MEMS mics are taking over. Almost every mobile device has ditched its old-fashioned electret microphone invented way back in 1962 at Bell Labs. Expect new piezoelectric MEMS microphones, which promise unheard of signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of up to 80 dB (versus 65 dB in the best current capacitive microphones) in 2015. MEMS microphones are growing like gangbusters.
Analysts and veterans of the International CES expect to see plenty of 4K ultra-high-definition televisions, new smartwatch uses, and a large section of the show floor dedicated to robotics. 2015 will be the first year CES gets behind 4K in a big way, as lower price points make the technology more attractive to consumers. Samsung, Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba will be big players in the 4K arena. OEMs must solve the problem of intelligence and connectivity before 4K will really take off. CES attendees may also see 4K TVs optimized for certain tasks, along with a variety of sizes. There will be 10-inch and 14-inch and 17-inch UHD displays.
4K is not enough anymore? 8K – finally come true? Korean giant LG has promised to introduce ehdan 8K TV at CES 2015 exhibition in January. 8K means a total of 33.2 million pixels, or 7680 x 4320 resolution. 4K video material fate is still uncertain, 8K video can not with certainty not available for a long time.
Sound bars will be a big issue at shows. One problem with new TVs — the thinner they are, the harder it is to get sound out.
Open file formats Matroska Video (MKV) and Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) gets more widely used as Windows 10 To Feature Native Support For MKV and FLAC.
Watching shows online is more common now. More people are watching videos on smaller screens. You can use a tablet as personal TV. Phablets and portable televisions have taken off in China, Japan, and Korea, where many people watch videos during long commutes. Tablets now have become so ubiquitous and inexpensive that you can buy them for a specific application. Much of the innovation will be in software, rather than hardware — tuning the tablets to boot up like a television instead of an Android tablet
We’re all spending more time with smartphones and tablets. So much so that the “second screen” may now be the “first screen,” depending on the data you read. It seems inevitable that smartphones and tablets will replace the television in terms of time spent. Many metrics firms, including Nielsen, report on the rapid increase of mobile device usage—especially when it comes to apps. Half of YouTube’s views now come from phones and tablets.
Qualcomm will push this year broadcast LTE. That will be picked up more and more by some vendors in tablets, so they can have broadcast TV signals, but it doesn’t have to be generic LTE.
There will be lots of talking on traditional TV vs new streaming services, especially on who gets which program material and at what price. While it’s possible to create a TV platform that doesn’t deal with live channels, smart TVs and game consoles alike generally try to integrate the content as best they can.
Netflix’s new strategy to take on cable involves becoming best friends with cable to get its app included on set-top boxes of cable, fiber and satellite TV operators. Roughly 90 million U.S. households subscribe to cable or other forms of pay TV, and more than 73 million subscribe to the biggest five operators alone. That’s why Netflix has been working hard to team up with one of these major operators.
Google intends to integrate content best it can. Google Publishes ‘Live Channels For Android TV’ App Into The Play Store. G The “Live Channels for Android TV” app is unsurprisingly incompatible with phones and tablets, maybe because for some reason those markets are intentionally artificially tried to be kept separate.
Virtual reality video is trying to get to spotlight. Samsung’s new Milk VR to round up 360-degree videos for Gear VR article tells that Milk VR will provide the videos for free as Samsung hopes to goose interest in virtual reality. Milk VR service will provide free 360-degree videos to anyone using a Gear VR virtual-reality headset (uses Galaxy Note 4). Samsung wants to jump-start the virtual-reality movement as the company is looking at virtual reality as a potential growth engine at a time when one of its key traditional revenue sources — smartphones — has slowed down. The videos will also serve as a model for future filmmakers or artists looking to take advantage of the virtual-reality medium, as well as build up an ecosystem and viewership for VR content.
Although digital video is increasing in popularity, analog video remains in use in many applications.
1,154 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix is just too powerful for cable companies to snub — as much as they want to
http://uk.businessinsider.com/netflix-too-powerful-for-cable-companies-to-snub-says-morgan-stanley-2015-10?r=US&IR=T
There has recently been a shift in tone by major cable companies when they talk about their relationship with Netflix. Cable executives seem to have woken up to the fact that their licensing deals with Netflix bolster the catalog of a company that could do serious damage to their business.
But Netflix might just be too big of a powerhouse in the market for cable companies to spite, according to an analyst note from Morgan Stanley on Monday.
The analysts write that the Hollywood “talent” involved in hit shows — like actors or writers — expect their studio partners to maximize the earnings on each show. They don’t care about Netflix hurting other parts of the studio’s business. That’s not their problem. They want as much money as possible, and Netflix is throwing it around.
Netflix is the standard.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is Streaming Pirated Movies Illegal? EU Court to Decide
By Ernesto on October 12, 2015
Breaking
https://torrentfreak.com/is-streaming-pirated-movies-illegal-eu-court-to-decide-151012/
Seeking clarification, a Dutch court has referred several streaming related questions to the EU Court of Justice. The questions relate to a case between local anti-piracy group BREIN and a seller of so-called “pirate boxes” that come pre-loaded with streaming plugins. It is currently unclear whether streaming pirated movies is permitted under EU law.
Online streaming continues to gain in popularity, both from authorized and pirate sources.
Unlike traditional forms of downloading, however, in many countries the legality of viewing unauthorized streams remains unclear.
In the European Union this may change in the near future.
BREIN is happy with the court’s referral and hopes that the EU Court’s ruling will bring more clarity on the streaming issue. But for now, it doesn’t plan to stop going after sellers of pirate boxes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DRM In JPEGs?
http://news.slashdot.org/story/15/10/13/2338211/drm-in-jpegs
Adding DRM to JPEG files is being considered by the Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG), which oversees the JPEG format. The JPEG met in Brussels today to discuss adding DRM to its format, so there would be images that could force your computer to stop you from uploading pictures to Pinterest or social media
JPEG Looking To Add DRM To Images… Supposedly To Protect Images From Gov’t Surveillance
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150714/06503331631/jpeg-looking-to-add-drm-to-images-supposedly-to-protect-images-govt-surveillance.shtml
There’s No DRM in JPEG—Let’s Keep It That Way
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/10/theres-no-drm-jpeg-lets-keep-it-way
The EFF attended the group’s meeting to tell JPEG committee members why that would be a bad idea. Their presentation(PDF) explains why cryptographers don’t believe that DRM works
Copyright, Code and Creativity
A Note of Caution About DRM in JPEG
https://www.eff.org/files/2015/10/13/jpeg_presentation.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Electric Jukebox: the music player for everyone else
http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/14/electric-jukebox/
“I’m not after the Spotify customer,” says Rob Lewis, co-creator of the Electric Jukebox, “I’m after everyone else.” He’s devoted the last two years of his life to creating a digital music player that’s designed not for smartphone-addicted tweens, but folks who otherwise struggle to embrace technology.
