streaming media
Latest
HBO is available as a premium add-on through the Roku Channel
The Roku Channel has added HBO to its list of premium subscriptions available on its streaming platform. Those who own a Roku device can now sample a 7-day free trial of HBO on the Roku Channel, after which it will cost $14.99 a month. It's the same pricing as the HBO Now standalone package and the HBO add-on on other streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Timing is perfect for those who want to catch the final season premiere of Game of Thrones, which debuts on April 14th.
Amrita Khalid04.04.2019
The Engadget Podcast Ep 17: Mansion on the Hill
Executive editor Christopher Trout and reviews editor Cherlynn Low join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the week's biggest news, including: Pandora Premium, Fitbit's purchase of Pebble and the gaming industry's nostalgia overload. Then Chris will tell the panel about his investigation into a failed gaming accessory that's found a second life as a sex toy -- clearly things get a little NSFW. Then all three will talk about what Amazon Go and other advancements in automation and mean for low-skill and low-wage jobs.
Terrence O'Brien12.09.2016
Plex brings its media streaming magic to Xbox
Plex has more than its share of fans thanks to its powerful and versatile streaming media capabilities. If you've got a video file (regardless of how you obtained it) there's a good chance Plex can play it. And play it anywhere -- on your Roku, on your tablet, you smartphone, and now on your Xbox. Starting tomorrow Plex Pass subscribers will be able to pull up their Plex library on their Xbox One. And soon enough Xbox 360 compatibility will be added as well. If you're not a subscriber you'll be able to buy the Xbox apps for a one time fee (how much remains to be seen, but probably around $4.99) after the preview period ends. This is also the first time that Plex has been available on a game console, at least as a native app. You could pull in video to your Xbox over DLNA, but this is much easier and cleaner. And yes, you can control your library with voice controls or gestures thanks to Kinect support.
Terrence O'Brien10.06.2014
An afternoon with the Fire TV
We came away relatively impressed with the Fire TV during our brief hands-on. But we all know that units set up specifically for press demonstrations are hardly the best indicator of how a device will function in the real world. So we immediately went back to our lair and began putting the newest kid on the streaming block through its paces. Once away from the carefully controlled demonstration area, it became clear that the Fire TV is more of a mixed bag -- and still tied to its Android/Google TV roots -- than Amazon would like you to believe.
Terrence O'Brien04.02.2014
Boxee TV delivers dual-tuners and cloud-based DVR for $99 November 1st
The Boxee Box -- that sucker had a ton of hype behind it, but things don't always work out. After two years of fighting Roku, Apple TV and, to a lesser extent, Google TV for market share, Boxee has drastically rethought its approach. The $99 Boxee TV marks a new chapter for the company with a focus on live TV and a streamlined consumer experience. Baked right inside the matte plastic case is a dual tuner capable of pulling in unencrypted basic cable channels and over-the-air HD broadcasts. There's a slick guide to help you navigate but, most importantly, the slimmed down software sports DVR functionality. The Boxee TV has no internal storage, however, instead all your recordings are stored online in a "No Limits" DVR. For $15 a month you'll be able to save as many shows as you want and watch it on your TV or on your computer, tablet or phone through an HTML5 webapp. The DVR service will be rolled out to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington DC to start, with other markets set to come online in 2013. %Gallery-168415% %Gallery-168416% The selection of apps is not quite as robust as it is on the legacy Boxee Box, but CEO Avner Ronen has settled on a quality over quantity approach. Netflix, VUDU, Pandora, YouTube and Vimeo will come preinstalled on the Boxee TV and other apps will follow. But we wouldn't expect to see Know Your Meme or PornHub on there anytime soon. The company has also moved from Intel to a Broadcom SOC. Some of the other losses might be a little harder to swallow for fans of the original hardware. The streaming options for locally stored media are much less robust and, while there's DLNA support, many other networking protocols have fallen by the wayside. The beloved QWERTY remote has also bitten the dust, replaced with a much simpler device that sports dedicated Netflix and Vudu buttons. Even the distinctive "sinking cube" design has been replaced with a basic rectangle that's barely distinguishable from other settop boxes. You can sign up for more info at the Boxee site where you'll also be able to preorder the Boxee TV ahead of its November 1st launch.
