Netflix will switch from Silverlight to HTML5, explains what it's waiting for first

Due to Microsoft's confirmation that support for its Silverlight plugin will end and the rise of plugin-free browsers, Netflix will eventually need to stream to PCs using something other than the tech it's had in place since 2008.The company has already implemented one example of the technology for Samsung's ARM Chromebooks, and plans to bring it to Chrome on PCs and Macs eventually. Right now, it's waiting for several W3C initiatives it's been working on called the HTML5 Premium Video extensions that handle things like video quality and DRM support to be fully implemented. Once the last one (Web Cryptography API) is available, it can ditch the custom API plugin it's currently using and begin testing on PCs and Macs. What isn't mentioned is any support for other platforms like Linux, although Netflix says it can't wait until the features are "implemented in all browsers!"

Source: Netflix Tech Blog

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By: Unknown On 10:08 PM

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Panasonic explains how its color splitter sensor works in a vividly detailed video

You'd be forgiven if you weren't entirely on the same page with Panasonic regarding its micro color splitter sensor: it's a big break from the traditional Bayer filter approach on digital cameras, and the deluge of text doesn't do much to simplify the concept. Much to our relief, DigInfo TV has grilled Panasonic in a video that provides a more easily digestible (if still deep) interpretation. As the technology's creator says, it's all about the math. To let in so much light through the splitters requires processing the light in four mixed colors, and that processing requires studying the light's behavior in 3D. Panasonic's new method (Babinet-BPM) makes that feasible by finishing tasks 325 times faster than usual, all while chewing up just a 16th of the memory. The company isn't much closer to having production examples, but it's clarifying that future development will be specialized -- it wants to fine-tune the splitter behavior for everything from smartphone cameras through to security systems. Catch the full outline after the break.

Via: GSM Arena

Source: DigInfo TV

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By: Unknown On 10:39 PM

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Facebook explains how the fresh News Feed came to be: a deck of cards

Facebook made a sharp break from tradition when it unveiled the simplified News Feed, but how did it get there? As the social network's Jane Justice Leibrock has just explained, it was as simple as shuffling cards. Well, almost. Leibrock gave focus group subjects a stack of cards reflecting their recent social updates and asked them to pick the cream of the crop as well as sort the rest into groups. The results led to the filtered approach that's rolling out now: users tend to gravitate toward specific categories such as close friends, photos and direct interests, rather than piling everything together. As often as people accuse Facebook of launching surprise changes, it's clear that the News Feed revamp involved at least some deliberation.

Source: Facebook

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By: Unknown On 7:55 PM

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PBS Explains What Trolling Is

This story will display in ...Dec 14, 2012 11:30 PM  

If you've traveled around the circuit track of the Internet a couple of times, you've heard about trolls trolling. What does that mean? For the Internet unfamiliar, it's basically a bunch of not so lovely online folks who post stuff to get people angry. The latest video from PBS Off Book explains trolling, cyber bulling and how freedom of speech works on the Internet.

PBS says:

The internet is a powerful tool for communication, but it can sometimes be a double-edged sword. As most of us have seen or experienced, the internet can bring out the worst behavior in people, highlighting some of the cruelest and most hurtful aspects of humanity. Issues such as bullying online and trolling have garnered a lot of attention recently, prompting questions about who does, and should, regulate the internet, and what free speech means online.

Don't feed the trolls. [PBS Off Book via The Daily What]

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By: Dilusha On 7:41 PM

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