Star Wars: Chewbacca-Darsteller Peter Mayhew ist tot

Als Chewbacca gehörte Peter Mayhew zu den beliebtesten Figuren der Star-Wars-Reihe, viele Zuschauer hätten den Schauspieler aufgrund des Kostüms aber kaum auf der Straße erkannt. Bis vor kurzem war Mayhew noch als Chewie im Einsatz – jetzt ist der Scha…

Als Chewbacca gehörte Peter Mayhew zu den beliebtesten Figuren der Star-Wars-Reihe, viele Zuschauer hätten den Schauspieler aufgrund des Kostüms aber kaum auf der Straße erkannt. Bis vor kurzem war Mayhew noch als Chewie im Einsatz - jetzt ist der Schauspieler verstorben. (Star Wars, George Lucas)

Telefónicas O2 TV: Waipu TV für O2-Kunden vergünstigt – auch für Apple TV

Telefónica bietet einen eigenen Fernseh-Streaming-Dienst namens O2 TV an. Es ist Waipu TV unter einem anderen Namen. O2-Kunden erhalten also alle Funktionen von Waipu TV – meist zu einem niedrigeren Preis. Im Unterschied zu Waipu TV läuft O2 TV sogar a…

Telefónica bietet einen eigenen Fernseh-Streaming-Dienst namens O2 TV an. Es ist Waipu TV unter einem anderen Namen. O2-Kunden erhalten also alle Funktionen von Waipu TV - meist zu einem niedrigeren Preis. Im Unterschied zu Waipu TV läuft O2 TV sogar auf dem Apple TV. (O2, DSL)

Freie Software: GNU-Paketmanager Guix erreicht Version 1.0

Nach sieben Jahren Arbeit ist die Paketverwaltung Guix für GNU- und Linux-Systeme in der wichtigen Version 1.0 erschienen. Das Werkzeug ermöglicht Reproduzierbarkeit, Transactional Updates und sogar eine Art Systemverwaltung zum Provisioning. (Betriebs…

Nach sieben Jahren Arbeit ist die Paketverwaltung Guix für GNU- und Linux-Systeme in der wichtigen Version 1.0 erschienen. Das Werkzeug ermöglicht Reproduzierbarkeit, Transactional Updates und sogar eine Art Systemverwaltung zum Provisioning. (Betriebssystem, Virtualisierung)

Vader: Large ‘Pirate’ IPTV Provider Shuts Down, Promises to Protect Customers

Vader, one of the leading providers of pirate IPTV services, has shut down. One of the most visible brands in the industry, Vader (or Vaders) reached many of its customers through a network of re-sellers. The service insists that no customer information will fall into the wrong hands but as things stand, nothing seems certain.

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

Over the past several years, third-party Kodi add-ons have given many Internet users a new enthusiasm for streaming live TV.

For many, the next logical step was to upgrade to a premium provider of IPTV services. For a relatively small fee, these platforms grant access to hundreds and often thousands of live channels at a fraction of the official cost.

Needless to say, few – if any – of these providers have the necessary licensing in place to conduct their business legally.

While a few prominent names have risen to the top of the pile, without doubt one of the most well-known brands is Vader. Notable for its Darth Vader logo (of which dozens of variants exist online), Vader has long been the go-to choice for IPTV fans. Now, however, the ride appears to be over.

For the past couple of days, online chatter has suggested that Vader might be about to throw in the towel. A few hours ago, that was confirmed on the service’s Telegram channel with an official announcement that Vader would be shutting down.

“We have no choice but to close down Vader. We can’t reveal much publically, but by now some of you should know through the other means what happened,” the notice begins.

“We tried everything in our power to avoid this, to avoid any outage, but enough people worked against us.”

Being a customer of a service like Vader is not like dealing with HBO or Netflix, so those expecting a clear and definitive explanation for why the service has disappeared will be disappointed. The fact that something “happened” isn’t really up for dispute but precisely what that was remains open to speculation.

TorrentFreak has received as-yet unconfirmed reports that Vader is currently the subject of an anti-piracy investigation, complicated by the departure of a member of staff a while back. We’ll seek comment from the anti-piracy group implicated before elaborating further.

The notion that Vader is on the radar of content companies will come as a surprise to absolutely no one. In addition to its live TV offering, Vader also offered catchup and many movies on demand, which was understandably problematic for the provider from a Hollywood perspective.

It’s fairly obvious that Vader was under pressure and that they feared negative consequences from continuing. However, the service has taken the time to reassure customers of all kinds that they will do their best to protect them.

“We’re going to make sure, no Email, IP, account + reseller name goes to the wrong hands. Everything will be wiped clean and that’s all,” the service’s statement adds, without further detail.

Anyone Googling the name Vader and IPTV will find themselves confronted with a dazzling array of sites that claim to be Vader. However, many of these sites are operated by “re-sellers”. These people generally have access to a ‘panel’ operated by the official Vader service which provides tools for them to offer the product to the public, while earning a profit.

Several sources indicate that these panels are no longer available. This claim is supported when accessing many of the sites that act as Vader re-sellers, whose pages dedicated to the product now invariably return 404 “Not Found” errors or divert to offerings from other providers.

This in itself is a big issue for those re-sellers. First of all, paying up front for Vader services probably means that they will lose money. Quite how much will depend on the scale of the re-seller but Vader is appealing for them not to pursue their losses.

