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Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos made an interesting note during yesterday's earnings conference call, saying the company is open to having Netflix's original content available via Sean Parker's "The Screening Room" rental service.

The service (which has never been confirmed), would allow users to rent films that are currently in theaters for $50, allowing families and friends to watch new movies from the comfort of their homes.

"We wouldn't mind having our films available on that product," Sarandos said. "To me, it would be a great way to get content to consumers, if they want to pay for it."

The Screening Room is a very interesting concept, albeit controversial for the very traditional film industry. In concept, you pay $150 upfront for a specialized set-top box, and then $50 per 48-hour rental. For the price you will also reportedly get 2 tickets to see the film in theaters, thus keeping the theater chains and distributors happy, as well.

Of course, the expectation is that Netflix will not charge $50 to rent their films, especially since you can sign up for a month for $9.99 and get unlimited access to the same movie and hundreds of others.

Source:
BI

According to a report, Sony's new PS4.5, codenamed 'Neo', will feature support for 4K output and improve the CPU, GPU and RAM.

Specifically, the Neo will also have a CPU with 8 Jaguar Cores but clocked at 2.1 GHz, compared to the original PS4. It also features an Improved GPU: AMD GCN, 36 CUs at 911 MHz. Like the original, it will pack 8 GB GDDR5 RAM, but will kick up to 218 GB/s from 176 GB/s.

The specs come from Giant Bomb, cited from documents obtained by the site.

Owners of PS4s should be happy that Sony will require that all games run on both the original and Neo hardware, although of course they will run better on the Neo. Older games can also be patched to take advantage of the upgraded specs too, perhaps pushing up the framerate.

Developers also won't be permitted to offer exclusive options or unlockables for Neo owners.

The documents don't provide a release schedule for the upgraded hardware, but do state that all games shipping in October or later will need to support the Neo.

Music firms in Australia are appealing to the Federal Court to enforce a blockade against KickassTorrents, one of the most popular torrent websites in the world.

Legislation enacted in the region last summer allows copyright holders to appeal to the Federal Court to order to the blocking of infringing websites at the ISP level. This move is being made by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Australasian collecting society APRA AMCOS, demanding that KickassTorrents be blocked in the country.

Among the member labels cited are the usual suspects, including Universal, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and so on.

"Online infringement continues to be a major threat to the sustainability of the Australian music industry. Illegal offshore sites like Kickass Torrents show a complete disrespect for music creators and the value of music," said Jenny Morris OAM, Chair of the APRA Board.

"Australian music fans already have access – for free if they choose – to the world's repertoire of music via more than 20 legitimate licensed online music services. Blocking access to sites like Kickass Torrents is all about supporting those services and allowing the writers whose songs are available on them to be paid for their work."

Amazon Prime Video will be available as a stand-alone monthly subscription service in a bid to capture more of the streaming video market.

As it stands, members of Amazon's Prime subscription service pay $99 per year. Amazon will also offer a monthly $10.99 subscription to Prime, while offering Amazon Prime Video standalone for $8.99 per month. Analysts see the change as a threat to rival Netflix.

"Amazon certainly has the brand name, the customer relationships, and the focus on high-quality consumer experiences to impact the growth in Netflix's U.S. subscriber base," RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a note.

The Authors Guild copyright law case against Google Books will not be examined by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A group of authors filed a lawsuit against Google over a decade ago in response to its planned service. Google Books makes it easy for consumers to search through the contents of millions of books that have been scanned by Google over the years, and display excerpts from books that match the queries.

In 2013, a court dismissed the authors' case against Google and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also found no fault with Google's practices in this regard.

Google argues that the service does not allow users to read any substantial portion of a book, but instead only returns excerpts from books and even lets them know where they can buy a copy. This, according to Google, makes it simpler for readers to rediscover works or to discover entirely new books they have never read.

To date, Google has scanned more than 20 million books, according to the Reuters news agency.

Peter Mensch, who has managed many huge acts including Metallica, Muse, Snow Patrol and more, described YouTube as 'the devil' to BBC Radio Four.

Mensch argued on the programme that the model offered by YouTube to artists (placing ads around their music content) was unsustainable. "If someone doesn't do something about YouTube, we're screwed," he said. "It's over. Someone turn off the lights."

His comments channel the findings of an IFPI report which warned about a widening value gap between the volume of music consumed on YouTube, SoundCloud and other user-upload services, and the amount of revenue generated as a result. Specifically, it it estimated that 900 million consumers on those sites generated around $634 million for the music industry last year, whereas 68 million subscribers of paid services generated around $2 billion.

Defending itself, YouTube says it has paid out over $3 billion to the music industry, though it didn't provide a timeframe. YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl responded to Peter Mensch's comments by citing agreements artists have with record companies, and how their income compares to those who are signed up directly with YouTube and paid directly.

YouTube has introduced 360-degree live streaming video support, and support for spatial audio as it aims to make its services more immersive for viewers.

YouTube introduced support for 360-degree videos over a year ago, but now it is upping its game with support for live streaming too. This year's Coachella music festival will serve as a kind of example of what can be accomplished, when YouTube will live stream select artist performances in 360 degrees this weekend.

In addition, YouTube is also supporting spatial audio for on-demand YouTube videos, adding depth, distance and intensity to audio to deliver a better experience. If you are using an Android device, you can check this out yourself using this playlist.

