A new pair of glasses from Lumus won’t help you capture any precious moments, but it will help you get your discreet HBO fix. Unlike most video headgear, these marvels will let you peer past their lens-projected view screens, opening the door to an augmented reality that doesn’t rely on miniature displays. The lenses create an 87-inch virtual screen viewed from 10 feet that is only experienced by the individual wearing the headgear, onlookers will only see a pair of odd spectacles. 1080p buffs won’t be pleased to know that the this set of specs can only do 720p, but the Israeli company has said that a full-HD flavor is in the works. The bifocals won’t be hitting retail shelves anytime soon, but we’ll be sure to take them for a spin during CES next month. Hit the video after the break, which includes visuals of an earlier prototype in action.

Continue reading Lumus teases 720p video glasses, takes transparency to a new level (video)

Lumus teases 720p video glasses, takes transparency to a new level (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s new dashboard for the Xbox 360 is close at hand (read our full review for the details) but not all of the video partners that were announced for the new Kinect-centric experience will be launching alongside it. As of launch December 6th the list will look basically the same as it does now, with Epix joining options like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Sky Go. Later on in the month more new providers like Crackle, Dailymotion, Rogers On Demand, Vudu, and Verizon FiOS TV will filter in, while the UFC app is timed to launch December 20th. Finally, a few highly anticipated additions including MLB.tv, HBO Go and Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand are among those slated for arrival in “early 2012″. Check after the break for the complete list, we’ll let you know about more specific launch dates as they become available.

Continue reading Xbox 360′s new video services won’t all launch right away; Comcast, Verizon, and HBO Go delayed

Xbox 360′s new video services won’t all launch right away; Comcast, Verizon, and HBO Go delayed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t think Roku is sitting back on its laurels after rolling out a slew of new hardware including the Roku 2 family and the new, low end Roku LT. As promised, it has issued a firmware update enabling new gaming options including Pac Man:CE, Galaga, and Angry Birds Seasons. Even if you’re committed to Roku’s hockey pucks as purely video streamers, there’s a new firmware update to correct, among other things, issues that caused a darker than normal image on some displays, WiFi performance, boot performance, readiness for HBO Go, and subtitles on Netflix. Check out Roku’s blog for the full list of fixes or just hit the software update section in your settings menu to make sure you have the latest software.

Roku adds more games, cleans up the PQ on its latest streamers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warner Bros. has confirmed it will no longer be beholden to rights that would see its movies disappear from streaming sites while those titles are available on HBO and its HBO Go web and mobile applications. The closing of this so-called “HBO window” could go a long way toward making digital ownership of UltraViolet titles more appealing to consumers.

UltraViolet hopes to make digital ownership of movies more attractive, by allowing consumers to buy a title once and access it anywhere or on any device. One of the big questions revolving around the impending launch of UltraViolet streaming video services was whether or not studios would have to deal with the rights window, during which HBO has exclusive access to those titles online. Until recently, that meant movies purchased online couldn’t be accessed while HBO had pay TV rights to that content.

On a press briefing Monday afternoon ahead of the launch of the first UltraViolet-enabled title, Horrible Bosses, Warner Home Entertainment execs said that its movies won’t be subject to the HBO window. As a result, anyone who purchases a Warner Bros. DVD or Blu-ray disc won’t have to worry about losing access to the movie online or being blacked out once HBO gets ahold of it.

That doesn’t mean that HBO’s other studio partners — 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures — aren’t still subject to the same restrictions. Warner Bros. execs wouldn’t comment on where its competitors stood with regards to whether or not HBO had streaming exclusive rights to their movies when they enter the pay TV window. Of course, Warner Bros. and HBO are both part of media conglomerate Time Warner, so their interests are more likely aligned than HBO would be with other studios.

The news that HBO has restructured its deal to allow Warner customers to stream its movies whenever comes at the same time that it is making a big digital push of its own. The premium cable network is making all its movies and original TV series available online, on mobile devices and on connected TV platforms through its HBO Go initiative. Part of Time Warner’s broader TV Everywhere push, HBO Go gives users the ability to access on-demand content as long as they prove that they’re cable subscribers.

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Just as the rumors indicated, Microsoft is bringing video from a number of providers beyond the ones it initially announced to the Xbox 360 in its fall update, including big guns like Verizon and Comcast. While Verizon is promising “a selection” of its live TV channels on the Xbox 360, as we’d expected Comcast is only bringing its Xfinity TV video on-demand offerings (no AnyPlay powered live TV — yet) for subscribers when it launches “in the coming months”. Other notables on the list include Lovefilm and BBC TV streaming in the UK, HBO Go, and Syfy. As promised during E3, the services integrated with Xbox will offer support for search across whatever video is available, no matter where, as well as support for Kinect voice and gesture controls. The universal search is promising, as it pulls together various services in one UI as we discussed on the podcast yesterday, but the reality is content providers and geographical limits on what services you can pick from are still throwing up walls. Check after the break for press releases from Microsoft, Comcast, and Verizon detailing what you’ll be able to access and where, as well as a video introduction to the new services.

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Continue reading Microsoft reveals new TV providers including Verizon and Comcast coming to Xbox 360 (video)

Microsoft reveals new TV providers including Verizon and Comcast coming to Xbox 360 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a fan of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, you’ll probably want to tune in to PBS’ new Prohibition-era doc — on your iOS device. That’s right, the federally-funded public station’s hip to our digital distributing times, and is giving an early access viewing window to users of its PBS app across Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The high-brow art’ll get its stream on September 23rd, with the full series to air on broadcast from October 2nd through the 4th. While the doc’s two subsequent episodes will also stream live day and date on PBS’ video hub, your mobile apps won’t get the visual goods until the day after air. Of course, if that bevy of options doesn’t jive with your busy schedule, you can always download the show direct from PBS or iTunes. Official PR awaits you after the break.

Continue reading PBS screens the cultural eye-candy early to Apple devices, ushers iOS users past the public velvet rope

PBS screens the cultural eye-candy early to Apple devices, ushers iOS users past the public velvet rope originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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