The last time we checked in on Sky+’s UI, the UK TV broadcaster was updating its set-top boxes around the time of the ’08 Olympics and now it’s starting to roll out a new look just in time for the 2012 Games. The new guide brings HD graphics with new colors and fonts, improved navigation by displaying listings for eight channels at once (up from six), the ability to sort DVR recordings by genre, and a new landing page that sorts content from various sources — live, DVR or video on-demand — by genre. More subtle changes include a now-translucent “search and scan” banner and retooled accessibility menu that puts audio options first. According to Sky the initial rollout will hit tens of thousands of Sky+HD boxes today and slowly grow to millions more by year-end. Check out a few screenshots in the gallery below or a video demo of the new features after the break for a first hand look, then let us know if they suit your viewing style.

Continue reading Sky+ rolls out a new HD guide starting today, keeps live, DVR and VOD TV level (video)

Sky+ rolls out a new HD guide starting today, keeps live, DVR and VOD TV level (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There must be something in the water in in hardware-designer land. Small is en vogue, it seems, and to say we’ve been intrigued about this latest twist on diminutive form factors would be an understatement. So far, Android has largely (though not exclusively) kept itself firmly in the palms of our hands. But, increasingly it is popping up in places we never even thought about. For the uninitiated, that thing above — the Chinese-made MK802 — is a complete “mini PC” that’s about the size of a USB flash drive or card reader. It has a 1.5GHz Allwinner processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of onboard flash storage. You can get at these internals via two USB ports (which can also power the device,) and pump the result out to a display via HDMI. If that 4GB of memory isn’t enough, you can expand it via a microSD slot. All good and well, but what would you do with such a thing? Plenty is the answer. This not only makes any HDMI display a PC, it also ushers in a new type of portability. Bring your Netflix over to a friend’s house without needing your phone, or never worry about using public PCs again. All of these niche uses give the MK802, and its kind, lots of potential. But what is it like in real life? Shimmy past the break to find out.

Continue reading MK802 Android 4.0 Mini PC hands-on impressions

MK802 Android 4.0 Mini PC hands-on impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The makers of rapper Tupac Shukar’s hologram announced a deal Wednesday to co-create several virtual Elvis Presley likenesses for use on film, television and other projects.

Digital production company Digital Domain Media Group — which brought the life-sized digital Tupac to life for a performance with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at Coachella in April — has partnered with Core Media Group to resurrect the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” as a computer-generated human.

The companies have yet to say when and where people will see CG Elvis perform.

“This is a new and exciting way to bring the magic and music of Elvis Presley to life,” says Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, which is on… Continue reading…

More About: celebrities, Elvis Presley, Entertainment, Film, Music, trending, TV

Pepsi’s celebrity-infused “Live for Now” global ad campaign, which launched April 30, will get digital boost this summer from media conglomerate Viacom.

Viacom’s Twitter accounts for MTV, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central will aid in the campaign’s mission of “inviting and inspiring” people to live in the moment — and sharing those moments on social networks with relevant hashtags.

The summer partnership runs until September and builds on Pepsi’s existing Live for Now hub, Pepsi Pulse, a social media-driven interactive dashboard that curates trending pop culture and entertainment news.

Pepsi Pulse, which lives at Pepsi.com, also offers original content, such as deals and challenges… Continue reading…

More About: Business, Entertainment, Marketing, Music, Pepsi, Social Media, TV, Twitter, viacom

Men’s retailer MrPorter.com and USA Network are hosting what they promise will be a “dynamic, technologically sophisticated” live fashion show at New York City’s High Line park on Tuesday, June 12.

The show, set against a 60-foot LED backdrop and a view of the Hudson River, will feature around 35 looks inspired by USA’s TV drama series Suits and chosen by the fashion team at Mr Porter, says Alexandra Shapiro, EVP of marketing and digital at USA. Instaprint stations will be set up around the event, which will automatically print Instagram photos taken on site with the hashtag #SuitsStyle.

