Tag: TV

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SomeGadgetGuy on NBCLA – Are Your Apps Spying on You?

I had the pleasure of working with Randy Mack and the Consumer Product Investigation team at KNBC. While those of us in the tech industry have a pretty nuanced understanding of what app permissions are and what risks we might be taking with our personal information, I really appreciate the approach taken here in introducing the concept of spyware without resorting to a “Sky is Falling”, panic inducing tone.

I’m happy to share this piece we produced, and if you have any tips or tricks for how you discuss privacy and data security with your family, drop a comment below!

Are Your Apps Spying on You? (NBC LA)

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TV Channel G4 Shutting Down November 30th

It’s officially run its course. The NBC owned channel, originally aimed at tech and gaming fans, will pull the plug the end of this month.

I was a huge fan of TechTV, and followed the transition to G4 with shows like The Screen Savers which became Attack of the Show, and X-Play.

The channel ran into issues while trying to re-brand itself away from the “Geek” badging. Running syndicated content like Star Trek: The Next Generation and Lost, and courting buy outs from Esquire and professional wrestling organizations. In many ways the channel had already died due to the lack of original content.

For us fans of tech and gaming commentary, TV was just never as hospitable as the internet. Now Youtube and Twitch have replaced traditional broadcasting. Still there’s that little itch of nostalgia over what might have been, especially now with geek and tech gear going mainstream. A sentiment near perfectly summed up in the series finale gag in the last episode of AotS (about 2:54 into the embedded clip below).

So long G4. It’s been real.

“LA? That’s actually worse than hotdog mouth…”

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Just for Fun: Bill Nye is posting full episodes of ‘Bill Nye The Science Guy’ on Youtube

Bill-Nye-640x350Inertia is a property of matter…

If you were in school in the 90’s, chances are pretty good that you spent a little time watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, and it was an entertaining look at scientific concepts for young and old alike. Apparently Mr. Nye has been uploading full episodes to Youtube, and the dude only has 10,000 subscribers. What’s up with that?

Now we just need someone to get on delivering a full set of Square One…

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Professional Broadcast Streaming Video Coming From Skype TX

Four years ago, on an entirely different blog, I lobbied Skype for a professional grade audio/video service. That day might be arriving soon…

Unveiled two days ago, Skype took the wraps off of their new broadcast-grade service dubbed “Skype TX”. Built on their acquisition of Cat and Mouse technology, they’ve developed a hardware and software combo which should deliver high quality video calling globally. Adding to a suite of tools already available to help producers integrate video content into their programs, Skype TX should be available later this year.

Me from four years ago would be very excited. Full PR below with more details on the service. Continue reading “Professional Broadcast Streaming Video Coming From Skype TX”

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After defeating Net Neutrality, Verizon buys Intel Media Cloud TV services

Verizon-logoThey do move quickly over at Big Red don’t they.

After an appellate court ruled that the FCC didn’t have the authority to enforce net neutrality on data networks, Verizon is announcing plans to buy Intel Media. Intel Media is the wing of Intel working on next generation cloud, TV, and multimedia services. Following their recent acquisition of Edgecast content delivery networks and upLynk’s video encoding technology, it seems pretty clear that Verizon is aggressively working towards expanding their offerings in IPTV, cloud, and streaming services.

Now they also have a pass from the judicial system allowing them to legally prioritize their own services while degrading their competitor’s services. The free market works.

Full Intel PR below.

Continue reading “After defeating Net Neutrality, Verizon buys Intel Media Cloud TV services”

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Chromecast supporting 10 new apps, Plex and Avia media streaming!

google chromecast tv hdmi dongle somegadgetguyDevelopers are moving forward with Chromecast integration, and it’s starting to look really good.

Announced today on the Chrome Blog, ten new apps have been officially added to the Chromecast repertoire. The list of standalone services includes VEVO, Red Bull.TV, Songza, PostTV, Viki, Revision 3, and BeyondPod.

What’s also interesting is the growing list of local streaming apps. Chromecast allows you to share a tab on your computer’s browser, but it wasn’t a great solution for streaming music or video stored on your computer’s hard drive. Now with Avia, RealPlayer Cloud, and Plex this process should get a lot easier.

Alongside recent additions like Hulu, HBO Go, and Pandora, the Chromecast ecosystem is looking a little healthier. Who needs a Nexus TV AmIRite?

Our setup and review video of the Chromecast!

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AT&T Shows Android Some Love With U-Verse App, Live TV

u-verse app for androidIt’s always a bit of a bummer when an app or service is a platform exclusive. I mean I get it why so many services are developed for iOS first, but that waiting for an app on Android can be killer. Whelp, if you’re a U-Verse subscriber, but you’re using an Android phone or tablet, looks like AT&T is finally showing you some love.

Not only will you have the ability to control your DVR and browse on demand content, you’ll be able to watch live TV on more than 20 channels anywhere you have a data connection. Plus, more channels will be added in the future. Not a bad little value add, and now us droids can play too.

So AT&T… With all the cool Lumia gear you guys sell… When might we see a U-Verse app for Windows Phone? That Lumia 1520 has a pretty sweet screen…

(via AT&T)

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Will the Canadian Government Require Cable & Satellite Providers to Offer a la carte Options?

coax cablePretty much what we’ve all been asking for since the dawn of cable television.

While some Canadian providers are already offering some version of a la carte, the ability to subscribe to just the channels you want, it looks like the Canadian government will require cable and satellite providers to offer individual channels to customers. Said Industry Minister James Moore:

“We don’t think it’s right for Canadians to have to pay for bundled television channels that they don’t watch. We want to unbundle television channels and allow Canadians to pick and pay the specific television channels that they want.”

As someone who recently had to shop through my local cable company’s plans and options, the way we currently pay for TV can be incredibly frustrating. Following the realization that I only watch a handful of channels, the tier of cable I have to buy to get the channels I want means I end up overbuying hundreds of channels I’m never going to watch.

However, you lucky Canucks will hopefully get to skirt that soon. Know that I’ll be jealous.

(via Reuters)

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