The Electric Jukebox hardware is split into two parts: a Chromecast-like dongle that connects to your TV over HDMI. “This isn’t a Chromecast,” Lewis hastily corrects, “it can only work with our product,” using HDMI-CEC to take over your TV every time you pick up the remote. The only difference between this and Google’s hardware, however, is that this unit has a 3.5mm line-out port, should you feel the need to hook it up to an external speaker.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chromecast will now take orders from your TV remote
http://uk.engadget.com/2015/03/17/chromecast-tv-remote-compatible/
Google’s Chromecast is capable of all sorts of tricks, but some of them have remained untapped until now. Take HDMI-CEC, which has been built into the video stick since the outset, but has only just been made compatible with input from connected devices. This means that your TV remote can now deliver IR orders to the Chromecast: your remote can pause and resume whatever’s being beamed from the stick.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vinyl player is completely absurd contraption. The big, impractical and technically digital sisters weaker. And yet the idea of the level it was something interesting. – See more at:http://audiovideo.fi/artikkeli/viela-kerran-vinyylisoittimista-levysoitinsarjan-bonusosa-10#sthash.oOBb9XvM.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Aurous, the Popcorn Time of music is already being sued
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/10/14/aurous-the-popcorn-time-of-music-is-already-being-sued/
It didn’t take long for Aurous, the Popcorn Time of music streaming to catch the attention of the authorities. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a lawsuit alleging the developers behind the project were, “well aware of the copyright infringement caused by their service and wilfully intend for it to happen.”
Andrew Samspon, one of the app’s two developers claimed the software is completely legal as it only uses public APIs to collate tracks from legal sources including YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud.
However, the RIAA feels differently, and is seeking $3 million damages, according to Sampson.
The service has proved mildly popular
https://aurous.me/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Canon shows off future of video with 8K imaging tech
And it’s quite something
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2430339/canon-shows-off-future-of-video-with-8k-imaging-tech
PARIS: IMAGING OUTFIT CANON has shown off its latest range of ultra-high definition imaging technologies, including 8K cameras, displays and projector demonstrations.
Canon flaunted the technology for the first time in Europe at its Expo 2015 event in Paris on Tuesday, attended by The INQUIRER, giving us a glimpse of an 8K camera alongside its viewing potential via 8K video screens, and we have to say we were pretty blown away by it.
The ultra-high definition tech made up quite a hefty part of the conference
We saw a variety of innovations in state-of-the-art imaging, including an 8K screening comprising a variety of high-adrenaline scenes filmed with 8K cameras, including train and rollercoaster POVs. We were in awe at the sheer detail captured in these images.
The 8K demonstrations weren’t showcasing what Canon will build into its consumer or professional cameras anytime soon, but it was the firm’s chance to tell audiences where it is with 8K: that it’s possible, it’s on its way and it looks bloody great.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toybox Demo for Oculus Touch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFEMiyGMa58
The Toybox demo for Oculus Touch demonstrates the power of social VR. You can use your hands to poke at things, pull objects apart, stack blocks, and play games with another person inside a virtual world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:
During earnings call, Netflix says it could be competing with Vice in news programming within next two years — Netflix Expresses Interest in Expanding Into News Programming — Now that they’ve disrupted one TV genre after another with dramas and comedies like “House of Cards” and …
Netflix Expresses Interest in Expanding Into News Programming
http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-expresses-interest-in-expanding-into-news-programming-1201618182/
Ben Popper / The Verge:
Netflix Q3: $1.74B in revenue, $74M in profit, down from $110M for same period last year, company adds 3.62M new subscribers globally — Netflix stumbles on profit, but subscriber base swells to nearly 70 million — Netflix is one of the best performing stocks in the S&P 500 right now …
Netflix stumbles on profit, but subscriber base swells to nearly 70 million
International expansion and rising content costs are putting a squeeze on its profit margins
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/14/9532229/netflix-q3-2015-earnings-report
Netflix CEO blames credit card changes for subscribers leaving service
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/14/netflix-ceo-blames-credit-card-changes
Reed Hastings attributes slumping numbers to anti-fraud measures including advent of the chip in US credit cards as company reports disappointing figures
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lexar outs cards across SD, XQD and CFast with sizes up to 512GB and USB-C
It’s just getting silly now
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2430434/lexar-announces-cards-across-sd-xqd-and-cfast-with-sizes-up-to-512gb-and-usb-c
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix US subscribers hit by transition to chip-based cards
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34534397
Online TV company Netflix gained another 3.62m subscribers between July and September, to take its total to 69.17m.
However, the number of new subscribers in the US was less than the company had forecast, prompting shares to fall in after-hours trading.
It attributed this to the “ongoing transition to chip-based credit and debit cards”.
The firm said revenue rose to $1.74bn (£1.1bn) from $1.41bn a year earlier.
In the US it had predicted an extra 1.15m subscribers in the third quarter, but in fact saw just 880,000 new additions.
In an interview to discuss the results, the chief financial officer David Wells said the move to new, more secure chip-based devices, which banks in the US have been introducing this year, often meant that customers had to re-enter their details.
Slow user growth in the US will worry investors – although the company has blamed the transition in the US to chip cards, rather than waning interest. Internationally there were more new subscribers than anticipated, suggesting the chip excuse may be a valid one.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
YouTube Gaming launches $4/month subscriptions for ad-free viewing in 40 countries and ability to broadcast gameplay along with front-facing video from Android
YouTube Gaming launches paid subscriptions and Android broadcasting
Viewers can pay $3.99 a month to support their favorite streamers.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/youtube-gaming-launches-paid-subscriptions-and-android-broadcasting/
YouTube is closing one of the biggest gaps between its YouTube Gaming service and Twitch.tv: monetization options. Google’s upstart game streaming service has just added paid subscriptions, called “sponsorships,” to its feature lineup. Sponsorships let users in over 40 countries go ad-free by paying a monthly fee of $3.99 through Google Wallet to directly support their favorite streamers.
Like Twitch, subscribers get extra perks, namely “access to exclusive chat sessions” and a chat badge that denotes them as paying subscribers. Twitch only allows streamers to add paid subscriptions when they regularly see a certain amount of users, but YouTube Gaming has no plans to put viewership size restrictions on the subscription feature. The one catch is that subscriptions are currently limited to beta testers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Madeline Berg / Forbes:
Top 13 YouTube stars earned $54.5M collectively according to Forbes “World’s highest-paid YouTube Stars 2015”, with PewDiePie topping the list at $12M — The World’s Highest-Paid YouTube Stars 2015 — Ask just about any stranger on the street who Felix Kjellberg is and you’ll likely get a blank stare.
