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Cerevo Live Shell with Contour+ hands-on (video)
Contour and Cerevo are teaming up this week at CES to release the Cerevo Live Shell accessory for HD camcorders enabling high-quality automatic upload and streaming to UStream from any HD video source -- in this case, the Contour+. The Live Shell is simplistic in design, featuring a small LCD screen with icons for useful indicators, an HDMI input, line-in port, microphone input, composite video input as well as a choice of Ethernet port or built-in WiFi for connectivity. It can run off three AA batteries, giving up to three hours of usage or can be used with the accompanied AC adapter for all-day use. The Cerevo Live Shell also comes with its own dedicated web-based control screen called the "Dashboard," which allows you to customize the settings on the device (volume, video quality, etc.) via personal computer or smartphone. The overall package is portable enough to tag along with the Contour+ and other HD action cams, however, we can't really see much use considering that WiFi (and certainly Ethernet connectivity) can be pretty scarce while carving some narly pow on a mountain or biking through some trails. The duo is well presented here at CES, putting the Live Shell in its natural environment -- indoors, in front of a computer monitor, with the comfort of crashing WiFi waves instead of real ones. However, there's no doubt that the Live Shell finds a niche in the hearts of all the adventurous and outdoorsy people, wanting to share each jump, grind and stunt with others. For $299, we think we'll hold out for a version with mobile 3G / 4G capabilities built-in though, but it's a step in the right direction to show off some helmet-cam moves. Check out the gallery below to see the getup all put together.
Samsung N Service unveiled at CES: Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Comcast and Verizon onboard
Well, what have we here? Looks as if Samsung's cooking up quite the content partnership here at CES 2012, with Verizon, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Comcast (at least) onboard. From a content creation standpoint, NBC Universal is evidently signed on to crack open its coffers and let the material pour fourth, and we're guessing we'll hear of quite a few more once the announcement gets official. As of now, the so-called N Service looks to be one that'll enable select pay-TV subscribers to stream content onto Samsung devices -- hopefully whilst far, far away from home. At least for FiOS TV users, those who take advantage of N Service will be able to "access live streaming FiOS TV channels, as well as Flex View commercial movies and TV shows from one's Samsung Smart TV or Blu-ray player." It'll obviously work with multi-room households, too. Have a peek at the detail shots below, and keep it locked right here as we learn more.
Google+ update will add new Hangout features, give first dibs to famous people
The Big G has detailed a few changes that are en route in forthcoming updates to both the Google+ desktop interface, the Android app and -- with an undisclosed lag -- the iOS app. You and your inner circle will soon be able to attach Hangout invitations to specific posts, so you can "upgrade the conversation from long-form to live" with a single click. The Hangouts On Air self-broadcasting feature is still in development and only available to selected celebs, but Google is about to roll it out to "hundreds more" public figures and users with large followings, while also adding features that will eventually appeal to normal people's vanity too: including the ability to upload full-length and private recordings of your supposedly charismatic rants to your YouTube account. See the source link for more.
CRTC won't regulate Netflix as a broadcaster in Canada
Netflix may be a streaming company, but that doesn't make it a broadcaster -- at least, not in Canada, and not according to the CRTC. Despite calls from existing broadcasters to the contrary, the agency today opted not to regulate Netflix and other so-called "over-the-top" services -- which would have, among other things, made them subject to the same Canadian content requirements that broadcasters must comply with. While it hasn't completely closed the door on changing its tune in the future, at the moment the CRTC says that there's no evidence the services are harming traditional broadcasters, and that regulating them could in fact discourage innovation and make it difficult for Canadian companies to compete outside of the country.
Apple's 'Let's Talk iPhone' post-event live broadcast!
Well, that was fun. If you wanted to read along with the liveblog, but couldn't hang with all of those words, or if you just need some help processing all of the Cupertino-based iPhone 4S-related excitement, stay-tuned. Tim Stevens, Darren Murph and a number of guest Fraggles (schedules pending) are live on the scene to help you wade through the deluge of news from today's Apple event.Update: And we're done! Check out video of the broadcast after the break!
Engadget, broadcasting live from Apple's 'Let's Talk iPhone' event in Cupertino!
