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In the telematic infrastructure of the health system (TI) security researchers have found a security gap again. Around 200 medical practices are said to have been accessible via the Internet, according to a report by the Tagesschau. In 30 cases, the researchers are said to have succeeded in simulating a doctor’s practice for the TI and gaining access to patient files that were stored in the practice administration system without password protection.
In Germany there are currently about 145. 000 Practices linked to the TI. The researchers want to inform about the security gaps found at the annual congress of the Chaos Computer Club, which this year as “remote chaos experience” (rc3) takes place only virtually.
Incorrectly configured Already at the congress 36 C3 in December 2019 Christoph Saatjohann from the Laboratory for IT Security at Münster University of Applied Sciences described the telematic infrastructure of the health care system as full of holes in a lecture. Now he claimed to the Tagesschau that in about 200 cases the connectors (VPN routers) of medical practices were configured in such a way that they were visible and accessible via the Internet. A security vulnerability is said to be even more serious, in which the TI could be led to believe that a doctor is in the office. The security researchers are said to have succeeded in viewing doctor’s letters, diagnostic findings and X-rays. Details of these pentests will then be presented at the Chaos Computer Congress.
The corona pandemic has also shaken up the art auction market worldwide. The big New York auction houses had to postpone their normally record-breaking face-to-face auctions in May and November and finally relocated them largely to the Internet. Auction records in the three-digit million range such as 2008, as a Monet painting for 110 million US dollars changed hands in the Corona year 2020. The highest proceeds came from 2020 a triptych by Francis Bacon at Sotheby’s with around 85 Million dollars – at least significantly more than previously expected.
Not crashed The total volume of the traded works 2020 has fallen sharply, says Johannes Vogt, Head of the Contemporary Department Art at the art market internet service provider Artnet. “But the market is there and it has been incredibly resilient during the crisis.” That is the big difference to the financial crisis 2008, when the art market went into the basement.
“The interest and the purchasing power is there, the volume has only decreased globally, “says Vogt. Between April and autumn, the sellers withheld their high-priced works because of the general uncertainty. A large part of the business of the big auction houses is now done through private sales anyway. So-called “private sales” have increased extremely. “The trend has been around for years and has nothing to do with Corona.”
Online Only Corona was before especially a catalyst for online auctions. For the first time, works in the millions were only offered online, says Vogt. Sotheby’s, for example, sold a work by the Russian romantic painter Ivan Aivazovsky at an “online only” auction for the record price of $ 2.8 million.
Artnet also had an “absolute record year”, says Vogt. According to its own statements, the house is the only “online-only” auction house that has only auctioned on the Internet. “Our business has gone through the roof since April.”
Many new customers The pandemic got on the auction market and “triggered an enormous change in the art industry,” says Bastienne Leuthe, Senior Director for Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s Germany. “For Sotheby’s this meant an acceleration of digitization on an unprecedented scale.” With 362 online auctions in all categories, Sotheby’s 522 million dollars. Every week, jewels and wristwatches are now auctioned online at Sotheby’s. A pair of Nike Air Jordans sneakers were made for 560. 000 dollars sold.
Whether designer handbags, precious stones, expensive wines or sneakers – Christie’s is also up active in this area for a long time and this year also auctioned a pair of sports shoes worn by basketball star Michael Jordan for the record price of 615 . 000 dollars. Sotheby’s, for example, offered a plastic crown from the rapper Notorious BIG (1972 – 1997) that almost 600. 000 dollars. “34 Percentage of customers in our online sales are new customers, and more than one Quarter of online buyers are under 40, “says Leuthe.
Profiteers in Germany German auction houses offer a surprise in the Corona year: Despite the crisis, Ketterer achieved art in Munich and Van Ham in Cologne record results. With around 40 million euros, the annual turnover at Ketterer Kunst 2020 almost the level of 2019 (62 Million Euro). Three works cracked the million mark that is magical for German houses. The picture “Christiane and Kerstin” by Gerhard Richter achieved more than 2.6 million euros, two works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner came in at almost 1.7 million and a good one million euros.
“We are almost profiteers from Corona, “says owner Robert Ketterer. “We held our best spring auction in history in June.” The switch to online was not difficult at Ketterer. Even before Corona, almost 85 percent of all bids came from outside the auction room – so by phone, in writing or online. “Our online auctions have gone through the roof,” says Ketterer. “We’ve increased that fivefold.” 2020 has Ketterer 16 organizes pure online auctions. “Corona is really a catalyst for digitization, also in art.”
“Do not switch over” Van Ham in Cologne even achieved the best annual result with almost 34 million euros in the history of the house. Alone 16 Van Ham had online-only auctions with a total turnover of around 3.4 million euros. Managing director Markus Eisenbeis relied on technological independence in the sensitive online auction area early on. Even before Corona, he had his own internet platform developed in order to be independent of technology providers. This also secures customer data, says Eisenbeis.
Van Ham auctioned around 4000 objects in online auctions alone. A large depot at the gates of Cologne now serves as a logistics center. Eisenbeis observed a trend: “For years the halls have been getting emptier.” Bidding online has long been the norm in live auctions. «The people didn’t have to adjust much.”
Tweakers uses cookies Tweakers is part of DPG Media. Our sites and apps use cookies, JavaScript and similar technology, among other things, to provide you with an optimal user experience. It also allows us to record and analyze the behavior of visitors and add this information to visitor profiles.
