Netflix is wanting to change the way Hollywood views internet content, and they’re even looking to take on HBO to become the supreme when it comes to original ad-free content. Sarandos says that director David Fincher’s roll in House of Cards is changing the way people view internet streaming content, where it’s no longer a bunch B-list web shows, but actual TV series featuring A-list celebs.

House of Cards is a great example of how Netflix is changing the way people view streaming content. The series stars Kevin Spacey, who is best known for his numerous roles in tons of classic films, such as American Beauty, The Usual Suspects, Se7en, and Superman Returns. The first two episodes of the series were directed by David Fincher, who also directed movies like Fight Club, The Social Network, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

This year already, Netflix has released two original series: House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, with several more original shows on the way: Arrested Development and a Hasbro-sponsored children’s show, as well as three more that we know of. That’s seven shows total that we know of, meaning that if Netflix kept their promise and doubled their original content in 2014, we’ll be getting at least 14 shows next year, but Sarandos says that’s merely a goal, not a promise.

Netflix accounts for a third of all traffic that makes its way through the internet, which is something quite impressive, and the service streams more content than YouTube even. Netflix also keeps adding on new users, claiming three million more customers during Q1 2013 to make a total of 37 million users paying for Netflix.

SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

According to Spielberg, this television series is an opportunity to bring on a new era in entertainment. For “Halo The Television Series”, an “intersection where technology and myth-making meet” is made, and something “truly groundbreaking” will be unleashed. While the Halo game series certainly hasn’t been anything to scoff at over the past few years of it being one of gaming’s most popular, the inclusion of Spielberg in a television series surrounding it brings this announcement to a different environment entirely.

NOTE: The above photo comes straight from Bonnie Ross herself, taken of of both her and Steven Spielberg for this announcement specifically.

The Halo game franchise will certainly be coming to the Xbox One as well, but for now, it’s only a television series. Saying that it’s “only” a television series may prove to be folly as well – with what we’ve seen from the Xbox One for voice recognition, voice commands, and future Kinect interaction, we may yet see some game-changing content, as Microsoft says.

This release is intended for the Xbox One and may very well be amongst the devices “exclusive downloadable content.” The true extent of this content set is not yet known – we’ll see soon enough! For now, be sure to check out more Xbox One content in our brand new Xbox One tag portal to see how, when, and why you might want to check this console out.

As for details about the new show, they’re slightly limited, but we’ve been given a good idea on what to expect overall. The series will take place in an era between Episode III and Episode IV, and Dave Filoni is hopping on board as executive producer, who is the same person behind the The Clone Wars series, and it seems he’ll be bringing a lot of the original Clone Wars staff on board as well.

The show will also be based on concept art from the late Ralph McQuarrie, who designed the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica television series, and the ET movie. A one-hour pilot episode is already in production and is set to air in the fall of 2014 on the Disney Channel, with further episodes airing on Disney XD.

There’s no word on which characters will make an appearance, and what the plot will be exactly, but we can probably expect appearances of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, possibly showcasing the years that come after their separation at birth, but before their reunion on the Death Star, although we could also see more storylines appear throughout the show.

Of course, we still have over a year and a half until this show premieres, so we’ll most likely get more details in the future, but we’re interested in seeing what the art style will end up being, and if any popular names will show up to do the voice acting for the show. Plus, this is Disney’s second movie/TV project, and we would be surprised if we didn’t hear about more in the near future.

VIA: io9

The app is essentially a re-launch and re-branding of the network’s older ABC Player app, but Watch ABC can still playback TV shows on demand, as well as stream live television. This makes ABC the first major broadcast television network to offer their own live TV streaming option in the US. However, the app only works in New York City and Philadelphia, but more cities are expected be added throughout the year.

With Aereo, you don’t need a cable subscription to watch live television, but the Watch ABC will require one by July 1. The app is currently open to anyone for the next few weeks, but ABC will soon require a cable subscription in order to have the ability to watch live ABC shows. You’ll need either a Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, Charter, or Midcontinent subscription.

After July 1, ABC plans to expand the app’s availability to more big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno. We’re guessing the app will exit its preview version and will be released in full on that date, but specifics are yet to be revealed on exactly what the plan is for Watch ABC.

As for the app being a viable competitor to Aereo, the effort is certainly there, but it’ll most likely be no cigar for ABC, and Aereo still includes some advantages over ABC’s live streaming options. Aereo doesn’t require a cable subscription to use, although you’ll have to pony up $8 per month in order to use Aereo, while ABC’s app is free. Watch ABC also doesn’t have DVR functionality, which may be an instant turn-off for some users. Overall, ABC is trying to offer something that’s cool and useful, but there’s simply too many restrictions still that is holding the network back.

SOURCE: iTunes App Store

Today’s announcement for expansion comes after Aereo recently unveiled new streamlined plans for its service, which would get rid of daily and annual plans in favor of two simple monthly plans. $8 per month would land you 20 hours of DVR storage space, while $12 per month will give you 60 hours of DVR space, which is 20 hours more than the previous $12 plan.

Aereo has been the center of a controversy since the launch of its streaming service. The company has been drawing criticism since users don’t need a cable subscription to watch broadcast television, as they can watch television on their mobile devices using Aereo’s service, which takes broadcast antenna signals and converts them into internet signals that the streaming app can digest.

