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Ohio-Based Entrepreneur's SketchParty TV Shows AirPlay's Gaming Power, But The Tech Needs A Spotlight

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:08:03 -0400

Apple's AirPlay streaming media technology has a neat trick up its sleeve for game developers, enabling them to create multi-screen experiences that allow a player to interact with an interface on a portable device like the iPad or iPhone, and see something different broadcast through their television attached to an Apple TV. One game that takes advantage of this is from Toledo, Ohio-based entrepreneur Matt Braun, who spoke to me about why the tech is so promising, and also about why we haven't seen wider adoption of it for gaming purposes as of yet.

Cord Cutters: Our review of Plair, which promises to be AirPlay for the rest of us

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:01:16 -0400

Can a $99 HDMI stick turn any TV into a smart device capable of AirPlay-like streaming of web content? Check out our Plair review to find out.

Gillmor Gang: Speculation, Music, Death

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:00:08 -0400

The Gillmor Gang — Kevin Marks, John Taschek, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor — spared no expense to bring you the finest in up-to-date tech commentary. In other words, we tore into Twitter Music, ignored Facebook Home, dissected the internals of AirPlay, and cashed our Bitcoin checks. Our attention is a zero sum game, and whether it’s West Wing or Twitter pointers into the musicsphere, how we make our streaming choices will determine who the big winners are. What we’re really waiting for is the tipping point when the streamer artists crossover and recapture the idea that the creators are the real coin of the realm. @stevegillmor, @kteare, @kevinmarks, @jtaschek Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor

6 ways to watch your own videos from your iPhone or Mac on your TV

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:00:50 -0500

A guide for how to watch one of your home movies in the privacy of your own home using the Apple TV, a Mac or an iOS device.

HBO Go adds AirPlay support, but still no Apple TV app – and definitely no online-only offering

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:49:25 -0500

HBO is bringing its HBO Go service to more screens by adding AirPlay support - but it's not ready to offer an online-only subscription any time soon.

HBO Go adds AirPlay support, but still no Apple TV app – and definitely no online-only offering

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:49:25 -0500

HBO is bringing its HBO Go service to more screens by adding AirPlay support - but it's not ready to offer an online-only subscription any time soon.

The story behind DIAL: How Netflix and YouTube want to take on AirPlay

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:00:15 -0500

Watch out, AirPlay: Netflix and YouTube are working on an open second screen protocol, and they've already secured support from key CE makers and content platforms.

The story behind DIAL: How Netflix and YouTube want to take on AirPlay

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:00:15 -0500

Watch out, AirPlay: Netflix and YouTube are working on an open second screen protocol, and they've already secured support from key CE makers and content platforms.

Skifta’s new iOS app brings DLNA and AirPlay together

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:15:15 -0500

Streaming music from your iPad to your connected TV just got a whole lot easier: Skifta, a popular DLNA media shifting app for Android, released an iOS version on Wednesday.

Raspberry Pi Hack Turns The Ultra-Affordable Computer Into An AirPlay Receiver

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 10:06:21 -0500

What can't the Raspberry Pi do? Well, it definitely can operate as an AirPlay receiver for Apple's Wi-Fi audio streaming protocol, it turns out. Cambridge engineering student Jordan Burgess managed to convert one of the $25 open computer into an AirPlay receiver along the lines of Apple's AirPort Express, using open source software, a USB Wi-Fi adapter, SD card, micro USB cable and the Pi itself.

