Category: Uncategorized

Don’t miss Office Hours today!  Here’s a partial summary of our conversation:

1. HDR workflows and production
– The guests Chris Seeger and Pablo Garcia discuss HDR and color space workflows for live production.
– Pablo Garcia has consulted on HDR workflows for FIFA and the Olympics.
– They discuss topics like UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and color spaces for HDR production.
2. The Sony ILCE-1 camera
– The new tiny Sony ILCE-1 camera is discussed. It has a full-frame 61 megapixel sensor in a compact body.
– It is designed to be controlled remotely and integrated into camera arrays and drone systems.
3. Travel video production kits
– Panelists discuss lightweight video production kits for traveling and working remotely, including laptops, audio recorders, microphones, lights, and tripods.
4. YouTube growth strategies – I love what Jeffrey Powers is doing with Geekazine.
5. Alex and gang make fun of my purported microphone collection and worry that I might be starting a camera collection with the latest camera from Sony that is insanely great.

OfficeHours 230903 Sunday Eclipse in the Hill Country

1 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] The Logitech MX keyboard has “media keys” like a mute button etc and options+ software, is this the ideal producers keyboard? https://www.logitech.com/en-us/software/options.html

2 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Burning Man now hit with 3 inches of rain and everyone is stuck in thick mud and can’t leave w no end in sight w rumors of outbreaks. Comment. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/03/us/burning-man-storms-shelter-sunday
Paul Walhus
09:49:05 am
I was sure @Chris Fenwick would have tackled this one! LOL

3 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] The Walt Disney Company has removed their programming from Spectrum. Spectrum is on your side and fighting hard to resolve this situation and keep costs down while protecting and maximizing customer choice. We apologize for the inconvenience. Really?

4 10:19:52 am
Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] What is China doing with ai? eg. Baidu’s AI chat service, Ernie Bot, attracted a million users within 24 hours of being made publicly available. it responded to over 33.4 million user queries on its first day

5 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Spotify adds video clips via Canvas feature plus “ai dj” and podcast autoplay in Stream On event for its 489 mil subscribers. $1 billion+ spent on podcasters since 2019. https://qz.com/spotify-endless-scroll-videos-audio-streaming-app-1850206552

6 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Can you build a kit around the HP Poly p21 $80 monitor with lighting, microphone, speaker, etc
Mukana
10:35:12 am

7 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Canada tries to address Big Tech’s Bill C-18 concerns, saying Google and Meta would pay publishers ~$126.6M and ~$44M per year; Meta plans to keep blocking news. Discuss.

8 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Wordpad. Will you miss it? Microsoft plans to deprecate WordPad, automatically included with Windows since 1995, via a future Windows update, as it’s no longer under active development

9 Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] According to Nielsen Scarborough, close to 81.2 million adults in the U.S. fall into the heavy streamer category, defined as using two or more audio streaming services, and two or more video streaming services, in the past 30 days. Comment.

Paul Walhus
10:42:01 am
Animated path of the eclipse. Pretty awesome graphics. Wow! https://vimeo.com/835622907

Would a film festival like Toronto or SXSW be a thing for OH coverage like we do at NAMM, NAB, Siiggraph etc?

