YouTube has begun asking users to subscribe to Premium to watch 4K videos

You might soon need YouTube Premium for more than ditching ads, background playback and trying new features. As MacRumorsnotes, users on Reddit and Twitter have noticed that YouTube is asking some viewers to upgrade to Premium to watch videos in 4K resolution. It’s not clear which countries, devices or videos are affected, but this won’t be thrilling if you were hoping for better than 1440p on your computer or tablet.

It’s not certain if this is a test or broader rollout. We’ve asked YouTube for comment, and will let you know if we hear back. Premium normally costs $12 per month, or $120 per year.

A move like this wouldn’t be unexpected. YouTube claimed a combined 50 million Premium and Music subscribers last September. That may sound like a lot of customers, but it’s a modest amount compared to paid media services like Spotify Premium (188 million users as of the second quarter) and Netflix (220.7 million). In theory, locking 4K videos behind YouTube Premium could spur sign-ups and make it a larger revenue source for Google.

A Bruce Willis deepfake could appear in his stead for future film projects (updated)

Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects. Last year, the actor’s “digital twin” appeared in an ad for a Russian telecom created by a company called Deepcake. According to The Telegraph, his digital likeness may appear in future film, advertising and other projects. 

Deepcake told The Hollywood Reporter that, despite reports to the contrary, Willis has not sold his likeness rights to the company. Its involvement with the retired actor “was set up through his representatives at CAA,” according to the publication. A representative for the retired actor claimed that Willis “has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.” 

Engineers created the digital double drawing from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42, respectively. With his likeness now on the company’s AI platform, it can graft his likeness onto another actor’s face in a relatively short amount of time. However, Willis’s estate has final approval on any projects. 

In the ad for Megafon, Willis’s face was swapped onto actor Konstantin Solovyov. “I liked the precision of my character. It’s a great opportunity for me to go back in time,” Willis said in a statement on Deepcake. “With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent. It’s a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I grateful to our team.”

In March, Willis’s family announced that he was retiring from acting to due a diagnosis of aphasia, which impairs communication and comprehension. In the last few years, the 67-year-old has appeared in a series of projects amid concern about his cognitive state.

Actors have already appeared as digital versions of themselves, notably in The Book of Boba Fett with a young Mark Hamill. Digital versions of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing also appeared in Star Wars: Rogue One, despite the fact that both are deceased. James Earl Jones recently sold Disney the right to recreate his voice using AI, so he could retire. 

The practice has stoked controversy. Deepfakes vary widely in quality, but many approach the “uncanny valley” where characters don’t look quite right because of stiff movements, dead eyes and other issues. There’s also the question of rights, as deceased actors can’t turn down posthumous film roles, even if the family or estate approves. 

Update 10/2 1:35PM ET: The Hollywood Reporter clarified that Willis did not sell his likeness rights to Deepcake. Rather, Deepcake says it “hired” a digital twin of the star. Willis or his estate will need to sign off on future use of his likeness.

Twitter embraces TikTok-style ‘immersive’ video

Videos on Twitter will now look a lot more like TikTok. The company announced that it’s switching to a full-screen “immersive” video player for watching clips. It’s also borrowing the now-familiar “swipe up” gesture that will allow people to endlessly …

‘Mythic Quest’ season 3 debuts November 11th on Apple TV+

It’s been nearly a year and a half, but you’ll soon get to find out what happens next in Mythic Quest. Apple has revealed that season three of its game developer comedy series will debut on TV+ November 11th. There aren’t more details about the plot, but the new episodes follow the impact of a studio shakeup. And of course, you can expect up-to-the-minute technology jokes. Let’s just say there’s a creative reinterpretation of “NFT.”

The series was created by and stars Welcome to Wrexham subject Rob McElhenney as Ian, with Charlotte Nicdao as Poppy. The show has drawn attention not just for making game development an enjoyable topic for a TV series, but its connection to the industry — Ubisoft is involved in the production alongside Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment.

