Discovery Plus and HBO Max merge next year, new service debuts in summer 2023

It was bound to happen sooner or later once AT&T sold Warner Media to Discovery, the two merging to become Warner Bros. Discovery. Now it has been set in stone, with the announcement that HBO Max and Discovery Plus streaming services will cease to exist starting in the summer of 2023. The news was announced today during a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call, where the company gave some details about its future.

While the streaming services will cease to exist, they won’t be going away entirely. Instead, Warner Bros. Discovery will be merging the two services together and launching a new streaming service in the United States during the summer of 2023. It should be interesting, as both services cater to different audiences and have different content. This could be a complete package, with two halves equalling one whole. In a move that none will find surprising, the motive is purely financial, as the company doesn’t want to maintain two different streaming services. It also wants to minimize subscribers leaving its services.

For now, the upcoming streaming service does not have a name, but the company will focus on a premium and ad-supported version. The firm did stress that the content found on the premium and ad-supported versions will be different. It also talked about the back-end of each service, stating that while HBO Max currently offers a robust catalog, it suffers from technical issues. Discover Plus is the complete opposite, offering a streamlined experience but with limited content. The good thing is that it knows its services strengths and weaknesses.

The reliability of the new service could become a big issue, especially when merging subscribers. Hopefully, it will be able to create an experience that is celebrated. Once the United States launch has stabilized, the firm will look to roll out to other regions. For now, that means expansion to Latin America in the later part of 2023, Europe in early 2024, and Asia in mid-2024. If all goes well, more regions will gain access to the service in the later part of 2024. With a current subscriber count of 92.1 million across HBO Max and Discovery Plus, the company is looking to take things further, estimating it will reach 130 million global subscribers by 2025.

What’s your take on this? How much would you pay monthly for the new service arriving next year? Let us know in the comments below.

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Source: Variety

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Apple Studio Display receives audio fix thanks to new firmware update

The Apple Studio Display has not had a good run so far. The $1,599 monitor experienced webcam issues during its launch, and more recently, users began complaining of sound issues. Apple has now issued a new firmware update that should fix the the monitor’s audio problems.

Apple has been aware of the audio issues regarding the Studio Display. The problem has persisted for several months, with users recently reporting the issues getting worse. But, that should all change now, as Apple has issued a new firmware update addressing the specific issue. According to the firmware notes, the new update will “resolves an audio issue with Studio Display.” This should be a welcome change for anyone experiencing problems.

As mentioned previously, Apple had an issue with its monitor’s webcam, with users complaining of poor image quality. In the same vein, Apple later issued firmware to fix it, improving noise reduction, contrast, and the camera. Mind you, this is happening on a $1,599 monitor. But despite its shortcomings, the Studio Display is quite impressive, making use of an A13 Bionic SoC, 64GB of onboard storage, and runs a version of iOS 15.

So if you’ve been experiencing audio issues be sure to update your firmware immediately. You can do this by heading to the Apple menu in the top left hand corner. From there, click on the Apple logo and head to the settings menu. Inside the settings menu, find and click on the software update icon. It should automatically check for updates, bringing up the firmware. If it doesn’t automatically check, manual ask it to fetch the updates. Now, just install the available updates and you should be good to go.

If you’re just sick and tired of these problems, it might be a good time to switch to a new monitor. Be sure to check out our monitor guide some recommendations.

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Source: Apple

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Steam Deck pre-orders open in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

Good news for Steam Deck enthusiasts in Asia as Valve has finally announced that it will begin taking reservations in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Reservations for the console are now open, with shipments expected to arrive sometime towards the end of the year.

For reservation and sales of the Steam Deck in Asia, Valve will partner with Komodo, which will act as an authorized reseller for the region. If this is the first time you’re hearing about Komodo, put your mind at ease, as Valve has stated that it has worked with the company for years. As you might expect, each region has its own pricing, which you can see below.

