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Comcast has launched a new video on-demand service as part of its cable TV, phone and internet packages.

The newly-minted Xfinity Streampix service will be made available to new and existing Comcast customers for a $ 4.99 monthly premium.

However, it’ll be gratis if you sign up for a "Triple Play" package.

Huge arsenal

Streampix will focus on existing movies past series of TV shows from its vast arsenal of video content from the likes of NBCUniversal, Sony, Disney, Warner Brothers and Sony.

The offering, which will arrive on smartphones, tablets, connected TVs and web-browsers, puts Comcast in direct competition with Netflix, Amazon and the recently announced Verizon/Redbox tie-in.

No need for Netflix

The reason this could be more problematic for Netflix is because it seems Comcast wants to cut it out of the equation altogether, as far as its own customer base is concerned.

While its a win-win for Comcast on a couple of levels, if the streaming library becomes comparable there’ll be no need for its subscribers to bother with Netflix.

For Comcast, there’s opportunity to earn another $ 4.99 a month through content and customers it already owns.

Alternatively, offering the service for free, dangles the carrot as it attempts to snare new sign-ups to its expensive phone, internet and cable packages.

TechRadar: Television news

Panasonic is set to cement its relationship with LucasFilm and bring Star Wars 3D to Blu-ray in the spring.

Panasonic was the only AV manufacturer in 2011 to bundle the Star Wars Blu-ray with its Blu-ray players and home cinema setups and it seems it has kept this deal and will bring the 3D versions of the movies to homes in the coming months.

3D Blu-ray

Star Wars: Episode 1 – A Phantom Menace is currently in cinemas in its 3D state and a source has revealed to TechRadar that the 3D Blu-ray will be launched as soon as the spring and Panasonic will bundle the Blu-ray with its home cinema setups – much like what it did with the recent Blu-ray releases.

Lucasfilm has decided to release the Star Wars movies once a year from 2012 in 3D, so it is thought that it will be only the first – well not the first but the first within George Lucas’ expanded vision of the Star Wars universe – which will come bundled with Panasonic kit.

Panasonic has stayed true to active shutter 3D, so it is a massive movie for them to have Star Wars linked with the technology.

TechRadar: Television news

A new web start-up is offering Netflix and Hulu members the chance to join forces and share their passwords, while each contributing to the monthly subscription fees.

The neatly-named Splitflix P2P service will match you up with a random partner who’s also looking to split the costs of a Netflix and/or Hulu streaming membership.

Once the two thrifty users have agreed terms, they’ll exchange account details and share access to the services.

Apparently, the idea doesn’t break any existing rules as neither service explicitly prohibits password sharing. However we can’t imagine that Splitlix will exist for very long without a legal challenge.

Retaliation

The developers say they decided to set-up the service as a retaliation against Netflix’ controversial 60 per cent price hike in 2011, which saw the company endure a massive fall from grace.

"Are you upset with the 60% increase to your Netflix account?" said the company, who is appealing for sign-ups for its first beta version.

"Do you find there is not enough content available via streaming through one website? Want to increase the amount of Internet video streaming accounts you have access to without the additional cost?

"If you answered yes to any of the above, it’s time for you to join Splitflix and save 50% on one video streaming service or double up with two services for the same price."

No Glee-obsessives please

While this sounds like an efficient means of saving up to around $ 8 a month, we can’t say that sharing the service with a stranger is all that appealing.

First of all there’s the inherent worry that they’ll renege on the agreement and all of the hassle associated with that. Secondly, it still kinda feels like stealing.

Thirdly? Well we’re not too keen on the idea of sharing our Hulu account with some Glee-obsessed compulsive Real Housewives of Orange County and Jersey Shore viewer who’s going to mess up our Instant Queue and recommendations with all that nonsense.

You can keep your four bucks a month, thank you very much.

Via: TechCrunch

TechRadar: Television news

A new patent filing suggests that Google is planning to integrate voice technology in order to control Google TV-enabled devices from inside and outside of the home.

The filing sees the viewer convey instructions or commands to the TV by speaking to a smartphone or tablet application somewhat similar to Apple’s Siri.

The viewer would be able to search for content on Google TV, change channels or ask questions about when certain TV shows are being aired.

The commands would be sent to Google’s cloud servers before filtering down to your TV set .

Full control from outside the house

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the patent, uncovered by Patently Apple, is the ability to control your Google TV set, set-top box or Blu-ray player from outside the home.

So, if you’re on your way home from work just as the game is going to start, you could conceivably get your telly warmed up and on the correct channel so it’s on when you walk through the door.

The filing states that "the provision of the query to the television may occur when the user is within a set distance of his home also (e.g., by determining with GPS functionality on the smartphone that he is within 1/4 mile of the home), and the television may be turned on automatically as he approaches the home, with the television tuned to a channel that is determined to be most relevant to the query."

The patent also mentions that the voice control functionality could be used to stream music to the TV or to set-up playlists.

This functionality could relate to the rumoured Google wireless home streaming device.

