Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The Gathering. He studied English and Journalism at the University of Kansas, working for local media such as the Kansan and KJHK 90.7 FM. After writing for a Kansas City trade journal post-graduation, Alex took up traveling and eventually settled in the Pacific Northwest.
Is that Grandma on TV? Chromecast’s wallpaper can now be customized
Users can now tailor Chromecast's home screen with personal photos, artwork, headlines from news outlets, weather data, and satellite imagery.
Amazon orders second season for wildly popular original series ‘Transparent’
In the wake of the sudden explosion in popularity of Prime Instant Video-exclusive 'Transparent,' Amazon Studios has greenlit the show for a second season.
Your next LG TV will sound sharper thanks to DTS-HD decoders in every LG product
LG and DTS have formed a worldwide strategic alliance that will see DTS' audio technology integrated into LG's complete line of home entertainment products.
Chromecast strikes a chord with consumers as its setup app tops charts
Chromecast's accompanying app has landed atop research firm App Annie's list of the top apps for connected devices in the U.S.
AMC renews ‘The Walking Dead’ for a sixth season, greenlights new spinoff series
AMC Networks has renewed its wildly successful series The Walking Dead for a sixth season.
Sharp’s Free Form LCDs break out of the box to fit in car dashboards, smartwatches, and more
The company's Free-Form Display is an LCD screen can be shaped to fit in your car's dashboard, smartwatches, and just about anything else.
Monster taps Best Buy to launch its Soundstage multi-room speakers [Update]
Monster has exclusively enlisted Best Buy to spearhead the initial U.S. launch for its SoundStage line of Qualcomm AllPlay-equipped wireless speakers.
ESPN seals new NBA deal to offer live regular season games online
The NBA announced today that it signed long-term agreements with Disney and Turner Broadcasting System, including a new online service for live games.
‘Orange’ is the new red: Netflix to land in cable boxes of France’s top provider
The CEO for the largest French service provider, Orange, announced that the company has reached an agreement with Netflix to distribute its service.
San Francisco and Houston get on-the-go mobile streaming for Comcast’s X1 cloud DVRs
Comcast announced today that it has premiered outside-the-home, cloud-based streaming to its X1 DVR customers in Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area.
A new challenger appears: Firefox-powered ‘Matchstick’ aims to take a shot at Chromecast
The Firefox OS-powered dongle, dubbed "Matchstick," could end up bringing significant new competition to the streaming market.
TiVo finally invites Android users to the party, updates Android app for wireless streaming
TiVo has made a long-awaited update to its Android app that allows users to stream both recorded and live TV directly to their Android mobile devices.
Farther, faster, louder: Sol Republic ramps up its new Deck Ultra speaker
Sol Republic promises double the loudness and battery life, plus an increased Bluetooth range for the new "Ultra" version of its popular Bluetooth speaker.
Netflix in October: What’s coming and going on the popular streaming service
The service has a slew of additions, new and old, for October, including a handful of Halloween-oriented options for chill-and thrill-seekers.
Couch salesmen rejoice: U.S. Netflix users streamed 5.1 billion hours in 3 months
During the second quarter of 2014, U.S. Netflix subscribers streamed 5.1 billion hours of content, among expanding viewership overseas.
Samsung’s new Ryder Cup app for its smart TVs brings viewers closer to the action
Samsung has collaborated with Turner Sports and the Professional Golfers' Association to develop the Ryder Cup TV app exclusively for Samsung smart TVs.
AMC nabs rights to new android-based sci-fi drama ‘Humans’
AMC is close to concluding a deal that would allow it to acquire domestic rights to the upcoming sci-fi drama 'Humans.'
Netflix could top 100 million international subscribers by 2020
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings revealed last week that the over-the-top (OTT) streaming service is aiming to penetrate one-third of international TV households.
Netflix now comprises up to 40 percent of Canadian downstream traffic at peak hours
A report shows that Netflix accounts for a huge percentage of Canadian downstream traffic and, as a result, is currently the leading web service in Canada.
Velodyne’s CES 2015 trip to be full of revamps and reveals
CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, is still more than three months away, but we already have our first peeks at some of the stuff we may see at the show.
Pioneer’s new Elite Blu-ray players are aimed squarely at audiophiles
The flagship BDP-88FD player and the only slightly less sophisticated BDP-85FD will be the first Elite Blu-ray players released by Pioneer in almost five years.
Netflix adds another A-list feather to its cap as Apatow commits to original series ‘Love’
Netflix announced today that it has enlisted funnyman Judd Apatow to bring a new comedy series — simply titled "Love" — to the Big Red streaming service.
Sony bolsters its 4K arsenal, adds over 300 hours of content for its latest UHD TVs
Sony has signed an agreement with NanoTech that will see NanoTech's streaming 4K video-on-demand service/content library integrated into Sony's 2014 4K TVs.
Spotify Connect makes the jump to Amazon’s Fire TV
Swedish-based Spotify has expanded compatibility for its streaming service's Connect feature to allow users to play and control tunes via Amazon's Fire TV.
Netflix continues its global expansion with France, makes new enemies along the way
Netflix has officially launched in France, and the service is set to arrive in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg this month, as well.
Verizon adds fuel to the cord-cutter fire, readies a la carte Internet-TV for 2015
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam revealed new information on its development of an Internet-based TV service. The company expects to launch by mid-2015.
TiVo will show off its new Broadcam-powered 4K set-top box this week at IBC
TiVo and Broadcom will show off a new 4K-ready DVR this week at IBC 2014 (International Broadcasting Convention) in Amsterdam.
Sony breaks the broadcast barrier, scores 22 Viacom networks for Internet-TV service
Viacom and Sony announced that the two companies have come to an agreement for Sony's upcoming cloud-based TV service to launch with 22 Viacom networks.
Yamaha reveals YSP-2500 sound projector and wireless subwoofer
The latest in Yamaha's Sound Projector series, the YSP-2500, brings big-league features at a new low price point.