As it is, Apple has a number of high-profile season releases due this fall. The second season of spy production Slow Horses arrives December 2nd, while the immigrant anthology Little America (the work of husband-and-wife team Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon) continues December 9th. Apple now has a string of well-known shows in the pipeline, even if Ted Lasso remains its biggest attraction.

Epix will relaunch its streaming service as MGM+ next year

Add more brands to the list of those hopping aboard the “+” service bandwagon. To begin, MGM is relaunching its movie-oriented Epix streaming service and TV channel as MGM+ on January 15th, 2023. It will continue Epix’s blend of originals and “curated” movies from various studios. You’ll also find it in the familiar places, including through Prime Video (Amazon owns MGM, after all), other digital services and conventional TV providers.

Simultaneously, Starz has just rebranded its international streaming service Starzplay as Lionsgate+ for 35 of the 63 countries where it operates. North Americans will still see the usual Starz name, while Lionsgate Play (in parts of Asia) and Starzplay Arabia will also remain unchanged. As with MGM+, the actual service will remain intact. This is more about capitalizing on the “valuable” nature of the Lionsgate name and trying to stand out (by tacking on the same “+” as everyone else), according to Starz chief Jeffrey Hirsch.

TechCrunchnotes Lionsgate plans to separate Starz from its studio business, and hoped for the spinoff to complete the move this summer. That clearly didn’t happen, but the rebrand is a step in that direction.

In either case, the strategy is familiar. As with CBS All Access’ revival as Paramount+, it’s a bid to make the most of a well-known brand while nodding to a streaming-first reality. Whether or not this helps is another story. Their streaming businesses are relatively small (Starz has 35.8 million subscribers, for example) compared to heavyweights like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix. They’re not in trouble, but name changes by themselves aren’t likely to boost demand.

Twitter says it inadvertently ran ads on profiles containing CSAM

Twitter is still having trouble curbing the spread of CSAM (child sexual abuse material). Insider has learned (subscription required) that Twitter inadvertently ran ads on profiles either selling or soliciting CSAM. In an email to marketers, the social network said it had suspended all ads on profiles, updated its detection systems, banned accounts that broke its rules and launched an investigation. Reutersnotes Coca-Cola, Disney and NBCUniversal were some of the brands whose ads appeared next to the offending content.

Existing technology had already blocked over 91 percent of accounts like these, Twitter said. In its most recent transparency report, the company said it took action against 31 percent more CSAM-related accounts in the second half of 2021.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the incident and investigation in a statement. On top of existing work to catch CSAM, the company said it was ensuring it had the “right models, processes and products” to protect both advertisers and users.

The news is ill-timed for Twitter. It comes just weeks after The Verge reported that Twitter ditched efforts to build an OnlyFans clone over concerns it couldn’t effectively catch CSAM and other forms of sexual abuse. It’s also emerging as the social media continues to fight with Elon Musk over the fate of his potentially cancelled $44 billion acquisition. Musk has focused most of his objections on alleged misreporting of fake account data.

There’s been an immediate financial impact as well. Reuters added that big names like Dyson and Mazda had either frozen their marketing campaigns or pulled ads from some areas on Twitter. More might be coming — Coca-Cola and Disney both said they considered the activity unacceptable, while NBCUniversal told Twitter to remove ads that ran against CSAM.

Google is making it easier to find search results from Reddit and other forums

Google is making it easier to find search results from Reddit and other forum sites. The search engine is adding a new module that will surface discussions happening on forums across the web for queries that may benefit from crowd-sourced answers.

The “discussions and forums” module will surface relevant posts from sites like Reddit and Quora alongside more traditional search results. It’s not clear exactly how Google is determining what types of searches are best suited to forum posts. The company says the new “forum” results will “appear when you search for something that might benefit from the diverse personal experiences found in online discussions.”

The feature is already rolling out for mobile searches in the United States. Google didn’t specify when it may be available more widely, but said they will consider updates in the future.

Google is also adding a new feature to news-related searches that will make it easier to browse international headlines that are published in languages other than English. With the change, news-related searches will also turn up relevant local coverage translated by Google.

