informal $25.5 billion offer to purchase the carrier. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that after Dish was knocked-back in its attempts to buy Clearwire , the satellite TV company scrounged together the cash to beat Softbank’s multi billion dollar deal . If the bid is made formal, then Sprint’s board will have to decide if Softbank’s massive size and buckets of cash can be trumped by Dish’s spectrum reserves , pay-TV business and ability to skip commercials in a breeze. Update: Dish clarified on a conference call that its bid for Clearwire is still on the table for the company to consider even if it was turned down, and that the Sprint offer is not contingent on the carrier closing out its Clearwire purchase . Should the deal go through, the plan is target underserved and rural customers, rather than competing with inner-city fiber-based services. Softbank may find itself beaten by the higher offer, but if Dish succeeds, the Japanese company would still hold around 5% of Sprint’s shares. Filed under: Cellphones , Home Entertainment , Wireless , HD , Mobile , Sprint Comments Via: The Wall Street Journal Source: Dish

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Dish Network bids $25.5 billion for Sprint, goes head-to-head with Softbank

Vudu offices burglarized and customer info stolen

Usually when customer info is snatched up by a ne’er-do-well, it’s done digitally . Video streaming service Vudu, however, was the victim of an old fashioned burglary on March 24th of this year when someone broke into its offices and stole hard drives with customer data on them. According to an e-mail sent out to users today, those HDDs ” contained customer information, including names, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers, account activity, dates of birth and the last four digits of some credit card numbers.” Thankfully, the full CC numbers aren’t kept by Vudu, but all the same, the service is giving affected accounts AllClear ID protection for free for one year. Vudu’s also requiring users to reset their passwords today — despite the fact that the passwords on the stolen drives are encrypted — to ensure that everything will be safe and sound moving forward. [Thanks, @steveymacjr and everyone who sent this in] Filed under: Internet , HD Comments Source: Vudu forum , Vudu

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Vudu offices burglarized and customer info stolen