We did it at WWDC, and we're doing it from 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California. Apple's holding its hotly-anticipated iPhone 5 (and iPhone 4s?) launch event here this morning, and we're on-hand to bring you a bit of pre- and post-show banter. Join Tim Stevens, Darren Murph and a plethora of Sesame Street characters* as we break down what's likely to go down during today's "Let's Talk iPhone" event. And once we're ushered inside (you know, where live video streams aren't allowed), follow our liveblog right here. Check out the video after the break. *Pending a response from Cookie Monster's publicist. %Gallery-135701% Update: And we're done! Stay tuned for the liveblog and more throughout the day!
Engadget will be broadcasting live outside of Apple's 'Let's Talk iPhone' event!
It's all going down tomorrow, and you can bet your bottom dollar (or last prepaid SIM, whichever you prefer) that we'll be liveblogging it all on these pages right here. But prior to Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event, we'll be set up outside of the company's Cupertino headquarters in order to bring live pre-show analysis, including the very latest rumblings from the Apple mecca and any top-secret tips on ditching work in order to follow along. Just so we're clear, Apple doesn't allow live video streaming during the keynote, but our usual liveblog can be followed October 4th starting at 1:00PM ET (10:00am local time) right here. It might get a wee bit insane.
Perceptive Pixel shows world's largest projected capacitive display at SIGGRAPH, we go hands-on (video)
Perceptive Pixel wasn't kidding around when it launched the planet's biggest projected capacitive display here at SIGGRAPH -- all 82 inches of it were here on display, and naturally, we stopped by to give it a look. While 82-inch panels aren't anything new, this one's particularly special. You see, the company actually procures the panels from Samsung, and then it rips the guts out while bonding its own network of sensors directly to it; most large-screen touch devices simply pop a touch layer on top of whatever TV shows up in the labs, but this integrated approach takes sensitivity to a whole 'nother level. For those unfamiliar with the term 'projected capacitive,' we're surmising that it's actually far less foreign than you think -- it's a technology used in a handful of smartphones, from Samsung's Moment to Apple's iPhone. 3M was also showing off a PC tech preview back at CES, and after using it here on the show floor, there's no question that it's the future for larger-screen devices. To quote CEO Jeff Han: "once consumers get a taste of this on the mobile front, they start demanding it elsewhere." %Gallery-130284%
EA Sports expands its 'Virtual Playbook' to soccer broadcasts
When the EA Sports "Virtual Playbook" -- an augmented reality technology that allows sports analysts to run somewhat creepy simulations in their TV studios with life-sized virtual players from EA Sports games -- made its debut in September 2008 on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown show, EA Sports hype man Peter Moore heralded it as a "paradigm shift in sports broadcast analysis." He then assured readers of his blog that Virtual Playbook would be "some day" applied to "a number of other sports, including soccer (of course)." While the technology has failed to replace the good ol' talking (human) heads that continue to dominate sports broadcast analysis today, its use has expanded beyond football to include basketball (as pictured), with Virtual Playbook featured in 2009 and 2010 NBA Playoffs coverage (though integration this year would seem in doubt -- unless they use Jam characters). Today, Moore's promise has been fulfilled, with EA announcing that the technology will soon be available to soccer broadcasters. Virtual Playbook will of course use FIFA assets -- orchestrated through (expensive-sounding) "advanced virtual studio and camera tracking systems" provided by German broadcasting company Orad -- that would seem to further EA Sports branding in "global markets" and solidify the publisher's stranglehold on virtual sports, blurring the line between what's real and what's in the game. [Image source: Inside EA]
Minicaster: the pocket-sized hardware-based H.264 live streaming encoder
It's not that you need a hardware-based H.264 live streaming encoder hanging around in your fifth pocket, but if you're looking to capture more of life's moments, why not? Scheduled for a proper introduction at NAB Show 2011, the Minicaster is capable of encoding and delivering a number of streams while also recording at the same time, and those settings can be tweaked directly on the unit itself. The company recommends using it with Wowza Media Server, and if you're looking to become the world's next Ustream star, investing in one of these may not be such a bad idea. Emphasis on may, given that the asking price is eluding us at the moment.
Papal productions going HD for better views of the Holy See
The Vatican has recently unveiled a new six million dollar HD mobile unit, hinting that if seeing is believing, they'd prefer representation in 1080p. To help blunt the cost on the nation's coffers, the Knights of Columbus pledged one million Euros to the initiative ($1.36 million dollars) while Sony also cut the walled-enclave a matching discount -- possibly as a further mea culpa for the Manchester gunfight scene. The new equipment is slated to be fully operational just in time for Pope's Christmas broadcasts and from then on would be rolled out during special Vatican events. Thinking ahead to the future, the system is also designed to be easily 3D upgradable, which head of Sony Italia Gildas Pelliet was sure to mention "can be done in a very discreet, subtle way" while still engaging future audiences with the Pope's message. Combined with his texting habits, a recent YouTube channel, and the Pope2You online portal, Pope Benedict XIV has done quite a lot in his five-year tenure to help one of the oldest institutions get up to speed with today's technology -- let alone for an 83-year-old man.
