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Roku Launches Cloud DVR Functionality in Newest Update

Roku Is Finally Introducing Cloud DVR With The Latest Update

In addition to key points regarding purchasing a Roku streaming stick, it’s important to note that the way Roku users manage specific content is set to improve. In conjunction with adding a new option for subscribing to a premium streaming service, Roku is rolling out a new cloud DVR feature that will soon be available for additional services. Roku users can now opt for NBCUniversal’s Peacock Premium Plus directly via their Roku accounts.

Peacock joins a selection of other streaming services that offer this capability, and it comes with new cloud DVR-like controls that were not accessible on the platform before. Users will be able to manage live streaming content with this innovative feature. Roku users can acquire a Peacock Premium Plus subscription for either $16.99 per month or $169.99 annually, matching the cost of purchasing the service outright.

It is important to remember that a subscription via Roku is necessary to utilize the new DVR functionalities. Enrolling in a streaming service directly through Roku is relatively simple, but be aware that certain changes on Roku TV may restrict your access to preferred local channels. Additionally, while Premium Plus claims to deliver an ad-free experience, be mindful that there could be exceptions, especially with particular channels, sports events, movies, and shows.

Roku introduces a new DVR-style feature for streaming subscriptions

Roku has announced in a press release that users will now have the option to sign up for a Peacock Premium Plus subscription straight through their Roku account. Users have previously been able to register for other streaming services directly via Roku, such as Sling TV and Disney+, although it may not always be the preferred choice. Along with this announcement, Roku is also providing new features.

For the first time on the Roku platform, users will have the capability to pause live content directly on Peacock, along with the opportunity to replay live content while streaming, including various sports events like NBA and MLB games. While these innovative Cloud DVR features are a first for a streaming service on Roku, the company assures that more will be coming “later this year.” This arrangement is part of a five-year collaboration between Roku and NBCUniversal, which also encompasses the distribution of the NBCU FAST channel and the Peacock app.

“With Premium Subscriptions, our aim is clear: to simplify the process for viewers to find and enjoy the content they love without needing to track multiple apps and logins,” states Gil Fuchsberg, President of Subscriptions, Partnerships & Corporate Development at Roku. If you wish to subscribe to a premium service through Roku, just ensure you have a payment method linked to your account. After that, simply download the app you desire, and your Roku will assist you with the remainder.

Google App Icons Experience Stylish Revamp

new AI functionalities have been introduced to Google Maps and Google Photos, prompting the company to revamp the applications with a fresh gradient-oriented design. This gradient appears to be Google’s method of indicating that an app integrates generative AI, and with applications like Google Drive also receiving AI enhancements, it was inevitable for this design aspect to start appearing in additional Google applications.

As per sources who spoke to 9to5Google, significant transformations are forthcoming. The icons for your preferred Google apps are allegedly undergoing a sophisticated redesign that transcends a mere gradient, and we have compiled a list of all the modifications you can anticipate.

The most notable alteration may be in the color scheme. For quite some time, Google has been adamant about its app icons — with the exception of Workspace applications such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides — maintaining the four distinct brand colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. This approach was beneficial for the company’s overall brand identity, but ultimately resulted in numerous users expressing dissatisfaction regarding the icons merging into one another and lacking immediate recognizability. With the new Google app icons, the company is finally shifting away from the four-color scheme, instead opting to (somewhat) categorize its applications by color.

The updated Google app icons are now more discernible

The redesigned Google Meet icon is now a more recognizable camera and has transitioned from the four-color scheme to predominantly yellow, while the Google Slides icon has adapted to a landscape format and keeps its yellow tint from previous versions. Likewise, Google Chat’s chat bubble icon is now more prominent and completely green, and the Sheets icon has also shifted to a landscape orientation. The new Google Docs icon remains mostly unchanged, only with an added gradient. The Calendar and Tasks applications, however, now feature the blue tint of Docs. Google Drive has eliminated the red hue and now consists solely of blue, green, and yellow, potentially to suggest how it consolidates your documents, sheets, and slides all in one.