00:05:38 Update on Midjourney from yesterday’s Midjourney’s “Office Hours” with CEO David Holz
00:14:32 Morning Everyone! With the rise of services like Descript and Riverside.fm where high quality local recordings are uploaded to the cloud, are “beefy” computers necessary when sending out remote kits?
00:17:56 WD releases firmware updates for SanDisk SSDs. Thoughts? https://support-en.wd.com/app/firmwareupdate
00:19:55 Who wins this cage match? Sony’s new $2,200 ZV-E1 or a maxed out iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 17?
00:22:32 When sending out mic kits to interviewees, has anyone experimented with including a long ethernet cable and USB dongle for the folks that are only using Wi-Fi? That router’s gotta be somewhere!
00:25:12 How would a MV7 hold up in a live environment? Recording in a bookstore so not a lot of ambient noise.
00:29:01 Hi everyone, I have installed a meraki wifi system in an office with 5 access points. When on a zoom call and you move around the office is it normal for zoom to stop working.
00:29:56 Does Magewell or AWS Link support NDI input? If they did would you consider using this rather than SDI input?
00:32:53 Can you suggest some reliable 1080P live-stream capture cards for ~$100? NOT BlackMagic (BM SDK issues). Thanks!
00:33:47 Have you seen “Amazon Inspire”, a TikTok-like shopping feed that supports both photos and videos? https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/08/amazon-launches-inspire-a-tiktok-like-shopping-feed-that-supports-both-photos-and-videos/
00:36:40 What voodoo did “Pixel Prof” Nick use on Tue’s show to sound SO good with his Yeti mic? Seemed a bit far from him, fairly off axis, looked like lots of flat hard surfaces in the (actual) room, and yet sounded great for an interview!
00:38:44 Probably should have asked this on the audio day… space is limited at the office. Are these mobile “isolation booths” worth consideration for “run and gun” V.O. work?
00:41:43 Have you seen the tour through the new Formula 1 technology centre in Biggin Hill UK where everything is remotely controlled on all F1 races across the world? Video: https://nos.nl/l/2487768 (vid in Dutch but mostly English spoken)
00:44:10 Labels for cables, racks, patch panels, equipment. Text, graphics, logo, QR code, bar code and various colors. Is there a single solution for all these and what is the favourite out there. And what about glue types, material, ease of use and cost?
00:47:36 For connecting a DAW (with virtual instruments) to a Dante network, would DVS or a hardware Dante device (like the RME Digiface Dante) be better?
00:48:29 How do you show how your space flows with the flythrough app for iOS? https://lumalabs.ai/flythroughs
00:52:00 Salvaged an AJA FS1 from an old location. What are some real life practical uses of this handy device
00:53:53 Getting hardware vendors to support modern codecs, like AV1, is frustrating. Let’s brainstorm about how to receive 2110 video via IP on a MacMini. Would you feel comfortable with such an encoding/compression/streaming solution in production?
00:54:41 Thanks to the help from the after hours crew I’ve got my synology snap replication working. IIt’s currently replicating 35 tb of data however the destination is not showing any files. Do I have to be patient and wait 23 hours for the first backup
00:55:38 What does the panel think of the Yamaha DM3? From my observation, the “one-knob” interface seems to be a lot less efficient for live mixing.
00:58:30 What are the costs and benefits you gain from subscribing to ElevenLabs? Clone your own voice or a voice you have a permission and rights to. Only you have access to the voices you create. https://elevenlabs.io/pricing

Tools and techniques for mounting and operating cameras. Cheese plates, quarter twenty, three eights oh my.

00:00 Start
01:04:55 *** Camera Rigging ***
01:25:57 What types of quick release systems do you use for cameras and have you considerd to switch to somthing else?
01:31:17 Would the SmallRig line of products be what you’d use for a remote kit?
01:38:57 How do you account for car mounting or any shaking while moving that may jar loose components?
01:44:03 Can Alex share the link to his “erector set” that he shared?
01:45:46 What are your thoughts on half-cages that try to preserve access to some of the ergonomics designed into the camera body?
01:47:45 looking for someone to make a custom 19mm to 15mm rod support adapter with a 6.5″ drop. any ideas?
01:49:02 When adding a video camera to a tripod I prefer a ball to a flat plate as it is much easier to get level in my opinion. What does the panel think?
01:55:14 Hello this is Alejandro Guerrero and regards from Madrid, Spain. My question about rigging is: I bougth a Blackmagic Studio Pro 6k recently, which I love. But the camera has a big problem. It has no holes at all. Nothing to attach a camera tracker. https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/i…
01:57:22 Short right angle cords ? 3d printed camera doors that incorporate cords?
01:58:11 What special thought is needed for rigging a 180 or 360 camera?
02:01:11 rigging for an iphone?

Chat Links for 2023-08-24

https://nos.nl/l/2487768

Home

https://support-en.wd.com/app/firmwareupdate

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1593379-REG/shure_mv7_k_mv7_mic.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/225820-REG/Shure_SM7B_SM7B_Cardioid_Dynamic.html

Amazon launches Inspire, a TikTok-like shopping feed that supports both photos and videos

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/recording-studio-booths-portable-soundproof/ci/16130

https://nos.nl/l/2487768

https://www.myassettag.com/

https://www.bradyid.com/label-printers

https://lumalabs.ai/flythroughs

https://elevenlabs.io/pricing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6yYiihUrh3b3xYeC9

MICROGrip

https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/blackmagicstudiocamera/product-grid/blackmagic-studio-camera-6k-pro.jpg

g

Nick “Pixel Prof” Jushchyshyn from Drexel University will show how iOS Pro LiDAR scans and photogrammetry from standard cameras and drones can be used to virtually recreate real locations within Unreal Engine.

