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Xbox One interface shots show Netflix, Hulu, other streaming apps
While no one explicitly named any streaming media applications during Microsoft's Xbox One reveal ceremony, screenshots have emerged on the new console's official site that give us a hint at what we'll be watching on day one. So far, apps listed include such staples as Netflix, Hulu Plus and HBOgo, in addition to slightly more esoteric offerings such as Crackle and The CW. Microsoft has yet to specifically name any of these apps during today's flurry of announcements, however, so we're keeping an ear to the ground for further confirmation and (hopefully) information on other streaming media apps launching with the system.
Crackle streaming video heads to LG, Samsung, and Vizio Smart TVs, Samsung Blu-ray players
Free video streaming service Crackle is already available on your smart phone, computer, and game console, but today the company announced its expansion to LG, Samsung, and Vizio Smart TVs. The expansion is twofold for Samsung, which is also adding the ad-supported streaming service to its line of Blu-ray players; Crackle characterizes today's news as the conclusion of a strategy to bring the streaming service to, "all leading smart TV manufacturers." Of course, that strategy is only complete in a handful of countries thus far -- today's additions apply to only the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia for LG and Samsung, while Vizio Smart TVs in the US and Canada are the only ones to get Crackle. All new iterations of the Crackle app are available via Samsung, LG, and Vizio's respective app portals.
Roku update adds cross-provider search over Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Vudu and Crackle
We've seen web portals that let you search for TV and movies on the internet across different services, but a new update for Roku is bringing that capability directly to its set-top boxes. Whether you're searching by movie, TV show, actor or director it will sniff out related content across some of the higher profile services it offers, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Vudu and HBO Go. The new Roku Search function is front and center (once your second gen HD or higher player has been updated to the latest version) and in our tests worked quickly, pulling up content wherever it was available and mentioning if it was available in HD. The only downside is navigating the onscreen keyboard via remote, although you can always sub in your mobile device thanks to those recently upgraded remote apps for iOS and Android. All in all Roku says it can reach its tendrils across around 130,000 titles and almost 100,000 actors and directors. Check after the break for a couple of screenshots and a quick demo video, hit the official blog for more info or force an update on your hockey puck to check it out yourself.
Free movies on iOS with Sony's Crackle app
Crackle, from Sony, is a free universal iOS app that's built to stream plenty of free-to-view movies and TV shows. If you don't mind ads at the beginning and more in the middle of the programs and you're OK with the app's limited selection, it's worth a look. Not surprisingly, a lot of the movies are from the Columbia Pictures catalog, since Sony owns those titles. There's a smattering of good movies (The Gods Must Be Crazy and It Might Get Loud, for instance) and then there are a slew of Godzilla movies and martial arts movies that may or may not strike your fancy. The catalog includes old Three Stooges shorts, and TV shows like Seinfeld. Movies expire off the app's catalog, so the selection will change over time. There are some nice features: closed captioning and AirPlay are both supported, and when you leave the app and come back your movie will resume playing where you left off. It worked well over 3G, and the films are licensed for Canada and the U.K as well as the US. Quality of the prints was good, as it should be from an app provided by a movie studio. It's not the most stable app I've used. I had 2 crashes in one test. Then I tried it later in the day and it worked fine. The app has not been updated to take advantage of the increased screen real estate on the iPhone 5. I would classify Crackle as "airportware," an app to pass the time while you're waiting for a flight. If you're not a Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime subscriber, Crackle is a good free alternative; depending on your TV provider, you may also already have a free subscription to the EPIX app, which offers a much wider selection of recent and classic films. Crackle requires iOS 4.2 or greater. A recent update fixed some bugs (but apparently not all of them) and redesigned the GUI. %Gallery-168317%
Ouya names Roy Bahat chairman of the board, hires leadership staff
Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman announced Roy Bahat as chairman of the board Friday. Bahat served as president of IGN Entertainment for five years before joining Ouya.Uhrman also revealed that Steve Chamberlin will lead Ouya's engineering division while Raffi Bagdasarian is in charge of the software side of operations, including services for developers and user experience. Chamberlin previously was Senior Development Director for Trion Worlds, developers of Rift. Bagdasarian spent over five years working with Sony on its Crackle streaming service.Uhrman added that "over a thousand" game developers have been in contact with Ouya since its Kickstarter campaign ended in August, and that more than 50 distributors have applied to carry the system when it launches.
Crackle's free movie streaming expands to the Nook Tablet, Android and iOS apps updated for TV playback
It may not have quite the catalog of Netflix (or the same HD quality), but Sony Pictures' Crackle streaming service does have one big thing going for it: it's completely free. It's also found its way onto plenty of different platforms (most recently Windows Phone), and that run has now continued with its expansion onto Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet (but not the Nook Color). What's more, while there's no release date confirmed just yet, Crackle says that the app is "coming soon" to the Kindle Fire as well. It's also revealed that the app has now seen 11 million downloads across all mobile platforms -- a figure that may now see a boost not only from the new Nook app, but from the just-updated Android and iOS apps, which each boast a redesigned interface and support for TV playback via AirPlay or HDMI.
