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Movies Anywhere lets you create watch parties with up to nine guests
Movies Anywhere is unveiling a new 'Watch Together' feature that lets you watch films remotely with up to nine friends.
Arrested Development commandeers game consoles in Netflix premiere
More than half of Xbox users watching Netflix this past Sunday were streaming the new season of Arrested Development, according to a report from bandwidth management firm Procera published by Mashable. The return of the long-awaited fan favorite not only claimed up to 36 percent of Netflix's traffic on some networks, but created increases in Netflix watching in general by as much as 10 percent, with the Xbox 360 and the PS3 leading the charge on devices used to stream Netflix video. Video game consoles have been major Netflix viewing devices, and Arrested Development's premiere made that tie even clearer. Just over 40 percent of all PS3 users watching Netflix on Sunday were watching the Bluths; just over 20 percent of iPad users were in that crowd as well. Additionally, about ten to fifteen percent of all Netflix viewers, says Procera, went on a binge, finishing off all 15 episodes by Monday morning. Watching all of those intricately laid jokes all mushed together in one late-night run? Sounds like a huge mistake.
Free Pokemon TV app wants to be the very best, like no one ever was
I'll admit it: I may have just written this post for the headline. But an official app from Nintendo's huge pet-hunting franchise is always news, and a free app like this might be just the thing to keep your kids busy for cheap while they're playing with the iPhone or iPad on a long car ride. Yes, a new Pokemon TV app has arrived in the App Store, and it will allow you to, for free, stream up to fifty different Pokemon episodes, and even a few movies from the huge franchise. There are more than 700 episodes out there, and the app is scheduled to update available episodes weekly, so every week your little viewer (or you, if you happen to be a Pokemon fan) can dial in and check out some brand-new content.The movies are in rotation as well (Pokemon the Movie will be streaming during the second half of this week), and there are even new animated shorts to see, including the upcoming Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade. This seems like a must-have for any Pokemon show fans, and as I said, it could come in handy for some free, family-friendly entertainment among the younger bunch. Just check back every week for new content, and eventually you'll, you know, catch 'em all.
Slingbox rolls out two new units that stream to Mac or iOS
You might have forgotten about the Slingbox service if you're not using it. The company hasn't updated its hardware in over four years. But that's not the case anymore. Today, Slingbox introduced two new boxes, the Slingbox 350 and the 500, which let you stream video from your TV to any number of connected devices, including your Mac, your iPhone or your iPad. Both devices stream in HD quality, and the 500 model also includes a WiFi connection, an HDMI hookup and a new service called SlingProjector, which allows content to go the other way, streaming from your devices onto the TV. The Slingbox 350 is available now for US$179.99, and the Slingbox 500 is listed at $299.99. In addition to the new devices, Slingbox has rolled out brand new versions of both Slingplayer for iPhone and Slingplayer for iPad (the apps that hook up to content from the set-top boxes), and both have been discounted by 50 percent from the usual price, to $14.99. That's a little pricey just for the technology to stream video (especially since there are so many other ways to get video on your iOS device), but if there's a TV show not available online that you absolutely can't miss, Slingbox is the best way to do that.
Avengers Blu Ray release getting companion iOS app
The Avengers, after rocking movie theaters around the country, is headed to a Blu Ray release. Marvel Studios is trying something interesting with the presentation: The company will be releasing an iOS app designed to be used along with the movie itself. The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen App will feature new information on the movie, its characters and production crew, and even interactive comics and other video content designed to work with the film itself. The app will be updated with new content every other week at first, and then weekly leading up to the release itself. "Second screen" viewing is a growing trend in mobile tablets. It doesn't sound like this app will specifically interact with the movie while you're watching it, but it's definitely meant to be used while watching, and there are technologies around and on the way to make that type of multiple-interaction viewing happen. The Avengers broke all kinds of records at the box office, and that makes it an ideal candidate to tie in to a relatively new tech trend like this. The Blu Ray disc should be out on September 25, with the app coming sometime this month.