Gift Guide: Bowers & Wilkins A7 Wireless Airplay Speaker

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:02:32 -0500

Short Version Bowers & Wilkins Wireless A7 speaker system is as good as it gets when you’re looking for big sound out of a compact design. Setup is incredibly easy thanks to Airplay, which lets you connect and control content wirelessly through your iOS devices. Yes, it’s relatively expensive, but it can essentially play the role of a complete music experience on it’s own. Plus, you can buy other Bowers & Wilkins pieces — perhaps another A7 or the smaller A5 — to enjoy room-by-room control throughout the house. Long Version Features: 8.5″ tall x 14″ wide x 6.3″ deep 12.5lbs Airplay USB Streaming 2x 25mm (1.0in) Nautilus tube aluminium tweeter, 2x 75mm (3.0in) Midrange, 1x 150mm (6.0in) Subwoofer Ethernet, 3.5mm input jack, and USB 2.0 Info: MSRP: $799 Available: Now Product Page The B&W A7 is… … an excellent all-in-one wireless Hifi speaker system. The A7 can fit almost anywhere, and only needs to be near an outlet to function. It’s truly compact, and initially gives the impression of small sound, too. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The A7 delivers quality sound, with clear and powerful bass, and articulated highs and mids. I’ve even switched over my Apple TV audio with an optical audio cable adapter, and action movies just seem that much more real. Obviously, it’s not the same as having a full-fledged surround sound home theater system, but it’s a serious upgrade from a standard setup and/or other Airplay speakers I’ve used before, like the Sonos line. Setup is incredibly simple — just plug in the A7 and download the Bowers & Wilkins setup app on an iOS device. It’ll ask you to connect to your Wifi, give the speaker a name (like Living Room, Bedroom, or whatever), and you’re good to go. Any one of your iOS devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Apple TV) can then connect directly to the speaker, wire-free. Buy the A7 for… …the audiophile with limited space. Truth is, the A7 is the perfect start to a room-by-room sound system. Owners can purchase the A5 or another A7 and expand the experience to various rooms in the house. That’s a great gift for a tech-enthusiast dad, father-in-law, or brother, but a complete system would end up being quite expensive. What impresses me most about the A7 is that a college student in an apartment or dorm room can hook

Zapstreak Goes Global With Public SDK Launch For Its AirPlay For Android Solution

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:04:45 -0500

Poznan, Poland-based startup Zapstreak has just brought its AirPlay-style media streaming solution for Android out of beta, making the SDK it provides available to developers worldwide after a six-month extended testing period. The company's tech allows Android developers to build music, video or picture-streaming right into their app. But will new options change Zapstreak's chances at success?

AirPlay for everyone? Zapstreak outs Android SDK with more in store

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 05:00:22 -0500

The SDK makes it relatively simple for Android apps to stream content to any DLNA-enabled device, from TV sets to stereos. Next up? Similar SDKs for Windows Phone 8 and iOS.

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy Brings Four Player Split-Screen To iOS Gaming Via AirPlay

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:08:41 -0500

Some iOS games have done some pretty cool stuff with AirPlay, including Real Racing HD 2, but it's always seemed like there's so much more possible from the technology, especially when it comes to gaming. A new update for Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy from Namco Bandai adds split-screen gaming via AirPlay and the Apple TV. Up to four players can dogfight at once now, each playing from their own individual devices.

Gift Guide: Libratone Zipp AirPlay Speaker

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:28:27 -0500

Libratone's speakers are normally crazy expensive. This one is just temporarily insane. Plus it's got a direct mode for when you're outside of Wi-Fi range, and a built-in battery, two things rare on an AirPlay speaker.

YouTube for Google TV gets AirPlay-like functionality

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:18 -0500

Google TV just got a little more Apple-like: Android users can now use AirPlay-like functionality to send videos from their mobile phones and tablets to their Google TV devices. Google has said that it wants to bring that functionality to other platforms as well.

Apple TV adds shared Photo Streams, simpler account switching

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:05:32 -0400

With Monday's software update the Apple TV is looking like an increasingly necessary part of the company's overall vision for how iOS users access and share their content from all their Apple devices.

Android HiFi app turns Android devices into AirPlay speakers

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:38:18 -0400

Thanks to Apple's AirPlay, it's easier than ever to stream content over Wi-Fi between Apple devices. And Android devices too thanks to Android HiFi, a free mobile app that lets you listen to your iTunes library wirelessly on an Android phone or tablet.

Hulu Plus lands its own channel on Apple TV

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:52:24 -0400

The subscription version of Hulu is now available on Apple TV. Adding the channel was sort of an obvious move on Hulu's part because of what Apple has done with its Airplay feature that lets users stream their Mac or iOS screen to their TV.

Qualcomm’s plan to win the battle for the digital home

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 03:12:38 -0400

Qualcomm Atheros is bringing the power of its Skifta DLNA Android app to routers, set-top boxes and other home gateway devices: Router manufacturers can license the Skifta Engine for their own hardware. But for Qualcomm, capturing the living room is just a first step.

