Sling comes to Apple TV while Chromecast passes it, Xbox moves away from TV, and AT&T bundles up anime. With special guests Kristi Kates and Mulango Akpo-Esambe.

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CordKillers: Ep. 124 – Conjugating a Vrv
Recorded: June 13 2016
Guest: Kristi Kates, Mulango Akpo-Esambe

Intro Video

• Apps in the Wild West

Primary Target

• Apple will update tvOS with Sling, sports, apps, and more in the fall
  – tvOS
  – SLING coming to Apple TV today
  – FoxSports Go,
  – Molotov coming next month
  – Remote app for iPhone, touch, Siri, accelerometer and gyroscope to control games, and keyboard
  – Siri: search movies by topics, search YouTube. live TuneIn
  – single Sign on, coming to iOS too
  – Dark mode
  – Apps automatically download to Apple TV when installed on an iOS device
  – HomeKit for Apple TV
  – Free upgrade this autumn
• Microsoft isn’t adding a TV DVR feature to the Xbox One anymore
  – Microsoft told the Verge: “After careful consideration, we’ve decided to put development of DVR for Over-the-Air TV on hold to focus our attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10,” 
• Microsoft announces the Xbox One S, its smallest Xbox yet
  – Xbox One S – A special, limited edition launch edition of the Xbox One S will be available in early August with a 2TB hard drive for $399. Two standard versions will be available soon after: a 500GB edition for $299, and 1TB for $349.
• Project Scorpio is a 4K-capable, VR-ready Xbox One launching next fall
  – Project Scorpio comes out Holiday 2017:
  – VR gaming
  – 8 CPU cores, 6 teraflops of GPU power
  – offer true 4K gaming, 60 hertz rendering, uncompressed pixels
  – all accessories and games will be compatible across, Xbox One, Xbox One S and Project Scorpio

Signal Intelligence

• AT&T, Chernin to Launch Subscription Video Bundle, Countering Amazon
• AT&T is reportedly building an anime-and-video-games streaming network
  – Variety says AT&T bundling streaming channels into a subscriptions service
  – Registered domains and trademarks suggest name could be Vrv
  – “viewers interested in anime, video games, niche action sports, and other fare off the beaten path.”
  – Developed by Ellation, subsidiary of Otter (joint Chernin and AT&T)
  – Otter has stake in Fullscreen, and owns Crunchyroll and Creativebug
  – Combine Crunchyroll with internal and external partners
  – Either as a bundle or with alacarte options
  – Fend off Netflix from anime and Amazon from bundling. 

Gear Up

• Chromecast shipments pass Apple TV
  – IHS estimates Friday
  – Q1 2016
  – 3.2 million Chromecasts
  – 1.7 million Apple TV
  -First time Chromecast in front of Apple TV
  – Also estimate Netflix on 32% of all gadgets capable of watching video (US)

Front Lines

• You won’t have to remember passwords for most TV streaming apps anymore
  – Within the next 6-12 months, TV Everywhere from Comcast, Cox and MediaCom will start authenticating based on home WiFi. Customers will also get a single-sign on for TV network apps outside the home. Among participating networks are A+E, AMC, Disney/ESPN, Fox, NBCUniversal, Scripps, Turner and Viacom. But significantly NOT HBO. 
• You can soon use the NVIDIA Shield as a Plex media server
  – Plex announced Thursday that an update coming at the end of June will allow NVIDIA Shield owners to use the device as a media server. Plex intends to expand server capability to more devices int he near future.
• Hulu’s New Scifi Series Sounds Like an Internet-Themed Twilight Zone Homage
  – Hulu has a new 6-part science fiction series called Dimension 404. “Each episode will explore a different bizarre mystery, including an obscure cartoon that may hold the secret to time travel or energy drinks perhaps causing a global apocalypse.”
• Netflix Finally Tells You What You ‘Devour’ And What You ‘Savor’
  – Netflix analyzed viewing habits across 100 serialized television series to determine how people binged. The average person took five days to finish the first season of the series and spent more than two hours at a time making their way through shows. They also developed a binge scale showing which genres of shows people devour and which ones they savor. Irreverent comedies and political drama were more likely to be savored while Thrillers and Horror were more likely to be devoured. 
• Nameless.tv tries to bring that live TV thrill to online video
  – Nameless.tv is like Diamondclub.tv in a lot of ways. It collects Internet videos into channels like 90s nostalgia or Strangely satisfying, and puts a chat room alongside. Everybody watching a channel is seeing the same video and can chat with each other about it. It’s in beta for Web only but there are plans for a mobile app. 
• Netflix nabs rights to Cannes award-winning film ‘Divines’
  – Netflix has purchased the rights to the movie “Divines” winner of the Caméra d’Or award at this year’s Cannes film festival. It’s a French drama about tough teen (Oulaya Amamra), who gets sucked into the world of drug dealers in a Paris ghetto. Divines comes to Netflix later this year in every market but France, where it won’t show up until 2019. Netflix also bought The Discovery, a new movie from writer-director Charlie McDowell that’s going to explore the consequences of an afterlife whose existence has been scientifically proven. Coming next year.

Under Surveillance

• Narcos will return to Netflix on September 2nd
• Brian: Preacher (ep 2, 3), Game of Thrones (608), Voltron (101, 102, 103), Justified (209)
• Tom: Preacher, Game of Thrones (608), Archer, Voltron: Legendary Defender (101), Silicon Valley, Warcraft
• Kristi: Pan (movie), Game of Thrones (607), Gilmore Girls, Warcraft
• Mulangot: Person of Interest, Warcraft, Game of Thrones, Preacher, Scrubs
• On the Lookout: Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix. 11 episodes available now.

Dispatches from the Front

Here’s a Venn diagram about Marvel movie rights.

– Alan

I was listening to your discussion about Apple/Amazon… I’m an Android fan boy, I won’t buy anything on Amazon Prime Video until I have a Prime Video app for Android tablets, or they implement Googlecast support. If the 30 percent cut to Apple is whats keeping Amazon from creating an Apple TV app, what could possibly be the reason to keep Prime Video off Android? I have a feeling its the inflexibility of Amazon at this point? Is there something I’m missing?

–  Scott

• Amazon Prime Instant Video finally comes to Android tablets

 

 

What about the possibility of Apple buying Hulu? I would say that Hulu qualifies as a, “…service such as Netflix.” Netflix has been up for sale in the past. Apple might see Hulu’s messy business model as an opportunity that they can fix, rebrand as Apple and get a lot more out of it than Hulu would currently cost. The acquisition might also give Apple some expertise as to how to run a video streaming service. Buying Hulu may even improve their business relationships with movie and television providers.

…Do you think Apple may acquire Hulu? Do you think it would be good or bad for Apple, Hulu or both?

– Bill near Athens, Georgia

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

2016 Summer Movie Draft