Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe

Europeans who have been pining for a (nother) way to bring Spotify into their living rooms can rest easy, now that Samsung is on the case. The pair have teamed up to bring 18 million tracks to Sammy's 2012 E-Series Smart TVs with a new app designed for the platform. The software will arrive later this year, with existing Premium users finding their playlists already syncing, while those new to the service will be offered a short free trial to coax them into signing up. If you've yet to make an investment in one of the displays, the company is also planning to add the functionality onto its Blu-Ray players and Home Theater systems in short order.

[Source: Engadget]

Sky+ launches 7-day Catch Up TV, 2TB HD DVRs and adds zeebox extras to its iPad app

Sky+ in the UK has bundled several updates to deliver all at once, including expected ones like zeebox integration into its iPad app and an expanded Catch Up TV lineup, plus a new 2TB Sky+ HD DVR. Viewers will notice the new 7-day Catch Up TV section in their video on-demand section stocked with shows from Sky, ITV Player and Demand 5, with BBC iPlayer arriving this fall and 4oD next year. The Sky+ iPad app has been updated to v4.1 with a notification for possible recording conflicts plus expanded content info and social tie-ins powered by zeebox. Now, you can not only change channels from the tablet, but also find out more about what's playing. Finally, the new expanded size DVR outpaces the stock configuration available from competitor Virgin Media, and we're told it is priced the same as the previous 1TB offering. Check after the break for a press release with all the details, the gallery for screenshots and a look at the DVR or hit iTunes to grab the updated app right now.

[Source: Engadget]

LG's 84-inch 4K ultra high definition TV goes on sale in the US next month for $19,999

LG said it would release its 84-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,160, or four times the resolution of your current HDTV) UHDTV outside Korea this month and the company confirmed shipments would be on the way during an event at CEDIA 2012 before also announcing an MSRP of $19,999. According to LG the first units will begin shipping this month, with limited availability through the usual high-end sources slated for October. Just as we'd heard, the 84LM9600 includes LG's passive glasses Cinema 3D technology plus all the Smart TV, WiDi, dual-core L9 processor, 2.2 channel speakers and Magic Remote bells and whistles it can muster.

Of course, even $20k currently doesn't buy a large selection of publicly available 4K content, although LG was displaying the unit with standard 1080p content to demonstrate its "Resolution Upscaler Plus" capabilities. The 1080p video we watched was sharp and clear on the big LED backlit set, although there was a bit of glare from the lights in the room -- not atypical for demo setups that aren't exactly like most living rooms. In just a few weeks well-heeled consumers will be able to choose between this and the slightly pricier Sony 84-inch 4K TV, with more competition on the way soon. Also an option: a decently equipped 2013 Ford Focus. Check the press release after the break for all the details, we'll be checking Mark Cuban's couch cushions for spare change.

[Source: Engadget]

TV Catchup for Android arrives on Google Play

TVCatchup, our favorite and most-used TV-watching service has brought its app over to Android. The service, which we've found to be much more reliable than the BBC's live streams on our flaky connection, lets you watch nearly 60 free-to-air channels available in the UK. The ad-supported app is available for free on Google Play right now -- as long as you've paid your license fee, folks.

[Source: Engadget]

Freesat launches its smart new TV guide called

Freesat, the UK’s free-to-air digital satellite television provider, today launches a new smart on-screen TV guide, available in its next generation Freesat+ boxes.

Called <free time> the service offers new features in a single, simple and easy to use guide:

• A backwards TV guide letting you turn back time and watch programmes that have already been on, but you may have missed
• An ‘at a glance’ Now & Next view to show what’s on the minute you sit down
• A new Showcase section that offers recommendations on programmes to watch tonight, in the coming week and on demand
• On Demand TV from BBC iPlayer and ITV Player with 4OD and Demand 5 launching before Christmas
• Improved recordings that make it even easier to record TV at a touch of a button and find episodes automatically filed into series – just like a DVD boxset

The next generation Freesat+ boxes join the existing range of Freesat digital satellite HD boxes and integrated HDTVs and will be available to buy from John Lewis, Currys, Comet and other retailers and online later this month. Set top box manufacturer Humax is producing the first new box with <free time> and will be priced at £279. Boxes from Sagemcom, Philips and Manhattan will follow.