Verizon's Viewdini appears on iOS: works on any network, hunts video from 11 sources
The Viewdini streaming metasearch service launched a few months ago for Verizon's 4G LTE-laden Android hardware, and now it's finally available on iDevices. While the droid app is exclusive to those with a 4G plan on Big Red's network, anything running iOS 4.3 and up can now make use of Viewdini, independently of carrier ties. As the screenshots above show, you're also good to go on 3G, although you better watch that data allowance to avoid any nasty surprises. Interestingly, the iOS version currently only digs through the catalogues of 11 content providers compared with 18 on the Android version, but you're still getting access to various big names like ABC, Crackle, Hulu Plus, Netflix and Verizon's own video service. More providers should be added to the list soon, and if you'd like to give Viewdini a try, it's available at the App Store now.
Crackle brings its movie-streaming party to Windows Phone
Popular video app Crackle has wormed its way on to an impressive number of platforms, and now we can add Windows Phone to that list. The ad-supported streaming service offers access to films such as Pineapple Express, Layer Cake as well as popular TV series' like Seinfeld. As always the app is free, and it's available from the Market Place, like, now. Point your phone at the source and as Crackle would say, "It's on."
Sony is bringing Hulu Plus, Crackle to PlayStation Vita
Sony's pre-E3 press conference is underway and the company just announced the PS Vita would get a couple of new video apps soon in Hulu Plus and Crackle. The Vita YouTube app was announced previously, but it looks like this is just the start of Sony expanding its Entertainment Network from the PS3 to the handheld. There's no word yet on exactly when they will arrive, but keep an eye on our liveblog for all the details as they're revealed.
XBL getting Crackle, CinemaNow apps
If Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus and the Zune marketplace haven't been enough to satiate your unquenchable thirst for all things cinematic, perhaps two more apps will help quell the raging torrent in your soul. Crackle, a free service, has a somewhat limited and eccentric selection of movies and television shows to choose from, although they do have a rather impressive selection of classic anime like Ah! My Goddess and Galaxy Express 999.Best Buy's CinemaNow ecosystem has more new releases to choose from, but its services require cash money. It's unclear whether all of the content on these two services will be available through the respective apps, or if some content will be restricted, like the YouTube and Hulu Plus apps. If our calculations are correct, Xbox Live only needs 2 more movie apps and 4 more internet radio apps before it becomes self aware.
Xbox 360 adds Crackle and CinemaNow to list of up and running apps
You can't deny one of Microsoft's main goals with its revamped 360 dashboard update was to enhance the box's entertainment attributes, and now the Redmond crowd has flipped the live switch on two more vid-focused apps. Crackle and CinemaNow are joining the likes of Vudu and UFC as part of the latest additions to the Xbox app locker. Both apps are available now for those of us in the States, and while CinemaNow won't be heading elsewhere, Sony's Crackle is hitting three other markets: Australia, Canada and United Kingdom. There's no more info on when -- or if -- both apps will make way into more countries, but Microsoft did say that it'll "continue to enhance and expand" its Xbox Live offerings. We know you're eager to check out some Godzilla collections, so power on that console, head to the apps section and let the crackles set you free.
PlayStation Home lets friends watch free movies together now, UStream and radio next month
Sony's recently redesigned PlayStation Home project has always been about bringing online social experiences to the PS3 that mirror their real-world counterparts: hanging out in your apartment with friends, window shopping at the mall, Quincying. Now it can add one more notch to its virtual world experience belt by offering the ability to view full length movies for free, streamed by Sony's Crackle network. If you're a frequent user of Xbox Live's Netflix Movie Parties this may sound like old hat (were we the only ones using that feature?), but now all PS Home users -- in North America -- can do social viewing with up to 60 users or private parties with up to 11 at a time. Crackle's selection of movies and TV shows are available today, while live broadcast UStream events (Engadget podcast party anyone?) and musical stations provided by RadioIO are scheduled to debut in December. Press play on the video above for a quick preview or check after the break for a celebratory press release.
Microsoft reportedly adding video from Comcast, Verizon, HBO Go and others to Xbox Live
Microsoft announced new integration with live TV as a part of the Xbox 360's fall update during E3 earlier this year, but didn't name any US pay-TV partners at the time. Now, anonymous rumors recently posted on Digiday suggested the folks at Redmond were looking to work with Verizon and Comcast, followed by Bloomberg hearing similar talk from its own "people with knowledge of the situation." Today's rumors finger Verizon (which showed off live TV on a variety of devices at CES), Comcast, HBO, Crackle, Bravo, Syfy and UK service Lovefilm as likely partners. Missing from the list is AT&T's U-verse, which already offers an Xbox 360 tie-in and distributes its IPTV on the Mediaroom platform, just like some of the international partners previously announced. If these services launch it will be interesting to see how the integration works and if it's VOD like the existing Xfinity TV and Flex View mobile apps, or if providers cross the IPTV bridge with in-home devices like the Televation / AnyPlay box.
Sony support site leaks S1 and S2 tablet screens, may run Honeycomb 3.2 (update: pulled!)