Terrence O'Brien10.16.2012
Amazon adds closed captions to select Instant streams
Amazon is finally catching up to the rest of the streaming industry and adding closed captions to some of its Instant Video selections. For the moment the library of CCed content is pretty slim, with only 169 shows and 74 movies, but we'd expect that to grow pretty quickly. That does put the burgeoning media giant quite a bit behind competitors like Hulu and Netflix, who have been catering to the hearing impaired for some time. For now, captions are only available when streaming from Amazon's website, but the company promises to expand support to "additional devices" soon. For more info check out the Amazon help page at the source and the email notice forwarded to us by a tipster after the break. [Thanks, Linda]
Terrence O'Brien10.03.2012
Fox Broadcast app now available to Xbox Live customers with Dish and FiOS subscriptions
Xbox Live frontman Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) took to his blog on Tuesday to announce that Dish and Verizon FiOS customers can now download the Fox Broadcast app for Xbox 360 to stream next-day Fox programming. In order to use this free app, you'll need a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription. In addition to keeping you up to date with recent episodes of Fringe and Family Guy, this new app also includes access to legacy series such as House and 24. Like most things Xbox, the Fox Broadcasting app features Kinect integration, because everything is "better with Kinect," right?
Mark Hearn09.25.2012
Netgear announces Push2TV WiDi adapter and three new NeoTV units
Today, Netgear is unveiling three more Roku-troubling NeoTV boxes and Push2TV, a wireless display adapter letting you harness WiDi (it's also Miracast pre-standard compliant) to push content from smartphones, laptops or tablets to your TV. The trio of NeoTVs are so similar to the last generation that it's a little hard to tell the difference, except that the new flagship NeoTV MAX now comes with the long-desired addition of DLNA and a custom remote that has navigation buttons on one side and a QWERTY keyboard on the other. All four devices are available from today, the Push2Tv costing $60, while the new NeoTVs are priced at $50, $60 and $70, respectively -- and if you'd like to know more, then we've got some more info down below.
Daniel Cooper09.20.2012
Dijit's NextGuide finally gets personalized TV and streaming video guides right
Part of the difficulty Apple is going to have with any next-generation, disruptive Apple TV product is corralling all the stakeholders, rights owners and interested parties. Luckily there are already other solutions for finding, watching and saving video on TV or via streaming services. Enter NextGuide, the new iPad app from Dijit (makers of the remote software used in Griffin's IR remote product, which we reviewed here). The app is on the App Store here. NextGuide is pretty much the ultimate answer to the age-old question, "What should I watch?" But it's not just a recommendation engine, or a simple listing guide. It's a powerful discovery tool and a launcher, with an array of filters and search options for finding what you want, plus deep integration with services like Netflix and DIRECTV satellite service. With Netflix movies, it will take you directly to what you want to watch. For DIRECTV customers, it can initiate recordings. The app is free, so I'll let you try it out for yourself. It's iPad-only, because the experience wouldn't be the same on an iPhone. The demo I saw was quite impressive, however. If you're looking for something, you can do a basic search, which will extend across online and TV content, and you can look at what your friends on Facebook might be watching or would recommend (this is smartly done, and I'm very picky about social integration), plus there are Rotten Tomatoes film ratings built right in. The interface is quite lovely as well, eschewing the standard grid for a more dynamic tiled grouping of shows (seen above). Plus, you can create your own categories from anything -- an actor, a place, your favorite sports team, etc. Later you can also hide the stuff you don't want to see, so if you hate Westerns, you'll rarely see them and you can focus on discovering even more shows. There's an alert system in NextGuide, to help remind you of that show you wanted to watch, but it also reminds you if a particular artist will be on. Say Tavis Smiley is interviewing Sheryl Crow and you have her as an alert -- you'll be notified when she is on the show. Of course there's also the usual lineup of features, like show info, trailers, etc. but the social integration is clever and subtle. As seen below, a show with fans on Facebook is seen with the show's info, and some of the fans you might know. That's really clever and doesn't get in your face or require a lot of work like most social tools that are grafted into apps like a Frankenthumb. Until Apple comes up with whatever groundbreaking interface for TV discovery it's hiding in the labs, NextGuide is likely the next best thing. Check it out and let us know what you find.
