PlayStation Vue

Update: PlayStation Vue is slowly shaping up to be the cable killer Sony promised it would be. Today the company announced that it would rollout nation-wide by offering three new packages – Access Slim, Core Slim and Elite Slim – that offer everything the regular packages offer, minus live local channels. We'll revisit the score once we try the new packages for ourselves.

Original review follows...

Sony's had a mixed year of PlayStation software launches. From the outlandishly-priced PlayStation Now to the much-improved PlayStation Musicthat replaced Music Unlimited in March, it seems like new releases are either falling flat on their face or hitting it out of the park, with only a product or two landing in between.

PlayStation Vue, the new live TV streaming service that intends to compete withSling TV and the (assumed) upcoming Apple TV service, had all the makings of a home run. It has loads of content (over 80 channels if you shell out for the "elite" package), is able to record an unlimited amount of live TV for up to 28 days and uses something 20 million people already own, the PS4.

So what happened?

For better and worse, PlayStation Vue copied some of cable's foibles and faux-pas, and yet succeeds in some ways the big services simply cannot. Vue introduces new headaches, like dealing with download speeds; while alleviating some of the problems that plagued cable, like service fees and inescapable contracts. Vue gets content recommendation on a level that few services seem to understand, while at the same time failing to completely give you everything you want in one affordable package.

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Parlez-Vue PlayStation?

Before we dig deep into the pros and cons of Sony's wannabe cable killer, let's spend a minute on what PlayStation Vue is and how it works.

PlayStation Vue is a US-only cable service that takes both traditional cable channels and over-the-air content from sources like NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX and combines them into a single app for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and iPad. Sony also has plans to enable Chromecast support for the iOS app, too, sometime down the road.

So far Sony only sells three types of packages that vary in price and amount of channels, starting at $49 a month and goes up to $69 for the all-inclusive pass. It's worth noting that, because the service depends on local cable stations for content from NBC, CBS and FOX, Sony needs to individually negotiate with each station before bringing the service to a new location. So far, Sony has made deals in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Dallas, Texas.

Here are the packages in full detail:

Access package – $39 a month – CBS, COZI TV, myTV, NBCm Telemundo, AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Destination America, Discovery, Discovery Family, DiY, E!, Esquire, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, FX, FXX, HGTV, HLN, Investigation Discovery, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic, NBC Sports Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OWN, Oxygen, Science, Spike, SyFy, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel, truTV, TVLand, USA, VH1, WeTV, plus ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform (formerly ABC Family), ESPN and ESPN 2

Core package – $45 a month – Everything from the Access package, plus BTN, BTN Alternative, Golf, IFC, Sundance, TCM, YES, ESPNU, ESPNews and SEC Network.

Elite package – $55 a month – Everything from the Core package, plus AHC, BET Gospel, Boomerang, Centric, Chiller, Cloo, CMT Pure Country, CNBC World, Cooking, Discovery Life, Fox College Sports Atlantic, Central, Pacific, FXM, LOGO, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTVU, NatGeo Wild, Palladia, Sprout, Teen Nick, Universal, Velocity, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul and Disney Fusion.

Sony also recently announced the Slim packages that offer the same functionality of the standard packages, but are available nation-wide:

• Access Slim: 55+ channels, including live cable TV, movies, and sports channels for $29.99 per month.
• Core Slim: 70+ channels, including all the channels from Access Slim with the addition of national and regional sports networks for $34.99 per month.
• Elite Slim: 100+ channels, featuring all the channels from Core Slim with the addition of more top movie and entertainment channels for $44.99 per month.

Sony has also told us that it will add a channel for PlayStation originals – like Powers – once it ramps up production in the coming year, as well as Showtime's new standalone streaming service once it goes live in early July.

Like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue requires that your device be connected to the internet while watching and speeds of at least 10Mbps to get a full-resolution, uninterrupted picture.

Device support

PlayStation Vue is available on PS3 and PS4, as well as iPad. (The latter requires a PlayStation 4 to sign up, however.) To download it, you need to live in one of the seven markets – Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas or Miami – and have a valid credit card on file with Sony.

If you own any of Sony's other devices like the PlayStation Vita or PlayStation TV, however, you're out of luck. Sony has told other outlets that while there's a chance Vue will end up on these platforms eventually, it probably won't happen anytime soon.

Interface

PlayStation Vue's interface is exactly what you'd expect from a Sony-made app. There's menus for live TV, recommended content, your favorite shows, as well as a traditional TV guide. Everything on the menu with the exception of the guide is arranged in tiles on a grid, creating a sense that Sony's placing more about the show than its source.

