Consumer Electronics Daily News

Watch Disney, Pixar, And Marvel Movies With Disney Movies Anywhere

The Walt Disney Studios today unveiled its exclusive cloud-based digital movie service, Disney Movies Anywhere. This all-new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Web experience enables consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and watch movies from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel at home and on the go. iTunes is the premier digital movie provider for Disney Movies Anywhere.

The debut of Disney Movies Anywhere coincides with the digital release of Disney's hit film "Frozen" and features Disney's library of over 400 active digital titles. In addition, for a limited time, Disney Movies Anywhere users who activate and connect their Disney Movies Anywhere account to their iTunes account will receive a free digital copy of Disney•Pixar's animated classic "The Incredibles."

"Disney Movies Anywhere offers an exceptional consumer experience built around some of the most beloved and popular entertainment brands in the world," said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. "This unique technology underscores Disney's commitment to meeting our consumers where they are with the content they want, and we're thrilled to debut with iTunes, the  number-one digital media retailer in the world."

With an easy-to-use interface, consumers can explore live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel; watch exclusive content and bonus features; preview upcoming offerings; and more. Users can simply connect their iTunes account to their Disney Movies Anywhere account to begin populating their Disney digital movie locker and watch movies online and on their devices. Featuring simultaneous access on multiple devices, Disney Movies Anywhere enables consumers to stream and download Disney movies on their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Apple TV (through iCloud or using AirPlay). In addition, Disney Movies Anywhere functions as a streaming movie service when users log in to the website on their desktop or laptop computers (Mac or PC).

Since 2008, Disney has included codes in select DVD and Blu-ray products redeemable for digital copies of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel films. Users can now redeem these codes through Disney Movies Anywhere, and Digital Copy titles previously redeemed in Disney Movie Rewards or via iTunes will automatically be active in both Disney Movies Anywhere and iTunes once a user logs into Disney Movies Anywhere and connects their iTunes account. Additionally, for the first time, consumers can now earn Disney Movie Rewards points for their digital purchases through Disney Movies Anywhere going forward.

Disney Movies Anywhere's functionality is built upon Disney's proprietary digital rights locker, KeyChest.

The Disney Movies Anywhere App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.appstore.com/disney. Sign up is also available through the Disney Movies Anywhere website.

Faster SD Cards Support 4K2K Video

The SD Association today announced a new high-performance option and symbol specifically designed to support a wide array of 4K2K television and video products. A new Ultra High Speed (UHS) Speed Class 3 (U3) symbol will indicate products capable of recording 4K2K video and will operate exclusively on SDXC UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards and devices and SDHC UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards and devices.

The UHS Speed Class 3 defines a sizzling fast 30 Megabytes per second constant minimum write speed to ensure high-quality video recordings. This means 4K2K video, live broadcasts and content can be recorded on high-performance cameras such as Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR),  Digital Single Lens Mirrorless (D-SLM), camcorders and video cameras and then played back smoothly. Consumers will benefit from a single card that is capable of meeting all of their video, photo, music, document and data storage needs.

"The world's favorite SD memory card continues to evolve and meet shifting industry needs," said Brian Kumagai, president of the SD Association. "Our new UHS Speed Class 3 standard will give consumers and businesses more flexibility and capability as the market shifts to 4K2K video formats. Both SDXC and SDHC memory card standards already offer the massive storage needed to support 4K2k video with enough room to store photos, music, documents and other data on a single portable card."

New devices offering the UHS Speed Class 3 will be backwards compatible and will work with existing SD memory cards. The SD Association continually meets the challenge of providing a comprehensive menu of standards to meet the needs of a wide variety of devices with different capabilities. Selected features are marked with performance symbols that appear on products to help users identify feature functionality.

UHS Bus Symbols:

UHS-I and UHS-II symbols indicate bus interface for data transfer. UHS Speed Class symbols, such as U1 and U3, indicate minimum write speeds for real-time video recording.

UHS- I bus speed makes the massive storage found on SDXC and SDHC memory cards manageable and even more portable. This symbol is used on SDXC and SDHC products capable of supporting data transfer speeds between the memory card and the device of up to 104 Megabytes per second. Users should pair their devices with memory cards having the same symbol for optimum performance.

