Netflix is on a re-encoding extravaganza, is Apple finally gonna make their own display
screens?
Android Pay comes to mobile apps, and more...
It's Tuesday, December 15th and this is Crunch Report.
Netflix currently represents 36.5% of U.S. Internet traffic, and as 4k video gets more
popular, that number is just going to increase.
So, what to do?
Variety reports Netflix is now re-encoding its entire catalog with more granular bitrates,
which should result in 20% in bandwidth savings for customers.
This is a change from how Netflix usually does things, which is the same bitrate for
everything.
The new method means that more people will be able to stream movies and TV shows in HD
without any noticeable loss in quality.
Netflix will get a cheaper bandwidth bill, ISPs won’t get as clogged up during peak
hours, and customers can save on their data plans, or watch more stuff in HD.
It won't happen overnight though, this process will take months.
Netflix has a big catalog!
But this solution isn't Netflix's only option- the company's been hiring peer-to-peer engineers,
and one application that TorrentFreak got a hold of earlier this year read “Our team
is evaluating up-and-coming content distribution technologies, and we are seeking a highly
talented senior engineer to grow the knowledge base in the area of peer-to-peer technologies
and lead the technology design and prototyping effort."
Apple may be working on its own display technology, which would ease the pressure of depending
on third-party suppliers like Samsung and Sharp to make its displays..
this is according to a report in Bloomberg.
Apple is said to have opened a secret facility in Taiwan - and is actively hiring positions
there - that could churn out screens for iPhone, iPads, and other devices, and also work toward
improving the battery life of these products by making the screens “thinner, lighter,
brighter and more energy-efficient”.
Sources say Apple wants to switch to organic LEDs, which would save on power consumption.
Rumors are rumors, but if Apple doesn't have to depend on another company to power its
profit bread and butter, it'll build what it needs to build.
Facebook is testing a new feature to rival Yelp and Angie's List - Facebook.com/services
is now directing users to the best-rated and reviewed local service providers in their
area.
This includes contractors, painters, plumbers, doctors’ offices, auto repair techs, child
care providers, pet groomers, salons, event planners, and so on.
Amazon's Home Services and Google's AdWords extension have both made inroads recently
to connect users to local service providers as well.
Hot market.
By the way the new feature was first spotted by Search Engine Land.
As for Facebook's layout, which is currently only available via the desktop, it's pretty
basic.. a search box based on your current location, surfacing businesses with Facebook
pages.
The company now says it has over 50 million active business Pages on its social network,
which is up from 40 million in April.
Google’s Android Pay is now available to use within mobile apps... bringing it in line
with Apple Pay to pay for things within shopping apps like Jet, on-demand services like Lyft,
and well-known apps like Hotel Tonight and OpenTable.
Google's encouraging users to try Android Pay by offering discounts in select apps - like
taking $20 off on OpenTable dining, $10 off your first Lyft, or $10 off DoorDash.
Android Pay for apps like Uber, Seamless, and Groupon are in the works as well.
Like Apple Pay, Android Pay bypasses the annoying process of having to manually enter payment
data on a small mobile screen.
Google also announced Android Pay is coming to Australia in the first half of 2016 in
partnership with several of the country’s major financial institutions, MasterCard and
Visa will both also be supported.
Google says over 1 million U.S. locations support Android Pay at checkout via NFC technology,
which is also used by Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
So there's this movie called “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, opening in 3 days.
Perhaps you've heard of it.
Disney has partnered with every company on the planet to promote this film, and today,
we have yet another experience...
this time a partnership between Disney, Google, LucasFilm and Industrial Light & Magic called
“Lightsaber Escape” that runs right in your mobile Chrome browser.
The deal - You’re in a Star Destroyer and your phone is used as a lightsaber and you're
battling Stormtroopers that pop up on your computer.
Just go to g.co/lightsaber on your desktop and get a unique URL to open this up on Chrome,
earlier today the server was getting hammered and went offline, so if it goes down again
for you, have patience.
The 3D graphics you'll see were built with WebGL which renders pretty fast, with no plug-ins
needed.
How very Googly of Google.
And may the force be... nah.
That’s the report for today.
I’m Sarah Lane.
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See you tomorrow!