Nvidia's cloud gaming service, GRID, is getting an upgrade today. Shield tablet owners taking part in the public beta for the streaming service will now be able to play the 50 title strong library of games at full 1080p and 60 frames per second. We tested the capabilities of GRID cloud gaming …
Read More »Apple having issues with last minute deals for Beats Music
It looks like Apple is having some issues with last minute deals for its Beats Music streaming service. If Apple can't get the last of its crucial deals signed in time, then we might not see the streaming service appear at the World Wide Developer Conference after all. Sources speaking …
Read More »Grooveshark could be forced to pay $700 million + in damages
Streaming music service Grooveshark has its future in the hands of a single ruling this week, where a New York based judge will determine whether it needs to pay damages on some of the thousands of copyright protected tracks that have appeared illegitimately on its platform over the past few …
Read More »Netflix has surpassed 60 million subscribers
Netflix managed to hit a new milestone recently, surpassing 60 million subscribers. The surge in newcomers is largely down to the service's international expansion, hitting new countries like Australia. Although, the majority of subscribers are still from the US. 40 million Netflix subscribers reside in the US, or are at …
Read More »Jay Z launches new Tidal streaming service with friends
Rapper Jay Z has (re)launched the Tidal streaming service with a new plan to make it a more profitable way for artists to share their music with the world. To commemorate the occasion, he, along with a number of other high profile artists all signed a “declaration,” at the service's …
Read More »PlayStation Now closed beta coming to the UK
PlayStation Now will start rolling out here in the UK this Spring, Sony has announced. It will start off in closed beta form, meaning you will need an invite to actually use the service. However, after a few months, things will likely open up, allowing more people to try out …
Read More »Twitch Plays is now taking on Halo
Twitch Plays is a pretty interesting idea, a game is set up and streamed, then the chat gets to control the entire game. Twitch viewers helped beat several Pokemon games and now Twitch Plays is taking on something a little more challenging, Halo Combat Evolved. Bungie's classic shooter is the …
Read More »Amazon spent $1.3 billion on streaming last year
If there was any indication that Amazon considers Netflix one of its biggest opponents in any industry, it's this. In 2014, the retail giant pumped over $1.3 billion (£860 million) into its streaming service, Amazon Prime Instant Video, helping to fund new programming like the award winning Transparent. This cash …
Read More »Tesco is giving up on Blinkbox
Over the last few months, Tesco has been winding down on its loss-making digital download service, Blinkbox. The movie watching side of the business was sold off to TalkTalk a few weeks ago but Tesco still owned Music and Books services, which are now either being sold off or shut …
Read More »Xbox One to PC streaming may be capable of 1080p 60fps
Microsoft revealed its new Xbox One to Windows 10 PC streaming functionality at a press event last night but since then more details have emerged. It turns out that the company is aiming to achieve 1080p and 60 frames per second streaming by the time the feature launches towards the …
Read More »The Interview to stream on Netflix too
The Interview has been a real success in many ways. Along with marking a stand – after a nudge from Mr Obama – against threats of violence, its digital release has shown that making a film available online for people to stream at home along with its cinema release, actually …
Read More »Steam officially adds game streaming
If you thought Valve was going to lie down and let Twitch dominate the broadcast/streaming landscape while it just provided the games, well you'd be wrong. Starting today, Steam users can broadcast and stream games among their friends, meaning you can watch your buddy while they're playing, or they can …
Read More »Microsoft gives YouTubers permission to monetize gameplay
Microsoft has updated its Game Content Usage Rules, giving YouTuber's and Twitch streamers permission to monetize gameplay footage on all of its titles, although Minecraft, which the company recently acquired for $2.5 billion, has a slightly different set of rules. The new policy states that users can create work based …
Read More »Golden Globes gives streaming shows stamp of approval
If there was any suggestion that the quality of shows produced by the likes of streaming platform holders, Amazon and Netflix, were anything less than that of more traditional network produced shows, the Golden Globes has shone a light on that fallacy. At this year's awards ceremony, both Netflix and …
Read More »Google Cast speaks to your speakers
Today Google announced a new feature called Cast, building upon its existing Chromecast technology. Where Chromecast is specifically for sending video between devices, Cast is going to be used for playing music to compatible speaker systems. It will be possible to send audio from Android, iPhone and iPad devices as well as from the …
Read More »Netflix is blocking VPNs and proxies