Connecting the box to home broadband will power the backward TV guide, give access to On Demand and the full Showcase. Freesat is also planning to launch additional movie and music services in the future.

Developed using widely adopted European open standards for hybrid TV including elements of OIPF, HbbTV and HTML 5 browser technology, <free time> will offer additional services and features in the future, including a companion app for smartphones and tablets to create remote control and remote record capability away from the traditional remote.

Emma Scott, Managing Director of Freesat said: “TV is a simple pleasure that technology can make even better, not more complicated. Our new boxes with <free time> give satellite viewers everything they get with freesat today and so much more in a single, simple and easy to use on screen guide. We want to help viewers find something great to watch the minute they sit down, so they can spend less time searching and more time watching the TV they love.”

“Having now exceeded 2.6m Freesat sales we’re thrilled to be launching <free time> today and offer satellite homes more quality, choice and value without a subscription.”  [Advertorial]

LG announces 27-inch Personal Smart TV ahead of IFA

No room in your apartment for LG's upcoming 84-inch monster? Don't worry, the Korean outfit has something in your size, as well. The company's TM2792 promises the same Cinema 3D passive glasses technology as its big brother in a more compact 27-inch frame. The tube also promises to play nice with your other devices, featuring a MHL and WiDi for screen and content sharing. No word on pricing yet, but LG says the Personal Smart TV should land in European markets this September. Hit the break for the official press release, or sit tight: LG is bound to reveal more at the TV's official IFA debut.

[Source: Engadget]

TV Guide Mobile relaunches for iOS with a new look, links to streaming video and social networks

We've already seen many companion apps on mobile, but now TV Guide is diving in wholeheartedly with the next generation of its app for iOS devices. While the previous versions of TV Guide Mobile on iOS and Android let users create watchlists and get reminders, version 3.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is completely redesigned to make TV watching simpler with filtering for HD-only and favorite channels, links to streaming videos from sources like Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Crackle and iTunes -- Netflix and Amazon are not on the list, although additional video sources are promised in the coming weeks. Like any good companion app in 2012 it also brings social networking features with check-ins and Twitter / Facebook integration and a trending social hot list based on what other users search for.

The downside compared to many of the apps from cable providers like Comcast or Time Warner, hardware manufacturers like TiVo or even other third parties like Dijit is the inability to use it to directly change the channel, but perhaps that's in the next version. There's more details in the press release after the break, and screens in the gallery below, if you're willing to give another contender a shot at assisting your TV watching habits, the free app is available in iTunes at the source link.

[Source: Engadget]

Sky Sports TV app for Android now available, brings live events to the UK and Ireland

Not to be outdone by The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Sky's just released its own application to keep football enthusiasts entertained while on the go -- at least Premier League fans using Android slabs. Unlike the ESPN app, however, Sky Sports is charging £5 (around $8) per month for its offering, though it will -- with the help of ESPN, no less -- stream over 100 EPL matches live, so you're not limited to only highlights and previews. That being said, Sky Sports TV also lets UK and Ireland folks watch other sporting events, including F1 races, PGA Golf and tennis events like the US Open. The bad news is the app currently doesn't support Jelly Bean-loaded devices, which, for now, will most likely only affect atiny section of Mountain View's user base -- if that's not you, though, the link to download is down below.

[Source: Engadget]

Sky Movies on YouView as Now TV arrives with 30 days free

Cut-price dish-free Sky channels are now available on YouView -- for free. You can watch Sky's online service Now TV on your YouView set-top box, bringing Sky Movies to your goggle box without coughing up for a Sky subscription.

Now TV is free for the first month -- so that's 30 days of movies from Sky's film channels, long before they reach other TV channels or online services.

With Now TV, you can watch Sky programmes on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and selected Android smart phones -- not the Samsung Galaxy S3 or any Ice Cream Sandwich phones, though. You can currently watch Sky Movies from Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner, Universal and more, on demand or as part of a £15 monthly contract. Classic films cost 99p to rent and newer releases are £3.50.