Cookies can be used to display advertisements on Tweakers and to recommend articles that match your interests. Third parties can also track your internet behavior, as is the case with embedded videos from YouTube.
Cookies can also be used to display relevant advertisements on third party sites. More information about this can be found at tweakers.net/cookies.
To view pages on Tweakers, you must accept the cookies by clicking on ‘Yes, I accept cookies’.
The wireless network should be up to four times faster. But what is left of it in practice on Apple devices and what are the requirements?
(Image: stock.adobe.com, LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS; Montage: Mac & i)
Fast WLAN: This brings Wi-Fi 6 to iPhone, iPad and Mac Transfer more data Better to radio in parallel Some with neighbors Save energy Continue to transmit Combine several networks Check data paths What can be expected? Available hardware and Apple devices with Wi-Fi 6 in the test Item in Mac & i 6 / 2020 read WLAN has become indispensable, because most Apple devices do not have Ethernet sockets, but only go to the Internet wirelessly. In addition, there are more and more household devices such as televisions, radios and smart home devices that use WiFi. However, if you live in an apartment building in the city with many radio cells in the neighborhood, the bandwidth for video streaming or video telephony is sometimes no longer sufficient because the base stations have to constantly wait for each other. The new Wi-Fi 6 standard aims to address these problems. On the one hand, it should make WLAN faster and, thanks to new technologies, more efficient.
Instead of the new standard, IEEE 802. 11 ax, the Wi-Fi alliance has decided to name it Wi-Fi 6. In Germany it is sometimes called WLAN 6. At the same time, retrospectively 802. 11 ac in Wi-Fi 5 and 802. 11 n renamed to Wi-Fi 4.
Transfer more data Wi- Fi 6 initially increases the maximum gross data rate by just under 40 percent, through a higher modulation level (more on this in a moment). Theoretically possible with Wi-Fi-5 / 192. 11 ac 6900 Mbit / s, provided that eight MIMO streams and 160 MHz wide channels used. This maximum value increases with Wi-Fi 6 to 6900 Mbit / s. Per antenna (MIMO stream) the rate increases from 802 to 1200 Mbit / s, i.e. over 1 GBit / s – which can be marketed effectively for advertising.
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Sign in and read Register now and read the article immediately More information about heise + Fast WLAN: This brings Wi-Fi 6 to iPhone, iPad and Mac Transfer more data Better to radio in parallel Some with neighbors Save energy Continue to transmit Combine several networks Check data paths What can be expected? Available hardware and Apple devices with Wi-Fi 6 in the test Item in Mac & i 6 / 2020 read
(Pocket-lint) – There are a couple of different ways to get access to Sky’s content.
The current options are Now TV through the Smart Stick or Now TV Smart Box 4K, or the Sky Q route, choosing either the standard 1TB box or the 2TB offering. The question is, which is the right service for you?
This feature explains the differences between Now TV and Sky Q to help you decide which Sky package best suits your needs.
What is Now TV?
Now TV is the cheapest way to access Sky’s content and it is aimed at those who are unable to have regular Sky, perhaps due to lack of satellite or budget.
It’s an online streaming service that offers access to Sky’s On Demand content including Sky Box Sets, as well as catch up TV. It can be accessed via the Now TV Smart Stick, the Now TV Smart Box 4K or the Now TV app, the latter of which is available on a number of devices including streaming sticks, games consoles, smart TVs, phones and tablets including – now – Fire TV devices.
Rather than a yearly contract like the older Sky+HD and Sky Q, Now TV has what it calls Now TV Passes that allow you to pay monthly for services without a long-term contract. For example, you could opt to have Sky Entertainment for two months to watch the final series of Game of Thrones and then cancel it.
What is Sky Q?
Sky Q is Sky’s full TV service, replacing Sky+HD. It currently requires a satellite, though Sky is working on bringing Sky Q to homes in the UK through broadband – likely to launch at some point in 2020 or 2021.
Sky Q offers access to at least 300 live channels, though this number increases as you move up the various packages available. You can pause, rewind and record live TV, access catch up TV, and there is the option to add further Sky Q Mini boxes for Sky in multiple rooms around your home too.
There are two set top boxes available for Sky Q, a standard 1TB box with Full HD capabilities, and the Sky Q 2TB box with 4K capabilities. Unlike Now TV, Sky Q requires a minimum term contract of 18 months, with various packages and extras available.
• View Sky’s latest money-saving offers
Now TV vs Sky Q: What features do they offer?
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Now TV Smart Stick
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Requirements: Internet connection but no satellite needed
Pros: Cheaper than Sky Q, no contract, pick and choose passes on a month-by-month basis, basic voice control
Cons: No recording capabilities, 720p resolution for Now TV services
The Now TV Smart Stick is a standard HDMI dongle, like Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire Stick, so it can plug directly into your TV or another screen (or something like a projector).
Initial setup of the Now TV Smart Stick is simple: plug it in and enter your Wi-Fi details when prompted, then sign in to your Now TV account. You can create a Now TV account on a computer or mobile device if you don’t have one already.
Once set up, you will be able to stream Sky’s entertainment, movies or sports, depending on an internet connection and the monthly passes you have selected. You’ll also be able to access catch up TV through services like BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. Netflix is also accessible through the Stick as a downloadable app.
Now TV Smart Stick review
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Now TV Smart Box 4K
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Requirements: Internet connection but no satellite needed
Pros: Cheaper than Sky Q, no contract, 4K compatible, basic voice control, pick and choose passes on a month-by-month basis
Cons: No recording capabilities
The Now TV Smart Box 4K is a set-top box that connects to your TV via an HDMI-to-HDMI cable, rather than plugging straight into the back of your TV like the Smart Stick.