Steam Deck	64GB model	256GB model	512GB model
Hong Kong	3,288 Hong Kong dollar (roughly $418)	4,388 Hong Kong dollar (roughly $559)	5,488 Hong Kong dollar (roughly $699)
Japan	59,800 Japanese yen (roughly $447)	79,800 Japanese yen (roughly $596)	99,800 Japanese yen (roughly $746)
South Korea	589,000 S. Korean won (roughly $449)	789,000 S. Korean won (roughly $602)	989,000 S. Korean won (roughly $755)
Taiwan	13,380 New Taiwan dollar (roughly $446)	17,680 New Taiwan dollar (roughly $589)	21,980 New Taiwan dollar (roughly $732)

The past couple of months has been crucial for Valve, as it announced it had completed fulfillment of its U.S. Q2 reservations and that it would begin doubling its Steam Deck shipments for Q3. It would accomplish this due to improvements in its supply chain and ramping production. In light of this, the company recently announced that it pushed delivery times forward and that all of its current pre-orders would be fulfilled by year’s end. The firm has not only done a great job of getting consoles into eager hands, but it has also succeeded in supporting the unit with constant updates. Most recently, it delivered a public release of SteamOS 3.3.

While all of this is certainly good news, Valve has made it clear that the Komodo reservations are separate from the rest of the world. So it will be business as usual in other regions. Ahead of its release later this year, Valve will continue its work with Komodo to set up a booth at Tokyo Game Show 2022. Tokyo Game Show typically takes place in mid-September and has over 200,000 attendees. If you happen to be in Japan at the time, you might want to swing by, as it will have a hands-on section for the Steam Deck.

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Source: Steam

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Samsung Gaming Hub now supports over 1000 games thanks to Amazon Luna addition

While traditional gaming via consoles or PC will continue to dominate, game streaming services are having a moment, offering an alternative way to play video games on the go or at home. Samsung Gaming Hub was released towards the end of June and allows 2022 Samsung Smart TV and Smart Monitor series owners instant access to an extensive library of streaming games from leading game streaming services. Today, Samsung announced it is adding Amazon Luna to its Gaming Hub platform, ushering in even more games into the service.

Amazon Luna was only recently made available to those in the US. Several different tiers are available, with the lowest costing $2.99 a month and the highest costing $17.99 a month. Some examples of tiers include a retro tier, a family tier, and even a tier with Ubisoft. There is also a free tier included with an Amazon Prime membership. Each offers a different assortment of games that change each month.

Previously, Samsung Gaming Hub partners included heavy hitters like Xbox, Nvidia, Google Stadia, Utomik, and others. With Amazon Luna becoming a partner, consumers will have more options, gaining access to over 250 or so additional games. While the number is impressive, Samsung Gaming Hub now has a total offering of over 1000 games. This is quite impressive.

Thanks to optimizations from Samsung’s Tizen software, Samsung Gaming Hub provides crisp graphics and solid performance. While you can play without a proper controller using your smartphone, Gaming Hub offers support for external hardware, which means you can also pair up your existing Amazon Luna controller to the service for the best experience. Gaming Hub users can seamlessly connect their Amazon Luna controller or other supported controllers without issues. Like magic, controllers automatically connect to each supported service without needing individual pairing. Gaming Hub will also support media streaming with services like Spotify and YouTube.

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Source: Samsung

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T-Mobile OnePlus 8 and 8T finally updated to OxygenOS 12

In March, OnePlus released the first stable OxygenOS 12 update for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8T. The update was an important one, bringing Android 12 to both handsets. While some rejoiced with the new update, others, like those in the United States, wondered when their handsets would be updated. After several months, T-Mobile has finally released the update, making it available as an over-the-air (OTA) download.

XDA Forums: OnePlus 8 | OnePlus 8T

The notes for the update are relatively sparse, relaying that the update will upgrade the OS from its current state to Android 12. In addition, it also contains the July 2022 Android security update. The build number for the OnePlus 8 version is IN2017_11_C.41, while the build number for the OnePlus 8T update is KB2007_11_C.41.

The Android 12 is an important one, bringing many changes not only cosmetically but also under the hood.  Perhaps what users will notice first is the improved user interface. Android 12 utilizes Google’s Material You, bringing dynamic color theming. Dynamic theming will make customizing a breeze, automatically sampling colors from your wallpaper and injecting them into icons and system menus.

Image credit: OnePlus Reddit member u/CityKid2100

A new privacy dashboard gives users more control over their personal information. You can even deny camera and microphone access for specific apps. There are also improved accessibility tools, with one allowing you to dim the screen lower than what was previously allowed. While this all sounds impressive, this is just the tip of the iceberg, with so many more additional improvements in every corner of the OS.

