Watchup app woos millennials with custom-curated news streaming


TV news has a problem with younger viewers: It doesn't have enough of them.

It's why some outlets have signed on with tech entrepreneur Adriano Farano, who is betting he can bring video journalism to young viewers who are growing up with smartphones, tablets and the convenience of viewing what they want whenever they want.

Farano is the co-founder and chief executive of Watchup, an app that can set up a customized streaming online video newscast using stories from established TV news outlets. "We have long-term vision," he said. "What Netflix and iTunes have done for entertainment is what we want to do for the news industry."

Consumers can download Watchup for free and then select topics of interests and news sources. The app creates an ad-supported video newscast based on the choices.

Watchup already has more than 100 national and global news-gathering partners providing content, including Fox News, Sky News, Bloomberg, PBS NewsHour and the Wall Street Journal.

The Menlo Park-based company will announce a major deal Monday that gives it access to reports generated by 30 local news operations from Tribune Media's TV stations including KTLA in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago and WPIX in New York.
lRelated TV execs, advertisers in 4-day war over audience-count rules

Farano said there are more deals with TV station groups in the works that he expects to complete in the next few weeks and hopes to eventually cover the entire U.S.

Watchup will need as much distinctive content as it can get as established news networks are becoming more aggressive about moving into the streaming-video market where advertiser demand is growing.

CBS News and MSNBC have both recently unveiled online news services aimed at reaching beyond the audiences that find them on TV.

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Metro installs barriers, video cameras on buses to cut down on crime

LOS ANGELES >> In an effort to curb assaults on bus drivers, Metro will install video cameras as well as steel-and-Plexiglass barriers separating operators from passengers on hundreds of new buses within the next three months, the transportation agency announced Friday.

Attacks on bus drivers have risen 35  percent from 2012 to 2014, prompting a three-pronged offensive aimed at protecting 5,000 bus and rail operators working for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Though most assaults tend to be minor offenses, they have involved passengers punching and kicking operators during layovers and sometimes weapons are used, Metro reported.

Metro board member Diane DuBois told the media that the recent statistics are worrisome.

Assaults numbered 138 by passengers against operators in 2014, a jump of 35  percent from 2012.

“There has been a disturbing uptick of assaults on Metro operators,” she said. “That is

not acceptable, so Metro is fighting back.”

Cherian Brown, a 16-year veteran who drives a bus for Metro in Long Beach, said one time a group of rowdy passengers got off the bus, then threw a garbage can at her that smashed the windshield.

• VIDEO: Cherian Brown talks about the new safety features

Many times, drivers are spat on by passengers for no reason or during a fare dispute, said Paul Gonzales, Metro spokesman.

Another aspect of the driver protection program is having the on-board computer announce the fare, which is $1.75. “It takes the operators out of the equation,” said Marc Littman, Metro spokesman.

Brown said she has heard from many fellow operators who said they were spat upon.

Having a plastic, see-through shield can help with that, she said. Brown demonstrated how to lock the new barrier and plastic-glass shield into place, while sitting behind the wheel of an orange bus parked at Metro headquarters Friday morning.

“I think it is a wonderful idea to secure the operators and the passengers. When we are secure, then they are secure,” Brown said.

Metro reported 24 assaults on drivers last year, including the beating of a 59-year-old woman driver sitting on the curb during her break in West Hills last November. She recovered from her injuries, authorities reported.

• PHOTOS: New safety features for Metro bus operators

At that time, the transit agency began installing video cameras and monitors on 50 buses, including a live feed of passengers. The increased surveillance has resulted in a drop in assaults, said Metro Chief Operating Officer Robert Holland. Metro has 166 buses with closed-circuit video monitors that show passengers boarding and also in the seating area. By June, Metro will have 268 with CCTV monitors, he said.

If someone that is about to commit a crime sees his or her image on a monitor, that person is less likely to do the crime, he said.

“They might say: Who is that? I’d say that is Big Brother watching you. And that is the reaction we are looking for,” Holland said.

Andrew Gonzales, who represents the operators union, said he would like to hear from members what they think of the barriers and the closed-circuit TV.

“We are looking for feedback from our operators. But anything to help protect them is what we are looking for,” he said.

In addition, Metro is working with state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, who has introduced a bill that would triple penalties for assaults against operators and add jail time for those convicted. Right now, the penalty is up to one year in prison and/or a fine up to $10,000.

