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Netflix and Disney cancel 'Daredevil' too
Last month Netflix announced two of the "Defenders" series it produces with Marvel and Netflix had come to an end, and now it's pulling the plug on Daredevil too. Season three debuted just a few weeks ago starring Charlie Cox as the blind hero protecting Hell's Kitchen, but that's it -- for now. In a statement, Netflix said "We're thankful to our partners at Marvel, showrunner Erik Oleson, the show's writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we're grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years. While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel." As Disney has ramped up development on its Disney+ service, the two sides haven't been able to come up with agreements to continue these series any longer. Still, there's a possibility Disney could turn around and introduce something for its network now. Meanwhile, Netflix is spending money in other areas, although once Disney+ launches in 2019 it will be interesting to see how it responds. Daredevil was the first Marvel/Netflix show to hit the service in 2015, and now only Jessica Jones and The Punisher are left. Hopefully we have a few more hallway fight scenes ahead of us before a (seemingly) inevitable end comes to them too.
Hulu Live TV adds a few channels from Discovery
Starting today, Hulu Live TV subscribers will have access to Discovery networks. The channels, spread across a variety of packages available on the live streaming service, include Discovery, TLC, MotorTrend, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery (ID). The prices on the bundles featuring the new channels won't change.
The tiny synth craze has gotten out of hand
Calculator watch fans rejoice: there's a new contraption that makes your wrist wear a little more useful. Audioweld has made what it claims is the first synthesizer watch -- which is appropriately named Synthwatch. The husky contraption offers a set of seven keys for capturing tunes via a companion app for iOS and Android. With that software, you can control recording, access a sequencer and tap into a bank of 200 sounds. Of course, tiny instrument works on its own too, and you don't need to have your phone out to use it.
YouTube expands its Instagram-style Stories to more creators
YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-style Stories feature to more creators starting today, according to a report from The Verge. The latest expansion of the feature, which YouTube first started testing last year, will allow creators with more than 10,000 subscribers to post the temporary videos.
Google's minty Home Mini arrives after month-long delay
Now that the Home Hub is widely available, Google is releasing its other smart speaker update this year: namely, that Aqua Home Mini it was supposed to ship in late October (yes, roughly a month ago). The minty-colored puck costs the same $49 as other Minis and doesn't offer any functional advantages, but it might be just the ticket if Coral clashes with your living room or you want to coordinate with an Aqua-tinted Home Hub.
Sinemia brings back debit cards following complaints over fees
As MoviePass began to flounder amid mounting money woes, changing its model every few weeks and introducing new restrictions like surge pricing and limits on what films customers could see on any given day, rival Sinemia began to turn some heads. It offered a number of different plans, as opposed to MoviePass' one, and while it cost a little bit more, the company claimed its model supported stability, something that MoviePass customers no longer had. It even began to offer an unlimited plan just after MoviePass disbanded its own. But over the past few months Sinemia customers have begun to complain about the service's fees, discontent that even led to a lawsuit. Now, Sinemia is making some changes that will give users the option of purchasing tickets without fees.
Plex now bundles Tidal's high-quality music streaming service
Going beyond your personal library of tunes, Plex is now offering access to high-quality music streaming service Tidal. Those willing to fork out $9.99 per month (or $8.99 for paying Plex Pass subscribers) will see Tidal's music catalog of 60 million tracks and 240,000 music videos available alongside their own Plex media files. Plex and Tidal are also seamlessly integrating their recommendation and discovery features, so you'll be shown new and old tracks, and albums, you may have missed.
'Console Wars' novel is being developed into a TV series
Console Wars, the non-fiction novel by Blake J. Harris on Nintendo and Sega's rivalry throughout the 1990s, is in development as a limited TV series, Deadline reports. It will be produced by Legendary Television, behind the upcoming Netflix series Lost in Space, and Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures. There's no word yet on whether it will air on a network or streaming platform.
Disney introduces Star Wars to kids with a series of animated shorts
If you've wanted to bring your kids into the world of Star Wars but weren't entirely sure if they were ready for the movies, Disney's upcoming animated shorts might be your answer. On November 30th, the company will debut six animated shorts on StarWarsKids.com as well as a new Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, with the goal being to introduce younger audiences to Star Wars stories. More shorts are set to follow in December and throughout 2019. Collectively called Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, the shorts will pair new animation and scenes with dialogue, music and sound effects from the original films.
A closer look at DJI's Osmo Pocket camera
DJI has become known for offering some of the best gimbal setups for video creators, and its latest product is quite promising. The new Osmo Pocket, which leaked earlier today, is a 12-megapixel camera that can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. And, as its name suggests, one of its main traits is that it's small enough to fit in your pocket -- so long as your jeans aren't too skinny. It weighs a mere 119 grams (or about four ounces), has 3-axis mechanical stabilization and a 140-minute battery life (at 4K 30p).