FLO TV losing money, Qualcomm looking for an out?
So it seems that founding and operating a broadcast mobile TV business is no mean feat: as mocoNews points out, there is spectrum to be purchased and transmission towers to be networked -- all before you can sell electronics manufacturers on carrying your chipset in their devices. Unfortunately for Qualcomm, it looks like FLO TV has been something less than profitable, a reality that CEO Paul Jacobs owned up to in the company's Q3 conference call. What is there to be done, then? Jacobs been decidedly tight-lipped, only saying that there have been "a lot of interesting discussions" and that it (whatever "it" is) will go down "in the next year." As the AP points out, there are a few possibilities: the business could be sold to a third party, for which Qualcomm would supply the chipsets. Qualcomm could acquire a company that already supplies mobile services (GPS or satellite radio, for instance) that wants to add mobile TV. Or, with spectrum being at such a premium, they could just shut down the network and use the spectrum for something else. It'll be interesting to see what happens, although we're pretty sure what won't happen: we probably won't be buying a Personal Television any time soon.
Hulu CEO: we're 'complementary' to cable
Hoping to trade in your expensive cable or satellite plan for a nice, juicy melon ball of cottage cheese-like... we mean, a portable Hulu Plus subscription at $10 a month? Not so fast, my fine fingered friend, because Hulu CEO Jason Kilar has revealed that killing cable is not a part of the company's evil plan, and he's not entertaining any ideas to the contrary. Kilar told AllThingsD that the service is "broadcast-focused" and "complementary to your cable and satellite service" by design, which is a nice way of saying the incestuous relationships between cable companies, content providers and Hulu itself keep it from offering premium programming -- at least, not at this sort of price. Speaking of getting what you pay for, you may be surprised to hear Hulu Plus displays advertising even if you slap down currency every month, but the CEO said lengthy consumer research found that users were more willing to pay if the service were partially subsidized by ads. Think of them as tiny little brain tenderizers, and we're sure you'll be just fine.
YouTube nabs live sports streaming rights
Alright, before you jump on your sofa Tom Cruise-style, these rights don't relate to the NBA, NFL or anything else quite so exciting to the Western viewer. Google's master plan for getting into the cutthroat sports broadcasting world is to start with... Indian Premier League cricket. Oh sure, you don't know what that even is yet, but plenty of people in the Eastern hemisphere live and die by the stuff and YouTube's slated to start broadcasting live matches from March of this year. What should be tantalizing for all of us is that Google seems to be taking this as a pilot venture which, if successful, could be the harbinger of plenty more live streaming content to come. Cricket at the vanguard of modern content distribution -- who could've expected that?
This week's TUAW TV Live moved to Thursday due to memory error
It's Wednesday, which means that there's going to be another exciting episode of TUAW TV Live this afternoon! Not. Coming back to reality after a few weeks of semi-comatose holiday "time off," your host set up an appointment with a client right at the same time as the weekly Ustream show. It won't happen again, since that time is now blocked off in iCal in bright, shiny red. This week's show, however, is going to happen on Thursday, January 7th, at the regularly scheduled time (5 PM ET). If you'd like to watch one of the previous episodes, head over to http://ustream.tv/TUAW and you can pull up the fun from either the December 23rd or the December 30th shows.
FCC boss keeps driving home the 'spectrum, spectrum, spectrum' message for wireless broadband
Love him or hate him, it seems destined that the FCC's Julius Genachowski will leave as big of a mark on the agency he's leading -- if not bigger -- than his predecessor Kevin Martin did, because he's hell-bent on shaking up the wireless airwaves and landlines he oversees in some pretty huge ways. Pushback from broadcasters is apparently quite strong, but he's reiterated at a conference today that he intends to investigate freeing up TV spectrum for to make room additional wide-area wireless services, a move that certainly seems to make sense on the surface considering that universal broadband to the home -- which could carry all the TV you'd ever need -- is also high on Genachowski's to-do list. The Universal Service Fund, which every American phone subscriber pays into and partly finances rural landline telephone operations where profits are harder to come by, is looking like a ripe target for renovation to bring broadband into the fold, theoretically making high-speed data more accessible to folks of all demographics and geographical affinities. Like the TV spectrum move, the USF realignment is meeting its fair share of detractors -- mainly among rural landline operators who rely on the funds for operation, of course -- but we're definitely gaining confidence that this dude isn't taking "no" for an answer in the long term.