Finally, next month, Metro will launch a counseling program called Transit Ambassador, which helps bus drivers manage stress, both at work and at home. Also, drivers will be wearing lapel pins with the message “Mutual Respect.”

“It is a tough environment out there,” said Art Leahy, Metro CEO, who started his career as a bus driver. “Now with the new (driver) doors, the video monitors, it will have a positive effect on the safety of our operators and also our passengers.”

Commander Michael Claus of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Transit Division said plainclothes officers will continue to stake out bus stops that officers have determined are “potential trouble spots.” The last area targeted was in East Los Angeles, he reported.

Claus also asked members of the public riding buses to call the LASD transit hotline (1-888-950-SAFE) at the first sign of something suspicious, or to report a crime. “If you see something, say something,” he said.

Security Camera | Security Camera Installation | Security Camera Installer California

VAC Adds Enhanced 4K Concierge Service

New York — 4K customers at Video & Audio Center (VAC) can now have their new TVs arrive home before they do.

The expedited deliveries are a benefit of “Platinum Concierge Service,” a new 4K TV service tier that the Los Angeles-based specialty chain is employing to counter online and big-box competition.

The service, along with a standing offer to pay customers’ sales tax on most big-screen TV purchases, supports VAC’s new “webrooming” initiative. That, explained company spokesman and advisor Tom Campbell, seeks to turn showrooming on its ear by drawing traffic to its stores first, and then converting customers through selection, service and competitive prices.

“Our job is to stop them from going back to the web,” Campbell told TWICE. “We overcome the objection, and it’s working.”

He said the under-two-hour deliveries are achieved through VAC’s Just One Touch custom integration division, which provides each of the chain’s three showrooms with trucks and installers. (A fourth location is opening Sept. 18 at the new Village at Westfield Topanga open-air mall.)

He added that the cost of the MAP-permitted sales-tax offer, which was also adopted by Fry’s Electronics, is absorbed by VAC’s massive sales volume.

Campbell, a CE retail veteran and Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Hall of Fame inductee, announced the new concierge service here yesterday at a CE Week conference session on 4K presentation at retail.

His co-panelist, Robert Zohn, founder/president of Scarsdale, N.Y.-based specialty A/V dealer Value Electronics, said audio also plays a big role in enticing customers, particularly his showroom’s three Dolby Atmos demo rooms.

“Atmos, HDR, wide color gamut, 4K — these are the future technologies of audio and video,” Zohn said. “And the way to experience and learn about that is in your specialty retail store.”

Campbell stressed that “the independent channel is alive and well,” and said dealers need big-box chains and their high-profile platforms to help get the word out about 4K and other new technologies.

“We all benefit from that,” Campbell said. “I say, ‘Thank you Best Buy.’”

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Home Theater Installer in Los Angels !!

Basic home theater set-up Includes

• Go over the Installation Procedure upon segment in your home, Take Your new Home Theater System out of the compartment.
• Familiarize and interface 3 parts with your Home Theater System. Present Speakers on the table top or at first look mount.
• All wires and associations with be perfectly managed uncovered.
• Home Theater System Install Speakers on the table top and at first glance mount. All wires links to be perfectly composed uncovered and wipe out any Installation Debris. Program Remote Control, show Customer new Home Theater System introduce.

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6 Clever Installation Ideas for Your Living Room TV

A TV certainly can be an eyesore in home design. While the easiest thing to do is eliminate them completely in living areas, this simply won’t do when you need your reality TV or football fix.

There are many seamless ways to incorporate TVs into living rooms—it just takes a little extra planning and thoughtfulness. Some of the options seem intimidating, and some are surprisingly simple. Read on for a mix of designer-approved ideas that’ll have you watching TV in style.

1. Frame It.

In the spirit of starting simply, framing your TV is a great option. A simple frame around the screen is a fun and affordable conversation starter that’s easily customizable to your own style. This is one you can do yourself if you’re at all handy—and if not, you can outsource the job without breaking the bank.

Cord management is a simple fix: A cord cover painted to match the wall is a do-it-yourself solution, or cords can be tucked behind drywall with the help of a professional.

2. Go Old School.

As TV technology has grown over the last decade, people have moved away from storing their media in armoire-style cabinets, but this actually remains a great option. Again, it’s a comparatively affordable option, but one that can enhance the design of the room.