Ready to shed a little light on those baffling tablet teasers? Well, it looks like someone over at the company's eSupport site uploaded a troubleshooting doc for the yet-to-be released S1 and S2 tablets, and we have the leaked screens to prove it. Listed under the very helpful heading of "How to find the Android Honeycomb operating system version installed on this tablet," conflicting pics of the "About tablet" screen point to both a 3.1 and 3.2 software destiny. Also on board for this illicit peek, is a shot of the slates' space-tastic homescreen, in addition to its app drawer where we can clearly see bundled Sony apps like Chumby, Crash Bandicoot and Crackle. While we're inclined to believe Honeycomb's latest and greatest will ship on the pair of black beauties, the site offered no other confirmation of the OS goods. Head on past the break for an extended look, and place your bets in comments below. Update: The page has been removed from Sony's site.
Crackle for iOS brings free movies and TV shows to iPads, iPhones
After appearing on Android, Bravia TV connected platforms, the PS3 and Roku, Sony's Crackle has finally brought its ad-supported movie and TV show streaming act to iOS. The iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch clients also have an advantage over their Android counterparts, like the PS3 and Google TV apps they have access to extra content from the website (all in SD resolution) which now includes episodes from Seinfeld and movies like Pineapple Express. While senior VP Eric Berger tells USA Today the name is a reference to the need for content to "crackle" or be special, there's plenty of fluff in the catalog along with many well known older shows and movies. Still, at the low, low price of $0 we're sure you'll find something worthwhile.
Sony's Crackle app for iOS approved by Apple
A few months ago, we reported on how Apple rejected the Sony Reader app from the App Store, seemingly singling out the electronics and media company for punishment when similar apps like Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook readers for iOS were untouched. Sony appears to have decided to follow the old maxim that "if you at first don't succeed, try, try again," since they have had a new app for iOS approved by Apple. The free Crackle app gives access to hundreds of movies in the Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, and Tri-Star libraries, as well as thousands of TV series episodes. Available for free are movies like Ghostbusters, series like Seinfeld and Married ... With Children, and The Three Stooges. According to Crackle's App Store description, you can build and manage your viewing queue on the app or online, and video streams over Wi-Fi and 3G. More new movies and TV episodes will be added on a regular basis. So how is Sony making money on this? There are short ads that appear during the video, but most reviewers in the App Store are saying that they're so short that they're almost unnoticeable. It's a free app with free content, no subscription fee, and good quality, so it looks like a winner. [via MacStories]
Crackle starts streaming all of its free movies to Roku, PS3, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players
Sony's Crackle has had a more successful life so far than its previous iteration as Grouper, streaming movies, TV shows and shorts to various devices since launching back in '07 and announced today its full library will be streaming to the PS3, Roku boxes, Sony Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs. Expanding full access from just the Google TV (there's also an Android app that currently streams some of the items) it's taking credit as the only provider offering free full length flicks including Ghostbusters, Bad Boys, A Few Good Men and more for free on these platforms. The drawbacks are video that tops out at 480p standard definition and Hulu-style commercial interruptions but if you absolutely must watch Weekend at Bernies II without spending any money it is an option -- at least, as long as the PS3 browser doesn't crash with an out of memory error like it did for us. It did work better on more capable platforms, so check out the full details in the press release after the break.
Sony planning to expand Crackle presence on PSN
Speaking with the New York Times about its web-based video content portal Crackle.com (it's not a TV channel, folks), Sony execs ambiguously noted that "an expansion is in the works" for the service on PlayStation Network. Currently, Crackle content is available through PSN in the "Featured Collections" video section, offering some free and some paid programming (as seen above). Through its web portal, Crackle avails a sizeable piece of Sony Pictures' film collection as well (read: over 200), though, currently, these films are only offered on PSN behind a pay gate. In the future -- with any luck, at least -- we might find ourselves perusing that same, streamable selection of films at no charge from the comfort of our living room couch. Or we might just see more content in general from Crackle making its way to PSN in a similar, partially paid structure. Yeah, we're betting on the latter too.
Sony Pictures movies & TV shows pop up on YouTube
Filling a hole for premium quality content, Sony and YouTube have worked out a deal, with full length movies and TV shows popping up on the Crackle channel today. Right now Cliffhanger has top billing, and we're not seeing anything in HD yet, but hey, it's all free and unlike, for example, Hulu, will play on about a billion different platforms. Don't expect this to be the end either, word is the streaming service has signed up other studios as well but no word on which ones.
Jace Hall Show Season 2 now on Xbox Live and Crackle
If you enjoyed the irreverent gaming industry news coverage featured in the first season of The Jace Hall Show, you might want to check out the second season premiere, now available on Xbox Live and Crackle. For the uninitiated, Jason "Jace" Hall is a television, film and video game producer (he founded Monolith Productions). His weekly ten-minute program features interviews with nerd culture icons and game developers, and frequent narration from acclaimed television actor Gary Graham. Yeah, it's pretty strange.If none of that sounds up your alley, know this: Jace's program was one of the first sources of new footage from Duke Nukem Forever. If you're keeping a watchful eye for further proof of the Duke's existence, tuning in to The Jace Hall Show might just be your best bet.