Needless to say, Aereo has been sued multiple times by television networks, and the company already won in appeals court once. Plus, the lawsuits aren’t stopping the company from expanding its service to more cities. Aereo will launch service in Boston tomorrow, with Atlanta coming roughly a month later. The company plans to expand to 22 more cities in 2013, including Miami, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Cleveland, and Kansas City. Those are just some of cities that are planned to get the new service, with more to come in the future if the lawsuits don’t take down the company first.

Aereo has taken some heat from networks ever since the launch of its streaming television service over a year ago. Both CBS and News Corp. (owner of FOX) have taken aggressive steps in order to get Aereo banned, calling the company’s actions illegal, since they’re supposedly stealing broadcast antenna signals and using them for their own gain financially. It’s a sticky situation, indeed, and we’re not sure how much longer Aereo will be able to stay up, but if the courts are in favor of Aereo, broadcasts networks will need to think of a new strategy to retain viewers.

Aereo is also giving new customers one month free when they sign up, and since there aren’t any contracts or commitments to sign your life away, new users could basically use that first free month as a free trial if they’d like. This is certainly a smart move on the company’s end, as it gives potential users the opportunity to try out the service in depth without paying any money at first.

By moving down to just two plans, Aereo got rid of three of its previous options, including the one hour free trial, as well as the $1 per day plan and the $80 per year annual plan. The annual plan allowed to save more money by committing for a year, but the new plans give you more incentive to upgrade to the $12 per month plan, which offers 60 hours of DVR time, as opposed to just 40 hours.

The $8 per month plan stays the same, and you’ll get free month of service instead of just an hour of trial time. Overall, the plans are a lot more simplified, but they aren’t all that much better or cheaper. The only big difference is that the $12 plan gives you 20 hours more of DVR storage, which Aereo is hoping that most people will opt for. The new plans officially go into affect on May 15.

If you haven’t heard of Aereo before, or aren’t really sure what it’s all about, it’s essentially a service that brings live broadcast television to users over the internet by taking regular antenna signals and streaming them online for customers. The company has been in some heat with television networks, claiming that Aereo is taking away viewers illegally. However, Aereo remains to stay for now, and it’s continuing its expansion across the northeast US as well speak, just recently hitting Boston.

It was at the German re:publica digital conference that a Q&A session saw The IT Crowd writer and original creator Graham Linehan announce a final episode. This final episode was promised to be a lovely 40 minutes long – right around twice the length of a standard episode – and will contain at least the main four members of the cast.

According to Linehan, the script for this Very Special episode was prepared over a year ago but was delayed until now due to a collection of reasons, pregnancy to alternate obligations. The final episode is set to be filmed in three weeks time, according to Bleeding Cool, and may not end up appearing in any sort of final form until quite a bit later this year.

Since appearing in The IT Crowd, Richard Ayoade has appeared in Bunny and the Bull (in 2009, during the series), Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, Full English, and the made-for-America comedy movie “The Watch.” Matt Berry is perhaps best known for his appearances in other cult-classic British television shows like The Mighty Boosh and Snuff Box, but has ramped up appearances in titles like Snow White and the Huntsman, Portlandia (TV series), and Svengali.

Katherine Parkinson appeared in The Great Outdoors, The Old Guys, Whites, and The Bleak Old Ship of Stuff in extended runs on television and popped up in several movies in the past few years as well. You’ll find Parkinson in Easy Virtue, Pirate Radio, and How to Lost Friends & Alienate People as well.

Chris O’Dowd has perhaps seen the biggest amount of success on television as well as the silver screen, having appeared in the Kristen Wiig comedy movie Bridesmaids in 2011, television shows such as Family Guy (voice), Moone Boy, Girls (yes, that Girls), Family Tree, and Monsters vs. Aliens (voice). He appeared in the film This is 40 and is part of a set of films coming out in the next couple of years: Hippie Hippie Shake, Epic (voice), Cuban Fury, Calvary, St. Vincent de Van Nuys, The Coward, and Thor: The Dark World!

BitTorrent says that two of Sarandos’ statements are not true, the first being that the BitTorrent application is a synonym for internet piracy, and the second being that BitTorrent traffic drops when Netflix arrives in new markets around the world. BitTorrent says that neither of these statements is true.

BitTorrent says that it’s an excusable mistake to connect internet piracy with BitTorrent, but the company claims that it’s addressing the public’s concern with piracy. However, BitTorrent says that many companies use BitTorrent to “preserve terabytes of data,” including Facebook, Twitter, Blizzard, Eve Online, genetic researchers, and even CERN.

As for the piracy correlation that Sarandos mentioned, BitTorrent says that they are not competing with Netflix, and Netflix shouldn’t have to compete with BitTorrent. The company says that they are “actually finding ways to support companies like [Netflix], content creators, studios, and other rights-holders directly.” BitTorrent went as far as saying that they’re “getting ready to roll out an Alpha program” that they believe could drive more traffic to movie streaming services.

Sarandos says that there is a correlation between Netflix launching in a certain country and BitTorrent traffic slowing down in that same region. It’s quite easy to see why, as well. Netflix offers unlimited streaming of a large collection of TV shows and movies for only $7.99 per month. Other streaming services, like Spotify and Rdio for music, also offer similar features for a low monthly cost.

Sarandos says that “people are mostly honest,” and a big reason why users illegally download content is because they can’t get it any other way conveniently and cheaply. For instance, you can buy and rent movies and TV shows from a variety of services, but they’re usually caked with DRM, which is a turn-off to any media junkie.