A pop-up shop will be in operation nearby at 72 Ganesvoort Street from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p… Continue reading…

More About: fashion, mr porter, net a porter, TV, usa network

Would you rather own a mid-range car, or a 31.5-inch 4K monitor? That might not seem like a terribly difficult call, but after seeing ViewSonic’s 150 ppi prototype at Computex, we’re not so sure we’d go with the car. Hidden beneath a nondescript engineering case a few feet away from the company’s 22-inch ICS “tablet” was one of the most impressive 4K displays we’ve seen. The ViewSonic VP3280-LED features a 31.5-inch LCD panel, packing 8.8 million pixels for a total density of 150 pixels-per-inch. That means incredibly sharp images and vibrant frames — the display is capable of 10-bit 1.07 billion-color presentation. A relatively small footprint means you could realistically pack 3840 x 2160 pixels on your desk, with a bit of room to spare.

The display we saw was hooked up to an Intel Core i5-powered PC, which ViewSonic reps say is only capable of pumping out still photos (you’ll need a Core i7 for video or regular computer use), but we very much liked what we saw. The current iteration requires 2x dual-link DVI, but would be compatible with 2x DisplayPort in the future. ViewSonic reps say the VP3280, which will be marketed towards film studios, broadcasters, photographers and any other professionals in need of a compact 4K display, could ship by the end of the year, costing “about the price of a car.” There’s sadly no way to do this thing justice in still photos or video, but you can get a vague idea of how it performs in our walkthrough after the break.

Continue reading ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video)

ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would you rather own a mid-range car, or a 31.5-inch 4K monitor? That might not seem like a terribly difficult call, but after seeing ViewSonic’s 150 ppi prototype at Computex, we’re not so sure we’d go with the car. Hidden beneath a nondescript engineering case a few feet away from the company’s 22-inch ICS “tablet” was one of the most impressive 4K displays we’ve seen. The ViewSonic VP3280-LED features a 31.5-inch LCD panel, packing 8.8 million pixels for a total density of 150 pixels-per-inch. That means incredibly sharp images and vibrant frames — the display is capable of 10-bit 1.07 billion-color presentation. A relatively small footprint means you could realistically pack 3840 x 2160 pixels on your desk, with a bit of room to spare.

The display we saw was hooked up to an Intel Core i5-powered PC, which ViewSonic reps say is only capable of pumping out still photos (you’ll need a Core i7 for video or regular computer use), but we very much liked what we saw. The current iteration requires 2x dual-link DVI, but would be compatible with 2x DisplayPort in the future. ViewSonic reps say the VP3280, which will be marketed towards film studios, broadcasters, photographers and any other professionals in need of a compact 4K display, could ship by the end of the year, costing “about the price of a car.” There’s sadly no way to do this thing justice in still photos or video, but you can get a vague idea of how it performs in our walkthrough after the break.

Continue reading ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video)

ViewSonic VP3280-LED 31.5-inch 4K monitor prototype hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The future of Google as a hardware manufacturer (beyond its purchase of Motorola) continues to be shrouded in rumor and mystery, but the GFHD100 box that just popped up in the FCC’s database is very much a fact. As seen in the pictures, it’s sporting a Google Fiber label which suggests it’s a part of rolling out video services to the Kansas Cities, and also reveals it’s being built for Google by Humax. The MAC address shown in the picture is registered to Google directly, while the test report calls it an IP-set top box, equipped with WiFi, IR, USB, Ethernet, HDMI input and output and an Ethernet / coax (we assume MoCA?) bridge, which sounds similar to the boxes favored by Verizon’s FiOS. Unfortunately our only view of the device itself is from underneath so there’s not much else to glean about its abilities or possible relation to the hardware Google has reportedly been testing around the country, but you can hit the source link below to dig through the documents yourself or check a close up of the label (we tried the QR code, it appears to be for registration but it didn’t work) after the break.

Continue reading Google Fiber GFHD100 ‘IP set-top box’ breezes through the FCC, doesn’t say where it’s headed

Google Fiber GFHD100 ‘IP set-top box’ breezes through the FCC, doesn’t say where it’s headed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Basketball, and soccer, and hockey — oh my! The social TV waves dribbled, dropkicked and fouled along with a handful of sports programming this past week. The NBA conference finals are in a dead-heat; each of the four remaining teams has won two games out of five, so we’ve entered a sudden death situation (Thunder vs. Spurs, Celtics vs. Heat). The former game airs Monday night at 9 p.m. ET.
In entertainment news, the MTV Movie Awards aired Sunday night. Host Russell Brand welcomed viewers, proclaiming the two major film franchies of the night: Hunger Games and Twilight, the latter of which won Best Movie of the Year for Breaking Dawn. In particular, Twitter lit up when Johnny Dep… Continue reading…

Perhaps you’ve heard of Sex and the City walking tours of New York, during which a guide wheels you between Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment and Samantha Jones’ favorite sushi restaurant. But why spend upwards of $35 for a Hollywood tour when you can help create one yourself?

