LoveFilm Instant users can now stream classic movies from Disney like Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo and the Sword in the Stone and CGI favourites like Toy Story from Disney Pixar. All the Disney flicks will be available at no extra charge as part of the normal monthly subscription service.

“Disney is renowned for creating world famous, quality family entertainment that parents can trust; from the earlier animation to modern classics”, said LoveFilm’s Simon Morris. “We are thrilled to enhance our relationship with the launch of Disney Movies on Demand, and even more excited about bringing our members so much new content in the process.”

LoveFilm’s streaming service is now available on PC/Mac, Wii, Xbox 360 and various smart TV brands. PS3 owners can receive movies in HD thanks to a new client app. See our full guide to LoveFilm Instant here.

Samsung Smart TVs can now access catch up services from all four main UK terrestrial broadcasters natively, without the need for an external set top box. Apps are now available for iPlayer, Demand 5, 4oD and the latest addition to the line up – ITV Player. As of last month, viewers in Scotland can catch up on STV programmes using a dedicated app for that channel.

The apps will work across Samsung’s entire range of 2011, 2012 and 2013 Smart TV models. Samsung has managed to make the ITV app an exclusive to its TVs until 2014, although the service is of course still available on the web or through other methods such as Virgin Media set top boxes.

All the catch up TV apps for Smart TV are part of the data set available to Samsung’s S Recommendation engine. This trawls programme listings – and now catch-up listings too – and puts together a list of suggested shows based on your preferences and viewing habits.

(via Recombu)

Curated video-on-demand service PictureBox Films is being relaunched in the UK and Ireland by its owner, NBC Universal. The PictureBox web site and the branding of all PictureBox products has been given a complete redesign for the relaunch.

PictureBox Films launched in 2006 in the UK, Poland, Russia, Latin America, Brazil and Singapore. The service offers a somewhat narrower selection of films than most of its rivals, but those films are selected by a ‘panel of film lovers’ . New films are rotated in every week and films leave the listings after a certain number of plays. Customers pay a simple monthly subscription to access the entire monthly selection.

UK customers can subscribe for £4.99 a month. In return they get access to the rolling library of 60 films. PictureBox is available via Virgin Media, Top Up TV, Talk Talk TV and BT Vision. You can also watch online via the web, a Samsung Smart TV app or an iOS app.

(via IPTV News)

As our viewing habits change it has become more difficult for broadcasters to keep track of who is watching what and when. Time-shifting through PVRs or catch-up on-demand services muddy the waters and mean that a programme’s initial ‘viewing figure’ will probably not be the whole story.

The official UK TV ratings body, BARB, has decided to address at least on part of that equation. From August, it will begin tracking online catchup services like iPlayer and ITV Player and incorporating views into its ratings. The move will allow BARB to create the first official measure of programme viewers using laptops, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and other connected devices.

BARB’s Julian Sampson said, “Our initial focus is on reporting the extent to which IP content is being downloaded or streamed. This is a significant step forward in our ambition to deliver cross-platform measurement of content. For the first time we will have a gold standard report into viewing to TV player services such as 4oD, BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, ITV Player and Sky Go.”

(source: Guardian)

As connected services acquire more top of the range content to lure viewers, how is an old-school cable company meant to compete? The answer might be “with a combination of cash and threats.”

Bloomberg reports that Time Warner Cable has been approaching programme makers and offering ‘incentives’ to keep their shows off the internet and on cable. The incentives can take the form of higher payments under existing deals or – it is alleged – of threats to drop programmes entirely if their makers do not comply.

The allegations came from sources who did not wish to be identified. Asked about the incentives this week at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association show, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said, ”We may well have [contracts] that have that prohibition. This is not a cookie-cutter kind of business.”

Reacting to suggestions that such practices are anti-competitive (and may even fall foul of US Antitrust laws), TWC’s Maureen Huff said, “Exclusivities and windows are extremely common in the entertainment industry. It’s absurd to suggest that, in today’s highly competitive video marketplace, obtaining some level of exclusivity is anticompetitive.”

