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ESPN+ adds personalized recommendations and offline viewing
ESPN is making some welcome (and arguably overdue) improvements to its ESPN+ service that could change how and where you watch. Its updated app now includes personalized recommendations for ESPN+, starting with on-demand videos. Watch a lot of hockey? You'll probably see more highlight clips from the latest NHL matches. Recommendations will "soon" spread to live and future events, so you might spot big matches you would otherwise miss.
Samsung's 2019 TVs can remotely access your PC
Samsung's smart TV models for 2019 and beyond will come with the power to control and display compatible apps installed on your PC, laptop or smartphone. They'll come loaded with a new feature called "Remote Access," which will allow them to, well, remotely access your other devices through a wireless connection. For desktops, it's through an IP network, while for laptops and mobile, it's through your WiFi.
Sling TV expands Cloud DVR to Chromecast, Xbox One and smart TVs
Sling is expanding its Cloud DVR service to more devices. Now, you can use the DVR with the Chrome browser, Chromecast, Xbox One, LG Smart TVs and 2016 and 2017 models of Samsung Smart TVs. The company has been rolling out the service to more devices since last year. With the $5 per month service, you can record up to 50 hours of TV shows and movies, record multiple programs at once and protect certain recordings from being deleted. There are some limitations to the service. You can't, for example, record live content on Disney and ESPN channels -- you can see the list of channels that can't be recorded here.
Hulu's live TV service is now available on LG smart TVs
Hulu continues to slowly roll its new UI and Live TV out following additions last fall on computers and game consoles. Now you can enjoy the streaming television service on most current LG WebOS Smart TVs, this year's Samsung Tizen Smart TVs and two more Roku devices.
Samsung's Smart TVs stream your Steam games with no extra hardware
You can now play PC games on your 4K Samsung Smart TV without having to buy a Steam Link device. Instead, just install the Steam Link app from the Samsung App Store and you're good to go.
Facebook is bringing gaming videos to the living room
Facebook is determined to become a destination for gaming videos, and that includes when you're lounging on the couch. It's adding a dedicated gaming tab to its TV app that will highlight videos from the games, developers, eSports teams and personalities you like on Facebook. If you want to catch a tournament highlight or a new game trailer, you won't have to pull out your phone or leave the living room.
Samsung will likely bring Chromecast-like functionality to its TVs
Samsung's Smart View app has let users pipe movies and photos on their device to a nearby TV for years, but the latest version's App Store page has screenshots suggesting it's expanding into the streaming market. Similar to Chromecast and Roku, this could funnel YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video straight to a screen, suggesting that users will be able to use the feature with its next generation of smart televisions and control it with their smartphones.
Samsung's 2017 TVs will keep track of your favorite sports teams
CES is nothing if not a show about TVs -- every year, Samsung, Sony, LG and many more parade out incremental upgrades meant to get us to open our wallets and upgrade our screens. In advance of next week's show, Samsung is announcing a piece of its strategy for the year: the company is planning three "Smart TV services" to help people find the all-important content they want to watch. The creatively-named services are "Sports," "Music" and "TV Plus" -- you can probably guess what types of content you'll find in each.
GameFly brings game streaming to Samsung smart TVs
Is it still soon for video game streaming services? Maybe. OnLive is gone and PlayStation Now has had a rocky launch, making GameFly's entrance all the more surprising. After launching on Amazon's Fire TV, the game rental company is bringing its new "GameFly Streaming" service to Samsung smart TVs in the US, Canada and eight new European markets. It means that with nothing but a controller and a stellar internet connection, you can turn on your TV and play some "AAA" console games. GameFly is pitching it as a "Netflix of Games," but the pricing model isn't quite that simple. Instead of a single fee, you'll have to choose one of its monthly bundles that come with a small smattering of pre-selected titles. The other problem is that, like many of its rivals, the games on offer aren't particularly fresh. To name but a few, there's Sleeping Dogs, Dirt 3 and Batman: Arkham Origins -- all good games, but nothing that'll be vying for Game of the Year 2015.
