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Netflix made a game featuring some of its top shows
When Netflix isn't commissioning award-winning programming and movies, some members of its team dedicate some of their time to building fun little projects. We've already The Switch, a Netflix and Chill button that can automatically dim the lights, activate your phone's Do Not Disturb feature and prepare Netflix for the streaming ahead, but its latest proposition isn't about watching what it has to offer, it's all about gaming. Netflix Infinite Runner, as the name suggests, is an endless running game that features the most popular characters from four popular original shows: Narcos, Marco Polo, Orange is the New Black and Stranger Things.
What's on your HDTV: 'Shark Week,' 'Resident Evil 5,' 'Marco Polo'
It's Shark Week, again. If you're in any way familiar with Discovery's summer celebration of all things shark, then you know what to expect. There won't be any Alien Shark episodes this year, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. What i'm most excited to see are the second seasons of Syfy's series Killjoys and Dark Matter. Last year both of them debuted with surprisingly good first seasons, and hopefully they'll be even better the second time around. Gamers can enjoy a remastered version of Resident Evil 5 on Xbox One and PS4 plus new DLC for The Division, while Netflix is streaming season two of Marco Polo. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Netflix reportedly rolls out support for HDR streaming (updated)
Earlier this year, Netflix said its near-future plans focused on HDR streaming and creating more original content. And now, according to multiple reports, Netflix has quietly rolled out support for high dynamic range video. Although it hasn't made an official announcement, an executive at the company confirmed the feature earlier today. "We are indeed live with HDR. It works with compatible TVs, both in HDR10 and Dolby Vision," Yann Lafargue, Netflix's manager of corporate communications said to FlatpanelsHD.
What's on your HDTV: 'Marco Polo,' and 'Da Vinci's Demons'
Sure you're got your list of things to binge, but for a quicker meal Netflix has a one-hour special for you this week. Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes focuses on one character from the series, and should provide a quick hit of the action in between seasons. I'm also keeping an eye out for more episodes of The Expanse as it keeps airing on Syfy, everything up to episode four is available via streaming on video on-demand, and it gives a better idea of the show than just the first episode or two. The final episode for Starz' Da Vinci's Demons is also airing this week, while BBC America has a Doctor Who special. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
What's on your HDTV: 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'SoA' finale, 'Marco Polo'
After racking up $771 million at the box office, Guardians of the Galaxy is coming home. It's a little different from Marvel's other superhero collaborations with Disney, but no less satisfying. This is also the week that Sons of Anarchy comes to its conclusion, and for the last time series creator Kurt Sutter explains to us why he thinks the show he wrote is so great. The third highlight is Netflix's Marco Polo, which was formerly intended for Starz but is now coming direct to streaming. With a budget said to surpass any other show outside of Game of Thrones, we'll see if all that money leads to another hit for the service -- if you'd like a reminder when it goes live just check the embedded tweet after the break. That's not all Netflix is planning though, as Parks & Recreation's Nick Offerman will debut a new stand-up comedy special this week. Football fans can enjoy the brief break in college games by tuning in for Miami's second run as a 30 for 30 subject on Saturday night, gamers will dig into Bungie's The Dark Below expansion for Destiny, and movie fans can enjoy a Criterion Collection edition of Time Bandits. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Marco Polo: find your iPhone by shouting at it
If you're like me, you spend a fair amount of time looking for your iPhone. Did it fall between the couch cushions, or is it still in a pants pocket? Marco Polo (US$0.99) can solve that problem and find your iPhone in a jiffy. When you run the app it stays in the background listening for the phrase "Marco". When it hears that word, it responds "Polo". It's simple, and pretty effective. I tried Marco Polo around the house, first putting the phone on a dresser. That was an easy one -- I said "Marco" and the phone replied. I also put the iPhone under a couple of blankets, and that worked too. Then I put my iPhone in a drawer in the kitchen, and while the sound was muffled, I could hear it respond. Obviously, if I got too far away -- like two rooms away -- it wouldn't trigger. But I would be quite happy to shout out a couple of different "Marco's" to find my lost phone. There are some customization settings. You can type in another word besides "Marco" to use to trigger the response, but the phone will always say "Polo". The response voices can be customized too, which is a nice touch. The app doesn't require an Internet connection to work. There is an option to use the loudest volume your device is capable of when responding, even if your iPhone volume is set to its lowest setting. Marco Polo is tuned to North American English for now, but other dialects may be coming. The app is a nice alternative to Find My iPhone, because GPS just doesn't work that well (or at all) within a house. On the other hand, if you have no idea where your phone is outside the home, Marco Polo won't be helpful. Marco Polo runs on any iOS device, and by customizing the trigger phrase you can distinguish between, for example, an iPad and an iPhone. Some notifications may be silenced while Marco Polo is running; that's just the way Apple engineered iOS. Phone calls, calendar alerts and clock alarms will always get through. I don't have the tools for precise measurement, but I didn't see any significant drain on my battery while the app was running. My only suggestion for the developers is that once the phone says "Polo", it might be nice if it emitted a repeating tone to make it easier to pinpoint without having to go through the house yelling "Marco" over and over. Marco Polo is a creative application that works well. It requires iOS 7 or later and it is optimized for the iPhone 5.
