Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Peacock’s 2024 Paris Olympics coverage includes enhanced multiview options

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The 2024 Summer Olympics are just 128 days away. They'll be here before you know it, so what better time to learn about all the groovy features that the Games' streaming home, Peacock, has lined up?

The platform will host more than 5,000 hours of live coverage across the two weeks, including each of the 329 medal events. That's far more than anyone could possibly watch during the Games, so to help you keep track of several events at once, Peacock is offering several multiview options. On TVs, tablets and desktop browsers (but not phones, sadly), you'll be able to watch four matches at the same time in sports such as track and field, soccer and wrestling in a traditional multiview format. 

A mode called Peacock Discovery Multiview aims to direct you to the most important events. Here, you'll see on-screen descriptions telling you what's at stake (such as whether there's an elimination risk or if it's a medal event) or if you're watching a first-time Olympian. In both multiview modes, you can move the screens around, choose the audio track you want to listen to and click through to watch an event in full screen. Peacock will offer you up to four multiview options at any given time.

A sample of the Peacock Live Actions feature. During live coverage, Peacock Live Actions will allow fans to choose to continue watching the live feed of a specific event instead of staying with whip-around coverage. Peacock Live Actions will also allow viewers watching the NBC Primetime simulcast to add upcoming events to their “My Stuff” list to watch later.
Peacock / NBCUniversal

Another key new feature is called Peacock Live Actions. The idea here is to help you follow the events you're most interested in. So, if you're really enjoying a live gymnastics session but the whip-around coverage on the Gold Show broadcast is about to switch over to weightlifting or something, you can hit a button to keep watching the action on the parallel bars. Peacock says the feature will also allow those watching the NBC primetime simulcast to add events to their My Stuff list to watch later.

Elsewhere, you'll be able to browse through the coverage by sport and check out an interactive schedule. The Catch Up with Key Plays tool will be available for basketball and golf on top of soccer. And along with up-to-date medal standings, you'll be able to search for your favorite athletes. This will bring you to live events and replays including your favorite competitor, regardless of whether they're competing individually or as part of a team.

While the Olympics don't start for another few months, you can subscribe to Peacock now. If you do so and opt for an annual plan, you'll get 12 months of access for the price of 10.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/peacocks-2024-paris-olympics-coverage-includes-enhanced-multiview-options-190047120.html?src=rss

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, from Amy Hennig’s studio, arrives in 2025

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It's been almost three years since we found out that former Naughty Dog and Visceral Games writer and creative director Amy Hennig was working on a Marvel game with her team at Skydance New Media. During Epic Games' State of Unreal showcase at the Game Developers Conference, a new story trailer shed some more light on the game, which is called Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.

As the name suggests, it's set during World War II in Occupied Paris. You'll play as four characters in this story-driven action-adventure: a young Steve Rogers (better known as Captain America), T'Challa's grandfather Azzuri (the Black Panther of his era), US soldier and Howling Commandos member Gabriel Jones and Wakandan spy Nanali.

The trailer shows Captain America taking out some foes (presumably Nazis) with his shield as he looks for Black Panther, who we see scampering over rooftops. It ends with the pair clashing on a bridge, but what are the odds that they (along with Gabriel and Nanali) form a shaky alliance to battle a common enemy?

Skydance New Media is using Unreal Engine 5.4 to build the game. The trailer has some striking visual,s including highly detailed facial animations and environments, which are seemingly reflective of what the game actually looks like. "All the sequences you just saw in that trailer are pulled right out of our game, running real-time in Unreal Engine 5," Hennig said. 'No smoke and mirrors." We'll have to wait a little longer — until Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra arrives in 2025 — to see if Hennig's claims stand up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/marvel-1943-rise-of-hydra-from-amy-hennigs-studio-arrives-in-2025-173514552.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S24 phones are on sale for record-low prices at Amazon

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Samsung makes some of the best Android phones you can get right now and the latest models have dropped to all-time-low prices. If you've been waiting for a good deal on the high-end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, you're in luck — the handset with 256GB of storage is $150 off and down to $1,150. The Galaxy S24+ is also on sale for $850 right now.

We gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review. We found it to be very expensive (this discount helps mitigate that!) and the design and lack of Qi 2 support were drawbacks. However, we appreciated the camera upgrades and felt the S24 Ultra delivered great performance and offered terrific battery life. It often had a 50 percent charge remaining after 24 hours of regular use, thanks to the large battery and power efficiency gains afforded by the new processor.

One other major thing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powers is a host of on-device generative AI (GAI) features, the big selling point for the Galaxy lineup this year as Samsung tries to compete with Google Pixel devices on that front. An interpreter mode can translate languages during calls, while the Chat Assist tool can check the grammar, spelling and tone of your messages before sending them. There are also AI-powered options for image editing and search. While the AI tools more or less work as expected, we felt that they're not quite as polished as Google's versions. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is our pick for the best premium Android phone.

The Galaxy S24+ also has a $150 discount right now. That too marks a record low for a version with 256GB of storage — the handset currently costs $850. Like its smaller sibling, the S24, the S24+ earned a score of 87 in our review. We appreciated the battery life and (for the most part) the GAI tools, though we felt that low-light photography performance was somewhat lacking. Those who prefer foldables may be more interested in the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Again, that's $150 off at $850 for 256GB of storage. However, it's $50 more than the lowest price we've seen for the handset thus far.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-phones-are-on-sale-for-record-low-prices-at-amazon-144742331.html?src=rss

First cyberflasher convicted in England is sentenced to 66 weeks in jail

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A man has been jailed for 66 weeks in England after pleading guilty to cyberflashing. Nicholas Hawkes is the first person to be convicted of the crime in the country under the Online Safety Act. Cyberflashing (sending unsolicited photos of genitalia) was outlawed in England and Wales under the law on January 31.

“Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke," prosecutor Hannah von Dadelzsen said in a statement. “Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law."

Registered sex offender Hawkes, of Basildon, Essex, admitted to sending a photo of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in early February. The woman took screenshots of the image and reported it to police. Cyberflashing victims receive lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act after reporting such crimes.

Hawkes pleaded guilty on February 12 to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation. He was held in custody until his sentencing on Tuesday. Hawkes was jailed for one year for the cyberflashing counts, and 14 weeks for breaching a previous order. He was convicted last year of exposure and sexual activity with a child under 16 and was sentenced to a community order.

Some other jurisdictions have similar laws against cyberflashing. Scotland banned it in 2010 and Northern Ireland followed suit last year. Singapore made it a crime in 2019, while the practice is illegal in some circumstances in Australia. Some states have moved to tackle cyberflashing too, including California, Virginia and Texas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/first-cyberflasher-convicted-in-england-is-sentenced-to-66-weeks-in-jail-182615668.html?src=rss

First cyberflasher convicted in England is sentenced to 66 weeks in jail

Posted on by

A man has been jailed for 66 weeks in England after pleading guilty to cyberflashing. Nicholas Hawkes is the first person to be convicted of the crime in the country under the Online Safety Act. Cyberflashing (sending unsolicited photos of genitalia) was outlawed in England and Wales under the law on January 31.

“Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke," prosecutor Hannah von Dadelzsen said in a statement. “Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law."

Registered sex offender Hawkes, of Basildon, Essex, admitted to sending a photo of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in early February. The woman took screenshots of the image and reported it to police. Cyberflashing victims receive lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act after reporting such crimes.

Hawkes pleaded guilty on February 12 to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation. He was held in custody until his sentencing on Tuesday. Hawkes was jailed for one year for the cyberflashing counts, and 14 weeks for breaching a previous order. He was convicted last year of exposure and sexual activity with a child under 16 and was sentenced to a community order.