The World’s Highest-Paid YouTube Stars 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2015/10/14/the-worlds-highest-paid-youtube-stars-2015/
One of the only commonalities of the group is their youth: Most are under 30, and thus only slightly older than their target audience members, many of whom are of the generation that prefers YouTube to old-fashioned television.
“I thought, if [YouTube] is going to be the global television of the future, I need to build my brand here,” said Michelle Phan, who uploaded her first video, a natural makeup tutorial, from a grainy webcam in 2007. “Within the first week, 40,000 people watched it and hundreds of comments came in and that’s when I realized I’d found my calling.”
Videogames seems to be one path to making it big on YouTube.
Comedians have also found a way to make YouTube their own: Half of our top-earning channels primarily feature sketch comedy, stand-up routines or pranks.
When YouTube was founded ten years ago, it was with the mission “to provide fast and easy video access and the ability to share videos frequently.” Now it can add another: minting young millionaires by the dozen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frozen Time Photography with a 100W LED
http://hackaday.com/2015/10/05/frozen-time-photography-with-a-100w-led/
High speed photography is fun. Ultra high frame rate video, even more so. But since not many of us have access to $10,000 HFR cameras… we have to make do with long exposure shots a perfectly timed camera flash. You can design a system to trigger the flash at just the right millisecond — but they’re still pretty expensive typically.
[Electronupdate] has a 100W LED module and penchant for Arduino Nanos — so he wondered if he could make an affordable high speed camera rig — and he did.
Frozen Time Photography and a Super Bright LED module
http://electronupdate.blogspot.ca/2015/10/frozen-time-photography-and-super.html
a bright light source is flashed right at the time desired. Normally this light is from an Xeon flash tube (commonly found in camera flashes).
I was looking at my 100W LED module and I was wondering if it could act as a substitue… while not as bright as an Xeon tube it’s far more controllable in regards to light pulse duration and inter-pulse control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New York Times:
As it expands globally, Netflix faces increasing competition and demand for local-language programming
Netflix Faces Challengers in Its Push to Expand Globally
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/technology/netflix-faces-challengers-in-its-push-to-expand-globally.html?_r=0
At first glance, Miguel Díez Ferreira would seem to make an ideal customer for Netflix.
But when Netflix becomes available in Spain on Tuesday, Mr. Díez Ferreira won’t be signing up.
“Netflix can’t offer me anything I don’t already get elsewhere,” said Mr. Díez Ferreira, a Spanish businessman who has two subscriptions with rival video-streaming services, one of which has licensed Netflix’s programs, including “Orange Is the New Black,” in Spain.
Building its international base has taken on more urgency for Netflix. Last week the company reported third-quarter earnings showing that it had missed its forecast for growth in the United States, with profits dropping 50 percent compared with the year before. Its American operations still represent roughly two-thirds of the company’s revenues.
Netflix, founded almost two decades ago, now operates in more than 50 countries from North America to Asia. The company has signed up almost 24 million paying international subscribers, or roughly one-third of its total users, according to regulatory filings.
Yet Netflix and its efforts to expand overseas are facing a series of challenges that could hamper future growth, including patchwork regulatory restrictions worldwide and stiff competition in individual countries from services that are attracting viewers like Mr. Díez Ferreira.
That is particularly true in the European Union, where current rules often limit what content can be made available in each of the region’s 28 countries.
To fend off competitors, Netflix executives also are increasingly signing global licensing deals, often at a significant premium, with major studios providing Hollywood blockbusters across the company’s international markets all at once. Currently, content deals are made on a regional or national level.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Sources: YouTube readying programming that will be exclusive to its upcoming subscription service, will announce some of it at an event in Los Angeles Oct. 21
YouTube Will Make You Pay to See Some of Its New Videos
http://recode.net/2015/10/16/youtube-will-make-you-pay-to-see-some-of-its-new-videos/
Coming to YouTube: Videos you’ll need to pay to see.
The world’s biggest video site is readying a slate of programming that will only be available to people who join its upcoming subscription services. YouTube will announce some of that programming, which it is helping to fund, at an event at its studio/event space in Los Angeles next Wednesday, October 21.
Industry sources say the programming is the product of an initiative the site announced last year, when YouTube said it would “fund new content from some of our top creators.”
At the time, YouTube didn’t say that stuff it was funding would be placed behind a paywall. But industry sources say the site now intends to use at least some of the content it is bankrolling as a bonus for its premium subscription service, which will also include features like ad-free videos.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moscow State University Releases 10th HEVC Video Codec Comparison
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/10/18/1323237/moscow-state-university-releases-10th-hevc-video-codec-comparison
The Graphics and Media Lab Video Group of Moscow State University has released its tenth video codecs comparison. This latest comparison focuses on HEVC codecs and includes some non-HEVC codecs such as x264 and VP9. The report concludes that Intel’s MSS HEVC Software codec leads the pack in the “fast transcoding” use case whereas x265 takes the lead in the “ripping” use case.
HEVC Video Codecs Comparison
(Tenth MSU Video Codecs Comparison)
http://compression.ru/video/codec_comparison/hevc_2015/
HEVC/H.265 VideoCodecs Comparison
http://compression.ru/video/codec_comparison/hevc_2015/MSU_HEVC_comparison_2015_free.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Tim Cook says new Apple TV coming next week, reveals 6.5m paying Apple Music subscribers — As expected, Tim Cook today took the stage at the Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference for an interview. During his time on stage, Cook discussed a variety of topics, ranging from iPhone to Apple Watch and to Apple Music.
Tim Cook says new Apple TV coming next week, reveals 6.5m paying Apple Music subscribers
http://9to5mac.com/2015/10/19/tim-cook-interview-apple-wsj/
As expected, Tim Cook today took the stage at the Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference for an interview. During his time on stage, Cook discussed a variety of topics, ranging from iPhone to Apple Watch and to Apple Music. The main points are below:
New Apple TV available next Monday, Oct. 26, shipping later that week
6.5 million paying Apple Music customers, 15 million total subscribers
A focus on CarPlay in the short-term, but the car industry is at an “inflection point for massive change”
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Netflix for pirates’ now streams movies directly to your web browser
http://bgr.com/2015/10/19/popcorn-time-download-not-needed-browser-app/
An app released earlier this year called Popcorn Time caused quite a stir. Whereas downloading stolen movies with torrent applications had previously been something that “mainstream” users stayed away from, this “Netflix for pirates” app made stealing copyrighted movies and TV shows as easy as streaming a video on Netflix. The app provided a beautiful interface that rethought the multi-step, multi-app torrenting process and combined everything into one simple app.
Thanks to a new project spawned by Popcorn Time, the process has been further simplified and you don’t even need to install an app anymore.