Netflix plans season 3 of Lilyhammer, new show based on Marco Polo
Netflix's exclusive content push is rolling on, starting with news that Lilyhammer will return for a third season later this year. As usual Netflix hasn't released viewer numbers or statistics, but season two's eight episodes have apparently done well enough in a month to justify another go-round -- a good sign for the series that kicked off the service's focus on fresh content. This weekend, the streaming video service also netted its first Golden Globe Award as Robin Wright won for her part in House of Cards, and Netflix co-hosted an awards party with The Weinstein Company. The surprise however, is that the two had more to celebrate than their recent deal that will bring TWC movies exclusively to Netflix during their pay-TV window, starting in 2016. They're also working on a new TV series, focused on "the epic adventures of Marco Polo, a kinetic tale of high politics, masterful manipulation and deadly warfare among clashing empires." Due later this year, it joins other selections like HoC season two and Orange is the New Black season two on Netflix's slate of originals and will arrive at around the same time as the Wachowski-backed sci-fi series Sense8. As we've come to expect from such series, the nine-chapter Marco Polo production has a number of experienced names attached. That includes executive producer and creator John Fusco of Young Guns and Young Guns II fame, plus executive producer/director Dan Minahan, who not only carries credits from Game of Thrones and True Blood for HBO, but also wrote/directed one of our current Netflix streaming favorites, Series 7: The Contenders. Placed in 13th century China amid "a world replete with astonishing martial arts, sexual intrigue, political skullduggery and spectacular battles" this project is likely aimed directly towards fans of HBO's adult-themed hits and recent Starz history-based efforts like DaVinci's Demons and Spartacus.
Ask TUAW: Making contact sheets, adjusting multiple files' properties, using network locations, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about making photo contact sheets, adjusting properties for multiple files at the same time in the Finder, automatically managing settings based on location, changing the spell check language in iWork and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Robot targeting-intercepting system inspired by Marco Polo pool game
Engineers from Duke University and the University of New Mexico have just published the results of their most recent robotic escapades in the Journal on Control and Optimization. Silvia Ferrari and Rafael Fierro, leaders of the project, say that by applying the basic principles of the children's swimming game "Marco Polo" they have been able to advance robot's ability to both detect and intercept moving targets. By equipping robots with multiple types of camera sensors camera sensors which provide coverage of all the cells within the space the robot is able to more accurately predict where the moving target is at any given moment. The team sees all types of possible applications for robots equipped with the setup, but there's no real word on when we'll see any real life applications. [Via Gizmag]
Ask TUAW: Slowing MBP, iSyncing Verizon, DIY .Mac and more
This week we've got a wide variety of questions in Ask TUAW. We go from choosing hard drives, syncing iCal with Exchange, and troubleshooting a slow MacBook Pro to rolling your own .mac, a keyboard recommendation, finding an iSyncing Verizon phone and much more. As always, please leave your questions for next week in the comments.Now on to the show!
MarcoPolo: automatic location manager
We've previously mentioned locations managers like Location X ($20) and NetworkLocation ($15). These are tools that can change a variety of settings depending on your location (e.g. SMTP server, default printer, etc.). This is very convenient for mobile users moving between work and home, etc. MarcoPolo is a new entry in this category and adds a number of cool features that we haven't seen before, including "fuzzy logic" rules for setting the location based on matching a variety of different criteria (wifi network, IP address, etc.) and USB and Bluetooth support (as criteria). The USB detection is a great feature if, for instance, you have one model of mouse and/or keyboard at work, but use a different set a home.Best of all, MarcoPolo, unlike most of the other utilities, is open source and a free download.
