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Premier League games will stay on Peacock as NBC Sports Network shuts down
Much of NBC Sports' programming is moving to USA Network.
NBC is shutting down its sports cable channel as the bundle contracts
According to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua told staffers in a memo that the NBC Sports Network cable channel is shutting down the end of this year. While it’s unclear what will happen to some of the content it currently airs, stuff like NHL games and NASCAR races will shift to the USA Network channel instead, and they plan to dual-broadcast some of those prior to the channel going dark. This could also push some content to NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock, but the focus right away seems to be strengthening USA Network as an option against channels like Warner’s TNT/TBS.
USA network brings streaming shows to iPad, iPhone
The USA network has released an iOS app that allows users to stream shows to their iPhones and iPads. USA is owned by NBC Universal and like other NBC television streaming apps, USA Anywhere Plus allows viewers to watch full episodes of USA shows, including new episodes available the day after they air and back episodes for some shows. For most of the content, the app does require users to login with their cable-television credentials. However, if your current cable package does not include the USA network, you can still take advantage of some limited features of the app including some full television episodes. In addition to full TV episodes, the app also offers special clips, interviews and behind-the-scenes video. USA airs many popular shows including Psych, Suits, Covert Affairs and Graceland. USA Anywhere Plus is a free download.
Screen Grabs: Covert Affairs exposes secret Rogers service in Washington DC
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Fans of USA's Covert Affairs know that Annie Walker's stomping ground is Washington DC, where she pretends to be a buyer for the Smithsonian. So, there are only two plausible explanations for her iPhone 4 being able to connect to Rogers Wireless Canadian network: Either she's got a nuclear powered antenna on that thing, or the company is running a south-of-the-border service for Government agencies. Some might point out that the show is filmed in Toronto for cost purposes and the art directors aren't too hot at spotting continuity errors, but we'd dismiss that as paranoid fantasy. [Thanks, Mike G]
Screen Grabs: BlackBerry PlayBook pops up on 'White Collar'
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. You know those pictures of smiling people and happy families that come with frames when you buy them from department stores? We'd like to submit this image from USA Network's White Collar to RIM as a possible preloaded wallpaper, should it ever want to go in a dramatically different direction with its marketing for the PlayBook. Standard business customers are only so exciting. But white collar criminals and the people tasked with stopping them -- now that's where the action is. Side note to the gentleman on screen: you're holding it wrong. [Thanks, Imdad]
Screen Grabs: Google Street View car rolls on to set of Burn Notice
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. It looks like somebody's got a new publicist. Sure, the Google Street View car's received its fair share of bad press lately -- what with all those invasion of privacy claims -- but we wouldn't feel too sorry for the little guy. A recent episode of Burn Notice saw the camera-equipped auto make its national TV debut. It probably won't win an Emmy for its role -- it didn't have any speaking lines, after all -- but at least it's getting some positive attention. [Thanks, Pat]
Yamaha's cinema-lovin' YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars ship this month with breathtaking price tags
Yamaha's YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars (or Digital Sound Projectors, as the sophisticates would say) emerged early last month over in Japan, but then CES happened. In a stellar effort to jog our memories, the company has just announced that both units will be on sale here in the States prior to January's end, and while each comes with a laundry list of features, the MSRPs are downright shocking. Both bars offer up 40 beam drivers, two woofers and a dedicated amplifier, while the 5100 adds a pair of tweeters. They're also equipped with HD Audio decoding (TrueHD DTS-HD Master Audio, etc.), 1080p-compatible HDMI sockets (4 in/ 1 out), internal upscaling, a UniVolume feature to maintain a consistent volume level between different sources and an integrated FM tuner. Sounds nice, but the internal yAired wireless technology must be the icing on the cake, as the $2,199.95 (5100) / $1,899.95 (4100) price tags clearly have some sort of premium baked in.
Crackdown shows up in Psych, writers obviously not familiar with video games
Video games often find their way into other forms of media, with cameos of upcoming software in vampire shows or how our consoles will one day rise up and destroy us all. In nearly every instance, TV show and film writers prove they aren't familiar with how games work or ditch logic for a silly premise. During the August 28 episode of Psych, we saw it happen again. When faux psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) visits his father (played by Corbin Bernsen, above) for advice, we find the retired officer red-eyed and fixated on the console, waving a plastic toy gun as the game's controller. Although the game isn't named, we can see it's Crackdown, which Bernsen's character claims "lets you feel like a cop, without all the guilt after you shoot someone." It's a funny cameo that weaves itself nicely into the episode's story, but goes a little crazy with the wacky video game accessory. Besides, everyone knows Crackdown 2 uses no controller and will be completely mapped to a player's body when Natal hits stores* in 2010. Check out a clip of all the episode's video game related gags after the break. *We kid. We hope. [Thanks, PsychOut]
Psych pilot free on iTunes
Hey all you free loading Americans out there (which including yours truly) the iTunes Music Store has a free goodie for you (and yes it is US only, don't shoot the messenger). You can download the pilot of the USA Network's newest show 'Pysch.'I don't know how long this will last, so get to downloading whilst the downloading is good!Thanks, Philip.