That’s precisely what WNYC did. Culture editor and interactive content producer Abbie Fentress Swanson created a Google map stocked full of New York City hot spots frequented by your favorite Mad Men characters.

“After the April 15 show, when Don told a taxi cab to let him off at 72nd and Park*, that’s the fist inkling we have of where he might be living on the Upper East Side,” says Swanson. “We thought, wouldn’t it be cool to do a crowdsourced map to provide an overview of where Mad Men takes place?”

Whether pinpointing the Francis mansion or plotting the Playboy Club, Swanson scoured every episode synopsis of every season since the series launched in 2007. But despite her research and genuine Mad Men fandom, she knew she wouldn’t be able to secure every single deli, bar and apartment by herself. So, she asked her readers to help out, and she’s hoping you’ll do the same.

Check out the map below and send an email to madmenmap@wnyc.org to add any Mad Men locations that might be missing. Be specific: Include the season, episode title and context for verification. For example, “In season one, episode three, Pete Campbell returns a duplicate wedding gift (the chip ‘n dip) to Bloomingdale’s on Third Ave.”

Swanson says she’s logged 58 entries total at the time of publication, and has even more emails coming in.

She hopes that the crowdsourced map can help people interact with New York City in a new way, while reliving their Mad Men memories, of course. “When I started going back to the pilot, I started thinking about where I was in 2007,” she says. “I think it’s really going to resonate with people.”

*In Sunday’s episode, we discovered Don and Megan’s actual address: 783 Park Ave.

Image courtesy of AMC, Frank Ockenfels, Google Map created by Abbie Fentress Swanson for WNYC.org

More About: Entertainment, Google, Google Maps, mad men, TV, viral

Looks like Nintendo didn’t want to wait for its proper E3 press conference to spill some Wii U details early — it just used its preview event to show the finished version of the Wii U controller, called the Gamepad, as well as a TV remote app. The Gamepad is decidedly wider than what we saw a year ago, with comfort clearly the top priority in other areas: the analog sticks have been moved further outwards and made clickable, while the back grip has been tweaked in the process. There’s also no doubt as to where to interact with NFC gadgets, either, as a dedicated spot below the directional pad will take all your device-to-device taps. As for the remote, it looks to be a straightforward number pad navigator with a programming guide, all steering your TV through infrared. Between this and the Wii U Pro Controller, though, it’s clear Nintendo hasn’t been sitting still in the past year, and has some home theater ambitions in the process. We’re curious as to what Nintendo is saving up for its bigger gala on Tuesday.

Update: Join us past the break to view the webstream for yourself!

Continue reading Nintendo shows final Wii U Gamepad, TV remote app (update: video)

Nintendo shows final Wii U Gamepad, TV remote app (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the interest of keeping cool this summer, we’ve put together a list of the hottest products out right now. From smartphones to e-readers and everything in between, there’s no time like the present to re-up that post-spring-cleaning stash. So grab a popsicle or a cold one and dive in — the water’s just right.

Forget heading outside to battle the sun, bugs and whatever other dangers may lurk in the wild — we’ll be inside near the TV. Of course, the summer programming schedule can often leave something to be desired, so we’ll have to take that into account in our hardware suggestions going into the break. Also key is access to our preferred programming wherever it might be, broadcast or online. So, which devices are absolute must-have’s to keep you chilling where the AC blows through October and beyond? Check past the break to find out.

Continue reading Engadget’s summer gear guide 2012: home entertainment

Engadget’s summer gear guide 2012: home entertainment originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Winning a Best of CES award is all well and good, sure, but it’s not enough to bring your device to market. That, friends, is what Kickstarter is for. Simple.TV is ready to bring its mobile TV / DVR device to market, but it needs the help of some enthusiastic supporters with a little pocket money to spare. The company’s been working to make the device a reality and is “close enough that we need to start ordering parts and getting the production pipeline turned on,” which, naturally, in where people like you come in. To help achieve its $125k goal, Simple.TV is offering up a unit for a $125 pledge (down from its “already super low price of $149″). Higher pledges will get you fun things like a Roku XD. More info can be had in the video after the break.