TechRadar: Television news

Samsung has been given the go-ahead to spin off its LCD television business as Samsung Display.

The company had mooted the plan earlier in the year and has now confirmed that it will launch Samsung Display on April 1 as a new entity, separate from Samsung’s core businesses.

"The spin-off will allow us to make quicker business decisions and respond to our clients’ needs more swiftly," said Samsung’s LCD business head Donggun Park.

"Through enhancements in business competitiveness, we will continue to provide superior products and services for the market."

Pixels stuck?

LCD is a huge part of Samsung’s massive television business, but it is increasingly clear that technology is moving on, and the Korean firm could stand to suffer.

It’s illustrative that Samsung Display will not be dealing with OLED panels, a technology which is most likely to be the next step in televisions.

Both Samsung and its rival LG showed off 55-inch OLED televisions at CES 2012, and, although pricey at the moment, it is likely that it won’t be long until we see cheaper mass-market versions.

In the meantime, Samsung Display will continue to compete in the still-huge LCD market, once removed from its parent company as it looks to future-proof itself.

TechRadar: Television news

Samsung has revealed to TechRadar that it has big plans for the OLED TV market and it will be releasing other, possible smaller versions of its 55-inch television in the future.

Speaking to TechRadar, Robert King, head of consumer electronics at Samsung, explained how important OLED was to the company and that it wanted to make a statement with its 55-inch television, which was announced at CES 2012.

"55-inches was the largest size we could get on to one sized sheet, so we decided to focus on this size – OLED has been around for a little while, but getting out a big-screen was key for us," said King.

brightcove : 1384289631001

Sound advice

When pressed on whether more OLED TVs coming, King commented that Samsung’s focus was on its present television but "the range will grow – there will be design developments going forward and OLED will build in the years to come".

This seems to confirm the news that Samsung is set to go on a massive OLED push, eventually superseding its LCD TV line-up with the technology.

One of the problems with OLED is that because the panel is so thin, the audio quality can be compromised but King isn’t too worried about sound problems.

"We always try and get the best sound out of a TV but the physics behind this means that an external surround sound kit can improve on this.

"We do strive to get the best sound we can in each category, however."

TechRadar: Television news

The newly launched Philips HMP2000 is a dinky media streamer that adds internet connectivity to any television.

You can kick back and stream YouTube, Netflix and catch up TV from the BBC and Channel 4 using the HMP2000, although no mention is made of Amazon’s LoveFilm streaming service. It’s possible that you could stream Lovefilm movies through the browser though.

Taking on the Roku, which launched in a similarly tiny fashion earlier this month, the HMP2000 has two features that set it apart: a dedicated Netflix button and a dedicated YouTube button on the remote.

Super stream

These insta-buttons are welcome additions. We’re often finding ourselves in urgent need of a Netflix fix: when lives are on the line there is just no time to be navigating through menus.

Random convenience aside, the HMP2000 offers 1080p HDMI output, built-in Wi-Fi and a tiny footprint.

Hitting the shops imminently, the Philips HMP2000 UK pricing is set at around £49.99.

TechRadar: Television news

Philips has just revealed its latest line-up of smart TVs, with the top of the crop being the Philips 7000 Series.

The company has decided to go a little smart TV crazy with its latest batch of televisions, with the technology embedded in televisions as small as 19 inches.

There’s just one part of the range which hasn’t been given internet connectivity and that is the budget-conscious Philips 3000 Series.

The Philips 7000 series boasts active shutter 3D, 20W speakers, the inclusion of five HDMI slots, three USB ports and both Wi-Fi and Ethernet. As with Philips televisions of yore, two-sided Ambilight is also included.

When it comes to sizes, the 7000 Series is available in 40, 46 and 55-inch sizes.

Smart TV line-up

Below this is the Philips 6000 series. This range begins at 32 inches (there’s also 37, 42, 47 and 55-inches available).

Although there is smart TV functionality on board, the speaker size has been reduced to 12W, you get four HDMI inputs instead of five, the standard three USBs, and there is 3D but this comes in a passive flavour.

The mid-range of smart TVs is the Philips 4000 range. There’s no 3D on board but you do get four HDMIs, three USBs and the obligatory Wi-Fi. Sizes range from: 32, 37, 42 and 47 inches.

The Philips 3500 range is the final series of smart TVs – including DLNA streaming and YouTube support.

Wi-Fi comes in the form of an optional USB Wi-Fi adaptor and depending on the size of television you want (sizes start and 19 inches and end at 42 inches) there’s both 720p and 1080p panels.

Not-so smart

For those who hate 3D and laugh at the thought of connecting your television up to the internet, the Philips 3000 Series is for you.

Sizes go from 19 to 42 inches and you get three HDMI ports and one USB slot, but there’s no smart TV functionality on board and not even a whiff of 3D.

The Philips 7000 Series UK release date – as with the rest of the range – is Q2. Pricing is to be announced.

TechRadar: Television news

10 things we wish Apple would reinvent

Apple’s genius isn’t in invention – it didn’t invent the smartphone, or the tablet PC, or the digital music player – but in reinvention: it saw what other firms were doing and found better ways to do the same thing.

