Devices designed to work inside the body, like pacemakers or camera capsules, send data back out of the body, so that doctors can monitor a patient's health. But that signal, which is transmitted via radio waves, is weak and slow, operating at a maximum of 50 kilobytes per second (for reference, the recommended download speed to properly watch Netflix is 1.5 megabits, or about 188 kilobytes). The FCC requires the devices to have low power, "which inherently limits the communication rates of these devices ... to a maximum of 50 kb/s," according to a new paper.
Last fall, NextVR made history, broadcasting the Golden State Warriors' home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans in 3D VR. Starting tomorrow at Madison Square Garden, the Southern California company will embark on its second major event: live streaming more than 15 hours of the Big East men's basketball tournament in VR.
There are a multitude of ways to consume video content online. Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and more have offered more ways than ever to binge shows and movies over the internet in legal fashion. For those looking to watch shows online that aren't easily available, many turn to torrenting. While using torrents for large file downloads isn't illegal in itself, there are a multitude of websites that offer illegal copies of films and TV shows, among them, The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents (Before we go any further, it's worth mentioning that Popular Science does not endorse illegally downloading anything.)
The dark techno-drama Black Mirror was an instant hit in the UK following its premiere on Channel 4 in 2011. But the cult dystopian show—which has been compared by many critics to a modern-day Twilight Zone with its acerbic and cutting commentary on voyeurism, technology, and societal norms—remained largely unknown outside the UK until its first full two seasons came to Netflix in late 2014. From there, it quickly gained mainstream attention and praise, and the (brilliant) Christmas special starring Mad Men's Jon Hamm was especially well received by American entertainment critics.
"The future of TV is apps," said Tim Cook at Apple's overnight event, announcing an all-new Apple TV at the company's fall event in San Francisco today. Apple's set-top box has allowed viewers to stream Netflix, YouTube and more on their television since its debut alongside the iPhone in 2007, but this is the biggest update to the product since 2010, with lots of new functionality added today.
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