While Apple is still busy negotiating deals for its upcoming streaming music service, the company reportedly has plans to promote the service with some free content. Apple will not offer free, unlimited on-demand streaming, similar to Spotify and YouTube, but Re/code says we should expect to see “a free trial period, which may range from one to three months… a feature that will let music owners upload a sampling of songs that users could listen to without subscribing to the service… a new version of Apple’s iTunes Radio, featuring stations programmed by human beings instead of computers, which could be localized for different countries.”

According to insiders, Spotify is reportedly in discussions with numerous media companies, TV networks, online video producers and magazine publishers to introduce short video clips to its streaming service as early as this month. The additional content would be available on Spotify’s mobile platform as part of an effort to keep users more engaged, challenge YouTube’s video dominance, and help the service sell more advertising. Discussions with potential partners are believed to be at an early stage and Spotify has yet to announce any deals. Continue reading Spotify Pursuing Major Media Companies to Partner on Videos

As part of upcoming expanded 4K content offerings via its Xfinity in UHD catalog, Comcast announced this week that it plans to launch an Ultra HD set-top box later this year. “The box, called the Xi4, will run on Comcast’s cloud-based, IP-capable X1 platform, enabling customers to create ‘virtual 4K linear channels’ via MSO’s UHD library,” reports Multichannel News. The company is also developing the Xi5 STB to support high dynamic range content. Late last year, Comcast launched an on-demand streaming app initially for Samsung UHD TVs.

In a post yesterday about the death of Windows Media Center, tech journalist and blogger Paul Thurrott cited unnamed sources regarding an update to Xbox One’s live TV functionality that would add television recording. This would allow Xbox One to replace TiVo and other DVRs in many households. Microsoft recently unveiled a tuner that enables the console to accept over-the-air broadcast TV signals. It also offers the options to pause live TV and stream live content to mobile devices via SmartGlass. Continue reading Xbox One Likely to Add DVR Functionality Sometime This Year

Oculus VR announced yesterday that the company plans to ship its Oculus Rift headset by Q1 2016. Pricing and tech details have yet to be released, but consumers will be able to place pre-orders during the 2015 holidays. The virtual reality device, which has only been available for developers thus far, will need to be used with a PC. Both Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, and Facebook, which acquired the company last year, expected to launch the headset earlier. However, the team has faced challenges regarding some of the system’s requirements. Continue reading Oculus Rift VR Headsets Will Begin Shipping Early Next Year

After decades of continued efforts by various filmmakers, movie companies and TV networks to bring the unfinished final film of Orson Welles to the public, a new team of producers has secured the rights to footage of “The Other Side of the Wind” stored outside Paris. According to The New York Times, “The producers behind the project, Filip Jan Rymsza, Frank Marshall and Jens Koethner Kaul, along with Peter Bogdanovich, one of the movie’s stars, on Thursday plan to unveil a crowdfunding campaign on the website Indiegogo. They are hoping to raise at least $2 million by June 14 to help pay for editing, music and other postproduction costs.”

IBM and Facebook are partnering on a personal marketing initiative that plans to effectively leverage modern tools of data analysis to filter today’s demographic buckets into even smaller segments. “The partnership is intended to combine data that marketers have on customers — like purchase behavior, responses to a marketer’s email campaigns and call center inquiries — with Facebook data including likes, comments and complaints,” reports The New York Times. “IBM’s data analytics will then be used to help big brands find and communicate with more finely targeted audiences on Facebook.”

Ron Johnson, a former retail exec with Apple and J.C. Penney, has launched a Web-only startup to offer a new twist on online retail. Menlo Park-based Enjoy Technology will begin offering high-end consumer electronics in select locations today via its website, GoEnjoy.com. The site will sell smartphones, laptops, tablets, drones, and more — in addition to offering free delivery and in-home setup service. Johnson expects that the in-home service will give Enjoy an advantage over established rivals such as Amazon and eBay. Continue reading GoEnjoy.com: Startup Brings a Personal Touch to Online Retail

London-based Relevancy Data presented at Disrupt NY yesterday. The startup has developed an engine that scans online videos to detect faces, objects, logos and audio. CEO Michal Hubschmann says the company’s mission is to “organize the world of video content by indexing every element of the video to create endless engagement.” According to TechCrunch, “Here’s the basic idea: In addition to targeting video ads based on clicks and other behavioral data, Relevancy Data also allows advertisers and publishers to use the content of the videos you’re actually watching,” which is more challenging than it sounds, especially when it comes to user-generated content.

Vu Digital has developed new technology that breaks down video content frame-by-frame in order to translate elements into structured data and help customers analyze online videos. The company’s Video-to-Data product “identifies the objects in each frame, and then creates a chronological transcript identifying things like music, dialogue, faces, logos, text and graphics,” reports TechCrunch. The resulting data could prove valuable to content creators, marketers and publishers interested in “search engine optimization, personalization, ad targeting, and determining the ‘brand value’ of a video.”

Beginning next quarter, JetBlue passengers on select aircraft will be able to stream movies, TV shows and music on seat-back display screens and personal devices through their Amazon Prime accounts at no additional charge. According to JetBlue, passengers who are not Prime members will have the option of registering inflight for a 30-day free trial to watch videos immediately. Passengers will also be able to rent or purchase content. The new service will be transmitted via JetBlue’s Fly-Fi inflight broadband. Continue reading JetBlue to Offer More Inflight Entertainment via Amazon Prime

During the Disrupt NY conference this week, Nucleus Scientific unveiled technology it claims can recharge a smartphone in mere minutes. “The company says its suite of battery technologies, called Intelligent Energy System, can change the way energy is stored and transferred while also extending the life of the battery, and is ready to be applied to batteries in the next generation of devices,” reports TechCrunch. The company’s tech features “custom batteries, sensors, feedback control systems and algorithms” that allow for “unheard of charge times.” Nucleus Scientific is looking to license its technology for existing and future products.

Last week’s Digital Hollywood Spring event at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey featured a new track: a three-day Virtual & Augmented Reality Summit. Panels and sessions covered a wide range of topics — including cameras, software solutions, sound design, workflow, file management, and more — and demonstrated just how rapidly this new art form is evolving. GoPro’s acquisition of multi-GoPro spherical stitching software company Kolor was the big news. At the same time, VR producers say they are looking for better camera and stitching solutions. Continue reading Virtual & Augmented Reality Summit Comes to Digital Hollywood

According to a recent survey conducted by Nielsen, Twitter users not only like to chat about movies on social media, but they attend more screenings than average American consumers. “Twitter users said they plan to see a median of five movies this summer — 25 percent more than the average moviegoer surveyed,” reports Variety. “In addition, they are 87 percent more likely than non-users to go see a movie within the first 10 days of its opening and 340 percent more likely than non-users to have seen more than 12 movies in theaters over the last six months.” Twitter users are also more aware of upcoming films than non-users (58 percent were aware of 19 upcoming summer films).

Facebook is working with Nokia’s HERE mapping division to power its mobile maps. The social network is using HERE maps and geocoding for its mobile version, while conducting tests for apps such as Instagram and Messenger. According to TechCrunch: “Businesses use Facebook as part of their advertising and marketing operations and offering ads based on specific locations, or other location-based services, gives Facebook more ways to build up their relationships (and revenues) with these businesses.” The Finnish company has confirmed it is considering a sale of HERE, which has an estimated value of $2 billion. Potential buyers include Apple, Baidu, Alibaba, Samsung, and Uber, among others.