Tech Tidbits March 2018

The First 8K channel will be launched by NHK, the Japanese broadcast authority, later this year. How much programming will support it remains to be seen...

Samsung may return to OLED manufacturing, say anonymous sources quoted by a Korean-language news site. But this time it would combine the brightness of Samsung’s quantum dot with the black levels of OLED...

Sharp dropped its suit against Hisense, an attempt to claw back use of the Sharp TV brand in the U.S. The beleaguered company, now owned by Foxconn, plans to re-enter the States with a new high-end brand to be determined...

T-Mobile promises a “disruptive new TV service” following its acquisition of IPTV provider Layer3. Sign up at T-Mobile.com/tv to be notified when the service becomes available in your area...

Fox affiliates will seek higher retransmission fees “quite aggressively,” Lachlan Murdoch promises. Intensifying the ongoing tussle for money between TV stations and pay-TV providers may mean more blackouts. Fox recently just landed a five-season deal to air NFL Thursday Night Football

The ESPN Plus subscription app is launching with MLB, NHL, MLS, and college games along with tennis, rugby, cricket, boxing, and ESPN films. Cost is $5/month...

CuriosityStream, which streams science, history, tech, and nature documentaries on demand, is coming to Vizio’s P, M, and E Series of SmartCast TVs in addition to various other smart TV, STB, gaming, and mobile platforms. Cost is $3/month for standard def, $6/month for high def, and $12/month for Ultra HD...

Cable operators prize ESPN over all other cable networks, according to an annual survey by Beta Research. Its perceived value is 99 cents per month, vs. 85 cents for runner-up Fox News...

PBS was voted most trusted American media institution among viewers for the 15th straight year in the annual Marketing & Research Resources poll. It beat commercial TV, newspapers, various digital platforms, and social media...

Product placement is now measured by Nielsen Branded Integration Intel. That may mean new revenue for content producers and more ways to reach consumers for marketers...

Charter set a minimum wage of $15 for all Spectrum Cable employees, including phone support, field techs, and storefront staff. The company attributed the move to the Trump tax cut and the FCC’s retreat on net neutrality...

Comcast has added NPR to its X1 set top box platform. Content is searchable...

Charter’s Spectrum Choice is a new skinny TV bundle that includes your choice of 10 channels plus local stations and 25 music channels. Price is $25/month plus $7.50/each for premium add-ons or $15 for the full premium bundle, including HBO, Showtime, Movie Channel, Starz, and Starz Encore...

Virtual reality is a candidate for paid prioritization, now that the FCC has swept away net neutrality rules. An AT&T executive blogged the idea...

The TNT VR app will use Intel True VR tech to cover the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, and 67th NBA All-Star games. The free app works with Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream headsets...

A Spotify smart speaker? The company is advertising for employees for a venture “akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Snap Spectacles.” It is reportedly irked that Apple refuses to support Spotify Connect in the HomePod...

Apple’s noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones may hit late this year, reports Bloomberg. They would use wireless pairing for easy connection to iPhones and iPads...

Klipsch and Jamo have added Control4 compatibility to their DSP amps. The Klipsch KDA-1000 and -500 and Jamo JDA-500 are used in commercial and residential systems...

The Klipsch Museum of Audio History, founded by enthusiasts to curate the Paul W. Klipsch archives, is offering public memberships. For more info visit klipschmuseum.org...

Pandora Premium now works in web browsers. Previously it had run only on phones...

Cambridge Audio plans to open its first U.S. retail store in Chicago later this year The British manufacturer is also partnering with the Merit School of Music to generate mutual awareness and will donate half the proceeds from sales of its SE-1 headphones to the school...

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