Media Player
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XBMC's Kodi media player officially hits the Play Store
Kodi's media player got a name change last year and now it has something even better -- official Android status. The app formerly known as XBMC is now available on the Google Play store for all takers. It actually arrived to the store last month in beta form, but prior to that could only be sideloaded on Android. Version 15 (codenamed Isengard) now supports Android 5-specific features like 4K and variable refresh rates on certain Android TV devices, like NVIDIA's Shield. Another new trick on all platforms is "adaptive seeking" that lets you search material faster by tapping a key several times.
VLC's popular media player will soon support Chromecast
The next big release of VLC's do-it-all media player will soon support Chromecast, according to a recent changelog. The media player is widely used across platforms, and version 3.0 has fans drooling with promised features like improved support for YouTube's next-gen VP9 format. The Chromecast angle means users will be able to stream nearly any media type through the tiny dongle from Android (beta), Mac, Windows 8.1 and Linux devices. As for iOS, maker VideoLAN mysteriously pulled the app shortly after iOS 8 arrived, but insists it'll be back soon. The company hasn't said exactly when iOS support or the new version will arrive, but if everything goes to plan, playing FLAC, XVid and other offbeat formats will soon be easier.
VLC media player welcomes a new, cleaner look on Windows 8.1
No doubt, people love utilizing VLC's applications to play their unconventional media files, but pairing nice looks with that great functionality can go a long way. Thankfully for Windows 8.1 users, VideoLAN, the maker of VLC, has just released a completely redesigned version of the app for Microsoft's OS. The application now features a much brighter, cleaner and polished look than on previous iterations, making it look flatter and more in line with Windows 8's Modern UI. As WinBeta points out, the revamped VLC player is designed only for the tile-based side of the platform, meaning it won't work with that traditional Windows desktop you love so much.
Xbox One system update rolls out for preview members
Microsoft has launched a limited-access Xbox One dashboard update, giving preview team members an early look at the features and improvements in store for its public release this fall. Currently, preview members can test drive a reorganized Party Chat app, an overhauled Friends section, and a live TV miniguide, among other structural improvements. Eligible members in Europe can try out the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner launching at retail in October. The update also boasts an improved media player, detailed in the preview video above. Following its fall update, the Xbox One will be capable of playing animated .gifs, enthusiast video codecs, and other formats via a connected USB 2.0 or 3.0 device or over a DLNA home media server. A release date for the Xbox One's fall update is not yet known. [Video: Microsoft]
Opera's iPad browser loses navigation buttons, gains lockscreen music controls
Since its launch in September, Opera's iPad-centric browser Coast has struggled to remain as visible as some of its more popular mobile apps. In an attempt to breathe some life into the app, the company today dropped a new update that introduces a number of new customization, navigation and media features that set it apart from Apple and Google's browser offerings. In version 2.0, Opera has ditched the familiar forward and back buttons in favor of the gestures it supported at launch, so expect your swiping finger to get more of a workout. The app now lets you set wallpapers using images from your Photo Roll and gives you the option to select which apps to open PDF files in, whether it be iBooks, Dropbox or another PDF-compatible app. Coast now also features its own media player, which is capable of handling music playback from the iPad lockscreen. The new update is said to make browsing speedier and more secure than before -- very helpful if you need to make a quick escape from some of the nastier corners of the internet.
Winamp, the media player of your college years, is shutting down next month
Winamp, the AOL-owned mp3 player of yore, will close up shop for good on December 20th, which means you have exactly one month from today to use the service -- if you're still using it, that is. In addition to shutting down Winamp.com, AOL and co. will no longer offer downloads of the media player. It's hardly a surprising announcement, but it's a slightly glum one considering Winamp's popularity in the late nineties and early aughts. Go ahead, you have our permission to get nostalgic for a moment or two.