Continue reading Simple.TV launches Kickstarter campaign for support from viewers like you

Simple.TV launches Kickstarter campaign for support from viewers like you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MTV’s extensive social and digital tactics for the MTV Movie Awards offer viewers new ways to engage before, during and after the June 3 live broadcast.

Building off its social success with the VMAs, MTV is looking to deeply integrate social elements into its other major awards show, the MTV Movie Awards.

For the first time, movie fans can vote using Twitter hashtags. The live social voting works only for the new “Best Hero” category, which already has attracted more than 60,000 votes since Tuesday. Registered MTV.com users, however, can still vote in other categories on the show’s website.

Vying for the “Best Hero” title are Harry Potter (#votepotter), Katniss Everdeen (from Hunger Games, #votekatniss), Thor (#votethor), Captain America (#votecaptain) and Jenko (from 21 Jump Street, #votejenko).

MTV told us that it knows from past live-voting initiatives that fans love to get the word out to promote their favorite stars and franchises. “They love to game the system and we look forward to helping them do just that,” MTV told us. As a result, expect a showdown for “Best Hero” between fans of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter to continue until Sunday night.

MTV also has these digital elements on tap for the awards show hosted by comedian Russell Brand:

• Twitter Tracker: Like MTV did during the Video Music Awards in August, it will dissect Twitter conversations in a visualization that displays popular moments and celebrities. The feature will allow users to view how many tweets per minute any moment is garnering and share photos of certain moments across social networks.

  What’s different about this year’s implementation is that MTV will be providing context around what happens at the moment of a tweet. So instead of just seeing “Beyonce” as a trending topic, fans can see a clip or image from the show that correlates with the social activity taking place online.



• Facebook Tracker: MTV will introduce a Facebook Tracker to keep tabs on the level of Likes and shares of Movie Awards moments shared on its Facebook page.
• All Access Live: The show’s second-screen experience for desktops and mobile devices will give viewers six camera angles (red carpet, dressing room, paparazzi, audience, balcony and MTV cut), sharing capabilities, a place to chat with fellow viewers and animated GIFs from celebrities on the red carpet. The GIFs will be posted on MTV’s Tumblr blog.
• Shazam: The ceremony will be Shazam-enabled, meaning viewers can use the app during the broadcast to buy performers’ music and watch social media interactions.
• Post-Show Features: MTV will have a red carpet galleries and interviews, backstage video highlights and editorial coverage of the show and winners.

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A Launchpad for the Future

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Some of the features that MTV is launching for the MTV Movie Awards might just find their way into the big show — the VMAs — later this summer.

In this way, the Movie Awards are a testbed of sorts for the future initiatives for the VMAs. “It just so happened that the Movie Awards are first,” MTV told us, noting that it plans to refine the most successful initiatives into its flagship awards show.

Understanding that virility is a major component to award shows, MTV wants to make it as easy as possible for fans to tag and share the best moments of the show across mobile and the desktop in as close to real-time as possible. The net result — as last year’s VMA ratings proved — is that socially engaged audiences tend to watch more.

To pump up the shareability factor even more, MTV will air exclusive footage of The Dark Knight Rises with director Christopher Nolan and actors Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman on hand for the occasion at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.

Christina Warren contributed to the reporting in this article.

More About: celebrities, Entertainment, Facebook, Film, GIFs, Movies, mtv, mtv movie awards, shazam, social tv, tumblr, TV, Twitter

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A snapshot of the last several years in Motorola’s history shows a company in flux, culminating last week, when the smartphone manufacturer’s sale to Google was finally given the green light. After undergoing governmental scrutiny from the US, China and the EU, the move, priced at around $12.5 billion, seems a logical fit, given the phone maker’s push toward a portfolio built nearly exclusively around the search giant’s mobile operating system. Of course, it’s hard to imagine such a transaction taking place, had the Mobility wing not been spun off from Motorola a year and a half prior.

These are the latest events for a company that has undergone a fair amount of change in its 80-plus-year existence. It’s a long and fascinating story — one likely hazy at best for those who can only remember as far back as the original RAZR or StarTAC. So, before the company embarks on the next chapter of its history, let’s take a quick look back, after the break.