(source: Bloomberg)

Is this the beginning of the end for 3D? As we have previously covered on SmartTVRadar, some in the industry have voiced their doubts about the viability of 3D broadcasts and this year’s CES featured almost no overt mentions of the technology. Now a major broadcaster has announced that it is pulling out of the 3D game entirely. Is the game up?

ESPN will cease 3D broadcasts by the end of the year. “ESPN 3D was great at home but due to low adoption of 3D in homes, we are discontinuing to focus on other products for fans and affiliates,” said, ESPN spokeswoman Katina Arnold. Although she did not reveal exact viewing figures. The channel did not launch in the UK.

A survey carried out last year in the US suggests that 3D is low on the list of features most consumers consider when buying a new TV. Screen size is the biggest factor affecting TV choice but ‘smart’ features like internet connectivity are becoming more important.

(via Broadcast)

YouView customers who subscribe via TalkTalk can now get a taste of Bollywood magic thanks to a deal with Indian movie distributors Eros International. Eros will be providing a rolling selection of 20 or so Bollywood movies for TalkTalk’s pay-per-view library, including hit movies like Chakravyuh, Dabangg, Khiladi 786, Milenge Milenge and Love Aaj Kal.

Movies will be available to rent individually for £2.00 a pop. More dedicated Bollywood fans can buy the monthly Eros Now Boost for a mere £5. Talk Talk also offer the Asian Boost and Star TV Boost for eight asian TV channels and on-demand programming.

TalkTalk’s Director of TV, Laurence Miall-d’Août, said, “ErosNow is the latest international content partner to join YouView from TalkTalk, and we have a lot more specialist channels coming on board.”

(via Seen-It)

The BBC always puts on a good show for the Annual Wimbledon tennis championships but for the 127th championship the corporation is going the extra mile for connected viewers. As well as their usual live coverage and commentary, the BBC is providing ten live streams that can be watched through your Smart TV, the web or an app as well as a raft of additional content.

The ten live streams will cover matches on the courts not currently showing on the main BBC channels. iOS and Android users can get the free BBC Sport app to watch the footage and both web and Smart TV viewers can stream directly to their devices. The BBC Sport website will also host additional coverage such as Q&As, interviews and highlights as well as live text commentary for those unable to watch but who want to sneakily follow a match in work.

Sue Barker will be hosting the BBC’s regular coverage, which will screen BBC One, BBC One HD and BBC Two and BBC Two HD from Monday 24 June until 7 July.

(source: Recombu)

LG Smart TV owners could soon have the option to play top-flight AAA games on their sets without (much) additional hardware. Cloud gaming using NVidia’s Grid infrastructure  was first mooted by LG back in January and now the first such system, from Nvidia partner Ubitus, is ready to roll out.

GameNow will require a compatible controller to actually play, but recent LG Smart TVs should be able to install the GameNow app and stream the latest PC games from the cloud. Games like Batman: Arkham City and Street Fighter X Tekken will be playable without the high-end PC hardware they usually require, providing you have a fast broadband connection (LG reckon at least 3Mbps) with which to stream them from Ubitus’ servers.

“We believe consumers will be amazed at how effortless it is to enjoy console-quality games directly and instantly on their LG Smart TVs,” said Wesley Kuo, CEO of Ubitus. ”Select, click and ready to play, just like the way they’ve been enjoying video-on-demand services.”

The service should work with all LG 2013 Smart TVs and will be available ‘soon’ in the US. We are waiting to hear about worldwide availability.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference opened yesterday with CEO Tim Cook’s keynote speech. Traditionally, this is where Apple unveils its new products and this year was no exception. Sadly, there were no TV treats in store.

The rumours in the run-up to the 2013 WWDC suggested that we would see an upgrade to the Apple TV set top box, if not an entirely new ‘iTV‘ (still not sure about that name) – a stand-alone flatscreen TV with Apple’s TV interface baked in. Neither made an appearance, despite Apple CLEARLY making the WWDC logo look just like an Apple TV puck. The teases.

About the only significant mention of Apple TV was that it is one of the supported platforms for the new iRadio subscription service. This works a little like Spotify and will stream 200 stations of music directly to an iOS7 device, Apple TV, Windows PC or Mac. iRadio will launch in the US this Autumn and then roll out worldwide later. You can subscribe free with ads or pay an annual fee of $25 to hear an ad-free stream.