That’s resulted in some truly terrific bits of kit, but what would happen if Apple’s talents got the chance to work on a bigger canvas?

Here are ten industries and items we’d love to let Apple loose on. Let us know your nominations in the comments.

1. Mobile phones, again

Of course Apple will make the iPhone 5 thinner, cleverer and more useful, but we’d much rather have better data plans than a slightly thinner iPhone. Apple clearly sees the networks as an irritation – it tried and failed to introduce a non-removable, flash-able SIM that would have effectively cut the operators out of iPhone retail – but while that climbdown shows that Apple can’t boss the networks around too much, it still has enough muscle to demand more customer-friendly options. Top of our list? Shared data plans that work across multiple bits of Apple kit without unnecessary extra fees, such as charging for tethering. That’s the equivalent of ISPs charging you to connect anything to your router.

2. Home automation

We’ve been promised home automation since the 1930s, and we’d love Apple to give it a go; however, we suspect that the future of home automation is third-party apps on Apple (and Android) devices rather than anything Apple-branded.

3. Photography

Meeting somebody doesn’t mean you’ll go into business with them, but Steve Jobs’ meeting with Lytro means that Apple has at least considered using the firm’s extraordinary shoot-first-focus-later technology in the iPhone.

4. Mobile payments

2011 wasn’t quite the year of mobile payments but momentum is building, and Apple’s only taken tentative steps into this fast-growing market. US shoppers have the EasyPay option in the Apple Store app for easy mobile purchasing of Apple kit; imagine if EasyPay added NFC technology and worked in other shops too.

5. Power

The weak point in mobile devices remains power: if you open up an iPad you’ll find that it’s largely made of battery. Future Apple kit may dispense with batteries in favour of long-lasting fuel cells – patents show that Apple’s certainly experimenting with the idea – but in the meantime the challenge is to make mobile devices slimmer, lighter and longer-lasting, and Apple’s working on that too.

Apple could also reinvent the humble charger: while wireless charging has been around for years, adoption by Apple could finally make it the default option for gadgets.

6. TV

We’d love a single TV to replace our various set-top boxes and media devices, and Apple is apparently working on it: The rumours are becoming more numerous and more frequent. Can Apple really deliver TV with what Steve Jobs called "the simplest user interface you could imagine"?

7. Business computing

Steve Jobs famously hated the enterprise market, but unhappy white-collar workers really want Apple kit in their offices. The hot trend in IT these days is "consumerisation", where tech-savvy employees bring their iPads and iPhones to work; a recent study of IT professionals found that 87% of employees were using personal devices for work purposes, with iPhones particularly popular.

8. In-car infotainment

It doesn’t matter whether you drive a Ford or a Ferrari: in-car infotainment systems are mostly rubbish and crying out for a bit of Apple attention (although BMW’s iDrive, Mini Connected and Ford Sync deserve a bit of praise). On Kickstarter the Devium Dash has the right idea: instead of a stereo and sat-nav, there’s a bit to stick your iPhone in and some car-friendly apps.

9. Public Transport

What’s public transport like in your area? If it’s anything like ours it’s grim, polluting, sits you next to madmen and smells faintly of kebabs and farts. Now imagine something like Heathrow Airport’s ULTra Personal Rapid Transit System with an added dose of Apple smarts: futuristic, elegant and hopefully both madman- and whiff-free.

[Image Credit: Ultra Global PRT]

10. Manufacturing

Is anyone else uncomfortable with Apple’s choice of suppliers? We know everybody’s outsourcing and Apple’s better than many, but Apple has the smarts – and the cash – to do something different. As Kevin Meyer, author of Evolving Excellence, puts it: "How about… sinking a billion or two into developing truly innovative manufacturing methods and systems. Imagine what could happen if the same level of design prowess that was applied to product design was applied to manufacturing design." He adds: "Apple has the unique opportunity to change a global dynamic."

TechRadar: Television news

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Nintendo Wii owners can now access the premium Hulu Plus app on their console.

The $ 7.99 a month application comes to the Wii at last following launches on the Xbox 360 last April and the Sony PlayStation 3 way back in November 2010.

The app promises unlimited streaming of a massive range of television shows including the likes of The Office, Modern Family, New Girl, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.

However, as the Wii doesn’t offer HD gaming or video playback, all of the programming will be in standard definition.

Hub of the living room

Seemingly unaware that most folks already have access to a Hulu Plus app through their television set in one way, shape or form, Nintendo was bullish about the launch.

"The Wii console is the hub of the living room, and with the addition of Hulu Plus, millions of households now have even more options for streaming premium TV shows and movies," said Tony Elison, Nintendo of America’s senior director and general manager of Network Business.

The app can be downloaded for free from the Wii Shop channel and non-members will be entitled to a free two-week trial of the service.

The official press release also revealed that the pair are plotting the launch of Hulu Plus for the Nintendo 3DS console later this year. Although don’t expect 3D programming just yet.

TechRadar: Television news