Favi's Android-packing SmartStick finally shipping to give any HDMI-equipped TV a brain
If you've been hearing "SmartTV" this and "SmartTV" that while your old HD panel just sits there like a big dummy, Favi's SmartStick is ready (at last) to bring it into the 12's. Like Roku's Streaming Stick, it's a media player that's been squeezed into a dongle-sized form-factor, running Android 4.1 and packing apps like Netflix along with the Plex media server, a full web browser and DLNA. It'll stream all that media through the HDMI port on your TV and connect to your other devices wirelessly, all for the sum of $50. You can even add a $40 wireless keyboard to avoid the usual finger calisthenics -- check the PR after the break to grab it.
OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device
If you're itching to park that AMD or Intel PC beside your TV as a dedicated home theater device, OpenELEC would like to offer up the first stable release of its Linux distro, version 2.0, for your consideration. The new build is now available for free (with the option to donate, of course), and the group behind it says that the installation takes less than five minutes and requires "zero Linux experience." Once you've done that, it'll be ready to serve your media needs in less than 10 seconds from a cold start, according to OpenELEC, with only a remote control needed to start surfing. The system updates automatically, including the XBMC V11 media core, and now includes PVR support, improved AMD functionality, CEC adapter compatibility, NFS, AFP, CIFS and SSH shares and Airplay / Airtunes support. If you're already Mac- or Windows-centric, an OpenELEC system will play well with all your existing media, so if you're ready to see how the Linux media crowd rolls, hit the source.
Neil Young's Pono music service wants to democratize high-quality audio (video)
Neil Young isn't shy when it comes to embracing new technology, something he put beyond question with his latest appearance on The Late show with David Letterman. The artist took the opportunity to reveal plans for his high-fidelity Pono music service. The aim is to tackle the poor quality in which he believes most people receive their music these days -- the humble MP3. Young's offering would comprise a three-pronged approach, including a music store with high-resolution recordings, a digital-to-analog style conversion technology, and portable hardware to listen to it all with. The simple intention is to offer music as it was originally intended to be heard, but at this time there's no detail as to what this actually entails (sorry specification fans). According to Rolling Stone, the big three labels are interested, and the goal is to unify, rather than diversify, the quality of recorded content. The Pono players (that yellow wedge you see above) will serve up your existing catalog, but you'll likely need to re-buy some of your collection if you want the holistic experience. With no cards fully on the table, we're at the ransom of Young's celebrity endorsements, which all claim that the benefits are tangible. Young, of course, says "You can't get better than this, this is what they do in the studio," but until we get some details, or ears on, everybody knows this is nowhere. [Image credit:CBS]
Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus updates the flagship DJ player, brings WiFi and slip mode (video)
Pioneer's CDJ-2000 took the spot at the top of the firm's CD turntable range a couple of years back, and has enjoyed a decent spell as the club standard. To ensure that its reign continues unchallenged, a new iteration in the form of the CDJ-2000nexus (no relation) has just been announced. The vast majority of the DNA remains the same, but there are some key new features such as WiFi (as we saw in the XDJ-AERO) for use with the rekordbox app, Beat Sync, Wave Zoom and Slip (a much wanted feature first seen in the CDJ-900). In total, you can now load tracks from CD, DVD, USB, SD, networked machines, and WiFi, meaning the player has essentially outgrown its "CDJ" labeling, becoming a true multimedia player. If you fancy taking one for a spin, you can do so starting from some time this month, for the upbeat price of $2,399. Laidback Luke demo video on rotation after the break.
Samsung's split personality patent conjures up a camera with detachable media player
Samsung recently added some serious smarts to its point-and-shoot lineup with the Galaxy Camera, which -- if you're so inclined -- can also double as a personal communicator and multimedia player. As we discovered during our hands-on with the device, however, its bulky size could deter many who might've hoped to carry it at all times. A patent just granted to Samsung might change all that, however, which describes a camera that also acts as a multimedia player, only with one curious difference: the PMP unit is detachable. Naturally, this component houses the display and its own separate storage, but also contains the multimedia module that's necessary for the camera to record movies. Samsung applied for this patent back in 2007, which suggests this particular setup may never see the light of day. Then again, if such a split personality camera ever appears, there's a good chance that it'll carry the Samsung name.
