CES: LG Unveils New Compact CineBeam Qube 4K Projector

LG Electronics’ CineBeam Qube projector weighs just 3.28 pounds, measures 5.3 x 3.1 inches, and doubles as a “stylish art object.” It packs a big picture punch, projecting in 4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160) for images measuring up to 120 inches. Its RGB laser light source delivers pictures the company says are sharp and clear, boasting a 450,000:1 contrast ratio and DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of up to 154 percent. The CineBeam Qube boasts an old-timey rotator handle reminiscent of crank projectors of yore. It’s also a home entertainment center, running on the LG webOS 6.0 platform, with access to streaming services including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and YouTube. Continue reading CES: LG Unveils New Compact CineBeam Qube 4K Projector

CES: Samsung Demonstrates Transparent MicroLED Display

Samsung Electronics kicked off CES 2024 with a bang, premiering a transparent MicroLED display at its First Look curtain raiser that created a great deal of buzz in Las Vegas. Transparent screen technology is poised to extend virtual experiences into the world’s living rooms, and Samsung says that its MicroLED tech — the result of six years of R&D — is better than competing OLED and LED options, claiming the clear, glass-like display offers superior brightness and clarity to competing options. To illustrate its claim, Samsung’s demo lets visitors compare its transparent MicroLED display next to transparent OLED and LCD screens. Continue reading CES: Samsung Demonstrates Transparent MicroLED Display

Netflix Releases Engagement Report, Reveals Hours Viewed

In a move toward increased transparency, Netflix has begun sharing specifics regarding program consumption data. This week, the streamer released the first “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” detailing how many hours the most popular content was viewed January to June 2023. On a call with reporters, co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the information as “a continuum” of improvements to viewership measurement. The report “covers more than 18,000 titles — representing 99 percent of all viewing on Netflix,” which for the six-month period totaled “nearly 100 billion hours worldwide,” according to Netflix. Continue reading Netflix Releases Engagement Report, Reveals Hours Viewed

Google Will Relocate Play Movies & TV Purchases in January

Alphabet-owned Google, which announced the end of its Play Movies & TV app in October 2022, now has a plan for relocating the video content that users have purchased on the service. Starting January 17, customers will be able to access their past Play Movies & TV purchases as well as active rentals on YouTube, Android TV devices, Google TV devices and the Google TV mobile app (including the iOS version). “We are making some changes to simplify how you purchase new movies or access the movies and TV shows you’ve purchased through Google,” the company explained. Continue reading Google Will Relocate Play Movies & TV Purchases in January

Bill Gates Imagines Agents as the Human-Computer Interface

Bill Gates has published his thinking about the future of computing, and fascinatingly, it’s the same as his prediction from decades ago: agents. No mere bots — and certainly not anthropomorphized paperclips — agents (to Gates) will abstract almost all HCI to a natural language conversation with systems that have our permission to take meaningful actions. Gates makes a highly specific prediction: within five years, the very idea of an app itself will seem as outdated as a rotary phone dial does next to an iPhone. A conversational UI will sit on top of a language model that has access to as much of our private data as we wish to give it. Continue reading Bill Gates Imagines Agents as the Human-Computer Interface

Google’s Bard AI Is Getting Smarter About YouTube Content

Google’s Bard AI chatbot is getting smarter regarding video queries. Specifically, a new YouTube extension is now able to answer questions about the content of individual videos without requiring playback. “We’re expanding the YouTube extension to understand some video content so you can have a richer conversation with Bard about it,” Google wrote on Bard’s changelog. In September, Google released a YouTube extension that made it easier to find specific videos. This update allows Bard to operate more interactively, sharing detailed information as it relates to YouTube’s visual content. Continue reading Google’s Bard AI Is Getting Smarter About YouTube Content

Samsung TV Plus Hits Refresh on a 60 Percent Viewer Surge

Samsung TV Plus reports it has seen enthusiastic consumer use over the past year, with a 60 percent rise in global viewership. Accordingly, the TV maker is upgrading its free streaming service — available on Galaxy devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Smart Monitors and Family Hub appliances and on the Web — with an emphasis on discoverability for kids and music programming. Launched in 2015, the free ad-supported TV (FAST) and ad-based video on-demand (AVOD) service offers content spanning news, sports, entertainment, music, and more, in 24 countries where it is accessed on 535 million TV and mobile devices. Continue reading Samsung TV Plus Hits Refresh on a 60 Percent Viewer Surge

Meta Touts Its Emu Foundational Model for Video and Editing

Having made the leap from image generation to video generation over the course of a few months in 2022, Meta Platforms introduces Emu, its first visual foundational model, along with Emu Video and Emu Edit, positioned as milestones in the trek to AI moviemaking. Emu uses just two diffusion models to generate 512×512 four-second long videos at 16 frames per second, Meta said, comparing that to 2022’s Make-A-Video, which requires a “cascade” of five models. Internal research found Emu video generations were “strongly preferred” over the Make-A-Video model based on quality (96 percent) and prompt fidelity (85 percent). Continue reading Meta Touts Its Emu Foundational Model for Video and Editing

