ReelSmart.com » Streaming

Netflix on PS3 Disc-free, 1080i Streaming and 5.1 Surround

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:33:15 +0000

On October 18th, Netflix for the Sony PS3 will now be native and no longer require a disc, hooray! Plus they will begin rolling out some content with 1080i resolution and/or 5.1-channel surround audio. I guess the Microsoft exclusive deal is over. The new UI of the app looks pretty nice. See video.

Review: Squeezebox Duet and Squeezebox Boom

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:18:18 +0000

Read my reviews of the Squeezebox Boom and Squeezebox Duet.

MLB.com At Bat Adds LIVE Video for Premium Customers

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:18:45 +0000

MLB.com At Bat 2009 for the iPhone (version 1.3 - just released) now streams video for all MLB games for their Premium subscribers. They also stream live video for one free game per day. All users have access to live audio and Gameday content with the purchase of the app. What makes this very interesting is that these live game video streams are available over 3G as well as WiFi. You may be aware that 3G video streaming was denied to SlingPlayer! Anyway MLB.com At Bat 2009 is one of my favorite and most used iPhone apps. MLB.com At Bat 2009, $9.99 – featuring exclusive pitch type, location and speed data from MLB.com Gameday, plus real-time box scores, play-by-play and video highlights, it’s the fastest, most detailed way to follow games on your iPhone or iPod touch. And new for 2009, At Bat includes MLB.com Gameday Audio. You can listen to every regular season and Postseason game LIVE, with your choice of the home or visiting team’s announcers. Now LIVE video of ALL MLB games for Premium MLB.com subscribers. One free live video game per day for all users. A must have for any baseball fan.

Live TV on Sling.com Now Available for Mac Users

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:58:54 +0000

Sling.com now has a beta plugin for Mac OS X to watch live TV with only your browser. Works with the following Slingbox Pro, Slingbox Pro-HD, Pro, Slingbox Pro Solo. Users with AV, Tuner, or Classic can take advantage of a special upgrade offer by visiting http://slingmedia.com/go/upgrade Requirements:

Intel-based Mac

10.5 OS or higher

Safari 3 (sorry Safari 4 beta is not yet supported) or Firefox 3

1GB free RAM

You'll need the latest Slingbox firmware to run Web-based SlingPlayer for Mac. To update your Slingbox Software, connect to your Slingbox from the desktop SlingPlayer (PC or Mac). Remember, this sneak peek is running beta software. Not all final features and functionality are present in this release. Sling recommends closing all other important browser windows while streaming, just to be safe. In my tests it is still quite buggy and is a work in progress.

Hulu Launches Desktop Client for Macs and Windows

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:20:47 +0000

Hulu has launched a free desktop client for OS X and Windows so users can view video content without the use of a browser. My guess is this has been in development for awhile and may be the reason they denied Boxee. I tried the software out on my MacBook Pro and my Asus EeePC 1000HE Netbook. I liked the interface quite alot, but found my Asus 1.66GHz N280 Atom powered netbook could not playback video well enough to be watched. Although I use my Asus netbook with Slingplayer 2.0 daily with fantastic results. The playback on the more powerful MacBook Pro was quite enjoyable and Hulu desktop even supports the Apple Remote. So connecting your large screen TV with your Mac or Windows Media Center to watch Hulu content may become a pretty common occurrence for many people. So it makes me wonder why Hulu was so against a deal with Boxee. Hulu Desktop is a free download and requires a Mac with a 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo or comparable processor, 2GB of RAM, and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or later. Windows users will need 1.8GHz Intel Core Duo or comparable processor, 2GB of RAM, and XP or later. Both will also need Adobe Flash 9.0.124 and a 2Mbps Internet connection.

AT&T Apologizes Retracts New TOS, SMILE!

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:54:14 +0000

Well it went like this AT&T put up a highly restrictive new terms of service, the people screamed, getting their attention fast! AT&T has just released this statement: The language added on March 30 to AT&T's wireless data service Terms and Conditions was done in error. It was brought to our attention and we have since removed it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Now go have yourself a great weekend!

