Tag Archive for: How To Kill An Hour

tv streaming

Tv Streaming Boost!

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This story is more US centric than most of the ones we feature here on How To Kill An Hour but it is a good insight into how people are consuming their Tv these days. It seems like a lot of people are turning to Tv streaming over traditional methods. There’s a lot more households whom are choosing to stream their favorite shows instead of watching them on cable. (US version of Sky)

Climbing Numbers

Comscore have released a new set of data that states that the number of people opting for Tv streaming in the United States has spiked by 58% to 4.9million people. 4.9 million people is a total of 5% of all US households that stream over Wi-Fi without traditional Tv’s headaches of ads and schedules.

Comscore looked at “pure play” systems that don’t offer their own original shows the same way that services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime do. Pure Players are things like Sling, DirectTv Now, Playstation Vue and YouTube Tv. A full 10% of streaming time across the US came from these services this past April. A 53% spike from the previous year.

According to analysts it’s not just the young who are using these streaming services. Older viewers are signing up in droves too! Only 21% of households using these services have a head under 35. An 8% drop according to Comscore.

If a household does have these services, Comscore adds that they’ll spend nearly half their time streaming programming from it. This past April each of those households streamed a total of 128hrs of content on average. Equal to on demand services like Netflix.

Overall the users using Tv streaming services spent twice as much time with those services when compared to those watching normal Tv.

(Verge)

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Netflix ads

Netflix Promos (Ads?)

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So Netflix Ads may be on their way! It seems that way anyway. For a while now Netflix have been playing trailers before and after some of their content. While some of these can be deemed promos, some of us may call them ads. Yet, those trailers have been skippable. While Gizmodo are reporting that they don’t show up that often. They’re reporting that if the latest round of testing gets approved the ads are going to be more noticeable.

Reports on Reddit are claiming that Netflix are indeed testing a new way of delivering ads to viewers. For example short trailers for Netflix Originals being shown between episodes. Are these Netflix ads or are they promos? It may be a bit harsh to call them ads. While we can see the benefit behind them. What’s better than seeing more top quality content that we wouldn’t have known existed otherwise?

Testing

Netflix confirmed the testing phase to Ars Technica:

“We are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster.”

However, despite this Reddit users are claiming that the ads cannot be skipped. Netflix denied these claims and confirmed that they are entirely skippable. While the streaming giant also stressed that the ads are only for Netflix content and won’t open up third party ads. Makes sense seeing that Netflix is the place that people go to to get away from traditional content. Would be bad business if Netflix were to advertise things other than their own content.

Furthermore it’s not entirely clear how many people are seeing these ads, nor how long it will last, or if it will see the light of day for the rest of us. It does seem how much people engage with the ads to whether or not they get implemented. Therefore the more people clicking on these Netflix ads, the more likely it will be rolled out officially.

If you do see the ads, or if you don’t want to be apart of any new testing features that Netflix rolls out. You can opt out by heading over to this page.

(Gizmodo)

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uefa champions league

Uefa Champions League Facebook Streaming!

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Facebook the social media giant are making giant moves in the video world. Facebook already have secured the rights to stream 2019/20 Premier League season of football in Asia in a £200M deal which was secured in July. This is leading on from Facebook’s previous foray into sports streaming. They’ve already live streamed MLS and La Liga matched previously. Consequently they are making more moves into making them more than just a social media giant. Facebook have secured the rights to stream the Uefa Champions League for free between 2018 and 2021.

While this sounds great and is a wonderful move in the right direction for the company, there is some limits. While this is groundbreaking Facebook will only broadcast 32 games per season. Yet the social media giant will share highlights and magazine programming each week.

Football fans in Latin America were able to view the UEFA Super Cup on August 15th and it will also include future Super Cups alongside the finals. Furthermore this deal will give Facebook Free-To-Air exclusivity, so you’ll need to pay for a TV service or similar to view. If you don’t have Facebook that is.

Facebook hired Eurosport chief Peter Hutton for this very reason, even if the deal isn’t as great as it looks on the outset. Yet it’s a step in the right direction. Facebook have successfully streamed live sports in the past and deals like this one prove that. Who would’ve thought you could watch sport on Facebook just 2-3 years ago. (Engadget)

Who knows, we may be seeing Premier League games or Uefa Champions League games in the UK on Facebook in the near future!?

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PLANET ALPHA

Planet Alpha: Team17’s 100th Game!

