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The Netflix fix for bill-shock is better streaming control

Chris Davies | May 5, 2016

Intentionally reducing the quality of the video you're watching may sound strange, but Netflix's new granular control over bandwidth could very well save you from cellphone bill-shock. The streaming video company has come through on its promise to give Netflix app users more flexibility in the bitrate at which they watch movies and TV shows, after being criticized by some for chewing through too much of their data allowance.

Amazon Prime Music graduates for full Sonos streaming

Chris Davies | Apr 26, 2016

Sonos' streaming speakers are gaining another source of tunes, with Amazon Prime Music graduating from its beta on the popular audio players. The support had begun trials in October last year as Amazon and Sonos worked out the kinks, with the 1m+ tracks Amazon offers to listeners as part of their annual Prime subscription able to be added to Sonos playlists and mixed with music from other sources.

Sony’s newest team hunts oddball tech for post-PlayStation world

Chris Davies | Mar 29, 2016

Sony is creating a new idea incubator unit, pulling together wearables, unusual home entertainment, and other odd R&D in the hope of figuring out the next big thing. The Sony New Business Incubation Group (NBIG) will hunt down potential "products that span and integrate conceptual consumer technology, human interaction and the environment around them," the company says today.

Virtual reality sports is Intel’s big gamble on mainstream VR

Chris Davies | Mar 9, 2016

Intel has snapped up a virtual reality sports startup, with the chip behemoth seeing Replay Technologies as a way into the lucrative arena of digitized entertainment. The deal, announced today, will see the five year old startup's freeD format folded into Intel's technology, with the potential for football, basketball, and other sports being digitally captured from multiple angles that can then be recreated by the fan at home.

Hale, hearty, and horny: Sonos and Apple study tests if music matters

Chris Davies | Feb 10, 2016

Could listening to Beyoncé make food taste better, streaming Slipknot make you more frisky, or slapping on Paul McCartney's greatest hits make your kids do chores? Turns out the answer might be yes to all three, with Sonos bankrolling a scientific study into the effect of music on home life.

tvOS 9.2 will fix the new Apple TV’s big frustration

Chris Davies | Feb 8, 2016

Apple is addressing one of the latest Apple TV's biggest headaches, with a beta of the newest version of tvOS for the set-top box previewing an extra Siri feature. Currently available to beta testers and registered developers, tvOS 9.2 beta 3 includes a number of hotly-anticipated features like homescreen folder support, but it's one simple usability fix that is likely to interest users the most.

Amazon Echo adds Spotify as Alexa sets sights on Sonos

Chris Davies | Feb 4, 2016

Amazon's Echo can now control Spotify, with the smart speaker turned into a voice-activated streaming music system. The update, which will be pushed out to Echo owners invisibly as an OTA update, works with Spotify Connect, to deliver what Amazon and the music service say will be a seamless transition between your headphones and your home speakers.

Long-time Netflix subscriber? There’s a price hike coming

Chris Davies | Jan 19, 2016

Netflix may be opening its streaming to more viewers, but it's also set to get more expensive, as grandfathered plans expire this year. The company reminded shareholders of the changes in its financial results today, figuring it's likely that many Netflix subscribers will be faced with the decision whether they want decent quality video or to avoid paying more every month.

Google Cardboard adds spatial sound for more immersive VR

Chris Davies | Jan 13, 2016

Google's virtual reality Cardboard platform is getting even more immersive, with support for spatial sound. The latest addition to the Cardboard API, spatial sound will allow developers to position audio in 3D space around the viewer, even though they're only using a regular pair of headphones.

Apple Music has 10m paid users claim insiders

Chris Davies | Jan 10, 2016

Apple Music has reportedly hit ten million paying subscribers, with the on-demand streaming service closing the distance between it and Spotify. Although the numbers have not been officially blessed by the Cupertino firm, sources speaking to the FT say that Apple passed the 10m mark just six months after the launch of Apple Music.

Samsung is giving SUHD TV buyers the tech to make a smart home hub

Chris Davies | Jan 5, 2016

SmartThings has announced a dongle that turns Samsung TVs into the hub of a smart home. The SmartThings Extend USB adapter will allow Samsung TVs to hook into the SmartThings ecosystem, controlling over 200 products ranging from lights, through outlets, and more esoteric kit like baby monitors and more.

Samsung squeezes Dolby Atmos into slim CES soundbar

Chris Davies | Jan 3, 2016

Samsung has baked Dolby Atmos into its latest soundbar, kicking off CES 2016 with a fresh batch of music and movie focused audio tech. The HW-K950 Soundbar is Samsung's first model to include the Dolby "overhead surround" system, not to mention the first soundbar on the market to include a set of Atmos-compatible wireless rear speakers.