Samsung unveils Galaxy Player 5.8, pockets everywhere brace for impact
We hope you wear baggy pants, because you're going to want big pockets to carry Samsung's giant new jukebox. The Galaxy Player 5.8 is dominated by its namesake 5.8-inch, 960 x 540 LCD -- a screen that makes the 4.8-inch AMOLED on the closely related Galaxy S III look downright modest by comparison. Android 4.0 and the latest generation of TouchWiz make their first appearances in a Samsung media player here, with the spin naturally on books and movies instead of the tasks you'd associate with a smartphone. You're otherwise looking at the kind of media player you'd expect in 2012: there's either 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage, a microSD slot, a front VGA camera for those face-to-face sessions and a huge 2,500mAh battery to compensate for the display. We're still waiting on a few details, such as the exact processor and the Galaxy Player 5.8's launch schedule, although the announcement's timing suggests we may get a peek at this behemoth when IFA 2012 kicks off later this week. In the meantime, we'd advise against buying a pair of skinny jeans.
Diamond Multimedia outs AMP1000 Android set-top box: Gingerbread-based, 1080p, sells for $120 (update: ICS coming this week)
Diamond Multimedia's more commonly known around the web for selling Mac and PC capture cards (among other things), but as of today, the company's officially entering the set-top box game with its AMP1000. The media player itself is running a not-so-new flavor of Android -- Gingerbread, to be exact -- which will be used to bring a slew of familiar entertainment tidbits to the bigger screen, such as a media player capable of 1080p playback, an evolved internet browser and an oversized photo viewer, as well as other content like games, ebooks and magazines -- all of which can be downloaded from Google's Play repertoire. Although Diamond Multimedia's formally pricing the AMP1000 at $120, there's a Facebook-only offer that knocks the price down to a mere $100. Now, will it be enough to compete with, say, Vizio's $99 Google TV box? We'll let you be the judge of that. Update: Well, in case you weren't fond of the AMP1000's Gingerbread innards, Diamond Multimedia's got something in the works to solve that problem. A company rep has contacted us to let us know Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to early adopters "later this week," as well as noting that all future units will come with the creamy OS already onboard.
RealPlayer leaves beta, becomes fully-fledged Android app
RealNetworks has decided to roll out that old internet chestnut, RealPlayer, to a fresh-faced generation of smartphones that are screaming out for one more media player. This one reckons it can handle your music, video and photo content al in the same blueish hue and while the player has a basic flavor out for free, there's a $5 app for those that like the finer things in life. Extra features in the paid-for version include a graphic equalizer with save function, Gracenote database compatibility and manual metadata editing for those with more esoteric music tastes. Naturally, advertising is nixed in this version too. Now out from beta testing, hit the source for the download.
OnLive support dropped from Sony media player post-Gaikai purchase [Update: support not dropped, says OnLive]
Remember the Sony streaming media player that reportedly packed OnLive support? After yesterday's announcement of the acquisition of Gaikai – that other video game streaming service – OnLive support for the player is unsurprisingly kaput, Sony confirmed to VentureBeat.Presumably, Gaikai support could be added to the device in the future, but for now it's clear that Sony's game streaming intentions (understandably) no longer include OnLive.Update: An OnLive spokesperson has told Joystiq that VentureBeat's information is inaccurate. Specifically, OnLive was never going to be preloaded into Sony's device in the first place. Users will, however, still be able to download OnLive to the device. Furthermore, the OnLive spokesperson stated that the OnLive controller is still compatible with the device as well.We've contacted Sony directly to see if we can clear all this up.
