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PlayStation Vue is the canary in the cord-cutting coal mine
We knew this day would come. Sony will officially shut down PlayStation Vue on January 30th, 2020, following days of rumors and years of whispers about the longevity of the on-demand, OTT television service. PlayStation Vue offers a mix of live and streaming video starting at $50 a month, and it's currently used in 500,000 households in the United States, according to The Information. By comparison, Netflix has more than 158 million subscribers.
ESPN+ was already an insane deal, now it has the Bundesliga
The dust had just settled from Bayern Munich's 7-2 thumping of Tottenham when ESPN made arguably its biggest ESPN+ announcement to date. Starting with the 2020 season, ESPN+ will be the home of the Bundesliga in the US and fans will be able to stream every regular season match, plus the DFL Supercup, relegation playoffs and more. The standalone streaming service already offered a lot of soccer, now it's quickly becoming the best option for following the sport. And it still, miraculously, only costs $5 a month.
YouTube TV is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices
Google and Amazon don't have the warmest relationship, but they've been patching things up recently. Amazon reinstated support for YouTube on its Fire TV platform in July, while Google enabled Amazon Prime video streaming through Chromecast devices. In the latest development, YouTube TV is available on Amazon's Fire TV platform, meaning users can stream live television and use an unlimited cloud-based DVR.
HDHomeRun for Roku gives cordcutters access to live TV
HDHomeRun is giving cordcutters a new way to watch live TV through their Roku device. Its developer, Silicondust has released a Roku channel for the service called HDHomeRun OTA Live. At the moment, it's in its early beta stages and can only play over-the-air live TV -- viewers can use it to watch shows currently airing, check out the program guide and change channels, but that's pretty much it. Silicondust says it's working on bringing more features to the channel, though, including support for the company's HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner for live cable TV.
You can now watch A&E and History live on iOS and the web
A&E Networks is regularly finding ways to make its programming more widely available, particularly by having on-demand options through TV providers and its own apps. To help boost these efforts, the company's now bringing live streaming into the fold, at least with a couple of properties. As of today, viewers can now watch a real-time feed of A&E and History, via each channel's website and their applications on iOS -- no word on when, or if, the feature will head to Android. Naturally, you'll need a cable subscription to enjoy this, as is often the case for most services that use the internet to broadcast entertainment content.
Microsoft 'expanding' sports broadcasts on Xbox One
Microsoft is hoping to offer more sports programming on Xbox One. Speaking to Bloomberg, Phil Spencer, Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios, said Microsoft believes "sports is a very interesting category globally" and that the company will be "expanding what we do in sports to bring more international sports into the mix." In May, Microsoft announced a new partnership with the NFL that would see live broadcasts on Xbox One. Earlier this month, ESPN announced it too would present live content on Xbox One. This is all part of an overall more concentrated effort to present more programming on Xbox One beyond the console's ability to be a TV middle man. In addition to its agreement with the NFL, Microsoft has also created a specific Entertainment division that is currently working on the Halo TV show. Former CBS executive Nancy Tellem is heading up Entertainment and original programming on Xbox One.
Time Warner Cable bringing live TV to Xbox 360 later this summer
A new Time Warner Cable app coming to Xbox 360 later this summer promises access to 300 live television channels, Xbox Wire has announced. The new Time Warner app, which requires Xbox Live Gold and a Time Warner subscription, will offer more live TV channels than any other on Xbox 360. The announcement follows Microsoft's Xbox reveal event and E3 press conference, where Microsoft showcased integrated live television on the Xbox One. Microsoft's entertainment division, overseen by former CBS executive Nancy Tellem, also announced an upcoming Halo live-action series in collaboration with Steven Spielberg. Last week, i love bees creator Elan Lee joined the division.
The Xbox One and live TV -- here's what to expect
What's in a name? A whole lot, if you're asking yours truly. "All Your Entertainment. Input One." Such intriguing statements were declared in a document that leaked from Redmond last summer. The slogan "All in one, input one" was on the Microsoft banners decorating the LA Convention Center for E3 this year. But this probably left many wondering: what is "input one," exactly? It didn't go unnoticed by those who follow the TV industry. Input one is commonly used in the biz to refer to the TV input most Americans use to access the majority of their content. This is the input that's displayed when the TV is turned on, and it's the input that most connect their set-top box from their cable or satellite provider to. Naturally, it's a highly coveted position in the content industry and one that is well fortified by the incumbents. Microsoft has had its sights on input one for a long time, and this particular go-round isn't all that unfamiliar. The Xbox One intends to share input one in what I'd call a man-in-the-middle attack. How well it works won't be revealed until later this year, but clicking through will reveal how I think it'll play out, why this attempt is a direct result of industry constraints and finally, how it matches up with the competition.