00:00 Start
00:03:26 The Opal Webcam claims to be “the first professional webcam” and is paired with “Opal Composer”. “MicMesh” for audio. Curly cable. $250 Is the claim justified? [link]
00:07:54 Rode wireless pro, worthwhile upgrade or yet another new device we don’t need. Thoughts? Is timecode really critical for that many workflows
00:19:00 Is Zoom or any Zoom apps able to send live captioning as a separate feed?
00:20:20 Problem solved with BMD DaVinci yesterday…I’ll share.
00:21:20 Zoom shares rose as much as 8% in extended trading on Monday after the video-calling software provider announced fiscal second-quarter results that exceeded analysts’ expectations. Revenue $114 billion vs $112b expected by analysts. Comment.
00:34:49 What hardware would you recommend for experimenting with self-hosted LLMs (and other AI technology) on a personal level?
00:36:25 The other day, I asked about an ‘all-in-one’ camera. People leapt to the Sony ZV-E10, but that’s not an ‘all-in-one’. Think cam-corder. A video-first camera, with at least FHD live HDMI output, for connection to an ATEM. Suggestions?
00:45:33 How would you produce an amazon product review with two products and no unboxing?
00:48:10 What are the implications of New York Times considering lawsuits agains Open AI?
00:50:46 stupid question, maybe I’m missing something, I use AI occasionally for graphic stuff, but what are you guys using all this AI for?
00:54:34 I’ve been experimenting with Bing Chat (powered by GPT-4), and I’m blown away by the quality and detail of its output in comparison to GPT-3.5 or Google Bard. Why do you think GPT-4 is so much better?
00:55:38 Looking for your opinion on an hdmi cable signal amplifier for long runs. I am considering the Legrand C2G inline extender. thoughts? [link]
00:56:32 Given how popular Sony cameras are, would BMD do way better if they supported remote control of other makes of camera such as Sony? BMD don’t seem too responsive to requests like this, unfortunately!
00:57:17 Does ios and or iPadOS have features that use timecode audio? Jamsync?
00:58:41 If i want a decent “low end” vr camera to shoot trade show stuff for oculus… what do you recommend? stepping up from samsung cameras (don’t laugh)
00:59:39 In after hours yesterday we were marveling at the Innovativ Deploy Workstation which is mobile 19″ rack with bicycle like tires. Comment. [link]
01:00:06 The surplus Dell PowerEdge R430 server I have has two PCIe 3.0 slots. Could an NVIDIA RTX 4000-series card fit in it? ([link])

01:02:15 *** LiDAR & Photogrammetry for Unreal ***
01:36:02 Imagine using LIDAR for sports analytics. Picture tracking player movements and positions in real-time, identifying trends, and unlocking new insights in athletic performance. Fantasy or reality?
01:36:51 Nick, have you used LiDAR to create Vectorworks or SketchUp drafts? If so, what needs to be done to take the raw LiDAR scans to convert them to a file VW or SU can open? I don’t have a lot of exposure to LiDAR, but find this case interesting.
01:38:41 Currently, I have an iPhone 14 Plus I got from a Verizon promotion. For someone wanting to get into LiDAR/photogrammetry, should I get an iPad Pro or trade the Plus in for a Pro Max?
01:41:02 Can matterport scans be exported to unreal engine? What’s the workflow to do that?
01:45:37 Nick, it’s incredible how responsive the NDI feed is from your iPad! How are you getting such smooth video? (I’d think WiFi would be a lot laggier.)
01:46:31 Any tips for a matterport workflow where you’re cycling models in and out of offline archival storage?
01:48:01 Could the same real-time display/analytics concepts be applied to medical imaging data (CT/MRI, for example) if you could get the data into Unreal? Could you see Unreal/Unity being part of medical imaging pipelines?
01:50:07 is all the free software any good to do these? what software is absolutely a must have and what kind of pricetag can we expect to produce these results?
01:53:37 For someone new to LiDAR, what are the commonly used scanners, and their ballpark price points?
01:55:25 have you done any 3d prints of these models?
01:56:34 What would you recommend for learning UE5? Would the Epic “first hour” training be the best place to start?
01:57:35 Can you evaluate my setup for matterport scans?
02:01:02 Where can someone get training to do this type of work for real estate and location scouting?

