Now that Netflix has revealed exactly how many subscribers it has lost over the last few months, we’re wondering what’s next for the video service and its competitors like Amazon. In other pay-TV news, we have an upgraded UI on the way from DirecTV and new social media hooks from AT&T that could signal a change in the way we watch TV. Before closing things out with our picks of what to watch this week, we even had some time for new ultra HDTV standards, mobile app consolidation for FiOS and Sony’s PlayStation 3D Display.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

16:18 – Netflix US subscriber count drops by 800k in Q3, 21.45 million still streaming
18:24 – Netflix to expand to UK, Ireland in ‘early 2012,’ looks to challenge Lovefilm
24:19 – Amazon Prime Instant Video expands its library with even more video from PBS
27:23 – BBC’s global iPlayer app adds AirPlay streaming, should just be on Apple TV
30:00 – DirecTV shows off its new HD UI with a website and trailer, still no release date
33:55 – U-verse TV gets social with help from Miso, TV Foundry, Wayvin and BuddyTV Guide
40:00 – Verizon’s My FiOS app puts your entire living room under one Android roof
42:39 – Playstation 3D Display hits shelves November 13, Sony answers your burning questions
44:50 – Ultra HDTV technical standards agreed on, more pixels is a good thing
52:30 – Must See HDTV (October 24th – 30th)

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Engadget HD Podcast 271 – 10.25.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We promised you some unexpected surprises, and it’s time that we delivered. Distro’s very first special edition is ready for download (and yes, it’s available on PDF too). This one’s all about a device that’s never failed to get folks talking. Yup! It’s the iPhone special issue. Love it or hate it, Apple’s flagship phone has had an undeniable impact on the mobile space. In this issue, we’ll dive deep into Cupertino’s latest with our iPhone 4S review and shed some light on the phones that came before with The Evolution of the iPhone. So hop on that iPad, or hit the link below, and download Distro’s very special new issue.

Distro Special Edition PDF
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Engadget Distro’s first special edition traces the origins of the iPhone 4S originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even though it’s been a week that’s all about cellphones, there’s still plenty of HD news to decipher, from last week’s comments to our review of the Logitech Harmony Link. If you know us, you know Harmony = rant, but you’ll probably want to tune in just to see where Logitech’s latest effort to connect all our devices simply succeeds, and where it failed, failed and failed again. Apple, Intel, Boxee, Google, Roku, Slingbox and Crestron are all other names coming at the connected living room from a different angle and unsurprisingly, they’re all here. Give a listen to find out what they’re up to, plus our picks of what to watch on your HDTV this week.

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[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
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[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

21:30 – Logitech Harmony Link review
30:00 – Crestron debuts free, paid mobile apps for Android devices
37:00 – Photo Stream, NHL, AirPlay mirroring and more added to Apple TV with software update
44:15 – Apple reportedly trying to add movie streaming to its iCloud
48:19 – Hulu owners ‘terminate sale process’, won’t sell to anyone
49:35 – Boxee Box adds music streaming from Spotify, just press play
51:17 – Google TV 2.0: app developers get final add-on for Android SDK
55:19 – Intel may be giving up on smart TVs, ceding market to ARM
56:35 – Roku announces $50 LT model, will add HBO Go streaming to all of its boxes this month
01:00:17 – SlingPlayer app now available for Honeycomb tablets, priced at $30
01:01:23 – Transformers Blu-ray 3D release coming to Japan in January, still no release date for US
01:02:30 – Must See HDTV (October 17th – 23rd)

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Engadget HD Podcast 270 – 10.18.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google+ app update welcomes iPhone users to Hangouts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix’s surprise split took the top spot this week, so we dug into what this means for the company and its subscribers, especially those who prefer Blu-ray quality over streaming convenience. Closing things out is our quick preview of this week’s fall TV premieres, with a few media streamers, CEDIA notes, satellite outages and Windows 8 discussion squeezed in between. We’re now living in the era of Qwikster — press play and we’ll talk you through it.

Get the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

07:10 – Netflix admits it will end up with fewer subscribers than predicted, shrinks DVD-only count

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Engadget HD Podcast 266 – 09.20.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The very latest software goodness from Google has arrived, with Chrome hitting its 14th iteration (celebration, anyone?). This one gives Mac OS X Lion users a little something extra, with access to overlay scrollbars within the browser. Chrome can also can also upsize itself now — accessible with a tap of the full-screen button or the more conventional Ctrl+Shift+F. The new web audio API gives developers the ability to add fancy sound effects and adjustments, whilst native client is an open-source addition; though this only supports apps in Chrome’s web store, it allows C and C++ code to be executed within the browser. Google adds that there’s been the usual bug clear-out, with the whole thing benefitting from a bit more polish — gotta keep up with those pesky web apps! If you’re already running Chrome, the automatic update should have kicked in, and new users can nab the download from the source below. If it’s good enough for Gaga…

[Thanks, Michael]

Stable release of Chrome 14 out now, brings a few upgrades for Lion users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You heard right, film aficionados — Netflix has just updated its Android app in order to bring one major, major change: “expanded support for phones.” Previously, the app only worked on a smattering of smartphones, but as of today, v1.4 brings playback to “all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices.” Congratulations — your weekend just got a lot better. Hit the source link to get your download on, or just visit the Market for an update if you’re already in the door. So much for those “hardware DRM requirements” we heard about at MWC, huh?

Psst… all is well at Engadget US, but our colleagues in Canada aren’t seeing the update yet.

[Thanks, 3vil and Brett]

Now showing: Netflix 1.4 brings playback to ‘all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, we know — you’re anxiously awaiting the public launch of iTunes Match, but what if you’re one of those people? You know, the crowd that dips their toes into both Google and Apple offerings. It’s clearly not as blasphemous as you may have been led to believe, as the fine folks in Google’s mobile department have just produced an iOS-specific web app for Google Music Beta. For those who’ve forgotten, Music Beta was launched a few months back at Google I/O, giving audio archivists the chance to upload 20,000 of their favorite jams into the cloud; now, as you might imagine, it ain’t just Android users tapping into those libraries. Predictably, the Music Beta iOS web app enables iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users to login to their accounts and stream at will, and if you’re down to give it a go, the download link is just below — you’ll need to have been accepted previously into the beta, though.

We gave it a quick whirl on the iPad here at Engadget HQ, and it works beautifully. As you’d expect, the actual graphical elements are a bit lacking compared to the Android app, but all of the core functionality is there. Swiping left / right cruises through Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists and Genres, and the track currently playing remains in a top bar regardless of what main window you’re in. The search function works as advertised, and on a basic cable connection our results populated within two seconds of getting the third letter down. All in all, it’s a fairly nice spread (see for yourself in the gallery below), but not quite as nice as we’re envisioning a dedicated app to be. Still holding out for one? Heh… we never said Google was that generous.

Google Music Beta crosses the aisle, launches for iOS via web app (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honeycomb beta update now available for Logitech Revue, only the intrepid need apply originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 02:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In some weird alternative universe, this is how retail is done: you walk into a store, buy a voucher for a digital product, and then download it. It’s a model that GameStop is embracing by offering digital PC game purchases through its retail locations. There are certain benefits to buying from a brick and mortar location — for one thing, customers can use trade-in credits for their purchases. And those who pre-order a digital copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution — the first game being offered through this model — will receive some extras including downloads of earlier entries in the series. Just be mindful of pop-ups — they’re way worse in real life.

Continue reading GameStop brings digital download purchases to stores, thus completing the retail circle

GameStop brings digital download purchases to stores, thus completing the retail circle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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