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Gracenote launches ACR TV recognition, HABU mood-based music curation
It's that pop song again -- you know, the one that forces you to flip the radio to anything else. But still, you're dying to know what it's called, if only to avoid hearing it ever again. Boom Boom? Heartbeat? Shazam! Super Bass, by Nicki Minaj. If you haven't used Shazam, chances are you know someone that does, and often. Gracenote's new Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology takes that same concept and applies it to TV shows and movies, and it's coming soon to a smartphone or tablet near you. A yet-to-be-named app will let your device "listen" to whatever you're watching, identifying TV shows and movies based on dialogue or the soundtrack, then displaying a variety of info about whatever's on screen. Gracenote is also expanding its audio offerings, showing off both HABU and MoodGrid, which are mood-based music curation services for mobile devices and in-car systems, respectively. Software groups songs based on emotional themes, then plays them back depending on your selected mood. Happy? Sad? Intrigued? We'll need to wait until CES for the full scoop from Gracenote.%Gallery-142212%
Netflix snags classic BBC shows in UK deal
Netflix's British charm offensive continues, in preparation for its launch in there early next year. The latest signing is with BBC Worldwide and offers up classic BBC shows like Torchwood, Spooks and Fawlty Towers in return for an undisclosed sum deposited into the public broadcaster's coffers. The license only covers streaming rights to viewers in the UK and Ireland, but Netflix US already has some of the BBC's back catalog and iPlayer should hopefully bring fresher material our way soon. PR after the break.
Apple TV updates bring streaming TV purchases to Australia, Canada and the UK
There's good news for our Apple TV-owning mates in Australia, Canada, and the UK. A new software update was sent to Apple TVs in those countries, and TV shows are now available for purchase and download on the device. These are actual purchases, not rentals. You purchase the episodes or a season, and the content is then streamed from iCloud for your viewing pleasure. Want to watch that one special episode of Fringe over and over again? No problem. According to readers, the episode downloads cost anywhere from "free" to CAD$2.49 (AUD$2.99). This is a new source of content for Apple TV owners in these other primarily English-speaking countries. To get the update, turn on your Apple TV and it should show that an update is available for download and installation. The other method that works is to go to Settings > General > Update to check for the new software.
Hulu 'Face Match' feature attaches an actor's entire history to their mug
It seems like facial recognition is popping up everywhere these days, and now it's even on Hulu. We last checked in with Hulu Labs when it launched a ten-foot UI for PC viewers, and now it's back putting clickable squares on every actor's face that immediately pull up their background info, as seen above. So far, the feature is only set up for a few episodes of Glee, The Office, Wilfred, Modern Family and Lost, and it's completely optional, look for a newer show and punch the settings button to turn it on. It pulls info from Wikipedia, lists some of the actor's biggest roles and even links to Facebook and Twitter accounts in some cases. While its easy to use, on a PC it feels a bit like overkill (with IMDB and Google always a click away how much time are we saving?) but it worked effectively in the episode of The Office we watched -- US residents can take a peek at it embedded after the break.
Verizon's My FiOS app puts your entire living room under one Android roof
Leaving home is hard, especially when you've got a backlog of on-demand movies and TV shows staring at you with big puppy dog eyes. Fortunately, however, Verizon has now come out with My FiOS -- a new app for Android users that promises to keep you constantly connected to all your home entertainment systems, and more. Released yesterday, this app allows users to remotely access movies, Flex View TV shows and home automation and monitoring systems directly from their handsets, while managing their accounts and billing via the provider's built-in customer service tools. Verizon clients can also use My FiOS to control their TVs, DVR players or home phones, and can even access some content straight from their devices. For now, the app is only available on Android 2.1 or above, though Verizon says an iOS version should hit the market "before year-end." Skim past the break for more information in the full PR, or hit up the source link below to download My FiOS for yourself.