Windows PCs get an AirPlay-like wireless speaker: Aperion Aris

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:14:22 -0400

Apple devices have enjoyed wireless music playback through AirPlay speakers, but Windows users generally have been left out in the cold, until now. Aperion's Aris wireless speaker lets Windows 7 and Windows 8 Consumer Preview computers pipe tunes wirelessly using Microsoft's "Play To" feature.

Airtight Is Airplay For Your Google TV

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:59:01 -0500

Proof of concept though this is, Airtight purports to be the first app that will enable Apple's Airplay on the Google TV. Priced at a mere 99 cents, the app allows you to stream non-DRMed movies to your TV via any Airplay-enabled device like an iPad or iPhone. Music and mirroring are not yet supported and you have to have an update Google TV with the Android Market available.

Gillmor Gang 12.24.11 (TCTV)

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:00:03 -0500

The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, John Taschek, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor — took a WiFi stroll through the forest that is Hollywood's attempt to lock down our TVs. It's really too late, what with SOPA boycotts, reverse engineering of the Apple AirPlay bus, and Microsoft's slow fade from CES underway. But that doesn't stop the Cartel from trying. It may turn out that you can someday move network news shows from Slingbox to the iPad and back up to Apple TV over WiFi, but for now the realtime bus is getting choked. In fact all things streaming is about to collide with bandwidth caps, at least in our house. With 5 Apple TVs and counting, it won't be long before WiFi consulting becomes a trade school offering. Me, I'm off to Fry's. Happy Holidays.

HDMI alternative MHL: Your phone’s best-looking secret

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:13:11 -0500

MHL promises to turn your mobile phone into a portable set-top box, capable of playing photos, videos and games on the TV screen via a cheap five-pin cable. It's already supported by more than a dozen handsets - but hardly anyone knows about it.

Going shopping

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:26:21 -0500

Something about the juxtaposition of things reminds me of the politics of disruption, the emotional spring of the social generation. By themselves, interesting, intellectual perhaps, but not of the parallel land of hope and acceptance. I read an interview with Noel Gallagher, the supposedly sane one of the Oasis brothers. Something about Oasis being in the Top 10 of bands. He ducked the statement briefly, attributing it to alcohol and passing it off as Top 20 straight.

The new litmus test for apps: How well does it AirPlay?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:49:33 -0500

Few things impress people about the Apple TV in demonstration more than AirPlay Mirroring, which is available on both the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. And that's exactly why developers should focus on delivering unique and creative AirPlay solutions to help their apps stand out.

Samsung wants to own your first, second and third screens

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:00:00 -0400

With its latest Free the TV Challenge, Samsung is looking to extend its influence beyond just the TV with apps that create converged experiences between multiple devices. That could improve the experience for consumers, and give them reason to buy some of its other products.

Could Apple Be Getting Ready for Big Apple TV Announcement?

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:56:00 -0400

The newest iPhone ads in the US might have tipped Apple's big push into TV.

Read the full Forbes post here.

Social Broadcast Network

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:40:17 -0400

Google+ is not on this list, yet. Mostly because I haven't got a handle on its core value as a news trigger. If you're Scoble, the value is obvious as he is now demonstrating by turning it into his blog. But sooner or later the service will have to decide what it wants to be when it grows up — a conversation hub with no tools for rapid synthesis of knowledge, a social graph to challenge Twitter (it's getting there fast), or some other thing perhaps more substantial than currently appreciated, like a stalking horse for YouTube live streaming aka the social broadcast network.

Nintendo’s Wii U takes its cues from the iPad

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:44:33 -0400

Nintendo unveiled its next-generation console today, with the Wii U, which features a tablet-like controller. We couldn't help but think that Nintendo, far from innovating in this instance, borrowed liberally from the iPad and the way people use it for gaming and watching TV.

Watchlater Is Instapaper for Video on Your iPad

Tue, 24 May 2011 19:46:00 -0400

Even if you have a 3G-capable iPad and a mobile data plan, you might not always have access to a stable connection. That's a situation Watchlater, a new iPad app that caches online video for later viewing, is hoping to make more bearable.