Links for 2023-08-22

https://opalcamera.com/opal-c1/specs

https://rode.com/en-us/microphones/lavalier-wearable/hs2

https://rode.com/en-us/microphones/wireless/wirelesspro

https://www.alldataresource.com/Legrand-C2G-42394-HDMI-Inline-Extender–4K-60Hz_p_487263.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1745064-REG/inovativ_dep_0005_deploy_workstation.html

https://www.servermonkey.com/servers/used-dell-servers/1u/refurbished-dell-poweredge-r430.html

2021 SABR Analytics: Watch highlights from the MLB Statcast Player Pose Tracking and Visualization panel

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/vr-medical-simulation-from-precision-os-trains-surgeons-five-times-faster

https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/medical-equipment

00:05:00 Morning Everyone! Would the panel mind rating my remote kit to send out for interviews, cooking classes, demos, etc. – 15″ Macbook Air, 2 insta360links, MV7 w/tabletop stand, laptop riser, aputure MT lights, & Linsoul KZs. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thx

00:11:37 Last week I asked about wireless microphones with a feedback channel. Was told that they wouldn’t be cheap, but then found the Saramonic vlink2 kit2. What stage headset would you recommend for talent with both earpiece and mic?

00:15:17 Would a film festival like Toronto or SXSW be a thing for OH coverage like we do at NAMM, NAB, Siiggraph etc?

00:21:09 With UK regulators green lighting VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom, what other desktop virtualization products would you recommend on macOS?

00:21:31 My main computer is a m1 MacBook Air and I am currently pushing it to a 27″ sceptre gaming monitor + duet & iPad. The built in monitor is a little too small for me to enjoy using it as a second monitor. Should I just get a bigger main monitor?

00:22:58 I bought a Saramonic for remotes with my iPhone, I want to use it with my iPad but it uses usb c. Is there a lightning to usb c convertor (that works) ?

00:24:31 LG Gram laptop is 2 lbs, 120Hz OLED, color changing chasis! That’s right, the lid can change colors from blue to orange to pink. Invisible touchpad. A winner? Discuss. [link]

00:25:19 Is it possible to rename USB devices at the driver/device level in OS X? Reason being – I want to do an A/B comparison of the Shure X2U and MX2U and both show up as Shure Digital…. I have two identicall AKG 451s ready to go

00:27:55 I have finally cut the cord, i am using Apple TV boxes, I have several streaming services, do I also need YouTube ?

00:32:35 One panelist suggested you have some “walking music” at trade shows like NAB coming up. What about this idea of having some bells and whistles like this?

00:34:06 At Siggraph Mike Seymour talked about doing foreign language dubs with A.I. mouth shaping. Is this a relatively new process? Is cost an issue or will old movies soon be redubbed into many “shaped”languages?

00:36:27 I have a streamdeck plus I and I understand that buttons can be animated. I would like to develop for the vision pro . Has anyone designed animated icons on the streamdeck for eventual use in VisionOS?

00:37:19 Looking to rack mount a few Streamdecks and not afraid of taking things apart? Check this out – 4x 15 & 2×32 flavors…. [link]

00:40:23 Alex is Apple still on track to “Go Private” in 2024

00:43:53 When it comes to travel for leisure, what are some of the gadgets or tech that you won’t leave home without them?

00:45:53 I asked a question Saturday that wasn’t clear. So I reword it now. Goods coming directly from China work worse than the same exact goods coming from Amazon or other US sources. Correct?

00:46:46 In the US, many people with speech disabilities use the Telecommunications Relay Service. For those that acquire speech disabilities later in life, could Apple’s Personal Voice technology connected to the phone be a game-changer?

00:47:11 Last one for me today – MBA M2 and a Korg Nano Kontrol. USB Mini on the Korg to USB A } USB A to USB C adapter. Powerlight pops on and goes out, and device is not recognized. Hows Chris connecting his NanoKontrol?

