Netflix signs up The Matrix, Babylon 5 creators to develop a new sci-fi series: Sense8

Continuing its quest to sate subscribers’ appetites with a flow of original content, Netflix has announced a new original series, Sense8 . Due in late 2014, it’s being developed by the Wachowskis of The Matrix , V for Vendetta , Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer fame, as well as J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 . Details are thin, but the press release promises a gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted with a ten episode run for its first season. As it did with House of Cards , Arrested Development and other productions, Netflix is relying heavily on data from viewers to decide which programs to support. According to chief content officer Ted Sarandos, ” Andy and Lana Wachowski and Joe Straczynski are among the most imaginative writers and gifted visual storytellers of our time,” whose creations are very frequently viewed on the service. According to the creators themselves, they’ve sought to work together for a decade, and this idea started from a late night conversation about “the ways technology simultaneously unites and divides us.” If that’s not enough for now, then t here are a few more details and quotes in the press release, which is included after the break. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments

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Netflix signs up The Matrix, Babylon 5 creators to develop a new sci-fi series: Sense8

Netflix and DreamWorks to launch original show for kids in December

While Netflix is trying to lure in the grown-ups with the launch of House of Cards , it’s not leaving kids without their own choice of original material. DreamWorks plans to follow up the July release of its animated movie Turbo with a Netflix-only series, Turbo FAST , in December. The episodes will arrive on the service roughly in line with DreamWorks’ 2013 slate of movies, including Turbo . Young viewers may well be happy, but Turbo FAST and the larger DreamWorks deal could be that much more satisfying for Netflix itself — they’re potential foils to Amazon’s multi-show plans that could keep some subscribing families from jumping ship. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , HD Comments

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Netflix and DreamWorks to launch original show for kids in December

First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe

Eutelsat Communications launched the first dedicated demonstration Ultra HD channel in Europe on January 8th. Delivered via satellite with the resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 ( 4K ) at 50 frames per second — the European equivalent to 60p — the stream is encoded in MPEG-4 with help from video compression solution provider, ATEME, and transmitted at 40 Mbps. This is over twice the bandwidth used by most 1080i broadcasts, but not necessarily an indication of future Ultra HD broadcasts utilization, as they’re expected to use the more efficient HEVC codec — depending on color space and other factors, Ultra HD broadcasts might use less throughput than 1080i does now. With only three very expensive Ultra HD TVs on the market, there aren’t many who can take advantage of this. Hopefully if you are one of the lucky few, you’re in a position to take advantage of this native content on your latest prized possession. Continue reading First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments

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First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe

BitTorrent lands deals with 20 TV makers for peer-to-peer video

The file sharing crew at BitTorrent has so far taken only tentative footsteps into the living room with its certification program . If CEO Eric Kinkler’s comments to Multichannel News are any indicator, though, the company is ready to make itself at home. He reveals that BitTorrent has signed pacts with 20 electronics makers to include its peer-to-peer service for media streaming in new TV sets, some of which will ship as soon as the end of 2012. Kinkler isn’t naming the partners, but he notes that most of the torrent-ready screens are destined for Asia and Europe rather than the US — many TV builders in American shops already have a raft of streaming video deals with the likes of Netflix, the executive says. Don’t anticipate seeing a row of BitTorrent TVs in the local big-box store, then, but do expect the firm to make a name for itself beyond software and the occasional router . Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD BitTorrent lands deals with 20 TV makers for peer-to-peer video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink    |  Multichannel News  |  Email this  |  Comments

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BitTorrent lands deals with 20 TV makers for peer-to-peer video