Firefox can finally stream Netflix videos without a plugin (eng)

Due to ​Hollywood's insistence on DRM to stream its movies on Netflix, Firefox users who wanted to watch flicks on the service had to download the Silverlight plugin. That's because until now, Mozilla's staunch open-source philosophy prevented the browser from being loaded with the DRM tech -- dubbed the Adobe Content Decryption Module (CDM) -- necessary to stream those shows on regular ol' HTML 5 (Chrome and Safari, on the other hand, have no such scruples). Not so with the latest version of Firefox, however, which is ready to help you watch your favorite Netflix show just by itself, no plugin required. If you're strictly anti-DRM though, no worries; Mozilla is pushing a non-CDM version of the browser for your principled pleasure that only downloads the DRM module when you visit a page that needs it. It might seem a little antithetical for Mozilla to offer a browser with DRM support, but we can understand why one might want to bend the rules to watch the wonder that is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

sursa: engadget.com

What 4K Content Can You Enjoy Right Now? (eng)

For anyone who has purchased a 4K TV and is still waiting for compelling content to arrive, the recent announcement that theBlu-ray Disc Association has finalized the specification for Ultra HD Blu-ray is certainly good news. Now that the licensing phase has begun, industry analysts predict that the first crop of Ultra HDBlu-ray disc players should be on the market by the holiday shopping season.

While some may bemoan the emergence of yet another disc format, proclaiming that the disc is already dead, many enthusiasts are excited for the arrival of a higher-quality 4K video and audio experience. Of course, we don't yet know what these players will cost, nor do we know how many Ultra HD Blu-raytitles will be launched alongside that first group of players. Time will tell.

In the meantime, 4K streaming and download services remain your only option for viewing theatrical film and TV releases in 4K. Here is an overview of the major 4K services that are available right now. Most of these services require that you own a smart TV or media player with built-in HEVC decoding in order to access the Ultra HD 4K content.

Netflix 
If you subscribe to Netflix's top-tier $11.99/month plan, you can access the Ultra HD options from this streaming video service. Since I first wrote about the Netflix Ultra HD service last August, the company has doubled the number of Ultra HD titles. Unfortunately, that's not saying much, since it only had 10 titles back then and now has 20. Netflix has added more of its original TV series, including Daredevil, Grace and Frankie, and Marco Polo. In terms of theatrical film releases, though, I counted a grand total of six...none of which would qualify as a new release.

Amazon Ultra HD Instant Video 
The Amazon Ultra HD Instant Video streaming service includes some titles--mostly, Amazon's original TV series--that are available free to Amazon Prime subscribers ($99/year). However, the majority of its theatrical film content is offered on a pay-per-use basis. I described the complete content lineup in my review a few months back. Amazon's lineup is more extensive than Netflix's; the problem is that virtually all of those pay-per-use titles are not available for rent. They must be purchased, usually for $25.99 to $29.99. That can become an awfully pricey proposition for titles that you only have access to in a compressed streamed format. It's worth noting that, last week, Amazon became the first provider to offerstreamed HDR 4K content.

M-GO
M-GO is a pay-per-use service that's available on a variety of smart devices, but its 4K offerings are currently limited to Samsung UHD TVs. You can stream titles or, if you own the newest version of the $399 Samsung UHD Video Pack USB dongle, download them. As I write this, 4K Ultra HD content includes 36 movies and two TV series. The movies are available for rent or purchase for a reasonable price, but the titles are hardly the newest, hottest offerings; in fact, I had never heard of most of them.

Samsung UHD Video Pack
This $399 USB dongle is only compatible with Samsung UHD TVs and comes preloaded with 10 films and 30 documentaries, and you can load new titles exclusively via the M-GO service described above. Pre-loaded films include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Counselor, Star Trek: The Future Begins, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Life of Pi.

UltraFlix 
One of the more compelling yet perhaps least known options is UltraFlix, a dedicated 4K pay-per-use service that's available on compatible Samsung, Vizio, and Sony TVs, as well as the Nanotech Nuvola NP-1 player (Nanotech owns the UltraFlix service). Titles are available for rent for reasonable prices (often $9.99 or less); once again, there's not much in the way of big-ticket theatrical film releases (although UltraFlix was the only 4K service at the time of this writing to offer Interstellar in 4K), but there are some interesting 4K concert videos, as well as lots of free documentaries and shorts.

