Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment

What Happened To Keen Home Smart Vents From Shark Tank Season 6?

During Shark Tank Season 6, Keen Home co-founders Ryan Fant and Nayeem Hussain pitched their internet-connected HVAC vent business called Keen Home Smart Vents. They were seeking $750,000 for a 10% stake in their company. These smart vents, along with a mobile app, allowed users to redirect airflow to specific rooms based on their heating or air conditioning needs. It’s important to note that temperature sensors were not included in the original package at that time.

One concern raised by Kevin O’Leary was the valuation of the company. Previous outside funding had valued Keen Home closer to $5 million. However, the news that Lowe’s had pre-sold 35,000 units of the Smart Vents helped explain the valuation. Lowe’s also had exclusivity in the home improvement space for two years.

Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner both opted out of a deal. Mark felt that the Smart Vents were more of a feature than a standalone product, and he didn’t see potential for licensing it to a larger company. Lori found the product too confusing.

O’Leary offered $750,000 for a 25% stake in the company, stating that the growth of Keen Home hadn’t justified the asking price. Daymond John made a similar offer but also requested manufacturing rights. He later reduced his offer to a 20% stake. Robert Herjavec, however, wasn’t concerned about Mark’s assessment and offered $750,000 for a 20% stake.

The discussion then shifted to the founders’ reluctance to sell at a lower valuation than their previous investor. O’Leary proposed a 36-month $750,000 loan at 8.5% interest in exchange for a 10% equity stake. Lori was willing to split this deal. Robert countered with an offer of $750,000 for a 13% stake, valuing the company at just under $5.8 million. The founders accepted Robert’s offer.

Entertainment, News

Max May Provide Free Sports Streaming Later This Year – But Temporarily

Streaming rights to professional sports can be complex, with large corporations constantly securing and losing broadcast rights. Currently, no streaming service offers all major professional or collegiate-level sports on a single platform. To watch every game, cable subscriptions are still necessary (possibly intentional).

There are many uncertainties regarding when Max will begin streaming major sports leagues and the associated costs. Amazon, Paramount, and Peacock are already ahead in terms of live content. It is important to avoid exclusive contracts that may result in local media blackout for non-Max subscribers or users of other sports streaming platforms. Moreover, the addition of yet another sports streaming service may only add to the confusion of watching live sports without cable.

Entertainment, News

Starz Streaming Service Offers a Lower Price, but There’s a Catch

Starz has recently reduced its pricing, which is good news for subscribers. However, this move doesn’t address the ongoing trend of increasing prices in the streaming industry. Many major streaming services, including Disney+, have raised their monthly or annual rates. In an attempt to make the price increase more appealing, some companies are offering plans with lower monthly costs that come with ad breaks. Hulu has been operating with this business model for some time, while Netflix has recently introduced a similar plan. Netflix charges $6.99 per month in the United States for its plan with ads, but a hefty $15.99 per month for the standard ad-free plan.

The rising costs in the streaming market, coupled with its highly fragmented nature, have left many consumers frustrated. Some customers find themselves paying as much for multiple streaming services as they did for cable or satellite TV, negating the initial reason they switched to streaming. While sharing costs with friends or family has been a common way to ease the financial burden, services like Netflix and Disney have started cracking down on password sharing. During Disney’s August 2023 earnings call, they expressed their intention to implement similar restrictions for their streaming service in the future.

Entertainment

Our Top 5 Favorite Cars from “The Price Is Right” in the Bob Barker Era

During his time as the host of “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker gave away keys to many impressive muscle cars. While Chargers, Mustangs, and Camaros all have their own reputation and on-screen presence, there is one muscle car that stands out as the coolest vehicle ever featured on the show. In 1982, Barker presented a Pontiac Trans Am, coinciding with the debut of “Knight Rider” and the peak of its popularity.

This particular Trans Am, unfortunately, did not possess any talking abilities, self-driving capabilities, or the power to rescue you from dangerous situations involving terrorists or mercenaries. However, it did come equipped with features such as pop-up headlights, full instrumentation, a tachometer, and reclining bucket seats. With a price tag of $11,202, the Trans Am was a bargain when compared to modern standards.

Even today, the Trans Am remains a timeless classic due to its sleek design, distinctive features, and impressive performance. As for David Hasselhoff, well, his popularity may be more limited to the German music scene.

Entertainment, Technology

5 YouTube TV Settings You Might Want To Change

YouTube TV offers a useful feature called multiview, which allows users to watch four streams simultaneously. This is especially great for sports fans who want to follow multiple games at once. To use this feature, simply go to the Top Picks for You page and select the multiview stream you want to watch. You can then choose to watch up to four streams at the same time. Currently, YouTube selects the content for multiview, but there are plans to introduce a schedule so that users can see which programs will support this feature in the future.

Upcoming broadcasts that will support multiview include NFL Sunday Ticket and events like March Madness. Although YouTube has not announced a customizable multiview feature yet, they do intend to expand the feature to cover more live events in the future. In fact, YouTube has already expanded beyond sports to include weather and business news.

While YouTube TV offers a wide range of options and settings, it’s important for users to be aware of them in order to fully enhance their viewing experience. If you were not previously aware of these YouTube TV settings, now you have the opportunity to customize the app and make the most out of your viewing experience.

