Will you or won't you? The state of cord-cutting in 2015
We last looked at the cord-cutting revolution in early 2014 and asked who planned to do so in the coming year. A surprising number of you said you'd already done it. What has happened since then that will make those who haven't switched do so now? A couple of interesting developments have happened in this time.
Before we get to those, we'll pose the question one more time. Will you, or for that matter have you, cut the cord? If you have no plans to, then why? There are obviously many possible answers to these questions and many good reasons both for and against the change in your entertainment options.
Find similar audio files with MediaPurge
Building a media collection is much more fun than organising it, and no matter how good your intentions, it’s all too easy to end up having to navigate a scattered mess of audio and video files.
MediaPurge is a freeware Windows application which provides several ways to restore order, including finding audio duplicates, tagging, renaming or sorting files into a new folder structure.
Amazon adds High Dynamic Range video for Prime members
Today's video is getting a bit confusing. There's Ultra HD (4k) and High Dynamic Range, which differs somewhat from HDR pictures of the same name. Essentially, though, they do the same thing in the end, enhancing contrast and deepening shadows, while claiming a richer color that aims to be more pleasing for the viewer.
Now Amazon is bringing this technology to Prime customers with a new update. For the moment though, it's only one show, but Amazon plans to add more.
TuneIn brings another music option to Xbox One owners
Microsoft's Xbox One gaming console does much more than just play games, there are many entertainment options. It aims to be the hub of the consumer's living room, with all sorts of choices and even HDMI pass-thru. Now music streaming service TuneIn is adding one more option to the mix.
TuneIn bills itself as "the world's largest collection of radio stations". This is more than just music, though. It's also stations that deliver news, sports, talk radio and podcasts. It's enough to cover just about any eclectic taste.
Taylor Swift effect: Apple changes course, says it will pay labels and artists during free trial
It has been an eventful day for folks vested in the music industry, streaming business, and listeners alike. The day began with Queen of Pop Taylor Swift writing a public letter to Apple explaining why she isn’t putting her latest album “1989” to the impending Apple Music streaming service. And the day is closing with Apple addressing the issue and doing the right thing.
In a blog post, Swift noted that Apple’s decision to not pay labels and artists royalty for the first three months -- Apple Music will be a free trial to users -- is unfair. She said -- something which many people have nodded to since -- that three months is a long period, and it could mean a lot to indie artists.
Amazon snubs XBMC Kodi while Google Play embraces it
If you haven't heard the news, the program formerly known as XBMC, or Xbox Media Center, is now Kodi. The name change reflects the change in direction that the software has taken as it has evolved. It now does much more than it ever intended and runs on just about every platform.
Unless you have a Kindle Fire. Despite that the tablets run Android, it's very different -- the version is highly customized to fit the Amazon ecosystem, locking customers into the Amazon App Store and getting rid of Google Play. This generally is OK, most apps folks want are in both places.
Sling brings Arabic language channels to customers
The world is increasingly a melting pot, with all countries containing citizens not native to them. This results in a plethora of languages being spoken and heard. To deal with this, countries carry an increasing number of foreign language channels to accommodate all people.
Now Sling TV, a new kind of "cable" service, is getting into the game, introducing a package of Arabic language channels for those people who may be feeling a bit out of place away from their home lands.
Netflix overhauls the web interface, becomes more like an app
Netflix has been busy with content, although the video service has somewhat been neglecting the website it maintains. But that's all changing now as the company unveils a complete revamping which it hopes customers will find much more useful.
This update promises a better user experience that "has been built from the ground up to make it faster and easier to discover something".
Amazon Fire TV rises to the top of US set-top box market
Last year Amazon rolled out its competitor in the set-top box market, the Fire TV. The box seemed to be a hit, and the price point was right to compete, at $99. That places it squarely in the crosshairs of Roku and Apple. But how is it fairing in this tight market?
According to a recent report the answer is "quite well". According to Strategy Analytics, the retail giant is pulling in a whopping 30 percent of the current streaming media device market. In fact, the top four makers account for 90 percent of the total market.
NFL and Yahoo plan to live stream a game free of charge
Football season is coming, despite that it isn't even officially summer yet. The draft is behind us and OTAs are underway. Training camp is just around the corner in July. But one thing has lacked with the National Football League, and that's live streaming games. Thanks to a deal with DirecTV, the league has been locked up while other sports like MLB have thrived in this market. Things are changing though, but the wheels turn slowly.
The NFL has inked a deal with Yahoo -- yes, the also-ran search competitor -- to live stream a game for free, It's a start and we'll see where things go from here. In the meantime write down the date October 25th. That's the day the Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sound like a boring game? It isn't, because it will test this new plan.
Lenovo Cast brings another streaming device to home media
If you haven't been following the news today, Lenovo is currently holding its Tech World show. We have seen new laptops in various price ranges. But a hot item these days for the home theater is sticks, as opposed to set-top boxes. We've seen them from Google, Roku and Amazon, but all three had some experience in the market. Now Lenovo is jumping in feet first with its own offering.
The Chinese hardware maker has announced Lenovo Cast to allow customers to share the videos from their phones and tablets, but do so on the big screen -- obviously more comfortable than having folks gather round that hand-held device.
Roku Search, Feed and new Roku 2 now available in the UK
Roku, the small set-top box, has become wildly popular in recent times. It is also constantly adding new content via "channels" and trying to improve the hardware offerings as well. Now folks in the UK will get the latest improvements.
Roku Search is, perhaps, the biggest part of the announcement, as it allows customers to more easily locate the content they wish to watch. For the moment it only covers a few key channels -- Netflix, Snagfilms and Popcornflix -- but Roku plans to add many more channels in the future.
Spotify rolls out an improved mobile app
For many folks, music gets them through the day, or even life. There's also no shortage of services out there looking to get users to choose them. While some are lesser known, Spotify certainly isn't, as it's an industry leader that boasts 25 billion listening hours since it launched.
Now the streaming company is making some improvements that should satisfy customers even more. Users of the mobile app can expect what Spotify terms a "richer experience" for the Now app.
Rdio brings new music options at an affordable price
Music options abound these days, some more affordable than others. It's become genuinely hard to choose a streaming service that fits your needs and budget. While there aren't any new options on the market, one may have just become much more appealing, as Rdio makes a major annoucement about services and pricing.
This latest move adds a combination of both radio and streaming music of the user's choice and does so with one reasonably priced plan.
Ultra HD Blu-ray 4K is coming -- will consumers care?
I am a huge proponent of pushing the limits. The moment you say something is good enough, you have officially lost your way. When DVD was released, I remember being blown away by the quality and convenience, but many friends and family said VHS was good enough. The fools!
Fast forward to 2015, and VHS is long dead, but so too is physical media. Yes, some maniacs still buy DVD and Blu-ray discs, but we all know that streaming is the future. Apparently, no one told this to the Blu-ray Disc Association, as today, it announces the completion of the Ultra HD specification. In other words, 4K Blu-rays are coming. While some consumers may be interested in buying UHD optical discs, the reality is, no one wants to re-buy their movie collection for the 100th time. Am I right, folks?
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