00:49:18 Come Jan-Feb 2024 I would love/dream to livestream a concert in Atmos. How would this possible Hardware & live Platform costs? I owner of ATEM mini extreme ISO and colleagues are audio engineers. Tommorrow land did it.

00:54:19 I wanna buy an Apple TV for my quite vision impaired mother, so she can watch YT gynmastic Videos from her iPad on a big screen. Should I buy an older one from ebay or a current one? Advantages/ disadvantages? Never used a newer one than Gen. 3

00:56:29 Participation Tracker measures speaking in real-time, so it’s clear when someone hasn’t gotten a chance to speak or when it might be time to pass the mic in your Zoom meeting. Discuss. [link]

00:58:17 If you were recording a concert via multitrack from the console and you wanted to add Atmos ambience, would a mic like the Sennheiser AMBEO VR MIC be what you want? ([link])

00:59:03 If you’re using an M1 Mac mini for ZoomISO, is there any situation where you would capture at 60 frames-per-second over 30 frames-per-second?

00:59:49 It seems like the social media companies are investing a lot in AI technology to moderate content at scale. Do you think human moderators will ever become a thing of the past?

01:00:50 Can I share my YT Premium Account with my relatives and create like a separate user, which doesn´t see and influence my YT playlists?

01:01:47 In an article about Tomorrowland, they mention 180 input channels coming from the stage. Where could all those channels be coming from if it’s a DJ-centric event with DJs mixing prerecorded tracks?

Office Hours 8/20/23 Sunday

@Paul Walhus Would you like for me to send back your Beelink question so you can add your link again? I can promise you that they do NOT have it to reference (edited)
Paul Walhus
10:10:36 am
Decided the link wasn’t important. And I think it helped not having it.

Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Shokz Opencom or original Plantronics Legend or ? Which wins as a mobile headset as well as a headset for comms on OH? And what do you use for OH comms?

Paul Walhus
10:11:46 am
With amazons 30 day return there is no risk on buying anything these days.

Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] We love the beelink, but there is an upper tier of mini pcs with names like MINISFORUM, GMKtec, Dell, and Lenovo $600-1800 range. What’s the go to machine to rival the Mac m1 mini? rerun question from yesterday but reworked

Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Is it generally the case that on Anker, Wyze and other usb power bricks that the small usb mini is the port to charge the device and the other ports are for charging devices (usb-c and usb-a)?

Paul Walhus
10:00:36 am
I listened to KMOX as a kid. Mostly Cardinals games. From a pillow speaker at my grandparents cottage in Chautauqua, IL near St Louis. I was out in the woods.

Paul Walhus
10:01:44 am
“Border Radio” is a great book on the mega radio stations.
Paul Walhus
10:07:26 am

Paul Walhus
10:08:27 am
Before the Internet brought the world together, there was border radio. These mega-watt “border blaster” stations, set up just across the Mexican border to evade U.S. regulations, beamed programming across the United States and as far away as South America, Japan, and Western Europe.
Paul Walhus
10:09:02 am
border broadcasters pioneered direct sales advertising, helped prove the power of electronic media as a political tool, aided in spreading the popularity of country music, rhythm and blues, and rock, and laid the foundations for today’s electronic church.

10:39:33 am
Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Has anyone ever built their own low power FM radio station (I did) or know anyone who did? Or listened to one? These are low powered neighborhood radio and can be FCC licensed.

Paul Walhus
10:57:48 am
I agree Office Hours should have a short wave global radio station from a country outside the USA where they have no wattage limits. Thinking 10,000 watts on a mountain top.
Mukana

Now answering question from @Paul Walhus:
[General Questions] Analyst event? What is an analyst? Who are some analysts we know? Where will the event be held? When? What dates times? https://investors.zoom.us/static-files/af233edb-66d9-4c44-87c3-9c0576b5a51b

This event I linked to was from 2021. This year’s analyst event (called Perspectives) happened earlier this month. Sam discussed the production side of Perspectives on Friday.