Entertainment

What the Cast of American Chopper Has Been Up To

Jason Pohl, unlike the other figures at Orange County Choppers, was a designer rather than a builder. He eventually became the lead designer at the custom bike shop, overseeing important projects. However, Pohl found it challenging to transform 2D concept drawings into 3D models for the fabricators to work on.

After the show ended, Pohl continued to make appearances in related reality series like “American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior” and “Orange County Choppers” in 2013. In one episode of “American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior,” Pohl got into a heated argument with Paul Sr. and ended up throwing a motorcycle off a lift in anger.

Currently, Pohl is a brand ambassador for Solidworks, where he shares his expertise with the company and explores their various tools to demonstrate their capabilities. He also runs his own company called Jason Pohl Designs, where he works on projects like creating a CNC machine, a vital tool in the manufacturing process. When he’s not working, Jason spends time with his wife and children.

Entertainment

Why Go90 Was One Of Verizon’s Biggest Failures

In a Q3 2015 investor call, Fran Shammo, a Verizon executive, mentioned that they had not yet started marketing go90. He stated, “Keep in mind we are 20 days into this. We actually haven’t done any advertising or promotion activity around this product. So, for the early stages, we are seeing very good platform stability. We are seeing very encouraging feedback. And of course, we’re looking at specific metrics like viewership, site revisits, and popularity of new shows.”

However, this doesn’t mean they weren’t planning to advertise. According to a report by the New York Post, Verizon had allocated $80 million for marketing the new streaming service.

“go90’s architect,” Brian Angiolet, expressed enthusiasm for the service in a press release, stating, “Brilliant coders and engineers and awesome content partners have invested an incredible amount of work and have taken care to create a video experience that until now has been missing for millennial and Gen Z viewers. go90 bridges the content divide between traditional and digital distributors, along with established and emerging creators.”

But there wasn’t anything particularly unique about go90. The only standout feature mentioned in the press release was the ability for users to “cut & share your favorite clips via text (SMS), email, Facebook and Twitter.” It’s worth noting that YouTube didn’t introduce its own clipping feature until July 2021, almost six years later.

Overall, the marketing copy for go90 seemed forced and trying too hard to be “hip.” For example, it encouraged users to “join or create your own ‘Crew’ to connect and share your interests with friends and other fans.”

Entertainment, News

Disney+ to Raise Prices and Crack Down on Password Sharing

Disney has announced that it will be increasing the prices for its streaming services, following in the footsteps of its rival Netflix. In addition, Disney will soon be introducing ad-supported subscription packages in Europe and Canada, starting from November 1, 2023. However, Disney’s imitation of Netflix doesn’t stop there. Similar to Netflix, Disney is planning to crack down on password sharing.

During the company’s Q3 2023 earnings call, CEO Bob Iger emphasized that tackling password sharing is a top priority for Disney. Although specific details about enforcement methods were not provided, Iger stated that they are actively exploring solutions to address the issue. He also mentioned that subscriber agreements and policy terms will be updated later this year.

Disney might have taken inspiration from Netflix, as the latter reported positive revenue growth after implementing its own password crackdown. Additionally, Iger noted that the introduction of ad-tier subscriptions has had a positive impact on their financial statement, which explains why they are not raising prices for these options.

Entertainment

5 Of The Best Universal Remotes For Your TV

If you’re tired of juggling multiple remotes for your TV, Blu-Ray player, and soundbar, the SofaBaton U2 is a great solution. This universal remote works with any device in your living room and offers a cost-effective option. While it’s priced at $60, which is slightly higher than other options, it provides many quality-of-life upgrades.

You can connect up to 15 devices at a time, making it suitable for most users. Plus, it eliminates the clutter of having multiple remotes. The SofaBaton U2 is compatible with over 500,000 devices from over 6,000 brands, ensuring wide compatibility. However, it doesn’t support wireless devices like Roku streaming sticks, so it’s important to note that it requires devices with an infrared (IR) sensor.

Entertainment, Technology

Why Netflix Keeps Crashing on Roku (And How to Fix It)

If you’re experiencing issues with Netflix crashing on your Roku, it could be due to a mismatch between the versions of your Roku device and the Netflix app. To resolve this, you can try performing a system update on your Roku to ensure you have the latest firmware. While the Netflix app usually updates automatically, it’s worth manually checking for any available updates on your Roku.

  1. Go to the Settings menu.

  2. Select System.

  3. Select System Update.

  4. Select Check now.

  5. If an update is available, follow the instructions to install it.

Note that if the update is significant, your Roku may need to restart. Once the update is complete, try using Netflix again to see if the issue is resolved.

If the problem persists, you might need to consider performing a factory reset on your Roku. This will restore it to its original settings, but be aware that a factory reset will delete any saved preferences, apps, and accounts, requiring you to set everything up again.

  1. Go to the Settings menu.

  2. Select System.

  3. Select Advanced system settings.

  4. Select Factory reset.

  5. Select Factory reset everything.

Be aware that the factory reset process will take a few minutes. Once it’s complete, your Roku will reboot and guide you through the initial setup process again.