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Hulu Adds More Series from Viacom, including Shows from Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, & MTV[teaser]The streaming service is expanding its selection of Viacom programming. [/teaser] Hulu and Viacom have announced an extension of their content agreement, brining many past seasons of current and classic shows to the streaming platform. Likewise, new episodes of popular series like 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' and 'The Colbert Report' will continue to be available. The new deal covers shows from Viacom channels like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, TVLand, Spike, BET and Logo. Series will include classic kids titles like 'Invader Zim,' 'The Ren & Stimpy Show,' 'Drake & Josh,' and 'Hey Arnold!.' Likewise, more recent comedy series such as 'Key & Peele,' 'Drunk History,' 'Ridiculousness,' 'Tosh.0,' 'Kroll Show,' 'Inside Amy Schumer,' 'Workaholics,' 'Faking It,' and 'Hot in Cleveland' will also be available to stream. Finally, the agreement offers a wide collection of reality shows as well, including 'Catfish,' 'Ink Master,' '16 & Pregnant,' 'Teen Mom 2,' 'Snooki & JWoww,' 'The Hills,' 'The Jersey Shore,' 'Basketball Wives,' 'Love & Hip Hop,' and 'Mob Wives.' The influx of Viacom episodes will start to crop up on Hulu throughout the coming weeks. A Hulu Plus subsrciption costs $7.99 per month and is available on a variety of smart TV platforms and media players, including the Amazon Fire TV, Roku 3, Apple TV and Chromecast. Source: HuluPosted Tue Oct 28, 2014 at 05:00 PM PDT by: -
Verizon Readies Droid Turbo Smartphone with Quad HD Screen for October 30[teaser]The new smartphone from Motorola will be available in 32GB and 64GB models. [/teaser] Verizon and Motorola have announced the release of their latest mobile device, the Droid Turbo. The Android smartphone will be available on October 30. The Droid Turbo features a 5.2-inch AMOLED Quad HD display with Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 2.7GHz quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,900 mAH battery for up to 48 hours of mixed-use. A 21MP rear camera with 4K video recording and a 2MP front camera are included as well. In addition, the device is built with Ballistic Nylon or Metalized Glass Fiber reinforced with DuPont Kevlar fiber and water-repellent nanocoating to protect from spills and scratches. Motorola's Droid Turbo will be available online and in Verizon retail stores on October 30. The 32GB version will come in Metallic Black, Metallic Red, and Black Ballistic Nylon for $199.99 with a two year contract or $25 per month through Verizon Edge. Meanwhile, the 64GB model will be available in Black Ballistic Nylon for $249.99 with a new two year contract or $27 per month through Verizon Edge. Sources: Verizon, EngadgetPosted Tue Oct 28, 2014 at 02:00 PM PDT by: -
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LG Expected to End Plasma TV Production in November to Concentrate on LCD & OLED Displays[teaser]Reports indicate that the Korean electronics manufacturer will suspend its plasma TV line in the coming months. [/teaser] According to Reuters, LG has revealed an end date for its plasma display business. The company is planning to cease plasma production by the end of November. Despite offering many picture quality benefits over traditional LCD tech, plasma panels have failed to garner the market share required to stay in the game, and plasma sales only made up about 2.4 percent of LG's 2013 annual revenue. Likewise, cost issues related to manufacturing 4K plasmas have also been a factor in diminishing interest from electronics companies. LG's exit from the business follows similar decisions from Panasonic and Samsung. This will leave China's Changhong Electric Co. as the only major company still producing plasma panels. LG is now expected to concentrate on LCD and OLED technology. The company has a new 55-inch 1080p OLED model available now, and its 4K OLED sets are also on sale in select stores. Source: ReutersPosted Tue Oct 28, 2014 at 08:30 AM PDT by: -
HDD Gear Deal Spotlight: Tablets[teaser]For a limited time, Amazon is offering up to 54 percent off select HD tablets! [/teaser] As part of the online retailer's ongoing electronic sales and promotions, Amazon is running limited time deals on tablets from Microsoft, Dell, and ASUS. Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet (Certified Refurbished) - Currently $460 (54 percent off its retail price). Dell Venue 7 16 GB Tablet - Currently $120 (48 percent off its retail price). ASUS VivoTab Note 8 8-Inch 32 GB Tablet - Currently $199 (40 percent off its retail price). As always, these deals will only be active for a limited time while supplies last. Make sure to stay tuned to High-Def Digest for more sales and special promotions!Posted Mon Oct 27, 2014 at 05:30 PM PDT by: -