Xbox One's live TV features coming to North America first, everyone else later
Microsoft has announced that the live TV features coming to its newly revealed Xbox One will first be available in North America, and then will then transition into other regions after that. In a press release from the company, Microsoft noted that "live TV with Kinect Navigation, live TV with OneGuide, Trending, and NFL on Xbox" will all roll out in the US "at launch," but was "anticipating global scale over time." Microsoft also said that the Xbox One will require a separate cable box, specifying "at launch," so it's possible that the console maker has other plans to deliver television content. The Xbox One is set for release later on this year, and Microsoft has not yet revealed a price.
Belkin releases Dyle receivers for iPhone and iPad
With ABC adding live streaming to its iPad app and the growth of live TV services via iOS in the past few months, the time is right for Belkin to announce Dyle mobile TV receivers for the iPhone and iPad. The US$129.99 device is about the size of a half a deck of cards, weighs around six ounces and includes a carrying case. It's only compatible with devices with 30-pin dock connectors at the moment. It'll bring live TV to an iOS device without the need for an internet connection. However, as Victor pointed out in his review of the Dyle receiver created by Elgato, is still pretty limiting. If you're in an area where the service is pretty strong, the receiver might be of use to you. But, it could be worth it to wait a few more months for Dyle to get stronger. The Belkin receiver is available through its website and is up for pre-order on Amazon. [via 9to5Mac]
XBMC celebrates 10 years, latest build works in mainline PVR and Raspberry Pi support
First, we must congratulate the entire XBMC team on reaching the tenth anniversary of one of the project's first betas hitting the internet, when Yet Another Media Play (YAMP) and Xbox Media Player joined forces to create something beautiful. It's outlived the original console by far, powered other projects and spinoffs (Boxee, Plex, GeeXBox -- just to name a few) and is still going strong. Just to show how much progress it's making there's a new monthly build that adds two features most will have to wait for XBMC 12 Frodo to try out. If you like to live on the edge, the September cycle includes mainline PVR support, which pulls in TV broadcasts thanks to PVR add-ons like MythTV or MediaPortal, as well as integrated support for the Raspberry Pi. Other tweaks include performance enhancements on Android, better picture zooming and rotation on mobiles and much, much more. Hit the source links for a full changelog and details on what dangers running a build hot off the presses may entail.
Boxee TV streaming / OTA set-top box and DVR pics leak out
If you've been wondering "what will Boxee do next?" there appears to be an answer. A tipster has sent The Verge pics of a new set-top box, still built by D-Link, that ditches the original's angular design for a more conventional shape and integrates live TV tuning support as well as DVR capabilities. There's no word on the storage capabilities, but the box advertises an included antenna and remote (lightly refreshed, losing the QWERTY keyboard) and implores owners to "stop wasting money on stuff you don't watch." Boxee's healthy support for internet content, both streamed and locally stored, is still intact and a survey suggests support for viewing content on mobile devices. Not mentioned? Cloudee integration or any cable TV support, encrypted, ClearQAM or otherwise. There's a few more pics beyond the source link, we'll start updating our CES watchlist now.
Boeing 747-8, 777 to join 787 in support for in-flight cellphone use and WiFi, like it or not
The more cynical among us would argue that allowing cellphones in-flight is only a guarantee of an even more unpleasant trip, at least for anyone wanting a distraction-free cabin. There must still be a few optimists: Boeing is promising that future production runs of the 747-8 and 777 will have the necessary support for in-flight cellphone use, live TV and internet access that comes through either headrest screens or WiFi. Aircraft with the upgrade should roll off the production lines before the end of 2013, and they'll be following a slight change to the 787 later this year that makes the technology support a common option. Some of us may wind up reaching for the earplugs in countries where regulators approve in-air wireless, but there's definite upsides for all but the biggest curmudgeons -- Boeing's moves could lead to more ubiquitous in-flight WiFi next year, on top of ready-made wireless media streaming due in 2014.
Yahoo's IntoNow TV companion app for iOS adds screen grab, music recognition and chat features
At CES 2012 we were promised that Yahoo would integrate IntoNow's SoundPrint technology with its backend to pull up useful extra content about whatever TV program was being watched and now it's delivered that and more. IntoNow 3.0 for iOS (no upgrade yet for the Android version) enhances the app's TV companion experience in three key ways: TV / Music Sync, "CapIt" screengrabbing and finally Group Chat. The TV and music sync brings not only the associated info we'd heard about before, but also brings Shazam-style information about any music that might be playing. CapIt can pull screenshots from the cloud of any of the TV shows IntoNow's backend is monitoring, which adds up to about 13 million frames a day, then pops them up ready for meme creation and sharing. Group Chat does exactly what it sounds like, and lets you talk to friends or set up circles of fans around particular shows. We gave the app a try and found it worked as advertised, quickly identifying what was playing whether live or on DVR and popping up episode info, cast listings and Wikipedia links. The CapIt feature (shown above) pulls frames with surprising speed and ease, even on live broadcasts, and allows users to scroll backwards or refresh for new freezes to grab just the right one. It doesn't monitor what you're watching live, but punching the green TV icon in the upper left corner causes it to sync right away, which also creates an entry of what was being watched and when.