Some other jurisdictions have similar laws against cyberflashing. Scotland banned it in 2010 and Northern Ireland followed suit last year. Singapore made it a crime in 2019, while the practice is illegal in some circumstances in Australia. Some states have moved to tackle cyberflashing too, including California, Virginia and Texas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/first-cyberflasher-convicted-in-england-is-sentenced-to-66-weeks-in-jail-182615668.html?src=rss

This Shark self-emptying robot vacuum is $300 off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale

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Robot vacuums are one of the great modern conveniences. They can check one time-sapping chore off your daily to-do list and if you can find a self-emptying model for a decent price, that’s one fewer thing for you to worry about. As it happens, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is a self-emptying option and it’s 46 percent off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale. That means it’s currently $350, which is $300 off the regular price and not too far away from its record low.

This is a variant of one of our top robot vacuum recommendations and Shark devices are by and large nearly as good as the ones Roomba makes.

A self-emptying robot vacuum is generally preferable to one without that feature, as you won't need to keep buying garbage bags for it. This one's base holds up to 60 days of muck, so you may only need to empty it every couple of months. It has a HEPA filtration system that Shark claims can capture and trap up to 99.97 percent of dust and allergens.

The AV2501AE will run for up to 120 minutes on a single charge. If that's not enough to cover your home, it will return to its base, recharge and then continue from where it left off. The vacuum uses a matrix grid approach and it makes multiple passes over debris and dirt to pick up as much of it as possible. The device uses LiDAR vision to map your home and steer clear of objects in its path. You'll be able to set up a cleaning schedule or start an ad hoc clean through the app or by Alexa or Google Assistant voice command.

The price of this model has dropped as part of a broader sale on vacuums and robot vacuums. Meanwhile, the Amazon Big Spring Sale runs until March 25.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-shark-self-emptying-robot-vacuum-is-300-off-for-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-143923650.html?src=rss

This Shark self-emptying robot vacuum is $300 off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale

Posted on by

Robot vacuums are one of the great modern conveniences. They can check one time-sapping chore off your daily to-do list and if you can find a self-emptying model for a decent price, that’s one fewer thing for you to worry about. As it happens, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is a self-emptying option and it’s 46 percent off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale. That means it’s currently $350, which is $300 off the regular price and not too far away from its record low.

This is a variant of one of our top robot vacuum recommendations and Shark devices are by and large nearly as good as the ones Roomba makes.

A self-emptying robot vacuum is generally preferable to one without that feature, as you won't need to keep buying garbage bags for it. This one's base holds up to 60 days of muck, so you may only need to empty it every couple of months. It has a HEPA filtration system that Shark claims can capture and trap up to 99.97 percent of dust and allergens.

The AV2501AE will run for up to 120 minutes on a single charge. If that's not enough to cover your home, it will return to its base, recharge and then continue from where it left off. The vacuum uses a matrix grid approach and it makes multiple passes over debris and dirt to pick up as much of it as possible. The device uses LiDAR vision to map your home and steer clear of objects in its path. You'll be able to set up a cleaning schedule or start an ad hoc clean through the app or by Alexa or Google Assistant voice command.

The price of this model has dropped as part of a broader sale on vacuums and robot vacuums. Meanwhile, the Amazon Big Spring Sale runs until March 25.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-shark-self-emptying-robot-vacuum-is-300-off-for-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-143923650.html?src=rss

Microsoft is planning some more pre-Build AI announcements

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It's shaping up to be a busy spring for Microsoft, which has multiple events lined up over the next few months. Not only is there a work and Copilot-centric event this Thursday and almost certainly an Xbox showcase coming up in early June, but Build is on the horizon. The company's major developer conference is set to run from May 21 until May 23. However, three days apparently isn't long enough to cram in everything Microsoft wants to talk about.

The company sent Engadget an invite to a private event taking place on May 20, the day before Build starts. Details are scant, but Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella will dig into its "AI vision across hardware and software." There won't be a livestream of the briefing, but reporters who attend in person will learn the news first and get hands-on demos.

Microsoft having an "AI vision" that spans across hardware and software lines up with recent reports that the company is gearing up to release its first "AI PCs." This week's event is expected to include at least the business and commercial-focused versions of the OLED Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6.