iOS app Viggle trying to turn second screen TV watching into cold, hard cash
I've posted about the "second screen" idea before -- there is a growing trend among iOS and other mobile device users to both watch television or play games, and have their tablets or iPhones open and running apps related to that TV or gaming content, essentially using two screens at the same time. Viggle is another new app that is apparently going after that user, according to this article in the Denver Post, but with a new twist: They want to allow users to earn money by watching television. As you might imagine, the math doesn't quite work out yet; at Viggle's current rates, you'd need to watch a few days worth of television to earn just one $5 gift card. But Viggle's real potential is in the "check-in" aspect -- the app is also working on ways for users to "check-in" to the TV shows they're watching, and participate in promotions like earning a certain bonus for watching a certain show, or more bonuses for various ads. Now, Viggle's method of going about this seems a little shifty (you earn points that can be redeemed for deals), but I could definitely see a company working along these lines and creating sort of a Foursquare for media -- checking in whenever you happen to be watching or listening to something, and getting associated badges, deals, or whatever other offers on display for doing so. In fact, some apps like Dijit are aggressively pursuing a more social viewing experience. Viggle isn't quite out yet, and we'll have to watch and see how it does, but there's definitely lots of potential in the realm of apps that work in conjunction with and support the consumption of other media.
Nielsen's 2011 media usage report: conventional TV still rules, but online viewing is skyrocketing
2011's come and gone, but Nielsen's media report on the year remains. The latest figures from the year that was have been published, and conventional television is still riding a wave of popularity. We're told that 290 million Statesiders are still ogling at least one television, with around one in three American homes (35.9 million for the mathematicians) owning four or more of the things. Across the wire, some 211 million Americans are online, with a staggering 116 million aged 13 and up accessing the mobile web. Other figures include 253 million DVD players owned, 162 million game consoles, 129 million DVRs and 95 million satellite subscribers. There's also some 111 million people watching timeshifted programming, and Netflix itself has four times the average viewing time per person, per month compared to the boob tube. Concerned about mobile? Android's US market share (again, according to Nielsen) is pegged at 43 percent, while the iPhone has 28 percent and RIM's BlackBerry OS claims 18 percent. Hit up the links below for more charts, numbers and things that your grandmother couldn't possibly care less about.
Analyst: More HDTV owners getting a steady diet of high definition for every day viewing
Last seen belatedly dubbing HDTV "game changing" for 2008, analytical firm Knowledge Networks is back with its latest breaking observation, finding owners are 65% more likely now than they were two years ago to say they are watching HD programming daily. Up from 26% in an '07 survey to 43%, we sadly noted that amount of people that always check for the high definition feed instead of SD rose only slightly from 61% to 68% among the 510 surveyed. Seeing fair and balanced numbers on the appeal of stretch-o-vision (we already know how you feel about it) would have been nice, but check the press release to see the stats networks and advertisers are probably checking before deciding to spring for HD specifically broken down across genre and gender.
Poll: Due to HD, have you tuned into the Olympics more?
One masochist notwithstanding, we're pretty sure you haven't sat down for days straight to watch the Summer Games from Beijing, but we're wondering if the superabundance of high-def Olympics programming has changed your perspective on the entire spectacle. Here at Engadget HQ, we've found ourselves captivated by more Olympics footage in the first week than we can ever remember in Games' past, and there's no question that having the events in high-definition caused us to keep flipping back. Is the same phenomenon happening at your house? Are you inexplicably anxious to come home and check out some of the world's greatest athletes in beautiful high-def? Tell us how the HD onslaught has affected your Olympics viewing (if at all).[Image courtesy of Yahoo! Sports] %Poll-18174%
Masochist sits through 24 straight hours of Olympics, writes about it
Just because there are 3,600 hours of Olympics coverage being beamed out in one form or another this year doesn't mean you actually need to watch all 3,600 of them. For one particular pain lover, however, he consumed 24 straight, and thankfully, he had the decency to write about it. Starting at midnight ET on August 12th, he flipped on NBC just in time to catch Alexander Artemev save the bronze for the US in men's gymnastics. 24 hours later, he watched the women's team disappointingly snag a silver in the same sport. Nearly every minute in between is chronicled in the read link below -- seriously, this is a read you can't afford to miss.