The interface, while not the most intuitive in the world, is serviceable. Trying to browse for shows through the guide takes a bit longer than I would've liked, as Vue only shows four or five channels' worth of content at a time, but eventually you'll get where you want to go.

Performance

PlayStation Vue, like Sling TV, Plex, Netflix and every other streaming service, can only do so much to create a seamless experience. The rest really falls upon your home network.

If you have a slow internet connection – let's say, 5Mbps or less – you can probably expect a lot of hiccups, stuttering and low-resolution video. Stepping up to around 10Mbps will net you a solid connection and will almost guarantee a solid connection, but a lower-than-average resolution.

It's not until you get to the 15-20Mbps range through a wired connection to your router that things really start to look good on PlayStation Vue. If you already have that level of internet service coming into your home, great. Just make sure your PS4 is either in range of the router or you have the ability to hardwire your system.

Final verdict

Once you've got your home network up to par, PlayStation Vue is an actually fun – if not always practical – way to watch TV. Using cloud DVR to record shows for up to 28 days means you won't have to fight with your significant other for space on the TiVo while the recommendations will continually push new and exciting content in front of your face.

But ultimately, because packages start at $49 for 45 channels you may or may not want to watch, you might end up overpaying for content. Also, keep in mind that at least four or five of those channels are available over-the-air for free with a digital tuner and antenna.

If you already own a PS4 or PS3 and a relatively fast internet package, and plan to use the iPad functionality when it becomes available, then PlayStation Vue could be one solution for you to cut down on the cable bill. If you aren't in that situation or are just trying a cable alternative for the first time, PlayStation Vue is merely a lively alternative to the better, prime time-ready options out there.

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‪‪Real Madrid CF‬, ‪FC Barcelona‬‬ ~ 'Clasico': Barcelona plays for Cruyff, Madrid for revenge

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona looks to honor its idol. Real Madrid gets a shot at revenge.

The second "clasico" of the season arrives with the Spanish rivals in different states of mind.

Barcelona is focusing on paying tribute to the lateJohan Cruyff, the former star who died last week after battling cancer.

Real Madrid is hoping to avenge the humiliating home loss to the rival earlier this season, a defeat that ignited the club's latest crisis.

"The good thing about football is that it constantly gives you opportunities to get even," Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said. "Now we have a chance to do well, away from home, against a great team such as Barcelona."

Saturday's game also gives Madrid its last real chance of rejoining the title race at theSpanish league. Anything but a victory will mean the end of the line for Zinedine Zidane's team in the La Liga.

A win at the Camp Nou, in addition to denting Barcelona's confidence entering a decisive stretch, would cut the rival's lead to seven points. Atletico Madrid, which hosts Real Betis earlier Saturday, is nine points behind Barcelona.

"Anything is possible in football," Madrid striker Gareth Bale said. "We'll fight until the end. Winning La Liga is still possible and if we win on Saturday we'll be seven points behind and you never know what might happen."

A victory by Barcelona would leave the Catalan club significantly closer to its second consecutive league title, as Madrid is the last big challenge on its schedule. But many thoughts on Saturday will be on honoring Cruyff, the former Dutch great credited with steering the club on its path to glory.

The club is preparing a mosaic of 90,000 cards displaying the words "Thanks, Johan," in Catalan. The words will also appear on Barcelona's jerseys.

A minute of silence and a video tribute are also planned for Saturday.

Here are other things to watch in the Spanish league this weekend:

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DOMINANT BARCA

Barcelona has won four of the last five league games against Real Madrid, including the last two at the Camp Nou and this season's 4-0 rout at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid hasn't won at the rival's venue since a 3-1 result in the semifinals of the 2013Copa del Rey, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge. The last time Madrid won at Barcelona in the Spanish league was in the 2011-12 season, when it won the La Liga for the last time.

Real Madrid is on a hot streak, having won five straight games, while Barcelona is coming off a 2-2 draw at Villarreal.

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MATCHING NOTTINGHAM

With a win or a draw on Saturday, Barcelona would match Nottingham Forest's 1978 streak of 40 consecutive games without a loss.

Luis Enrique's team would be three games shy of the mark set by Juventus in 2012. The Italian team went 43 games without a loss in all competitions.

Barcelona is the record-holder for unbeaten games among Spanish clubs.

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FEELING AT HOME

Cristiano Ronaldo has felt quite comfortable when playing at the Camp Nou, having scored nine goals in the last eight times he played at the venue.

Since the 2011-12 season, Ronaldo scored at least one goal in seven of the eight games at the rival's stadium. He only failed to find the net in the league clasico in the 2013-14 season.