As for Netflix’s commitment to 4K streaming, there isn’t one just yet. Sarandos says that Netflix will wait until 4K evolves into a format where it can be streamed logically, at which point the company may look into it, but for now they’re only keeping their eye on it to see how 4K unfolds over these next few years.

Schmidt said that “the future is now” for YouTube, and the company has been set on reinventing television by getting dozens of major media brands and celebrities to launch their own channels for more exclusive content on the streaming video website. However, Schmidt says that YouTube isn’t a replacement for TV, but simply “a new thing…to program, to curate and build new platforms.”

Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content, says that while television is one-way communication, YouTube goes both ways, and he says that the streaming service is all about engagement rather than simply trying to reach as many people as you can like with television. YouTube likes to hone in on their demographics and go from there.

Google just recently claimed that more 18- to 34-year-olds watch YouTube than any cable network. DreamWorks Animation’s even purchased Awesomeness TV for $33 million, which is a teen-focused YouTube Channel. Cable television has been going downhill for a while now, and streaming videos are taking its place, with many people ditching their cable and hooking up their devices to their TVs to watch streaming content.

[via NPR]

Disruptor Bean joined up with HBO to launch the social game on Facebook. The game entered open beta mode on February 21st, and over 500,000 million people have installed the game since then. While 500,000 is an impressive number, the developers at Disruptor Beam know that they need to do more to increase their user base. Jon Radoff, CEO and Founder of Disruptor Beam, says that “partnerships are integral” in making any game successful.

The game takes place in the world of Westeros, where your character plays the role of a Noble. You can choose which Great House you will swear your allegiance to, whether it’d be House Lannister, House Targaryen, House Stark, or any of the other houses. You can also choose your lineage, develop your lands and reputation, and create alliances with friends. The game integrates itself deeply with the HBO series, and each week, after each new episode airs, new content is added to the game.

Publishing Games of Thrones Ascent should do well for Zynga’s revenue, which is most likely the primary reason why they’re doing it. Recently, Zynga had to shut down several of its games in order to lower costs. It also stated that in order to increase revenue, it will transition more into the mobile market this year. Who knows, maybe we will see Games of Throne Ascent, or a similar Game of Thrones game, head to mobile devices soon, hopefully.

[via Zynga]

Player submissions, even if they aren’t the grand finalists, have a chance to be featured in EVE Online’s 54-page comic book, published by Dark Horse Comics, who is known for its comics like Hellboy, Sin City, and its upcoming Mass Effect comics. The top stories will have a chance of being turned into episodes of an EVE Online TV series, which will be directed by an Icelandic director said to have produced many major films.

Alongside the possibility of have a TV episode based off their stories, finalists will also be given a series of other bonuses from EVE Online as well. Players who come in 3rd-5th place will be given a 1-year free subscription to EVE Online. The 2nd place winner will receive a free 10-year subscription to EVE Online. The 1st place winner will receive a round trip for 2 to Reykjavik, Iceland, which includes airfare and hotel accommodations. He/She will have the chance to visit CCP’s headquarters and meet and talk with senior developers, and will also receive a 10-year subscription to EVE Online.

The launch of EVE Online’s own TV series and comic books is in celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary. There are also talks that a film for the game may be produced, though that’d be much farther into the future. Also in celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary, Dark Horse Comics will be producing a 184-page hardback book containing all of the stories regarding the lore of EVE Online as well as the various NPCs you encounter in-game. There will also be a new collector’s edition released giving EVE Online fans access to a variety of things, like cosmetic in-game items, physical models, and more.

[via Joystiq]

Viewers will be have access to all of the CW’s current TV series, including Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Nikita, and more. The app is compatible with Xbox’s SmartGlass feature, which recently became available for the Amazon Kindle Fire, so that users can access extra content while watching an episode, such as episode summaries or plot overviews. The CW app is also compatible with the Kinect, allowing you to control it via your hands or your voice.

The CW is one of the under-performers in the land of free television. While other networks like ABC and Fox are able to get well over 10 million viewers for their most popular TV shows, the CW’s most popular TV shows are only able to grab about 2-3 million viewers each week. That’s not to say that the CW only has bad TV shows (I personally think Nikita and Arrow are pretty great shows), it just needs more exposure.

Through its collaboration with Netflix, and its app becoming available through Xbox LIVE, it may be able to get more people to view its offering of TV shows, and perhaps even convert some of them to loyal followers. The CW recently cancelled several TV shows this year, including Cult, 90210, Gossip Girl, and Emily Owens M.D. due to their lack of viewers, and several more shows are still awaiting their fate. Maybe also releasing an app for the PlayStation Network would be a good move for the network as well.

The set-top box will be deeply integrated with Amazon’s video selection, including its Instant Video service, and its collection of other video on-demand products. It will do wonders in getting Amazon more business for its Instant Video service as well as getting more viewers for its original series. It would also help it compete against other video-streaming services, like Netflix.

According to Business Week, the set-top box project is being led by Cisco’s former VP of Emerging Video Products, Malachy Moynihan, and the product is being built at Amazon’s Lab126 division. Lab126 has several engineers that are experienced in developing TV-related products, including Andy Goodman, who was a top engineer at TiVo and Vudu, and Chris Coley, who used to be a hardware architect at ReplayTV.

The name for the set-top box is still going under consideration, but sources say that it could be dubbed “Kindle TV”. There’s also a good chance that Amazon will include other streaming services onto the set-top box, including Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu, giving customers more options to view their favorite shows, and also giving customers more incentive on purchasing its product. And knowing Amazon, this product will be priced competitively against the other set-top boxes currently on the market.