Choose the cabinet style that works for your room, whether that’s ornate and traditional or sleek and contemporary. The limitations here are about screen size. While you’re unlikely to find a piece of furniture that will stylishly hold a 72-inch screen, you can easily find the perfect fit if everyone is willing to sacrifice a few inches.

3. Go New School.

Thanks to technology available through your TV, the television often is the heart and mind of the home, which is why we see so many TVs installed over the hearth. It’s often the only space big enough for today’s TVs and convenient for viewing by everyone in the room. Of course, this often results in the TV overwhelming the room.

One of our favorite compromises? Doors over the mantle that slide apart to reveal the TV. Door design styles are endless, and the most complicated part of construction is that this technique often requires building a space for the TV so that it’s flush with the wall before the door is installed.
4. Try the Pop-Up.

My personal favorite is the pop-up cabinet. This keeps the fireplace mantle free for more aesthetically pleasing art or photography and, like the traditional media cabinet, gives you the chance to take more control of your design style by integrating furniture rather than technology. You can purchase pop-up cabinets in many styles, or work with a handyman or contractor to customize a piece for you, even a piece you already may have.
5. TV, TV On the Wall.

The latest trend in TV disguises is also the coolest. The mirror TV never fails to amaze friends and family. An attractively framed, two-way mirror is installed over the TV and, with the flip of a switch, electric currents change the mirror from reflective to opaque, allowing you to see the TV. You will want to shop for the model that has the least effect on the brightness of the TV picture itself.
6. Hide It in Plain Sight.

If none of these solutions really works for you, remember that a TV screen, when off, is a solid black square. If that black square is surrounded by other black framed art work, in similarly simple and basic tones and shapes, the TV really fades away and is overwhelmed by the more interesting artwork so that it’s nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Which clever media solution will you use in your space?

Interior designer Kerrie Kelly enjoys sharing tips for The Home Depot on making your spaces comfortable and livable. She especially enjoys the challenge of creating a beautiful focal point out of your home electronics. To see some of the home electronics options that Kerrie cites in this article, visit homedepot.com.

Wall TV Installation, TV installation and TV Installer in Los Angels

Overhead projector & Projector Screen installations and Services

Projector installations and services

If you are looking for projector installation services for your business or facility call Centerpoint Communications. We have experienced design and installation technicians ready to help with your project whether it is a basic install or a completely automated system. Centerpoint looks forward to working on your project.

We are partners with many projector manufactures; this ensures you will get the correct projector for your application.

We offer the sales and installation for many types of Pull Down, Electric, Fix Frame, Ceiling Recessed and Interactive Projector Screens.

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San Jose woman buys gun after security system didn't stop burglar !

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) --
Homeowners in San Jose's Santa Teresa neighborhood are keeping a close eye out after a robber broke into a San Jose woman's home despite her elaborate security system.

The brazen burglar was captured on a series of home surveillance cameras but some wonder if that's enough.

He ignored a burglar alarm and visible security cameras while the terrified homeowner hid in a closet for 13 minutes listening to him ransack her place.

It's been two days since the terrifying home invasion at Heidi Quezada's home.

"I feel like I just started breathing again yesterday," said Quezada.

Despite having 16 surveillance cameras, she has has since put in new locks and bought a gun to protect herself. But she can't shake knowing the person who so brazenly burst into her home in the middle of the night is still out there.

On Tuesday just before 2 a.m. her security phone app showed a man outside her bedroom window. Quezada called 911 and locked herself in the closet.

"I was petrified. When I first saw him on my phone I then had to use my phone to call 911 and I could no longer see," said Quezada.

But she could hear as the burglar busted open the lock on the sliding glass door then went room to room opening drawers and flipping mattresses.

When he tried the locked door to Quezada's room she screamed. He then ran through a neighbor's yard to grab a skateboard. Neighbor Mike Donahue thinks it might have been his yard.

"I'm kind of shocked because the amount of people that are home all the time. And the security that we have on this court," said Donahue.

Donahue's security is his three dogs. He's lived on the street more than 20 years and has never heard of such a brazen act.

"All this time I thought I was safe because I locked my doors, I set my alarm, have my cameras. But it was like sleeping with the doors wide open," said Quezada.

Heidi says she does not recognize the burglar but she wants his face out there and hopes someone knows who it is.

Police are not commenting on the investigation yet or why it took 13 minutes to respond to the home.

Security Camera Installer and Security Camera Los Angels.