TV

While most companies are making the jump from Web to mobile, NextGuide, the app that tells you when and where your favorite shows are on, has decided to go the opposite way. The social TV guide for iOS is now available on the Web.

NextGuide Web has the same functions as the iPad app and aims to bring together live TV and streaming videos. Users can pick their favorite shows and keep track of when, and where, the shows are available online or on TV.

"There's a lot of confusion around TV," said Jeremy Toeman, the CEO … Read more

Satellite TV provider DirecTV is thinking about buying all or parts of streaming-video site Hulu, according to news reports Friday.

An unnamed source told The Wall Street Journal that Hulu's owners, which include Walt Disney Company and Comcast, are considering several options for the site's future, including selling it.

Other unnamed sources told Bloomberg that DirecTV is still in preliminary discussions regarding Hulu and that it's not clear if DirecTV will buy some or all of Hulu.

Hulu is an attractive platform for TV providers like DirecTV because it would let them tap into online audiences. DirecTV … Read more

Apple TV is branching into app partnerships with television networks by striking a deal with the CW Network.

CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS, confirmed to CNET that the partnership is indeed in the works. (CBS is the parent company of CNET.)

"We can confirm that we will have an app launching on Apple TV soon," a CW spokesperson told CNET on Thursday. "No launch date at this time. The app will have full episodes of our prime-time shows, and be ad-supported, without requiring authentication from a cable provider."

Apple TV already offers … Read more

LG is the only TV maker building TVs with Google TV built-in, and its 2013 lineup of Google TVs is bigger than ever, with seven new models spread across two series.

First announced prior to CES, the GA7900 (55-inch, 47-inch) and the GA6400 (60-inch, 55-inch, 50-inch, 47-inch and 42-inch) series are both available now, in prices currently ranging from $900 to $2,100.

Most Google TV devices, including these LG TVs, now use a version of Honeycomb 3.2, which enables users to use tablet and smartphone apps on their TV. Here's an in-depth look at how it performs … Read more

Google TV, the ambitious living room operating system often maligned as slow to update, difficult to use, and less focused than alternatives like Roku or standard Smart TV suites, will finally get a major operating system upgrade later this year.

LG announced today at Google I/O that its Google TVs will get the update to Android version 4.2.2, aka Jelly Bean, in the third quarter. LG is the only manufacturer still selling actual televisions with Google TV built-in, although a few set-top boxes are available, too. LG's models, including the 2013 GA7900 and GA6400 and the … Read more

"You people are all s***. Yelp s***, Reddits s***. Every s***. Come to here, I will f***ing show you all."

On reading these words in isolation, you might imagine they were written by someone whose senses had departed for chillier climes. Or perhaps merely by an exposed politician, contemplating a loss of fame and privileges.

But, no. These words actually adorn the Facebook page of Amy's Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The name is something of a mouthful, but the sentiments expressed by its management (yes, these words are from the management) … Read more

ABC's new live TV video service Watch ABC has arrived on smartphones, tablets, and the Web, though its availability is highly limited for now.

Disney/ABC on Tuesday announced the availability of the live programming feature in its mobile app in New York City as well as Philadelphia though local respective networks WABC-TV and WPVI. The update adds a "live" button to ABC's newly renamed Watch ABC software for iOS devices that lets users in those markets watch live streams of those two stations, just like they would on a TV.

News of the feature came over the weekend … Read more

Aereo on Monday announced a new pricing structure for its upstart TV streaming service.

The "streamlined" structure does away with long-term commitments and with annual and daily offerings. Now, consumers can start with a base membership plan of $8 per month for use of Aereo's cloud-based antenna/DVR technology and 20 hours of DVR storage. For $12 a month, they can upgrade to 60 hours of DVR storage.

The New York-based company is further sweetening things by offering the first month of service at no charge.

"We looked at our data and it was clear, consumers … Read more

Hang onto your wallets, cheeps, because I've got five -- count 'em, five -- deals lined up for your Friday.

Why the glut? Same as always: I found lots of really good items and couldn't decide which one to spotlight. Check 'em out:

1. One big TV. When it comes to bang for your TV buck, I think Vizio leads the pack. Especially when Vizio resellers serve up deals like this one: Dell Home has the Vizio E552VLE 55-inch smart LCD HDTV for $649.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). Although CNET had some nits to pick … Read more