[via Bloomberg Businessweek]

Boston residents will be able to pre-order Aereo service, which will give them access on May 15, while a wider public release for everyone in the Boston metropolitan area will take place on May 30. Aereo didn’t mention the reach that its service would have in Boston, but they do say that the service should be able to support around 4.5 million customers in 16 counties in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Aereo allows users to watch live broadcast television on their mobile devices and computers. In New York currently, users pay $12 per month to stream live TV programming from over 20 local broadcast networks, including CBS, NBC, and FOX. The controversy is how the company is doing it: they’re essentially yanking the broadcast signals using their own antennas and beaming it over the internet for users to enjoy.

Aereo was announced back in January, and while it’s only available in New York City for now, the company will be launching it services in numerous states throughout 2013, including Miami, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Cleveland, and Kansas City.

Intel Media said to GigaOM that Baldwin will be missed, “but we have a very strong engineering organization in place with a deep leadership bench,” that will make up for Baldwin’s absence. Baldwin played a crucial work for Intel Media’s TV project. He was previously a key player in the Microsoft Mediaroom project, where he stayed for 8 years. He worked on several other TV projects including WebTV Plus, Echostar Dishplayer, DirecTV, and Ultimate TV.

Baldwin was instrumental to making Intel’s dream of launching its new Web TV service a reality. Intel Media’s Web TV service will be a subscription service that will allow viewers to watch live TV, video on-demand, and also watch TV shows/movies that the viewer may have missed. Intel Media plans on launching the Web TV service in the U.S. by the end of the year.

Intel Media says that its Web TV service will be a game changer, but it has received some criticism from all around, mainly due to the camera installed on Intel Media’s set-top box. The camera will be used to monitor whether a user is in the room, if the user is paying attention to the TV content, and the age and gender of the user. It will use the data it gathered to play targeted advertisements for the users, as well as offering suggestions on TV shows/movies the viewer(s) may enjoy. Consumers and critics feel that the camera is an invasion of privacy, however, Erik Huggers, Intel Media’s CEO, defends the camera by comparing it to the Kinect devices millions of homes have, which people have no problem using.

[via GigaOM]

We’ve already heard about a couple of them in the past, one being a Zombieland original series, as well as a geek-oriented comedy called Betas. Both pilots of these shows are available now, as well as 12 other shows split between the comedy genre and children’s variety. The six children’s shows include Annebots, Creative Galaxy, Positively Ozitively, Sara Solves It, Teeny Tiny Dogs, and Tumbleaf.

As for the remaining comedies not already mentioned, there’s Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, Onion News Empire, Supanatural, and Those Who Can’t. You can watch all 14 episodes right now, but you’ll need an Amazon Prime account if you don’t have one already. You’ll get free two-day shipping, as well as access to Amazon Instant Video.

As for how many shows Amazon wants to begin producing, it seems that the company’s goal is to get half of the 14 shows currently available ordered up for a full season of about 13 episodes each. However, there’s no set number that Amazon has decided on, and it could turn out that even less than seven shows end up getting picked, so be sure to submit your feedback if you want to see the episodes you like continue on.

The television is available from TigerDirect, and is from a maker not previously seen in the United States, meaning you’re going to have to take a risk if you plunk down the cash for this ultra-cheap ultra-HD device. It’ll likely be a couple weeks, at least, before any substantial amount of reviews hit the web to get an idea of the television’s quality and other relevant aspects.

Still, if you’re willing to take the chance, what you’ll get is a 50-inch 4K HDTV with an LED backlight and a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Seiku touts the unit as having minimized pixilation and smooth video via a 120Hz refresh rate and 6.5ms response time. The contrast ratio comes in at 5000:1 for deep blacks and bright white colors.

The television utilizes a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, and has a few different video connection options, including VGA, composite, component, and three HDMI ports. There’s a stereo mini-jack for headphones and coaxial digital audio, as well as two integrated speakers. All the specs point at it being a nice television set, and that aside, at this price, you really can’t beat giving it a shot if a 4K TV is on your wish list.

[via Engadget]

Television network CBS has also announced that it will consider pulling its programming from over the airwaves if Aereo continues to broadcast its signals to customers. CBS says that it would consider moving to a subscription only model in the New York area. If CBS made good on the threat it would mean that no one in the New York area would be able to access CBS programming using an antenna over the air.

Many see this as an empty threat because if Fox and CBS stock over the air broadcasts, it would mean that they would lose some viewers who don’t subscribe to cable and access programming exclusively over the air. A Fox executive previously claimed that the network needed to build a revenue stream model of retransmission fees and advertising to sustain its business.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves stated this week that he “wholeheartedly” supported Fox’s statements and that CBS had been in talks with cable operators about taking its broadcast signal off the air. The latest row in the Aereo saga came after a federal appeals court in New York upheld a lower court ruling in favor of the Aereo service. The service uses a network of small antennas to pick up over the air broadcast signals that it streams over the Internet to subscribers making the content viewable on just about any Internet connected device.

[via CNET]

Reports Bloomberg, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched Samsung’s Asan-stationed display headquarters in search of documents that would indicate theft of LG’s OLED display technology. According to the report, the police have an active investigation going on regarding whether LG’s partners leaked the company’s secrets, and, in this particular case, whether Samsung could be on the receiving end.