Rather than having to download an app, Browser Popcorn is a simple website that lays out available movies and shows in an interface similar to Popcorn Time, which of course is modeled after Netflix. Gone are the days of using dedicated torrent search sites to find files, a separate client to download them, and then yet another app to watch. With Browser Popcorn, simply select a title and it will begin streaming directly to your browser.
http://bgr.com/tag/browser-popcorn/
Tomi Engdahl says:
ITU rubber-stamps ’3D’ audio format
It’s behind you! And above you! And will make UHDTVs bandwidth-guzzlers!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/20/itu_rubberstamps_immersive_audio_format/
Big-screen TV fans – actually, vendors and media outfits – will be celebrating at the prospect of yet another audio standard.
The ITU has given clear-for-takeoff to the new standard, ITU-R BS.2088-0, which glories in the title “Long-form file format for the international exchange of audio programme materials with metadata”.
The standard, here, is based on the existing RIFF/WAV formats, modified so that a single file can “carry a complete audio programme containing audio samples as well as metadata for any combination of object, channel and scene-based audio”.
Which means, roughly, that there’s a standard for a more three-dimensional sound format: “we hear sound from all around us – a bird above us, a car behind us, and a voice ahead of us. Emulating this same experience in the media will be ‘immersive audio’”, the ITU explains in its canned release.
Designed to be paired with UHDTVs, the ITU expects vendors to use the standard to implement things like personal preferences for the immersive experience.
More pragmatically, the standards’ authors note that the existing 4 GB file limit in the prior standard probably wasn’t going to cut it for immersive sound, so the standard specifies a WAV-based 64-bit format called BW64.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jeanine Poggi / Ad Age:25 minutes ago
CNN unveils Great Big Story, a video network aimed at millennials; will be anchored by homepage, with distribution across YouTube, other platforms — CNN Unveils Millennial-Targeted Video Site Great Big Story — GBS to Produce Branded
CNN Unveils Millennial-Targeted Video Site Great Big Story
GBS to Produce Branded Content for Advertisers
http://adage.com/article/media/cnn-unveils-millennial-targeted-video-site/300975/
In a play for advertisers enamored with the sexiness of a BuzzFeed or Vice, CNN on Tuesday is unveiling a platform called Great Big Story that’s intended to deliver young and intellectual consumers.
Great Big Story, or GBS, is a video network whose mission is to produce content that goes deeper than the cat videos and fluffy lists of other millennial-targeted web sites. Despite the backing of CNN and its parent Turner Broadcasting, however, the site is decidedly not a news network.
GBS will release three to five non-fiction videos per day of untold stories about new frontiers, the human condition, planet earth and tastes and flavors
While advertising will not live on the site at launch as GBS focuses on building the brand and attracting an audience, Mr. Siegel is actively speaking with potential advertisers about the ways brands can be integrated into the content.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wall Street Journal:
Comcast is in talks with TV networks and audience measurement firms to share data harnessed from set-top boxes and apps — Comcast Seeks to Harness Trove of TV Data — Cable giant is in talks with TV networks and measurement firms to license viewing data from set-top boxes, apps
Comcast Seeks to Harness Trove of TV Data
Cable giant is in talks with TV networks and measurement firms to license viewing data from set-top boxes, apps
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/comcast-seeks-to-harness-trove-of-tv-data-1445333401-lMyQjAxMTE1NTIwMDgyMjA2Wj
Comcast Corp. is sitting on a potential treasure trove of data on how Americans watch TV. Now, the cable giant is working to unlock that information in ways that it hopes could save the $70 billion U.S. television advertising market.
Comcast is seeking to harness viewing data from the set-top boxes and streaming apps used by its millions of cable-TV subscribers to create products it can license to other companies, according to people familiar with its plans. That will require organizing a vast pool of details into “dashboards” that TV networks and marketers can use to tap specific slices of data.
In recent months, Comcast rebuffed an offer from TV-ratings specialist Nielsen, which was willing to pay roughly $100 million for an exclusive license to the data, these people said, though the two companies are deep in talks about other potential partnerships.
Comcast is betting the industry, armed with the company’s data, could better compete with Web-based rivals, such as Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc., whose ad-targeting capabilities are a big draw for marketers.
TV networks also are interested in using data to evaluate their programming—to assess, for instance, whether a show with a small audience is worth keeping on the air because it has an avid group of return viewers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:
New York Times partners with Google on virtual reality project, will distribute over 1M cardboard VR viewers to subscribers, and will release new VR film — The Times Partners With Google on Virtual Reality Project — The New York Times announced on Tuesday a virtual reality project …
The Times Partners With Google on Virtual Reality Project
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/business/media/the-times-partners-with-google-on-virtual-reality-project.html?_r=0
The New York Times announced on Tuesday a virtual reality project in collaboration with Google, which will include the distribution of more than a million cardboard VR viewers to subscribers.
The New York Times Magazine will release a new virtual reality film, called “The Displaced,” about children uprooted by war. It can be watched with the cardboard viewers, which are used with a smartphone and will be sent to home delivery subscribers on the weekend of Nov. 7. Some digital subscribers will receive codes by email to redeem for a free viewer.
Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, said the magazine had “created the first critical, serious piece of journalism using virtual reality, to shed light on one of the most dire humanitarian crises of our lifetime.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple TV Gains CBS All Access, NBC, and Made to Measure Channels
http://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/20/apple-tv-cbs-nbc-m2m-new-channels/
Just a week ahead of the launch of the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple has added several new channels to the existing set-top box. As of today, NBC, CBS All Access, and Made to Measure (M2M) are available on the Apple TV.
Announced last night, M2M is an Apple TV exclusive channel that focuses on fashion, run by talent agency conglomerate WME/IMG. The channel features short videos, interviews, and mini-documentaries from the fashion world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andy / TorrentFreak:
BrowserPopcorn Shut Down By the MPAA, Dev Says
https://torrentfreak.com/browserpopcorn-shut-down-by-the-mpaa-151020/
A new Popcorn Time-like service has reportedly been shut down by the MPAA. BrowserPopcorn utilized components used by the regular Popcorn Time and placed them in a browser, but after just a couple of days online the service is toast. However, despite being nicely put together, the service wouldn’t have been easy to sustain.
In any event the MPAA will be pleased that the site has gone so quickly but it was only a matter of time before BrowserPopcorn collapsed under its own success. Taking nothing away from Kragujević who is both articulate, talented and apparently just 15-years-old, we know from experience that these kinds of projects need resources behind them to keep going. Here’s why.
While BrowserPopcorn looks and feels like Popcorn Time, uses the same YTS.to content, and is being presented in the media as Popcorn Time in a browser, the way the service works behind the scenes is notably different.