The Portuguese striker has scored 11 goals in Madrid's last nine games overall. He is the Spanish league's leading scorer with 28 goals, two more than Barcelona forwardLuis Suarez.

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ZIDANE VS. ENRIQUE

Saturday will mark the first duel between Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique as coaches. The former players faced each other many times on the field, with the most famous encounter coming in 2003, when the two almost got into a fight after a foul by Zidane.

Enrique was one of the first Barcelona players who charged toward Zidane to protest, and the former Madrid star shoved him away with a hand to his face.

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KEEP PUSHING

With some help from the city rival in the clasico, Atletico Madrid can move within six points of Barcelona if it beats Real Betis at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.

Atletico is looking to rebound from a 2-1 loss to Sporting Gijon in the league, a result that unhinged the team's nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

"We face each match as if it were a final," Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez said.

source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2016/03/31/clasico-barcelona-plays-for-cruyff-madrid-for-revenge/82460730/

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Why do we celebrate April Fools Day? The history of April 1st pranks

‘April – Fooling’, c1839. Illustration from Stubbs’s Calendar (Picture: Getty Images)

April Fools’ Day is nearly upon us again but have you ever wondered why we celebrate it?

Well, unfortunately the joke’s on us because while we spend days plotting how to trick our colleagues, friends and family, nobody really knows why we actually do so.

What we do know is that the tradition dates back hundreds of years, and everyone celebrates the day by generally being a bit of a d*ck to your friends and family.

Here are some of the theories as to how April Fools’ Day began.

MORE: April Fools Day 2016 prank ideas: The best jokes to play on friends, family, colleagues and kids

It started as a French calendar error

Back in 1582, France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar causing New Year’s Day to move from April 1st to January 1. This was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII fopr all European countries.

Some believe the tradition of April Fools Day began when people continued to ring in the New Year on April 1st because they hadn’t heard about the calendar change.

These fools were laughed at by others and had tricks playing on them including paper ‘Poisson d’Avril’ (April Fish) fish stuck to their backs, symbolising being gullible like young, easily caught fish. This tradition is still observed in Frances, Belgium and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada.

Mother Nature fooling us with horrible weather

April fool (Picture: Getty Images)

Others believe April Fools’ Day is actually linked to the Spring Equinox, marked on March 20 this year, when mother nature unleashes unpredictable weather on everyone.

You might be fooled into thinking winter has ended, but don’t put away those winter woollies just yet because spring can be just as cold.

People wearing disguises for the Hilaria festival

Historians have also linked the Roman festival of Hilaria to April Fools’ Day, due to people dressing in disguises during celebrations to celebrate the resurrection of the Roman God Attis.

Hilaria – also known as Roman Laughing Day – is marked on March 25 but people would continue dressing up after that until April 1 hence the link.

Other festivals have also been linked to April Fools Day including India’s Holi festival and the Sizdahbedar in Persian culture where Iranians play pranks on one another.

Chaucer linked April 1st with fools in The Canterbury Tales in 1392

(Picture:Exodus books)

In the Nun’s Priest’s Tale Geoffrey Chaucer talks about the vain cock Chauntecleer being tricked by a fox.

The date of this happening is believed to be April 1st, with his date of ‘Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two’ thought to refer to March 32 – AKA April 1.

Either way, it was the English who made it an annual celebration

‘The April Fool, or The Follies of a Night as performed at the Theatre Royal, 1786. Illustration from Social Caricature in the Eighteenth Century (picture: Getty Images)

English pranksters started playing practical jokes on one another on April 1st from at least 1700.

Anyone who is successfully fooled before midday is known as a ‘noodle’, ‘gob’, gobby’ or ‘noddy’ while anyone doing the fooling after midday is considered a fool themselves.

The Scots celebrate Huntigowk Day

April fool. (Picture: Getty Images)

Confused? Well a ‘gowk’ is said to be a cuckoo or foolish person and traditionally Scots send this fool a sealed letter to be delivered. When they complete this, the letter tells the recipient: ‘Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile’. And the recipient is meant to send the poor messenger somewhere else under the guise of trying to help someone.

Irish send the fool on a fool’s errand too

April fools postcard. (Picture: Getty Images)

The fool is given an important letter to deliver to a named recipient, the recipient then sends him on to someone else with the letter reading ‘send the fool further’.

The spaghetti tree hoax

Sometimes hoaxes work a little too well, as was the case back in 1957 when BBC Panorama reported on people harvesting spaghetti from spaghetti trees in Southern Switzerland.

Spaghetti was little heard of at the time, so many Britons believed what they were watching, failing to understand that spaghetti is actually made from wheat and water.