UHS-II bus speed makes the massive storage found on SDXC and SDHC manageable and even more portable. This symbol is found on SDXC and SDHC products capable of supporting data transfer speeds between the memory card and the device of up to 312 Megabytes per second. Users should pair their devices with memory cards having the same symbol for optimum performance.

UHS Speed Class Symbols:

UHS Speed Class symbols are found on SDXC and SDHC products with either UHS- I or UHS-II symbols. The U1 denotes a 10 Megabytes per second minimum write speed, and U3 denotes 30 Megabytes per second minimum write speed. Users will achieve optimum video recording performance by pairing their devices with the appropriate SDXC or SDHC memory cards with the same marks.

Legacy Speed Class Symbols:

The existing Speed Class symbols for non-UHS SD bus mode (this includes non-UHS bus mode operation of UHS memory cards) are Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10. They refer to the minimum write speed performance of the memory card for video recording. The symbols are found on SD, SDHC or SDXC memory cards and devices.

Learn more about these speed classes by visiting www.sdcard.org/consumers/speed/speed_class. The Association offers two videos showing best uses for the variety of SD memory cards available today; to view, visit www.sdcard.org/videos.  The Association also offers an online resource, www.sdcard.org/cardchoice, for users to explore the variety of SD memory card types for new and existing devices.

Kia Motors to Host NYC Pop-Up Concert as Lead-in to YouTube Music Awards

By Tara Neal and Paul Harris
Consumer Electronics Daily News Staff Writers

Kia Motors is hosting a pop-up music and comedy concert in New York City that will lead up to the first-ever YouTube Music Awards on November 2 and 3. The Kia Motors event will be held on November 2 and will be live-streamed on YouTube. Kia says that the concert, called “Soul Live,” will be featuring some of YouTube's biggest talents in addition to the 2014 Kia Soul.

"As a presenting sponsor of the YouTube Music Awards, Kia has the opportunity to tap into the world's largest online music destination and a new media property that aligns well with our brand's youthful spirit as well as our marketing pillars of music, pop culture and connected life," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, Kia Motors America. "The first-ever YouTube Music Awards will be a truly unique music experience, and our activities around the sponsorship, including the 'Soul-Live' event, are designed to engage and entertain music-loving audiences across the globe."

“I'm fitting this in between a housewarming and a Day of the Dead party,” said music superfan Abeer Abi-aad. “It's going to be huge. I'm really excited.” Streamed concert events at global venues around the world will start live-streaming at 5 a.m. ET on November 3, with a live awards ceremony held on New York City's Pier 36 and live-streamed on YouTube starting at 6 p.m. ET on November 3. Arcade Fire and Lindsey Stirling are among those who will be performing in the concert events.

Among the nominees for the YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year are PSY, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Rihanna. Artist of the Year nominees were based on total number of views, likes, shares, comments and subscribers for music videos posted on YouTube. Winners will be selected from online voting at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/youtube.

Fan Stephanie Tinnelly of Tucson, Ariz., will be rooting for Rihanna in that category. “The only one I like on the list is Rihanna,” she said. “I'm not a fan of the other artists, and I really enjoy most of her songs.”

Among those in the running for YouTube Breakthrough, which recognizes the biggest breakout acts on YouTube, based on artists with the highest growth in views and subscribers over the past year, are Passenger, Rudimental and Naughty Boy as well as Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Fans can vote on their favorite artists in six categories: Artist of the Year, YouTube Breakthrough, Response of the Year, YouTube Phenomenon, Innovation of the Year and Video of the Year, until the show starts. Visit www.youtube.com/musicawards to vote.

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Kia Soul urban unveiled for the YouTube Music Awards

Hammacher Schlemmer Introduces Wireless iPhone to TV Converter

Hammacher Schlemmer introduces The Wireless iPhone to TV Converter, a device that streams video or audio from a smartphone to an HDTV.

The wireless receiver simply plugs into a television's HDMI port, connects to a smartphone or tablet computer via Wi-Fi, and displays 1080p HD video or plays audio from the mobile device on the television screen.

"The Wireless iPhone to TV Converter allows large gatherings to watch iPhone videos of vacations or birthday parties on a high-definition television instead of the smartphone's 4" screen," explained Fred Berns, Hammacher Schlemmer's General Manager.