The Now TV Smart Box 4K works in the same way as the Now TV Smart Stick, offering access to Sky entertainment, movies and sports, depending on your passes, alongside catch up TV.
The Smart Box is 4K compatible though, allowing you to watch Netflix and YouTube in Ultra HD – something the Smart Stick doesn’t offer. The Now TV Smart Box 4K provides access to over 50 apps including the likes of BBC iPlayer and Netflix, but like the Smart Stick, there are no recording capabilities – you’ll need Sky Q for that.
Now TV Smart Box 4K review
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Sky Q 1TB
Requirements: Internet connection and satellite needed
Pros: Record three channels while watching fourth, support for watching on tablet and Sky Q Mini box too, Sky Multi-room compatibility
Cons: Minimum contract of 18-months, can quickly get expensive
Price: From £22 a month with £20 setup fee
Sky Q is a set-top box which connects to your TV via an HDMI cable, as well as your satellite dish via another cable.
The standard Sky Q set-top-box has eight tuners and 1TB of storage, for storage of up to 150 hours of recorded HD content. It is Full HD compatible and it allows users to simultaneously record three channels while watching a fourth.
There is also support for watching on one tablet and one Sky Q Mini box too. The Sky Q Mini box connects to the main Sky Q box via Wi-Fi or Powerline networking and it enables you to view live or recorded content, as well as watch catch up and on-demand services in whichever room you have put a Sky Q Mini box into, in addition to your main room.
Along with watching in other rooms, you’ll also be able to pause and resume live TV in another room, while a Sky Q app allows you to record a film or TV series and transfer the content to your tablet.
Sky Q comes with a more intelligent interface than you’ll find on Now TV, with a more image-led service. Additionally, for Sky Broadband customers, each Sky Q Mini box can also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Sky Q now gives you access to various apps including BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Netflix, Fiit, Disney+ and Prime Video.
Sky Q review
Sky Q 2TB
Requirements: Internet connection and satellite needed
Pros: Record six channels while watching seventh, support for watching on two tablets and two Sky Q Mini boxes, Sky multi-room compatibility, Ultra HD, Sky Q Touch remote
Cons: Minimum contract of 18-months, can quickly get expensive, one-off box cost is high
Price: From £22 a month with £199 one-off cost for box
Sky Q 2TB offers a similar experience to Sky Q 1TB when it comes to the user interface and features, but it has one main difference: Ultra HD TV compatibility.
The Sky Q 2TB set-top box is 4K-ready for Sky’s Ultra HD service. The regular Sky Q box doesn’t offer this. A touch remote is also available that connects via Bluetooth, allowing users to hide their Sky Q box out of sight.
There are 12 tuners inside the Sky Q 2TB box and it offers storage for up to 350 hours of recorded HD content. The Sky Q 2TB box also enables users to record six channels simultaneously, while watching a seventh and it also supports two tablets and two Sky Q Mini boxes, with all devices capable of viewing different content at the same time.
Now TV vs Sky Q: How much do they cost?
Now TV Passes prices
Now TV has Now TV Passes that allow you to pay monthly for services rather than having a yearly contract. You can add any pass and take it away on a month-by-month basis.
Below are the current Now TV Passes prices:
Entertainment Pass: £7.99/month
Kids Pass: £3.99/month
Movies Pass: £11.99/month
Sports Pass: £33.99/month
Sports Pass (five channels on mobile for a month): £5.99/month
Sports Pass (24-hour access): £8.99/day
Sports Pass (7-day access): £14.99/week
The Entertainment Pass delivers a month’s access to over 300 Sky Box Sets and 11 live channels that aren’t available on Freeview including Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, MTV and Comedy Central.
The Kids Pass adds access to channels including Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and The Disney Channel.
The Movies Pass offers a month’s access to over 1000 movies On Demand including Box Office films.
The Sports Pass is split into four options: A monthly pass offering access to five of the eight channels on mobile only, a day pass, a week pass and a month pass for access to all channels on your TV.
With Now TV, if you don’t have a device with the Now TV app, you’ll also need to take the cost of either the Now TV Smart Stick or the Now TV Smart Box 4K into consideration, at £19.99 and £45.99 respectively. You will also need an internet connection.
Sky Q 1TB prices
Sky Q requires a minimum term contract of 18 months. There is also a one-off £20 setup fee, though the standard Full HD Sky Q box is free.
Below are the current Sky Q price packages for new customers:
Sky Entertainment package: £22/month
Sky Movies package: £33/month
Sky Sports package: £45/month
Sky Q Experience: £13/month
The Entertainment package offers over 300 Sky TV channels and 60 Catch Up channels.
The Sky Movies package offers the Entertainment package, along with over 1000 movies in HD.
The Sky Sports package offers the Entertainment package and eight Sky Sports channels.
The Sky Q Experience is basically what used to be known as Sky Multi-room, as well as Ultra HD, though the latter only works on Sky Q 2TB box. You’ll also need to purchase a Sky Q Mini box for each extra room you want Sky in though, the first of which costs £20. Following Sky Q Mini boxes cost £99 per box after the first.
There are also a couple of extras that users can add onto their Sky Q package each month, but unlike the main packages, these have a 31-day contract.