Sky Sports is set to follow shortly for Premier League, Test cricket, and Formula One action.

When you sign up to Now TV, you can watch on two devices, such as your YouView box and a phone or tablet. I can understand why the folks at Sky would limit the number of devices -- they don't want you logging in on your friends' phones for free films all round -- but two is a bit tight. If you own a TV, a computer and a phone, you're stuck, let alone if you have a tablet or a laptop as well.

[Source: cnet]

Logitech launches TV Cam HD for living room video chats: built-in Skype, 720p, $200

If Cisco's ill-fated Umi video conferencing system had been more like this, would it have survived? Logitech is about to find out, one way or the other, once its TV Cam HD -- recently spotted at the FCC -- arrives in the US this month. The $199.99 device hooks up to your TV and contains all the processing power needed to run Skype and transmit wide-angle, 720p footage of your couch over WiFi or Ethernet. Unlike the previous TV Cam, there's no need for a Viera Connect HDTV -- anything with HDMI-in will do. The company is banking on the notion that families will forgo the use of their existing mobile devices and laptops in favour of an always-on dedicated system with incoming call alerts, four noise-cancelling mics and a Carl Zeiss lens that "gets the whole family in the video call, so everyone from grandparents to grandchildren can move around naturally." If you're tempted, the publicity video after the break gives a decent overview of the product in action.

[Source: Engadget]

Google updates YouTube, Nexus Q and Play Movies & TV apps in one fell swoop

As software updates go, this Mountain View hat trick scores low on the excitement scale. Starting today, a trio of version bumps are slated to rollout, bringing minor bug fixes to Play Movies & TV andYouTube, while also giving owners of older, non-ICS handsets the ability to control that latter app remotely. Additionally, tweaks have been made to improve the Nexus Q's guest mode, which should come in handy as support for that odd peripheral has now been bolstered to include devices running Gingerbread and up. Sure, this trine of refreshed Google apps won't necessarily set your pulses racing, nor will it satisfy your Jelly Bean cravings. But, hey, you take what you can get.

[Source: Engadget]

Watch your favourite live and recorded TV anywhere in the world with Belkin’s @TV Plus

(Rushden, UK). – 25 July, 2012 – Belkin has today unveiled the latest addition to its entertainment line-up, with the introduction of @TV Plus. Belkin’s @TV Plus allows you to watch live TV on your mobile devices – wherever you are in the world. Whether you’re traveling on holiday or on business, commuting by bus or train, or just enjoying the sun in the garden, you needn’t miss your favourite TV show or live sports event ever again.

Belkin’s @TV Plus turns your iOS or Android tablet and smartphone, or your laptop into a TV,enabling you to watch and control all of your home TV channels from anywhere in the world, as long as there’s a WiFi or 3G/LTE connection. @TV Plus also allows you to record live TV directly onto your mobile device so you can watch your favourite TV when it’s convenient for you, even if you don’t have access to WiFi*.

Belkin’s @TV Plus is easy to install and use, connecting to your digital set top box and to your router via it’s built in wireless connection, or via a wired connection if preferred. @TV Plus streams the signal from your digital TV service to up to 8 devices simultaneously within your home network, or to one mobile device located outside.

@TV Plus also turns your mobile device into a remote control, allowing you to scroll through channels and tap to record live programs with the SurfSwipe integrated channel guide. The @TV Plus App works on Android and iOS platforms for tablets and Smartphones, and is available from iTunes and the Android Play Store. Windows and MacOS player and configuration software is also provided.

@TV Plus (G1V1000) - £149.99/€199.99

• Control your digital set-top box using your smart device whenever you want, wherever you are
• Record live television to your smart device’s internal memory*
• Surf channels at the flick of a finger with SurfSwipe integrated channel guide**
• Wi-Fi enabled for easy placement in any room of the house
• Built In security with Cloud-based connection, built-in firewall and NAT traversal
• App for iOS and Android tablets and smartphones
• PC and MacOS player and configuration software
• @TV Plus will be available in August.

*In the UK, record feature can only be used while on your home network
**In supported countries