Firefox-Mac-PDF allows in-line PDFs for Firefox
If you switched to Firefox from another browser like Safari that supports in-line PDF viewing (that's the ablity to look at a PDF in the browser instead of downloading it), then you might have been disheartened to learn that Firefox does not support this feature natively. However, you will find Firefox-Mac-PDF to be a useful plug-in. Firefox-Mac-PDF allows for the same in-line PDF viewing that can be found in Safari. This plug-in requires Firefox 3 and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or higher. You can download the plug-in for free from their Google Code page.To install the plug-in, just open the Add-ons panel by going to Tools > Add-ons. Once there, drag the downloaded ".xpi" file to the Add-ons. You will be asked if you wish to install the plug-in. Once you restart Firefox you'll be able to view all PDFs right within Firefox. [via Lifehacker]
Poll: Do you still watch SD programming?
With just south of a hundred HD channels on carriers like DirecTV, and even dozens on the average cable operator, one may wonder if there's even a reason for turning to an SD station anymore. Here at the Engadget HD lair, there's only a few programs still shot and delivered in standard-def that we catch ourselves watching, but we'll admit, it's been an awful long time since SD programming consumed more than 10-percent or so of our viewing. Not too tough a question for you this week: do you still find yourself flipping to SD networks with the growing amount of HD content out there? If so, how much? And be honest -- is it solely due to your wife's obsession with America's Next Top Model?[Image courtesy of Rickey] %Poll-14248%
Ask Engadget HD: When does contrast ratio fail to matter on an LCD?
After taking a look at the realities (or lack thereof) of dynamic contrast, reader caveman posed a question that we found quite intriguing. There's little doubt that higher actual contrast ratios on televisions generally lead to sharper blacks and better overall image quality, but where does a number stop becoming a factor of importance and start becoming an overpriced bragging right? In his own Neanderthalian words: "I'm looking to buy an LCD TV soon and was wondering how much of a difference contrast ratio made? Where does the cutoff occur where a higher ratio just isn't worth the increased cost?" Yeah, we know stipulations around set placement, surroundings, etc. all come into play here, but why not give Mr. caveman a glimpse into your own experiences? Have you moved from a low contrast set to a high and seen a noticeable improvement? Have you watched your buddy's G Platform plasma and walked away unimpressed? What's your take on the matter?Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Look out, parents: kids determining what's watched on VOD
While carriers and broadcasters seem to be on a mission to deliver video-on-demand content that hard-working adults can view on their own schedules, it could be all for naught. According to new research gathered by Verizon, it's the youngsters who are generally controlling what's watched via VOD. Granted, the release suggests that it's the busy parents turning to VOD for more family friendly programming, but we all know who's pushing the buttons at the end of the day. Last month, for instance, the top ten free VOD titles watched on FiOS TV were shows specifically aimed at kids, and considering the convenience and inexpensiveness (can't beat gratis, eh?), we suppose we aren't too surprised to hear of parents choosing VOD to satisfy demands for Dora the Explorer 24/7. Still, we'd love to see a similar report using viewer data from all carriers of VOD -- surely the rug-rats aren't dominating the tube everywhere, right?
Prototype display adjusts pixels for your viewing (angle) pleasure
We've certainly seen displays that look right back at you for interactive purposes, but a new system developed by Wayne Cheng and Chih-Nan Wu at the Photonics and Display Institute, National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan could enable the LCD to alter itself based on your viewing location. The researchers have devised a solution in which a camera tracks the eyes of the onlooker and subsequently uses software to adjust the "orientation of liquid crystals in the display and the power fed to light-emitting diodes behind each." The result is an image that remains clear and sharp regardless of how you're looking at the screen, and while the developers admit that it can only respond to one set of eyes at a time, they're hoping that "doctors and surgeons who use LCDs to view scans or X-rays" would be among the first to benefit.