The Popcorn Time application has BitTorrent under the hood,
BrowserPopcorn relies on a different mechanism which means it operates more like YouTube, gobbling up bandwidth at an alarming rate while using centralized servers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Consumer electronics is not the only area demanding more resolution kameroihinsa. Furthermore, the industry constantly needs more precision, for example, machine vision applications. ON Semiconductor corresponds to the cry of the new Python Series photo cells, the accuracy of which will reach over 25 megapixels.
Four new Python-circuit camera to bring designers use, 10, 12, 16 and 25 megapixel resolutions. All districts support USB 3.1-, CameraLink-, CoaXPress- and 10GigE interfaces.
Cells pixel size of 4.5 microns. The image information is transferred to the processor 32.16, eight or four LVDS channels along each of which operates at a speed of 720 megahertz. This allows an image to be read at 80 fps at full 25-megapixel resolution.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3468:25-huippunopeaa-megapikselia-teollisuuteen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blind Camera Shootout – the winner is…
http://www.androidauthority.com/blind-camera-shootout-winner-650299/
a big blind smartphone camera shootout to find out how the new Sony Xperia Z5 camera compares to the iPhone 6S, Galaxy Note 5 and the LG G4
a big blind smartphone camera shootout to find out how the new Sony Xperia Z5 camera compares to the iPhone 6S, Galaxy Note 5 and the LG G4
Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6s
http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-vs-iphone-6s-647546/
The two biggest giants in the smartphone game go head to head in this comparison
Tomi Engdahl says:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
YouTube confirms any partner creator who earns cut of ad revenue but does not agree to YouTube Red revenue share deal will have videos hidden — YouTube Will Completely Remove Videos Of Creators Who Don’t Sign Its Red Subscription Deal — YouTube made its top video creators an offer …
YouTube Will Completely Remove Videos Of Creators Who Don’t Sign Its Red Subscription Deal
http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/21/an-offer-creators-cant-refuse/#.ojwuxm:WeqH
YouTube made its top video creators an offer they literally couldn’t refuse, or they’d have their content disappear. Today YouTube confirmed that any “partner” creator who earns a cut of ad revenue but doesn’t agree to sign its revenue share deal for its new YouTube Red $9.99 ad-free subscription will have their videos hidden from public view on both the ad-supported and ad-free tiers. That includes videos by popular comedians, musicians, game commentators, and DIY instructors, though not the average person that uploads clips.
It’s a tough pill to swallow that makes YouTube look like a bully. Though turning existing fans into paid subscribers instead of free viewers could earn creators more than the ad revenue, forcing them into the deal seems heavy-handed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Popper / The Verge:
Inside YouTube’s new $10 per month subscription service YouTube Red, which removes ads, allows offline viewing, more, available October 28 in US, soon globally — Red Dawn — A family is gathered around the dinner table: Dad and the kids have spaghetti on their plates, Mom is standing, serving spoon in hand.
Red Dawn
An inside look at YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/21/9566973/youtube-red-ad-free-offline-paid-subscription-service
The new option is called YouTube Red. It costs $9.99 per month and will be available for purchase on October 28th, starting in the US, then rolling out worldwide. Along with removing ads, subscribers will be able to save videos for offline viewing, and keep videos running in the background on mobile. That means you can listen to a music video or a TED Talk while checking email or surfing Instagram. That monthly fee also gives you access to Google Play Music, meaning you get two streaming services for the same price Spotify or Apple Music charge for one without video. As a final enticement, YouTube will also begin putting new, exclusive content behind a paywall.
At a star-studded event in Los Angeles today, YouTube introduced a slate of new “Originals” available only to subscribers. The service plans to match its native stars with traditional Hollywood and television production talent, all backed by a generous helping of Google’s money.
With Red, YouTube is signaling a definitive shift from an ad-funded video-hosting service to a media company that will eventually go head to head with Hulu and Netflix. YouTube has the potential to dominate the industry: if just 5 percent of its US viewers were to sign up for the service, it would add more than a billion dollars in annual revenue to the company’s bottom line.
On the face of it, YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service seems like an existential threat to the advertisers the service has spent a decade courting. Kyncl, ever the salesman, argues that Red could boost creator earnings without cannibalizing the ad business. “We believe in the advertising business. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the content on YouTube will be free, as it always has been,” he explained. “So the world that all of our advertising partners are used to remains alive and well and [watch time]continues to grow at an astonishing 60 percent year over year. There is nothing we are taking away from there, merely adding onto it.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
DARPA Program Targets Image Doctoring
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/10/22/0134235/darpa-program-targets-image-doctoring
It isn’t hard for just about anyone to change or alter an image these days — and that can be a problem. It’s an issue researchers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency want top put to rest with a new program called Media Forensics or MediFor, which looks to build an algorithmic-based platform that can detect image manipulation.
Image too good to be true? DARPA program targets image doctoring
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2995586/security/image-too-good-to-be-true-darpa-program-targets-image-doctoring.html
“The forensic tools used today lack robustness and scalability and address only some aspects of media authentication; an end‐to‐end platform to perform a complete and automated forensic analysis does not exist. Although there are a few applications for image manipulation detection in the commercial sector, they are typically limited to a yes/no decision about the source being an “original” asset, obtained directly from an imaging device. As a result, media authentication is typically performed manually using a variety of ad hoc methods that are often more art than science, and forensics analysts rely heavily on their own background and experience,” DARPA stated.
DARPA noted that many image manipulations are benign, performed for fun or for artistic value, but some are for adversarial purposes, such as propaganda or misinformation campaigns. Gaining a complete understanding of what manipulation was done is essential for analysts and systems to ultimately decide whether to use the image or video.
According to the agency the MediFor program has adopted a model for image and video integrity comprised of three elements:
Digital Integrity Indicators: Are the pixels or the representation of the image or video inconsistent? Are there examples of pixel‐level features that cast doubt on the digital integrity such as edge discontinuities, blurred pixels, or repeated image regions? Do metadata and/or representation artifacts suggest manipulation?
Physical Integrity Indicators: Are there image or video features that appear to violate the laws of physics? Do features from the 3D scene include shadows, reflections, and/or kinematics (video) that are inconsistent?
Semantic Integrity Indicators: Do other information sources corroborate or contradict results of the digital or physical analyses or any assumptions made about the asset? Is there evidence that the date, time, or location is not correct using external knowledge, or that there are inconsistencies in digital or physical features within a group of assets? In attempting to discover if an asset may have been repurposed, is there other evidence that shows an asset is not what it is claimed to be?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tim Cook reveals how many people are rocking out to Apple Music
http://fortune.com/2015/10/20/apple-music-15-million-users/
Still a fraction of rival Spotify, 6.5 million customers are paying for Apple’s new service, its CEO says.