Push comes to shove

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:45:34 -0400

At 35 thousand feet you can see the future of push notification more clearly. The in-flight WiFi won't sustain FaceTime or Skype video, but it handles IM just fine. GTalk is buried in the Gmail menus; it has no iPhone or iPad version. Neither Skype nor Facebook Chat have iPad versions, but they do support push notifications through iPhone. Facebook Chat sends push notifications but goes offline after a small interval. But Skype both supports push notification and maintains a connection. While I type in Pages, I receive pushes in realtime at 35 thousand feet. As John Taschek pushed just now, easily worth $2billion. He pushed not only from his iPad2 but his Droid and PC. Works on the Mac too. While Google times out on its stupid web-only gadget I am multitasking across 3 or 4 OSes, depending on whether you think OS/X is anything more than a deer in iOS's headlights. This is big news for Microsoft as long as Steve Ballmer can deprecate Windows.

Unfair and unbalanced

Sun, 08 May 2011 16:40:25 -0400

Digging out from under a mountain of stuff this weekend, I'm hopelessly behind. Disclosure: I work at salesforce.com, doing amazing things I can't say anything about. Apparently, the tech press is abuzz with controversy about Mike Arrington's continuing success at actually saying what he thinks. Disclosure: I am a big fan of everything Mike does, and particularly his skill at reinventing the media. I should be considered completely biased in that regard, and you should discount everything I say accordingly.

Gillmor Gang 4.23.11 (TCTV)

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:00:41 -0400

The Gillmor Gang — Danny Sullivan, Doc Searls, John Taschek, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor — endured technical glitches and a dissection of the disruption formerly known as TV before settling into a debate about privacy. I know, sounds like the usual nonsense, but this show was high quality nonsense. I forget who brought up the famous iPhone/Android hidden recording file crisis, but things quickly got out of hand when one of us suggested that was a feature not a problem. It turns out that not that many people are aware that when we are on the Internet, everything is recorded. For those who seem surprised by this, all those free apps are actually there to harvest our clicks, searches, and other gestures of our intent. As Doc Searls pointed out, how else does Google make money except by random clicks on Adsense adding up to billions. It's only when we can't figure out how to delete our wanderings that people get upset. Me — I count on being surreptitiously tracked so I can go back and figure out where I was last week.

Larry’s Turn

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:17:23 -0400

John Lennon would have loved Twitter, Yoko is said to have revealed. Certainly she would have the inside track on this, especially if she had insisted on it. But what I want to know is whether Hendrix would have loved GarageBand, or would Miles have preferred Android over iPhone. It's open, man... We'll never know what the Gettysburg Address would have looked like after surviving auto-correct. Or what Hitler might have done with GPS. By the looks of Techmeme this weekend, we don't even have a shot at what is happening right now. Instead, we have Larry Page's first day at his second take as Google CEO. Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues again.

Season 7

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:20:28 -0400

The deal is finally almost done for the realignment of the television business. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner gets $30 million for the final three years of the series, with no cuts of talent and only a partial concession to AMC's insistence on cutting 2 minutes of the show for more ads. This "concession" is to keep the first and last shows at 47 minutes and then go to 45 for the rest of the 13 shows in the middle. But wait: those shows will be 45 on broadcast and 47 or even 48 on digital with an eight day window. In other words, the broadcast show becomes a giant commercial for the iPad market and iTunes version, setting up AirPlay viewings on the big home theater screen that will become the dominant mechanism for high value audience metrics. Twitter and Facebook posts will market the extra two minutes relentlessly to the addicted fan base, as more and more people time shift the show to the "real" version.

Gillmor Gang 4.03.11 (TCTV)

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:00:12 -0400

The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, Kevin Marks, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor — plus an active set of realtime commenters on Building 43's realtime Friendfeed chat, added up to an interesting tour of the emerging AirPlay platform. The Apple TV-delivered streaming service hooks content from iTunes and iOS devices up to the big HDTV screen. According to @Scobleizer AirPlay support is growing from other similar services including Hulu et al via something called Sqrrl. With Google TV ineffectual in delivering content from major studios so far, Apple TV's low price keeps getting lower as new services are integrated. In cartel news, Time Warner continues to put pressure on the studios to treat the tablet as a first class citizen. The cable company did pull back from a few networks, most notably Comedy Central and DIscovery. Apparently the Viacom suit still has some teeth left in it with YouTube, as @kevinmarks mentions, encouraging transformers like the cable companies to be careful how they approach the home set. The studios have one more shot with those of us who've finally finished the MadMen season 4; creator Matthew Weiner has finally signed a deal to produce at least two and preferably 3 final seasons. Season 5 will return in March, 2012, leaving a whole year to get bored with and abandon network fare. There's a new sheriff in town as the disruption known as the iPad continues to move through the media.