The Wireless iPhone to TV Converter uses the latest 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi standard for optimal wireless connection, it displays content in portrait or landscape modes, and for televisions that lack HDMI ports, the included MicroUSB cable enables wired connection to a larger screen.

The Wireless iPhone to TV Converter is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $99.95.

olloclip Unveils 4-IN-1 Lens for iPhone and iPod touch

olloclip takes mobile photography further with the new 4-IN-1 quick-connect lens, making it more fun to capture and share life's experiences with the iPhone and iPod touch.

The olloclip 4-IN-1 lens system, the latest in the company's line of simple, easy-to-use mobile photography tools, offers fisheye, wide-angle, and two macro (10x and 15x magnification) lenses in less than one ounce -- with enhanced optics and sleek new design -- all for $69.99 USD. See the simplicity and beauty of the 4-IN-1 lens in this video.

The four new quick-change lenses are similar to those available with larger DSLR cameras, yet fit easily in a pocket and palm of the hand. Simple, elegant and unobtrusive, the olloclip 4-IN-1 lens connects to the iPhone within seconds. With the fisheye and wide-angle lenses on opposite sides, selecting a lens is as simple as flipping the lens over. The macro lenses are cleverly revealed by unscrewing either the fisheye or wide-angle lens.

The olloclip 4-IN-1 lens works with all favorite apps in photo and video mode, making it easy for sports and travel enthusiasts, amateur and professional photographers to get exactly the shots and videos they want.

Building on the success of the original olloclip 3-in-1 lens, the olloclip 4-IN-1 lens solution is designed from aircraft-grade aluminum and precision-ground, coated glass optics -- but with the specific field-of-view, light-control and resolution characteristics of the iPhone 5s' eight-megapixel camera in mind. The wide-angle and fisheye lenses have been improved to deliver sharper images, edge to edge, with less lens distortion and enhanced clarity overall. Additionally, the 10x macro lens has a focus distance of about 18mm, allowing users to get more light on the subject (as compared to its predecessor, the 3-IN-1 olloclip lens) and allowing more depth of field so that more of the image is in focus.

"We wanted to enhance the new features of the iPhone 5s camera, including the five-element lens, autofocus matrix metering and dynamic local tone map that ensures more true-to-life color, while also complementing the iPhone's aesthetic look," said Patrick O'Neill, founder and president (CEO) of olloclip. "We believe we've succeeded in creating an elegant, pocket-size product that any iPhone user will be proud of and that any iPhone photographer will be inspired to use to create great art."

Record Smooth, Continuous 4K UltraHD Footage with Delkin Devices' New CF 1050X Cinema Card

Delkin Devices is proud to announce the newest addition to their extensive product line of CompactFlash memory cards, the CF 1050X UDMA 7 Cinema memory card. With improved read and write speeds, Delkin's 1050X Cinema card guarantees smooth, continuous recording and playback on DSLR cameras, especially ones that record in 4K.

Delkin's CF 1050X is a specialized cinema memory card that's designed to excel in high-end recording equipment, such as 4K cameras and digital backs. Capable of recording data at speeds up to 120 MB/s, the 1050X is our fastest card to date and is able to keep up with the most demanding digital cinematography requirements. "With Delkin's CF 1050X Cinema cards, filmmakers can confidently know that all of their footage will be captured in its entirety, without dropped frames," says Delkin Marketing Manager Anna Lopez

Canon EOS-1D C

The 1050X is approved to work in high-end cameras that support 4K UltraHD recording, such as Canon's EOS-1D C and C500; undergoing thorough testing to ensure compatibility and flawless performance. To record footage in 4K at 24fps, the Canon 1D C requires memory cards that are UDMA 7 and have a minimum write speed of 100 MB/s. Cards with a write speed less than 100 MB/s will either drop frames during filming or stop recording. The 1050X also works on digital file recorders, like AJA's Ki Pro Mini.

The CF 1050X Cinema card also helps improve user workflow by reducing the amount of time it takes to transfer files from card to computer. With a read speed of 160 MB/s, the 1050X saves time and allows you to work on other project-related tasks. As the file size for 4K footage is significantly larger than 1080p, our cards are built to transfer files quickly and efficiently, so that you can utilize your time to the fullest. No longer will you have to wait hours before you can start editing footage.