HD: £5 extra/month
Kids: £5 extra/month
Ultimate On Demand: £12 extra/month
The HD package offers HD on over 40 live channels, in addition to whatever main package you select.
The Kids package offers over 11 kids channels, over 5000 episodes On Demand and access to the Sky Kids app, again, in addition to the main package you select.
The Ultimate On Demand package offers over 1000 shows On Demand from Sky’s Box Sets, as well as access to Netflix content and in addition to the main package you select.
Sky Q 2TB prices
Sky Q 2TB offers the same packages and extras as listed in the Sky Q 1TB section above, but installation costs £199 instead of £20.
You’ll also have to have the Sky Q Experience extra to unlock Ultra HD content, which is £13 a month, meaning the cheapest you can get Sky Q 2TB for with all its features is £35 a month.
The addition of the Sky Q Experience package does currently bring the installation cost down to £75 though.
Now TV vs Sky Q: What’s the price difference?
Ignoring the upfront costs, with Now TV, you could get Sky Entertainment with Box Sets and Sky Movies for just £19.98 a month. For those with children, it would cost you £23.97 a month for the Entertainment, Movies and Kids package on Now TV.
The equivalent on Sky Q, which would mean the Sky Entertainment package, plus Sky Movies and the Ultimate On Demand extra to get access to Sky Box sets, would cost £45 a month.
Add the Kids extra to that and you’re talking £50 a month. If you want Ultra HD, this jumps up to £62 a month with Kids or £57 without.
For access to all of Sky’s content on Now TV, you’d pay £57.98 a month.
For access to all of Sky’s content on Sky Q, you’d pay £73 a month. This does give you access to Netflix’s content too, however.
Conclusion
So which Sky TV service is right for you? Well, this very much depends on your budget and whether you have access to a satellite dish because if you don’t, your only option is currently one of the Now TV choices, until Sky Q becomes available through broadband.
Now TV’s Smart Stick is great for anyone who wants access to Sky’s content but doesn’t have a huge amount of cash to splash or a satellite dish. The Now TV Smart Box 4K offers the same as the Smart Stick with the addition of Ultra HD for Netflix and YouTube apps.
Sky Q meanwhile, is significantly more expensive than Now TV, but it offers a more complete experience with a better interface, at least Full HD streaming and more features, including recording, the option to have Sky in multiple rooms and Ultra HD (with Sky Q 2TB).
Writing by Britta O’Boyle. Editing by Dan Grabham.
(Pocket-lint) – Launched in 2016, Sky Q, a subscription-based TV and entertainment service, has evolved dramatically since by constantly adding new features to try and make the viewing experience as seamless and easy-to-use as possible.
Sky Q is the company’s flagship offering, allowing you to not only access terrestrial TV stations, but a bevy of dedicated channels from Sky and others, including BT Sport. There’s also built-in access to Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, Fiit and YouTube (separate subs required where needed), plus you can rent and purchase the latest movies and TV shows as they announced.
So, should you opt for the all-singing, all-dancing Sky Q system, or does it cost too much to warrant its cover price?
How Much does Sky Q cost?
Sky Q is now available from Sky’s online store. Prices vary drastically depending on what channels you take, whether you bundle in broadband (recommended as it’s unlimited for Sky Q customers) and whether you bolt on extras like the additional Sky Q Mini boxes.
Prices start from £22 for the basic setup and can soon escalate to around £100 a month if you opt for all the packages and options.
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Sky Q boxes
4K (UHD) capable
2TB and 1TB storage options
Record 6 channels, while watching 7th
There are two main options when it comes to getting Sky Q in your home. Sky offers a 2TB or 1TB UHD Sky Q box with either the ability to add additional boxes in other rooms of your house (and app support with Sky Go Extra), or go for a single-room experience.
The box hardware and design is the same regardless of which hard drive size you choose. Unlike the original Sky Plus experience you can record up to six shows at once, while watching a seventh channel live. The 1TB storage space gives you 150 hours of HD recordings, which soon gets eaten up, especially if the kids series link their favourite TV show. The 2TB box delivers around 300 hours of HD recordings.
The boxes are both 4K ready and although you can’t currently watch 4K movies or TV shows on live channels, there is a wealth of 4K content, including TV shows, films, and sport available to download. Some sport – including all F1, Premier League matches, some cricket and rugby – is available in 4K via a dedicated tuner, but encounters a short delay of about 30-seconds as a result (if you hear people cheering down the street when someone scores, that’ll probably be why).
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The chances of you wanting to watch seven things that all happen to be on at the same time are fairly slim, but that array of tuners is designed to let you watch content on the additional Sky Q Mini boxes in other rooms or preview channels while you’re watching another.
Yep, those tuners also allow you to carry on watching television on the main screen while getting a preview of another channel in the pop-up electronic programme guide (EPG) at the same time, which is really handy if you’re one of those channel hopping types.
There’s support for up to four Sky Q Mini boxes, which connect to each other via Wi-Fi and then act as Wi-Fi extenders to beam your Wi-Fi signal around the house. It’s not as good as Mesh networks from the likes of Google or Linksys and we’ve found you will have to have the boxes fairly near to each other – those in big houses will need to account for this – but it does let you not have to bother with cables all through your home.
If all that sounds complicated, it shouldn’t. Sky engineers install the system in your home, make sure the Mini boxes can talk to the main Sky Q box, and it starts working straight away.
