AOL Rise programming, part of AOL’s Content 365 strategy, consists of 90-second live clips with host Mari White that offer highlights on the hour related to finance, lifestyle, music, news, sports and weather. In a “morning rituals” study, AOL learned that “85 percent of consumers use their smartphone before getting out of bed,” reports VideoEdge. “Rise was built so that it is optimized for mobile consumption, making it short and easy to follow on the go,” said Osnat Benari, head of product for AOL On. “From a technical perspective, we rely on the AOL On video platform and capabilities so it can be played across all devices — Web, mobile and even over the top.”

A team of Burbank-based software engineers has been working to bridge the gap between filmmakers in the U.S. and China by developing a Chinese-language version of screenwriting, budgeting and scheduling software commonly used in Hollywood. The Write Brothers — the original creators of Movie Magic software — “have partnered with a Chinese production and financing company, Kylin-Mandarin Entertainment, to create the new Chinese-language software package, called Movie Dreams,” reports the Los Angeles Times. The new cloud-based product, unveiled at the Shanghai International Film Festival, is designed to create more efficiency and compatibility for film production.

KXMZ-FM in Rapid City, South Dakota is a traditional small town radio station in every sense other than it is now owned by Pandora Media, the world’s largest Internet radio company. Pandora acquired KXMZ for $600,000 in order to pay the lower royalty rates assigned to radio station owners (such as iHeartMedia). “Pandora is headed into uncharted territory,” said Matthew Schettenhelm, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “But there’s no legal reason that other entities like Apple or Spotify couldn’t try to do the same.” The move is the latest in an ongoing royalty battle between music creators and Internet companies, notes Bloomberg, and will likely trigger additional litigation.

British comedy “Catastrophe” made its streaming debut in the U.S. this week exclusively on Amazon’s Facebook page. The move is a new approach to promoting Netflix competitor Amazon Prime Instant Video. Two days after Monday night’s premiere, the show will be made available for streaming only to Amazon Instant Video subscribers (the entire season will be available Friday). This is not the first time social media has been leveraged this way. Hulu has been posting select videos on Facebook, while studios have been offering movie rentals and purchases via social platforms. Continue reading Amazon Streams U.S. Premiere of British Comedy on Facebook

Disney’s historic El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is one of five theaters in the world to combine the Dolby Vision advanced laser projection system (created in partnership with Christie Digital) and Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. The facility, which first opened its doors in 1926, now features two Christie 6P 4K laser projectors and more than 100 speakers. Audio engineer, musician and tech journalist Ryan Waniata viewed a screening of Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland” and was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater. Continue reading El Capitan Theatre Marries Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos Tech

Industrial Light & Magic has created a new division with a focus on developing virtual reality and augmented reality experiences for movie fans. ILMxLAB is planning to debut an entertainment experience based on “Star Wars” later this year. It has been working on technology for the iPad and Oculus Rift that would allow consumers to enter their favorite movie scenes and navigate through them. ILMxLAB execs indicate that the technology could launch when the J.J. Abrams-helmed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is released in mid-December. Continue reading New ILM Team Developing Immersive VR and AR Experiences

AltspaceVR, a virtual reality communications platform backed by Google Ventures, enables multiple users from anywhere in the world to gather and share a virtual space. Unlike the text-based chat rooms of the 1990s, AltspaceVR uses computer cameras and Leap Motion trackers to translate users’ movements, mannerisms and gestures into the virtual world. It has been described as “Second Life for the first person.” AltspaceVR, now open to the public, was founded in 2013 and is led by Eric Romo, a former SpaceX propulsion lead analyst. Continue reading Venture-Backed AltspaceVR Creates Virtual Reality Chat Room

Indiana University Athletics received a $5 million gift from IU alumnus Mark Cuban — owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres and Magnolia Pictures — to build a video broadcasting center with a focus on 3D broadcast, virtual reality and 3D virtual studio technologies. The Mark Cuban Centre for Sports Media and Technology is slated to open in the spring of 2017. According to Rapid TV News, “IU students will produce a wide variety of media content for IU Athletics, including virtual-reality videos for fan experience, athlete instruction, recruiting videos and social media, as well as video-board displays, team-specific shows and live event broadcasts for all 24 IU sports.”

