There’s Netflix. There’s Amazon Prime. There’s Hulu. These video streaming networks are getting more and more popular. As video streaming takes over, could it take over TV’s 65 year luster?
In the second half of 2014 alone, traditional TV decreased 10 percent. In that same time, Netflix alone has grown to 40 million paid subscribers, and this streaming service is in over a third of all households nationwide. Thirteen percent of households have Amazon Prime. Hulu Plus comes in third with around 7 percent. Television producers and executives are concerned traditional TV will take a huge loss because of streaming. But should they be concerned? Reports say households with streaming services spend way more time in front of a screen then those who don’t. Streaming households spend 48 more minutes a day on TV, but that includes gaming, multimedia and DVDs and Blu Rays. One analyst says people are still watching TV. Just because someone has Hulu or Netflix doesn’t mean it’s time to throw the TV out the window.
I agree with that analyst’s assessment. I don’t think TV producers, executives, TV stars, or anybody else have anything to worry about…that is…those who can adapt to change. Video streaming can be a huge ally of TV. Say you miss your favorite show. You can watch it through streaming. Or say you just jumped on the bandwagon of a certain show, but it’s already five years old. Thanks to video streaming, you can watch older seasons to catch up on what you’ve been missing. Some like to call it binge watching. You couldn’t do that 10 years ago, unless you were fortunate enough to get every season on a DVD or VHS. And don’t worry about sponsorship. If consumers will buy from TV commercials, consumers will buy from streaming ads. Some TV leaders worry about the success of exclusive Netflix shows like Orange is the New Black, and that success will cause other pilots to skip TV altogether and go to video streaming. In that case, do they have reason to worry?
Windows 10 is coming very soon and it could be the big computer revolution we have all been waiting for or it could be a dud? The new stylish Windows 10 could break the mold and remove the stains that Windows 8 brought with removing the true start menu and making a title start menu. Well they have heard the cries from Windows 8 users loud and clear! There will be an actual start menu in Windows 10. The compromise from Microsoft is there will still be a tile system but it will branch off the original start menu and you can remove the tiles if you don?t want them. This makes it easier for gamers to get their games.
The next great thing about Windows 10 isn?t actually about the OS but an item they you will be able to purchase hopefully in the not so distant future named the HoloLens. In the gaming world the idea of VR has been sought after for years. Now the HoloLens won?t be for every gamer but it looks like an amazing addition to anyone?s gaming gear.
The next thing on why Windows 10 could be the best operating system for video games is the streaming capabilities. Windows 10 will be giving you the ability to stream games from your Xbox One to your PC or tablet so you could play your game from another room in your home.
So here is a scenario, you want to play a game with your friend but you also want to watch a movie or tv show with your wife or significant other. What do you do? Easy with Windows 10, both! Sit down on the couch with your tablet and stream the Xbox one to that and watch the tv with your partner.
Microsoft is starting to get into the apps game, no not mozzarella sticks, but fully functional apps for your phone and pc. One big app on Windows 10 that gamers will not want to ignore is going to be the Xbox app. This app looks very close to steam which is an app from a company called Valve for all of your PC gaming needs. However the Xbox app will have text and voice chat for people who own Xbox Live. Also by pressing the Windows+G you can bring up a game play saving function which will allow you to record the last 30 seconds of game play. Which then you can share with other platforms making it one stop sharing shop!
Finally there is DirectX12. This is supposed to be a monumental upgrade from DirectX 11. The performance is rumored to be 50% better than DirectX 11 and cutting power consumption down half. With DirectX12 we will also see the first cross platform game in which people from PC and Xbox One can play together. An exciting prospect indeed.
Well if Microsoft can deliver on all of this stuff Windows 10 should be the best OS for Video Games. What do you think? Debate below!
With Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and more, it is becoming more and more likely that cable will soon be out the window and devices that can stream this type of media will become more of the norm. Well with that being said, Nvidia, a company best known for their video cards are now getting into the set top box game.
The co-founder and CEO of Nvidia Jen-Hsun Huang made some serious announcements. One of the biggest announcements is the plan to go into the user hardware game by selling a $199 Shield, which is a set-top box that will be running Android TV which is going to be launching around May of this year.
This will also be a gaming console which Nvidia has been known for, as it already has made Android gaming handhelds and high end tablets.
With this announcement the company actually put a strong focus on the non-gaming aspect of the shield. From the demo they showed at a post GDC keynote they saw how fluid it was to navigate the interface just like with an Amazon Fire TV or even a Roku box. The shield will also be capable of putting out 4k images, which is making it future proof.
Moving from the media aspect to the gaming aspect we are looking at some decent specs for the price. The Shield will come with a Tegra X1 chip was just unveiled at CES in January. To give a comparison for all you gamers the X1?s GPU has more than twice the power of an Xbox 360 and consumes between 1/20th and 1/5th as much electricity as the 360.