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PLANET ALPHA launches next month and it will mark Team17’s 100th game release!

Team17 are an incredible games label and they’ve teamed up with Denmark based independent developer Adrian Lazar of Planet Alpha ApS game studio to create a truly wonderful and beautiful game in PLANET ALPHA. Consequently, Team17 are incredibly proud of the work that’s gone into this game so much that they’re marking their landmark 100th game release with it!

Team17 began as a publisher when it was founded in 1990. Working on games such as Housemarque on Super Stardust and Epic on Silverball. However what made Team17 famous in the gaming industry is their work with the Worms series which launched in 1995. Consequently in 2013 Team17 set up their games label and brought to the masses games such as The Escapists, an How To Kill An Hour favourite Overcooked and Yooka-Laylee. Now 27 years on Team17 are shortly releasing (Sept 4th) PLANET ALPHA on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch™ and PC. 

Plot

PLANET ALPHA is an atmospheric side-scrolling platform adventure game. Combining fast platforming, creative puzzles, stealth mechanics and a unique art style to create an unforgettable experience.

“The 100th game marks an incredible milestone for Team17 as we move closer towards our 30th year in this diverse and creative industry. Team17 started life as an indie publisher in 1990; the release of PLANET ALPHA in 2018 is a poignant moment for us all in that we have come full circle in bringing our expertise, perspective and values from our time as an independent developer to games publishing in this exciting modern era of indie games…..I’d like to pay tribute to employees of Team17, both past and present, as we celebrate the release of a multitude of titles across many game systems from 16-bit and beyond and in countries far and wide. I’m appreciative, humbled and honoured to work with talented developers in bringing their wonderful creations to fans everywhere. We’re just as passionate and excited for the next 100 games!”  Debbie Bestwick MBE, CEO of Team17.

 

So, check out our PLANET ALPHA gameplay video from E3 below:

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Check out our exclusive play through when we got our hands on it here!

 

PicDrift

PicDrift: Bringing a new lease of life to photos!

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PicDrift are an amazing company that do absolutely amazing things with photos. They bring a whole new look on what we believe photos to be and blends them with video to make truly amazing pieces of content. Blending together videos and pictures to make breathtaking pieces of art. It’s not a gif though! Far from it. The pieces of content that they make are high quality animations to bring your ideas and creations to life!

They cater to everyone too, videographers who want to breathe a new lease of life into their video projects. Wedding Photographers who want to bring something different to their work. Website designers who want to draw people into their content and make themselves stand out from the rest. PicDrift also create social media posts for yourselves or influencers who want to wow their followers.

Simply send them your photo(s) and they will do the rest. They can make animations from almost any still photo! They then build layers from your image(s) and create custom animations that can last from 5-20seconds long. Then it’s delivered to you in whatever format you wish. Be that if you want them to be ready for social media posts, any size web banner or broadcast quality videos for content as high as 4K video projects!

We think that they’re absolutely incredible and think that you’ll love them!

So, purchase your own PicDrift by clicking here!

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Detroit Become Human

Detroit Become Human

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Developed by Quantic Dream, the gaming heavyweights that are responsible for games such as Heavy Rain and Beyond:Two Souls. Detroit Become Human follows the same feature premise as Heavy Rain, a movie like game.

Players navigate around a futuristic world where you follow the lives of three androids, Kara, Conor and Markus. Kara has just escaped the owner that she was serving, her new mission in life is to protect a young girl that she encounters. Conor’s mission is to hunt down sentient androids. While Markus is devoted to releasing other androids from servitude. It is your role to follow these androids and their fate is dependant upon what dialogue you choose to shape the story.  If a character dies, you take control of another character, as the story evolves further, so therefore there is no traditional ‘game over’ in this game. (Wiki)

Plot: Detroit Become Human

Enter the near-future metropolis of Detroit in 2038 – a city rejuvenated by the introduction of highly advanced androids that exist only to serve mankind. But that’s all about to change…

Step into the shoes of three distinct android characters as this brave new world teeters on the brink of chaos. Your decisions dramatically alter how the game’s intense, branching narrative plays out. With thousands of choices and dozens of endings, how will you affect the future of Detroit? (Amazon)

So, listen to Marcus and Julia chatting about this on the show by clicking here!