Sling adds Discovery, Science to its lineup
Sling TV's line up of available channels is getting bigger. The streaming TV service is adding nine new channels from Discovery Networks that offer live and on-demand content, including the flagship Discovery Channel and MotorTrend. The best news for Sling subscribers: some of the channels will be added to your package for free.
Netflix is making a live-action 'Cowboy Bebop' series
Continuing on an apparent quest to secure the loyalty of classic anime fans, Netflix is following up yesterday's Evangelion news by acquiring a new version of Cowboy Bebop. This time it's doing the noir-ish bounty hunter series set in space as a live action TV show, and has commissioned 10 episodes that will be co-produced with Tomorrow Studios. We don't know a lot about the show yet, but the director of the anime series, Shinichiro Watanabe is listed as a consultant. The original anime series ran for 26 episodes, with a movie that arrived later. Netflix has tried its hand at live-action anime adaptations before, with Death Note, and we'd hope that experience leads to a better result with efforts like this one and its Avatar: The Last Airbender series. Marty Adelstein, the CEO of Tomorrow Studios is listed as an executive producer, and is also working on TV series versions of Snowpiercer and Hannah. It had announced development of the show back in June, and as the company said then, Chris Yost (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok and Max Steel) will write the first episode, and Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, Helix) has confirmed he's writing for it as well.
LG starts teasing 2019's OLED TVs
It must be close to CES time, because once again LG is talking about next year's TVs. In a post touting the Alpha processors that drive its various displays, it revealed that in 2019 its high-end OLED screens will include the Alpha 9 (α9 Gen 2), the sequel to last year's A9 CPU. It mentioned a four-step noise reduction process and support for high frame rate 120fps video (HFR). The only issue? They listed the same features last year. What we'd be really interested to find out is if these new TVs will have any support for the HDMI 2.1 standard. If they do, then it would be possible to input HFR video via HDMI -- last year's sets could only do it via a USB drive. Another big addition last year was support for AI like Google Assistant, and we'll need to see if that gets any upgrades in the new sets as well.
Here's what you can do in the 'Red Dead Online' beta
As promised, the Red Dead Online beta is starting to roll out -- and it's now clear just what you'll encounter if you join. Rockstar has posted details of what the beta entails, and it's clear this will be an evolving experience. Out of the gate, you'll have access to free roam missions (varying based on your reputation) as well a series of cooperative stories (A Land of Opportunities) if you're interested in fending off AI gunslingers. If you'd rather take down human cowpokes, there are competitive modes including straightforward shootouts, battle royale (Make it Count), bounty-based fights (Most Wanted), area control (Hostile Territory) and creative kills (Name your Weapon).
Interactive 'Minecraft' adventure is now available on Netflix
When developer Telltale Games laid off most of its staff in September, it temporarily retained a skeleton crew to finish up work on a Netflix version of Minecraft: Story Mode. The first three episodes of the "interactive adventure" are now available on the streaming platform.
The next year of 'Destiny 2' starts with Black Armory on December 4th
When Bungie first talked about the future of Destiny 2 after Forsaken, it didn't say much beyond acknowledging that you'd get three big doses of content through the annual pass. Now, the studio is ready to say more... a lot more. Bungie has posted an update calendar for the next year of its shared-world shooter, and there will be plenty to do whether or not you've paid extra.
Spotify may be close to launching in India
Spotify is already the most popular music streaming service in most major markets and it's looking to widen the gap. The Swedish tech firm has reportedly secured deals with many of the largest music rights holders in India over the last few months, according to Bloomberg. That news comes hot on the heels of a Variety report that the company plans to launch in the country of 1.3 billion people within the next six months.
You can finally gift items to your friends in 'Fortnite'
Just in time for the holidays, Epic Games is introducing the ability to gift items to other players in the unfathomably popular Fortnite: Battle Royale. The feature is part of update version 6.31 -- unless you play on iOS, in which case you won't be able to gift items because Apple policy prohibits it. For now, it will just be a test run that will be available in-game for one week, though it's expected that the feature will be fully available sometime in the near future.
Facebook Gaming launches charity livestreams
Just in time for Giving Tuesday, Facebook is introducing new features for charity livestreaming on its Facebook Gaming platform. Gamers who broadcast on Facebook Gaming will be able to set up fundraising programs to raise money for a variety of worthwhile causes. A handful of popular streamers will be using the feature today, and Facebook will make it available to gaming creators in the near future.
Audi and Disney are creating media for self-driving cars
If and when fully autonomous cars hit the road in earnest, you're going to have a lot of free time on your hands. Audi and Disney think they can fill that void, though. In a chat with CNET's Roadshow, the two companies have teased that they're creating a new form of media designed with autonomous vehicles in mind. While the firms are keeping details under wraps until CES 2019 in January, Audi's Nils Wollny dropped a few clues as to what it could involve.