Apple’s music streaming service has gained considerable traction since being introduced three and a half months ago, despite early criticism about its design.
CEO Tim Cook said on Monday that Apple Music has 6.5 million paid subscribers plus another 8.5 million users who are still in their three-month free trial period.
In comparison, Spotify reported in June that it has 20 million paying users and 75 million total users.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Car camera will be better than the human eye
The American ON Semiconductor circuits on a new ISG-divisions (Image Sensing Group) responsible for Taner Ozcelik says that the automotive CMOS circuits will eventually become better than the human eye. The world’s first within the meaning of ADAS systems in two-megapixel CMOS camera is one step along this road.
It is a 2.3 megapixel AR0231AT camera (11 x 10 mm BGA-case), which is the company that sets a new standard for cameras ADAS systems (Automatic Driver Assistant Systems). The mass production of the circuit will be next year.
But the human eye to get better? – In the future, cameras will see a very low-light conditions, such as at night under the stars. They are able to take one thousand frames per second, dynamic range is now 120 decibels, ie better than the human eye, and in addition, they are able to zoom in to the future
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3498:auton-kamerasta-tulee-ihmissilmaa-parempi&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Man Licenses His Video Footage To Sony, Sony Issues Copyright Claim Against Him
http://news.slashdot.org/story/15/10/26/0154240/man-licenses-his-video-footage-to-sony-sony-issues-copyright-claim-against-him
Mitch Martinez creates high-resolution stock video footage, and then licenses it out to people who need footage to go along with their creative projects. He has written an article at PetaPixel explaining his bizarre interaction with Sony Music Entertainment, and the hassle they put him through to fix it. Martinez licensed one of his videos to Epic Records, and they used it as background for a music video on YouTube. Less than two months later, his original video on YouTube was hit with a copyright claim from Sony.
Sony Filed a Copyright Claim Against the Stock Video I Licensed to Them
http://petapixel.com/2015/10/25/sony-filed-a-copyright-claim-against-the-stock-video-i-licensed-to-them/
For the past few years, people have been contending with more and more false copyright claims and ID matches on services such as YouTube. While these copyright claims often involve an audio match of copyrighted music, sometimes it is the visual content that is in question.
Whether it’s still photography or motion imagery, your visual content can be flagged, blocked, or removed due to a copyright dispute. If you have original content on YouTube, this could happen to you.
Luckily, for content creators, copyright owners, or people with valid license agreements for visual content, this type of claim is usually resolved with very minimal effort by way of a quick YouTube dispute form – but sometimes it’s not that easy
My standard protocol was followed:
1.) File a youtube copyright dispute countering the copyright claim and explain nicely that I had issued a license for the claiming party to use my footage but they have no claim to any copyright for my content. I provide the date on which I issued the license agreement, the name and e-mail address to whom I issued it, and a link to my original footage and website link.
2.) Allow 48 hours for the claiming party to remove any copyright claims.
3.) Explain that if they do not remove their copyright claim within the time allotted that I will revoke their rights to use my footage in their video due to a terms of use violation.
4.) E-mail the person I issued the license agreement with all of the relevant information and reiterate the need to remove the copyright claim expeditiously.
This is the part where the copyright claim is usually promptly dismissed. So what was different this time?
The Takeaways
If you ever find yourself in a bizarre copyright dispute in which you know you’re right:
1.) Try to be nice – even if just at first. Sometimes these issues are not of malicious intent and a friendly approach can help expedite resolution.
2.) Have your licensing documentation organized and easily searchable.
3.) Have information in regards to the source content available for reference (date of creation/what gear was used/locations/crew/etc).
4.) Document as much correspondence as possible (e-mail chains/phone calls/notes).
5.) Make sure you have provisions in agreements for breach of contract or terms of use violation.
6.) Get as much contact information for people/companies as possible – maybe even get “if unavailable” contact information.
7.) Know that it might take some work to remedy this type situation but these types of disputes almost always work out in favor of the copyright owner.
Over 1,500 Free 4K Stock Video Clips, All Courtesy of a Single Cinematographer
http://petapixel.com/2015/09/02/over-1500-free-4k-stock-video-clips-all-courtesy-of-a-single-cinematographer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Katzmaier / CNET:
Roku 4 review: best way to get the most 4K video today, but isn’t worth the extra money for most buyers
Roku 4 review: The ultimate 4K accessory for your shiny new TV
http://www.cnet.com/products/roku-4/
The Good The Roku 4 delivers 4K video, promising the best-quality video streams available today. It has more 4K-capable apps than other devices and makes 4K TV shows and movies easy to find. The remote has voice search, a unique headphone jack for private listening, and a finder function in case it goes missing in the couch cushions. Roku’s platform is the best, with the most apps, comprehensive search results arranged by price, and a simple interface that doesn’t favor one service over others.
The Bad Other devices like Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV offer more capable voice interactions beyond keyword search, and more robust gaming. Most 4K TVs have similar 4K apps already built-in, 4K content is still scarce, new 4K movies are expensive, and image quality with 4K streaming isn’t a big improvement over standard HD streams. If you don’t want 4K, other Rokus are a better value.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg Business:
Sources: Toshiba is close to selling its image sensor business to Sony for $165M — Toshiba Said Near $165 Million Sale of Sensor Business to Sony — Companies said to announce deal as early as next week — Toshiba selling assets after $1.3 billion accounting scandal
Sony CEO Aims to Build on Recovery With Toshiba Sensor Deal
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-24/toshiba-in-talks-to-sell-image-sensor-business-to-sony-nikkei
Sony Corp. is looking to expand on its dominant position in making the chips used to capture smartphone pictures, as President Kazuo Hirai makes progress in his turnaround effort at the Japanese consumer electronics maker.
The company is in talks with Toshiba Corp. to acquire its image sensor business for 20 billion yen ($165 million), said people familiar with the negotiations.
Hirai is investing in sensors as he counts on the components to drive earnings along with the higher-profile businesses of making consumer electronics, video games and movies. The company leads the global market for chips that smartphones and cameras use to digitize photos and is quadrupling spending on semiconductors to 290 billion yen to keep up with demand from customers including Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
“As the possibility of realizing a sale increases, it is positive for both Sony and Toshiba,”
Sony controlled about 40 percent of the $8.7 billion market for CMOS image sensors last year, compared with about 16 percent for its next biggest competitor, Techno Systems Research. The market is forecast to climb to about $12 billion by 2019, and the company expects its sales to increase as much as 62 percent to 1.5 trillion yen in three years.
Acquiring Toshiba’s image sensor business would add about 100,000 units a month to Sony’s capacity
“The purchase would be an economical way to flesh out its CMOS sensor capacity, currently an area of concern,” wrote Katsura and Shimada.
