Cordcutter News Brief - DirecTV Now adding features, Olympic Channel comes to OTT devices, Google Play adds HDR, Roku to launch IPO this year, and more

July 14, 2017 - 18:22 -- RokuGuide

Cordcutter New BriefsIn this week's rundown of recent news items for cord-cutters: DirecTV Now is adding new features, Olympic Channel launch includes OTT devices, Google Play adds HDR movies, Roku expected to launch IPO this year, and more.

DirecTV Now is set to roll out a number of new features for its streaming TV service. Cnet reports that we'll see a cloud DVR, a new user interface, and parental controls later this year, with 4K HDR video, multiple user profiles, and "the ability to download shows to watch offline, without an internet connection, on phones and tablets" coming in 2018.

Sony has bumped up PlayStation Vue's subscription price by $10 per month in many markets, wiping out a price advantage it had over other streaming services. In his latest Cord-Cutter Confidential column on TechHive, Jared Newman discusses "The unpleasant reality behind PlayStation Vue's recent price hike" and explains why the low-cost Slim plan "was probably unsustainable in the long run."

The Olympic Channel, "Where The Games Never End," launches this Saturday on many cable systems and on five over-the-top streaming services: DirecTV Now, fubo TV, Hulu, Playstation Vue and YouTube TV. The "programming lineup will consist of live events from underserved Olympic sports, as well original content and archival footage," reports Alex Silverman on Cablefax. No word on whether it will ever be available as a standalone subscription channel.

Making HBO available as a standalone subscription with no cable TV service required may have been a good business decision. Writing for Decider.com, Scott Porch reports that HBO is "approaching 3.5 million subscribers on HBO NOW, Amazon Channels and other Internet services." Still, that "represents only about 3 percent of HBO's 131 million worldwide subscribers — including 34 million U.S. subscribers."

Google Play is adding HDR to Play Store movies and TV shows. PC World reports that this move is happing just as "just as high-dynamic range is supplanting 4K as the video format of the moment." Currently, there are only a handful of movies available in HDR, and of course you'll need a compatible device to view them in HDR.

The Wall Street Journal reports that "Roku Expects to Launch IPO Before Year-End" and recently hired underwriters who could possibly "file confidentially in the next few weeks."

That IPO prediction comes as TechCrunch reports that "Roku hits 15 million monthly users, 7 billion hours streamed in first half of 2017."

Amazon Video now offers descriptive audio tracks for visually impaired customers according to AFTV News. In addition to regular audio, the descriptive tracks reportedly provide "descriptions of the actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and other visual content."