Streaming

Hulu’s Adding More Original and Exclusive Content Beginning in January

Hulu’s continuing its trend of producing its own original content with three new shows: an animated superhero comedy with Seth Meyers, “The Awesomes”; U.K. comedy thriller “The Wrong Mans”; and docu-series “Behind the Mask.” https://gizmodo.com/hulus-summer-shows-might-actually-be-worth-watching-5911941 The streaming service will also be promoting its run of the Hulu Exclusive Series as it continues fighting to stay…

Boxee Wants To Be Inside Your TV

Up’n’coming streaming box company Boxee isn’t content sitting next to your TV. Instead, it’s firing up an initiative to get inside your TV by offering an embeddable option to manufacturers. https://gizmodo.com/walmart-puts-its-boxee-where-its-mouth-is-5956414 The scheme will see Boxee partnering with chip provider Sigma to allow TV manufacturers to embed Boxee’s cloud-based live TV, DVR and streaming apps…

Asus Qube Google TV Box Hands On: Maybe Not As Simple As We Wanted

When we first heard about the Qube, we were hoping it would be the Google TV box that finally succeeded in making the serve simple and easy to use. Well, we still haven’t seen it in actual action—Asus’s demo model isn’t functional—but the remote is enough to give us a second of pause. The Qube’s…

Here’s What Netflix’s Personalized Profiles Look Like

GigaOm has some shots of Netflix’s new personalized profiles, which break down preferences and watching habits by person, on the same account. So a dad won’t be inundated with Twilight movies, and so on. It looks more or less like you’d expect, with the profile pictures being fairly generic cartoon faces. Check out the rest…

Netgear’s New NeoTV Enlists in the Growing Google TV Army

Add Netgear to the long list of tech companies joining up with Google TV—it just jumped onboard the train with its NeoTV PRIME streaming box. It’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect from set-top boxes—shortcuts for Netflix, Pandora, HBO GO, access to Google Play, and a search feature for live TV. But you won’t…

Asus’s Qube for Google TV Might Finally Make Google TV Worth Using

Google’s Nexus Q was supposed to be the thing that legitimized Google TV, taking it from comical TV feature to a fluid addition to Google’s services. Instead, it flopped, then never even came out. So Asus decided to make its own streaming box. The Qube’s big feature seems to be its motion sensing via an…

Walmart’s For-Pay Blu-ray Ripping Is Now Slightly Less Annoying, Still Way Overpriced

If you’re looking to convert DVDs and BluRay discs to a digital format and want it to be easy, but not too easy, and definitely not free, Walmart has the service for you. They’re automating their Disc-to-Digital service so you can get UltraViolet versions of movies you’ve already bought. But here’s where it gets really…

HP’s Tiny Pocket Playlist Records Hulu or Netflix Video Then Shares It via Wi-Fi

This sleek, simple HP pebble is more powerful than it looks. The Pocket Playlist is a portable storage device which can store and record media from a host of sources, then stream it to five devices over Wi-Fi, no internet connection required. The stick is capable of streaming unencrypted content—movies, music, images, whatever—to up to…

Amazon Prime will get Pawn Stars, Dance Moms, and other fine programming, thanks to a new deal with A&E. [BusinessWire]

CBS Connect: Get Your Fill of TV Talk

Are you a TV obsessive? I am. I spent much of Christmas week catching up on How I Met Your Mother. And I wish I had CBS Connect to talk up all my theories about what’s going to happen with Ted Mosby’s love life with other fans. What does it do? Lets you chat with…

Amazon’s New Sitcoms Look Like They Might Actually Be Good

Amazon just took the lid off of a bunch of new, original series it’s taking to pilot, and surprise—some of them actually look really good. All Things D has the rundown on all six, and details about how they’ll be rolled out. Here’s the lineup, as told by ATD: Alpha House, about “four senators who…

How To Sign Up for Redbox Instant

Sick of Netflix? Verizon’s Redbox Instant service-a cheaper competitor-starts rolling out in beta today. Here’s how to get in on the action (or at least, on the waitlist). https://gizmodo.com/verizon-and-redboxs-streaming-service-is-really-real-an-5967801 Go to RedboxInstant.com and enter your email address to get sent an access code. Once you have the secret password, you’ll enter it on the site,…

Netflix Encodes Every Movie 120 Different Ways

The problem with streaming video to different devices—computers, tablets, phones, and whatever else—is that they all demand subtly different streams if they’re to look their best. If you’re Netflix, which streams to 900 different types of device, that leaves you with some work to do. According to Netflix, it has to encode each and every…

Verizon and Redbox’s Streaming Service Is Really Real and Only $6

Verizon and Redbox are officially kicking off a streaming movie service. Sort of. Redbox Instant by Verizon goes into beta this month, and you have to have an invitation to get behind the velvet rope for now. https://gizmodo.com/redbox-and-verizon-joining-forces-for-a-streaming-movie-5882598 Later in 2013, however, will be the wider launch. For now, the details are that the Redbox…

Oh Hell Yeah, There’s Going to Be Even More Arrested Development Episodes Now

If news that Arrested Development was going to get 10 brand new episodes didn’t make you want to celebrate by doing the chicken dance, how about this: Netflix is expanding its order of episodes for Season 4. Now there’ll be anywhere from 12-15 new Arrested Development episodes as opposed to 10. HOORAY! https://gizmodo.com/arrested-development-is-coming-back-exclusive-to-netfl-5861053 Deadline reports…

Sonos Now Lets You Stream Music Direct From an iOS Device

Proprietary software updates are rarely exciting, but the latest from Sonos really is worth hearing about. The latest Sonos software now allows users to stream music stored on iOS devices direct to the company’s speaker systems. Don’t be fooled into thinking this uses Airplay, though it sounds exactly like it should. Instead, Sonos has developed…

How to Spread Your Music Across the Web

Cloud storage has transformed the way digital music collectors access their media. But with so many competing hosting services, which should you choose? How about: All of them. Here’s how to sync your music collection throughout the cloud. iTunes Apple’s supplemented its ubiquitous media management program in 2011 with iCloud, a 20,000 track music locker.…

BitTorrent Wants To Be Hollywood’s New Best Friend

Torrenting, it’s the tool of thieves and pirates, right? The evil protocol no honest person should ever dare touch? Not quite, but it’s got that reputation with some, and it’s trying hard to shake it. According to BitTorrent’s executive director of marketing Matt Mason, they plan to take it all the way in the other…

Leaked Redbox Instant Details Reveal Cheap, Netflix-Killing Prices

Thanks to a (now password protected) page on Redbox’s support site, details on the company’s joint streaming venture with Verizon have finally surfaced. While the potential Netflix competitor has a smaller catalog of offerings, the $6 a month subscription rate should be enough to garner a few converts. Plus, screenshots show a selection of newer…

Netflix has overhauled the way it hosts content on the cloud. TL;DR: Netflix will work better and hang less. [The WHIR]