'F is for Family' Heads to Netflix[teaser]The new animated series will premiere exclusively on the streaming service. [/teaser] Netflix has announced a new addition to its lineup of original shows. 'F is for Family' is a half-hour animated series based on the comedy of stand-up Bill Burr. "Bill Burr's stand-up specials are wildly popular for us worldwide, and we're looking forward to presenting his at once nostalgic and unflinching take on the family comedy in this original, animated series," said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix. 'F is for Family' focuses on the Murphy family during the 1970s and stars Burr as patriarch Frank Murphy. The cast also includes Laura Dern as Frank's wife Sue, and Justin Long as the family's oldest son. The show is created by Bill Burr and Michael Price ('The Simpsons'), and is executive produced by Burr, Price, Vince Vaughn, and Peter Billingsley. Likewise, the series is produced by Gaumont International Television and Wild West Television. "The bottom line is, there's no better network in all of television than Netflix and we’re very excited for this partnership. They're a game changer, providing true creative support and the ability to reach a worldwide audience instantly," said executive producer Peter Billingsley. While an exact premiere date has not been announced, the six-episode series will debut on Netflix sometime in 2015. The company also recently announced a new drama series, 'Bloodline,' for March 2015. A monthly Netflix subscription currently starts at $7.99 for SD streaming and $8.99 for HD streaming. The service is available on a variety of smart TVs and media players, including the Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Roku 3, Apple TV and Chromecast. Source: NetflixPosted Mon Oct 27, 2014 at 03:30 PM PDT by: -
Amazon Introduces Fire TV Stick[teaser]The new streaming media HDMI stick is now up for pre-order! [/teaser] Amazon has announced the release of the latest addition to its Fire product line, the Fire TV Stick. Based on the same interface as the Fire TV set-top box, the streaming stick aims to deliver similar features and performance in a more compact and affordable design. "Fire TV Stick is the most powerful streaming media stick available—a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, dual-band and dual-antenna Wi-Fi, included remote control, voice search with our free mobile app, easy set-up, an open ecosystem, and exclusive features like ASAP for instant streaming," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "The team has packed an unbelievable amount of power and selection into an incredible price point—Fire TV Stick is just $39." The device plugs right into the HDMI port of a customer's TV, offering easy access to media, apps, and games, including services like Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, NBA Game Time, Twitch, SHOWTIME ANYTIME, Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, Vevo, Plex, A&E, PBS, PBS KIDS, WATCH Disney Channel, YouTube.com, and more. With its impressive specs, the Fire TV Stick boasts 50 percent more processing power and 2x the memory of Google's Chromecast. Likewise, it has 6x the processing power, 2x the memory, and 32x the storage of Roku's Streaming Stick. The included remote can be used for quick navigation, and users can also download a mobile app to control the device with their smartphones along with a voice search feature. Finally, the Fire TV also includes Amazon's ASAP tech for instant streaming, mobile screen mirroring, and an X-ray second screen feature for Fire tablets and phones that offers information about the shows and movies you watch. Amazon's Fire TV Stick is now available for pre-order for $39. The device will start shipping on November 19. In addition, Prime Members can currently receive a special limited time discount, bringing the price down to just $19 for two days only. And for users who want voice search without using their smartphones, customers can also purchase a separate Amazon Voice remote for $29.99. Source: AmazonPosted Mon Oct 27, 2014 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Fire TV Content Selection Triples[teaser]More apps and games have been added to Amazon's streaming set-top box. [/teaser] Amazon has announced that the Fire TV's selection of media services and games has tripled since the device was released back in April. This brings the total number of apps and games to over 600. "We continue to hear from customers how much they love the selection available to them on their Amazon Fire TV. In just over six