Rumors that Apple was about to expand the Apple TV's channel selection have just come true -- the company has quietly rolled out apps for the Disney Channel, Disney XD, the Smithsonian, Vevo and The Weather Channel. The new portals deliver the on-demand video you'd expect from their respective services. There are live components, however: Vevo fans get non-stop music videos through Vevo TV, while The Weather Channel jumps to live broadcasts during major storms. Any locally supported channels should appear the next time you use your Apple TV, although you'll need to be a qualifying cable or satellite subscriber to run the Disney apps.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: 9to5 Mac
Internet music video provider Vevo launched its linear channel on mobile devices, Xbox 360 and Roku back in March, and according to the Wall Street Journal, it may arrive on the PS3, Apple TV (directly, AirPlay support came last week) and Samsung's Smart TV soon. After a rumor earlier this month from AdAge, the new report indicates deals with both Samsung and Apple are signed with a launch on the latter possible this week. That most of the people watching the streaming channel do so on TV-connected devices which, along with the desire to sell higher-priced TV ads is apparently behind the new push. The next moves for Vevo? Rolling out new channels that focus on specific genres or live music, renegotiating licenses for content, and off in the distance, perhaps a cable TV channel. For now, we'll just pencil in a shift to reality TV shows, dramas and other non-music programming for 2019 or so.
Filed under: HD
Source: Wall Street Journal
Vevo's just pushed an updated version of its iOS app into the wild, and it should delight Apple TV owners who like watching their music videos instead of merely listening to them. The fresh upgrade adds full AirPlay support, which means that both video and audio can be streamed to televisions using Apple's set-top box. Naturally, a grab bag of unspecified bug fixes and optimizations accompany the latest release. Click the source link below to load up your iDevice of choice with the application.
Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Vevo (iTunes)
Although Vevo has a presence on seemingly every platform, it hasn't done much of anything special on the desktop: so far, it's been either the web or nothing. That's changing -- the company has just launched a native app for Windows 8 and RT devices. The software puts all of Vevo's core music video features into a touch-friendly format, including Vevo TV, live concerts and playlists. While we suspect that many will still be content with the web interface, those who just have to watch Selena Gomez on a Surface can grab the Vevo app for free at the source link.
Filed under: Tablets, Internet, Software, Microsoft
Via: Blogging Windows, The Next Web
Source: Windows Store
After years of fighting against the digital tide, the RIAA announced it'll now factor online audio and video streams when considering tracks for its Digital Single Award. The certification has heretofore been given to digital tracks that have gone Gold or Platinum, but only for downloads: 500,000 for Gold, 1,000,000 for Platinum and 2 million-plus for multi-Platinum. But under its new policy, 100 streams count as one download, meaning that it could reach those thresholds with a mix of streams and downloads, not just the latter. The new approach is "an approximate barometer of comparative consumer activity; the financial value of streams and downloads were not factored into the equation."
All told, these include streams from services like MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker, Spotify and Rdio along with video sites like VEVO, YouTube and MTV.com. Under the new system, 56 titles have already gone Gold and beyond, with 11 receiving their first ever digital song cert. A couple of first-timers include Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" which went Platinum and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" that went multi-Platinum. While we can't say if music services will make everyone happy, it's clear streaming's here to stay. Hear that, iTunes?
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Verge
Source: RIAA
As much as we're intrigued by the prospect of Twitter's music app, the rumored emphasis on SoundCloud would potentially limit the selection given major label resistance to giving away ad-free content: we'd expect a lot of DJ sets and indie demos. A supposed leak from AllThingsD has Twitter catering to the less adventurous among us by adding Vevo support. While the full workings of the rumored app remain a mystery, Twitter would reportedly play Vevo's mostly pop-oriented music videos through a custom player. It might not be the only service involved, too: the same tips suggest that Twitter wants to round up multiple services, and the two that have surfaced so far are just the first to hop aboard. We have a hunch that the expanded app (if real) won't make the originally claimed March launch when we're already at the last weekday of the month, but the latest tidbit suggests Twitter is far from giving up on turning microblogs into mini jukeboxes.
Filed under: Internet
Source: AllThingsD
Vevo, long known as a source of music videos on YouTube, has just launched its own, standalone music video service called Vevo TV. The streaming music channel is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it'll feed your craving for the latest Adele, Rhianna and/or Bieber videos on your TV, PC, or mobile device. At launch, apps are available for Android, iOS and Windows Phones, in addition to Xbox and Roku. Naturally, PC owners can go to vevo.com to watch it on the web as well. Programming comes in hour-long musical genre-themed chunks that are curated by Vevo staff, and the service is currently available in the US and Canada. Want to check out this next-gen MTV for yourself? Head on down to the source below.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: Vevo