All of Delkin's memory cards are designed, engineered, and built in the U.S. and are covered under our Lifetime Warranty.

About Delkin Devices, Inc.

Delkin Devices' consumer group manufactures storage devices, such as memory cards and digital accessories, for the photography market.  Delkin has been in business since 1986 and has offices located in the U.S. and Europe. High resolution images and samples are available.

Snapchat Adapts App to the Samsung Galaxy Gear

There are 70 apps that are already compatible with the Samung Galaxy Gear smartwatch-- and Snapchat just joined the ranks. The App, called Snapchat Micro, lets users record snaps and send them to other users from their smartwatch. The Galaxy Gear features a 1.4 megapixel camera can also take 10-second 720p videos. It's almost as if the watch was designed to work seamlessly with Snapchat's 10-second video limit! 

The Snapchat Micro app has the same functions as Snapchat for iOS/Android: take a picture, choose a time limit, and select which friend(s) the image is being sent to. Captions and drawings are still possible, but you'll have to pull out your Galaxy Note to do so.

For screenshots of the Snapchat Micro app in action, check out Techcrunch.

Want to know more about some of the apps featured on the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch? Visit The Next Web for more info!

Sony Introduces World's First Curved Screen LED Television

Today Sony introduced the world's first curved screen LED television, model KDL-65S990A. Available in October at Sony Stores and select electronics retailers nationwide for $3,999.99, the KDL-65S990A provides an all-in-one cinematic experience for the home, combining a subtly curved visual panel with Sony's acclaimed TRILUMINOS® Display color system for accurate, deep, vibrant colors, and a powerful angled surround sound speaker system to complete the home theater like never before.

A new cinematic experience evolves in the living room
The unique curved screen of the Sony KDL-65S990A creates a new way for viewers to experience their favorite movies, sporting events, television programming and video games. The edge-to-edge curved construction is engineered to provide a greater sense of the picture's depth of feel, and allows for a wider viewing angle so there is not a bad seat in the house. 

Color has never been so real
The KDL-65S990A features TRILUMINOS® Display, a color technology unique to Sony, and creates incredibly true, natural shades of colors-- just the way directors, cinematographers and producers want viewers to see them. Hard-to-reproduce reds, greens and blues are displayed beautifully, so landscapes and seascapes look more vivid, richer and more intense. Faces look better, too, with satisfyingly natural skin tones. It's all thanks to a new-generation TV panel that makes colors pure and more distinct; giving images a heightened texture and a true, life-like feel to everything you watch.

Color, clarity and detail at their best
Sony's X-Reality™ PRO picture engine allows the KDL-65S990A to present stunning picture quality with a wide range of detail, whether viewers are watching movies on Blu-ray Disc, regular cable or satellite TV broadcasts, web videos or low-resolution smartphone clips. Sony's latest-generation processing engine analyzes, cleans and refines images, restoring beautiful results from any source with more natural detail, richer colors and high contrast. The latest Sony innovations in its Reality Creation database and Super Resolution processing optimize images for incredible detail and sharpness, in both 2D and 3D.

Precisely-angled surround sound powerfully rich and immersive
The KDL-65S990A contains Sony's powerful signal processing technologies which transform any audio source into surround sound. Additionally, the S990A features a 4-channel Multi-angle Live Speaker configuration that provides sound you might expect from a dedicated surround sound system, enhancing your viewing experience. A total of eight front facing speakers (six front and two surround) are angled in multiple directions for a surround sound experience that is superior to a conventional slim, "flat panel" TV.

The inward facing speakers are precisely angled to deliver specific sounds, such as voice dialogue, directly towards viewers while the outwards angled speakers push sound outwards to fill the room and wrap audiences with clear, full-range surround sound, powered by Sony's power signal processing S-Force Front Surround technology. This Multi-angle Live speaker construction also features dedicated tweeters to create smooth, rich, satisfying audio with little distortion.

