Streaming

You can limit the amount of data Google Music uses on Android

Google's music-streaming service All Access launched last month during I/O. The service, similar to that of Spotify or Slacker, allows Android users to create radio stations or stream entire albums directly on an Android device.

Streaming isn't a new feature in the Google Music app, as you have been able to stream music library stored in the cloud service for a while now. But All Access has increased the amount of streaming, and thus increased data usage.

Google on Thursday updated the Android Music app, which now allows you to choose the audio quality streamed through the … Read more

Get five free DVD-to-digital conversions from Flixster

You know what my iPad doesn't have? A DVD player. So how am I supposed to watch all the great movies in my DVD collection? I'm talking "The Rock," "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Incredibles," "The Matrix," and so on. (It's true: I have awesome taste in movies.)

No doubt Apple, Amazon, and Google would love for me to buy their digital versions of all my platter-based movies, but I already bought them once. Do I really have to spend $10 to $15 to buy them again?

Not today. Movie-discovery … Read more

Why Xbox One and PS4 may be the final generation of consoles

Excited about the high-tech look and feel of the upcoming Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4? Better enjoy them while you can, because this might be the final generation of big, dedicated living room game console hardware.

Based on the cheers and jeers coming out of this week's E3 video game trade show about the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you'd think we were about to enter a new era of cutting-edge game machines, complete with a new arms race of processors, GPUs, and other features. But if you look at how media consumption has changed rapidly … Read more

At last, Apple's answer to Pandora

As was widely speculated, at WWDC 2013 today Apple unveiled iTunes Radio, its entry into the already-crowded streaming-music field.

Like the popular streaming-music service Pandora, iTunes Radio lets you create personalized radio stations based on one or more artists, albums, songs, or genres of your choice. This makes it an attractive alternative to your iTunes library if you're looking to discover new music. And if you are already using iTunes or the built-in Music app on iOS as your media player of choice, then jumping onto iTunes Radio is almost a no-brainer, since it will come built into these … Read more

Apple to stream its WWDC keynote Monday

Although you may not be there in person, Apple is giving you a way to watch the keynote from the comfort of your home.

Apple said Monday that it will broadcast its WWDC 2013 keynote address starting at 10 a.m. PT. To view the live stream, you'll need the Safari browser on iOS 4.2 or later on an iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini or iPod Touch; or Safari 4 or later on Mac OS X® v10.6 or later. Streaming via Apple TV, meanwhile, requires a second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or … Read more

'The Pirate Cinema' snoops on torrent downloads in the name of art

The Pirate Cinema chaotically visualizes the most popular video torrent files found on The Pirate Bay in a mesmerizing and sometimes visually overwhelming way.

Created by artist Nicolas Maigretto and programmed by Brendan Howell, the cinematic collage involves a custom-programmed box that intercepts real-time peer-to-peer file sharing among the top 100 torrent files (on The Pirate Bay) and projects flashes of the actively downloaded video content on one of three screens.… Read more

Netflix streaming customers experiencing service outage

The Netflix streaming service is experiencing an outage that is preventing millions of subscribers in several countries from viewing movies and TV shows.

The outage, which began at 6:45 p.m. PT, affects subscribers in both North America and South America.

"We're aware that some members are having trouble streaming TV shows and movies and are working to address the problem," Netflix spokesman Joris Evers told CNET.

Netflix revealed the outage in a tweet response to user complaints of being unable to access the system.

Thanks for your reports. There's an outage affecting several regions … Read more

Spotify's latest feature makes discovering new music easier

Making good on its promise to make new music easier to discover, Spotify announced Tuesday that it has rolled out its Discover page to the public.

With this new feature, Spotify users can get personalized recommendations, see related music, find touring dates for favorite artists, and more.

"We've made your listening experience more personal, more social, and more current," Spotify Chief Product Officer Gustav Soderstrom said in a statement.

The Discover page originally was announced in December and has been in beta until now. In addition to giving users personalized recommendations based on listening history, the streaming … Read more

How Xbox One opens the door for the next Apple TV

Imagine this.

It's 2014. Apple has gathered everyone together for a special event. As Tim Cook presents, he says, "Today we're introducing three revolutionary new products. The first one is a cable box. The second one is a revolutionary streaming-media device. The third is a new way to play games on your TV. So, three things: a cable box, a streaming box, and a game console. Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. And we're calling it iTV."

The next Apple TV, that long-fabled product, doesn't exist … Read more