Continue reading Motorola: a brief history

Motorola: a brief history originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still pontificating onstage at D10, Apple CEO Tim Cook was inevitably queried by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg about the ongoing Apple TV rumors, though for now he only referred to the company’s existing set-top box. He revealed that Apple sold 2.8 million of the hockey pucks last year and has already moved 2.7 million in 2012. As Steve Jobs did repeatedly before him, he mentioned that TV is something “many people would say that this is an area of their life that they aren’t pleased with” and explained Apple’s key questions: Can we control the key technology? Can we make a significant contribution beyond what others have done in this area? Will this product be one that we want?

Walt pressed for more info and even dug into the Apple TV’s limited content offerings, but Cook quickly shut things down (to knowing laughs from the audience) without revealing any plans for a TV set, IPTV service or anything else. He did however say that he doesn’t think Apple “has to own a content business”, as Netflix, Amazon and Google are developing, indicating that it hasn’t had an issue (for the most part) getting content. Check out our liveblog for the minute by minute quotes here.

Tim Cook: 2.7 million Apple TVs sold already this year, TV is ‘area of intense interest’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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4K in the UK? It could happen sooner rather than later, if viewers give a thumbs up to feedback tests currently being conducted by a British broadcaster. According to a senior figure at a company that is directly involved in the experiments, people are being asked if they can spot the difference between 4K and regular 1920 x 1080, which will help to decide whether the format is worthy of immediate investment. Our source refused to reveal which broadcaster is running the show, beyond saying that it has complete control over its pipeline right down to the set-top box, which hints at Sky or perhaps Virgin being likely candidates. When asked how 4K TV might be transmitted as a mainstream service, given that it contains four times the resolution of Full HD, he simply replied that the broadcaster would “compress the hell out of it,” which surely only cements his credibility. Next stop, 8K.

4K TV already being trialed by one UK broadcaster originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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France typically hasn’t been kind to Google. Today, though, it’s cutting some important slack. A court has ruled that the search firm can’t be held liable when YouTube members upload clips of their favorite football matches or movies from local network TF1. As in a case involving Dailymotion last year, the judge saw YouTube as just the host for others’ videos rather than having any hand in producing the content itself. Not only does the decision let Google off the hook for a possible €141 million ($177 million) fine, it prevents the company from having to pre-screen every video that might be visible in France — a difficult challenge for a company that takes 72 hours of new video every minute. Google is still facing less-than-cordial attitudes towards its copyright enforcement in other countries, including a zombie Viacom lawsuit in the US, but it now has some extra ammunition if it wants to cite a precedent.

[Image credit: Premiere]

French court rules Google isn’t liable for YouTube bootlegs of TF1 TV shows originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If your PC / media-hub combination is starting to strain the structural integrity of your desk, you might be interested in the latest TV sets from LG. Offering picture-in-picture functionality, both the 24-inch DM2752 and M2752 can embed one visual input from the HDMI ports on top of another, like your favorite episodes of your TV show of choice windowed as you gun your way through Max Payne 3. The IPS-screened DM model throws in some 3D capability (with glasses) and will arrive in July, while its dimensionally-challenged brother is already available now in several countries in Europe. The press release for the pair is right after the break.

Continue reading LG launches new pair of TVs: DM2752 and M2752 can both double-up as your PC monitor

LG launches new pair of TVs: DM2752 and M2752 can both double-up as your PC monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes you just don’t feel like getting up to flip through that Yacht Rock playlist on Spotify while your Apple slate rests comfortably in its dock. Satechi is looking to prolong your relaxation with its BT Media Remote for your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The accessory does exactly what you’d expect — it allows you to peruse your audio and video libraries on a Bluetooth-enabled iOS device while connected to a TV, docking station or your car’s stereo. On top of the usual remote functions, the accessory can be used as a remote camera shutter control for those all-important group shots and the home button can summon your smartphone’s personal assistant. Interested? You can snag yours now for a mere $40 via the source link below.

Continue reading Satechi BT Media Remote steers your iOS media habits, summons Siri via Bluetooth

Satechi BT Media Remote steers your iOS media habits, summons Siri via Bluetooth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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