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Amazon Have you ever scrolled Prime Video trying to find the perfect thing to watch but couldn’t settle on something? Amazon is rolling out a new tool to help you find content you’ll love. Called AI Topics, the feature uses AI to review your watch history and get an understanding of what you enjoy. It […] More

Hector Roqueta Rivero/Getty Images Before web-based banking, I was a fanatic about tracking my spending. Although web-based banking is simpler than manually keeping detailed financial records, it’s still not always ideal.  Also: This Linux distro is so Windows-like, it even comes with Microsoft apps For example, when I need to track down a transaction, it’s […] More

NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images With the holiday season upon us, many companies are finding ways to take advantage through deals, promotions, or other campaigns. OpenAI has found a way to participate with its “12 days of OpenAI” event series. On Wednesday, OpenAI announced via an X post that starting on Dec. 5, the […] More

For experienced content creators and those just starting out on YouTube or Twitch, the quality of your streaming microphone can make all the difference in your production values and audience engagement. While there are plenty of high-end, expensive options for studio-level recording, many brands offer more affordable and easier-to-use models that can be set up almost anywhere with almost any device.  Also: What are the best webcams for streaming, and are 4K ones worth it?Beginners and smaller creators should opt for a USB-powered microphone, which requires no extra equipment to use; just plug it into your device, download the drivers, and start talking. More experienced vloggers and streamers may want to check out XLR models for more permanent recording studios and high-quality productions like independent documentaries.What is the best streaming microphone right now?Based on hands-on testing, I chose the Shure MV7 More

For as long as college football has been around, deciding who the actual national champion was usually consisted of little more than endless bar and sports talk radio arguments. Then, in 1998, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) appeared to pick out the top two teams battling it out for supremacy. Except, of course, people could never agree on who the top two teams were. Just ask the fans of the undefeated 2004 Auburn Tigers, 2009 Boise State Broncos, or the 2010 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. A decade ago, a fix was made: The College Football Playoff (CFP), which increased the number of teams to four. Pretty much everyone agreed that wasn’t enough either, so now the CFP has increased the field to a dozen teams. So, for the first time, we have something like the NCAA basketball tournament, where all the worthy teams have a chance for the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.I kid. Alabama fans will argue from now until the end of time that they should have been in the tournament, too. To them, I have only one word: Vanderbilt. That said, we have a real college football championship tournament for the first time. And I, for one, am looking forward to watching it. But in the age of streaming, where can you actually watch these games? By following this guide, you’ll be well-prepared to stream every moment of the 2024 College Football Playoff, from the first-round matchups to the national championship game in Atlanta. Since my team, the West Virginia University Mountaineers, are well out of it, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I wish your team all the best in the playoffs.How to watch the College Football Playoff gamesTo stream the College Football Playoff games, you’ll need access to ABC, ESPN, and TNT. Here are the best live TV streaming service options.   With over 100 channels, YouTube TV offers more of the most popular channels than its competitors. By CNET’s count, out of the top 100 networks, YouTube TV offers the most channels, 78, of any streaming service.YouTube TV enables you to watch your local ABC, CBS, Fox, PBS, and NBC channels in most areas. It also includes the ESPN family of channels and TNT. That means you can easily watch the playoffs on the service with its lowest-priced plan, the YouTube TV Base Plan, for $72.99 a month. Unfortunately, YouTube TV’s price goes up to $82.99 per month starting on January 13, 2025.The service also has unlimited cloud storage. You’ll get six accounts to share with your household. YouTube TV supports 1080p/60fps HDTV live streams. When you want to see exactly what happened in a given play, this level of quality makes a difference. ESPN is also expected, but hasn’t confirmed yet, that it will be showing some of the national championship game in 4K. However, watching the game in 4K on YouTube TV requires paying an additional $19.99 monthly for its 4K Plus add-on. YouTube TV also offers a new feature that may make watching the game more enjoyable. All TV broadcasts have delays between the live action and what you see on your TV. As you may know, live broadcast delays on streaming services are longer than OTA delays. They can range from six to 60 seconds. This latency results from transmission slowdowns between the cameras and your screen. Now, most YouTube TV apps come with the option of reducing this delay. The new option is available in the YouTube TV app under the “More” menu > “Broadcast Delay.” You can choose between “Default” and “Decrease for 48 hours.” You’ll see the game a few seconds faster if you choose to decrease. But Google warns, “The lower the broadcast delay, the less buffer the video player will have. You’re more likely to experience playback interruption with a lower broadcast delay.”In my experience, I have yet to see any playback interruptions. But, then, I also have a 2 Gigabit per second Internet connection. Still, even my friends with far slower connections also tell me they’ve yet to see any problems.
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<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Brane X Bluetooth speaker is available now on Amazon for $499. It delivers the loudest, clearest bass of any portable speaker I’ve tested. Getting the Brane X connected to the app can be a bit tricky. –> If bass is your jam, then you probably know that most Bluetooth speakers […] More