BBC 'Live Restart' brings pause, rewind and 'start from beginning' to iPlayer live streams
On demand TV is great and all, but what if the program you're wanting is on right now? Previously -- in the UK at least -- you'd have to either catch the whole thing later, or accept you'd missed a bit, and watch the rest live. Starting today, however, iPlayer will let you rewind, pause, and even start live shows from the beginning. In fact with the "Live Restart" update, you'll be able to go back over the last two hours of scheduled TV, should you wish. The new features come as a result of the BBC switching to "HTTP chunked" streaming instead of RTMP, which breaks up the H.264 video feed into blocks, delivering them like regular web packets -- apparently improving scalability, adaptive bitrate playback and cost effectiveness, compared to Content Delivery Networks. All we want to know is will you be able to skip the ads? Oh wait.
Viacom and Time Warner Cable call truce, TWC TV mobile apps will stream Colbert after all
Good news ahoy if you've liked Time Warner Cable's TWC TV streaming app but were frustrated with content providers pulling channels over licensing rights: the cable giant and Viacom have reached a settlement that will see Viacom's channels return to your Android or iOS gear. Comedy Central, CMT, MTV and other channels will be back in the next several weeks, and the two sides even managed to bury the hatched over "unrelated business matters," according to a joint statement. Just what led to the about-face is being kept secret, although Viacom's tendency to sue over retransmission rights in the digital realm raises the possibility that TWC had to fork over an extra amount. At least now you can watch The Daily Show on your iPad knowing your cable provider and the studio are singing "Kumbaya."
NimbleTV streams cable content to 'any' device, launching 'in the next few months'
With services like Aereo TV taking a similar streaming approach -- and getting sued in the process -- NimbleTV won't have an easy road ahead, but the outfit's willing to take its chances. The startup plans to launch its subscription-based offering to the public within the next few months, allowing future users to stream cable content to unspecified devices at any time and from anywhere on the globe -- all thanks to Nimble's cloud-based software. However, unlike some of its competitors, NimbleTV will give customers the ability to select channel packages based on personal preferences, though that'll depend heavily on the TV providers going along for the ride. While the service will only be available in the US and India at first, the company does plan a broader launch at some point in the future. No word yet on how pricing will play out, but there is a NYC-only beta (just as Aereo did) which you can join now by giving the source below a quick click.
Cablevision's Optimum App live TV streaming now available on Windows and Mac
It's been a little over a year since Cablevision launched Optimum for iPad with live streaming of all of its channels to the tablet, and now subscribers can experience the same thing on their computer with the Optimum for Laptops app. Available for Mac or PC it has a brand new interface and searchable guide, as well as the ability to manage DVR recordings and change the channel on cable boxes in the house. According to Cablevision its iOS app has been downloaded over a million times, we'll see how popular this followup is -- and if it spurs any new lawsuits from channel owners.
Time Warner Cable brings ESPN, Fox and Turner sports live streaming to apps, website
The newly-available-on-Android live streaming feature of Time Warner Cable's TWC TV app (and TWCTV.com website) has just gotten a major content upgrade, adding many national and regional sports feeds. It looks like ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL Network are available in most regions, along with the applicable Fox RSNs. The full lineup of areas and channels is in the press release after the break. Of course, if you'd like to keep telling your significant other sports channels haven't been added yet and they will need to watch their reality show on the tablet while you use the big HDTV, then we can all just pretend this never happened.
Boxee Box Live TV starts shipping, Boxee 1.5 software update now rolling out
Both have been promised as coming soon in recent weeks, and now Boxee has confirmed that two fairly big new rollouts are underway. The first is the Boxee Box Live TV dongle, which is now shipping and will let you augment your Boxee Box with some OTA TV channels for $50. You can get a closer look at it in our hands-on from CES earlier this month. Alongside it, Boxee is also rolling out its Boxee 1.5 software update, which boasts a new UI and a number of other refinements including better search, new library screens and filtering options, browser pop-up management, and the addition of Rotten Tomatoes listings. Boxee says it's staggering the release over the next 72 hours, but those eager to check it out can find instructions for a manual update at the support link below.