months we've tripled the catalog and we're adding new customer favorites on a weekly basis," said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Appstore. "We also hear from customers how much they love playing games on their TV—9 of the top 10 grossing apps on Fire TV are games—so we continue to work with game developers and add the most popular game content. Dungeon Quest, Spoiler Alert, Leo's Fortune and Ninja Hero Cats, are some of the new games recently launched on Fire TV, and, coming soon, NBA 2K15." Other recently added apps and games include Spotify, PBS, PBS KIDS, NFL Now, A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, Fashion TV, Epic TV, Young Hollywood, Green.TV, Outside Television, Dailymotion, 'The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series: Season 2,' and 'The Wolf Among Us: A Telltale Games Series.' Meanwhile, the platform's most popular apps are Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube.com, Plex, Pandora, WatchESPN, VEVO, iHeartRadio, and Crackle. Amazon's Fire TV currently retails for $99. You can check out our full review here. Source: AmazonPosted Fri Oct 24, 2014 at 05:00 PM PDT by: -
Triad Adds New In-Ceiling Speakers[teaser]The company is releasing three new in-ceiling speaker models. [/teaser] Triad Speakers has announced the launch of the R-Series. The R-25, R-26, and R-28 are the company's most affordable in-ceiling speakers so far. "Triad's R-Series is designed for cost-conscious music lovers," says Triad Speakers, Inc. Founder / President and CEDIA Chairman Larry Pexton. "We've designed and engineered each speaker with pride in the United States of America, with the utmost attention to quality, décor-friendly design, and high performance sound - eliminating costly frills and features that add nothing to sound quality." All three models are shallow-depth open-back 2-way loudspeaker systems with 1-inch cloth-dome tweeters. In addition, each speaker offers round or square trim bezel options. Finally, The R-25 features a 5.25-inch woofer, the R- 26 features a 6.5-inch woofer, and the R-28 features an 8.5-inch woofer. Triad Speakers is based in Portland, Oregon and aims to deliver high-performance loudspeaker solutions that blend with customer's homes decor. The R-25 ($300 per pair), R-26 ($350 per pair), and R-28 ($400 per pair) are available now. Sources: TWICE, Integration ProsPosted Fri Oct 24, 2014 at 03:30 PM PDT by: -
Fire Phone Hurting Amazon's Profits[teaser]The smartphone's lackluster sales have proved costly for the company. [/teaser] Amazon has revealed some troubling numbers related to its Fire Phone. In a conference call with investors, the company's chief financial officer announced that they were taking a $170 million writedown primarily as a result of issues related to the fledgling smartphone. The Fire Phone was released back in July through a partnership between Amazon and AT&T. Unfortunately, the device has failed to catch on with consumers, causing the retailer to cut its price down from $199 to 99 cents with a two-year contract. The $170 million writedown is in large part due to inventory and supplier costs related to the phone. While exact sales figures for the smartphone have not been revealed, the company announced that it had a whopping $83 million worth of inventory left at the end of the third quarter. Customers looking to help relieve Amazon of some of their mounting inventory can purchase a Fire Phone for prices ranging from 99 cents to $449 depending on the service agreement. Sources: CNET, Tech CrunchPosted Fri Oct 24, 2014 at 02:00 PM PDT by: -
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HDD Gear Deal Spotlight: Kindle Fire HD Sale[teaser]For a limited time, Amazon is offering up to $170 off of refurbished Kindle tablets! [/teaser] As part of the online retailer's ongoing electronic sales and promotions, Amazon is running a limited time deal on a Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless Tablet. Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless Tablet 32GB - Currently $159 ($140 off its retail price). Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless Tablet 64GB - Currently $179 ($170 off its retail price). The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is powered by a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor with Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics. In addition, the tablet features a 1920x1200 IPS display at 254 ppi, Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, and a front-facing HD camera. As always, these deals will only be active for a limited time while supplies last. Make sure to stay tuned to High-Def Digest for more sales and special promotions!Posted Thu Oct 23, 2014 at 04:30 PM PDT by:
