Tag Archives: Streaming

Business, News

Spotify Moving up the Podcast Ladder with Two More Acquisition

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Yesterday, news broke about Spotify making two more acquisitions. To be fair, it was more like Spotify announcing that they are making two more acquisitions for themselves. No, it is not really because they have excess cash in hand. It is more because the two acquisitions might just seal Spotify’s position as the king platform for podcasts.

The two companies that Spotify is acquiring are Podsights, and Chartable. Both acquisitions would see the technologies they offer integrate with Spotify’s or enhance their current platform. But you as a consumer might not immediately see the effects of the acquisition. At least, you might not immediately see it directly anyway.

Podsights, according to Spotify, is a leading podcast advertising measurement service provider. It is supposed to ensure that advertisers get more accurate advertising data on podcasts. In short, it is a sort of Google AdSense for podcasts.

Then there is Chartable, a podcast analytics tool provider. The tool allows podcasters to see data regarding their podcast audiences. This would help publishers understand their audiences better and produce more accurate information regarding their podcast. They can even make more informed decisions regarding their podcasts in that case. This would be like the Google Analytics for podcasts.

In a sense, these tools are not really made for end-users in mind. The two new technologies that Spotify will be acquiring exists to allow Spotify’s podcaster’s easy access to tools that could help them make their podcast better, and to even grow their podcasts in different ways. It could help advertisers understand how their ads work on podcasts as well, allowing them to make better decisions on the way they design their ads, or where to place them.

While the technologies attached with the companies Spotify aims to acquire are tailored for podcast, the audio streaming company sees application beyond podcasts. They aim to bring the technology to their full suite of services. This includes their music streaming and eventually videos as well. What they are saying is that they are going to introduce more targeted ads in their music streaming platform soon.

All this not only points to better podcast experience, but also better monetisation opportunities for podcasters. It also means that advertisers get more accurate data and would eventually be willing to spend more on ads within podcasts, music, and videos on Spotify itself. Of course, all this also means more money for Spotify. But beyond that, it ensures that Spotify’s podcasters stay with Spotify and grow with the platform. It will also attract more podcasters to be on the platform, which is always a win situation for Spotify.

The acquisition announcement currently is still merely that, an announcement. There are no mentions on how much the leading music streaming firm is spending on these two acquisitions. They also mentioned that Podsights will be operating as an entity independent from the team in Spotify. Their technologies will still be integrated in the platform’s podcast tools, we are guessing. The reason for the independence is most likely since Podsights have their own list of clienteles currently. For more information on the new acquisitions, you can head over to their blog.

iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Spotify Tests TikTok Style Video Feeds for Discovering New Music

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Spotify is one of the most popular audio streaming apps in the world. It is currently one of the most complete as well in terms of listening options. You do not only have music; you also get the largest collection of podcasts the world has seen so far. On top of that, it might be the cleverest audio streaming app you can find today.

Spotify features nifty ways for you to discover new music. The app understands the sorts of music you listen to daily and gives you suggestions to music that might match your music tastes, your playlists’ moods, or themes. You can even discover music with your friends now with the Spotify Blend feature.

Soon though, you might be able to discover music on Spotify in a brand-new way. You want to keep in mind that this is a feature not fully released to the final app, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt. The feature was first spotted by a certain Chris Messina on Spotify’s TestFlight build, a beta Spotify app for the iOS. There are no mentions on whether you can find the feature on Android’s version of Spotify Beta apps.

As reported by TechCrunch, the new Discover feature is a button or tab of its own that takes up the fourth spot on Spotify’s navigation bar. Spotify has confirmed that they are in the midst of testing this new ‘Discover’ function. While it does sound like Spotify is simply adding a simple random music search feature to the app, you might want to take a closer look at it.

Discover is a sort of short-form video content that sits on Spotify. It can be likened to TikTok, yes. But the sole purposed of it is for users to discover new music. You cannot be freely posting contents into the platform like TikTok. Instead, the feature now allows users to scroll through short video clips accompanied with curated music paired to the video feed. This does sound a lot like Spotify’s Canvas feature which played short video clips for certain songs.

Again, this feature is only available on iOS devices. It is also not a fully released feature, which also means you must source for Beta versions of the Spotify app. Sadly if you are on Android, you might be out of luck.

Lifestyle, News

Spotify, You One-Stop-Shop for All Your Netflix Soundtracks, Playlists, and Podcasts

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In a world where experts thought, just a few years ago, that TV would be dead and short form content platforms like YouTube will takeover, TV and films are doing better than ever. You cannot credit their strength to manufacturers though. Rather, these things come because of technologies that exists and allows the existence of Netflix.

Netflix is now bigger than life though. While there are other platforms like Disney+, or Amazon Prime Videos, Netflix is still king. It is the one platform that you go to time and time again to find contents to watch. It is, at least personally, the first platform that we switch on to find entertainment before even YouTube.

You can never get enough of Netflix though. After every show, you might discover something about the show that you liked. The most common of that is the soundtracks used in the show or movie. Within two weeks of Squid Game’s debut on Netflix, 22,500 unique Squid Game themed playlists were created by Spotify users to keep the show alive.

Netflix very much understands that their users are looking for entertainment far beyond their own scope. Spotify sees this too, obviously, being the largest audio streaming platform known to man. A collaboration was imminent.

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Source: Spotify

They call it the Netflix Hub on Spotify and it is the best way for you to experience your Netflix shows beyond the streaming platform, at least according to Spotify and Netflix. In the hub premium users can find all official soundtracks, playlists, and even podcasts from Netflix’s shows. You can easily access soundtracks from shows like Squid Game, Bruised, and even Cowboy Bebop.

The collaboration is more than just compiling soundtracks, playlists, and podcasts though. In honor of the final season of Money Heist, Spotify has included new videos from the cast of the show (not available in Malaysia yet, as far as we can tell). They have also updated the soundtrack playlist with songs used the latest episodes of the show. There are also new features like Character Match Playlist quiz that matches you to your favourite characters from the Spanish show.

Of course, the collaboration will not just end at Money Heist. As Netflix populates its library with new contents, so will Spotify with dedicated Netflix contents. You might see a Squid Game related video content and quiz in the future, you will never know.

Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Now you can Easily Block Other People on Spotify

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Today’s generation is the most connected one so far. But it is a generation also where cutting off someone is as easy as a click of a button. There is something called ‘cancel culture’ in the world of social media today.

While there are plenty of reasons why you would want to cut a person off, for whatever reasons, on social media, wanting to block a person on streaming platform like Spotify is a little odd. There is a way to block certain artists from ever appearing on your Spotify home feed. That feature was introduced back in 2019. For whatever reason as well, users have been wanting to block other users instead on the platform.

To be fair, Spotify is more than just a music streaming app today. It is also a social platform where you can add friends, follow their playlists and even see what they are playing in real time. In a sense, if someone is in your friends list, their listening privacy is gone. You can ensure that your listening session does not appear on any of your friends feed by turning on ‘Private Session’, but that only lasts for a limited time before Spotify kicks you back into online mode to update your songs and your recommendations.

You now can decide to block other users from accessing your activities now though. It is as simple as clicking the person’s profile and tap the “Block User” option. Once you have done that, the person will not be able to see you appearing on their ‘friend’s activity’ list on the right side of the app anymore, at least on the desktop interface. That way, you also limit what you show the person you blocked.

While showing your Spotify activity may not seem all that harmful, it could lead to a bigger impact. Some might think that just showing the ‘Now Listening to’ information as an empty information your friends cannot use. For example, other users can use the activity information from Spotify to harass you on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram, for example. They could also use whatever information they can gather against you as well for that matter. Remember, information in the wrong hands can be dangerous.

The function should be available to users very soon, at least according to Spotify as per Engadget.

Lifestyle, News

Astro Moves To Become Your One Stop Entertainment Power House With New Packages and Partnerships

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Malaysia’s largest satellite TV provider, Astro, is undergoing a humungous change. It seems like their paradigm on entertainment is changing to be more embracing and forward-thinking. Only recently, the company announced that they will be changing their traditional decoders to the new Ulti Box and the Ultra Box; now Astro is taking a leap forward to turn their set-top box into a living room essential.

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Launch event Hosted by Astro

While they are still staying true to linear programming with the hundreds of channels already under their belt, Astro is also embracing partnerships with streaming platforms. We already saw the inklings of this with their partnership with Disney+ Hotstar. With their latest announcement, they are embracing even more platforms and giving one of the largest streaming platforms a home on their set-top box. Netflix will now be natively available on Ultra and Ulti boxes with a new software update. The new update is the first to bring native apps to Astro’s platform. They are teasing the availability of more native apps from their partners like iQIYI and Disney+ in the near future.

New Packs and Bundles with App

However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. Together with their big shift, Astro is also revamping their packages. Users don’t have to deal with the confusing mixing and matching that they once had to with Astro’s Superpacks. Instead, the company has revealed more streamlined packages which also include subscriptions to some of the most popular streaming apps.

At the top of the selections, Astro is introducing a new Platinum Pack which will include most of the linear channels available on Astro and subscriptions to Astro Go, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and HBO GO. The package is priced at MYR219.99. Additional charges apply for Asian Favourites which include Chinese, Indonesian and Indian channels at MYR14.99 for each sub-pack.

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Source: Astro

Below this tier, there is the Entertainment Plus Pack which includes 110 channels covering Korean, Kids, Variety, Horror and Astro Go. It also includes access to Netflix. However, like the Platinum Pack, you will need to top up MYR14.99 for the Asian Favourites sub packs on top of the MYR144.99 cost of the Entertainment Plus Pack. In addition, you can add on other channels including your sports and movie channels for an additional fee starting at MYR14.99 monthly. The Entertainment Pack is a step below with 105 channels covering only the Variety and Kids sub packs without access to Netflix. This is priced at MYR104.99.

Astro’s barebones package is now the Primary Pack which comes with some 90 channels and access to Astro Go for MYR74.99 a month. They also have two combos with the movies and sports sub packs which cost MYR109.99 and MYR104.99 respectively.

Beware the Fineprint

It’s worth noting that aside from Disney+ Hotstar and HBO GO which comes bundled with the Movie Pack, complimentary access to Netflix is limited to the basic HD package of the streaming service. This limits your content to HD resolution with only 2 simultaneous connections. Upgrading to the premium package with Astro will be an addition MYR9.43. Access to the TVB Anywhere+ app is also linked to a subscription to the Chinese sub pack and is limited to HD resolution across 2 simultaneous devices. Access to the iQIYI VIP app is also available for Astro subscribers for an additional fee.

Launch Promos

Astro is having launch promos that bring up to MYR25 in discounts for monthly subscriptions.

The All New Astro Experience
Source: Astro

A New Satelite-less Experience

Astro wasn’t done with the announcements just yet. It also announced a new plug and play version of the Ultra and Ulti boxes. The new experience removes the need for Astro subscribers to have the now signature satellite dish on their homes. Instead, it will connect to the internet and allow users to have seamless, uninterrupted access to their content – rain or shine.

Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Twitch Has Been Breached – Here’s What You Need to Know

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Big tech and data breaches are becoming inseparable. We’ve been getting news of breach after breach since early this year. Nearly every tech space from Facebook to Neopets has been breached in the recent past. The latest platform added to that list is the popular streaming platform – Twitch.

Twitch’s data breach could be one of the largest to date. A whopping 125GB of data was uploaded to a (now removed) thread on 4Chan by an anonymous user. The data contained within the files date back to the early beginnings of Twitch. Everything from the platforms source code to their most recent Git commits has been uploaded. Together with this, payout information to the platform’s largest creators since 2019 have also been uploaded.

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Photo by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash

In addition to this data, the leak also contains data on Twitch’s network backbone which runs on AWS. It apparently contains some proprietary SDKs (Software Development Kits) and also information on “Every other property that Twitch owns” including IGDB and CurseForge. It seems like an unannounced competitor to Steam called Vapor for Amazon Game Studios is also contained within the files. Basically, it seems like everything and anything related to Twitch is within the 125GB.

Some users who have been looking through the data have also found that encrypted passwords and user information. So, it goes without saying that you should change your Twitch password if you have an account and activate two-factor authentication. You can do this in the privacy settings on Twitch itself.

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Source: Ars Technica

The leaker made their motives crystal clear in their post. Noting, “Their community is also a disgusting toxic cesspool, so to foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space, we have completely pwned them.” The hackers also ended the post with #DoBetterTwitch. More worryingly, the 125GB of data was labelled as “part one” which indicates there could be more incoming.

It’s probably apt to mention that the leak comes in the wake of the #ADayOffTwitch protest by creators who are trying to get the platform to take hate raids more seriously. The platform has been plagued by users who have used the Raid and tags features to actively harass others. While Twitch has been trying to be proactive, the most it has done is provide streamers with tools to try to control raids and even sue perpetrators.

The breach has since been confirmed by Twitch itself on Twitter.

A cybersecurity firm, Acronis, has chimed in calling the breach “one of the most severe data breaches of late”. In fact, they say that there is, “a lot more damage now in store for Twitch”. Candid Wuest, Vice President of Cybersecurity Research at Acronis, also noted that “While [it is] yet unclear how the breach happened, it’s already harming Twitch on all the fronts that count – revenue, operations, users, influencers, market positioning.” He also noted that Twitch could be at greater risk as the availability of the source code will make it easier for malicious actors to attack the site. More importantly, the company is advising that users be wary and change their passwords as well as activate two-factor authentication on their accounts.

Candid Wuest Acronis
Candid Wuest, Vice President of Cybersecurity Research, Acronis

“Leaked data could contain nearly the full digital footprint of Twitch, making it one of the most severe data breaches of late. The 125 GB of data leaked so far might just be the start, according to the comments of the attacker. Internal network plans and marketing plans for future products could now be misused by attackers or sold to competitors. If the source code is exposed, we will see a spike in vulnerabilities discovered in related software. Having access to the source code makes it easy to find weak spots.“

Candid Wuest, Vice President of Cybersecurity Research, Acronis

Accessories, Camera, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Razer Unveils the Kiyo X Webcam and Ripsaw X Capture Card – Streaming Does Not Have to be Expensive

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The gaming industry is huge today. A part of that industry is also contents that you can watch and enjoy. That is the game streaming industry that is made popular by people like PewDiePie, and even Markiplier. As the eSports scene sees a huge surge in recent years, the game streaming industry also blew up. This leads to the creation of specialised hardware and accessories just for game streaming.

Webcams, for example, used to be telecommunication devices that you can use for video conferencing. Full HD webcams technically has existed forever, but never meant to be used for game streaming, although that is still possible. Capture cards was also a thing that was used by studios for both live production and regular production usage. With game streaming though, these once premium items were more in demand and more purpose built than ever. That does not mean that they become more accessible in price.

Introducing the Razer Kiyo X and Ripsaw X peripherals made for streaming. These are made specifically for streaming, but they are also made with budget in mind. These products are really designed for newer streamers who just got started in the streaming industry and looking to upgrade their gear without breaking their banks.

Razer Kiyo X

  • Kiyo X 2021 Render 01
    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer

The Razer Kiyo X is really a littler, more budget version of the Razer Kiyo. The ‘X’ moniker really gave it away as the more budget friendly companion in the line-up. It is capable of shooting videos at Full HD at 30fps to boot. If you want your videos to be extra smooth, you can get it to shoot at 60fps with a resolution penalty at 720p.

The USB plug and play webcam can be controlled via Razer’s Synapse software. While it does not come with its own right light, it still has something called The Razer Virtual Right Light software that goes along with it. In that case, the display becomes a light panel for the Razer Kiyo X for both video calls and streams.

Razer Ripsaw X

  • Razer Ripsaw X 2021 Render 01
    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
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    Source: Razer
  • Razer Ripsaw X 2021 Render 03
    Source: Razer
  • Razer Ripsaw X 2021 Render 02
    Source: Razer

Another very important item for live streaming is the capture card. A capture card functions either as a platform to record and project your games into the streaming software. From there, the software broadcasts the image that is captured from the capture card. It is commonly used in a two PC configuration, or when you want to use a regular camera as the webcam.

The Razer Ripsaw X is also technically a smaller version of the Ripsaw. It is quite a little bit more powerful than the old Ripsaw though. Where the Ripsaw could only capture streams at Full HD at up to 60fps, the new Ripsaw X can capture videos at 4K resolution at up to 30fps with HDMI 2.0 and a USB 3.0 interface. The Ripsaw X is also supposed to offer near-zero latency, which also means you do not have to be doing a lot of guess and calculation work done for streams.

Price and availability

The Razer Kiyo X and Ripsaw X will be is now available from Razer.com in the United States, Europe, and Singapore. There is no word on its availability in Malaysia, but we are expecting them to hit shelves in Malaysia soon. The Razer Kiyo X will set you back US$ 79.99 (MYR 334*) when it is available. The Ripsaw X will be available oat US$ 139.99 (MYR 585*).

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = 4.18 on xe.com as of 02/10/2021

Android, News

Netflix Introduces Free Subscription in Kenya

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Netflix seems to be testing the waters with a new subscription plan in Kenya. The popular content streaming service is offering a new, free subscription tier in the African country. The new subscription will allow access to all of Netflix’s features including profiles and kids mode.

However, the free subscription does come with some limitations. The first being that the subscription is only available for Android phones. Users on the free subscription will also not have access to Netflix’s full library. Instead, they will only be able to access a fourth of the expansive library. In addition, features like screencasting and downloading shows will not be accessible.

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Source: Netflix

The subscription will be available only in Kenya for now. Netflix has indicated that, as of now, there are no plans to expand the availability. Would-be subscribers will only need an email address and proof that they are above 18 years of age to subscribe. The plan will be rolled out in Kenya over the next few weeks. Netflix has indicated that it sees the free plan as a means of gathering new subscribers to the service.

Lifestyle, Mobile, News, Podcast, Social Media

Spotify Launches Blend for You to Share Playlists and Compare Musical Tastes

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Sharing your playlist with your friends in the old days means that you have to copy a whole music library you have created over a USB drive, or a CD. That was the days before content streaming services like Spotify came to be. Even when Apple’s iTunes was a thing, it served more like a digital music library that requires you to have the music files stored in your device.

Before the days of Spotify too, you still had to pay money for individual songs and albums if you want to legally listen to them and own them for your own personal consumption or even share it with your friends. Obviously, sharing your music library before then is still a grey area in terms of copyright.

Spotify may not be the first music streaming service and cloud-based music library to exist. It is, in 2021 at least, the most successful thus far. This is amidst the rise in other services like Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, and more. If you think about it, Spotify has a tough competition to work with especially in Tidal and YouTube Music at this point. Tidal features a higher quality music streaming that allows music to play at near lossless quality while YouTube Music offers a more robust and complete music library compared to Spotify. At some point Taylor Swift criticised Spotify’s royalty structure and pulled all her assets away from Spotify.

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Source: Spotify

When spotify launched, sharing your favourite songs and curated playlists is made super easy. You only need to share a URL with your friends now and you can listen to it at anytime where you have internet or data. Of course, your friends can still comment on your music selection and judge your music taste according to what you have just shared. You could also say sometimes that you share the same music taste with your best friends, but you would not really know how similar sometimes.

Spotify introduced Blend Playlists in June 2021 as a Beta feature. It was introduced as a way for two users to create a shared playlist that is dedicated to their shared musical tastes. It is also created as a new way for friends to interact and bond over their love of music.

The feature is now out in full force on your Spotify. Blend Playlists also now allows you to customise the playlist with unique cover arts for easy identification. The Blend feature also scores your music taste compatibility with your friends. Of course, you can share those on social media to brag that you and your besties are very similar to one another.

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Source: Spotify

Blend is not a personally curated list though. It is still a curated list, but it is curated via Spotify’s clever mechanism that adds and changes the playlist to adapt to your listening behaviour combined with your friend’s listening behaviour that you share the list with. The best part is that both you and your friend can have a similar playlist experience but in completely different situations and locations at the same time.

Of course, this experience is not just limited to you and your best friends. It is a good way to start sharing a curated playlist with your family members, or a loved one. This is a way to keep your bonds as strong as they are in these trying times where face time and physical interaction has to be limited.

The feature should now be available on the Spotify app. You can supposedly access the feature from the “Made for you” hub on mobile devices. You simply hit “create blend” and invite your friends to create a Blend Playlist with whichever friends you choose to have a blend with (if the person accepts) and let Spotify do everything for you there. To our knowledge, we have found that the feature has not been made available to us (could just be us). The Spotify app is available for free on both Android and iOS via Google Play Store and Apple Play Store respectively.

Lifestyle, Podcast

Tech & Tonic Podcast S02E11 – More Streaming, More Better

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This episode is brought to you by Acer. Pre-order your Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebook with AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU from Acer from the 10th May 2021 onward!

In this episode of Tech & Tonic, we discuss the growing number of streaming services. Disney+ Hotstar is finally making its way into Malaysia after a long wait. Disney+ Hotstar joins Malaysia’s long list of streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Go, Astro Go, iflix, and a few others.

Is having more streaming services a good thing though? Does it still make sense for you to pay for Cable TV services like Astro in Malaysia, especially with certain channels being removed with the introduction of Disney+ Hotstar? Do we need more streaming platforms at this time? Would Disney+ be better than the rest of the platforms?

We discuss this and more in the Tech & Tonic Podcast.