Articles about Streaming

Synology has expanded the DS418 line with the introduction of the new DS418play. The NAS, which joins the DS418 and DS418j in the consumer-oriented four-bay range, is optimized for multimedia content.

The claim to fame of the DS418play is that it can transcode up to two channels of H.265 or H.264 4K content at the same time, which basically means that you will be able to stream two 4K videos at the same time on a smartphone and tablet using the NAS' processing power.

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Having recently added Live TV and DVR features to its media server software, Plex is now adding personalized news. The new feature pulls in news from "some of the most trusted sources on the planet," and it comes after Plex's acquisition of Watchup.

Working with over 190 partners, Plex News is tailored to suit individual users, taking into account which stories they watch and which they skip. The new feature integrates with an existing Plex media library and it will be available to all users free of charge.

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It has been two years since Apple announced its 4th-generation media box. While it hasn't been the most popular device for home media, it is certainly one of the most elegant. Quite frankly, to call it a media box is a bit of a misnomer. Actually, Apple TV is also a full-fledged video game console too.  You can use the innovative remote to control music and videos, but it can also serve as a game controller. Optionally, you can also pair a more traditional game pad if you prefer. Hell, it can even order pizza!

The biggest criticism of the 4th-gen Apple TV has been the lack of 4K support. Two years ago, Ultra HD televisions were fairly rare, so Apple was probably smart to focus on 1080p at the time. In 2017. however, 4K is much more prevalent. And so, today, the iPhone-maker unveils the all-new 5th-generation Apple TV with 4K support. Besides the improved resolution output, it also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 for HDR video. This will lend to sharper imagery.

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T-Mobile may not be the best cell carrier from a coverage perspective, but it provides its users with a lot of value. The company and its foul-mouthed CEO, John Legere, often use outside-the-box thinking to disrupt the mobile phone industry. For instance, the company once gave free Domino's pizza to its customers through its "T-Mobile Tuesdays" scheme. Even without the added bonuses, its unlimited service is quite affordable compared to, say, Verizon.

Today, T-Mobile is once again giving away something for free, but it is much better than some cheap chain-restaurant pizza. You see, subscribers to its T-Mobile ONE family plans will now get free Netflix! This is well-timed, as the hit series "Stranger Things" returns to the streaming video site next month with season two. Of course, Netflix has much more content than that -- a solid library of original programming and a less-impressive collection of ho-hum films. The complimentary "Netflix On Us" subscription is not automatic, however -- users must activate it.

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It has been hard to escape talk of Kodi recently. The media center software has caused a great deal of controversy due to the number of addons that can be used to access illegal content. Most recently, the software hit the headlines after legal intervention lead to the withdrawal of the unofficial MK Plex addon that allowed for access to Plex through Kodi free of charge.

But now there's no need to turn to the dark side to get your Plex fix in Kodi if you haven’t paid for a Plex Pass subscription. The official Plex for Kodi addon is now available, and most features are available without the need to pay anything.

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Microsoft's Groove Music Pass is an exceptional streaming music service. If you spend a lot of time on Windows 10, it is the best music experience on the platform. The app is well designed, and it fits in with the overall Windows 10 motif. It can even be used on Xbox One. Groove offers a really good selection of tunes too -- right up there with its competitors.

Believe it it not, Microsoft's service is cross-platform, also working natively on Android and iOS. The mobile apps are decent, but not fantastic. Fans of macOS and Linux-based desktop operating systems, such as Ubuntu and Chrome OS, can also use the service thanks to the brilliant web-based player. If this all sounds good to you, I have some great news. As part of a Labor Day promotion, Microsoft is offering an insane seven months of the service for the price of just one month. Yes, really.

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Saturday night's fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is set to be the most pirated sporting event in history. In the US, it's Showtime that will be airing the fight as a pay-per-view event, but links to live streams are already popping up online ahead of August 26th's event.

The broadcaster has already taken pre-emptive court action to kill a number of pirate streams but it is -- predictably -- turning in to a game of whack-a-mole, and once the fight kicks off it will be near-impossible to close new streams that have popped up and stop people watching for free.

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Last week Plex upset a large portion of its userbase by announcing a change to its privacy policy. The change, which was due to take effect in late September, meant that it would not be possible to opt out of data collection.

After a serious backlash, the company has changed its mind, backtracking on the privacy policy update, saying that it recognized the concerns raised by users. The company insists that it was not trying to sneak the policy change by users and that it had no intention of selling data. Importantly, however, users are still going to be able to opt out of playback data collection if they want.

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Plex -- the much-loved media server software -- has updated its privacy policy, and people are not happy with the changes. Included among the changes is a notification that future features may collect and share details about what you're streaming.

Usage statistics are collected by many companies -- including Plex -- to improve products; moving forward users will not be able to opt out of this data collection. Needless to say, Plex users are more than a little upset.

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On Monday August 21, people across the US will have the chance to witness a total solar eclipse. While there is a great deal of excitement about the phenomenon, viewers need to be careful to use special eclipse glasses (not just sunglasses) or some form of projection technique to avoid serious eye damage.

But perhaps the safest option is to watch the eclipse on your computer screen or mobile. Twitter has teamed up with the Weather Channel to provide a live stream, so even if you're not in the path of totality, there's no need to miss out.

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Season seven of Game of Thrones has been an absolute disaster for HBO. We have seen leaks and spoilers from both hackers and HBO's distributors, but now episode six of the season has leaked and HBO has no one to blame but itself.

HBO Spain accidentally made the episode available to subscribers for a full hour before pulling it. Of course, this hour gave people plenty of time to capture the show, and spoilers are now being shared online. On Reddit, talk of download links has been pushed to PMs as moderators are only too aware that HBO will be monitoring what's going on in light of the inadvertent leak.

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Making a streaming service available on as many platforms as possible is key to attracting more and more customers in the cord-cutting era, and, to that end, Sling TV is now opening its doors to Google Chrome users.

Sling TV says that its new player, which is available in beta at this stage, can be used by Chrome users on Windows devices and Macs and comes with support for both live and on-demand content.

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HBO has had something of a rough time of things lately, suffering not only a hack that led to a series of leaks, but also a Game of Thrones leak via a distribution partner. Police in India have now arrested four people in connection with the leak of the episode The Spoils of War.

Shortly after the leak occurred, HBO's distribution partner Star India admitted it was the source of the episode. Now three employees and one former employee of Prime Focus Technology -- a company which processes Game of Thrones ready for streaming on Hotstar -- are being questioned in relation to the leak.

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Facebook has launched its new Watch platform which will be used to show original video content. The social networking giant says that the time has come for a dedicated home for episodes of shows, and Watch will feature both live and recorded video.

Facebook will be working with a number of partners to come up with content for Watch, and advertising revenue will be shared 55:45, with Facebook keeping the smaller share. Of course, the video output has a social element to it, with Facebook encouraging viewers to make use of Reactions, and also highlighting shows that are being watched by people you are connected to on the social network.

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During its Q3 earnings report, Disney announced plans to launch its own streaming service in 2019. As part of this shift in business, the company will end its distribution agreement with Netflix.

The company also announced that it has agreed to acquire an additional 42 percent stake in BAMTech. The $1.58 billion makes Disney a majority stakeholder and will give it greater control over the ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service due to launch in early 2018.

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