Sky Q Touch Remote and other controllers
Two remote control styles
Bluetooth, so don’t have to point at box
Voice control functionality
The Sky Q system comes with two remote controls: a fancy one for the main Sky Q box; and a more traditional one for the Sky Q Mini boxes. Both are well designed and feature all the buttons you need.
The fancier one connects to the Sky box via Bluetooth so you no longer have to even point it in the right direction. It can be used to control your home cinema speakers, such as the Sonos Playbar, and originally came with a touch-sensitive pad for speedy navigation and a voice control button on the side.
The traditional remote generally used for the Sky Q Mini boxes loses the touch-sensitive controls, the voice command button, and the Bluetooth functionality.
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Following an update, however, the fancier remote has been redesigned. It instead features the same spongy buttons as the Sky Q Mini remote, and moves the voice command button to the front rather than it being on the side.
Voice command works much like a walkie talkie. The mic is in the remote, so you don’t have to shout, and the system quickly works out what you are asking for and displays the results your TV set. This makes a real difference, being especially handy if you’re switching channels or searching for something specific.
And before you ask, no you can’t use older Sky remotes with Sky Q.
Sky Q Mini & Sky Go app: How to watch TV in other rooms
Sky Q Mini: 1080p (Full HD) maximum, not 4K (UHD)
Lets you carry on watching in another room
Access recordings from main box
Doubles as Wi-Fi hotspot
Even though the Sky Q Mini is essentially a media streamer, it cleverly acts almost exactly like the main Sky Q box that feeds it. You will barely know the difference, with little to no lag in video streaming between them.
Unlike the previous Sky Plus multi-room service, all recordings are recorded to the main hub, which means all the recordings are available at any point. That’s a huge benefit over the original system, which saw you relegated to the bedroom, because that’s where you recorded it. Such is the benefit of the network between these boxes.
However, the Sky Q Mini boxes only offer 1080p (Full HD) resolution rather than 4K (UHD). They’re considerably smaller too, although not as small as a Roku streaming box or Apple TV for example.
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That goes for the Sky Go Extra app (previously called the Sky Q app). Available on four of your chosen devices (smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.) you can watch at the same time or even enjoy later without any internet connection. Yes, that opens up watching Sky while you’re in the bath.
The Sky Go Extra app apes the Sky Q main interface and is easy to use. It also allows you to access all the Sky content (aside from the BBC) outside of your home, allowing you to take your entertainment with you.
It’s worth noting that you’ll only be able to access your Sky Q box recordings when on the same Wi-Fi network, but you will be able to download shows directly to the app to watch later without a connection.
That’s brilliant if you want to catch-up on your favourite shows and movies on the go, and especially handy if you’ve escaped for the weekend but still want to watch something specific on Sky – even if where you’re staying doesn’t have the service installed.
Sky Q: A new user experience
New interface with high-level of personalisation
Lots of features added monthly like spilt screen for sports
Online apps like YouTube and Vevo
The hardware aside, the user experience is by far the most important part of the Sky Q setup and offering. It starts with the homepage. Rather than a top bar of tabs on the conventional Sky boxes, navigation in Sky Q is through horizontal planes, which run from left to right. On the left, there’s a picture-in-picture view of the current channel. On the right you always see the relevant information of content for a specific section.
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You flick through menus in a similar way to media apps such as Plex, by selecting subject headings in simple-to-access lists. They are all meticulously thought out, so the content you most want to get to quickly is available through as few swipes on the touchpad as possible.
The other thing you immediately notice about the Sky Q user interface is it’s very picture based. All movies and shows are represented by cover art, whether they are your own recordings, streamed/downloaded shows, or content available on the internet, such as YouTube or Vevo videos.
That’s key to Sky’s philosophy behind the new system: it needn’t ever matter to the end user where the content is coming from, it’s about presenting the shows you want to watch when you want to watch them, regardless of the source.
The My Q section of the homepage gives you curated content suggestions and the option to carry on with recordings you’ve been watching without having to scroll through other areas. The TV Guide is easy to get to, which makes up for the lack of a dedicated remote button. And sections for Sports, Kids and Music make it easy to get to relevant programming.
Beyond Sky’s traditional content there’s an Apps section where you’ll find access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, YouTube and other services. Separate subscriptions are required where necessary, though Sky does do a bundle that includes Netflix.
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In terms of parental settings there’s lots of control too, giving you peace of mind if you’ve got kids. We love the ability to make sure the young’uns aren’t watching movies or TV over certain classification ratings, and the ability to lock them into the Kids area so they can only watch suitable content if you’re elsewhere is fantastic. It would be nice to be able to lock the whole experience down altogether to stop them sneaking off to watch the TV, but you can’t have everything.
Sky Q in 4K
Movies, TV shows, and sports
Downloads and live broadcasts
Need the 2TB box and 4K TV
If you own a 4K TV, Sky Q’s 4K (UHD) offering is one of the best ways to find content that makes use of it. Its 4K movies section is well populated and is updated regularly, while Sky also offers a number of its own TV shows in Ultra HD too. Shows like Chernobyl are simply stunning through the Sky Q system.
Sadly, Sky Q doesn’t support HDR (high dynamic range). It says it’s coming, but it’s been saying that since 2018 so don’t hold your breath just yet.
Unlike services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the Sky Q system is designed around downloading content rather than just purely streaming it. If you’ve got a fast internet connection this isn’t a problem and you can start watching a show fairly soon after you request it. If you’ve got slow internet you might have to wait a while, especially with 4K movies, and it’s also worth remembering to delete them from the box afterwards to save storage space.