YouTube app will stop working on older smart TVs and iOS devices
If you own a smart TV or an iOS device that's getting a bit long in the tooth, you may need to do some upgrading this week if you want to continue using the YouTube app. Due to certain changes in the app's API, it'll no longer work on a number of models released in 2012 or earlier, including second-generation Apple TVs, Panasonic TVs, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players, as well as devices running Google TV versions 1 or 2. You'll know you're affected if a video showing the notice above plays upon firing up the app, though most models released in 2013 or later are safe.
ShopTV 't-commerce' app for Samsung Smart TVs peddles items seen on shows
Recovering shopaholics better steer clear of Delivery Agent's new app for Samsung Smart TVs -- if it actually does what the firm says, that is. It claims the inanely named ShopTV ties into a huge database of items and makes merchandise on the shows or commercials you're watching available for purchase. An update rolling out later this year will supposedly let you simultaneously watch and shop in an effort to empty your wallet (or worse, your life savings) even faster. If you're the type who goes gaga over HSN, we suggest installing some games to distract yourself from the temptation.
Blockbuster On Demand gives streaming a second chance, with odd limitations
Blockbuster hasn't had much success shifting from physical rentals to digital, even under Dish's wing. Nonetheless, it's betting that the umpteenth time's the charm with a relaunch of its Blockbuster On Demand streaming movie service. The revamp ticks many of the checkboxes for a modern by-the-title rental store with 1080p and 5.1-channel surround sound as well as apps for 2012 Samsung Smart TVs, Android and Roku 2 boxes. However, there's a number of curious choices, and we don't just mean the omission of a subscription model. It's missing an iOS app, emphasizes apps for desktop viewing and leaves no way to watch HD video on anything but a TV -- our mobile and PC screens have advanced in the past several years, Blockbuster. Idiosyncrasies notwithstanding, the rebirth presents more of a unified front than the one-time giant has offered in the past.
Seagate's Central debuts at CES, accesses your digital wares inside your home and out (video)
Seagate's Wireless Plus portable streaming hard drive isn't the only device the company is pulling the wraps off of at CES. The outfit has also announced Central: a robust shared storage / consumer NAS solution for your home that allows streaming to DLNA compatible devices and Samsung Smart TVs as well as computers and mobile devices. The same Seagate Media app that sorts your files on-the-go is at work here on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire to push content to your living display or view while you're on the road -- and to multiple users, too. Central also allows for automatic and continuous backup of connected computers with 2TB, 3TB and 4TB options that range in price from $189 to $259. If you're looking snag one for your casa, you'll have to wait until March. But don't fret, a closer look and a quick demo reside on the other side of the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Samsung Smart TVs getting Monopoly and The Game of Life as first two EA titles
Samsung Smart TVs can now boast more than just bird flinging in the games department, with EA today dipping its toe in the Samsung App store in the form of two major digital board games: Monopoly and The Game of Life. The games cost $10 a pop, and are controllable with your WiFi-enabled Samsung Galaxy SI, SII, and SIII mobiles -- you'll need to snag "mobile companion apps" for each game to enable controls, which adds some tilt sensor-based waggle (the apps are free). That brings the grand total of notable standalone games on Samsung's Smart TVs to three, but then there's always Gaikai support to tide you over as well, eh? And hey, we hear there's a new Nintendo machine on the way pretty soon, in case you wanna go down the rabbit hole even deeper.
Samsung 2012 Smart TVs get Amazon Instant Video streaming app, synchronicity with your Kindle Fire
Samsung just sweetened the streaming video pot for current and would-be owners of its modern Smart TVs. Viewers who've been craving Amazon Instant Video can download an app today to watch movies and TV shows through their 2012 set's internet link, in the event options for Blockbuster, Hulu Plus, Netflix and Vudu weren't already enough. It's not necessarily a cut-and-dried port, either -- Samsung is flaunting a redesigned interface tuned for big-screen distances and quick access to queuing, recommendations and captioning. Amazon junkies who wanted a larger canvas than their Kindle Fire HD now can't get much larger.
Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe
Europeans who have been pining for a(nother) way to bring Spotify into their living rooms can rest easy, now that Samsung is on the case. The pair have teamed up to bring 18 million tracks to Sammy's 2012 E-Series Smart TVs with a new app designed for the platform. The software will arrive later this year, with existing Premium users finding their playlists already syncing, while those new to the service will be offered a short free trial to coax them into signing up. If you've yet to make an investment in one of the displays, the company is also planning to add the functionality onto its Blu-Ray players and Home Theater systems in short order.
BFI to digitize 10,000 British films as part of Film Forever investment plan
The British Film Institute plans to digitize and provide easier access to 10,000 British flicks as part of a new £500 million (approximately $800 million) "Film Forever" initiative. In addition to driving growth in the UK industry by investing in education, filmmaking and the like, the institute wants to put a mixture of free and paid content on its website, YouTube and VoD services. A BFIPlayer app will be providing a similar service to Samsung Smart TVs, PCs and mobile devices. Cinemas, DVDs and TV channels will also play host to the films, selected for digital rebirth by a bunch of experts and in part, by the general public. And, in the spirit of digitization, full details of the ambitious Film Forever enterprise (slated to run from 2012-2017) are available in e-brochure format at the source link below.
Angry Birds with gesture controls collides with select Samsung Smart TVs
We first caught wind of Angry Birds' impending arrival on Samsung Smart TVs earlier this month, and now the war against pigs is available as a free download on some of the company's silver screens. Thanks to a built-in camera and the firm's Smart Interaction tech, which typically help users navigate menus and browse the web, gamers can smash through swine defenses using gesture controls. In order to download the app from the Samsung Smart Hub, you'll need a television in the Plasma 8000 range or a 2012 LED 7500 or higher. If your TV's not as intelligent as Samsung would like, however, the avian protagonists can already stage their skirmishes on your tube with a Roku, and come this holiday season, they'll be soaring on the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Samsung 75-inch ES9000 smart TV makes stateside debut: on sale in August for $9,999
The mammoth 75-inch ES9000 LED smart TV that Samsung recently unveiled for the Korean market is making its way stateside. Today the 3D-capable, LED-backlit set was on display in New York as part of the Sammy-sponsored SpaceFest marking the Space Shuttle Enterprise's arrival at the Intrepid. How smart TVs relate to Space Shuttle orbiters is beyond us, but the ES9000's US debut is welcome news for those with a massive living room to fill, and were disappointed after the ES8000 75-incher shown at CES and even given a price tag earlier this year failed to materialize. Detailed specs are currently MIA, but as we noted before in our hands-on, the 75-incher's bezel measures just 0.31 inches, and the frame sports a rose-gold finish. There's also a built-in web camera that retracts when not in use, and the TV comes with four pairs of 3D glasses. Being a smart TV, this guy also includes the full suite of Smart TV features, such as Smart Interaction for enabling gesture and voice controls and Smart Content for sharing media across several devices. Samsung also used today's occasion to introduce a new Angry Birds app for its smart TVs, which lets users play the game entirely with gesture controls. The app will be available for a free download later this month, and the ES9000 will go on sale in August for a super-sized price of $9.999. Check out the PR below for more info.
Angry Birds land on Samsung Smart TVs, wage war with gestures
If your contempt for green swine runs deeper then you can express on a smartphone, maybe its time you took the war to something bigger. How about a Samsung Smart TV? According to the firm's Flickr page, Rovio's Angry Birds are once again taking their war to your living room, and will be utilizing the platform's motion control features. Sounds like Sammy's Smart Interaction setup is good for a bit more than changing channels and browsing the web from your couch. Don't own a Smart TV? Sit tight, your Xbox and its fancy Kinect sensor will have their day on the battlefield soon enough.
