Netflix announces new feature for its mobile and tablet users only that would allow them to watch shows and movies in 1.5 speed. You can keep watching in normal speed, but also slow it down (0.5x or 0.75) or speed it up (1.25x or 1.5x). This was at first simply just speculation, Keela Robinson, Netflix’s VP seemed to confirm it in a blog post on Monday. But Netflix assures this is just another new feature that they are testing which is something they are always doing, but this mobile feature won’t been seen any time soon as they wait to make decisions based on feedback. I personally don’t know how many users would take advantage of this new addition as I think many people are fine watching shows and movies in their normal speed, but I could be wrong.

This isn’t the only new feature that Netflix has in its back pocket ready for testing. They are working on new playback controls that would allow the brightness to be adjusted without having to manually go to the phone settings. Robinson also said they corrected the audio pitch at slower and faster speeds.

Big names in Hollywood, like director Judd Apatow, have already spoken out against the possible additions to the streaming platform. He claimed, “Distributors don’t get to change the way content is presented.” Director Peyton Reed tweeted that he and every director would fight against this ‘terrible’ idea. It will be interesting to see how Netflix reacts to this initial feedback some from some major Hollywood content creators.

Article: https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-responds-to-frenzy-surrounding-1-5x-viewing-speed-test/

Image source: https://imgur.com/gallery/mnnig78

AI technology has progressed society in vast, dynamic ways. Self-driving cars, marketing automation, virtual assistants that detect voice recognition and accept commands right on our phones—you name it.

And its role in the entertainment industry is changing, so much that it has the potential to change the way the film industry functions forever.

A-listers in Hollywood are being digitized. Their bodies, voices, mannerisms, and all things of life that make them human are able to be stored on a hard drive. We’ve consumed this in small doses, such as the seemingly resurrection of Seymour Hoffman in the Hunger Games series, as well as Carrie Fisher in Star Wars‘s eight episode.

Image source: https://www.channel24.co.za/Movies/News/watch-will-smith-fights-himself-in-gemini-man-20190424-2

I personally didn’t think too much about this, considering these actors passed away during the filming of their final works. Though that changed after the release of Gemini Man, where Will Smith battles against his younger 23-years-old self. But director Ang Lee didn’t hire a lookalike to play young Smith, but instead had Smith play both roles, and let AI tech handle the rest, de-aging Smith by nearly three decades. Audiences around the world were exposed to what AI technologies are really capable of, and it’s fair to say it alludes to the future we are entering.

Charles Bramesco, a writer from The Verge, is concerned that this “commodification of identity and the degradation of the real” will severely hurt talent in the film industry. Production companies already exploit their talent’s brand in any way possible to make them more money, but imagine if the actors themselves weren’t necessary? Imagine if a company didn’t have to deal with the disputes, hesitations, and potential lawsuits from an actual human. Saves lots of time and lots of money, something all thriving business adhere to.

Image source: https://letterboxd.com/film/s1m0ne/

Andrew Niccol warned us in the early 2000s of the power that can come with artificial intelligence as a celebrity commodity with his drama sci-fi, S1m0ne. As society progresses into this new medium, we can only hope the craft of acting is valued as superior to that of a computer, and like in S1mone, we stay grounded in reality and do not become all consumed with the artificial.

Source material: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/22/20927032/cgi-digital-actor-replacement-cinema-gemini-man-the-congress-rogue-one-legality

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342397/analyst-disney-projected-to-hit-8-million-subscr.html

Disney’s new streaming service isn’t set to debut until November 12th, however it’s already expected to bring in a huge amount of subscribers. Amongst the growing amount of streaming services, Disney+ will be up against many other services but it’s predicted to come out on top.

Michael Nathanson, senior research analyst at MoffettNathanson Research, predicts that Disney+ will have 8 million subscribers at launch, and 18 million subscribers by the end of 2020. This is a huge turnout and may force some other streaming services out of business and further disrupt the amount of cable subscribers. Verizon will be the cause of many of these subscribers, because they will be giving Disney+ premium video access to their new and existing customers for free for a year. Many of these customers will probably retain their subscription after the year is up.

Even though only about 17.7 million customers out of a total of 33.9 Verizon customers are going to be eligible for a free Disney+ subscription is predicted that by the end pf 2020, just about 9 million of the 18 million Disney+ subscribers will be from Verizon alone. Again, Disney+ is set to launch on November 12th  at an initial price of $6.99 per month or a yearly subscription for $69.99. If you are apart of The official Disney Fan Club, you are privy to some other discounts, including a 3-year plan for only $141 and for Disney Park guest, a 3-year plan will be only $170. It will be interesting to see how much disruption Disney+ will cause, and what this will mean for other streaming services.

Or as I like to call it: The “How Has This Not Been Proposed Before Yet?!” Act.

Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon recently proposed a bill that would allow consumers to choose whether or not their information is shared or sold by ad-tech companies. This law would have the ability to jail executives, and fine violating companies for up to 4% of their annual income. This bill would be quite revolutionary, in that the FTC currently does not have the ability to fine consumer-privacy-violating companies.

Ever since the massive Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2016, consumers have garnered an increased awareness and skepticism of how their information is being used, stored, and sold online. During the 2016 election, Cambridge Analytica accessed unauthorized information through Facebook regarding users interests, activity and preferences in order to sway voters and influence the presidential election. It was proven that Cambridge Analytica was hired by both the Ted Cruz and Trump campaigns to gather information. This scandal affected over 86 million Facebook users.

To my first point, it was truly shocking to me that this has gone by the way side for so long. In an era of heightened importance placed on privacy protection, this bill would really help consumers sleep a little better at night, knowing they have more control over their own personal data.

As well as bringing justice to a long-overdue privacy issue, the bill is also said to open up at least an estimated 175 jobs in the FTC for policing privacy. Seems to be a win-win for both online consumers and the job market alike.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342159/wyden-introduces-new-do-not-track-law.html

Article Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-offers-free-google-home-mini-how-to-get-one-2019-10

So, Spotify is giving away Google Home Mini speakers…for free…absolutely no charge. If this doesn’t sound too good to be true, then you may want to rethink exactly what it is that these speakers are capable of.

This offer lasts until mid-November, according to BusinessInsider.com. This is only available to premium users- or those who have an actual subscription to Spotify, rather than the free version with ads. However, if your subscription is through a partner, or if for some reason you do not have a US Spotify account, you are not eligible for this offer.

After further research, I found that the Google Home Mini speakers are part of Google and Spotify’s partnership of sorts. Basically, users will be able to sink Spotify accounts to their Google device (enter the “free” Google Home Mini Speaker!!) and even use it as their default streaming service.

This article sparked two different thoughts. One, I wasn’t aware of this blossoming partnership between Spotify and Google. I guess with the powerhouse that is Amazon’s Alexa, competitors have to make do with their own services in order to remain in the running. The second thought was what kind of invasive data mining will be going in with these free speakers. Because we all know that while their primary function is to act as a speaker and play music etc, they also listen to us right back.