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Once you’ve consumed all you can through the available downloads, you can also rent or buy 4K content through the Sky Store. New content is added weekly, but again, not all shows or movies are available in 4K.
When it’s not movies and TV shows, it’s about sports with Sky broadcasting football, F1, cricket, and other sports regularly in 4K. The action is incredibly crisp.
Ultimately, if you enjoy movies and sports, Sky’s Ultra HD service is a must if you’ve got a 4K TV. It’s noticeably better than the HD version of the same experience, although quality does vary depending on the source: some movies look spectacular, others just great. You also have to ensure you have a Sky Cinema and/or Sky Sports subscription to access 4K movies and/or sports respectively.
For TV box set fans, while there are shows to enjoy, there are still a lot of gaps in the offering, and many of the blockbuster HBO hits (available on Sky through Sky Atlantic) aren’t available in 4K. That’s right, no 4K Game of Thrones for you.
Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos
Sky Q comes with Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos support. It’s not used on much content as yet, mainly live 4K football matches or the odd theatre production on Sky Arts, but does makes a difference if you have a Dolby Atmos AV receiver, system or soundbar. As you would expect, it adds extra depth to the audio mix and is especially great with crowd effects. The Sky Q menu interface isn’t very good at labelling Dolby Atmos content either, probably because there isn’t much.
Verdict
Sky has created a system to suit all tastes and needs, with a strong multi-room focus and a modern outlook on household entertainment desires. The user interface is vast and has the power to change how you watch television, encouraging you to watch more content when, where and how you want.
The addition of 4K content makes this a flagship entertainment offering that covers all the bases, especially when it comes to movies and sport, but it’s disappointing that there is still no HDR support, Dolby Atmos is lacking on most movies, and the Sky Q Mini boxes at Full HD maximum.
Still, we’ve seen plenty of updates to the service since its launch in 2016, including the addition of Netflix, as one example, with much more to come, showing that Sky is committed to improving the experience.
In addition to exclusives, there’s a huge amount of extra content on offer, including from services beyond Sky’s own offering. It’s all this that makes the system hard to beat. So if you like watching TV, it has to be Sky Q.
Biostar has announced the new B550M-Silver motherboard for gamers, mainstream users and content creators. The motherboard aims to offer high-performance within an accessible price point.
Like its name suggests, Biostar’s new offering features a black PCB with some passive heatsinks slathered in a silver color to accentuate the design. Powered by AMD’s B550 chipset, the B550M-Silver comes in a standard microATX form factor and with native support for Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) processors. The motherboard is armed with four DDR4 memory slots that support frequencies over DDR4-4400 and a maximum capacity of 128GB of memory.
High-speed storage options on the B550M-Silver consist of one speedy M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot and a standard M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot. Both accept SSDs with lengths up to 80mm, whether they’re SATA-or PCIe-based. However, you’d want to use the latter if you want to exploit the interfaces’ full performance. The motherboard also lands with six conventional SATA III connectors.
B550M-Silver (Image credit: Biostar)
In terms of expansion, the B550M-Silver supplies a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 (Big Navi) or Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30-series (Ampere) graphics cards. There’s also a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot that runs at x4 and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot for you to connect your other devices that are less bandwidth hungry.
The B550M-Silver doesn’t suffer from slow Internet connectivity either. The motherboard has a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, which is based of the Realtek RTL8125B controller. There is support for Wi-Fi 6 too, but you’ll have to buy your own wireless card to get that feature.
In case you plan to use the B550M-Silver with a compatible APU, the motherboard puts one DVI-D port, one HDMI port and one DisplayPort output at your disposal. The motherboard also comes with a PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports.
The Realtek ALC1150 codec takes care of the audio workloads on the B550M-Silver. The motherboard has three standard 3.5mm audio jacks, but support 7.1-channel audio.
Biostar didn’t reveal when the B550M-Silver will be available or how much it’ll cost.
We recently saw how Movistar began with the deployment of its 5G network in Spain , thus promising that a good part of the country would have 5G coverage by the end of the year. Now, as expected with the higher speeds that 5G coverage provides us, as well as for promotional purposes for this Christmas campaign, Movistar will double the Internet browsing capacity in all its prepaid rates.
Thus, from the day 15 December, that is, tomorrow, until today 31 January, we can activate and enjoy this bonus that will double the GB we have to surf the internet, something that we can use to our liking without no type of limitations, as we would if we had a higher rate normally.
It should be noted that for this to work, we will have to ask the company to double the GB based on this promotion, either by renewing our rate or by hiring a new one.
As news in the service provided by Movistar We also find a SIM card auto-activation service, something that will allow us to activate a new SIM card outside a Movistar store or establishment , giving us more freedom when carrying out our procedures.
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Jordi Bercial
Avid enthusiast of technology and electronics. I mess around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.
Between the years’ 60 is ’70 the foundations have been laid for the realization of radio transmission networks: Norman Abramson is one of the minds behind that very important technological innovation for modern society
by Andrea Bai published 14 December 2020 , at 19: 21 in the web channel
Maybe it’s a name that will sound new to many, but if today we can connect our devices to the Internet – and more generally, to a network – without the hassle of cables and cables, we owe it to Norman Abramson . Fully entitled one of the pioneers of wireless networks , he coordinated a team of teachers and students who straddle the years ’60 and’ 70 created ALOHAnet , one of the first wireless networks that in some respects still represents a starting point in the creation of wireless networks. Norman Abramson passed away at the age of 88 years , following the complications of a skin tumor.