“I understand a lot of clients will be pissed and will dispute [try to claim the money back from the source from which it was paid]. We would appreciate if everyone would take the financial losses we are all going to take, as resellers and direct sellers. But we will also understand people who will want [their] money back,” Vader adds.

The fact that Vader has shut down will send decent-sized ripples across much of the IPTV space. Of course, those behind the service and their re-sellers will take a hit, but everyone who subscribed to the platform faces losing their money too.

Former customers could try claiming the money back from their re-seller but there are already signs that some are seeking to shift their clients to alternative providers. Some are making noises about doing this for free but it’s possible that other re-sellers will head for the hills.

This is the downside of dealing with IPTV providers and/or re-sellers. The product is essentially a bargain but is subject to termination at any moment. It’s therefore often accepted that anyone who signs up should make peace with losing their money right from the start but be grateful when any service works as planned.

Signing off, the operators of Vader wish their former customers and re-sellers well. “May you find a new and welcoming home!” they conclude.

The big question now is how prepared other providers are for the influx of new subscribers. It’s not clear how close to capacity the current wave of big providers are operating, or have many subscribers Vaders had, so there could be service issues moving forward.

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

ROG G703 (GXR): Asus kühlt 8-Kern-CPU im Notebook mit Flüssigmetall

Um niedrige Temperaturen beim achtkernigen Core i9-9980HK zu erreichen, verwendet Asus ein Flüssigmetall statt Wärmeleitpaste. Der Chip im ROG G703 genannten Spiele-Notebook schafft so hohe 4,7 GHz. (Asus, Notebook)

Um niedrige Temperaturen beim achtkernigen Core i9-9980HK zu erreichen, verwendet Asus ein Flüssigmetall statt Wärmeleitpaste. Der Chip im ROG G703 genannten Spiele-Notebook schafft so hohe 4,7 GHz. (Asus, Notebook)

The Orville Staffel 2: Weniger Family Guy, mehr Tiefe

In der zweiten Staffel seiner Science-Fiction-Serie The Orville übertüncht Seth MacFarlane das hervorragende Storytelling nicht mehr mit Pimmelwitzchen aus der Grundschule. Dadurch zeigt die Serie viel besser, was in ihr steckt. Achtung, Spoiler! Eine …

In der zweiten Staffel seiner Science-Fiction-Serie The Orville übertüncht Seth MacFarlane das hervorragende Storytelling nicht mehr mit Pimmelwitzchen aus der Grundschule. Dadurch zeigt die Serie viel besser, was in ihr steckt. Achtung, Spoiler! Eine Rezension von Tobias Költzsch (Science-Fiction, Star Trek)

Elektroauto: Hyundai stellt Ioniq Electric mit größerem Akku vor

Hyundai hat drei neue Versionen des Ioniq vorgestellt. Neben einem Hybrid- und einem Plugin-Hybrid- gibt es wieder ein reines Elektromodell, diesmal mit größerem Akku. Die Optik ist bei allen Autos innen und außen verändert worden. (Hyundai, Technologi…

Hyundai hat drei neue Versionen des Ioniq vorgestellt. Neben einem Hybrid- und einem Plugin-Hybrid- gibt es wieder ein reines Elektromodell, diesmal mit größerem Akku. Die Optik ist bei allen Autos innen und außen verändert worden. (Hyundai, Technologie)

Apple: iPad 2 ist nun obsolet

Apple hat den Hardware-Support für das iPad 2 beendet. Neue Software für das Tablet gibt es schon seit einigen Jahren nicht mehr. (iPad 2, Apple)

Apple hat den Hardware-Support für das iPad 2 beendet. Neue Software für das Tablet gibt es schon seit einigen Jahren nicht mehr. (iPad 2, Apple)

Elektroauto-Akkus: Tesla erwartet Engpässe bei Mineralien

Tesla befürchtet aufgrund der wachsenden Popularität von Elektroautos eine Verknappung zahlreicher Metalle und Mineralien. Elektroautos verbrauchen etwa doppelt so viel Kupfer wie Verbrennungsmotoren. (Tesla, Technologie)

Tesla befürchtet aufgrund der wachsenden Popularität von Elektroautos eine Verknappung zahlreicher Metalle und Mineralien. Elektroautos verbrauchen etwa doppelt so viel Kupfer wie Verbrennungsmotoren. (Tesla, Technologie)

Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew is dead at 74

Mayhew last played Chewie in the 2015 film The Force Awakens.

Mayhew arrives at the premiere of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' at the El Capitan Theatre on May 10, 2018 in Hollywood.

Enlarge / Mayhew arrives at the premiere of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' at the El Capitan Theatre on May 10, 2018 in Hollywood. (credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Peter Mayhew, who portrayed Chewbacca in all the character's live-action scenes until 2015's The Force Awakens, has died at his home in Texas. The British-born actor was 74 years old.

Mayhew was an aspiring actor working as a hospital orderly in 1976 when George Lucas tapped him to play the part. Mayhew's primary qualification for the job was his height; he stood seven feet, three inches tall (220 cm). That was tall enough to tower over Darth Vader, played by the six-foot-six (200 cm) David Prowse. Mayhew didn't utter Chewbacca's famous grunts and growls—those were voiced by Ben Burtt.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Mayhew went back to his hospital work after playing Chewie in Star Wars. He came back to play the character again in Empire Strikes Back and then Return of the Jedi. By that point, his character had become famous enough that he could make his living on the convention circuit.

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