Sony 4K Video Unlimited
An in-depth review of Sony's FMP-X10 4K media player is coming next week, which is currently the only way to access the Sony 4K Video Unlimited service, a download service that includes film and TV titles for rent and/or purchase. A downloaded 4K film doesn't have to be compressed quite as much as a streamed film, so the picture quality is a slight step up. The FMP-X10 was previously locked to Sony TVs but will now work with any UHD TV that has HDCP 2.2 copy protection. Sony's film selection is better than the services above but is hardly spectacular; one positive is that many titles that are only available for purchase through Amazon are available for rent here.

DirecTV
Owners of a DirecTV Genie whole-house DVR and a compatible RVU-equipped Samsung TV can choose from a small selection of on-demand UHD titles each week. (DirecTV's rival, Dish Network, showed off a 4K Joey client at CES that's supposed to arrive this year, but we haven't heard anything further.)

Comcast
Comcast currently offers the Xfinity Ultra HD sampler app available for its subscribers who own compatible Samsung smart TVs. As of this writing, the app offers on-demand access to seasons of Chicago Fire, Covert Affairs, and Suits (one of my personal favorites, by the way).

YouTube and Vimeo
These sites offer an assortment of user-generated 4K options but no major theatrical or TV releases. YouTube uses the VP9 codec for its 4K content, so your smart TV or player needs to have that decoding capability. This year's TVs probably have it, but older models may not.

VUDU
VUDU is teasing the arrival of UHD content on its website, with support for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. However, an official launch date has not yet been announced.

Finally, many of the major smart-TV manufacturers offer a dedicated 4K app where you can view an assortment of free 4K clips, just to highlight the technology.

sursa: hometheaterreview.com

SONY’S THINNEST TV YET IS READY FOR PRIME TIME (eng)

    When last we discussed Sony’s 2015 TV lineup, the best guess we had for availability of its super slim X900C and X910C UHD TVs was “later this summer.” Granted, it’s barely summer yet (astrologically speaking; meteorologically it’s nearly hell on earth right now) and we already have details on pricing and availability for the X900C, in both its 55- and 65-inch incarnations. Sony made both X900C models available for preorder this weekend, although the TVs won’t actually ship to customers until next month. The 55-inch model carries a suggested retail price of $2,499, whereas the 65-inch model carries an MSRP of $3,999.

   Sony has also announced that the big daddy of the bunch—the 75-inch X910C—will carry a $5,499 MSRP, although the best guess we have for availability is still “this summer.”

   As I said before, these TVs fall into an interesting niche in Sony’s lineup, and I’ll be very interested to see if this trend of diversification continues next year. Instead of employing the typical “good, better best” paradigm, the company is making sure that every TV in its repertoire has interesting features that set it apart from the rest of the pack. The X900C and X910C, for example, don’t feature the High Dynamic Range capabilities of the step-up X930C and X940C. They do feature something that those models lack, though: an incredibly slim design that’s a little trippy to see in person.

   Sony describes the 0.2 inches thin X900C models as being skinnier than a smartphone (which is a true story) and the X910 as “thinnest TV of its size ever made” (which is also a true story as far as I can tell.) Both series also feature Sony’s exclusive X-Reality PRO Picture Engine to upscale all HD video content to near Ultra HD quality, along with TRILUMINOS display technology to deliver an incredibly broad range of colors.

   In addition, both the X900C and X910C feature Android TV, which delivers one of the most compelling smart TV experiences to date. You get all of the normal streaming apps, of course: Netflix, Amazon Instant, YouTube, Hulu, CBS News, CBS Sports, Crackle, Pandora, and even SlingTV (600 streaming apps in total, including Google Play). But what’s neat about the Android TV platform is that you’re not limited to merely the apps that are stored on the TV itself. With Google Cast, you’ll be able to stream apps like HBO GO straight from your Android, iOS, Windows, Chromebook, or OS X device directly to your TV. The system also supports voice search and personalized recommendations.

   And if that weren’t enough, Sony will also be updating the TVs this summer via firmware to enable support for PlayStation Now, the streaming video game service we discussed more in depth last week. Just add a wireless DualShock4 Controller and you’ll be able to tap into a gigantic library of on-demand PlayStation 3 games, without the need for a video game console.

   For more information about both the X900C now, and the X910C as its availability date approaches, visit Sony.com.

sursa: hdliving.com