Norman Abramson, pioneer of wireless networks
Abramson was an engineer and scholar of communication theory , a discipline that merges mathematics, information theory and semiotics, graduating from Harvard and then pursuing a master’s degree from UCLA and a PhD from Stanford.
A surfing enthusiast, Abramson moved to Hawaii in 1966 by taking up a teaching position at the College of Engineering of the University of Hawai’i (UH) Mānoa and later becoming president of the computer science and computer science department. His love for Hawaii helped to baptize Abramson’s pivotal project: ALOHAnet.
Norman Abramson – Source: UH
The colleague collaborated with Abramson on the project Franklin Kuo : the goal of the two was to create a system that connects the UH to other universities located in the various islands of the archipelago for sharing research activities, exactly like the reasons that led to the creation of ARPAnet, the ancestor of the Internet. The necessity, being the islands in the middle of the Oceoan, was to do everything by radio. Abramson and Kuo were then joined by Shu Lin, Wesley Peterson and Edward Weldon .
ALHOAnet: the dawn of wireless networks
The first version of ALOHAnet was based on the use of two distinct frequencies in a “hub” machine which had the task of transmitting packets on an outgoing channel and receiving packets transmitted by clients on a channel inbound. Where the packets are received correctly by the hub, a small confirmation packet is sent to the client: if the client does not receive it after a specific waiting time, it will retransmit the packet for which it has not received confirmation. The system was intended to detect and correct “collisions” of packets sent by two clients at the same time. This was an approach that allowed to concretely reduce the complexity of the transmission protocol , compared to those which provided for negotiation procedures on who had transmission priority.
The operating principles of ALOHAnet subsequently represented important building blocks in the development of Ethernet networks before, WiFi after and also in implementation of the GSM protocol .
“There are very few people who have had such a significant impact on the way Norm which the entire planet communicates and shares information today. Norm connected the Hawaiian islands to each other and to the world, leaving UH a legacy through his ideas and his students “: with these words David Lassner, president of UH, he wanted to remember Abramson.
Moscow tech giant Yandex balances between state control and independence. A blueprint for mega-tech corporations in a democracy?
From the end of March to mid-June, when Moscow was in corona lockdown, the Russian capital was almost empty of normal passers-by. Whenever I went to the supermarket or the pharmacy, whole columns of cyclists in the yellow uniform of the Yandex grocery delivery service passed me. Among the few vehicles on the road – besides police cars or buses – were Yandex taxis, which were disinfected at newly opened stops.
In the West, Yandex is often referred to as Russia’s Google. In reality, it’s more of a combination of Google, Amazon, Uber, and maybe a few other companies. The Russians ask Alice, the company’s virtual assistant, to help them order goods online in the Yandex market. They use the company’s e-mail system, listen to music on its player and visit its website for movie recommendations. Over coffee, they read the morning news on the Yandex news portal. They send money to each other through the Yandex wallet system. And your Google Maps is the Yandex Navigator. Yandex alone is an entire Russian Silicon Valley, says Arkadi Wolosch, CEO and co-founder of the company traded on the Nasdaq electronic stock exchange in New York.
But Yandex’s success has its price. The Kremlin views the Internet as a battleground in its clashes with the West and is increasingly concerned that a company like Yandex, with millions of collected data on Russian citizens, could someday fall into the strange hands. Managing a tech giant in Russia is therefore a delicate balancing act: on one side there is the Kremlin, on the other the New York Stock Exchange with the demands of investors for company independence.
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Matthew Wilson 57 mins ago Featured Tech News, Software & Gaming
As we’ve previously reported, Capcom recently suffered a massive security breach, leading to a lot of data being stolen, including personal information for both employees and customers. That attack is now seemingly bringing fresh Resident Evil 8 leaks to the internet, some with major spoilers.
If you’re looking forward to playing Resident Evil 8/Resident Evil Village in 2021 and want to go in unspoiled, then you’ll want to tread lightly on social media or forums. As Eurogamer confirms, screenshots, marketing plans, cutscenes and story details for the game are now making their way around the internet.
We won’t be posting the spoilers here, but they seem to be pretty major, particularly where story details are concerned. Hackers were able to get their hands on these details earlier this year via a ransomware attack on Capcom’s internal systems.
As part of the breach, 350,000 personal information records were taken, in addition to information regarding Capcom’s upcoming game release schedule, spanning through to the end of 2024.
KitGuru Says: Resident Evil Village is going to be one of the big games of 2021, so the fact that spoilers are already floating around is a real shame. Are many of you looking forward to this game?
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In Iran, a young woman has been sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly breaking the law by distributing heavily edited self-portraits on Instagram. Some of her pictures had attracted worldwide attention and her account now has hundreds of thousands of followers, writes the Guardian. In the photos that Sahar Tabar – whose real name is Fatemeh Khishvand – shared on her Instagram channel, she sometimes looks like a zombie.
Tabar was best known for photos in which she looks like a zombie version of the US actress Angelina Jolie, but her role model was probably the film “Corpse Bride – Wedding with a Corpse” by Tim Burton. At first, there were rumors that she had undergone dozens of cosmetic surgeries, according to the BBC. However, she later stated that the photos were largely based on makeup and digital image manipulation. In October 2019 the then 22 – year old was arrested, the authorities had accused her of blasphemy, among other things. Her confession was then presented on Iranian television as an example of how trying to become famous on social media “ruined a real life”.