Victor Agreda Jr09.07.2012
SiriusXM launches On Demand radio, gives offline access to iOS apps
It's finally here! SiriusXM On Demand has launched, ushering the satellite radio service into the 21st century. The company's promised library of 200 shows and 2,000 hours of programming are online and available for subscribers to stream at their leisure. Access is free for existing subscribers, and available through the web or the SiriusXM apps on iOS. App users can even download shows for offline playback (which we believe makes them podcasts). Now you'll never need to miss another allegedly hilarious episode of Opie & Anthony again. Though, you might be a better person if you did. Check out the PR after the break for a few more details.
Terrence O'Brien08.07.2012
Redbox Instant enters alpha testing with help from Verizon (updated)
It's been a long, long road but Redbox's streaming movie service is finally crawling towards reality. In February the DVD vending company announced a partnership with Verizon that would finally usher the Walmart staple into the 21st century. According to Fast Company, Redbox Instant will enter an internal alpha today, beginning the process of ironing out the bugs and fine tuning the offering. Heading up the joint venture will be newly appointed CEO Shawn Strickland, who served as a VP in Verizon's FiOS division. Both physical discs and streaming media will be available as a single package, but execs have been quiet on pricing and structure of those subscription plans. Supposedly we'll be getting more details later today, but in the meantime you can simply go visit the fist-pumping landing page at the more coverage link and sign up for more info. Update: The official PR has hit and you'll find a link to the PDF at the source. There's not much more information sadly, but the portfolio of products is expected to launch later this year.
Terrence O'Brien07.24.2012
Netgear's NeoTV Pro adds WiDi, makes any TV smart
Netgear is supercharging the Roku-troubling NeoTV 200 that arrived late last year. The NeoTV Pro adds Intel's WiDi tech to the tiny box, enabling you to wirelessly span your laptop's display onto the biggest screen in your house. It'll come with the same Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube and Pandora offerings you know and love, controllable with the stock remote or your smartphone. The hardware remains otherwise unchanged, packing the same 300Mbps WiFi, Ethernet, optical out and HDMI -- specs that are doubtless powerful enough for you to catch all of those glorious episodes of The Engadget Show again and again.
Daniel Cooper06.07.2012
Netflix introduces its own CDN, Open Connect Network, to give ISPs more control
It's not often that we touch on subjects surrounding content infrastructure -- lectures revolving around AWS, Level 3 and Limelight give most of us the creeps -- but that stuff is absolutely vital to keep petabytes of content flowing to our retinas. As the company's business shifts from by-mail to instant gratification, there are also decisions that need to be made about delivery. Despite signing a three-year deal with Limelight and Level 3 right around eighteen months ago, Netflix is clearly keeping an eye on the future with the introduction of the Open Connect content delivery network (CDN). Netflix is informing ISPs that they can choose to have Open Connect Appliances within their datacenters, or to peer with the Open Connect network at common Internet Exchanges; Netflix will provide either form of access at no cost to the ISP. We've heard about Netflix's efforts to team up with ISPs on bandwidth management before, it will be interesting to see if higher quality streaming or bundled packages become part of the deal. The official announcement is pretty light on details, but a piece at Streaming Media (linked below) highlights some of the more important strategic changes. No doubt, the outfit is expected to save small amounts per megabyte delivered, but when you're serving video on a massive scale, even pennies count.
Darren Murph06.04.2012
LG launches LG Cloud, blows raspberries at S-Cloud
Four days before the purported launch of Samsung's cloud service, Korea's other technology giant has unveiled LG Cloud. The eponymous service offers 5GB free space as standard, while owners of LG's Smart TVs or smartphones will get 50GB free for six months. It'll push content between your devices, appropriately compressed for the medium, so high definition images on your TV will be slimmed down to save your phone's data cap. The free beta begins in South Korea and the US from May 1st, with a global rollout pencilled in for next year -- but don't worry, the company made it clear you'll be able to use it on your holidays, if you can find a signal.
Daniel Cooper04.30.2012
aTV Flash (black) for jailbroken Apple TVs updated with NFS support, more
FireCore just updated aTV Flash (black), an alternative software package for the second generation Apple TV. With a jailbroken Apple TV and the FireCore software, you can use the media device to surf the web, stream content from a NAS, play back popular media formats (MKV, AVI, MP4) and more. The latest version of the aTV Flash (black) package brings the software to release version 1.5. This version adds support for NFS streaming, subtitle timing settings, new language translations and a bunch of improvements and fixes. FireCore is still working on both the untethered version of aTV Flash (black) for the Apple TV2 and the version for the third generation Apple TV. You can grab the $30 software from FireCore's website and follow the instructions to install it to your jailbroken AppleTV. Current aTV Flash (black) users can update through the Maintenance --> Manage Extras menu. You can also download the update to your computer using the download link found in your account under the Downloads tab.
Kelly Hodgkins04.19.2012
Hauppauge Broadway scores DVR-like record and playback features
Sure, we didn't have too many major qualms with the Broadway when we reviewed it in February, but it didn't exactly bowl us over either. Still, if it gets a steady diet of software updates like today's it could turn into quite an impressive device. The budget TV streamer now has the ability to act like a DVR if you attach a storage device to one of its empty USB ports. Of course, you can't just pull up the recorded programs on your set top box as you would with standard DVR, but it does allow you to stream them to your various devices without the need to be watching live. For a few more details check out the PR after the break.
Terrence O'Brien04.17.2012
Plex Media Server upgraded, Google TV app gets a reboot
Real-time media streamer Plex has been refreshed on Google TV, following the smart TV's own recent firmware upgrade. The UI now looks easier to navigate with quicker access to recently added content. When it comes to the streaming media itself, you'll still need to have a Plex server setup on a separate PC or Mac but the app still supports your dedicated myPlex content and your friends' shared files. Plex's latest Media Server update also solves some iOS app problems alongside a handful of other stability and compatibility issues. The new Google TV version of the catch-all media platform isn't live just yet, but you can grab last month's version at the source and gird yourself for the incoming update.
Mat Smith03.09.2012
Super Bowl internet debut breaks records, disappoints some viewers
Not sure what this says about the state of streaming video online, but while the first live internet stream of the Super Bowl was watched by a record 2.1 million unique viewers, it didn't receive glowing reviews. The best indicator, though, is that the engagement for the three (plus) hour event was only 39 minutes. We think the folks over at Streaming Media got it right when they called it the Super Bowl Streaming Fail. It was bad enough that only Verizon Wireless customers could watch it on anything other than a laptop, but even those who could see it were left searching for a TV once they saw the quality. Big sports fans who might've been checking it out for the additional commentary and camera angles were also left wanting more, as the stream was plagued with lag. This meant that the other angle you were in search of was as much as a minute behind the big screen. Ultimately, we're sure everyone's glad the Super Bowl was extended to the smaller screens, but one thing sure seems true, broadcasting an event like this to millions of people is unlikely to ever be replaced by unicast internet streams.
Ben Drawbaugh02.09.2012
Boxee desktop app being removed from servers tonight, get it while you can
We knew that the Boxee desktop app's days were numbered, we just didn't realize how numbered. It was only the day after Christmas that we learned version 1.5 would be the last to ship for Linux, Windows and OS X. Now, with January coming to a close, its life is officially being snuffed out. Tonight, as you flip the calendar to February, Boxee will be busy purging its servers of the installable media center software. What that means, in case you hadn't figured it out, is that this is your last chance to download the official app for your desktop OS of choice as the company shifts focus to the Boxee Box and other streaming appliances. Of course, we're sure someone will pick up the torch and update the program, but as far as Boxee is concerned it has no desktop son.
Terrence O'Brien01.31.2012
Plex for Windows Phone 7 client hands-on (video)
We're here at CES Showstoppers and we've just managed to wrangle ourselves a sneaky-peek at the currently-in-development Plex client for Windows Phone 7. Plex is an XMBC spin-off that's quickly becoming a favorite of serious home theater users and the range of devices you can get the service on (Google TV, iOS, OSX, Android, Samsung Smart TVs) is growing rapidly. The Windows Phone 7 client lets you use your device as a remote control for your media setup or stream it straight to your device. Once you've selected a film, it'll aggregate your metadata from a variety of sources for actor bios, synopses and galleries. There's also "read it later" style save-lists and recommendations for when you want to share videos with friends. You can also customize the data rate of your streaming content when you're nursing your bandwidth: although in our demo, the lowest settings make everything look seriously jerky. Other tidbits of news that are on the horizon: you'll soon have DLNA server access to the usual glut of streaming video sites and a redesigned interface for large screen TVs (instead of mirroring the tablet interface). After the break we've got a short walkthrough of the Windows Phone client and some beautiful pictures for your enjoyment. Dana Murph contributed to this report.
Daniel Cooper01.10.2012