Amazon is shuttering its Amazon Register credit card reader service for small and medium-size businesses, which debuted a little more than one year ago. “Aimed at mom-and-pop merchants, the $10 plastic device plugged into a smartphone or tablet and, with an app, processed credit card swipes from customers,” reports The New York Times. Amazon Register was similar to Square and PayPal, but failed to gain traction with merchants. Amazon plans to discontinue the service by February. The news follows Amazon’s announcement that it will also stop offering daily deals through its Local service by the end of 2015.

Apple launched a limited in-store promotion on Friday that offers a $50 discount on the Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport with the purchase of any new iPhone. Currently only offered at participating Apple Stores in California and Massachusetts, the surprise promotion is not available online and does not include the Apple Watch Edition and Apple Watch Hermès models. “Apple confirmed that the promotion runs from October 30 through November 15… The deal does not require purchasing AppleCare+ or other accessories and add-ons,” reports Mac Rumors. “The offer is only valid when the qualifying iPhone and Apple Watch are purchased together on one transaction.”

To cap off the SMPTE 2015 Technical Conference & Exhibition, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers held its annual awards ceremony and dinner last night at Loews Hollywood Hotel. Laurence Thorpe, pioneer in film and television imaging (RCA, Sony, Canon) and Irwin W. Young, innovator in post-production technology (DuArt Film Laboratories) received the Society’s highest award, Honorary Membership. Annie Chang (Disney) received the Workflow Systems Medal for her efforts with DVD authoring and the Interoperable Master Format. James A. Lindner received the Archival Technology Medal Award, Birney Dayton the David Sarnoff Medal Award, and Stan Moote the Digital Processing Medal Award. For the complete list of honorees and 15 new Fellows, visit the SMPTE press release.

The Television Academy presented its latest round of Emmy Engineering Awards at a ceremony Wednesday evening hosted by Josh Brener of HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” During the event, held at Loews Hollywood Hotel, ASC president Richard Crudo presented the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award to Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown. The Philo T. Farnsworth Award was presented to Grass Valley, and Engineering Emmys were presented to Mark Franken for EdiCue workflow software; Greg Croft, Chris King and Michael Sechrest for SpeedTree software; and Alan Bovik, Hamid Sheikh, Eero Simoncelli and Zhou Wang for the Structural Similarity (SSIM) algorithm.

Cable networks tend to schedule advertising with a “more is more” approach. But the added revenue comes at a cost to marketers and viewers. Marketers worry that the resulting “ad clutter” obscures their message. Meanwhile, the proliferation of commercial-free, OTT content has shortened the average viewer’s commercial tolerance, especially among the ever-valuable millennial demographic. In a move that truTV sees as a way for advertisers to “rise above the noise,” the cable and satellite channel is planning to cut down ad time and increase each slot’s value. Continue reading TruTV Cuts Ad Time, Hopes to Increase Value for Advertisers

While the cable industry is challenged by streaming services and cord cutters, Bloomberg reports that Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications “all exceeded analysts’ expectations for their third-quarter video businesses, countering a trend of precipitous decline in traditional pay-TV and reclaiming market share from some telecom carriers and satellite-TV providers.” Cable companies are responding to cord cutters by “offering cheaper bundles of cable, Internet and digital phone service, and Comcast is accelerating its roll-out of a new technology that allows subscribers to watch and store shows and movies on multiple devices.” According to Evercore ISI analysts, skinny bundles “played some part in the quarter’s success.”

With an eye on the Internet of Things, Verizon announced yesterday that it is building a new 4G LTE network core designed especially for devices that will require occasional bits of data. Currently testing the approach in its labs, Verizon expects to make the network available by the end of March. The plan is part of the company’s broader ThingSpace banner, which includes plans for managing IoT environments and data. “But while Verizon and others plan to begin testing as soon as next year, the standards haven’t been set and true commercial deployment is likely at least five years off,” reports Re/code. “Verizon doesn’t want to wait that long to start wiring up all manner of smart devices.”