How The Guardian goes on to write that she was initially still accused of inciting violence, making inappropriate money and driving young people to corruption. Of the total of four charges, two were dropped, but it is unknown which ones. The harsh sentence now came in parallel with the execution of journalist and blogger Ruhollah Zam, who had spread revelations about Iranian state officials on Telegram, among other things. Both make it clear once again how hard the Islamic Republic is against the Internet and unwanted content and those responsible for it.
All you need is a small capture box, with which to carry anything reproduced from an HDMI source to the hard disk, even at high resolution. The operation is also possible from game consoles, such as Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo, but also from players, cameras and much more
by Editorial team published on 14 December 2020 , at 14: 11 in the Audio Video channel
We have often spoken of TECHly products, such as its HDMI Extender or accessories of various types in the company’s price list. This time, however, we had the opportunity to try the Capture box and live streaming video from HDMI to HDD / PC , a unique compact size tool that allows you to perform various video recording operations.
This is, in this case, an acquisition box that allows not only to record any content playing in the connected source, but also to take advantage of real-time recording to perform a live stream, for example, of the gameplay of a video game on a console with an HDMI port (practically all those of the latest generations).
Video capture and live streaming box from HDMI to HDD / PC
Also recognizable through the code HDMI-CAPCA IDATA 01 , The TECHly device it comes in a compact, almost pocket-sized chassis: the occupied surface is 8, 32 centimeters per side, while the thickness is 2 centimeters in all points of the box. It supports all popular resolutions today until stopping at Full HD at 60 frames per second (1080 p @ 60 Hz), but it can also record in HD to save space or to perform live streaming without disturbing the internet connection.
Recording via HDMI to storage device
TECHly’s small box supports both sources NTSC and PAL, and can recognize USB devices formatted with FAT file systems 32 and NTFS. To ensure an unimpeded acquisition process, it has several ports: an HDMI input to connect the source (game console, media player, or any device with HDMI output), a USB port to connect the PC to perform live streaming or a mass storage drive to record directly to a file. You can connect external hard drives or SSDs, USB sticks and much more, and the acquisition can be started and ended with the simple press of a single button.
Once the source is connected to the HDMI input and the storage device to the USB port, simply press the Rec / Stop button: the first time the recording will start, the second time it will be stopped. Recording is guaranteed at a maximum bitrate of 05 Mbps, and there is also a 3.5 mm mini audio jack in input to connect a possible microphone. If you format the storage device with NTFS file system, the file recorded on the storage device (in H. Format 264) will be unique for each recording, so you won’t need to merge through a video processing program.
But from which devices can we to register with the TECHly acquisition box? The choice is huge, practically any device capable of producing images via HDMI: among these multimedia players, FPV drones, cameras, various consoles such as PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo NES, Wii U, and much more.
Recording via HDMI to PC
TECHly’s video capture box can also be used for live streaming from all the devices just mentioned. To do this, connect the source to the HDMI input present, and the PC to the micro-USB port marked on the box as USB To PC (the cable is included in the original equipment). Once all connections are made, you need to install the UXPlayer software, which not only allows you to manage the incoming video, but also to schedule a recording when you are away from home.
Thanks to UXPlayer it is also possible to use the incoming video on the PC on third-party software, such as OBS, XSplit and others, the same ones that use the most famous streamers to broadcast on Twitch, YouTube and other multimedia platforms that allow the diffusion of videos in real time.
TECHly acquisition box, where to buy it
The ease of use of the TECHly acquisition box and its effectiveness are features that get paid for. The instrument can be purchased on the company’s official website at a price of 150 ?? , with free and immediate shipping. In addition to the device, there is an HDMI cable, a 5V / 2A power supply, a micro-USB to USB cable, the user manual and a CD with the software necessary for managing the video on a PC.
Technical specifications
Acquisition format : MP4 (H. 264)
Video standard (input) : NTSC, PAL
Disc formats supported : FAT 32, NTFS
Inputs : HDMI, Microphone
Went out te : HDMI (pass-through), USB Host, micro USB
Bitrate Max : 10 Mbps
Power supply : DC 5V, 2A
Note: The capture device records several 2GB files if the mass storage is formatted in FAT 32. For recording in a single file, the partition must be in NTFS (maximum storage capacity 2TB)
Internet companies should pay more taxes from the point of view of French President Emmauel Macron. “We need fairer taxation,” demanded the 42 – year-old on Monday in Paris with a view to corporations like Google and Facebook. Macron spoke at an anniversary event organized by the industrialized nations organization OECD. The Agreement for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was exactly 60 years ago in the year 1960 has been signed.
“Citizens no longer accept this” The corona crisis accelerated digitization, said Macron. “A handful of Internet companies” increased their profits during the crisis. In the opinion of the head of state, however, the companies mostly did not pay their fair share of tax. Macron said many citizens no longer accepted this behavior. He did not name the company.
The OECD has been negotiating an international solution for a digital tax for some time. Due to the corona pandemic and political differences of opinion, the talks are progressing more slowly than planned, according to earlier information.
Dispute with the USA, EU single-handedly Macron explicitly requested an agreement by mid-way at the latest 2021 – this corresponds to the new schedule. His country had 2019 introduced a national digital tax, but initially did not apply it due to the ongoing international negotiations. The USA had repeatedly threatened France with punitive tariffs because of this tax. If there is no global agreement, the EU Commission will 2021 single-handedly enforce a regulation.
(tiw)
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