In response, Samsung’s spokeswoman Jun Eun Sun offered a semi-smug statement: “We have no reason to steal other companies’ technology, as we have the world’s best OLED technology.” While the initial thought is that LG is behind the search, the company’s spokesman said that it didn’t have any involvement in the matter. “The latest investigation is related to large-sized OLED TV panel technology, but the police have made the allegation themselves.”

LG was smacked last year with theft accussations, with six of its workers being charged with stealing Samsung’s OLED technology. LG saw the matter different than the legal system, claiming that the technology its employees were charged with stealing was common industry information and that no trade secrets were involved. As it currently stands, LG has trumped Samsung in the OLED television market.

[via Bloomberg]

Chase Carey, Chief Operating Officer of News Corp, stated,

Aereo is stealing our signal. We believe in our legal rights. We’re going to pursue those legal rights fully and completely, and we believe we’ll prevail. But we want to be clear. If we can’t have our rights properly protected through legal and political avenues, we will pursue business solutions. One such business solution would be to take the network and turn it into a subscription service.

Carey also stated,

“One option could be converting the Fox broadcast network to a pay channel, which we would do in collaboration with both our content partners and affiliates.”

Because Aereo has individual antennas picking up the broadcast signals, the court ruled that Aereo wasn’t retransmitting signals. It stated that Aereo was merely offering subscribers an option that they could already do with their own antennas. If the court did rule that Aereo was retransmitting the broadcast signals, it would most likely have to pay a fee to the TV networks.

Retransmission fees add up to billions of dollars in total each year, and are usually paid by companies that want to redistribute the networks’ programming to their subscribers. The court says that like Cablevision’s web-based RS-DVR, Aereo isn’t a video-on-demand service and isn’t retransmitting signals. It is merely storing individual copies of TV shows and providing them to the user who had requested them.

If Fox is converted to a subscription-based network, many popular TV shows, like American Idol, Glee, Family Guy, and X-Factor, will see a drastic hit in viewers. All of those shows are what made Fox so popular, so limiting the number of viewers who have access to them may backfire on Fox. Aereo charges a fee for its services. Fees range from $8-$12 monthly, and $80 for the entire year. We’ll keep you posted on how this case turns out.

[via Fox News]

The 4K recording was displayed on LG’s 84-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs at various, private locations inside of the Georgia Dome. The premiere of the NCAA Men’s Final Four championship in 4K also coincided with the 75th anniversary celebration of March Madness, making it the perfect time to start broadcasting the sporting event in the next-generation of HDTV. Ken Aagaard, Executive VP of operations, engineering and broadcast services for CBS Sports, states that Ultra HDTV can become the future of sports broadcasting.

LG’s 84-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs sell for $19,999. It brings 4 times the details of a Full HD 1080p display, shelling out a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. It features the LG Resolution Upscaler Plus which boosts lower-resolution content into higher detail. It also comes with an LG Magic Remote which allows you to navigate through LG’s HD TV onscreen interface with gestures and voice search. It has a 2.2 Sound System that brings ultra-quality sound to your ultra-quality television.

LG has some big competition coming from Sony. Just yesterday, Sony released the pricing for its 55-inch and 65-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs, both of which will be available on April 21st. The 55-inch will sell for $4,999 and the 65-inch will sell for $6,999, making them both much more affordable than LG’s current offering. Sony will also be bringing a 4K media player in the future, and it will launch a 4K video distribution service as well in order to jet-start the 4K era.

The TV show, which is set to premiere next Monday, is set 30 years after 2013. Aliens known as Votans have come to Earth in search of a new home. After some conflicts, and a Votan ambassador being assassinated by a human supremacist, the Votans and Humans go to war. The war wages on for 30 years before both species agree to a ceasefire to ensure their survival. Joshua Nolan, a former Marine, declares himself the Chief Lawkeeper of Defiance (the revamped St. Louis) to maintain peace between the Votans and the humans, and to protect the town from the dangers of the outside world.

Defiance worked together with Trion Worlds to develop the Defiance MMO. The game is available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC for $59.99. Characters are able to create their own characters and play in the Defiance world. There are massive co-op battles, tons of weapons, “Fierce Shadow War” multiplayer, and constant updates, including 5 DLCs set to come out in the future. For PC users, there is a deluxe edition available for $99.99 that gives you many extra bonuses. There is no subscription fee for the game.

Kevin Murphy, writer and producer of Desperate Housewives, is the executive producer for Defiance. In an interview with Reuters, he stated, “What’s unusual about what we’re doing… is we’re building the second-screen concept into the actual DNA of the show-game combo.” He states that in future seasons of the show, there will be crossovers between the game and the TV show, including implementing actual user characters into the TV show in later seasons and having actions in the video game affect the plot of the show. The game and the show cost $100 million in total to create, and the crossover between both will hopefully secure a dedicated fan base.

[via Reuters]

Mediaroom powers approximately 22 million set-top boxes in 11 million households around the world, and the purchase by Ericsson will make the company the leading provider of IPTV solutions with a market share of over 25%, according to a statement by Ericsson earlier today. Microsoft calls the acquisition “mutually beneficial and strategically aligned for both parties.”

It was recently rumored late last month that Ericsson was pondering the idea of buying Mediaroom from Microsoft, and it certainly seemed unsurprising at the time. However, the news is official today. Now that Microsoft has Mediaroom out of the way, the company can focus on bringing TV services to Xbox Live, which has already seen some great new content added on as of late.

Indeed, it does seem like Microsoft and Ericsson, as well as Mediaroom will all benefit from the acquisition: Mediaroom won’t be shutting down (but rather growing in the future), Ericsson now has a hold of the business and now dominates the IPTV market share, and Microsoft now has more time to focus its efforts on Xbox Live. It’s a win-win-win situation.