AT&T New TOS Starts Firestorm with iPhone Users – UPDATE

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:48:37 +0000

AT&T has decided to tweak the terms of service for its wireless users taking aggressive steps to manage network traffic. These changes forbid streaming, filesharing and data tethering. This could effect currently available apps already installed on many iPhones. iPhone owners already a bit upset with Sling's move yesterday that looks like forced upgrades and now wondering about SlingPlayer Mobile which was expected to launch anytime now in the App Store. As the Public Knowledge Policy Blog points out, the AT&T Wireless terms of service now explicitly prohibit “downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices.” Sling Media spokesperson Jay Tannenbaum has commented via email to NewTeeVee, “Even with high quality of the stream that we provide we have never really encountered any complaints about exceeding the 5gig cap. What we strive to do is offer the best quality while shielding the user from carrier bandwidth constraints.” AT&T has announced that they will offer subsidized netbooks as part of Internet at Home and On the Go, that will have built-in 3G wireless capabilities. It seems this change in the TOS was timely due to this netbook announcement. So this one should be fun to watch as it develops! UPDATE: That was fast. AT&T has basically said, "You thought we were serious!"

iPhone 3.0 Streaming via Bluetooth in Car

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:45:29 +0000

Over at Cars.com, they setup a new Toyota Venza and an iPhone 3.0 with Bluetooth. As you can see in the video streaming audio with no wires, no annoying pairing, just hit the Bluetooth button on the iPod, choose the car's Bluetooth source, and press play. Nice! A2DP (stereo Bluetooth) will be included in the iPhone 3.0 firmware (not for first-gen iPhones).

Lala Music Streaming Coming to iPhone

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:11:58 +0000

TechCrunch is reporting that Lala, the popular online music service will be bringing an innovative app to the iPhone that allows for streaming your music library from the cloud. No date for availability yet, but it sure looks cool. Lala is unique among other online music services as it allows users to purchase ‘web-only’ versions of songs for a only 10 cents. Users can then listen to these web-only songs as many times as they want, but only with a browser. Pay an extra 80 cents to download the MP3 and you can put on any device such as an iPod or iPhone. Users can also populate their Lala online library with any music they may already have on their computer (legally acquired or otherwise). This new iPhone app demoed above, will allow you to listen to your music library via streaming unchaining you from your desk.

Wirecast 3.5 Adds Flash Streaming, Ustream & Mogulus Support

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:41:13 +0000

Telestream has just released Wirecast 3.5, an update to its live streaming video production software. Version 3.5 now allows for streaming live video using Flash platform. New control options provide the ability to turn streams on or off, or automatically recover a lost connection. Users can also turn off the automatic device detection. Wirecast 3.5 can now also work with live stream Mogulus and Ustream services. Presentations can include audio, multiple video cameras, movies, desktop content, images and titles. Chroma Key technology allows blue- or green-screen effects, while users can also add transitions between segments. Wirecast 3.5 is compatible with Mac and Windows systems and can be purchased for $450. Customers can also add support for HDV camera input for $100. The 3.5 update is free to current registered users of 3.07. As a longtime user of Wirecast I am very anxious to try this new version on an actual production. With simultaneous streams in Flash and QuickTime, this will certainly make my life easier!

Qik Video Streaming Expected Soon in App Store

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:20:04 +0000

Video streaming should be coming to iPhone as Qik app is expected to go legit in the App Store soon.
Courtesy Kevin Rose Qik a free service that allows users with certain cellphones with video capture capabilities to stream live video directly to their website from 3G or WiFi). Until recently only handful of smartphones (Nokia N95 and few Windows Mobile devices) have been able to use this service. Qik will soon open up Sony Ericsson, more Nokia phones and very soon the iPhone. Qik software has been available to jailbroken iPhones for awhile, but is soon expected to take a much anticipated place in the App Store. Apple app screening do not fail us now! Qik has announced that it has expanded outside the realm of smartphones and will now support J2ME feature phones, a.k.a. non-smartphones. Owners of the several Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones can download an alpha version of the Qik client to test it out here.

Pre-order SlingCatcher Today

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:31:20 +0000

After an extremely long time Sling Media is finally ready to ship SlingCatcher $299 and you can pre-order now. If you own a Slingbox, SlingCatcher is a no brainer. Why pre-order? Sling claims limited supply and that SlingCatcher may sell out fast. You can pre-order SlingCatcher from this Amazon link and help support ReelSmart at the same time.