Merged Disney+ and Hulu App to Launch as Beta Next Month

Disney, which is in the process of completing its purchase of NBCUniversal’s 33 percent stake in Hulu, will begin beta testing a combined Disney+ and Hulu bundle next month for subscribers of both services, according to CEO Bob Iger. Last week, Disney announced it would pay Comcast at least $8.61 billion for the Hulu stake, indicating the final cost could be higher, based on market value estimates by each party’s investment bankers. “We remain on track to roll out a more unified one-app experience domestically via Disney+,” Iger said in discussing the September quarter on an earnings call. Continue reading Merged Disney+ and Hulu App to Launch as Beta Next Month

Netflix Boosts Features After Year One of Ad-Supported Tier

Netflix is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its ad-supported tier by giving binge viewers every fourth consecutive episode ad-free. It is also making downloads available on its ad-supported plan, claiming to be the first streamer to do so in an advertising environment. While the binge perk won’t be available until 2024, downloads for both TV series and films are said to start immediately. Netflix said that in year one its bargain-priced tier with ad support has hit 15 million global monthly active users, touting its partnership with Microsoft as helping “to shape the future of advertising.” Continue reading Netflix Boosts Features After Year One of Ad-Supported Tier

Disney to Purchase Remaining Stake in Hulu from Comcast

Disney announced it plans to purchase the remaining one-third stake in Hulu from Comcast’s NBCUniversal in a move that has been widely expected. The announcement follows Disney’s acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets in 2019, which gave the entertainment giant two-thirds of streaming service Hulu. Disney, which is expected to pay at least $8.61 billion for the remaining stake, currently offers the Hulu service as part of a streaming bundle with its Disney+ and ESPN+ platforms. “The acquisition of Comcast’s stake in Hulu at fair market value will further Disney’s streaming objectives,” explained the company in a press release. Continue reading Disney to Purchase Remaining Stake in Hulu from Comcast

Xreal $400 Air 2 AR Glasses are for Games, Movies and More

Xreal (formerly Nreal) is releasing its Xreal Air 2 and Xreal Air 2 Pro augmented reality glasses. The latest iteration of AR glasses from the company is designed for everything from movies to TV to games. The Air 2 AR glasses “can turn whatever the wearer is viewing into a big screen experience” of up to 330-inches, the company claims, citing the integration of Sony Semiconductor Solutions’ Micro OLED displays that pack a whopping 4,032 pixels-per-inch to deliver “a crisp and visually stunning virtual screen” in Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 per eye. An ultra-high contrast ratio of 100,000:1, and 500 nits brightness ensure sharp detail. Continue reading Xreal $400 Air 2 AR Glasses are for Games, Movies and More

Netflix Raising Rates After Profitable Q3, Subscriber Growth

Netflix can chalk up another solid quarter, with Q3 revenue of $8.5 billion, up 8 percent year-over-year, with 9 million new subscribers for a total of 247 million worldwide. Netflix attributes the strong subscriber growth in part to its ongoing password-sharing crackdown. The company has now officially rolled out what it calls “paid sharing” in all regions in which it operates, reporting that there were fewer resulting cancellations than expected. Rather, it says it has largely effectuated its desired result of converting piggybacking customers into paid subscribers. Meanwhile, Netflix is raising its rates as it continues to add originals and “license titles from around the world.” Continue reading Netflix Raising Rates After Profitable Q3, Subscriber Growth

New PS5 Model Adds Option for Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive

Sony announced it is introducing a new PS5 shipping in November, timed for the holiday shopping season. The slimmer form factor, which features a detachable Blu-ray Disc drive and 1TB SSD for internal storage, has been reduced in volume by more than 30 percent and is 18- 24 percent lighter, depending on the choice of two models. The PS5 Digital Edition will run $449.99, while the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will cost an additional $50. For those who purchase the base PS5 Digital Edition, a $79.99 Blu-ray disc drive can be added later. The new PS5 includes a horizontal stand; a new $29.99 vertical stand is compatible with all PS5 models. Continue reading New PS5 Model Adds Option for Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive

SMPTE Media Technology Summit Scheduled for Next Week

SMPTE’s 2023 Media Technology Summit is coming to Hollywood, October 16-19 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in the Ovation Hollywood entertainment complex at Hollywood & Highland. According to SMPTE’s event site, “the greatest minds in the film technology industry will gather together to provide solutions to industry issues, give presentations on new technologies, and reconnect with their peers.” The Media Technology Summit is the only industry event featuring peer-reviewed technical content. In addition to the presentation of technical papers, the event will feature a keynote from Digital Domain CTO Hanno Basse and a series of compelling panel discussions. Continue reading SMPTE Media Technology Summit Scheduled for Next Week