The consumer variants of the systems may not arrive until later this spring, though those are expected to have significant processor upgrades that will deliver “huge performance and efficiency gains," according to Windows Central. They're slated to have Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon X Elite chips with next-gen neural processing units.

These chips are said to be capable of supporting more advanced AI features that Microsoft plans to bring to Windows later this year, such as on-device Copilot and a tool called AI Explorer. The latter has been described as a searchable timeline of all of your activity on a device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-planning-some-more-pre-build-ai-announcements-194843363.html?src=rss

Microsoft is planning some more pre-Build AI announcements

Posted on by

It's shaping up to be a busy spring for Microsoft, which has multiple events lined up over the next few months. Not only is there a work and Copilot-centric event this Thursday and almost certainly an Xbox showcase coming up in early June, but Build is on the horizon. The company's major developer conference is set to run from May 21 until May 23. However, three days apparently isn't long enough to cram in everything Microsoft wants to talk about.

The company sent Engadget an invite to a private event taking place on May 20, the day before Build starts. Details are scant, but Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella will dig into its "AI vision across hardware and software." There won't be a livestream of the briefing, but reporters who attend in person will learn the news first and get hands-on demos.

Microsoft having an "AI vision" that spans across hardware and software lines up with recent reports that the company is gearing up to release its first "AI PCs." This week's event is expected to include at least the business and commercial-focused versions of the OLED Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6.

The consumer variants of the systems may not arrive until later this spring, though those are expected to have significant processor upgrades that will deliver “huge performance and efficiency gains," according to Windows Central. They're slated to have Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon X Elite chips with next-gen neural processing units.

These chips are said to be capable of supporting more advanced AI features that Microsoft plans to bring to Windows later this year, such as on-device Copilot and a tool called AI Explorer. The latter has been described as a searchable timeline of all of your activity on a device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-planning-some-more-pre-build-ai-announcements-194843363.html?src=rss

YouTube lays out new rules for ‘realistic’ AI-generated videos

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Many companies and platforms are wrangling with how to handle AI-generated content as it becomes more prevalent. One key concern for many is the labeling of such material to make it clear that an AI model whipped up a photo, video or piece of audio. To that end, YouTube has laid out its new rules for labeling videos made with artificial intelligence.

Starting today, the platform will require anyone uploading a realistic-looking video that "is made with altered or synthetic media, including generative AI" to label it for the sake of transparency. YouTube defines realistic content as anything that a viewer could "easily mistake" for an actual person, event or place.

Screenshot of the YouTube Creator Studio including a question the asks the creator whether their video includes any digitally altered or synthetic content.
YouTube

If a creator uses a synthetic version of a real person's voice to narrate a video or replaces someone's face with another person's, they'll need to include a label. They'll also need to include the disclosure if they alter footage of a real event or place (such as by modifying an existing cityscape or making it look like a real building is on fire).

YouTube says that it might apply one of these labels to a video if a creator hasn't done so, "especially if the altered or synthetic content has the potential to confuse or mislead people." The team notes that while it wants to give creators some time to get used to the new rules, YouTube will likely penalize those who persistently flout the policy by not including a label when they should be.

These labels will start to appear across YouTube in the coming weeks, starting with the mobile app and then desktop and TVs. They'll mostly appear in the expanded description, noting that the video includes "altered or synthetic content," adding that "sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated."

Screenshot showing how a disclosure of
YouTube

However, when it comes to more sensitive topics (such as news, elections, finance and health), YouTube will place a label directly on the video player to make it more prominent. 

Creators won't need to include the label if they only used generative AI to help with things like script creation, coming up with ideas for videos or to automatically generate captions. Labels won't be necessary for "clearly unrealistic content" or if changes are inconsequential. Adjusting colors or using special effects like adding background blur alone won't require creators to use the altered content label. Nor will applying lighting filters, beauty filters or other enhancements.

In addition, YouTube says it's still working on a revamped takedown request process for synthetic or altered content that depicts a real, identifiable person's face or voice. It plans to share more details about that updated procedure soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-lays-out-new-rules-for-realistic-ai-generated-videos-154248008.html?src=rss