televisions

The Online TV Player is a program that accesses online TV and radio from around the world and streams it on your computer.

This program has a very simple layout and there really isn't much to it. You simply go through the lists of online TV and radio from whichever country you want, and select one to watch. It does require you to have certain additional programs like RealPlayer and Windows Media Player in order to play a number of the TV channels. We didn't have RealPlayer, but even the channels that did not require this would not … Read more

"Battlestar Galactica" fans, rejoice.

Amazon said today that it has struck an expanded content licensing deal with NBCUniversal and New Media Distribution, increasing its offerings by hundreds of TV episodes to Prime Instant Video users.

Subscribers can now watch back episodes of "Parks and Recreation," "Parenthood," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes" -- and of course, "Battlestar Galactica" -- through the service.

Amazon's Brad Beale said the retail giant will "continue to invest heavily in our content selection for Prime members."

Prime Instant Video has more than … Read more

Sony plans to introduce a super-sized 84-inch LCD television during IFA 2012, Europe's major consumer electronics show, a source told CNET.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNET that the upcoming 84-inch TV can display a massive 3,840x2,160 resolution (four times the number of pixels in a conventional 1080p set), also known in the industry as 4K. We learned that the 84-inch Sony TV features a side-lit LCD panel (think thin) and removable speakers. In terms of design, our source describes the aesthetics as a reimagined retro-style appearance with a modern twist. … Read more

Televisions were once a reprieve from the online world. Now they're turning into just another way to stay connected.

In a new study published today, research firm NPD revealed that 18 percent of consumers across 14 countries, including the U.S. and U.K., access Web-based services and media from their televisions. That figure includes both people connecting to the Web from their televisions, as well as through set-top boxes hooked up to their sets.

NPD found that 25 percent of consumers who view online services from their televisions do so "several times a week."

Vendors have … Read more

Sharp is in desperate need of some cash. And it's trying to find any opportunity to raise some.

The company is considering selling two TV assembly plants in Mexico and China, The Wall Street Journal reported today, citing sources. The company is considering selling the plants to manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry -- better known as Foxconn -- or to a joint venture called Sharp Display Products Corp. run by Sharp and Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou, according to the Journal.

If Sharp sells the facilities, the company would shed 3,000 employees from its workforce, helping it to … Read more

Today, technology giant Microsoft and Chinese Internet service provider PPTV signed a partnership deal that will bring a new Web TV service to Microsoft's Windows Azure platform.

The deal, Microsoft's first cloud-based collaboration with a local Chinese new media company, will see PPTV's Asia TV Networks (ATN) launched using Azure as its core infrastructure, while the two companies have also agreed to explore further opportunities to work together in online TV and other areas.

ATN is intended as a "local showcase" for subscription online television, according to PPTV. Content can be uploaded by global content … Read more

One hour north of Los Angeles in a town called Santa Clarita is a nondescript studio location where showbiz magic is quietly being made. From the road, it looks like a series of warehouses but inside it houses the spectacular set and production facilities for the new CBS show "Vegas," starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis.

I took a drive up there this week and was knocked out by the look, the detail, and the scope of it all. Not only does it house a set for the fictional Savoy Casino Hotel -- the central setting of the … Read more

International Apple TV owners are complaining that they have been blocked from Hulu Plus.

According to The Next Web, which has obtained images of an error message displayed when users try to stream a show or film from Hulu Plus, those with an Apple TV and U.S. iTunes account are able to browse Hulu's selection of titles. Upon choosing one of those titles, however, a "Geo Restriction" pops up, telling them they cannot access the particular video.

"We're sorry. Currently our video library can only be streamed within the United States," the message … Read more

We send 300 billion e-mails, 200 million tweets, and 2.5 billion text messages through our digital networks every day, according to a report originally published in The Economist. In this crazy information age where there's no lack of data vying for people's attention, a picture really does say 1,000 words or 1,000 tweets!

And when it's good, it penetrates people's brains so they remember it. That's the key in the entertainment marketing business.

At CBS, we just unveiled our "key art" for the new season shows. "Key art" … Read more