Hulu may not sell after all, bidding drama continues
Hulu has been dressed in its Sunday best for some time now hoping to attract potential buyers -- but according to Reuters, a slew of speed bumps have slowed down the process and may even kill all hopes of selling the service. According to sources, the first bump in the road can be attributed to Hulu's owners -- News Corp., Disney, NBC Universal and Providence Equity Partners -- who may not all be on the same page when it comes to selling the service. Without a unified front, it's been hard for the company to find an acceptable offer from the likes of Google, Amazon, DirecTV and Dish Network, who have all talked about bidding between $500 million to $2 billion. As the service awaits a new round of bids next week, it's been said that the major players involved have (unsurprisingly) agreed to reject any lowball offers. Despite a growing numbers of subscribers, it's entirely uncertain whether anyone will step in to clean up the company's hot mess -- we're sure the drama would make for a perfect Hulu Plus exclusive, though.
Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service
Apple has pulled the plug on TV episode rentals via iTunes, abruptly leaving customers with only the option of purchasing per episode -- good thing you can watch those on your Apple TV streamed from the cloud -- or a Season Pass where available. AllThingsD has a quote from spokesman Tom Neumayr indicating this was in response to customers that "overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows." Making the timing of the move particularly curious are once-again renewed rumors of an Apple HDTV and a WSJ profile of new CEO Tim Cook that indicates the company is "working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service." Like Google, any move depends on its success in negotiating a new delivery model from the networks, who so far have been averse to anything that threatens their existing relationship with pay-TV providers. It appears 99-cent rentals didn't move the needle, so we'll wait and see what the folks from Cupertino have up their sleeve next. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple pulls 99-cent iTunes TV show rentals
Apple has pulled all US$0.99 TV show rentals from the iTunes Store and Apple TV. As first noticed by AppleInsider, all mention of TV show rentals has also disappeared from Apple's knowledge-base articles. One titled "iTunes Store: How to rent TV shows" has been completely removed, though you can view a cached version of it here. Apple's Apple TV page has also been updated, removing all mention of TV rentals. An Apple spokesperson confirmed to All Things D the reason: iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows. iTunes in the Cloud lets customers download and watch their past TV purchases from their iOS devices, Apple TV, Mac or PC allowing them to enjoy their programming whenever and however they choose. When Apple announced TV rentals last year Fox, ABC, the Disney Channel and BBC America were the first to offer them. However other media companies including NBC, Time Warner, and CBS were reticent at the time. I think $0.99 is a great price for TV shows, but not to rent -- to own. A few days ago I tweeted that the day Apple and the studios start selling HD versions of TV shows through iTunes for $0.99 is the day I leave my cable company behind. Besides, it's kind of ridiculous that I can buy a high definition season of a TV show on Blu-ray for $25, but the same season would cost me $50 to own through iTunes. As my colleague Chris succinctly put it, "Dear media: what do you have against making money? Sell TV shows for $0.99, and people will buy five times as many as they do now at $1.99. My math may be a bit off, but this sounds a lot like MOAR REVENUE. Dipsticks." Whatever Apple and the networks choose to do in the future, the days of the $0.99 TV show rental on iTunes and the Apple TV is over, for now. And that leaves Apple's "hobby" with one less feature. Rumors have been floating around for a while now about a new Apple TV this fall. Some think it will actually be an Apple-branded television set, some say it will be an Apple TV that supports 1080p. As usual, we won't know for sure until they send out the invites.
HBO adds HD programming to iTunes
HBO has finally started to offer some of its shows in HD in the iTunes store. As first noted by MacRumors, HBO shows that are now available in HD (in the US and Canada) are: Big Love, Bored to Death, Carnivale, Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 7), Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Entourage (Seasons 3–7), Flight of the Conchords (Season 2), The Life & Times of Tim, Hung, Rome, Six Feet Under (Seasons 3–5), The Sopranos, and True Blood. As is typical with HD offerings, most of the HD versions of the HBO shows cost US$3.99 per episode, though some HD episodes can be had for only $2.99. There's no word yet on an international rollout of HBO shows in HD. If our international readers see any HBO HD programming in their respective iTunes Store, please let us know in the comments!