A YouTube blog post reads: "Students can now experience news events in the classroom as they unfold. Travelers can experience faraway sites and explorers can deep-sea dive, all without the physical constraints of the real world. And today's kids dreaming of going to a basketball game or a concert can access those experiences firsthand, even if they're far away from the court. What were once limited experiences are now available to anyone, anywhere, at any time."

RuuviTag is a low power, compact Bluetooth beacon solution that can monitor its surroundings in various ways, that can be implemented to other devices and projects due to its open development.

Aside from being just a standard proximity beacon, it can also monitor temperature, humidity, air pressure and acceleration, and can be easily adjusted to cover different kinds of needs without programming or electronic knowledge. The device can operate for several years on a single coin battery.

Flashing the device doesn't require wires, however all the necessary pins and buses are still available for serious evaluation. You can check out the hardware GitHub repository for more information.

The device could potentially be used for a large number of things, such as to monitor weather or even as a device to warn you when something is moved, such as a bicycle.

The project is heading to KickStarter soon, but more information (including technical specs) can be found at ruuvitag.com

According to new reports, Verizon seems to be leading the way in their efforts to acquire Yahoo after a few prominent suitors dropped out of the bidding.

Among those who have dropped out are Time, Alphabet, Comcast, AT&T and IAC, leaving very few companies left with any interest in the struggling web pioneer.

Verizon has been focusing on video services and online advertising of late, even purchasing AOL for $4.4 billion last year to give themselves a foundation in the digital media business. Yahoo would be a logical acquisition although the price they pay certainly matters.

There have been estimates that Yahoo's core assets could be worth up to $8 billion in an auction while others have claimed the assets are really worth closer to $1 billion given the dysfunction of the businesses and sharply dropping profits and revenue. Yahoo executives have also failed to give solid business plans, which is said to have frustrated potential buyers. CEO Marissa Mayer has also been accused of stifling the sale process.

Earlier today, crafty fans noticed that Siri was "leaking" the dates for the upcoming WWDC, and later in the day Apple confirmed.

The event will run from June 13th through the 17th in San Francisco and fans will need to apply for tickets like they do every year and hope to get lucky via the lottery system. Ticket applications begin on Friday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m. If you are selected, Apple will charge $1599 to your Apple ID account.

As with most years, Apple is expected to launch the latest iOS, OS X and throw in a couple of surprises (likely the new MacBooks). Apple is also expected to show off more about upcoming changes to watchOS and tvOS.

"With four innovative operating systems and a new, intuitive programming language powering over 1 billion devices worldwide, there has never been a more exciting time to bring our developer community together," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "WWDC 2016 is going to be a landmark event for developers who are coding in Swift, and building apps and products for iOS, OS X, watchOS and tvOS. We can't wait for everyone to join us -- in San Francisco or through the live stream."

Check the official site here: Apple

Google has officially brought podcasts to their Google Play Music streaming service.

Says Google: "People love podcasts. In fact, these days, there are so many podcasts to choose from, it can be hard to pick which one to listen to at any given time. That's where Google Play Music comes in. Google Play Music already gives you the right kind of music for the right moment--whether you want to have fun at work, prepare for a dance party, or just need to focus--and now, that includes podcasts."

Podcasts are available on Android devices in North America, and the pods will be curated for you through how you're feeling or what you're interested in. "Similar to our contextual playlists for music, we want to make it easy to find the right podcast--whether you're a podcast aficionado or listening for the first time," adds Google.

Electronics giant Sony announced this week that following two major earthquakes their image sensor factory will remain closed indefinitely.

In addition, a second image sensor plant will be partially suspended as the company assesses the damage.

"We are not expecting any immediate supply disruption as we have some inventories right now," a Sony spokesman added. "We will make an announcement promptly if any supply issues emerge."

Sony owns about 40 percent of the CMOS image sensor market and one of its largest customers is Apple, although Apple does not expect to have any supply constraints either.

Google says Android N will soon add support for pressure-sensitive touch (similar to 3D Touch on iOS).

The company says manufacturers asked them to add the support to the operating system, likely so the many OEMs would not have to address that individually.

For the time being there are no companies that have confirmed 3D Touch abilities for their Android phones moving forward, but Android N is still very early in the developer feedback stage. It will be interesting to see what happens moving forward.

Two years ago, Verizon acquired what was left of Intel's failed OnCue IPTV service and it appears they are now on the verge of launching a set-top box built on Intel's foundations.

The telecom giant has filed documents with the U.S. FCC to get approval for the box, and the documents specifically mention OnCue, and the codename for their set-top, "Mallard."

As has been reported in the past, the new device will offer pay-TV services and a brand new interface unlike that seen in Verizon's current Fios service. The set-top box will also give access to online video services although it is unclear if that includes the big services like Netflix and Hulu.

Sources claim Verizon has mandated its team to ship the box and the service by the end of the year, with testing for some subscribers starting over the summer.

Doom's multiplayer open beta is ready for the weekend.

The beta has been available for download for the last few days and is now playable. You get access to two maps and team deathmatch and warpath modes.

Fans will get to use the plasma rifle, shotguns, lightning guns, the Gauss Cannon and rocket launchers. You can also play as a demon.

If you want some gaming excitement for the weekend, Doom is live for the PS4, Xbox One and Steam.