Microsoft brings your photos to Xbox 360 via new SkyDrive app
You want to star on your Xbox 360? A new app makes it easy to view your personal photos and videos on the big screen and to manipulate them with Kinect or voice controls. Read more »
Android this week: Wi-Fi changing app; Nexus 7 dock; Xbox SmartGlass
The week started with a nifty wireless NFC experiment but not ever Android phone has NFC. Free software accomplishes the same task of toggling Wi-Fi based on location. The Nexus 7 dock makes an appearance as does Xbox SmartGlass for Google’s 7-inch Nexus tablet. Read more »
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OTT technologies and strategies for broadcasters
TV broadcasters and programmers must embrace a new set of video-delivery techniques to reach consumers today. Online delivery to so many types of consumer devices means that video programmers must produce multiple internet-streaming formats that use different types of security and different ways of inserting ads. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Takeaways from connected consumer’s second quarter
Tablets featured prominently in the connected consumer space, both as a product category and as a component of broader platform strategies by major OS providers Microsoft, Google and Apple. Meanwhile Facebook began laying the groundwork to add payment processing to its platform. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Who and what to watch in the new era of the living room
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Amazon’s video services launch on the Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 just got more videos: Amazon launched an app on the game console that offers access to both video-on-demand and Prime Instant subscription streams. With 25 percent of all Netflix traffic coming from the Xbox, it’s an important place to be for Amazon. Read more »
5 key takeaways from paidContent 2012
It’s all about the platform — except when it isn’t: Speakers at paidContent 2012 spoke about the opportunities, challenges and constraints of creating digital content. Read more at paidContent »
What Motorola’s German win over Microsoft really means
Motorola has won an injunction in Germany on key Microsoft products involved in a patent dispute. But in a confusing and complex judgment, the chances of Motorola actually trying to get Microsoft’s key products removed from shelves are slim. Read more »
Verizon’s live iPad streaming, LG TV app coming later this year?
Verizon is working to increase the number of connected devices that can be used to access its live and on-demand streaming channels, with plans to finally bring its live iPad app — and possibly an app for LG TVs — to market later in 2012. Read more »
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Want to watch TV? There’s an app for that
With the rollout of its massive Xbox Live update, Microsoft has made a strong bid for the pole position in the digital living room. And with dozens of new programming partners also included with the update, the company now offers perhaps the most comprehensive, versatile and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Windows Phone is an Xbox 360 video remote control
On Tuesday, Microsoft is launching a new app for Windows Phone handsets to help Xbox 360 owners navigate their game console. The timing is in conjunction with the company’s living room push to bring more music and video content to the Xbox 360 console. Read more »
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Managing infinite choice: the new era of TV user interfaces
In today’s new universe of video content, consumers need more than a five-button remote to effectively navigate the thousands of choices available. Fortunately, the same technology that has made it possible to create so many offerings can also provide the intelligence to help us find what we want to watch. Though it’s not clear which of the new approaches will win, services from Microsoft, Google, Apple, Roku and others are leading the way towards enormous rewards when it comes to the new era of TV interfaces. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Rovi, Technicolor and Hulu. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Microsoft readies Silverlight for Xbox Live update
Microsoft is targeting a Black Friday release of its Xbox Live update, which will add apps from the likes of Comcast, Verizon and HBO. But the code that those apps will run on, which is a modified version of Silverlight, is still being finalized. Read more »
Microsoft’s cable play: Verizon, Comcast, HBO and more
Microsoft unveiled partners that will be part of a major expansion of content available through the next update of its Xbox Live service, and it’s a pretty impressive list. In addition to Comcast and Verizon, Xbox will also add content from networks like HBO and Epix. Read more »
HBO wants to know: How much do you hate Netflix?
A recent survey by HBO seeks to find out how likely Netflix users are to cancel after its recent price hike. HBO also wants to know if cable subscribers will stick around thanks to HBO Go, and which devices they want to access the service on. Read more »
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Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
The second quarter of 2011 was a fast-paced one for the connected consumer segment, with every sector of the digital media landscape — music, e-books, online video and gaming — experiencing significant events and changes. Media consumption, purchase and management continued its shift towards the cloud, ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Should Microsoft introduce a disc-less 360?
Microsoft just released its Q2 results, and it’s clear the 360 has gone from being a drag on financials to contributing in a positive way. But one surefire way to expand the market further is by making the 360 available at the $99 price point. Read more »
Microsoft’s big gaming gamble is finally paying off
Despite its commercial appeal, the Xbox gaming console has historically been notoriously unprofitable for Microsoft. But according to the company’s latest earnings report, Microsoft’s gaming division has finally started to earn its keep. Has the tide finally turned for the gaming console market? Read more »
Hulu Plus hands-on: now playing on six Android phones
Hulu Plus subscribers with Google Android phones can now watch their favorite movies and television shows on the go. The bad news: Only six handsets support the software for now. The good news: If your phone is supported, the Hulu Plus app offers a great experience. Read more »
Microsoft Kinect SDK set to advance user interfaces
Microsoft’s Kinect is clearly a top seller for games, but early hacks show it to be a device capable of far more beyond interactive gaming. Microsoft agrees, today releasing an official software development kit that could be used to further bridge the physical and computing worlds. Read more »
In hunt for content, Xbox could open up its walled garden
The Xbox team is expanding the amount of content available on its the Xbox Live service and is especially working on bringing live TV to the console. To do so, Microsoft has released an SDK for partners to build applications for the service. Read more »
The Wii U will help make video chat mainstream
Video chatting from the couch might no longer be some Jetsons-esque fantasy: New technologies are beginning to appear in game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect and Nintendo’s new Wii U that could make video chat services available to the wider mass market. Read more »
Microsoft brings Bing, YouTube and live TV to Xbox
Microsoft is boosting the number of content choices available to Xbox Live users, starting with millions of video assets available from YouTube. It will also be partnering to add more live TV streams. And to navigate all of those choices, it’s adding Bing unified search. Read more »
Xbox 360: The Living Room’s 800-Pound Gorilla?