Samsung’s Upcoming Generation of Phones Set to Gain Major Audio Improvements

a preferred choice among Amazon buyers — to enhance the audio tuning and overall performance of devices such as the S26 Ultra, as well as its laptops, tablets, and even its wireless headphones and sound systems.

Currently, the corporation indicates it intends to replicate this with technology from Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz, and Denon. These are not insignificant brands. The names that Samsung has incorporated into its portfolio are some of the most prominent in the audio sector, all with rich histories. Marantz is said to have produced one of the earliest widely adopted CD players during the 1980s.

The acquisition offers significant advantages for Samsung

Quantum Advancement Poses Risk of Undermining Submarine Stealth Abilities

the methods subs utilize) and sonobuoys, or traditional visual observation, scouring the waves for a submarine’s unique outline, looking for its wake, or even monitoring bioluminescence agitated by a vessel’s hull.

The drawbacks of those techniques are quite obvious. The fundamental aim and science of a submarine is to remain unseen, rendering visual observation difficult even in optimal circumstances. Moreover, acoustic detection can be mitigated by operating silently, or by enveloping a vessel in a substance that absorbs sonar.

This is why stealth detection investigation is shifting towards quantum mechanics. Utilizing the distinctive characteristics of quantum physics, these innovative approaches can identify the tiniest fluctuations in the Earth’s gravity or magnetic field, anomalies generated by even the most sophisticated nuclear submarines. They also create the potential for spotting hidden vehicles at a much greater distance than sonar or alternative methods.

The quantum revolution

California’s Attempts to Curb Big Tech Self-Preferencing Fall Short After Apple-Supported Lobbying Initiatives

**BASED Act Disappoints Following Vigorous Lobbying Efforts**

Recently, California state Senator Scott Wiener proposed the BASED Act (Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preferencing by Entrenched Dominant platforms Act), designed to regulate how leading digital platforms prioritize their own offerings over those of their rivals. The legislation specifically focused on firms with a market capitalization of at least $1 trillion, forbidding them from favoring their own services, manipulating search outcomes, and limiting data portability and interoperability.

The intended law aimed to create a fair marketplace for smaller companies by stopping dominant platforms from exploiting their market strength to disadvantage competitors. It featured measures allowing users to access their data in a transferable format, bolstering consumer rights and fostering competition.

Nevertheless, the bill encountered substantial resistance from influential tech lobbyists. The California Chamber of Commerce and the tech advocacy group Chamber of Progress spearheaded an initiative against the BASED Act, marking it as a crucial objective to overturn. This initiative commenced even before Senator Wiener finalized his introduction of the bill, underscoring the urgency and fervor of the opposition.

The Chamber of Progress, founded in 2020, includes notable corporations such as Amazon, Apple, Google, OpenAI, and Uber among its members. The organization rallied constituents to reach out to legislators, contending that the bill could adversely affect popular services by diminishing the effectiveness of search results, delaying deliveries, and jeopardizing security.

Although the BASED Act moved forward through an initial committee vote, it eventually faltered in a vital privacy committee. Senator Wiener voiced his dissatisfaction over the overwhelming lobbying efforts against the bill, describing it as a “tidal wave” that left supporters at a disadvantage.

In response to the setback, Senator Wiener suggested he might reconsider the proposal, indicating that additional efforts could be made to tackle the challenges raised by the BASED Act in the future.

For more information, you can access Bloomberg’s complete report on the issue.

FCC Targets Broadcast Licenses of Disney-Owned ABC Stations

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered the ABC stations owned and operated by Disney to file for an early license renewal, as reported earlier by The New York Times. In a filing on Tuesday, the FCC claims it made the decision as part of an investigation into Disney’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI). […]

YouTube TV now allows multiview for any channel

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced Tuesday that YouTube TV is getting “fully customizable” multiview. Users have “full control to mix and match live streams” and can “build the personalized viewing experience you’ve been asking for,” Mohan says. You can pin up to four streams in your multiview window. YouTube initially introduced multiview in a more […]