Content Streaming

Microsoft has announced that it is buying US gaming giant Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $68.7 billion set to complete in 2023.  

British Hi-Fi brand Cyrus Audio has announced it will now be part of the BluOS High Resolution multi room audio ecosystem.  

UPDATED 18-JAN-2022: Valentine’s Day is approaching and Netflix is wining and dining subscribers with content packed full of romance, love and steamy embraces… and an updated Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  

Joel Coen's masterful adaptation of the Scottish play may be full of sound and fury, but this is no tale told by an idiot.  

iFi Audio, introduces its ZEN One Signature, a DAC with universal connectivity for getting the best out of every digital device in a home audio environment.  

An automatic update to its Beolink software will enable Bang & Olufsen’s latest home speakers to connect wirelessly with the company’s classic product portfolio as well as adding new control and enjoyment features.  

Adam McKay's Chicken Little for adults is just shy of being funny, just shy of being insightful and just shy of being a good movie. What it isn't shy of is impotently railing at the stupidity of government and media.  

UPDATED 13-Jan-2022 (Amazon Prime): The start of a new year can feel like a yawning chasm of existential panic as the wheel turns on another 365 days and we shuffle lemming-like closer to the edge… so what are the streaming giants going to do to make us feel a bit better? Well, rebooting Fraggle Rock’s a start!  

UPDATED 13-Jan-2022: While the original movie content might be a bit slow at the start of 2022, there’s a spate of returning Netflix series alongside a few intriguing new ones.  

SharePlay is now available on the Disney+ streaming service for Apple TV, iPhone and iPad customers, enabling group watching and interaction among Apple users.  

Sky Glass and Sky Q viewers in the UK and Ireland now have access to Apple TV+ while Sky Glass owners will additionally get the Global Player app plus Peacock content.  

After bringing Tidal Connect to its Uniti players and dedicated streamers, Naim Audio has now rolled out the feature to include its Mu-so family of wireless speakers.  

With its newer TV models already sporting many gamer-friendly features, LG Electronics has now made Google Stadia available to its customers.  

Panasonic has announced that the Apple TV+ streaming service is now available on a wide range of its TVs.  

With Stallone wisely jettisoning and reframing much of the glamour and pomp from his 80s cheesefest, Rocky IV is fashioned into a considerably more weighty Rumble in the Jungle.  

In Anders Thomas Jensen’s black comedy, Mads Mikkelsen takes on a biker gang in a movie about accidents, coincidences, computer hacking, large Danish barns and, perhaps most surprisingly, the psychological toll caused by a quest for revenge.  

UPDATED 06-Dec-2021: With the final and most festive of months approaching, what delights has Netflix popped under the Christmas tree for subscribers? Let’s take a look...  

The genre defining “bounty hunter in space” story, Cowboy Bebop, returns to television screens after more than twenty years. Bringing live action and faithful production design but leaving behind the Real Folk Blues and, sadly, any heart.  

With Amazon still searching for its Game of Thrones, the adaptation of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s best-selling series of novels manages to mostly set aside teen angst to craft an uneven but pacey high fantasy adventure.  

From the 16th Nov, Sky TV subscribers and NOW Entertainment customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to experience content from NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service at no extra cost.  

Continuing the streak of thievery themed Netflix output, Red Notice is a vacuous husk of a heist movie with a lot of star power, some odd daddy issues, and very little else.  

Coming in below analysts’ predictions, Disney’s hitherto resilient streaming service managed only 2.1 million new subscribers in the latest quarter.  

KEF has announced that its LS50 Wireless II Hi-Fi speakers now support HD and Ultra HD music on the Amazon Music streaming service.  

Netflix has started a global rollout of its first video games to Android mobile users as it expands its content options beyond just video.  

Aiming to get the excitement of a live concert straight to a listener’s home, Audio Pro has collaborated with British amplification specialists Blackstar on the latest version of its Drumfire speaker.  

The Sky Glass TV, Sky’s new all-in-one streaming television has only been available for a very short period and some early adopters are experiencing screen flicker, playback issues and other teething problems.  

Like tiny planets orbiting a miniature sun, Cabasse’s ‘floating’ spherical subwoofer and satellites form the Pearl Keshi 2.1 connected music system for a discreet streaming experience.  

Samsung has announced plans to introduce a cloud gaming experience to Tizen based smart TVs.  

Freeview has announced that its on demand platform, Freeview Play, now reaches 10 million active users.  

Full width, self contained network streamers don’t come along very often but Arcam’s ST60 is here to show us why they still have their uses.  

Sony continues the deployment of its 360 Reality Audio immersive music format which has now been added to the Amazon Music Unlimited service.  

UPDATED 17-NOV-2021: With Halloween tucked back up in bed, the end of year seasonal snowball gathers apace with festive offerings, flagship series and some of Netflix’s more high profile films.  

The AVR5 delivers 12 channels of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding, supports Dolby Vision up to 4K and is equipped with numerous streaming features including AirPlay2, Bluetooth aptX HD and Chromecast.  

Bowers & Wilkins returns to one of its most iconic devices and re-kits it out for the streaming age.  

Ben Wheatley’s latest descent into madness is a primary coloured, hallucinogenic nightmare which still manages to squeeze in a little humour and a good chunk of body horror.  

Steven Soderbergh returns to his favourite genre for a disorienting and labyrinthine crime caper with an all-star cast. But this is definitely not Ocean’s 11.  

Sky has announced the Sky Glass, a streaming TV designed to bring hardware, software and content all together for a simplified viewing experience.  

Video streaming service HBO Max will launch in six European countries later this month as previously announced with additional territories now confirmed for 2022, and the UK is not on the list.  

NAD’s latest ‘just add speakers’ solution is the C 700 BluOS streaming amplifier which brings Hybrid Digital amplification, 80 watts per channel and the BluOS streaming engine together in a compact and modern design.  

A heady mix of Stephen King and… other, different Stephen King, new horror maestro, Mike Flanagan’s wholly original supernatural/religious fear-spinner comes to Netflix a full month before Halloween. Timing.