The FMP-X1 will come bundled with 10 feature films and video shorts. The feature films include: Bad Teacher, Battle:Los Angeles, The Bridge on the River Kawi, The Karate Kid, Salt, Taxi Driver, That’s My Boy, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Other Guys, and Total Recall. A majority of those films are actually very appealing, and should help make the $700 price-tag much less painful to stomach.

When Fall rolls around, Sony will also be launching a video-distribution service that owners of the FMP-X1 will be able to take advantage of. The service will offer a whole library of 4K movies and shows for a fee. Titles will be available from a variety of productions, including, of course, Sony Pictures Entertainment. Whether the fee will be per title, or one-set fee for an unlimited amount of content is still unknown.

Also on April 17th, Sony will be working together with The Tribeca Film Festival to promote its 4K video production among amateur and professional film makers, in hopes of getting many film makers to support its products. However, it may be a while before people can adapt to 4K televisions. With the $4,999/$6,999 price-tag along with the $699 price-tag for the media player, these products aren’t exactly affordable for the average consumer.

[via Sony]

These TVs have a display resolution that’s 4 times that of a FULL HD TV (3840 x 2160) thanks to Sony’s proprietary two-chip 4K X-reailty PRO picture engine. Also thanks to the TVs’ TRILUMINOS Display, color quality is spectacular. All colors, even difficult-to-reproduce hues, will be delivered naturally and accurately. Your TV will display amazing contrast thanks to the TVs’ dynamic edge-lit LED backlighting.

The TVs will have audio that “makes every moment real” thanks to Sony’s Signal-to-Sound architecture. They will also have a S-Force front-facing, magnetic fluid speaker system to provide you with the highest-quality sound possible. The TV is FULL HD 3D capable, and will have WiFi connectivity built right in so that you can download video content from the Sony Entertainment Network.

To compliment the X900A’s beautiful display, Sony will bringing remastered Blu-Ray discs that support the 4K resolution of these TVs. When you purchase your TV, you will also be able to pick up a remastered copy of Spider-Man (the one featuring Tobey Maguire), Ghostbusters, and Angels & Demons for free. Sony will also be launching its FMP-X1 4K Media Player over the summer for $699, bundled with 10 films and video shorts viewable in 4k resolution. Later in the Fall, it will launch a video-distribution service that lets consumers buy various 4K titles for their TVs. These services will allow consumers to fully utilize their TVs’ capabilities.

[via Sony]

White claims that Apple’s rumored television set will launch this year in 50- to 60-inch flavors and will come with a motion controller in the form of a ring that you wear on your finger. Furthermore, White claims that Apple will include an optional “mini iTV” with the television set — sort of like an iPad, where users can beam content from the tablet to the television.

Obviously, we can’t even begin to explain how crazy of a rumor this is. While Apple is a company that releases new products that we thought we’d never want, an iRing is probably one of the most ridiculous Apple rumors we’ve heard in a long time, especially since its main function would be to act as a motion controller, rather than just use a motion-detecting camera that’s built into the TV, which seems way more logical.

White also notes that the already heavily-rumored iWatch will play an “important role” in the new Apple television, but he provides little details how that would happen exactly, other than saying that the iWatch will provide more portability around the house. In the end, take this rumor with lots of salt — enough to put your heart into cardiac arrest.

[via BGR]

This move has been rumored for a couple weeks now, but NBC finally made it official today. Jimmy Fallon will leave his current post as host of Late Night, and will move to the earlier 11:35 PM time slot for The Tonight Show. As for who will replace Fallon on Late Night, that has yet to still be determined, but speculation and predictions are already flying around.

However, while The Tonight Show has been based in Los Angeles, California for the past 22 years, Jimmy Fallon will remain in New York City, which means The Tonight Show will move to the show’s original home in the Big Apple at 30 Rockefeller Center. It’s expected that Fallon will officially take over the reigns sometime after the 2014 Winter Olympics in order to give Fallon’s new show a strong start.

While Leno started hosting The Tonight Show in 1992, it hasn’t been a consecutive run. Conan O’Brien took over the show in 2009, but after realizing there were disagreements between O’Brien and NBC, the red-haired comedian left the show just a year later, in which Leno was reinstated as The Tonight Show host in 2010.

Image via Flickr

Vdio is also only launching in the US and UK, so those living outside these two regions will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer. However, those who have a Rdio Unlimited subscription will get $25 of credit to use on the new service, and those who sign up within the next 60 days will also get $25 worth of credit to use on Vdio.

The streaming model of Vdio is slightly different than what Rdio’s subscription model is. Essentially, Vdio is more of a competitor to iTunes, where you purchase content individually. However, any movies you purchase, you’ll only be able to watch them on Vdio either through the web browser or through the iPad app, which are limitations not seen on other services.

The service also comes with plenty of social features, including making watch lists and sharing them with friends, as well as being able to collaborate on custom lists by having friends add movies and TV shows into one collective list for certain occasions like parties. The catalog of content currently available is fairly good for being such a new service, and prices seem competitive, with TV shows costing around $3, while movies sell for about $15. Currently, Rdio didn’t mention whether or not Vdio will be coming to more countries, but we’re guessing they’ll focus their efforts on the US and the UK for the foreseeable future.

