aolon
Latest
Apple TV gets ABC News, PBS Kids and a brand new Flickr app
You'd think that the steady stream of new Apple TV content would have slowed to a trickle by now, but nope -- far from it. Apple has just delivered a handful of fresh channels that include the free ABC News service (not to be confused with the authentication-based WatchABC), PBS Kids and the cricket-focused Willow TV. Flickr's app has also received a long, long overdue revamp (shown below) with a densely packed Explore section, an elaborate personal page and improved search. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the new AOL On channel -- yes, you can now watch Engadget videos and other clips from our corporate overlords. Whatever content tickles your fancy, you just have to wake up your Apple TV to check it out.
AOL strikes deal with Microsoft to get more eyeballs on its online videos
Judging by the comments y'all leave on every story about AOL, a few of you still think the company makes its money off grandmas who forgot to cancel their landline service. In fact, AOL owns, among other things, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget (hey-o!) and the online video service AOLOn -- yep, the same one we use to publish our review videos. After inking a movie streaming deal with Miramax earlier this week, AOL has signed a distribution deal with Microsoft, which means depending on which OS you use, you might soon be seeing a lot more AOLOn videos than you're used to. In particular, the agreement brings a portion of AOL's 900,000-item catalog to MSN and Bing apps on Windows and Windows Phone. All told, according to Variety, the deal includes 15 channels ("technology," for example), along with AOL's 2014 original programming, though none of those shows have actually been announced to the public yet. Look for those videos to start popping up this summer; in the meantime, you can find our video reviews where they've always been.
Xbox Live welcomes Vimeo and AOL On, boosts Verizon FiOS offering for Gold subscribers
A host of new Xbox Live apps came online for Gold subscribers today, including Vimeo and AOL On. Vimeo users will have the ability to share videos through Xbox Live and Facebook, but the new app may also be preparation for the official launch of the streaming site's pay-to-view service, available to all Vimeo Pro members in early 2013. AOL On also brings its library of over 380,000 videos, including content from HuffPost Entertainment, Reuters, CNET, Moviefone, Entertainment Tonight and yours truly. Lastly, Verizon FiOS users will now see 75 channels on Xbox Live, including 49 new additions such as AMC HD and NFL Network. All apps can be controlled via Kinect voice and gestures, though you may need more than zombie-like reflexes to flip to the Walking Dead. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the AOL family]
AOL On comes to TiVo, delivers (more) video content to the DVR
We knew AOL's On Network application would be hitting TiVo DVR boxes eventually, but, after nearly four months of being nowhere to be found, we were starting to wonder when exactly that would be. The good news is, as of today, TiVo Premiere owners can finally start enjoying on-demand content from AOL's hefty video catalogue on their set-top box -- which includes, but isn't limited to, vids from HuffPost Entertainment, TechCrunch, Moviefone and, you guessed it, Engadget. That's not it, though, as the AOL On app also brings in snippets from various outside entities, such as the BBC, Reuters, CNET, Entertainment Tonight and Gourmet TV. AOL On should be live now on your TiVo Premiere, so ready up that DVR if you're looking to dive into one (or more) of the 380,000-plus videos it has to offer. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the AOL family]
AOL brings its On network to the iPhone and iPad
AOL launched its On network earlier this year, and today, it released a universal iOS app that'll let users watch On video content using their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The AOL On app lets users browse content from AOL as well as its partners Martha Stewart Living, Omnimedia, E! and Travel Channel. There are about 420,000 clips in the video library that span a variety of topics like technology, food, health, home and more. The iOS app also supports AirPlay, so you can stream a video from your iPhone to your HDTV. The AOL On app is available from the iOS App Store for free. No subscription is required to watch the content, but there are short pre-roll ads. Note: On publisher AOL Mobile and TUAW have the same corporate parent, AOL.
AOL HD connected TV app is now AOL On for Samsung, Roku and Sony; TiVo coming soon
Last summer the AOL HD app launched on the Boxee, Roku, Yahoo Connected TV and DivX platforms, and now it's moving to 2.0 as well as changing names, to AOL On. Rolling out now to the Samsung Smart TV, Roku, and Sony platforms, with TiVo Premiere DVR access due "in the coming weeks" after a beta test ends, it's a free ad-supported app that pulls from a library of 380,000 or so videos, including some from Engadget (you may have noticed the logo in the corner). v2.0 brings a refreshed UI and videos from not only AOL sites like this one, Moviefone and TechCrunch, but also other sources like Reuters, AP, CNET and BBC. We gave the new channel a shot on Roku and were able to browse around easily enough although the most recent episode of The Engadget Show hadn't popped up yet -- we'll get someone on that. There's another screenshot and press release after the break, or you can just check the channel store of your nearest set-top box or connected HDTV to see if it's popped up there yet.
