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A tech feature outlines several lesser-known Netflix features, including secret numerical codes that unlock niche sub-genre search results and a way to view a complete watch history. It also covers other customization options beyond common settings like offline downloads, games, and video quality adjustments.
French streaming service Qobuz says it has been gaining subscribers by emphasizing human-curated playlists and editorial selection, even as it faces a wave of AI-generated audio uploads like other platforms. Dan Mackta, the company's Managing Director, declined to use the term "AI music" to describe these tracks.
The recent merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. has been finalized, raising questions about the future of Paramount+ and HBO Max. The newly combined entity has not yet detailed its plans for these streaming platforms, but some form of unification is anticipated. The deal was completed on Tuesday, marking a significant shift in the media company's structure.
Amazon announced that starting in November, US Fire TV users will get a new Alexa+ hub on the TV interface and mobile app, offering personalized suggestions and more complex reasoning about shows, movies and current events. The mobile app will also let Alexa+ build watchlists from shared article links, suggest titles based on uploaded photos, and deep-link directly into streaming apps. Amazon also added live content from over 40 apps and a Games Hub for cloud gaming, with global rollout planned for early next year.
Disney is raising prices across Disney+ and Hulu a year after its last increase. Standalone ad-free plans climb from $18.99 to $21.49 monthly, while the ad-free bundle rises to $21.99; ad-supported standalone plans go up 50 cents, but the popular ad-supported bundle stays at $12.99. Hulu + Live TV sees the steepest jump, up $10 to $99.99 or $109.99 depending on tier.
Disney has hiked prices across Disney+ and Hulu, with ad-free standalone plans rising 13 percent from $19 to $21.50 per month and ad-supported plans rising from $12 to $12.50. Bundle prices also increased, including the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN Select bundle without ads jumping from $29 to $33, while Hulu + Live TV rose by $10 monthly.
Bloomberg reports Disney plans to raise subscription prices across Disney Plus and Hulu, citing people familiar with the matter. Ad-free Disney Plus Premium and ad-free Hulu would rise from $18.99 to $21.49 per month, while ad-supported standalone plans increase by 50 cents to $12.49. The ad-supported Disney Plus-Hulu bundle would stay at $12.99, though the ad-free bundle rises from $19.99 to $21.99, with subscribers possibly notified as soon as September 23.
A report explains that streaming platforms must compress 4K video heavily to send it over the internet without buffering, which strips out fine details like film grain, shadow gradients, textures and complex motion data. A 1080p Blu-ray, by contrast, uses a much higher bitrate and preserves that visual information more faithfully, so it can look sharper in demanding scenes despite having fewer pixels.
Apple has again raised subscription prices, with Apple TV climbing from $13 to $15 per month and its annual plan jumping 20 percent from $99 to $119. The individual Apple One bundle, which includes Apple TV, Music, Arcade, Fitness+, News+ and iCloud+, rose from $20 to $22 monthly. Existing subscribers get one month's notice before the new rates take effect.
Apple is increasing Apple TV's monthly subscription from $12.99 to $14.99, with the annual plan rising from $99 to $119. Apple One bundle pricing is also going up, with the individual tier moving from $19.95 to $21.95 monthly. This follows a similar increase to Apple Music announced roughly a month earlier.
The Australian Recording Industry Association has updated its Charts Code of Practice to exclude music that is wholly AI-generated from national chart eligibility, effective with the chart dated August 31. Songs made with AI assistance can still qualify, but only if the recording is substantially human-made, with humans writing the song and performing lead vocals and primary instruments using authorized tools.