The Blu-ray version is available for pre-order on Amazon as we speak, as is the DVD version, which will cost you $44.99. The show was produced by Media Right Capital and licensed by Netflix for online streaming, but it looks like Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has managed to secure the distribution rights for the physical discs of the show.

House of Cards officially released to Netflix on February 1, where all 13 episodes became available at once. Each episode is almost an hour long, so you’re looking at well over a full day’s work if you’re up for the task of watching the entire first season in one day. That shouldn’t be too difficult, though, since the show was like a good book: I just couldn’t put it down.

Unfortunately, however, the listing on Amazon doesn’t list any of the bonus material that will come packing with the disc set (another reason that buying the DVD instead of streaming could be beneficial). Hopefully, though, we’ll see the usual stuff, like bloopers, deleted scenes, commentary, etc.

[via High Def Disc News]

Obviously when there’s a program this old all about computers, even when it’s all “retro” and funny because of it, there’s some level of understanding you must have so far as how excited everyone seems about now-ancient tools and features. What’s particularly interesting about this video is how simple the presenters make each of the terms included in the still relatively new concept of visual computing.

What you’re going to learn is how the Apple Macintosh computer made working with a computer at home – or at school, or in the office – a reality for those that otherwise would never have considered using a computer. While the difference between working only with lines of code and working with pictures and renderings of objects wasn’t brand new at the time, the solidification of that kind of thinking was certainly taking place.

You’ll find that the Macintosh they’re working with here in the program was launched with two applications – one for typing (MacWrite), the other for drawing with your mouse (MacPaint). By the time this program had been filmed, as they say “the number of Mac products has skyrocketed, and now numbers in the hundreds.”

So consider this your mission for this weekend – see if you or one of your friends or family members would like to learn how computers work at their most basic. The talks here are applicable even to our most advanced systems – see how they make the magic happen now! And make sure you grab your healthy helping of Easter ham or otherwise non-denominational feast with the future on your mind!

BONUS: Save a collection of episodes lost to time for whatever reason, there’s a massive amount of episodes of Computer Chronicles up in the Internet Archive for your perusal now as well. More computer knowledge from the 1980s than you’ll know what to do with!

Have a peek at a few more “Weekend Watching” posts below to see how they ring your bell!

The comedy pilot is called Betas and the show will follow four computer geeks from Silicon Valley who are working to “crack the ultimate code.” The new pilot has been added to the lineup of other pilots currently in production for Amazon’s video service. Betas is the eight comedy pilot added to the pilot lineup that will be made available to subscribers, giving subscribers the opportunity to choose which of the shows goes into production.

Betas is written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard. The pilot features Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni. The pilot is being directed by Michael Lehmann, who is well-known for his work with True Blood, Dexter, and American Horror Story.

Amazon has previously announced seven other comedy pilots that viewers will be able to vote on. Those other pilots include Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, Onion News Empire, Supanatural , Those Who Can’t, and Zombieland.

[via Amazon]

X-Ray is an Amazon feature that is also available on Kindle ereaders, and the feature first launched for books, allowing readers to gather more information about the story’s characters and even more information on the author. Now that X-Ray is available for TV shows, viewers can tap on an episode to learn more about the show, including characters, actors/actresses, and quick facts.

Amazon says that the X-Ray feature gives users a unique experience when watching streaming content that you won’t be able to experience anywhere else. Amazon wants the content portion of its physical products to be the most important aspect of the user experience, since that’s what the company makes a profit on mostly.

Of course, X-Ray only works with content from Amazon’s Instant Video library, so it’s an exclusive feature that the company hopes will encourage more people to choose Amazon Instant Video over other streaming services like Hulu or Netflix. Amazon will be expanding X-Ray to the Wii U, but there’s no word on whether or not they’ll put it on other platforms like iOS or Android.

According to various analysts, it’s expected that advertisers are going to spend more of their ad dollars on cable television and web video outlets like Hulu. It’s expected broadcast networks’ dollar volume could drop by 2%, while cable television’s volume could rise about 5%. Of course, these aren’t huge gains or losses, but every percentage point matters, especially when you’re facing lower ratings.

However, CBS CEO Les Moonves says that ad demand for broadcast television (at least for CBS) is growing, and Moonves expects CBS to lead in “volume and CPM increases” this season. However, ratings have taken a dive at all four big television networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC) since the start of the fall season back in September.

Specifically, among viewers ages 18 to 49 ( which is the demographic that’s most prized by advertisers,) the average numbers for primetime audiences were down 23% at FOX, 7% at NBC, 3% at CBS; and 8% at ABC. However, CBS was the only major network to see an increase in overall viewership this season, with a 2% rise.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

Shatner played the infamous Captain James T. Kirk in several Star Trek films and TV series, and while Shatner has become more of an odd character nowadays (now known as the “Priceline negotiator” in those weird hotel booking commercials), he’ll leave behind a legacy for Star Trek fans to remember forever.

Five Star Trek television series are available on Hulu, all of which will be free until the end of the month: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Enterprise. All of these shows are available now to watch at no cost.

UPDATE: We’ve been informed that Star Trek: The Animated Series is missing out of the bunch, as well as “The Cage,” which is the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series.

As an extension of the festivities, Star Trek will be conducting a poll to see which episodes they’ll feature on the Hulu home page, and they’ll also be holding a “Star Trek Madness” tournament, putting all of the major Star Trek characters up against each other to see who is the most popular Star Trek character of them all.

The 100-inch screen combined with the ultra short throw laser projector creates a 100-inch full HD resolution picture. The system also supports LG’s Smart TV platform allowing access to streaming content on the big screen and more. LG has now announced the TV will be available in April.