HTML5 game running on Apple TV
The Apple TV 2 could become a new platform for playing HTML5-based games and applications. A hacker installed the Couch Surfer browser on a jailbroken Apple TV and used it to play an HTML5 version of BlackJack. The game is rudimentary, but it's a sign that the Apple TV is capable of more than just TV shows and movies. Circulating rumors suggest Apple may open up the Apple TV and add support for the App Store in a future firmware update or possibly a future model. Until that happens, these HTML5 apps could be an easy way for users to get their application fix. [Via TechCrunch]
Apple reportedly readying Replay service for streaming iTunes purchase history
According to AppAdvice, Apple may be prepping a new re-downloading and streaming service called iTunes Replay. The service would let you re-download select movies and TV shows from iTunes and stream that content to a variety of iOS devices. The Replay service will supposedly let you access shows that you purchased as for back as 2009 and will stream them to your Apple TV and iOS devices. Similar to Amazon Unbox, the number of downloads may vary from clip to clip and may be limited in number. This isn't the first time we've encountered this rumor; bits and pieces of it have been floating around since 2009. The only difference now is that with iCloud, Apple may have the underlying infrastructure in place to host such a streaming service.
Apple TV streams purchased TV shows -- not just rentals -- from the cloud after update
Don't think Apple's forgotten about its little hobby, as the second generation Apple TV is getting an update today that lets users buy TV shows and stream them (in high definition) directly to the device, with the additional bonus of streaming access to previously purchased shows. That brings a new feeling of permanence -- already available from others like Zune and Vudu -- to the cloud atmosphere around Apple's hockey puck, but it also means being $2.99 invested in rewatching that episode of Leverage down the road instead of opting for a 99-cent rental. The other new feature listed for this update is access to the streaming site Vimeo, but since the official support site is still only listing info for the 4.2.2 version posted in May, any other details are unknown so far. Update: The official notes for v4.3 are on the support page now, and yep, that's all there is.
HP Movie Store arrives on the TouchPad, cup-holder accessory to follow?
HP had us slightly worried at the crude-looking beta release of the Play music platform, but its new Movie Store app for TouchPad owners looks reassuringly polished and gleaming. The Roxio-powered service offers movie purchases from $9.95 and rentals from $2.99, as well as a fair selection of TV shows for $1.99 per episode. Meanwhile, Amazon's beta Kindle app for the TouchPad also launched earlier this week, so things are certainly ticking along. We just hope HP hasn't forgotten about that promised document-editing function -- some people want to create as well as consume.
Our Netflix queue is suddenly out of order, is yours?
It was pointed out to Hacking Netflix and we're noticing it too, in the last few days a large portion of our Netflix streaming queue has relocated from somewhere in the middle to the end, and new additions suddenly appear in the middle instead of the end like they did before. Something else we've recently noticed in those new HTML5 interfaces Netflix is rolling out to most devices is a "new episodes" tag (as seen above) that helps viewers know when to check out their favorite shows for some new viewing selections. This is far from the first time we've noticed someone playing musical chairs in our queues but there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason. Let us know if you're seeing any weird behavior / new features lately and maybe we can figure out what's going on.
Netflix is in your queues, rearranging your TV shows
If you've noticed TV shows being bumped around in your Netflix queue, that's likely due to its continued reordering and combining of several seasons under one title. While this does streamline the queueing process and makes them easier to sort through on the website, there are drawbacks like trying to pick through 100+ episodes of The Office on your streaming device of choice, and the inability to rate seasons individually (it's not our fault things fell off after Jim & Pam got married.) Hopefully there's UI updates on the way to take care of the first issue, we'll have to wait and see who replaces Michael before coming to a resolution on the second.
Will Warner release Friends Season 1 on Blu-ray this year?
One of the first big Blu-ray rumors of 2011 is this one from Zona DVD that suggests Warner will bring release season 1 of Friends on Blu-ray this year. TV2 in New Zealand apparently started the show reformatted in widescreen HD last month, and this release would be the same using the original shots, just like the remastered episodes of Seinfeld currently in syndication. After those two and the digitally-available episodes of The West Wing any other shows that just missed the switch to high definition that you'd like to see get freshened up and re-released?
