Articles about Digital Media

When Microsoft released Windows XP Media Center Edition in 2002, I remember being awestruck. It was as if I was looking into the future; surely everyone in the world would eventually have giant towers next to their televisions running Windows. The reality? Not so much. The operating system only shipped with pre-built machines that were quite costly. Ultimately, it became freely available for most of the common Vista and Windows 7 versions, but was put on life support with Windows 8, where it was a paid add-on. Digital TV ultimately killed much interest, as adding PCI-e tuner cards and CableCARDs were a huge pain in the butt (the rear-end pain was often caused by Cable TV providers).

Fast forward to 2015 and we are on the verge of a new version of Microsoft's operating system, Windows 10, and many people have been wondering about the status of Media Center. Well, I am happy to say it is dead. The clunky bolt-on will not be available anymore. Why am I happy? Storing tons of content locally and playing it back is a dead concept; people need to move on. Hell, nowadays I would guess it is used mostly by pirates with massive hard drives. The future (and the present, really) is streaming both movies and music from the Internet. If you are a Luddite that depends on Windows Media Center for watching DVDs, you will be happy to know that an alternative is coming to Windows 10.

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Nielsen, the leader in TV ratings, has to move into the new era, which means TV streaming. Now the company is moving in that direction, partnering with Roku, the top set-top box maker on the market, in order to gather this data.

But how do you rate this new dimension in TV? Well Nielsen thinks it can and it's partnered with Roku to give it a try. The two are announcing a new deal beginning now and it aims to make the world of internet-based TV a ratable one.

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It's a great time of the year for sports fans, with hockey in the playoffs, the upcoming NFL draft, the Triple crown and baseball season well underway. Now Roku is bringing all of this to your TV via both its set-top boxes and Roku TVs. It arrives just in time for all of the action.

The NBC Live Extra Service promises over 3,000 events per year, including some exclusive coverage. That traverses an awful lot of ground.

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When Apple announced HBO NOW for Apple TV people were riveted by the fact the company had once again pulled off a deal reminiscent of iTunes music deals. Except the rumors claimed the exclusivity would last through July and it didn't. The app quickly came to other services and then the channel itself launched on Sling TV, making the app somewhat unneeded.

Now things progress further as PlayOn is offering HBO NOW. The app has long been expected and anticipated as it gives viewers the ability to watch the premium channel without the previous need of having a cable or satellite subscription -- something HBO GO is saddled with. It comes just in time for some folks (or perhaps too late) as HBO is taking action against those who've downloaded episodes of Game of Thrones illegally.

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Season three of Orphan Black is about to debut. The highly acclaimed BBC America TV show has been licensed this year by AMC, making it more widely available. Still, the two channels may not be in everyone's menu. For you, Amazon has a solution, though you may need a bit of caffeine to capitalize on this one.

While seasons one and two have been available for some time to Prime subscribers, those who don't pay Amazon $99 per year can now catch up on season one -- providing you do so this Friday.

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Streaming isn't just for broadcasters any more, it's become a useful commercial tool too, allowing meetings, conferences and events to be shared with a worldwide audience. However, it can be tricky to implement.

Wowza Media Systems is launching its latest Wowza Streaming Cloud and Wowza Streaming Engine Pro, increasing the power and ease of streaming online video and extending flexible options to organizations looking to stream live content.

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I signed up for the base package of Sling TV a few weeks ago. Since then, the company has managed to get extra money out of the deal, as I've added the Sports Pack and, as of yesterday, HBO, which became available late last week. While I feel like I'm closing in on pricing for my old DirecTV subscription, I confess to being happier -- I have channels I want and don't pay for a bunch I'll never watch.

Last night was huge for Sling, as Game of Thrones season five debuted (for those who didn't get it early via a torrent leak). I was curious how the service would handle the huge demand, and so was it, as it turns out.

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We're all familiar with the dilemma of what to watch, what to record and what to seek out on a catch up service later. There's so much TV content available these days that tough decisions are needed.

It's especially hard for sports fans who may find themselves with several events going on at the same time. Trying to catch up with one or more of them later runs the risk of accidentally finding out the result in advance, so what's the solution?

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Season 5 of Game of Thrones begins tonight, and millions of fans will tune in in one way or another… but there’s a problem, and it’s a huge one.

Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world, and HBO has tried to counter that in the past year by making its programming accessible through additional means, which is a smart move. The only way to beat pirates is to offer an easier, and superior viewing experience. But how can HBO compete with leakers who are putting out episodes well in advance?

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Roku has been busy of late, with new channels, updates and the not too distantly passed release of the streaming stick. So that begs the question, what is next? Apparently quite a bit if the new announcement is of interest to you -- and it should be if you possess one of the set-top boxes.

First of all the company announced improved search. You've always been able to search the multitude of streaming  TV shows and movies, but now it has become even easier to narrow things down -- search within the channel store, which is a welcome addition. Given the number of available options this should make things simpler to find.

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Though channels and shows can vary greatly, television is international, with each country having its own broadcasts and favorite things to watch. New kid on the block, Sling TV, recognizes this and is making efforts to go after a more international audience. Hence its latest offering -- "content that speaks your language".

In total there are 18 new languages being added, including Arabic, Bangla, Bengali, Brazilian, Cantonese, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Mandarin, Marathi, Punjabi, Taiwanese, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Vietnamese.

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Just this morning I opined about my experience with Sling TV. On the whole I like it, though I have a few gripes. I have also written of my plans to purchase an Apple TV for two reasons -- price drop and HBO NOW. The HBO was the real key in my decision making, but perhaps it's a blessing I haven't yet pulled the trigger.

That's because Sling is announcing the service in its menu of viewing options. In fact, it promises to be up and running in time for the big season debut of Game of Thrones which takes place on April 12th. Pricing is in line with what you'd expect -- $15 per month.

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Almost a year ago DirecTV and I parted ways. I grew tired of the $60 per month charge when I only watch a handful of shows. The excessive amount of channels included in my bundle was also a bit of a joke -- I probably used ten of them. I'd have gladly paid less for those -- the à la carte TV that people talk about, though it never materializes.

I already had an Amazon Prime subscription that entitled me to movies and some TV shows, and it costs as much per year as one and half months' worth of satellite. I threw in Hulu Plus for an additional $7.99 and get most of my shows, though I have to wait until the next day to watch them. But live TV escaped me, with the exception of the occasional event broadcast online. Those live broadcasts online are fine, but neither Roku nor Amazon Fire TV has a web browser. Then several weeks ago Sling TV appeared on the scene. Live TV from multiple sources and, for once, no cable or satellite subscription to verify. Suddenly there was access to ESPN, History Channel, HGTV and many more. I've been using it for the past week and I have some observations.

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This week Amazon rolled out its latest update for Fire TV. The package contains all sort of enhancements for the platform, including expandable storage via USB, better Wi-Fi connectivity for those in a hotel or dorm room, music playlists through Prime, and a whole lot more.

So, how do you know what version you're set-top box is currently running and how do you check to see if the update is yet available to you? The process is pretty simple and the steps are listed below, so let's walk through it.

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The set-top box market continues to grow and thrive and, as expected, newcomer Amazon is beefing up its offerings to compete. With rumors of a new Apple TV and an HBO Now exclusive deal in Apple's hands, it becomes more difficult in the market. But today the retail giant rolls out new features to both its devices -- Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.

This isn't just a minor update with a few bug fixes, but an actual upgrade that users should care about. There's a lot for customers to be excited about in this update.

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