Amazon's Prime Music service and its accompanying apps were released recently, after a long buildup of rumors that the company was interested in launching a Spotify-like streaming service for Amazon Prime members. Those rumors were right about the music service but wrong that it would be like Spotify. This week, we look at Amazon Music — specifically the Android app — a mobile and web music service that can truly be described as "very Amazon-y."
After the Supreme Court struck down Aereo's business model -- streaming live and live-recorded broadcast TV through the Internet for a low-cost subscription -- those who don't want to buy into cable or satellite TV are left with one fewer option. That's no big deal, according to Grant Whipple of Winegard, a company that makes high-tech home antennae with cord cutters in mind. We spoke with him about the Aereo case, cord cutting, and how the future of free digital TV is still bright.
This week, the “study hit the fan” for Facebook, as the world of online media picked up on the controversial Facebook emotion research that we reported early last Saturday and a privacy group filed a formal complaint with the FTC. Meanwhile, Twitter could introduce an integrated “Buy Now” button, Vine added “Loop Counts” and YouTube was found to be more popular than television.
The Supreme Court effectively destroyed Aereo's fundamental business strategy Wednesday, but Aereo's technology could survive and make Internet media better.
With Hulu and Netflix viewership gaining speed, cable and satellite operators could see a decline in their industry. According to Harris Interactive, cable and satellite companies shouldn't worry much as three-fourths of U.S. adults stated they regularly watch television through their providers.
Another benefit for the yearly subscription service Amazon added another benefit for its yearly subscription members. On Thursday, the company debuted Prime Music, a streaming music service that boasts over one million songs.
The traffic that Netflix generates has grown substantially over the years as it now accounts for more than 34 percent of the wired downloads on the Internet in North America.
Starting on Monday April 28, Netflix's instant streaming service will join the programming lineup for some cable subscribers in the U.S., with an official channel dedicated to the insurgent internet entertainment service. The move is a breakthrough for Netflix, which has been trying to make its popular video streaming more mainstream.
If you're a customer of Comcast cable broadband, you might have noticed an uptick in the streaming quality of your Netflix videos - or at least an end to constant buffering and blocky video. Netflix released data showing that its bandwidth deal with Comcast has boosted average connection speeds in recent months, begging the question: Was it worth paying the toll?
Chromecast continues to add new apps to the roster of services that support Google's $35 HDMI streaming dongle, but the latest addition is particularly interesting. Broadcast TV streaming service Aereo announced an upcoming update for its Android app on Thursday to bring live TV to Chromecast.
While the internet has become the place for young Americans to get all forms of entertainment and news, TV broadcasters are being left in the dust by online media. This week, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission both accused each other of being asleep at the wheel.
Rumors hit the web this weekend of the possibility of a (new) set-top box from Google, this time called Android TV. But with the Google Chromecast gaining support from manufacturers and software developers, why would Google feel the need for another stab at your entertainment system?
Amazon joined in the smart TV race on Wednesday when it unveiled Amazon "Fire TV," a powerful streaming box that offers some features that the competition, Google, Apple, and Roku, does not. Nevertheless, at $99, is Fire TV enough to win over couch potato-tech enthusiasts?
For a good long while, it looked like the Google Chromecast - the TV dongle that streams content from the web and mobile devices - would never expand its range of compatible apps. Now new apps that are Chromcast compatible are coming fast and frequently, including Rdio, Crackle, and Vudu, announced today.
Apple launched iTunes Radio, a streaming service integrated into iOS 7 and the latest versions of iTunes, last year. Now, according to a report by Billboard, which previously broke a lot of correct details about iTunes Radio before its release, Apple is taking the next step towards a Spotify-type version of iTunes Radio.
Amazon decided to increase the price of Amazon Prime on Thursday, leading to questions about whether or not the online retailer will lose customers from the margin-increasing move. Judging by how its competition is doing, Amazon might not have much to worry about.
Heavy Netflix users are very attached to their streaming service, and at Netflix's internal hackathon, the company is looking for new ways to literally attach its addictive video platform to users. Out of this year's Hack Day competition comes several exciting new ideas that nevertheless may never make it to your living room.
In recent weeks, Netflix subscribers have noticed that their instant streaming service has increasingly degraded in quality and load time, even some with hefty broadband connections. The big question on everyone's minds is: does the slow-down have to do with the recent suspension of Net Neutrality, or something else?
Intel, which had been planning a service to provide TV over the internet, announced that it sold its TV division, Intel Media, to Verizon. The deal, and the fact that Intel couldn't get its Cloud TV off the ground, suggests that the future of internet TV may not be able to cut ties with companies already offering television services.
