Streaming

All of Netflix’s Original Content Will Be Shot In 4K From Now On

Netflix seems to be really leading the charge on this 4K thing. CEO Reed Hastings just took the stage at Sony’s CES presser and said that all of its future original content will be shot in ultra high-def. That’s a whole lotta pixels. It’s also worth pointing out that it’s not the first time Hastings…

Netgear’s HDMI Dongle Is Your Storage-Friendly Answer to Chromecast

While Google’s Chromecast might seem poised become the quintessential universal streaming device, it’s taking a hell of a long time to get there. So in the meantime, Netgear’s new NeoMediacast dongleis picking up where Chromecast left off by offering streaming content with Micro SD storage capabilities—assuming you’re an Android user, that is. The Miracast-enabled dongle…

Rumor: YouTube Will Debut Low-Bandwidth 4K Streaming Next Week

Watching 4K video is wonderful and all, but with streaming increasingly popular and data caps largely still in place, it also still seems impractical. Not for long, though, if rumors of YouTube’s latest schemes are to be believed. A report by GigaOM claims that YouTube will demonstrate a new 4K streaming technology at CES next…

Samsung’s Shape M5 Speaker: A Smaller Sonos Clone

Just a couple of months back Samsung launched the M7 streaming speaker, a device which was strikingly similar to a Sonos. Now, it has a smaller version called the M5, which is… also strikingly similar to a Sonos. With just three drivers inside rather than five, the speaker is somewhat more portable, and certainly easier…

The 20 Best Movies Disappearing From Netflix Tomorrow

When the clock strikes its last midnight in 2013—or somewhere around there, anyway—dozens of movies will disappear from Netflix streaming. Fortunately, you’ve still got some time to churn through the ones you’ll miss the most. Here’s a list of the very best of the movies that’ll be gone in 2014. While Netflix has made it…

Report: Spotify’s Desktop App Just Got Way More Sleek

Spotify’s rolling out a sleek new look for its desktop clients: darker, cleaner, and less cluttered, according to the Verge and some users. There are rounded images, larger text—and a little less information. So, artist pages, show fewer tracks on a single page, and feature pleasant, circular avatars. The Discover tab seems to do away…

Amazon Can Take Away Your Digital Books and Movies Whenever It Wants

In light of the holiday season, what better time than now to remind ourselves to give thanks for all that we have. Although, in the case of any digital goods you’ve “purchased,” maybe don’t add those to the list quite yet. Because remember: You don’t actually own any of it. https://gizmodo.com/you-dont-own-the-books-on-your-kindle-5954497 Talking to BoingBoing, one…

Rumor: Led Zeppelin Will Be on Spotify Later Today

Having previously refused to appear on streaming services, rock legends Led Zeppelin are rumoured to be making their catalog exclusively available for streaming through Spotify later today. The New York Times reports: Spotify will announce at a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday morning that Led Zeppelin — which has so far refused to license…

WSJ: Spotify Is Planning to Introduce Free Mobile Music

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Spotify is planning to launch a free, ad-supported version of its streaming music service for mobile devices Citing “people familiar with the matter”, the rumor suggests that Spotify is planning to end its policy of insisting that all its mobile users pay a monthly fee. The sources explained…

Listen to This Year’s 100 Top-Streamed Spotify Tracks Right Here

If all your favorite playlist is missing is everyone else’s playlist favorites, fear not! Spotify has released its 100 most-streamed songs of the 2013, both in the US and globally. The results? The most agreeable mix you’ll hear all year—and a whole lot of Rihanna. The US and Global lists seem to be in some…

Forget The Timer, Use Netflix to Judge When Your Turkey’s Done

Figuring out how long to leave your Thanksgiving turkey in the oven feels like a stress nightmare from high school algebra. Converting pounds of turkey into minutes of cooking is way easier when you’ve got a tangible reference point. Say, two adorable holiday-themed kids movies. Netflix put together this actually quite handy playlist, giving you…

Deezer’s Music Streaming Service Is Headed to the US in 2014

If you’re not already fully signed up to the likes of Spotify, Rdio MOG or the rest, there will soon be another music option: the French streaming service Deezer will launch in the US in 2014. You may never have heard of it, but in other parts of the world it’s already a big deal.…

You can now stream HBO Go on your Chromecast, woo! And that brings your number of options to a whopping total of four. Come on Chromecast, keep up that streak.

Sling—the streaming box that lets you use your cable subscription from anywhere—has completely redesigned its SlingPlayer app for Android and iOS to favor better discovery, with added social integration and new split-screen navigation. Sling will also be releasing an app for Windows 8.1 in December. And finally, you can now use your Slingbox with your…

How YouTube Works

You’re about to watch a video via YouTube. Hell, you watch dozens of videos every day on YouTube. But do you have any idea how it works? If not, it’s worth watching this video. Where does all that video live? How does it get to you? And why the hell do you have to put…

Do Music and Movie Suggestion Algorithms “Get” You?

I pretty much universally hate streaming music services. They all promise to broaden my horizons, analyzing my tastes to bring me music I never knew I couldn’t live with out. They can all go to hell. My typical algorithm-driven streaming music experience goes like this: I’ll punch in a song, or artist, or whatever, that…

According to the WSJ, Hulu is apparently in talks with ‘several pay-TV providers’ to become part of their pay-TV bundles in the future.

Netflix Has a Slick New Interface For Its TV Apps

While all of the content on Netflix is provided equally, the look of its player can vary pretty substantially between devices, making it a pain to find things. Now, the company has unified its interface across the majority of its apps. The new interface rolls out over the next two weeks for the PlayStation 4,…

Roku just added more live programming options to its set-top box. Cable customers can now view WatchESPN and three different Watch Disney channels, with both live and on-demand content. [TechCrunch]

NYT: Google Glass Is About to Get More Musical

According to a report by the New York Times, Google will today announce a rich new set of musical features for Glass which will provide a better audio experience for those who choose to wear the devices. The paper explains that Glass will soon allow users to search for songs, scan through saved playlists and…