Playstation 3 To Get Video Store

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:22:10 +0000

Sony has confirmed today that it will be bringing video downloads to the Playstation Network starting in the US market later this summer. PSP and video-capable Walkman owners will also have access to this service spurring competition to Apple and Microsoft. Details for the new service is expected to be unveiled at the E3 gaming expo that opens on July 15th. Sony also says it plans to offer video streaming to all of its BRAVIA LCD TVs with the Internet Link.

XM Satellite Radio Coming To The iPhone

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:29:34 +0000

If you have longed for having XM playing on an iPod you may soon get your wish. Vernon Irvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of XM Satellite Radio, revealed to attendees of the Federated Media Conversation Marketing Summit in New York that XM is working on a native iPhone client for XM's XM Radio Mobile service. They already stream 25 top channels to select AT&T, Alltel, or BlackBerry handsets and soon they will offer it to iPhone and iPod touch users. With the functionality of the iPhone, the music should pause automatically when you take a call. Sounds sweet.

Pandora Goes On Air

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:51:18 +0000

Pandora has released their own free desktop application based on Adobe Air technology for Mac and Windows users. Pandora is free personalized Internet radio, that uses trained music experts who can recommend music you will probably like based on a song, artist, or lyrics that you choose. You can see what is playing, change channels, or create new ones. In the past you needed to use a flash enabled browser or a third-party desktop solution. It is nice to see Pandora providing a desktop app themselves.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Interviewed by Mossberg at D6

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:55:14 +0000

Jeff Bezos in an interview with Uncle Walt at the D6 conference said Amazon will be unveiling a new video pay-per-view streaming service in the next couple of weeks and also spoke about the Kindle eBook reading device and the S3 service.

Roku Netflix Box is No Apple TV Killer

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:18:18 +0000

Almost immediately after Netflix showed their new $99 set top box built in partnership with Roku it was compared with the Apple TV. A fair comparison at first glance as it appears to have similar features and go after the same market.

Well, no and no. The Netflix Player is a solution that will offer standard definition video that Netflix now streams on their web site for their subscribers and allow it to play on a TV. There is no hard drive in the Netflix Player.

Netflix probably will not stream high definition or Dolby 5.1 surround sound as this would require an Internet speed of at least 6 Mbps or more which most U.S. households lack. The box syncs with nothing and "streams" only the content from the Netflix site. This is no Apple TV killer. Nor does it position itself to be one.

Netflix subscribers currently pay at least $8.99 per month to have unlimited access to a subset of the 80,000 title Netflix library, about 10,000 movies that they can stream to their PC. Buying the $99 Netflix Player will allow them to extend the viewing of these streams to a TV.

Although the Roku box has the capability to play HD and surround sound (so says Roku) there is nothing so far to suggest this will happen anytime soon due to the relative anemic download speeds most U.S. homes have available.

The Netflix Player includes HDMI, component video, S-Video and composite video outputs along with digital and analog audio outputs, and connects to the Internet via Ethernet or 802.11b/g WiFi.

The Apple TV costs $229 offering HD Movie Rentals, Podcasts, YouTube videos, and connects to all your Mac or Windows PC computers in your home to "stream" all your iTunes content that you have stored on your computers that include TV shows, movies, music, audiobooks, and photo slideshows. You can also sync content to the Apple TV and then play the content from its internal hard drive. The Apple TV also allows you to view online photo galleries on Flickr and .Mac.

When renting an HD or SD movie it is stored on the internal hard drive of the Apple TV. You can usually start watching the movie within about a minute or more depending on the speed of your Internet connection as the download is cached.

You have 30 days to start watching the movie and can watch it as many times as you like in a 24 hour period once you start the rental. Most all of the high definition rentals have Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The Apple TV also allows you to purchase standard definition movies, TV shows or music directly. Purchased content can be easily synced back to iTunes you your computer and played on your computer, iPod or iPhone.

The Apple TV has HDMI, component video, digital and analog audio outputs and connects to your home network via Ethernet or 802.11b/g WiFi. Apple TV requires an HD TV.

The Apple TV is a much more complete entertainment solution geared toward the iPod/iTunes user or the person that wants to rent HD content from a set top box.

The Netflix Player is a device that may appeal to the Netflix subscriber that will offer "streaming quality" standard definition movies on a subscription. No storage, syncing, buffering, or purchasing of content is available.