PRNewswire

Streamrollin': Channel-Surfing in the Age of Streaming Media

Harris Interactive "Streaming" continues to be a major trend in Americans' constantly evolving television viewership habits. A 2012 Harris Poll found that a majority of Americans had watched TV shows via this method, and other polls since have explored its use as a way to watch programming on one's own schedule and the role of sports viewers as the rare exception to increasing reliance on streaming and other "delayed" viewership options.

But looking specifically at those watching videos through subscription services, what are viewing habits looking like inside the "stream?" Does the vast amount of content encourage subscribers to pick and choose? And does the rise of streaming mean the fall of channel surfing?

These are some of the questions The Harris Poll set out to answer, in a study of 2,242 U.S. adults surveyed online between June 17 and 22, 2013 by Harris Interactive. (Full results, including data tables, can be found here)

Are Subscription Streamers Sticking with their Selections?

Over a third of Americans (35 percent) qualify as "subscription streamers," indicating that they sometimes or often watch streaming videos through a subscription service; an additional 12 percent say they rarely do so. 

The majority of subscription streamers (56 percent) indicate that when watching streaming video through a subscription service, they either "dip their foot in" (meaning they give it a few minutes to catch their interest – 24 percent) or "quarterstream" (meaning they give it until about a quarter of the way through to do so – 32 percent). An additional 11 percent give it until "midstream" (or about halfway through), while one-third (33 percent) go "full stream ahead" (committing, once they start, to watching the whole thing).

When asked to reflect on their viewing habits by agreeing or disagreeing with a series of statements, seven in ten subscription streamers (70 percent) fess up to being very picky about what they watch through a subscription streaming service. Majorities also agree that checking out the beginnings of several videos on such a service is "the new channel surfing" (59 percent) and that when streaming through a subscription service, a video needs to wow them quick or they'll find something else (56 percent). One-third (32 percent) will watch just about anything on such a service, and two in ten (20 percent) think they might have "SADD – Streaming Attention Deficit Disorder."

To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit the Harris Poll News Room.

Want Harris Polls delivered direct to your inbox? Click here!

Ubuntu Edge's Indiegogo Campaign a Flop

by Hannah Hollins

Canonical, creators of the Ubuntu Edge, the smartphone designed to run as its own linux-based computer, has failed to reach its ambitious $32 million campaign goal on Indiegogo. Since its July 22 start date, the campaign managed to fund $12,812,776, which is no small feat-- the highest grossing (and successful) campaign on Kickstarter, the Pebble watch, funded just over $10.2 million. However, Pebble didn't set the bar high-- their initial goal was a mere $100,000. This inspires interesting debate on the capabilities of crowdfunding. How does a startup or company find the right medium between a successful pitch and a reasonable goal?

The market was excited to see the Ubuntu Edge become a reality, but not $32 million excited. Would the Ubuntu Edge have succeeded if their goal was $10 million? $12 million? Yes. There were enthusiastic backers: Bloomberg purchased the top-tier, $80,000 bundle, which included 115 Ubuntu Edge smartphones and a free month of tech support and classes. 8 supporters gave $10,000 for one of the first 50 Ubuntu Edge phones to roll off the factory belt. Even when the supporter donation price for an Ubuntu Edge was dropped from $830 to $635, it sold a few more units, but no offer could motivate three times that number of backers to jump on the campaign.

Canonical justified their lofty goal by noting on their indiegogo campaign, "between design, certification and manufacture, the costs of building a new phone are huge -- but the more we produce, the lower the final cost of each handset. Setting such an ambitious target means a more competitive price per device." However, if there were backers willing to initially pay $830 initially for an Ubuntu Edge, it's clear that having a competitive price wasn't necessarily the deal maker. The Ubuntu Edge was something that would have been initially a niche market item, regardless of its price. People unfamiliar to the capabilities of Ubuntu likely would not spring for this phone, when placed next to an iPhone or other Android-based smartphone. The backers most enthusiastic about the Ubuntu Edge were developers and excited techies who prefer linux-based everything. Managing to hail the Ubuntu Edge to the worldwide market while making it affordable and accessible to everyone should not have been Canonical's initial goal.

With Canonical falling $20 million short of their goal, this event will be a lesson for other entrepreneurs trying to launch a large-scale project. Realizing a product in small batches and putting the product on the worldwide market are two entirely different steps. Aim for the first and the second wave of success will roll in easily over the first.