You can purchase Detroit Become Human by clicking here!

overcooked 2

Overcooked 2: Let’s Play

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An How To Kill An Hour favourite is BACK! Yes that’s right everyone’s favourite cooking game is returning, this is Overcooked 2! In this game the Onion Kingdom is once again in peril. Though it’s at the fault of the Onion King himself! By reading aloud from the fabled Necronomnomicon, he has cooked up a real problem. A problem in the form of a doughy and dangerous army of Undead Bread, named: The Unbread! The game requires players to chop, bake and fry their way to a set of brand new kitchens and tasks to defeat and save the kingdom!

Overcooked 2 is a co-op game that allows 1-4 players to help serve recipes to hungry customers in an series of unconventional kitchens. The game will follow players across kitchens located in hot air balloons, a magical school and even planets! Don’t forget to dodge the fires, collapsing floors or overbearing waiters!

Overcooked 2 New Features

What’s new:

  • Online multiplayer! For the first time you can cook up a storm with up to four players in both local and online multiplayer
  • Throwing! Throwing is now an official game mechanic, allowing you to toss ingredients to your fellow chefs or even straight into the pan/blender/onto the floor
  • New level mechanics! Overcooked 2 sees the introduction of new game mechanics including moving walkways, controllable platforms and even portals!
  • Dynamic levels! Throwing you from the frying pan and into the fire. Dynamic levels will change around you, offering a new challenge to overcome as the recipes and levels themselves change!
  • Interactive world map! As you drive, sail and soar your way around the map in the Onion King’s amphibious air bus you will open up new areas using hidden buttons around the world
  • Kitchens! From the neon lights of a sushi restaurant to the bubbling pots of a Wizard school kitchen, there are plenty of places to cook up a storm in Overcooked 2!
  • Recipes! From spaghetti to sushi and pancakes to pizza, recipes both old and new will need to be cooked to perfection (or at least not burnt to a crisp!) New recipes mean new ingredients and new equipment so even the most well-seasoned Overcooked players will be challenged.
  • Chefs! Overcooked 2 introduces a whole host of new of chefs to play in the kitchen including an eagle, mouse, beaver and what kitchen is complete without an octopus!

(Credit: Overcooked 2/Team 17 Press Release)

Listen to Marcus and Julia chatting about this on the show by clicking here!

Buy Overcooked 2 by clicking here!

cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077

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Developer CD Projekt Red describe Cyberpunk 2077 as an ““an open world, narrative-driven role-playing game” so essentially this game, as beautiful as it looks, is a first person role playing game. A first person role playing game that is also open world and narrative driven. We are liking the sound of this already! Fallout fans listen up! As even though the game is in first person, the game is said to offer players, plenty of chances to see what your character looks like. Pointing out that the game is a First Person RPG and not an FPS.

We are liking the route that this game is taking, making sure to emphasise the fact that it’s not just a shooter and it seems like there is a HUGE focus on storytelling. That’s what we got from the trailer, the trailer looked very movie like and we cannot wait to get our hands on it!

Plot

Users are playing as “V”, who is a “hired gun on the rise” within the Cyberpunk violent metropolis, Night City. Judging from the trailer we are getting a Matrix/Ready Player One vibe to the game. Going more indepth on the character customization, CD Projekt Red promises a “robust character creator” which will allow platers to choose things such as gender, appearance class and even their characters backgrounds. However, choose wisely as the choices that you make now, will affect and influence how the game plays out.

Yet much like regular RPG’s players are encouraged to interact with the various residents of Night City. Users do this via a dialogue system, which in turn will navigate the Cyberpunk 2077 narrative. With CD Prokekt Red stating that “difficult decisions will ripple through the entire game” (Polygon)

Listen to Marcus and Julia discussing this on the show by clicking here!

Pre-Order Cyberpunk 2077 by clicking here!

We also covered this game in one of our E3 specials listen it by clicking here!

Episode 292 Julia Hardy

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NBA 2K19

NBA 2K19 – “Take The Crown” Trailer

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NBA celebrates 20 years of redefining what sports gaming can be, from best in class gameplay to ground breaking game modes and an immersive open-world “Neighborhood.” NBA 2K19 continues to push limits as it brings gaming one step closer to real-life basketball excitement and culture. (Amazon/2K)

Entitled “Take the Crown” and featuring music by Jay Rock (@jayrock), the trailer reminds all NBA 2K19 fans that to be the best, you have to take down the king. (2K)

To pre-Order please click here!

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