The update should be rolling out OTA, but there is a chance that it could take longer to reach your phone. If you want to update now, you can sideload the updates using our download links below.

Download:

• OnePlus 8 T-Mobile (IN2017_11_C.41)
  • Full: https://android.googleapis.com/packages/ota-api/package/872a443d114d5608ee533561fe1f7e39fcd71628.zip

• OnePlus 8T T-Mobile (KB2007_11_C.41)
  • Full: https://android.googleapis.com/packages/ota-api/package/29b3a30801aa1dc92a1e3435527b424376d73df3.zip

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer mlgmxyysd and XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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Source: Reddit (OnePlus), OnePlus Community Forums

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Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro pre-order and release dates revealed

The Google Pixel 7 Pro and Google Pixel 7 were announced towards the tail end of Google I/O 2022. The company showed off both handsets and even teased some of its details. While this was pretty exciting, the hype has since died down considerably. Thankfully, new information about the handsets has been revealed, and it looks like the two devices finally have a release date.

Jon Prosser, better known for his Apple intel, revealed that the Google 7 handsets would launch mid-October. According to his trusted and reputable sources, both phones will be available for pre-order starting on October 6 and will later go on sale starting on October 13. Furthermore, Prosser doubled down on the dates, stating that he previously leaked accurate information about the release dates for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

As far as official information goes, Google has shared images and renders of the phones, the latter of which can be seen in the attached videos. The design of the phones is quite polarizing, but Google is leaning into its unique design, which started with the Pixel 6 devices. The rear has a unique visor that houses the phone’s cameras. When it comes to its internal components, as of now, what is known is that Google will debut its next-generation Tensor processor. When released, these smartphones should become formidable handsets in the Android space, especially since they should be running Android 13 at launch.

Google is also expected to release its Google Pixel Watch. The smartwatch was teased during Google I/O 2022. While not much is known about the wearable, we have a few details. The device will have a circular AMOLED display and physical crown. It is rumored to be powered by an older generation Samsung chipset, packing 1.5GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

One advantage it might have compared to its competitors is that it will likely run Wear OS 3. Despite the OS being announced quite some time ago, it has yet to arrive on many wearables. For now, we will have to be patient, as Google hasn’t even announced a date for its event that will reportedly occur sometime in the fall. Luckily, there are other events ahead, most notably Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked, taking place next week on August 10.

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Source: Front Page Tech

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OnePlus builds a world in Roblox, offers free OnePlus earbuds for early visitors

Despite its recent popularity, the online game platform Roblox has been around for quite some time. With over 50 million active users daily, one can easily understand why a company would choose the platform to create immersive content. Gucci, Nike, Chipotle, and Vans, are just a few of the companies that have built experiences in Roblox, and now it looks like OnePlus is joining the fun.

Today, the company announced OnePlus World, a virtual theme park created in partnership with Transparent House. The company took elements from its smartphone devices and integrated them into the park. For example, channeling its SuperVOOC charging technology for its smartphones, the world features charging stations, allowing characters to get charged and move quicker than they normally could.

OnePlus World wouldn’t be much fun if it were just walking and running, so users will be able to use vehicles to travel, like motorcycles and hoverboards. There will be plenty of activities like skydiving, treasure hunts, and more. You can also collect OnePlus clothing for your avatar. While the OnePlus World sounds like a hoot, most will be interested in the real-world rewards that can be unlocked in-game. Throughout OnePlus World, users will be able to uncover coupon codes. The first 200 discovered will be good for a free set of OnePlus earbuds.

As OnePlus rolls out a digital playground for its fans, it has more important matters ahead with the launch of the OnePlus 10T. The company has been teasing the smartphone, showing off some of its specifications ahead of its announcement. According to OnePlus’s website, the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, 16GB RAM, 256GB of internal storage, and a 4,800mAh battery with SuperVOOC charging. It looks like OnePlus is putting all its cards on the table, but there is one element that is still missing – price. OnePlus started as a company offering affordable flagships, maybe it will return to its roots with the OnePlus 10T.

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Source: OnePlus, OnePlus World

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