Month: July 2018

ZTE stellt neue Chefs ein, da die USA es so verlangen. Das Unternehmen muss sich den Bedingungen fügen, wenn es jemals wieder aus dem Embargo herauskommen will. Momentan darf es temporär wieder US-Produkte einkaufen - etwa Prozessoren von Qualcomm. (ZTE, Smartphone)

Selected users in Europe are being given the option to select a new subscription tier for Netflix as part of a test to see if there is a market for HDR content.

The new tier, dubbed "Ultra", would allow 4 simultaneous streams of 4K content with HDR and would be at a higher price point of some €3 (~ USD $3.50) higher than the current "Premium" plan.

A fact that won't escape existing Netflix subscribers, especially those already on the most expensive "Premium" plan, is that they already have 4 screen access to HDR content (either in Dolby Vision or UltraHD Premium). Under Netflix's proposed new pricing structure, those on the existing "Premium" plan would retain 4K streaming capabilities, but may lose their access to HDR content and will have to upgrade to the "Ultra" plan if they want to continuing watching Netflix at its highest quality.

There is also the possibility that the "Premium" plan would drop the number of simultaneous streams from 4 to 2 (with the "Standard" plan dropping to a single screen subscription from the current two), based on testing currently underway in Italy.

In other words, it could be Netflix's way to raises prices without actually announcing a price rise, but would only affect a minority of users who currently enjoy HDR for the even smaller minority of content that actually supports HDR.

But as with all Netflix testing, there's no guarantee that Netflix will adopt the proposed changes, even if the testing proves successful.

[via Engadget, CNET]

Bakterien vom Stamm E. coli können unschöne Infektionen verursachen. Sie sind aber nützlich, und das nicht nur in unserem Darm: Kanadische Forscher haben eine Solarzelle gebaut, in der gentechnisch veränderte Bakterien dafür sorgen, dass Licht absorbiert wird. (Solarenergie, Technologie)

Schon bald erscheint das Surface Lite, ein 10-Zoll-Tablet mit Anstecktastatur: Offenbar verwendet Microsoft dafür Atom- und Core-Prozessoren der Pentium-Reihe, zudem ist ein LTE-Modem integriert. Der geringe Preis wird auch durch entsprechendes Zubehör erreicht. (Surface, Microsoft)

Kopfhörer ins Ohr und ab zum Joggen, Rad fahren oder zum nächsten Supermarkt spazieren - ohne Smartphone: Mit der Sport-Smartwatch Fenix 5 Plus von Garmin geht das. Beim Test haben wir uns zwar im Wegfindungsmodus verlaufen, sind von den sonstigen Navigationsoptionen aber begeistert. (Garmin Fenix, Garmin)

Der kroatische Elektroautohersteller Rimac hat eine Partnerschaft mit Seat Cupra angekündigt, um den Cupra E-Racer fit für die Tourenwagenserie E-TCR zu machen. Erfahrung mit E-Sportwagen hat das Unternehmen bereits. (Elektroauto, Technologie)

Shimano hat mit dem E-7000 einen Elektroantrieb für Pedelec-Mountainbikes vorgestellt, der im Rahmen verankert ist. Die Individualisierung der Antriebsunterstützung erfolgt per App. Preislich und von der Leistung her soll das Modell zwischen E-8000 und E-6000 liegen. (Elektrofahrrad, Technologie)

Für das 2012 vorgestellte erste Macbook Pro mit Retina-Display im Format 15 Zoll gibt es von Apple keine Ersatzteile und Reparaturen mehr. Interessanterweise wird aber das künftige MacOS Mojave noch darauf laufen. (Macbook, Apple)

Many seasoned file-sharers, who’ve been around for a while, will recognize UseNeXT as a familiar brand.

The Usenet provider advertised its services on popular platforms in the past, including many torrent sites. These promotional efforts also drew the interest of rightsholders, but not in a good way.

In Germany, the local music rights group GEMA, which represents roughly 72,000 artists, took UseNeXT’s parent company Aviteo to court. The first request for an injunction dates back to December 2006, almost twelve years ago but, despite several judgments, the battle is not over yet.

GEMA does, however, get to celebrate another victory this week.

The Regional Court of Hamburg recently ruled that the service provider can be held liable if its business model promotes the upload and distribution of copyrighted content.

According to the court, Aviteo Ltd is liable for the copyright infringements committed by its users in this case, which means that it must pay damages to GEMA.

“The judgment is a groundbreaking success for all authors”, GEMA’s legal advisor Dr. Tobias Holzmüller comments on the news.

“Online services like UseNeXT are primarily responsible and cannot hide behind legal privileges. The judges of the Hamburg Court have set an important precedent for claims for Internet piracy related damages.”

Traditionally speaking Usenet is a content-neutral system. However, providers such as UseNeXT offer specialized software that can make it easier for users to find specific content. If the software promotes infringement, a service can get in trouble.

According to GEMA, it is clear that UseNeXT went too far in this case.

“All in all, the offer is clearly geared to the download of works protected by copyright. This makes the services so lucrative for their operators,” the music rights group notes.

“The judges of the Hamburg Court clearly stated in their verdict that services whose business model is based on the illegal downloads of protected works owe rightsholders.”

Tarnkappe reports that while the verdict is another setback for the Usenet provider, it can still be appealed and is not final. The scale of the damages amount has yet to be established as well.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

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