Twitter is taking on Google and Facebook, today’s leaders in online video advertising, with the introduction of ads that play automatically in users’ timelines. The new function will also apply to GIFs and Vine videos. “When users scroll through their Twitter feeds and see a video, it will begin to automatically play while muted,” The Wall Street Journal explains. “Clicking on the video will play it in its entirety in the full-screen viewer with sound. Think Facebook-style video, as opposed to the model that requires a click to start playing.” Since video ads command higher rates than display ads, the auto-play feature represents a much-needed financial opportunity for Twitter.

ViewSonic plans to debut new 1080p projectors this August that feature SuperColor tech for enhanced brightness and color accuracy. The LightStream Full HD projectors, which will run a suggested $943-$1,174, offer a brightness range of 3200-3500 lumens. The projectors also feature SonicExpert audio tech that enables a wider frequency range and less distortion. According to TWICE, “The projectors display 3D images from 3D Blu-ray players, feature two HDMI ports, and offer a variety of other in/outs, including RGB, composite, mini USB, USB, and audio in/out.” The models also include the option to wirelessly stream multimedia content.

The 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo opens it doors in Los Angeles today following a series of press conferences from major players such as Bethesda, EA, Microsoft, Sony and Ubisoft. This year we expect to see a new emphasis on virtual and augmented reality, wearable devices, online gaming and mobile apps. At last year’s show, only six companies were dedicated to VR; this week, there will be 27. Also, 74 companies touting mobile and online gaming products will be in attendance. According to Gartner, worldwide mobile revenue is expected to nearly double to $22 billion this year. Continue reading E3 Expected to Focus on AR, VR, Online, Mobile and Wearables

After this week’s launch in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Sony’s cloud-based TV service PlayStation Vue is now available in four of the five largest U.S. cities (Vue is also offered in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia). The service starts at $49.99 per month, and features more than 50 channels of live TV from three major networks and a collection of popular cable channels. Addressed during the company’s E3 press conference, Vue is part of a larger effort to make the company’s PlayStation console a multi-purpose entertainment hub. Continue reading Sony Announces New Markets for Cloud-Based Vue TV Service

Worldwide over-the-top TV and video revenues are projected to reach $51.1 billion by 2020, a significant increase from the $26 billion anticipated this year. In addition, SVoD revenue is expected to surpass that of OTT advertising. “According to the ‘Global OTT TV & Video Forecasts’ report from Digital TV Research, the U.S. will remain the dominant territory,” reports Advanced Television, “with OTT TV and video revenues rising by $16.6 billion between 2010 and 2020 to $19.1 billion… OTT revenues will exceed $1 billion in 11 countries by 2020.” China is projected to reach fourth place in global rankings.

Liu Chunning, president of Alibaba’s Digital Entertainment arm, announced that the Chinese e-commerce giant is planning to launch a new subscription video service in two months called Tmall Box Office (TBO). “We aim to become [the equivalent of] HBO and Netflix in the U.S.,” he said during the Shanghai International Film Festival. The service will stream local movies and TV shows, imported content and original programming produced by Alibaba. The service will be available on Alibaba’s smart TVs and OTT box. Continue reading TBO: Alibaba Announces Plans for Subscription Video Service

Netflix announced the launch of its new website, the first major update in four years. The goal is to provide subscribers with a “richer, more visual experience.” The site promises expanded search functions, more detailed content descriptions, improved speed and better animations. “The site is also touch-friendly, meaning those who are browsing on mobile devices can tap to play content, view details about a movie or show, or swipe to scroll instead of click,” reports TechCrunch. “You can also explore similar titles through a new ‘More Like This’ link at the bottom of the page, or even be directed to titles from the same cast, genre, or mood.”