| Youview TV platform and set-top box coming to UK stores this month (update: priced at £299) Jul 4th 2012, 08:42  The BBC's iPlayer has become too successful. It either needs to calm down or be put on a more level playing field with 'on demand' services from the other big UK broadcasters -- and it's going to be the latter. Youview -- which has nothing whatsoever in common with YouTube except its name and the fact that it also does video -- is a PVR set-top box that uses both an aerial and a web connection to allow catch-up viewing, and we've just heard it'll arrive in UK stores towards the end of this month. It'll bring together programs from the BBC (which also contributed £10 million of license fee cash), ITV, Channel 4, Five, and Sky, using infrastructure from BT, Arqiva and TalkTalk, and it'll target millions of British viewers who want a "seamless" mix of live and archived telly without being tied to a subscription -- and who don't yet depend on a Smart TV, games console or other converged device. Update: Youview front man Sir Alan Sugar told us that the box is Humax-built and will cost £299. He also added that there'll be adverts within commercial programs, but not plastered over the EPG or interface itself. Youview TV platform and set-top box coming to UK stores this month (update: priced at £299) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung Galaxy Beam, Galaxy Ace 2 resurface, get proper launches in Singapore and Taiwan Jul 4th 2012, 08:27  Samsung has been quiet on the subject of its second-generation Galaxy Beam and the Galaxy Ace 2 ever since they showed together in Barcelona this February, but the two just reemerged as close buddies for an initial launch in East Asia. The Galaxy Beam receives the grandest introduction, as it's coming to Singapore on July 7th followed by a more nebulous mid-July release for Taiwan residents. Those craving tiny, dual-core TouchWiz will have no choice but to flock to Singapore and pick up an Ace 2 at the end of the month. There's no word on where else they'll go on their respective world tours, although the cash outlay is strictly in the middle of the pack: we're looking at S$648 or NT$16,900 ($513 or $566) off-contract for a Galaxy Beam, while its more diminutive cousin carries a S$438 ($352) price tag on similar terms. Samsung Galaxy Beam, Galaxy Ace 2 resurface, get proper launches in Singapore and Taiwan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Samsung (translated), CNET | Email this | Comments | | CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video) Jul 4th 2012, 07:44  Physics' big announcement had more in common with a leaky product launch than the serious business of re-writing the science books. But slack asset management aside, it's official: a new boson has been observed with a standard deviation of 5 (confidence of 99.9%). The highly anticipated announcement came this morning direct from CERN's press conference (via ICHEP in Melbourne,) and is the result of an intense, ongoing search for the elusive particle. The observation is of a boson particle with a mass of 125.3 ± 0.6 GeV, at a significance of 4.9 sigma. Joe Incandela -- giving the presentation -- said that this is "In agreement with the standard model at 95% confidence range." The boson is the heaviest ever found, and although this is still a preliminary result, it's by far the strongest case yet for the existence of the elusive Higgs. The sough-after particle is essential for supporting the current understanding of sub-atomic world, and its bearing on nuclear, and electromagnetic interactions. The next stage will be to determine the exact characteristics of the new particle and whether it matches the expectations of the Higgs, or is it in fact something more "exotic." This part will take much more time, but for now, a (very) small, but important piece of the puzzle has been found. [Image credit: CERN] Continue reading CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video) CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | CERN (webcast) | Email this | Comments | | BBC launches updated, interactive live video player ahead of Olympics; lines up 'summer of 3D' Jul 4th 2012, 07:28  As the London Olympics creep closer, BBC is unveiling more of the technology it plans to use to bring the Games home to UK viewers. In the last few days it's shown off both the new live video player shown above, as well as a new Facebook app in beta for BBC Sport. The interactive live video player is built to deliver up to 24 HD streams during the Olympics, along with alerts for key events and extra information and stats. It will work on computers and tablets that support Flash, and for those notable ones that don't, there's a stripped down version for mobiles and iPads that loses the extra interactivity. The BBC Sport Facebook app will also be able to stream the Games, but also let you see if any of your friends are watching the same stream or what sport is the most popular. Finally, the Beeb has lined up what it's calling the "Summer of 3D" with a lineup that includes Planet of the Dinosaur, Last Night of the Proms, Wimbledon and the Olympics. There's a lot going on, hit the source links or check the press releases after the break for the highlights. BBC launches updated, interactive live video player ahead of Olympics; lines up 'summer of 3D' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC Internet blog (1), (2), BBC Media Centre | Email this | Comments | |