WD TV adds streaming options, tunes televisions near and far to your Slingbox
A raft of goodies has been tacked on to Western Digital's TV Live and TV Live Hub media players including new streams and Vudu movie downloading, but the addition of SlingPlayer might be the most intriguing. Depending on your region, you'll see new channels on the WD set-tops, including The AOL On Network, Red Bull TV, ABC iview (Australia), Acetrax Movies, Maxdome and BILD TV-App. Walmart's Vudu service will also be added, letting domestic and some foreign users buy or rent from a library of 70,000 downloadable films and TV shows. Finally, if you're a frequent traveler, you can pack your WD box and fire up the new SlingPlayer on your hotel TV to watch hometown broadcasts wherever you may be. Provided you've got a Slingbox back home, of course. To find out more and see what's available in your country, check the source or PR below. Show full PR text New International and Domestic Entertainment Options Complement WD TV® Live™ and WD TV® Live Hub™'s 'Play Anything' Popularity IRVINE, Calif., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Digital® (NASDAQ: WDC), the world's leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV® media player family, today introduced a variety of new entertainment options for the WD TV Live™ and WD TV Live Hub™ media players. Current and new users can now enjoy Red Bull TV™, ABC iview (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Acetrax™, Maxdome, the BILD TV-App, and the AOL On Network. They can also watch live and recorded TV with the new SlingPlayer® app and save their premium HD movies to the WD TV Live Hub's internal storage with VUDU. WD's new entertainment choices add to the WD TV media player family's prodigious ability to play personal content such as videos, photos and music by supporting a wide range of media formats. Users can watch content located on any networked PC or Mac® computer in the home, from a network drive such as WD's My Book® Live™ personal cloud storage, and from any directly connected digital camcorder, camera, or USB drive. WD TV Live Hub owners can also save and share pictures and videos from outside the home, using the WD Photos™ app for iPhone®, iPad® and Android™ mobile devices. "WD continuously listens to its customers, and adds the content options they want," said Scott Vouri, vice president and general manager, WD connected home solutions. "With today's addition of hot international and domestic channels, live TV through SlingPlayer, and HD movie rentals, purchases and downloads through VUDU, the WD TV media players truly provide the most entertainment." The WD TV Live Hub is the only media player to offer direct HD movie download service for today's hottest new movie releases purchased from VUDU's large library of movies and TV shows. VUDU is a subscription-free, HD video streaming service, which offers more than 70,000 blockbuster titles including new releases, Hollywood classics, independent films, and TV shows. Because it has an integrated 1TB hard drive, the WD TV Live Hub can save and play back purchased digital content from VUDU, including the high-quality HDX™ video format that features 1080p Full HD and rich Dolby Digital Plus™ 7.1 audio. "By centralizing their entertainment on the WD TV Live Hub, our customers get high-performance full-HD movie playback without overloading their home network or cluttering up the hard drives of other PCs in the house," added Vouri. From "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" to "The Muppets" WD brings today's top movies to the WD TV Live Hub for a cinema-like experience at home through the available VUDU service. New Services[1] Now Available: SlingPlayer (worldwide) – With a Slingbox® connected in your home, the SlingPlayer app brings your living room TV experience to your connected device in any room – around the home or around the world. The AOL On Network (US) – The AOL HD app, part of The AOL On Network, features high-definition technology, lifestyle, celebrity and entertainment content updated daily from The AOL On Network, which features video from brands like Engadget, TechCrunch, The Huffington Post and Moviefone. Red Bull TV (worldwide) – A unique online portal offering exclusive high quality programs from the World of Red Bull in HD. Available to nearly all devices – Red Bull TV offers worldwide live webcasts and a thematic catalogue of VODs complementing exclusive shows of the multimedia content of redbull.com. ABC iview (Australia) – ABC iview is Australia's most popular catch-up TV service and is run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It features 14-day catch-up from channels ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, ABC4Kids and ABC News 24. Acetrax movies (UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Austria) – Available on the WD TV Live only, this service offers blockbuster new release and library movies from the major Hollywood studios. maxdome (Germany) – Available on the WD TV Live only, the most popular German video-on-demand service maxdome delivers over 45,000 major film and TV titles. BILD TV-App (Germany) – With the BILD TV-App users navigate easily and comfortably with the remote control through Germany's largest news and entertainment portal. The application offers the latest news and videos from politics, lifestyle, entertainment and sports, as well as the pictures of the day. Availability The WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub can be purchased at select retailers and online at wdstore.com. About WD WD, a storage industry pioneer and long-time leader, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. Its storage technologies serve a wide range of host applications including client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own storage systems. Its home entertainment products enable rich engagement with stored digital content. WD was founded in 1970. The company's products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital®, WD® and HGST™ brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's website (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information. Western Digital, WD, the WD logo, WD TV, and My Book are registered trademarks in the U.S. and other countries; WD TV Live and My Book Live are trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products may be available in all regions of the world. All product and packaging specifications subject to change without notice. As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment. Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1dpR0)
