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Hulu's original TV shows for 2014 are a mix of new series, new seasons and foreign transplants
Competing video-streaming services have discovered that just like other TV options before them, original and exclusive content is one of the best ways to attract new viewers. As a result, each one is building up a warchest of shows, and Hulu's plan to double the amount of original content it has starts with this new lineup for 2014. This year's highlights include the return of original series like The Awesomes and East Los High plus a few new shows including a reality-TV parody called The Hotwives of Orlando and supernatural comedy Deadbeat. The Behind the Mask documentary series that goes deep into the lives of sports mascots will also return, while Hulu reaches overseas for dramas like the original Swedish version of The Bridge and several BBC collaborations. These shows are meant to compete with Netflix's hits and give viewers a reason to pick Hulu's partially ad-supported streams over Amazon Prime -- a service that's also picking up soon-after-broadcast TV and launching its own series. Will they be successful? We don't know yet, but you can see a preview trailer after the break.
Must See HDTV (July 8th - 14th)
After a long holiday weekend we have a few new things to look forward to including NCAA Football 14, season two of The Newsroom and the season premiere of Top Gear. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. The Bridge FX is debuting a new drama this week, as The Bridge follows cops from the US and Mexico on the trail of a serial killer. Similar to The Killing it's a remake of a foreign series, although that one featured Denmark and Sweden. Although AMC's show had its issues, after efforts like The Americans and Wilfred from FX we're willing to give this one a shot. (July 10th, FX, 10PM) Orange is the New Black Orange is the New Black debuts at 3:01 AM ET Thursday on Netflix in all regions, but it's already signed up for a second season on the streaming service. Fans of Showtime's Weeds may be looking forward to it the most, since both comedy-dramas were created by Jenji Kohan. Set in a women's prison, OITNB follows a new inmate sentenced to fifteen months for her part in moving drug money a decade earlier. We'll find out in a few days if Netflix has another hit on its hands, after that the next original series up should be Ricky Gervais' Derek.
Ableton, Serato announce 'The Bridge,' cause DJs to faint en masse
Ableton and Serato -- two of the biggest names in live music production -- have been working in stealth mode over the past year to create what they've been billing as "the future of digital DJing," and today that new product has been revealed as The Bridge. Basically, you've got a thin layer of software that sits between full versions of both Serato Live (or Itch) and Ableton Live that allows output from both products to flow into the other -- DJ sets can be imported into Ableton with full control over effect parameters, tempo, pitch, and so on, and Ableton instruments can sit inside a Serato session. It's an interesting advancement, and the way the companies are talking, this is just the first in a string of products of the partnership; the good news is that The Bridge will be free to owners of both products, but unfortunately there's no release date yet, so raves are going to have to soldier on using last year's technology for at least a while longer. Hang tight, we're told it's "coming soon."
Harman Kardon resets its AV receiver line with AVR 1600, 2600 and 3600 models
The namesake brand at Harman International has introduced its new 2009 AVR lineup, making 3 out of the 4 AVRs on the company website shiny and new -- the AVR 1600, AVR 2600 and AVR 3600 (pictured, but trust us, they look almost identical). All three models are armed with lossless Blu-ray audio codec support which are now -- thankfully -- de rigeur, but the real emphasis is on connectivity and features. The living room is the new battleground, and even receivers have to fight for a place amongst the videogame consoles and set-top boxes. Taking top billing, the AVR 3600 includes second zone support and a pcked-in The Bridge III iPod/iPhone dock -- with a capital "T" and Roman numerals -- that can pull HD video right off the ubiquitous devices and put them up on the big screen. H/K put out the first receiver with Dolby Volume, and the company is standing by the feature by putting it into the 2600 and 3600 models, which also get a graphical UI in keeping with the convenience theme. Sorry, 1600 owners will have to make like everything's a foreign film and read the text. Full details and pricing after the break.