After a successful launch in Korea earlier this year, Samsung had finally pulled the trigger on its Evolution Kit across the world. Owners of Samsung’s 2012 model Smart TVs will now be able to upgrade them to match their 2013 equivalents.

The built-in obsolescence of Smart TVs could be one reason why many consumers are reluctant to splash their cash. After all, if this year’s new features are going to be superseded next year, why not buy a cheaper set top box rather than a pricey flatscreen? The Evolution Kit is Samsung’s (partial) solution. From the 2012 models on, all Samsung Smart TVs have a slot for an add-on box that adds both new software and hardware to bring it up to the current cutting edge.

The Kit has proven popular in Samsung’s native Korea and now Smart TV owners elsewhere can get on board. The Evolution Kit retails for around £250 or less in the UK. One thing that Samsung hasn’t yet clarified is how long one might expect a Smart TV to be upgradeable for – can 2012-serries owners buy the 2014 upgrade kit? How about 2016? And so on.

(via

Sony’s NSZ-GS7 ‘Internet Player’ was a second-generation Google TV device that we liked the look of when it was released last Autumn. Capable of taking its input from a freeview or cable box, it layered Sony’s twist on the Google TV interface on top of your regular programming.

Now, Sony has updated the box as the NSZ-GS8, adding a few more features and tweaking the design of the remote control to accommodate a microphone. The mic is required for the most significant new feature – voice search and navigation.

Voice control was added to Google TV back in November. Voice search has been possible on Android devices and the main Google website for some time but the latest enhancements add the ability to navigate much of Google TV’s interface using voice commands. You can even surf the web using just your voice.

We browsing – with or without voice control – is now performed on Sony’s box using a version of Google Chrome. The Chrome browser for Android or Google TV is now very close to the desktop version in terms of features and Google announced at Google I/O that it planned to make both versions keep pace with each other as the browser evolves.

(via Engadget)

Persuading people to actually try your products best feature is an odd position to be in, but that seems to be where many Smart TV manufacturers find themselves. Samsung is tackling the issue head on by literally touring the country to spread the word about what its Smart TV platform can do. There will also be a film.

Samsung is joining forces with The Nomad Cinema, Rooftop Filmclub and Luna to host a series of film screenings during the summer at the Coram Secret Garden in London, Ascot Racecourse and Leeds Castle.  As well as the films (which include Top Gun, Stand By Me and Les Miserables) Samsung is also promising  a “unique piece of live theatre” which we suspect will involve a Smart TV demonstration of some kind. The company will also take the opportunity to show it’s big-budget “Charge” TV ad.

Samsung UK’s Guy Kimmel said, “Our partnership with open air cinema is fantastic as the experience reflects the core focus of the Samsung Smart TV promise, which is to help people discover more of the films and TV they love through an amazing viewing experience with friends and family.”

(source: Marketing Week)

Having previously denied that the Xbox One will require an always-on internet connection, it seems as thought Microsoft may have been fudging the issue somewhat. While it will be possible to use the console ‘offline’ most of the time the company has confirmed that it must ‘check in’ every 24 hours in order to keep playing games.

The check-ins are required to ensure that gamers are not playing pirated copies of games or allowing friends to play their games library by logging in on their Xbox One machines. The check-ins only cover games at the moment however and you will still be able to watch DVD or Blu-ray movies or watch live TV through the console.

An MS spokesperson wrote in the Xbox One blog, “With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”

Microsoft may be cagey when it comes to talking about its TV ambitions in front of its core gaming audience, but there is no doubt that that is one of its main aims is to turn the new Xbox console into a credible TV set top box.

The Xbox One may have some impressive interface software that munges multiple channels and video sources together (at least, we think it does. Hard to tell until we see it working) but to really make it work it needs some content. If the rumoured deal with Time Warner goes ahead it could be able to stream up to 300 channels in the US.

Time Warner has made a similar deal with Roku for its set top box devices and it is said to be negotiating with Apple and Samsung among others. We still seem no closer to finding out what kind of deals Microsoft is planning with TV companies in the UK, leaving the usefulness or otherwise of the new console’s TV features very much in doubt on this side of the pond.