However many of the Android games will not be pushing that chip very hard but another item they showed off with the shield is the Nvidia Shield Store which is a collection of high end games that has been specially brought over to that platform. This is includes some previous Shield games such as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Metal Gear Rising: ReVengeance, and Half-Life 2 just to name a few.
So what do you think about this upcoming set top box? Part gaming console part media stream and at just $199 could it be the next big thing??Comment below and join the debate!
Have you ever been browsing a museum or art gallery, when all of a sudden the painting seems to be alive ? looking back at you? You may think that this was brought on only by a passionate connection to art, or to the particular piece you were looking at, but now one can say that technology brings art to life. How? you may ask. Well, now that life-like art can be what NTT Communication Science Laboratories calls, Projection Mapping ? or HenGenTou, which translates to ?Deformation Lamps” in Japanese.
So, how does this technology work, in order to allow a particular piece of art to ?Come alive?? Projection mapping works by projecting a grey-scale onto a static image in the shape of specific parts of the image that are required to be seen to move or change. Movement is then added to the light projected, which the brain perceives as real movement. HenGenTou can be used in ambient lighting conditions, as well as be applied to 3D objects. Some practical applications for this technology can be applied in areas such as advertising, where a smiling face or fluttering text on a sign would be an eye-catching marketing ploy, and also in interior design, where illusions of an undulating could be created on floors and walls to capture a desired effect.
NTT promises of a public demonstration of HenGenTou later this year. Their aim is to have this technology fully developed for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and widely available after that. What better way to show how technology brings art to life than at the Olympics, where a huge show and spectacle are expected? The spectator of the upcoming games can certainly be expected to enjoy an experience of art and life colliding, thanks to the ever changing and growing world of technology.
Iconic actor Leonard Nimoy passed away earlier today at the age of 83, after a courageous battle with the lung disorder chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nimoy will forever be known for his role as Spock on the historic TV and movie franchise Star Trek. Spock was a half-man half-alien character with pointy ears, V finger salute, and a logical tone. Though the original TV show Star Trek only lasted three years (1966-69), Spock will go down as one of the most beloved TV characters of all time, thanks to cartoons, movies, spin-offs, and Star Trek festivals that go on to this day. But Nimoy was so much more multi-talented and versatile than Spock. Let’s honor Mr. Nimoy’s legacy by looking at five ways he blessed us through his talent.
1. He Appeared in Many Guest Roles: He was born in Boston and attended Boston College before moving to Hollywood in the early 1950s. In the years that followed, he won guest roles on Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Outer Limits, and The Twilight Zone.
2. He Was Proud To Be in a Groundbreaking Show: Nimoy took pride in the fact that Star Trek broke so much ground in the 1960s. It was one of the first shows to regularly feature African-Americans as equals. Star Trek gave us the first interracial kiss in TV history.
3. He Narrated TV Documentaries: He narrated In Search Of (1976-82), a weekly showcase of mysteries and history. He also narrated History Channel’s Ancient Mysteries (1995-2003).
4. He Was An Accomplished Director: Nimoy directed two of the six Star Trek movies. Those were Star Trek III: In Search of Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). He went on to direct Three Men And A Baby (1987), one of the highest grossing films of that year.
5. He Was A Best Selling Author: In the 1970s, he published an autobiography called I Am Not Spock. In the ’90s, he published a second one called I Am Spock.
Leonard Nimoy is survived by two children, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
In recent weeks, Samsung released the smart TV. I believe it’s the first of it’s kind. Off the bat, this smart TV is having not so smart problems.
It wasn’t long before it was discovered the Samsung Smart TV can spy on us. These TVs can pick up everything we say and everything we watch. They watch every move we make in our living room, or even scarier, our bedroom, if your smart TV is in the bedroom. Don’t take my word for it: Samsung even has the warning in small print! They’re even marketing this Smart TV to children, and yes, their voices and movements can be tracked as well. Even US federal agencies are concerned. Privacy groups are filing complaints to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), claiming this TV violates many privacy acts, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. A privacy advocacy group asked the FTC to investigate Samsung altogether, and stop them from collecting unapproved data for a third party. The South Korean technology conglomerate defends it’s TV. They claim the TV can collect voice data only when the user commands the TV, but not before clicking the activation button, then speak through the remote microphone.
Ever since the 1950s, American families, friends, and tavern partrons have gathered around to watch television. Never could I ever imagine a time when the TV would be watching me. When I was a kid, I thought this kind of technology would exist in a fictional sci-fi section, or in George Orwell’s 1984. But here we are. No TV should be watching and recording our every move. And they definitely have no right to record what our children are saying. Thank goodness privacy rights advocates are speaking out and getting the ear of our government and elected officials. But we have to keep the pressure up. We must tell them this kind of violation is uncalled for. And here’s what will get Samsung’s attention: When not a single American buys this monstrosity of a TV. Can you hear us now, Samsung?