Tube 2.7 Brings Placeshifting via iChat to the Mac

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:49:29 +0000

equinux has released The Tube 2.7, a free update to its Mac TV software that adds live-streaming of content via iChat. Place-shifting, allows users to share what they are watching with friends using iChat Theater allowing the receiving person to even record the show. Users can create TubeToGo web gallery that makes an instant podcast of their recordings. They then can subscribe to the podcast of their recordings on the Apple TV in the living room, on a Mac or PC that is running iTunes or other applications. Time-shifting features like pause and rewind as well as information about the show via the electronic program guide (EPG) are available. Users can watch their recordings via Safari on an iPhone or iPod touch where they can also remotely manage and schedule recordings. The Tube 2.7 software, which requires Mac OS X 10.4, works with its TubeStick Hybrid device ($130), a USB 2.0-based TV receiver that includes two receivers for watching digital over-the-air HDTV or digital (Clear QAM) and analog cable TV.

SlingPlayer Mobile Gets Updated

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:52:02 +0000

Sling Media today released three updated versions of SlingPlayer Mobile improving video quality, adding more handsets and more. SlingPlayer Mobile for PocketPC (1.6), Windows Smartphone (1.6), and Symbian S60 (1.1) are each available for download. SlingPlayer Mobile allows users to view content from and control their home television from their mobile phone. The upgrade to the new version is free if you already own SlingPlayer Mobile, otherwise the client can be had for a $29.99.

Share Your Tunes over Internet for Free

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:30:54 +0000

Sharing your music across the Internet the easy way. Works with iTunes and Winamp. SimplifyMedia is available for free on Macs and PCs and there is some experimental support for Linux and even the iPhone!

Starplayr: Put Sirius Radio on your Mac with Recording Features

Stephen Antonucci — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:12:00 +0000

If you are a Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber and use a Mac you will want the free Starplayr by NiceMac. Not only does Starplayr allow you to listen to Sirius on your Mac, but it can also record the Sirius channel converting the broadcast ASF format to MP3’s which are then automatically added your iTunes library. Now this is cool. You can even record one channel while you listen to another, think TiVo for Sirius on your Mac. You can record the Howard Stern Show for listening on your iPod using the included iCal scripts, allowing you to automate the recording of your favorite shows. No more waking up at 6 AM to record or listen. You can even Pause the music. The music player can display track information like - artist, title and album. Starplayr can also display album art of the currently playing track, but does take up quite a bit of desktop real estate. Maybe we will see an iPhone version of Starplayr in the App Store coming in June. That will give you Sirius Radio on your iPhone and iPod touch!

AirFoil Updated to 3.1.1

Stephen Antonucci — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:12:36 +0000

Rogue Amobea has released Airfoil version 3.1.1, an update to its utility for streaming audio to one or more AirPort Express units or Apple TVs. Along with this update is an update to Airfoil Speakers which allows your Mac to be used as receiving unit for the AirFoil stream. AirFoil 3.1.1 is free to current users and can be downloaded and installed from within the application's update feature, adding the following features and fixes:

Improved performance with Airfoil Speakers.
Added On/Off checkbox for Effects, for use with DTS audio.
Many other minor bug fixes and improvements.

Airfoil is great for streaming any app or audio from your Mac such as Pandora from Safari. Airfoil 3.1 retails for a US$25 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.4 to run. Airfoil 2.0 is available for Windows XP.

Yahoo Goes Live with Video Streaming

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:46:42 +0000

Microsoft’s bid to take over Yahoo may be a pain in Jerry Yang's and company's keester, but Yahoo has still launched a new product. Yahoo Live allows anyone with a webcam to stream live video similar to Stickam, Justin.tv, Blogtv and Ustream. Users create a channel, authorize their webcam and start broadcasting to the public. Other people can drop by and watch, or choose to participate via video, sound or text chat. Basically do your Internet TV show. I have been using Ustream all week for a project I am working on. Can't wait to give Yahoo Live a look.

