Blog Archives

YouTube's paid subscription offering takes shape — and it's almost here

4/20/2015

YouTube's forthcoming paid subscription offering is rapidly taking shape, and is expected to become available within the next few months, sources familiar with the matter tell The Verge. The company told creators of popular channels today that the offering, which does not yet have a name, is coming soon. It will offer ad-free videos as well as the ability to store videos offline on their mobile devices, for a price expected to be around $10 a month. It will also let creators put their videos behind a paywall so that only subscribers to the premium version can view them, sources said. (Bloomberg published a letter sent to creators today.)

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Piracy app Popcorn Time sneaks onto iPhones and iPads

4/13/2015

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Popcorn Time is probably the closest thing you can find to a "Netflix for pirates," and today it's becoming even more accessible by launching an app for the iPhone and iPad. Apple hasn't approved the app through the App Store, but Popcorn Time has found a way to sneak onto the two devices anyway. It's built an installer that you run on Windows (an OS X version is supposed to arrive in about two weeks), and it'll quickly load the app onto a connected phone or tablet. Notably, a device doesn't have to be jailbroken in order to install this version of Popcorn Time, which makes this app far more accessible than the one Popcorn Time has already been offering.

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AMC and Dolby team up to make the laser-powered movie theaters of the future

4/12/2015

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Over the past decade there's been a home entertainment revolution as higher-resolution video, improved display technology, and streaming services have changed the way we watch movies and TV. The good old movie theater, however, has been a bit neglected; aside from improved sound and the frustration that is 3D, there's been no truly radical, widespread improvement since the move to digital projection. Today US theater chain AMC and Dolby are announcing a partnership that promises to change that, bringing a new kind of high-end, laser projection theatrical experience to your local multiplex — and the first screens are arriving this May.

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This is how rich people watched Furious 7 last weekend

4/11/2015

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In the world you and I know, there are basically two legitimate, legal opportunities to catch a new flick. First, of course, there’s the theater, where we pay anywhere from $10 to $30 for the privilege of sitting in a velour seat of dubious sanitation next to talkers and texters hell-bent on ruining the experience, all while our shoes stick to years’ worth of petrified Coca-Cola, popcorn, and Sno-Caps. The next opportunity comes several weeks to several months later, when titles make the transition to on-demand streaming services, and eventually to other premium services like HBO and Netflix.

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Snapchat adds emoji to show you who your best friends are

4/9/2015

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Snapchat used to feature a "best friends" list that displayed the people you regularly shared the most photos and videos with to both you and the world. The app canned this feature in a recent update, but it's now replaced it with another way to indicate your closest friends — emoji. Snapchat now uses a series of hearts, flames, and tiny yellow faces to show when you get a message from your best friend, your best friend's best friend, and others.

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