Boxee names Viewster as first global VOD provider, still no word on Netflix
It looks like Boxee may be punting its deadline for Netflix integration again, but it did throw global users a small bone via a new partnership with Viewster to add "premium VOD content." If the Viewster brand doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, we didn't know much about it either. A little sleuthing on its parent company site, though, revealed the service provides access to hit movies and TV shows (some in 720p), as well as day-and-date releases and ad-supported content "wherever possible." The site also boasts the library has 5,000 plus titles, licensed from over 100 suppliers like iTunes, Hulu, Sony, and ironically Netflix -- but that includes short content clips too. Naturally, we wanted to check out available titles for ourselves, but quickly learned that the library can only be browsed on Viewster-compatible devices after registering and providing payment details upfront, which set our scheme sensors a ringin'. Specifics on when Viewster access will appear on Boxee or what pricing will be like is also unknown, so for now feel free to join us in being vaguely underwhelmed after reading the full PR below. [Thanks, PJ]
Networks hoping video on demand will save them from DVR woes
We've all gloated in delight from mashing the fast forward button through ExtenZe ads on DVRed shows, but according to CBS's chief research officer David Poltrack in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, networks and advertisers hope VOD will soon put the brakes on our hell-raising remotes. Sure, the actual impact of DVRs on advertising may still be unclear -- remember Oliver Wyman found 85 percent of DVR owners skip 3/4 of commercials in recorded shows, while Duke researchers found 95 percent of TV is watched live -- making the devices a non-issue. The way Poltrack sees it though, more prevalent VOD will "give the consumer the ability to watch shows any way they want to, and to do so in a way that is much more advertiser-friendly." He also mentions the potential cost-saving benefits for consumers, who may not need to cough up monthly DVR fees in the future just to view The Jersey Shore whenevs. As support, he cites convenient CBS research showing that 90 percent of consumers would be willing to deal with commercials in exchange for $10 in cable bill savings. But what do you say Engadget research subjects? Would you sacrifice the joy of the commercial skip if VOD had everything you could possibly want to watch? Let us know in comments below.
Apple reportedly in talks with networks for 99 cent TV show rentals
We've already heard rumors that Apple was working to convince networks to offer 99 cent TV show rentals on iTunes -- and possibly on a forthcoming Apple TV / iTV as well -- and it looks like things might now be starting to firm up a bit. According to Bloomberg, "three people familiar with the plan" say that Apple is now in "advanced talks" with News Corp about offering Fox TV show rentals for 99 cents apiece, and it's reportedly talking with CBS and ABC-parent company Disney as well, although the state of those talks apparently aren't as clear. No mention of streaming-only episodes this time around, but those same people familiar with the matter do say that the episodes would only be viewable for 48 hours.
Popular TV shows disappearing from Netflix streaming queues? - Update: Fixed
And not just things that should go, like season 2 and on from Heroes. We're getting reports (and have noticed in our own queues) that things like 30 Rock, Lost, The Office, Prison Break, MI-5 and pretty much any other show we'd like to watch have dropped from available for streaming over Watch Instantly to coming soon or unknown. Searching the website intermittently showed them available, and then they disappeared completely -- including any options for Blu-ray and DVD rental -- which would appear to indicate this is just an extension of severe problems it's been experiencing since yesterday, reported by Hacking Netflix. The pessimists in the crowd have floated the possibility that licensing issues, potentially due to some premium Hulu service on the way, are the villains in this case of the vanishing videos. We're not so sure that's the case and have reached out to Netflix to find out what's going on, but any plans to check out Liz Lemon and the crew this afternoon are ruined -- you may have to actually get some work done. Update: The @NetflixHelps twitter account has posted this is a "purely technical" issue that it's currently working to resolve so put your worries aside, explaining the sudden burst of productivity to your boss will be difficult enough. Update 2: The same account now reports things have returned to normal, and a quick glance at our queue appears to confirm it. Consider the weekend begun. [Thanks to Owen, everyone who sent this in]