The long-awaited upgrades to Apple TV will be available tomorrow — $149 for the new 32GB version and $199 for the box with 64GB of storage. “It’s clear that Apple worked its fingers to the bone on this; it works unbelievably well. You have to give a lot of commands before you find a failure,” wrote David Pogue for Yahoo. David Katzmaier of CNET noted, “To get the most out of Apple TV you need to be invested already in the Apple universe, with games, TV shows and movies you’ve purchased from iTunes and the App Store. That’s a shame since it offers the best streaming experience today, and more potential tomorrow once app developers go to town finding ways to exploit the big screen and that slick remote.” Visit Quartz to read a collection of early reviews.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has published a study group report on the high dynamic range imaging ecosystem, now available for download on the SMPTE site. The report provides a detailed summary regarding “the implementation of HDR in professional media workflows and addresses key questions that will arise for industry members as they move forward in taking advantage of HDR technology.” In addition, it provides recommendations for standardization efforts. According to SMPTE, the report reflects the efforts of 170 international experts. Continue reading SMPTE HDR Report Offers Recommendations for Standards

Snapchat launched a temporary Discover channel yesterday featuring advertiser-created content. Sony Pictures Entertainment paid for a “sponsored” Discover channel to promote its new James Bond film “Spectre,” which opened on Monday in the U.K. The Discover section currently includes 15 media partners, but the 007 channel (which is sharing multimedia content for the film such as behind-the-scenes footage, cast member testimonials and Bond trivia questions) represents the first time a brand has paid to be featured this way on Snapchat Discover. Continue reading Snapchat Tests Sponsored Discover Channel with James Bond

Time Warner Cable is reportedly launching the beta test today of a version of its TWC TV service for the company’s Internet-only customers in New York City. While the service plans to support a number of platforms, the current emphasis is on streaming via Roku’s set-top boxes (participants will receive a free Roku 3). In addition to Internet, a Starter TV package runs an additional $10 per month, while another option adds Showtime and Starz for $20 per month. Engadget notes, “for those who want all the usual channels but without a cable box, a Standard option with Showtime and Starz costs $50 per month.”

Instagram has launched a new app called Boomerang that allows users to record 1-second video clips and share them on social media. The app records a burst of five photos and then stitches them together into a video loop, similar to an animated GIF, and plays the loop backwards and forwards to create the Boomerang effect. The app, available on Android and iOS, does not require an Instagram account. This is the third standalone app from Instagram; Layout is used to create collages to upload to Instagram, while Hyperlapse lets users create time-lapse videos. Continue reading Instagram Answers Competitors with Short Boomerang Videos

Comedians Redd Foxx and Andy Kaufman, who died in 1991 and 1984, respectively, are about to take the stage again. Hologram USA announced that it plans to use likenesses of the two comedians and parts of their recorded routines to produce hologram shows that will tour the U.S. in 2016. Alki David, founder and chief exec of Hologram USA, says the company is also “working with other estates of famous funny guys and funny girls.” According to The New York Times, future plans include “holographic versions of Billie Holiday to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and of Whitney Houston for a worldwide concert tour next year.” Broadcasts will also be made available on David’s FilmOn website.

On stage at WSJDLive, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company’s next-gen Apple TV streaming box will ship next week. Cook describes it as “the foundation of the future of TV.” Apple is also introducing its new tvOS operating system, hoping it will lead to an array of TV apps, including games. To get things rolling, the company is currently accepting app submissions from developers for review. “Apple is providing developers with guidelines for supporting major Apple TV features like the touch-sensitive remote, as well as more esoteric additions such as the layered parallax effect on app icons,” reports The Verge. The new Apple TV will run $149 for the 32GB version and $199 for the 64GB model.

Valve plans to release the first of its Steam Machines, a hybrid between PC-based and console gaming, to consumers on November 10th. The Linux-based device will be produced by Alienware, and combines the graphical capabilities of a traditional desktop PC with the usability of a home console. Coupled with the Steam Machine will be a new gamepad featuring two haptic touchpads that Valve claims will offer the precision of a mouse and keyboard control scheme. It will launch in three models ranging from $499 to $749. Continue reading Valve to Launch New PC-Based Console for the Living Room