Above: Facebook for Samsung TVs
Image Credit: Paul Sawers / VentureBeat
A little more than two weeks after Facebook first revealed plans to launch a dedicated video app for TV screens, the company has finally started rolling it out, kicking off this week with Samsung TVs and Apple TV.
Though the company had given a hint as to what to expect from the app, we can now see what it looks like and how users are expected to engage with videos on the big screen.
Here’s a quick look at how Facebook’s shiny new app has shaped up, using the Samsung incarnation for the test.
Facebook video on the big screen
First, you’ll need to head to the relevant Apps section of your TV device and install the app. When you open it, Facebook asks you to visit “Facebook.com/device” from a PC or mobile device, through which you enter the code that’s given on your TV screen. This, essentially, is to save you having to manually type in your username / password through the TV remote — which could be pretty fiddly.
That said, in the case of Samsung, you can normally use your phone’s keypad to enter information and control things through the Samsung Smart View app — that doesn’t appear to be an option with the Facebook video app.
Above: Facebook for Samsung TVs: Install
Once you’re logged in, you’re presented with a horizontal carousel of videos that automatically play in sequence, though you can navigate to the next one using the arrow keys on the remote control.
The first category of videos you’ll see are those that have been shared to Facebook by your friends.
Above: Shared by Friends
To go full screen on a video, just hit the “Enter” button on the remote.
Above: Full Screen
Using the “Up” and “Down” arrows on your remote, you can then navigate between the various categories that Facebook has divided the videos into.
There is “Following,” which includes videos from Pages and people you follow on Facebook.
Above: Following
Then Facebook flexes its algorithmic muscles with videos it thinks you’ll like based on your various activities across the Facebook-connected ecosystem.
Above: Recommended
Next up is “Top Live Videos,” which again sees Facebook using signals from across the social network to identify which livestreams are proving popular at the moment.
Above: Top Live
Those who spend a lot of time watching videos on Facebook, or who simply flag videos to watch later, will like the “Saved Videos” category, which places all your personally bookmarked clips in their own library.
Above: Saved Videos
But if you don’t remember to save videos, the “Recently Watched” section is a good way to revisit everything you’ve viewed recently on Facebook.
Above: Recently Watched
Given that people interact with their TV screens differently from the way they interact with a mobile phone or tablet, Facebook has had to redesign the experience to accommodate what is typically the primary input device — the TV remote control.
Those who prefer to use their mobile phone as the primary controller can actually do that already — last October, Facebook announced support for Apple TV through AirPlay and for Google’s Chromecast.
The TV app itself is intuitive enough and well-designed, and for those who don’t have a clue what to watch while slumped in front of the TV, the way it autoplays through each category is useful — it mirrors how YouTube works, in terms of how playing the next video without the user having to do anything.
Indeed, the video app launch represents the latest in a long-standing battle between Facebook and Google-owned YouTube, which has offered TV apps for many years already. Twitter is also embracing video-streaming, having recently launched its own live video app for Xbox One, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
Video opens up a host of new advertising channels for companies — just last week, Facebook announced that it would start inserting mid-roll video ads, while celebrities and brands will soon be able to include 20-second ad breaks in their live broadcasts.
Ever launches image recognition tool to make photo-sharing with friends easier
Image Credit: Ever
Ever is releasing a new tool that promises to make it easier to share photos with friends and family. Called Friends, it leverages image recognition to identify who’s in a photo and then automatically share with them. What the company has done is incorporate technology from Facebook’s Photo Magic and extend it across the multiple services Ever pulls from, such as Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, iMessage, SMS, WeChat, Dropbox, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Formerly known as Everalbum, the company is on a mission to “help the world capture and rediscover life’s memories.” It has apparently done a good job capturing photos and videos, as it now hosts more than 15 billion photos. But what good are memories if you can’t share them with other people?