VLC 2.02 adds Retina display support, ditches font cache interruptions
The latest version of everyone's favorite file-type-friendly media player has been updated on both Windows and OS X, although the Apple iteration gets the most major addition -- playback support on the new MacBook Pro's Retina display. Alongside sharper menus, VLC's latest update extends functionality to the video itself, maintaining crispness on smaller viewing windows and even fully-blow 4K video. Good news on all platforms though, as the developers have now nixed that grating "building font cache" pop-up window. Smaller changes include support for Growl and the return of the "keep aspect ratio" option. Hit up the changelog for a full run-down of the other changes.
Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 review: Android media player that needs more of a voice
More Info Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 remote viewfinder hands-on Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 hands-on Galaxy Player 4.0 review It wasn't all that long ago that one of the pinnacles of the gadget world was the PMP. How many gigs has yours got? Mine plays FLAC. Whoa, iPod video! These are sentences that are largely consigned to the digital mists of time. Now that your phone, watch and pretty much any other gadget can fill the shoes of the media player, its days among gadget nobility are numbered, and its rank slipping ever lower. There will always be a corner of the gadget realm for them but it's more of a country cottage, compared to the sprawling manor of yesteryear. Why all the nostalgia? Samsung's Galaxy Player 4.2 is the latest descendent of the Android media player lineage, and the company's rightful heir to its PMP kingdom. As you can see, a full-fat media player in 2012 wears a very different uniform than its forefathers, and definitely fights a different battle. Can what is essentially a phone-without-a-phone, hold its territory and prevent the mobile bandits from scaling the walls? We spend some time with it in the trenches to find out.%Gallery-158412%
Panasonic's UN-W700 runs Android, streams Blu-ray video, takes Skype calls, isn't a tablet
We've seen Android used for home theater purposes before, but it's been rare that a company has wanted Google's OS used almost exclusively with that purpose in mind. Panasonic is gambling that its UN-W700 can use Android (2.3, unfortunately) for an all-singing, all-dancing compact video device. The 7-inch, 800x480 standee plays media from its SDXC card slot or over DLNA, including recordings normally destined for Blu-ray from one of Panasonic's Diga set-top boxes. If you'd rather dish out video than just receive it, there's a front camera for Skype video calls -- and the W700 is still Google-blessed, so you can visit Google Play if you'd rather play Death Rally than watch Death Race 2000. We're not sure about the idea of a tablet without much of the portability, but Japanese shops will give the opportunity to decide for yourself on July 25th for an unofficially estimated $446.
Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, shows a tall 4.1-inch screen that's possibly iPhone-bound
It's been a long, long time since Apple undertook a significant redesign of the iPod touch, which hasn't been looked at since 2010 and received just a splash of white last year. A possible front panel part leak we've just seen could overturn all that -- and hint at the 2012 iPhone's direction in the process. If we go by the claims of MacRumors' supplier friends, the media player would be growing up, but not out, with a taller 4.1-inch screen. We're skeptical, as the white part (black on the inside) seems almost too good to be true -- we haven't seen anything similar elsewhere in the unofficial parts market. Still, having heard murmurs of larger iPhone screens and knowing Apple's own tendency to base the iPod touch on whatever iPhone flavor is new this year, we could be looking at iPhones and iPods growing for the first time since 2007. There's also some as yet unconfirmed next-gen iPhone parts included by the source, although we'd hesitate to call them smoking guns unless they're put together in Apple-like form later in the year.
PSA: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Player 4.2 now available online
Not willing to give up your old dumbphone, but still need something to feed your Android addiction? You're in luck: Samsung's serving up two devices today rocking Google's dessert themed OS, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and the Galaxy Player 4.2. Sammy's latest slate rings in at $400, buying 16GB of internal memory (expandable to 32GB via microSD), a 1GHz dual-core processor and a serving of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Player 4.2, on the other hand, can be found munching Gingerbread for a mere $200. If you're looking for a new Galaxy that makes phone calls, however, you'll have to wait for the Galaxy S III.
