Mark Teitell, GM of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, spoke recently during a Home Media Magazine UltraViolet presentation. Teitell says we should expect a marketing push this year and suggests there will be increased transparency involving the number of titles within the 12 million-plus UltraViolet accounts. During a Q&A session, he also addressed the status of UltraViolet’s Common File Format and in-home disc-to-digital efforts. Continue reading DECE GM Answers Questions About Future of UltraViolet

At the Mobile World Congress this week, Spotify and Ford announced that the music streaming service will soon be available via the Sync AppLink platform and integrated with the Sync’s voice command system in Ford vehicles in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Additionally, iPhone and Android apps will soon pair up with the dashboard AppLink system to stream music through car speakers. Continue reading Spotify and Ford Team to Offer Streaming Music in Your Car

At the HPA Tech Retreat, Sony Pictures Television announced its plans to shoot between three and five pilots in 4K this season, perhaps signifying the beginning of a shift towards popularizing 4K. At last month’s CES in Las Vegas, there was a big push for the Ultra HD platform; about 50 sets were unveiled. But after the conference, many were left to wonder if content and delivery would be made available for the currently expensive TV sets. Continue reading HPA Tech Retreat: Sony to Shoot Several New Pilots in 4K

Jim Silver, editor in chief of timetoplaymag.com, estimates that more than 90 percent of the “so-called app toys that were trotted out last year sold poorly,” reports the Wall Street Journal. But toy companies are still trying to make it work, begging the question: “why have a hybrid, combining some aspect of a tablet with an actual physical toy or game, when a tablet alone will do?” Continue reading Sales of Physical Toys Impacted by Rise of Tablets and Apps

Sony is ramping up its efforts to provide 4K content by remastering select productions in the new format and restoring classic movies in 4K. As part of the initiative, Sony Pictures Television will remaster all five seasons of “Breaking Bad” in 4K. We can also expect to see 4K versions of “Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters,” “Glory,” “Funny Girl” and “On The Waterfront.” Continue reading Sony 4K Initiative: Studio Remasters Content for Ultra HDTVs

The adoption of 4K TV technology could be in the hands of console gamers, if the history of HDTV is any indication. In 2005, when few households owned HDTVs, due largely to a lack of available HD content, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 helped transform the industry. “They gave people a reason to buy an HDTV and that gave content producers reason to invest in the formats it supported,” suggests Wired UK. Continue reading Could Success of 4K TV Be in the Hands of Console Gamers?

Is 4K the future of television or is it just another CES pipe dream? A three-part debate is taking place on ZDNet between proponent Steven Vaughan-Nichols, who suggests the future of broadcasting involves 4K, and opponent Jason Perlow, who believes the technology will be gone before it really gets started. As of Wednesday morning, 39 percent of voting readers support Vaughan-Nichols, while 61 percent back Perlow. Continue reading Future of Television: Debate Looks at Both Sides of 4K Tech

Sony demonstrated some impressive new technology at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. The company is using “nanoscale particles called quantum dots to significantly improve the color of some of its high-end Bravia televisions,” writes Technology Review. The particles increase the range of colors that an LCD TV can display by 50 percent. Continue reading CES: Sony Intros Modified LCDs with Quantum Dot Technology

Automotive technology was a major theme at the 2013 International CES earlier this month as companies embraced cars as the ultimate mobile devices. “CES is a hardware show stuck in a software world, a point driven home in the automotive booths filling the North Hall,” notes Wired. “There were apps, apps and more apps.” The article highlights eight top products that largely focus on in-car entertainment and navigation. Continue reading CES: Connected Cars Serve as the Ultimate Mobile Devices

Intel introduced its “perceptual computing” technology at this year’s CES. The company hopes it will help users switch between keyboards, trackpads, touchscreens, voice commands and gestures with ease — or even lead to simultaneous use. The new interface, designed to augment current methods of interaction, could help keep laptops alive if intuitive applications are developed. Continue reading CES 2013: Intel Debuts its Perceptual Computing Technology

The idea of “connected cars” served as one of the highlights of CES as Chevrolet, Ford and others embrace the relationship between smartphones and cars. The combination of existing cellular and Bluetooth technologies can help create smarter vehicles that not only enhance entertainment, but also aid drivers with diagnostics, safety, charging schedules and other vehicle-related issues. Continue reading Connected Cars are an Extension of the Smartphone Revolution

VideoNuze suggests that post CES, an Apple TV is inevitable. “Apple’s television opportunity is not simply to one-up the competition’s stable of smart TVs, but to re-imagine the entire TV experience as an integral part of our lives,” notes the post. Apple needs to combine components that already exist in the smart TV sphere and then “create an unparalleled experience layer that allows users to do things heretofore unimaginable.” Continue reading The Stage Is Set For Apple To Enter The Television Market

PrimeSense, the company responsible for the 3D sensor inside the popular Microsoft Kinect gaming system, demonstrated new possibilities for its technology at CES. The company’s depth sensor Carmine is being put to use in a variety of applications outside of gaming, and a smaller version of the sensor may soon appear in smartphones and tablets. Continue reading PrimeSense Takes Sensor and Gesture Control to New Level

Wilocity is on a mission to build the fastest Wi-Fi chips in the world. The company, which was demonstrating its technology at CES in a suite at the Las Vegas Hotel, specializes in wireless products that favor 60GHz transmissions, which are faster than traditional Wi-Fi. Regular Wi-Fi connections use the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and have just crossed the gigabit-per-second mark with the 802.11ac standard. Continue reading Wilocity Aims To Build the Fastest Wi-Fi Chips In The World

Electronic devices and household appliances are going mobile in increasing numbers. And your smartphone is about to go along for the ride. In fact, your smartphone is about to conduct the ride. “In the age of the connected home, your mobile devices are becoming the central command, the brains, if you will, of the entire smarthome experience,” writes Wired. Continue reading Smartphone as Magic Wand: Your Remote Control for Everything