Go to OfficeHours.global  to see the answers

AUG 18, 2023, 2:58 PM CDT
Tarrytown retail center sold for first time since 1952
Austin jobless rate ticks up to 3.8%

AUG 18, 2023, 2:45 PM CDT
Jobless rate rises slightly in AustinAUG 18, 2023, 2:16 PM CDT
Meta gets tough with its return-to-work plan, warns employees they could be fired if they don’t comply

AUG 18, 2023, 12:30 PM CDT
Meta gets tough with return-to-office plan
Texas to invest $142B in roads, transportation infrastructure

AUG 18, 2023, 11:17 AM CDT
Texas to invest billions in Austin-area roads
Emerging Austin hospital cluster could one day look like Houston’s Texas Medical Center, MD Anderson president says

AUG 18, 2023, 8:26 AM CDT
Austin hospital cluster may look like Houston’s Texas Medical Center
What a more normal Austin housing market looks like

AUG 18, 2023, 7:54 AM CDT
Housing picture looks better in Austin — but these threats loom
Hybrid work place

AUG 18, 2023, 12:21 AM CDT
Employers who adopt a new workflow could be ahead of the talent curve

11:40 PM • Sean Hollister / The Verge: Western Digital refused to answer questions about how its portable SanDisk Extreme SSDs might lose all the data; the company is being sued over data-loss issues

10:50 PM • Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch: Cruise is complying with a California DMV request to cut its fleet by 50% as the regulator probes “recent concerning incidents” involving Cruise robotaxis

8:35 PM • Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter: A district court judge upheld a US Copyright Office finding that artwork created by AI isn’t eligible for copyright protection because it lacks human authorship

6:30 PM • David Ljunggren / Reuters: Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge demands that Meta lift its “reckless” news ban on Facebook and Instagram for the safety of people fleeing wildfires

4:20 PM • Adi Robertson / The Verge: Elon Musk claims “block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs”, without giving any details, in a reply to a user’s X post about block vs. mute

4:05 PM • Pete Evans / CBC News: Evacuees from the wildfires threatening Yellowknife say that Meta’s news fight with Canada’s government makes it harder for them to share lifesaving information

3:20 PM • Bloomberg: Draft IPO filing: Arm’s revenue fell 1% YoY to $2.68B in its fiscal year ended on March 31, 2023; sources: Arm plans to sell ~10% of its shares in its listing

2:25 PM • Todd Spangler / Variety: Elon Musk Says X (aka Twitter) Will No Longer Let You Block Other Users

1:55 PM • Anirban Sen / Reuters: Sources: SoftBank acquired a 25% stake in Arm from its Vision Fund unit at a $64B valuation and plans to make the chip designer’s IPO filing public on August 21

12:05 PM • Bloomberg: Email: Amazon offers some creators up to $12,500 for 500 videos, or $25 per video, for its TikTok-like shopping feed; creators typically charge $200+ per video

11:25 AM • Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Viome, which sells supplements to customers based on AI-based assessments of their microbiomes, raised an $86.5M Series C, bringing its total funding to $175M

10:55 AM • David Jeans / Forbes: Credit card processor Checkout.com cuts its Binance contract short over regulatory “actions and orders in relevant jurisdictions” and money laundering concerns

10:20 AM • Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch: Twitch plans to roll out a long-requested anti-harassment feature within weeks that automatically blocks a streamer’s banned users from watching their streams

9:25 AM • Zeke Faux / Bloomberg: An excerpt from the book Number Go Up traces “wrong number” texts to Chinese gangs in Cambodia and Myanmar using forced labor to run pig butchering Tether scams

8:50 AM • Manya Saini / Reuters: KPMG: Canadian fintech investments, including VC, private equity, and M&A, totaled $353.7M across 57 deals in H1 2023, vs. $834.1M across 109 deals in H1 2022

8:25 AM • Reuters: The European Commission plans to make a regulatory assessment of Qualcomm’s bid to acquire Israel-based fabless chipmaker Autotalks, first announced in May 2023

7:25 AM • Manish Singh / TechCrunch: Netflix partners with Jio Platforms, India’s largest telecom operator, to bundle its Netflix Basic streaming tier with two of the carrier’s pay-as-you-go plans

5:20 AM • Simon Sharwood / The Register: Private equity firm EQT plans to take German software company SUSE private at €16/share, below its 2021 IPO’s €30 price but above August 17’s €9.6 closing price

5:00 AM • CNN: Lyft and Uber threaten to leave Minneapolis if the mayor signs a minimum wage ordinance by August 23 mandating at least $1.40/mile and $0.51/minute for drivers

4:45 AM • Jay Peters / The Verge: Meta updates Threads with a Repost tab on users’ profile pages and adds reposts to the reverse-chronological Following feed