Toshiba is looking at options for its semiconductor business
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fuji returns with another retrolicious image-maker
http://www.gadgetguy.com.au/fuji-returns-with-another-retrolicious-image-maker/
Retro is completely in at the moment, and Fujifilm is proving it, showing off a new mirrorless camera that oozes the 70s. If it weren’t for the screen, you’d swear it took film.
a new interchangeable lens camera that forget about the mirror and reflex mechanism, and goes for size and portability.
It’s called the X-T10, and it’s a new camera aimed to be lighter and smaller than some of Fuji’s other cameras, but not compromise on quality, taking advantage of the same 16 megapixel sensor used in another Fuji model, the X-T1.
That sensor brings in ISO sensitivity up to 51200, a shooting speed of up to 8 frames per second
But while the sensor makes the photos, how the camera looks and feels is the other part of the picture, and for that, Fujifilm is keeping things delightfully old school.
Fujifilm’s viewfinder is more of a modern variety, with the traditional optical viewfinder exchanged with a 2.36 million dot screen revealing high definition display, much like that shown on the LCD, but smaller and for your eye
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile image processing offers a wide range of applications. Computers popular Adobe Lightroom is a new version that is a viable option, especially on the iPad and iPhone.
Adobe has released Lightroom from Creative Cloud, it is first available for iOS and Android have promised to follow suit. No now Lightroom can also be used as a standalone application and absolutely free of charge.
If you use Lightroom to a computer, a mobile application synchronizes the images via Creative Cloud. Without it, the images can be stored in the cloud service application such as Dropbox.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Vinkit/kasittele-kuvat-mobiililaitteella-kunnon-tyokalulla-6059718
Tomi Engdahl says:
SOLOSHOT – Film Yourself … Automatically!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc7AZWaHm4o
http://shop.soloshot.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The most popular Popcorn Time fork has been shut down
Perhaps for good
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/26/9614354/popcorn-time-io-fork-down
Is Popcorn Time’s wild run coming to an end? One of the two biggest versions of the illegal streaming service, popcorntime.io, was reportedly shut down for good last week after a dispute between developers. The website itself is unavailable, the app no longer works, and an official Twitter account announced last Friday (in what it described as “probably” its last message) that users should instead download Butter, a legal version of the app.
Earlier last week, a number of popcorntime.io’s core developers left the project, fearing that the proposed inclusion of a paid anonymizing VPN service would lead to legal trouble.
So, is this the end for Popcorn Time? Yes and no. Popcorntime.io was the most popular version of the app, endorsed by the streaming service’s original creators (who left the project in March last year), but other forks remain, including Time4Popcorn, which is hosted at popcorn-time.se. However, while the .io version was generally thought to be safe to use, the .se fork has been frequently accused of hosting adware and viruses that infect users’ computers.
In other words, one of the qualities that made Popcorn Time so popular — its relative safety compared to shadier pirating sites — is no longer assured.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix Will Stream ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ — But Only in Canada
http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/star-wars-netflix-streaming-1201623566/
Lucky to be Canadian: Netflix subscribers in the Great White North will be able to stream “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2016, the only territory where the company currently has secured streaming rights for the film.
The reason Netflix will be able to offer the much-anticipated movie in Canada next year — and not in the U.S. or anywhere else — has to do with the timing of when Disney’s pay-TV distribution deals were up for grabs.
The issue of digital rights arose earlier this week, when Disney revealed plans to launch DisneyLife, a subscription service with movies, TV shows, books and music, in the U.K. and across Europe. While movies from the “Star Wars” franchise and Marvel will not be included at launch, Disney might launch subscription services for each of those brands in the future, according to CEO Bob Iger.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Electronic Frontier Foundation:
US regulators grant exemptions to DMCA’s DRM rules for jailbreaking, remixing DVDs and Blu-rays, preserving video games, researching and modifying car software — Victory for Users: Librarian of Congress Renews and Expands Protections for Fair Uses — The new rules for exemptions …
Victory for Users: Librarian of Congress Renews and Expands Protections for Fair Uses
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/10/victory-users-librarian-congress-renews-and-expands-protections-fair-uses
The new rules for exemptions to copyright’s DRM-circumvention laws were issued today, and the Librarian of Congress has granted much of what EFF asked for over the course of months of extensive briefs and hearings. The exemptions we requested—ripping DVDs and Blurays for making fair use remixes and analysis; preserving video games and running multiplayer servers after publishers have abandoned them; jailbreaking cell phones, tablets, and other portable computing devices to run third party software; and security research and modification and repairs on cars—have each been accepted, subject to some important caveats.
The exemptions are needed thanks to a fundamentally flawed law that forbids users from breaking DRM, even if the purpose is a clearly lawful fair use. As software has become ubiquitous, so has DRM. Users often have to circumvent that DRM to make full use of their devices, from DVDs to games to smartphones and cars.
Still, as long as its rulemaking process exists, we’re pleased to have secured the following exemptions.
Car Security Research, Repair, and Modifications
Jailbreaking Phones, Tablets, and More
Archiving and Preserving Video Games
Remix Videos From DVD and Blu-Ray Sources
Tomi Engdahl says:
Soon, all the cars will see the whole environment
What will be the biggest change in outward appearance cars, over the next few years? Side and the disappearance of the rearview mirrors. For those no longer needed, when the vehicle monitors the entire surrounding landscape with cameras.
TDA2Eco processor is TI’s latest addition to the automotive ADAS-restraint processors. It provides a 360-degree camera system also for cheaper cars. TDA2Eco processor supports eight camera via a serial, parallel and CSI-2 interfaces. While the former ADAS-circuit used two DSP processor for image processing, a new TDA2Eco circuit gets along with one. DSP TMS320C66x section is capable of producing in addition to traditional 2D image of surrounding also the 3D image.
ADAS-circuit requires a fair amount of computing capacity for example for combining multi-camera image so that the instrument panel display can be used to present an integrated view of the surroundings
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3516:pian-kaikki-autot-nakevat-koko-ymparistonsa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
POSIX-C Library for handling Linear/Logitudinal Time Code (LTC)
http://x42.github.io/libltc/index.html
Linear (or Longitudinal) Timecode (LTC) is an encoding of timecode data as a Manchester-Biphase encoded audio signal. The audio signal is commonly recorded on a VTR track or other storage media.
libltc provides functionality to encode and decode LTC from/to timecode, including SMPTE date support.
Is there [free] software is using libltc?
yes, ltc-tools. It comprises JACK applications to generate and decode LTC from live sources and includes tools to read or write LTC from/to audio-files. xjadeo video-monitor has been updated to use libltc, and ardour3 DAW fully supports chasing and latency free [re]encoding of LTC since svn rev 13390.
The library comes self-test code, which can en&decode LTC from raw audio-data.