Google is also making it easier to read international news.
Google

The company uses the example of the recent earthquake in Mexico. With the update, search results will also show “news from Mexico,” which will highlight coverage from local outlets originally written in Spanish, but translated into English. Of course, Google Chrome and other browsers are already able to translate web pages. But Google says that by elevating stories from international outlets directly in search will help provide “new global perspectives” on important stories.

The feature, which is labeled as being in beta for now, is expected early next year. It’s starting off with the ability to translate headlines and stories from Spanish, French and German into English, though the beta designation means Google is likely to add more languages over time.

Nintendo’s ‘Splatoon 3’ widgets put stats and stages on your phone screen

Nintendo’s approach to online gaming has sometimes been awkward (having to use your phone just to chat, for example), but it just took an important step forward. The Vergereports Nintendo has updated the Switch Online apps for Android and iOS with Splatoon 3 home screen widgets. You can quickly review your recent game stats, gaze at your screenshot album and check the stage schedule to see when a favorite game mode will come into the rotation.

You can only slightly customize the widgets, and some occupy more screen real estate than others. You’ll need to clear some room if you want the stage schedule, while the photo album is relatively small. iPhone owners can also forget about iOS 16 lock screen widgets.

You’ll need a Switch Online subscription to use these features, although that isn’t surprising when they’re tied to the Splatoon 3 multiplayer experience. When combined with the game’s matchmaking improvements over Splatoon 2, though, they indicate that Nintendo is getting the hang of internet gaming.

Netflix now lets you create your own gamertag

Netflix has launched the ability to create public handles for its games, laying the foundation for additional features that would make the service more social. People can use this public username across all its titles, allowing them to find friends (or to meet new ones) to play with in multiplayer games like Rival Pirates without having to reveal their Netflix name and profile icon. It’s also what’s going to be displayed on leaderboards for single-player games, such as Dominoes Café and the platformer Lucky Luna. 

As TechCrunch had previously reported, there are codes in the app suggesting that the company is also working on ways that would allow users to invite each other to play games and to show other people that they’re online. Netflix didn’t confirm that those features were underway, but Mobile Games Product Manager Sophia Yang said in the company’s announcement that the launch of game handles “is only the beginning in building a tailored game experience for our members around the world.” Yang added: “We’ll continue to adapt and evolve our service to meet the needs of our members…” Seeing as Netflix recently revealed that it’s going all in on games and is building its own studio in Helsinki, Finland, it wouldn’t come as a surprise for the company to roll out features that would make its service more interactive.

To set a public nickname, Android users can select the games tab in the navigation bar and navigate to “Create your Netflix game handle.” iOS users will first have to download Rival Pirates or Lucky Luna and then launch the game to get a prompt asking them to create a handle. 

Deezer can now identify songs that you hum

Deezer can now help you find songs that suddenly start playing in your head in the middle of the night. The music streaming service has upgraded its in-app SongCatcher feature so that it can now identify a track just by humming or even whistling parts of it. Once the service identifies a track, it will show you an information page with its title, artist and single/album cover where you can play the song, add it your playlist or queue and add it to your favorites.

The company says it’s the only music streaming service with an in-app track recognition feature that includes humming and whistling, but it’s worth noting that you can do the same within Google search. I tester Deezer’s new feature and compared it with Google’s and found that the latter is a bit better at recognizing my off-key humming. Google was even able to easily ID the more obscure parts of some Japanese pop songs. 

For Deezer, I sometimes had to hum the more recognizable parts of a track, such as its chorus, even if they’re enormous hits. I’m talking songs like Lady Gaga’s Always Remember Us This Way, Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next and Lil Nas X’s Industry Baby. If you’re a subscriber, though, it’s the more convenient option, seeing as you can directly add tracks to your playlists. To ID songs by humming, you simply have to go to Search, then tap on “What’s this song” to launch SongCatcher and choose “Sing Now.”

Maybe I was just extra out of tune while testing Deezer — nobody has ever called me a good singer. The good news is that the feature could become much better at identifying tracks over time. Alexandra Leloup, VP Core Product at the company, explained: “As we keep improving the algorithm, the feature will become faster and even more accurate when it comes to recognizing songs across our 90 million track library.”