Microsoft is trying to position its six-year-old Xbox 360 less as a video game console and more as an “all-in-one entertainment device.” But it might have difficult getting content providers on board, unless it makes its platform easier to develop for. Read more »
TiVo Finally Adding Hulu Plus, Giving Away 6 Months Free
It looks like TiVo is finally adding Hulu Plus to the list of online video services available through its DVRs. And based on promotional materials spotted in some Best Buy stores, TiVo is offering up six free months of the Hulu Plus service to new customers. Read more »
Your Next Cable Box Might Not Be a Box At All
Pay TV subscribers have been frustrated for years by set-top boxes that are difficult to navigate and discover new content on. But that could soon change, with set-top boxes disappearing altogether and being replaced by connected TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and other CE devices. Read more »
Netflix Adds Subtitles to iPad, iPhone App
Netflix has expanded the availability of closed captioning on its streaming service with the latest update of its iOS application. With the update, the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch join a growing list of consumer electronics devices that support streaming subtitles through the service. Read more »
Holiday Tips for Your New Boxee Box, Roku, Xbox & PS3
Got an Xbox for Xmas? Or maybe a Boxee Box – and now you’re dying to know all the cool stuff you can do with it? Then check out or ultimate video gadget resource post, also featuring tips for new PS3, Roku, SLR and iPhone owners. Read more »
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Connected Consumer 2011: Rise of the Virtual Video Operator
Blame cord cutting, at least in part, for the drop in cable subscriber numbers in 2010. Looking towards 2011, we expect this trend could gather further steam thanks to bundled subscription offerings from players like Microsoft and Apple. We also expect a new iteration of the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Will Microsoft’s Living-Room Quest Finally Pay Off?
Most of the digerati remain skeptical about Microsoft’s long journey to becoming a key player in the digital home will ever pay off. But recently the company has been swinging a hot bat, with its Xbox 360 and a legitimate holiday hit in the Kinect. Read more »
3 Reasons Microsoft’s Kinect Is Hot, Hot, Hot!
Microsoft is selling an average of 100,000 Kinect accessories per day, making it the hottest holiday seller this year. So why is Kinect capturing our imagination, and money, when Sony and Nintendo both have competing motion controls for their own systems? Let me show you! Read more »
Is the Xbox 360 a Good Cord-Cutting Device?
This week on NewTeeVee’s first original web series, Janko tests the Xbox 360′s cable-replacing abilities, Ryan talks to a San Francisco cord-cutter who doesn’t miss Comcast, and Liz gets into the Halloween spirit with the Dailymotion-exclusive horror web series Camera Obscura. Read more »
Xbox (Finally) Ready to Control AT&T’s U-Verse
After three years of waiting, AT&T U-verse subscribers with an Xbox 360 may finally be able to use the game console to navigate their TV programming. According to Engadget, U-verse subscribers could begin using the Xbox 360 as their default electronic programming guide beginning November 7. Read more »
Microsoft, Apple Execs Agree: “Who Needs Blu-ray?”
Microsoft UK head of gaming and entertainment Stephen McGill isn’t a fan of the Blu-ray format. The exec believes that “Blu-ray is going to be passed by,” meaning he agrees with both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates on physical media potentially becoming obsolete. Read more »
Microsoft Switched to HTML5 for ESPN3′s Xbox Live App
Microsoft has backed off demands for content owners to use its proprietary streaming format for live video, enabling publishers like ESPN to stream video in HTML5 instead. That could lower the cost of video delivery and open the door for more content on the game console. Read more »
Pogoplug Streams Media to Video Games, Adds Data Redundancy
With a Pogoplug, getting files on the web for remote use couldn’t be easier. New features make the device more fun and useful: you can stream your media to an Xbox 360 or Playstation3 and data can be backed up automatically to a second Pogoplug. Read more »
Could the Xbox Replace Your Cable Box?
Microsoft‘s Xbox 360 game console already has a huge install base, a wide variety of content and engaged users. And now, according to an article in the New York Times, Microsoft is in talks with Disney to bring some live video content from ESPN to the […] Read more »
Vid-Biz: 3DTVs, DirecTV, Fox-Time Warner Cable
Sony, Samsung Show Off 3-D Products; Sony Electronics unveiled its first 3D-enabled Blu-ray disc players and TV sets during a press conference at CES. (Video Business) Samsung trotted out a wide array of 3-D products, including a 3-D Blu-ray player and several 3-D TVs at CES. […] Read more »
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Xbox 360 Games on Demand Hobbled by Greed
While the big buzz about the recent Xbox software update centered around social TV, avatar marketplaces and Netflix, it was another feature that was perhaps the biggest news of all: Games on Demand. With the recent update, Xbox Live customers can now purchase and download the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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As Millions of Videos Come to TV, How Will We Choose?
Freedom of choice is great… until there are too many choices. And the Internet-connected televisions headed to market will soon open up millions of TV-watching options. Right now, most folks use the standard TV grid to scroll through channels and programming. But the move from linear ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