There are lots of apps (incl iOS applications, NLEs and hardware/firmware solutions) using libltcsmpte. We dare say that many – if not most – of them will be updated to libLTC in time.
Mattijs Kneppers has written a MAX/MSP external smpte~ to encode LTC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Android Users Can Now Record And Publish Their Video Gameplay From The Google Play Games App — Google is doubling down on its investment in its Twitch competitor, YouTube Gaming, with today’s launch of a new feature in its Google Play Games app that will allow users to record and share …
Android Users Can Now Record And Publish Their Video Gameplay From The Google Play Games App
http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/28/android-users-can-now-record-publish-their-video-gameplay-from-the-google-play-games-app/
Google is doubling down on its investment in its Twitch competitor, YouTube Gaming, with today’s launch of a new feature in its Google Play Games app that will allow users to record and share their best moments directly from their favorite mobile games. Essentially, the addition is a built-in tool for recording gameplay and video commentary, then editing and uploading that content to YouTube.
The feature, clearly, is meant to help Google increase the amount of video game-related content housed on YouTube – content which now has its own dedicated mobile application, thanks to this summer’s debut of YouTube Gaming. There, users can browse through over 25,000 pages dedicated to specific games, where they can peruse channels, videos and even live streams.
Tomi Engdahl says:
YouTube Will Soon Find Out If People Really Want to Pay
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/youtube-will-soon-find-out-if-people-really-want-to-pay/
If you live in the US, YouTube Red goes live today.
After months of rumors, the world’s No. 1 Internet video destination finally announced its YouTube Red subscription service a week ago—and the new premium offering doesn’t sound half bad. For $9.99 a month, audiences can browse YouTube ad-free and get access to original programming from YouTube creators, save videos to watch offline, and play videos in the background on any mobile device.
The YouTube Red membership also works on the company’s recently launched Gaming app. During its launch, executives also clarified that Red can be thought of as interchangeable with a Google Play Music subscription (itself a $10 value).
Tomi Engdahl says:
GoPro’s Unreleased Drone Already Shoots Great Video
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/gopros-unreleased-drone-already-shoots-great-video/
GoPro’s been working on this camera thing for a while now, so you’d expect anything it makes to capture great footage. This video is still impressive. GoPro’s launching a drone in the first half of next year, and released a two-minute video captured with a prototype. “The footage has not been stabilized in post-production,” the video says, and if that’s true GoPro’s got a winner on its hands.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spotify Helps to Beat Music Piracy, European Commission Finds
Breaking
https://torrentfreak.com/spotify-helps-to-beat-music-piracy-european-commission-finds-151028/
New research published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre shows that Spotify is helping to beat piracy. The researchers examined the effects of legal streaming on torrent downloads and found that Spotify displaces piracy. However, the overall impact on revenue is neutral as streaming also cuts legal track sales.
When Spotify launched its first beta in the fall of 2008 we branded it “an alternative to music piracy.”
With the option to stream millions of tracks supported by an occasional ad, or free of ads for a small subscription fee, Spotify appeared to be a serious competitor to unauthorized downloading.
While there has been plenty of anecdotal support for this claim, actual research on the topic has been lacking. A new study published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre aims to fill this gap.
Based on this data the researchers conclude that Spotify has a clear displacement effect on piracy. For every 47 streams the number of illegal downloads decreases by one.
This is in line with comments from Spotify’s Daniel Ek, who previously argued that the streaming service helps to convert pirates into paying customers.
“According to these results, an additional 47 streams reduces by one the number of tracks obtained without payment,” the paper reads
According to the researchers, 137 Spotify streams reduce the number of individual digital track sales by one. Factoring in the revenue per stream and download, the overall impact is relatively neutral.
“Given the current industry’s revenue from track sales ($0.82 per sale) and the average payment received per stream ($0.007 per stream), our sales displacement estimates show that the losses from displaced sales are roughly outweighed by the gains in streaming revenue.”
Streaming Reaches Flood Stage: Does Spotify Stimulate or Depress Music Sales?
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/streaming-reaches-flood-stage-does-spotify-stimulate-or-depress-music-sales?search
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Photos Will Hide Pics of Your Ex
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2494091,00.asp
If you’re looking for someone—or looking to avoid someone—Google Photos for Android just made it a lot easier.
Already available to users in the U.S., Google’s facial detection feature is rolling out to Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
In app version 1.8, tap the Search button and watch as Photos automatically organizes faces from your entire image library. Snapshots of your best friend or significant other are grouped together; a thumbnail image represents a folder of photos, which can be labeled for even quicker access.
And, if you can’t stand seeing an ex’s face or goofy pictures of your embarrassing parents—but don’t want to delete the images—Google Photos now lets you hide a person from appearing under People.
Google Photos launched at I/O in May, with unlimited free storage for images up to 16 megapixels, and high-definition video up to 1080p.
The service recently hit 100 million users.
Google Photos for Android – now with face grouping in more countries, people hiding, and more
https://plus.google.com/+GooglePhotos/posts/EPjgwrsrRyF
The latest version of our Android app (v1.8) is rolling out now.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Felix Kjellberg / PewDiePie:
Top YouTuber PewDiePie: YouTube Red exists to counter ad blocking, which can devastate smaller channels
Thoughts on YouTube Red.
http://pewdie.tumblr.com/post/132147138150/thoughts-on-youtube-red
Since YouTube recently announced their new payed service “YouTube Red”. Everyone has been up to arms about it, for mainly good reasons!
YouTube doesn’t exactly have the greatest reputation when it comes to new updates.
YouTube Red’s main selling points being: You can watch YouTube without ads, watch original shows, download videos, access to music library, etc. All for $10 a month.
So how come YouTube, an ad revenue website decided to switch to include payed services? This might seem insane, especially since YouTube comes from the ad giant Google.
Well, despite YouTube being a huge website, YouTube still isn’t profiting.
Either way, it still seems that most people aren’t sold about YouTube Red yet:
Why? Well the answer is simple, people’s main argument being: “Why would I pay $10 a month for a service that I can get for free with Adblock”?
I can also confirm with my own Google statistics that, that 40% is a correct estimate.
It’s a number that has grown a lot over the years, from roughly 15-20% when I started. And it’s not unlikely that it will keep growing.
What this means is that YouTubers lose about 40% of their ad income.
Personally, I’m ok with if you use adblock on my videos. Ads are annoying, I get it, I’m not here to complain about that.
I think what many people still don’t realize is that:
# YouTube Red exist largely as an effort to counter Adblock.
# Using Adblock doesn’t mean you’re clever and above the system.
# YouTube Red exist because using Adblock has actual consequences.
Now, there are questions remained to be answered about YouTube Red. Like: How much of YouTube Red’s $10 actually goes to it’s creators?