If you've been used to accessing Netflix's vast library of North American content while living outside of the continent, by using a proxy or VPN, you may be out of luck, as the streaming media company has now begun blocking methods of circumventing its geographical limiters. This is a real …
Read More »Isohunt’s founder believes bitcoin can kill piracy
No longer around in its original form, Isohunt was one of the world's most popular torrent sites in its day. The founder, Gary Fung, fought courts for years keeping the site open, but ultimately relented after a loss and shut the site down. While it may have reformed under a …
Read More »Netflix says that offline viewing is ‘never going to happen’
It looks like offline viewing is not on Netflix's radar and won't ever be a feature that comes to the service. Other online streaming sites, like Sky GO, BBC iPlayer and 4OD have offered downloads for offline viewing in the past and successfully put restrictions on files to prevent piracy but …
Read More »Amazon Prime Instant Video now offering 4K streaming
Amazon has just announced that its streaming service, Prime Instant Video, will now be offering 4K streams in the US, making the company one of the first few service providers to launch ultra HD content, alongside Netflix and YouTube. The content selection is limited, as you would probably expect but …
Read More »This is exactly why British people pirate
We often hear a lot about Australia and its woes with getting legitimate access to movies and TV shows from the US and elsewhere and how that has led to it becoming one of the biggest hotbeds of piracy in the world. In the UK things are a little better, …
Read More »YouTube debuts Music Key subscription platform beta
YouTube has been rumoured to have been working on a music streaming subscription service for some time now, with hints earlier this year that it would be called ‘Music Key.' It turns out that all of that is true, as owner Google has now unveiled the platform, announcing it as …
Read More »Twitch implements dress code for streamers
Do you like to do your game streaming topless? If so, you may need to find yourself another site to do it on other than Twitch, as the now-Amazon owned property has announced its own dress code. You don't have to wear anything in particular, but you do have to …
Read More »Apple to merge Beats Music with iTunes next year
Earlier this year, Apple acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion and ever since then, onlookers have been left to wonder what Apple's plans for the company are. However, it looks like the company may finally put its acquisition to use by merging the Beats Music streaming service with iTunes. It …
Read More »UK police drop charges against pirate sports streaming site operator
The UK Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit has decided to drop charges made against a man who had his home raided and was subsequently arrested for running an “industrial scale” pirate sports streaming operation. The original arrest was made back in early September, the raid took place in Greater Manchester. …
Read More »Netflix finally works on Linux
Netflix streaming is finally working natively on Linux, without the need to trick the website in to thinking that you're actually running a different OS. Streaming via Google's Chrome browser is currently working on a few distros including Ubuntu, Fedora and the Ubuntu-based Mint. More distros are expected to be …
Read More »Popcorn Time goes down after domain suspension
Popcorn Time, the ‘Netflix for pirates' has had one of its most used domains, time4popcorn.eu, suspended and as a result, the application has stopped working for many users. According to an email sent by EURid, the registry explained that the domain was pulled due to being registered with inaccurate contact …
Read More »Twitch tightens policy on paid or sponsored content deals
Twitch is set to tighten its policies when it comes to paid and sponsored content deals in response to concerns over transparency and disclosure. The streaming platform will start labeling videos that are created as part of a partnership between the content maker and a third party. However, this level …
Read More »Kim Dotcom quits Baboom, claims it will ‘do better without me’
The saying goes that if you love something enough, you have to be able to let it go. Unfortunately for internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, it seems like the time has come for him to let go of a lot of his pet projects, not because it's the right time, but …
Read More »Netflix’s first funded movie is a Crouching Tiger sequel
Netflix has made real waves in the film and TV production world over the past year, self-funding the development of several new shows and new series for old ones to much acclaim, releasing all episodes simultaneously for subscribers of its digital streaming service to watch whenever they want. Now though …
Read More »Channel 4 to replace 4oD with All 4
Channel 4 has announced that its long standing on-demand service, 4oD, is coming to an end and will soon be replaced by its successor. All 4 will combine the current on-demand viewing options with the ability to watch live television and view a guide of what's coming up in the …
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