Gillmor Gang 3.26.11 (TCTV)

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:01:35 -0400

This week's Gillmor Gang started off with a bunch of no-shows from Mike Arrington and Robert Scoble. Don't know what happened to Mike, but @scobleizer was sandbagged by a rehearsal request for Ted X, whatever that is. So we hunkered down with Danny Sullivan, Kevin Marks, and John Taschek for a rousing trouncing of the vanishing television windowing system, as performed by NetFlix, Showtime, and various Mad Men. Showtime is mad because Netflix is closing in on its 20 million subscribers. Mad Men are mad because AMC can't close a deal for a fifth season without promising a sixth. Android is mad because it can't get no respect from anyone but @kevinmarks, and I'm mad about the iPad 2. As in nuts. Ce n'est pas un app.

The AirPlay Network

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:47:01 -0500

Week One of the Age of iPad was barely weekended when Keith Olbermann was removed from his position at NBC/Comcast. I missed his final show, mostly because I stopped watching it and all the cable news channels once the election was over. But then I remembered we are now in the Age of iPad, and guess what I found when I turned on Apple TV. There it was right in the podcasts section, ready to stream. Parsing the language I heard the same thing we heard earlier when Steve Ballmer fired Bob Muglia, when Eric Schmidt was kicked “upstairs,” when I was asked to leave along with my wife and a friend from the Crunchies because the room was too full. In the last case, I refused to move, waiting until the venue manager moved on to people more her size. I wonder what would have happened if Muglia just said, no, Steve. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get back to Eric and the boys in a minute, but in the Age of iPad, all is not as it seems. Take Olbermann for instance: firing him seems like exactly what NBC doesn’t want. It dredges up the recent Leno fiasco in a visceral way, suggesting that even if Conan’s new show might as well be emanating from Siberia, at least he suffered no bad will for telling NBC where they should get off. By contrast, I wouldn’t touch NBC at 11:30 with someone else’s hard disk.

The Good Old Days

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:31:34 -0500

Navigating Apple TV and its various peaks into the presumed future has been a valuable waste of time. For $100 plus an HDMI cable I get to sample various media dead ends including NetFlix, iTunes rental, buy, and streaming options, YouTube, and other stuff I can’t remember right now. In the past, I would have spent more time testing the work arounds for adding podcasts and ripped music to broaden the choices, but something about the device suggests we’re in such a rapid shakeout it might be easier to wait. But for what? Google TV seems caught in little brother mode behind the next loser tablet wave. What ultimate value is there in trading Apple’s dead ends for another set of second rate dead ends? The idea that we can replace the aggregate value of the Hollywood studio system with some loose coalition of rag tag revolutionary product ignores the tendency for the avant-garde to go mainstream. At some point, having everything work from one device is the best way of killing any possible interest in what’s available.

Apple's Stealth Assault on the Video Game Market

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:00:00 -0400

By now you probably know that the surprise hit of Apple's latest earnings call was the hockey-puck-size AppleTV device. But an unexpected upside for Apple is that AppleTV could be a backdoor entry into the video-game console market. Here's how that would work.

Continue reading Apple's Stealth Assault on the Video Game Market

Apple's Stealth Assault on the Video Game Market originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:00:00.

Filed Under: Company News, Technology, Investing, Media, Microsoft, Netflix, Sony, Apple, Nintendo

The State of iOS Gaming: The Platform Matures

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:15:36 -0400

Lately, I've been doing a lot of something that I haven't done since I first got an iPhone: gaming. Sure, I'll occasionally pick up Angry Birds when a new major update drops with new levels, but others left me cold. That's changing, and for the better.

Why Apple TV Is a Ticking Time Bomb for Big Cable

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:15:29 -0400

Make no mistake, Apple is in the process of staging a coup. That's what a very close look at the new Apple TV reveals. Despite its somewhat innocuous appearance and diminutive stature, it's a weapon of war. The opponent? The entrenched cable and satellite service providers.

Orb’s Streaming Music Puck Shoots, But Will it Score?

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:20:07 -0400

Orb's Music Puck, a $69 device that streams digital over a home network is launching just two months before Apple's similar AirPlay functionality arrives in iOS devices. Music on Orb is controlled with a free smartphone app. Can Orb's new hardware compete against Apple's music juggernaut?