UK Channel 4 set to throw some 3D programming our way
Sony and Panasonic are both hellbent on convincing us their forthcoming super-duper 3D television sets are the future, but before we all start selling off the children and re-mortgaging our homes, how about a little taster of what it might be like? Channel 4, the British answer to a question nobody ever asked, is about to offer up a selection of 3D programming this month, which it dubs as a return to "good old fashioned fun." The menu includes a documentary about the Queen's coronation (in other words, ancient history), a magic show, and even a couple of goodies like Flesh for Frankenstein and Friday the 13th, Part III. If we find can remember to get down to the local Sainsbury's and grab ourselves a free pair of those rad-looking three-dee glasses, you might even be treated to our eyes-on impressions. Watch this three-dimensional space! [Thanks, Mitch T]
Video: Comptometer does broadcast controls the steampunk way
If you build a specialized type of hardware which, by design, rarely arouses emotions of physical desire in the general populace, you can see how you might have a bit of a challenge promoting your wares. How you get around that tiny issue is by pulling off a stunning steampunk mod while retaining the full functionality of the hardware, as British company Hi Tech have done with their Comptometer. The server controller, customized for use in live video broadcasting and editing, has already won a design award for what we understand to be "general awesomeness" and an unmissable video of its obscure workings lays just past the break.[Via TechnaBob]%Gallery-74425%
How I WoW ends its run, Patrick Beja to work for Blizzard
Our good friends Patrick Beja and Shawn Coons (who you've likely heard on our podcast before a few times) have posted the very last episode of the popular and excellent How I WoW podcast. Both Turpster and I have appeared on and enjoyed the show, as we've said before, and they're calling it quits -- the final episode features Scott Johnson of The Instance podcast (who was also on the very first episode, so that's fitting), and besides saying goodbye to their audience, the three guys talk very insightfully about the WoW community and its podcasters, and the kinds of ties we create as players in places as varied as the game, the online community, and real-life events like BlizzCon.The show is ending (temporarily, perhaps -- Shawn hints that he may revive it, or help someone else to do so) mostly because Patrick Beja, as we heard at the very end of BlizzCon, is off to work for Blizzard in their Paris office. Unfortunately, he says he won't have a very public face at the company, but he's excited to have the position, and we're obviously very happy for him. He won't be able to podcast about World of Warcraft or Blizzard at all, so as Shawn says in the final show, there will definitely be a Patrick-shaped hole in the community. He won't be gone completely, though: he says will be able to continue his other podcasting work, including on The Movielicious podcast with our very own Turpster.We wish Patrick and Shawn the best, and if you haven't yet tuned in to How I WoW, definitely go give it a listen while the archives are still up -- it's a very interesting take on some of the more familiar faces in the community at large. We'll miss the show for sure.
AudioBoo lets you broadcast audio directly from the iPhone
Back when we looked at Radar, a photosharing site with an accompanying iPhone app, I mentioned that while Twitter had monopolized the "text exporting" function from your iPhone, there would be a slew of companies to try and grab the rest of the media you want to broadcast. Radar, I said, wanted to be the photo app. And AudioBoo, it appears, wants to be the audio app (we've yet to see a strong video contender pop up with the 3GS, though YouTube is certainly serving for now).I've been using AudioBoo (iTunes link) for a few weeks now, and I have to say, it definitely does what it says on the box: after a short signup session and the installation of the app to your iPhone, you can record and upload (and almost more interesting, listen back to others') audio quickly and easily. You hit record, can talk for a while (i haven't hit a limit yet, though three minutes is what I originally heard, and that tends to be about right for these little mini-podcasts), then hit stop and upload, add a picture, title, and tags, and a few minutes later, your audio is right there on the web for everyone to hear. I've used it on my EDGE phone and my friend's 3G, and I have to say the experience is better on the 3G -- the upload speeds are much better (I generally have to wait on my iPhone until I get on Wi-Fi to upload the audio), and to my ears, the audio sounds better. Here's a recording I made at a Cubs game on my 1G with a few friends, and a recording my friend made on his 3G at a restaurant. Edge works, obviously, but the 3G seems to work better.