Rogue Amoeba Releases Airfoil 3 for Mac

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:19:44 +0000

Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 3 - $25 ($10 upgrade), an update to its very cool software utility for AirPort Express users. Apple's AirPort Express' AirTunes is locked to iTunes allowing you to stream audio around your home. Airfoil opens the lock and allows users to send virtually any audio from media players like RealPlayer, VLC, QuickTime, any application on your Mac or PC or devices like Griffin's AM/FM RadioShark. This is a get a way to listen to Pandora or Last.fm around your home. A new feature of Airfoil 3 is the ability for audio can to be played through your local computer speakers -- in sync with remote playback. Airfoil 3 also enables any Mac to be used as a "virtual AirPort Express" using the included Airfoil Speakers application. Airfoil Speakers allows any Mac to appear in Airfoil as a standard output, enabling audio to be synchronously transmitted to any Mac. So play audio from one Mac and have it play on another in sync! Airfoil 3 transmits audio to multiple AirPort Express units in "perfect" sync. In my tests the sync seemed much improved over the older version. I played Pandora for hours without a hitch to three of my Airport Express units and another Mac. Rogue Amoeba also says the Airfoil 3 addresses sync problems with video-based playback that plagued previous versions: "Because of inherent latencies in the AirPort Express, using Airfoil 2 with a video source resulted in local video that was jarringly out of sync with the remote audio," the company said. "No longer, however, thanks to the included Airfoil Video Player. Airfoil Video Player handles playing video locally in sync with remote audio, for the perfect viewing experience. Airfoil Video Player supports the most popular video formats, and even features preliminary DVD support." Instant Hijack allows audio to be played from already-running applications without relaunching application. Airfoil 3 is a well worth upgrade if you have the older version. Airfoil 3 is available now for Mac OS X 10.4 and up including full Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) support. A trial version will overlay noise on all transmissions longer than 10 minutes. If you own an Airport Express this is a "must have" application. Airfoil 2 is available for Windows. Airfoil 3 is awarded 4.5 out of 5 Paws

Some Sirius Announcements

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:49:20 +0000

Sirius Satellite Radio has made a few new announcements: Howard Streamed to Your Living Room Sonos announced today that their Digital Music System, which wirelessly streams music across a house, has updated to System Software 2.3 and features Sirius Satellite Radio in addition to the Pandora and Zune services. Any Sonos system connected to the internet can subscribe to Sirius, which offers music, news and talk radio. New Sirius subscriptions cost $12.95, while current Sirius subscribers can upgrade their account to work with the Sonos for an additional $2.99. A 30-day free trial is also offered in the package so you can decide if Sirius is worth the hype. The Sonos system already works with iTunes and the iPod. Sirius Brings Backseat TV for The Kids Sirius announced its SCV1, aka Backseat TV. The new receiver is able to grab both radio and TV signals, bringing Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network to TV screens in the backseat while it streams music or talk up front. The system offers a "kid friendly" remote for controlling Backseat content, while the "adult" section is operated by a separate, wired remote. The radio can also be controlled via Sirius-compatible aftermarket headunits. The SCV1 will be available in the 4th quarter of 2007, and will run you $299.99 for the unit, plus an additional $6.99 for TV service each month. I thought a rear DVD player was enough, but I do not have "little ones." Sirius Brings New Portable To Town Sirius announced Stiletto 2, a new portable player with a slew of interesting features, including a "LOVE" button which allows you to store a song you're listening to on the fly, recording options that let you to capture up to 100 hours of pre-scheduled programs, enhanced WiFi implementation, and the ability to access Sirius's premium audio offerings. The 4.3-ounce player can play back MP3 and WMA files, sports a microSD slot, 2.2-inch color display, and up to 20 hours (non live) of music playback. The player will be available this Fall for a pricey $349.99 -- plus your monthly radio costs. Color Display Comes to Sportser Sirius' new Sportster 5 (dock-able) has gone color. Featuring both a color display and a customizable backlighting to match your dash, the new Sportster is sure to offer hours of heated discussions over the merits of various schools of color design. The unit will offer 16 more minutes of recording (now you can record up to an hour of Sirius broadcast) but otherwise the same FM transmission. The Sportster 5 will be available this fall at $169.99. Wonder if any of this will help their falling stock price?

Akamai To Stream Live Adobe Flash Events

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:07:43 +0000

Akamai Technologies, the leading global service provider for accelerating content and applications online, has announced the availability of Akamai Live Streaming in the Adobe Flash FLV format for delivering live, real-time audio and video formatted for playback using the Adobe Flash Player. The solution includes support for On2 Technologies’ VP6™ codec used in the latest Adobe Flash Player, as well as for On2’s leading live Flash video software encoders. Akamai’s distributed architecture is designed to reliably handle live online events and scale to support thousands of simultaneous viewers. See press release.