Using Friends, “within seconds” of taking a photo, the service detects and clusters faces and then prompts you to identify who’s in the photo. Once Ever has learned to recognize your close friends, children, or family members, photos can be shared automatically within their Ever account. There is also an option for you to establish relationships — allowing you to specify whether someone is a grandparent or an acquaintance — similar to the circles concept within Google+.
“Sorting through photos to share is painful and so people never do it,” company chief executive Andrew Dudum told VentureBeat in an email. “Ever Friends uses machine learning to constantly build groups to share with the purpose of preservation instead of ephemerality. Depending on who you’re with and when, different photos should go to different people.”
Although it’s an automatic process, photos are not shared in real time. Still, Ever wants to establish a shared experience so everyone can remember a particular event together. If I take a trip to Hong Kong with my family, when photos are backed up, Ever Friends should already know who my parents are. Photos from the trip would appear in their Ever account, and, as more photos are captured, the album would evolve with our shared memories.
Ever said that its automatic sharing technology has been in the works for 18 months, building up its intelligence by scanning more than 34 billion faces from 340 million people. “Auto sharing makes a ton of sense when you consider that 85 percent of the photos you share will be shared with the same people,” the company explained in a blog post.
The addition of Friends is another effort to incentivize users around the Ever product. And, using machine learning, Ever not only surfaces moments at the right time, it also lets you create ways to remember them, such as with physical photo books.
You can try out Ever Friends right now.
Amper Music raises $4 million to jazz up AI
Above: Amper Music web app
Image Credit: Amper Music
Artificial intelligence (AI) is often associated with complex algorithms and automation — nothing that screams creativity. Amper Music, a New York-based startup, wants to change that and today announced a funding round of $4 million to help people create music using AI.
With Amper Music’s tool, individuals and businesses can compose music regardless of their musical experience or skill. Users simply select a sentiment they want to convey and the desired length of the track and then hit “Render.” The AI then delivers a composition based on these categories in just a few seconds.
“Neural networks are not the only way to do AI,” said Drew Silverstein, cofounder and CEO of Amper Music, in an interview with VentureBeat. “Instead of solely feeding Amper data, we are fundamentally teaching Amper how to be creative.” If the users aren’t satisfied with the result, they can edit the melody by tuning the bass, picking up the tempo, or adding a new instrument, for example.
Above: Editing tools on Amper Music app
Image Credit: Amper Music
Silverstein wouldn’t elaborate on the technology being used, but he insists that Amper Music isn’t trying to replace composers. “We see two types of music in media: functional, where music is valued for its end use, and artistic, where music is valued for the creativity that goes into making it,” he said. “In both cases, Amper serves as a collaborative tool to help musicians and non-musicians alike express their creative vision through music.”
In addition to its creative capacity, the startup also bypasses licensing constraints, as the compositions it produces are unique and original. Silverstein wouldn’t disclose the number of customers Amper Music has but named The Associated Press, Mental Floss, and Hearst Television as examples.
Customers can either pay as they go or subscribe on a monthly or annual basis. Silverstein declined to share the pricing details of the subscription plans.
The startup’s cofounders represent a range of creative endeavors involving music. Silverstein has composed music for film, television, and video games. Meanwhile, Sam Estes and Michael Hobe, the other cofounders, have collaborated with the likes of Hans Zimmer on movies that include The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Amper Music isn’t the first to bring AI to music. Google’s Magenta and Sony’s project in Paris are both examples of giants experimenting in the nascent field. Smaller players like JukeDeck in London are also moving into the sector.
In addition to today’s funding announcement, Amper Music has released an open API. Platforms that could potentially benefit are YouTube, Snapchat, or iMovie, but Amper hasn’t announced its API partners yet.
Amper Music’s latest round of funding was led by Two Sigma Ventures. Foundry Group and Kiwi Venture Partners, as well as existing investors Advancit Capital and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, also participated. This brings the startup’s total funding to date to $5.1 million. It will use the new money to continue research and development (R&D), increase marketing, and hire more people.
Founded in 2015, Amper Music currently has 10 employees based in New York City and Los Angeles.