(via Dividend)

Channel 4 may have a portfolio of channels that includes, E4, More4 and new highlights channel 4seven but it has decided it only needs the one app. iOS users who subscribe to the Channel 4 website will next month get the chance to try the beta version of an app Channel 4 are calling 4Now.

Now, 4 are only calling 4Now 4Now for now. 4Now will eventually be renamed and, indeed, 4Now users will have the chance to suggest alternative names for 4Now. We would like to suggest ‘Now4′, if anyone at 4 is reading this. Now.

Whatever it ends up being called, the app will offer real time updates with additional content for whatever shows are currently being broadcast, quizzes and polls as well as the chance for viewers to give instant feedback. Only iOS devices will be supported initially but other platforms are expected to follow soon.

(via iMediaMonkey)

BT’s is to sell it s Sports channels direct to customers, has acquired ESPN and will be removing Sky Sports from the Digital Terrestrial Television network. As a result, Top Up TV has no choice but to drop its sports packages entirely and will cease broadcasting Sky and ESPN channels by the Autumn.

Sky Sports 1 and 2 will be dropped by the end of June, while ESPN will continue being broadcast by Top Up TV until the end of July. To appease cutomers, Top Up TV has negotiated a reduced rate with BSkyB for anyone who wishes to subscribe to Sky TV for its sports packages.

Top Up TV is a pay-TV service aimed at ‘topping up’ a basic Freeview  with on-demand programmes. The service has taken a few hits in the last few years with several channels withdrawing their on-demand content, including the BC and Warners.

(via Telecompaper)

Samsung is working closely with chip makers Intel to allow  streaming of video and other multimedia, directly from new Intel PCs without a standalone receiver. This will be achieved by integrating Intel’s Wireless Display technology in new Samsung TVs by the end of the year.

All new Intel processors have Wireless Display built-in. Computers using these processors can send their display to any compatible display over a local wifi network. Samsung also recently announced a partnership with Intel to provide the chips for its new Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.

Intel has so far got its Wireless Display tech into TVs from LG, TCL and Toshiba. The company also plans to integrate Wireless Display output capability into mobile devices such as phones and tablets, all of which will be able to throw their displays on to compatible screens.

(via Ubergizmodo)

Netflix recently let a raft of children’s programmes  - including Dora the Explorer – slip through its fingers when it failed to renew a licensing deal with Viacom. Amazon has spotted an opportunity and swooped down to sign its own deal for the shows. A lesser site would make a “Swiper, no swiping!” joke at this point. Not us though. We have our pride.

Netflix has reportedly received some complaints that the shows had gone missing. Other than Dora’s squeaky-voiced adventures, missing shows include SpongeBob SquarePants, The Backyardigans, Fairly Odd Parents and Blue’s Clues. Amazon’s US customers will be able to watch the missing shows via Amazon Prime Instant Video as well as a selection of MTV and Comedy Central shows that Amazon acquired along with the kids programmes. UK LoveFilm customers will get a selection of the above later this year.

“Kids’ shows are one of the most watched TV genres on Prime Instant Video,” said Bill Carr, VP of Digital Video and Music for Amazon. “And this expanded deal will now bring customers the largest subscription selection of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. TV shows online, anywhere.”

(via TechCrunch)

What do you do when you have a potentially revolutionary new device for taking a stream of broadcast TV and repackaging it with other online content and social media? Why, keep quiet about it of course! At least, you might if you were Microsoft.

MS isn’t really ashamed of its new Xbox One console, of course, but it has taken the decision to downplay the new system’s TV capabilities in it opening press event at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The reason for this is that the Xbox One is at least nominally a games console and E3 is a games expo. The launch of the Xbox One drew some criticism from many hardcore gamers – fans of the current Xbox 360 platform and concerned that Microsoft was leaving them by the wayside in favour of the lucrative but (to them) dull casual gaming market.

A key figure in Microsoft’s Xbox Live community, Larry Hryb, tweeted in response to the criticism, “I can confirm that we will have TV’s (or similar) on stage to show games. That should be the extent of TV talk in your #E3.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Xbox One’s TV focus will be going away, just that Microsoft is canny enough to know its audience.