Not only that but dozens contacted the BBC afterwards to ask where to buy one of these ‘spaghetti trees’ in what was dubbed one of the most successful hoaxes of all time in broadcasting.

And that’s not the only one…

Burger King managed to fool loads of customers into believing there was a left-handed whooper on offer as recently as 1998 and in 1996 Taco Bell tricked everyone into thinking it was renaming itself The Taco Liberty Bell after buying the actual Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

source : http://metro.co.uk/2016/03/31/why-do-we-celebrate-april-fools-day-the-history-of-april-1st-pranks-5781922/

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Forecasters warn of tornado threat after 7 hurt in Oklahoma

Credit: The Associated PressA tornado touches down in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. The National Weather Service is confirming multiple tornado touchdowns in the Tulsa area. The City of Tulsa said in a statement that several roads were closed and police and fire crews were canvassing the city. The Streets and Water Departments are assisting with road barricades and debris removal. At least nine injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

TULSA, Okla. — Forecasters warned of possible tornadoes as thunderstorms rolled across parts of the South on Thursday, a day after at least seven people were injured when severe storms spawned multiple tornado touchdowns in northeastern Oklahoma.

Hail and damaging winds were moving across the lower Mississippi River Valley, and the National Weather Service said the heavy rain may produce flash flooding in some areas. The weather service's Storm Prediction Center said the greatest threat of tornadoes and large hail was in northern Mississippi and Alabama, along with parts of Tennessee and southern Kentucky.

Forecasters say more than 8 million people will be at an "enhanced" risk of severe weather in parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.

In Oklahoma, a tornado touched down and lifted up numerous times Wednesday night as it swept through the northern Tulsa and Owasso areas, according to weather service meteorologist Amy Jankowski.

About a square mile of a mostly residential area sustained damage, with one home destroyed and other residences and businesses sustaining roof and structural damage, Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Stan May said.

Police and fire officials were going door to door in the area. There were no immediate reports of anyone missing, May said.

"We want to check each house," he said. "We've got some elderly people in the area. We want to make sure people have the medicines they need."

Seven people were transported to hospitals by Emergency Medical Services Authority, an ambulance service provider, spokeswoman Kelli Bruer said. Bruer said one was in critical condition and several were in serious condition. May said a few other people suffered minor injuries but declined treatment.

Tulsa streets and water departments were assisting with road barricades and debris removal.

In Louisiana, the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch for northern parts of the state until 7 p.m. Thursday. Forecasters predicted that multiple rounds of strong thunderstorms would produce 2 to 4 inches of rain, and perhaps 6 inches in some parts of the state.

"Heavy rain from waves of storms could renew flooding over north Louisiana," said Cynthia Palmer, a forecaster at the weather service's office in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The ground remains saturated in that part of the state, which saw record flooding earlier this month, Palmer said.

In northern Mississippi, forecasters said thunderstorms would bring rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches. A flash-flood watch was in effect through Thursday evening.

As the system moves east, strong storms were expected to develop Thursday over Alabama, where forecasters say the main threats will be tornadoes, winds of up to 70 mph, quarter-sized hail and heavy rains. In Georgia, forecasters said more than 4 inches of rain could fall in western parts of the state.

source : http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/2016/03/forecasters_warn_of_tornado_threat_after_7_hurt_in_oklahoma

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Game of Thrones Season 6 Trailer and More

Game of Thrones hits keep on coming. Likely conscious of the criticisms (many of them justified) of the last season of the fantasy series, Game of Thrones season 6 has unleashed a collection of portraits and cover photos with Entertainment Weekly that emphasize the fact that the HBO flagship actually has one of the largest and most fascinating casts of independent women on television. In the below gallery, you can see new images of Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, and Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell!

There is also a lovely video of all these actresses considering which of their characters most deserves being Queen of Westeros... and which should not be let within walking distance of the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones Season 6 Premiere Date

Winter is coming alright...in the spring. Game of Thrones season 6 will premiere on April 24, 2016 at 9pm. If only we could say the same about The Winds of Winter. Alas, the several weeks of delay will not help publishers who had hoped to have a sixth novel in book stores by late March. Still, Westeros fans have plenty to savor in the new year, as this ominous poster portends...

So, as HBO ventures now far past the reassuring safety of George R.R. Martin’s sturdy literary Wall, and we already begin making our own educated guesses about what will happen in season 6, let’s see what actually waits for them Beyond…

Game Of Thrones Offical Web Url : http://www.gameofthrones.com/
source : http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/game-of-thrones/246589/game-of-thrones-season-6-trailer-premiere-date-and-more

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