As you probably guessed with a 100-inch Laser TV, the price isn’t exactly cheap. The LG Laser TV will cost $8999. LG says the TV will provide a brilliant home theater experience with a 1080p resolution image and 150 nits of brightness. LG promises that the image will “pop” even in a brighter environment. One of the big benefits of the LG system compared to a typical projector is that LG’s laser TV can be positioned near the floor or fastened to the ceiling whereas most standard projectors have to be ceiling mounted.

This gives users greater flexibility when installing the system. The laser projection system also has a long life span of 25,000 hours, which is about five times longer than a normal projection system will last between bulb replacements. The projector housing also has an integrated ATSC tuner, 20W stereo speakers, three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an optical audio output. The projector also has integrated Intel Wireless Display and Wi-Fi Direct.

[via LG]

It was Verizon chief programming negotiator Terry Denson who spoke up this week with the Wall Street Journal. There he noted that at this very moment, Verizon was in talks with “midtier and smaller” media companies to see if a payment based on audience size model would work for them. Speaking on the model in play today, Denson said: “we are paying for a customer who never goes to the channel.”

The model in play today has Verizon (and other cable and satellite television operators) paying media companies an amount based on the number of homes their service goes to. If the channel is available through their service, Verizon will have to pay based on the amount of homes they push their service to – regardless of how many people actually watch the channel. With new person-tracking technologies in play, Verizon is thinking about using the number of people actually tuning in to create a whole new model.

As Denson notes, the current talk puts viewing time at five minutes minimum to register as having actually visited a television channel. This unique viewing setup would have odd channels that’d otherwise not get a massive amount of cash in a lump-sum deal to really ramp up their earning potential with ad campaigns and must-see-tv pushes across the web.

The same as Spotify artists tell their fans to head to Spotify and give them a listen, so too will media companies tell users to head to Verizon to watch their shows. It won’t be quite so simple as all that until installing a television system is as easy as installing an app – but we can dream!

Meanwhile we’ll keep an eye out for this new television payment model and will let you know if the costs and benefits will ever be passed on to you, the consumer. At the moment it appears that they’ll be keeping your bills the same – the future could very well be knocking some real bills off the top rack.

In its broadcast, CCTV accused Apple of cheating Chinese consumers on their warranty, as well as offering Chinese customers different customer service policies compared to its policies offered in every other country. Apple is also accused of ignoring China’s laws in its practices. CCTV also attacked Volkswagen for selling error-filled cars in China. Volkswagen’s cars in China have been equipped with “substandard direct-shift gearbox systems” that resulted in acceleration mishaps and car accidents to an “unspecified” amount of drivers.

Apple responded with, “Our team is always striving to exceed our customers’ expectations, and we take any customer concerns very seriously.” Volkswagen responded with, “We will spare no effort to make improvement in the future,” and that it plans on fixing the gearbox systems in its vehicles in China. Apple and Volkswagen are both working hard to fix the problems described by CCTV. China is a major market for both companies, especially for Apple, who has over 17,000 stores and resellers in the country.

CCTV has a great deal of influence on companies and consumers in China. When the TV program made a broadcast on the quality of chicken provided by Yum Brands Inc.’s KFC stores, the company saw a 6% decline in sales during its 4th quarter. The company had then revamped its practices, and made a public apology. When CCTV launched an investigation on a database-marketing unit, named Dun & Bradstreet Corp., about its illegal practices, the company was fined 1 million yuan ($160,640), and 4 of its executives were sentenced to 2 years in prison.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

While most primetime television shows will be available after eight days from its airing, daytime and late night programming will be available within 24 hours after the initial airing. The app will include shows like CSI, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and The Late Show with David Letterman.

The app will also include a feature called Live Social Feeds, which allow you to “join the conversation” about various CBS programs and you can read live feeds that are curated for each show. You can also check out the Primetime Schedule to find out what’s coming up on CBS and even set reminders for single episodes or special programming.

The app is only available for iOS devices, but CBS says that they’re planning versions for Android and Windows 8, although we’re not sure if that will include Windows Phone 8 as well, but there was definitely no mention of BlackBerry. The app is a free download, and it’s available now in the iTunes App Store.

You will be able to watch every episode of TV’s most popular series, including: Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Spartacus, Dexter, Girls, and Duck Dynasty. There will be select full seasons available for popular shows like Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Psych, Parenthood, The Americans, Revolution, Touch, and Chicago Fire. You will also be able to access all of the on-demand titles available on premium channels such as HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and CINEMAX.

Comcast will make it easier for you to find a free TV show to watch. There will be a Watchathon Week website that displays a full list of all 100 TV series available for watch. You will be able to watch your TV shows through Xfinity on Demand, online via Xfinity.com/tv, or through the Xfinity TV Player App on your mobile devices. If you miss out on Watchathon Week, no worries, because Comcast will also be launching a “Catch-Up of the Week” program on April 1st. Catch-Up of the Week will offer you a select amount of free TV shows, both old and new seasons, to watch each week until the end of 2013.

Comcast says that this is the “biggest catch-up ever in TV history, offering Xfinity TV customers the opportunity to binge view the hottest shows on top networks for free.” It hopes to entice its Xfinity TV customers to subscribe to its premium channels after they get a taste of all the great content available. The Watchathon Week is also a way for Comcast to allow its TV subscribers to catch-up with Game of Thrones before its season 3 premiere.

[via Business Wire]