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Instagram reveals it lowers quality of less popular videos

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Instagram reveals it lowers quality of less popular videos

Instagram has revealed that it lowers the quality of older, less popular videos – reserving higher quality for more popular content.

Adam Mosseri, head of the Meta-owned social media platform said on Sunday “we bias to higher quality… for creators who drive more views”.

He said Instagram reduces the quality of videos that have not been watched for a long time because most views occur soon after one is posted – but the quality will be improved if the video gets more popular.

But the revelation has sparked concern among some creators that it may impact the reach and visibility of their videos.

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“I think it’s simply wrong to adjust the quality of a person’s video based on performance,” wrote one person.

They said it was an example of why some people had become “jaded” with Instagram.

“The very heart of it has become solely dependent upon performance, metrics, views, and engagement – so much so that I can’t even control if the quality of my video is retained due to Instagram pushing a bias,” they said.

Social media consultant Matt Navarra told the BBC the move “seems to somewhat contradict Instagram’s earlier messages or efforts to encourage new creators”.

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“How can creators gain traction if their content is penalised for not being popular,” he said.

And he said it could risk creating a cycle of more established creators reaping the rewards of higher engagement from viewers over those trying to build their following.

Videos that have a higher resolution or contain lots of visual assets such as edits, images or other clips can demand more computing power to encode.

These will typically be larger in size than videos in a smaller resolution, meaning they require more storage space on servers.

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And one person said in response to Mr Mosseri’s post they understood the benefits of potentially reducing storage cost, but it did not outweigh the negatives.

“From a creator’s perspective, spending time on creating high quality content just for it to be downgraded to low resolution sucks,” they said.

In May, Instagram announced changes to its system for recommending content, particularly video, to “give all creators a more equal chance of breaking through”.

However, Mr Navarra said he agreed with Mr Mosseri’s assertion – when responding to user concerns about the impact on smaller creators – that people will always value a video’s content over its quality.

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He said creators should focus on how they can make engaging content that caters to their audience, rather than be overly concerned by the possibility of its quality being degraded by Instagram.

Mr Mosseri clarified to users on Sunday that Instagram does not decide to reduce or improve the quality of individual videos, but rather does so in an “aggregate” way and on a “sliding scale” – adding he believed the difference in quality “isn’t huge”.

“The goal is to show people the highest quality content that we can,” he said in his initial video response.

The BBC has asked Instagram for more information.

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The social media platform’s attempts to make video more key to its app experience have previously resulted in backlash from some users and creators.

In 2022 it reversed plans to shift further away from its traditional photo or so-called “grid” post format towards a TikTok-style focus on short form video content after it was criticised by creators and celebrities including Kylie Jenner.

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The Beats Solo 4 headphones are half off

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The Beats Solo 4 headphones are half off

Right now Amazon is offering a pretty good deal on the Beats Solo 4 wireless headphones that’s worth a look. Wireless headphones can be a great accessory to have if you listen to a lot of music on the go. Quite simply because it’s more convenient to have no wires tying you down while you’re out and about. You don’t have to worry about cables going to and from your phone getting caught on stuff.

Normally these headphones would cost $199.99 if they were available at their full retail price. However, Amazon currently has them on sale for just $99.99. That’s half off, and the lowest price for these headphones to date. That being said, they have been discounted to $99.99 once before, back in early October.

Beats Solo 4 Amazon Price History

Now worth noting is that Amazon has four colors fo the Beat Solo 4 and all four of them are on sale for the $99.99 price. This includes Cloud Pink, Slate Blue, Matte Black, and Black/Gold. As far as wireless headphones go the Beat Solo 4 have a lot to offer. Not the least of which is the 50-hour battery life. This is a pretty long time for battery life on a single charge and gives you plenty of listening time.

On top of that, when the battery does die, there’s the “Fast Fuel” feature that gets you up to 5 hours of listening time with just 10 minutes on the charger. One of the other really awesome features is the spatial audio capability. You don’t have to enable this, but it makes a huge difference in how content sounds, and it’s well worth it in our opinion. These headphones are also compatible with both iOS and Android. So it doesn’t matter which platform you use.

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Early Black Friday deals from Amazon include the Echo Show 5 for only $50

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Lawrence Bonk

It may still be October, but Black Friday deals have already started coming down the pike. Case in point? The Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display . This early Black Friday deal knocks 44 percent off the price, bringing it down to what we saw on Prime Day.

This sale is for the most recent version of the device, which was originally released last year. The 3rd Gen Echo Show 5 easily made our list of the . We said that “it doubles as a stellar alarm clock.” There’s an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen, a tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm.

While others may decry the diminutive 5.5-inch screen size, when compared to rivals, we actually found it to be useful. The small form factor allows the display to easily squeeze on a busy nightstand or a dresser.

The Show 5 does have a camera, which is great for video calls but not so great for privacy. After all, this thing was made to sit by your bedside. It does, however, ship with a physical camera cover for the privacy-conscious. The only other downside is that the sound quality here isn’t quite as robust as the larger models. Still, this is a whole lot of smart display for $50.

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Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

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Lamborghini and Animoca’s Motorverse tap Base blockchain for in-game assets

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Lamborghini and Animoca's Motorverse tap Base blockchain for in-game assets

Lamborghini and Animoca’s Web3 racing game Motorverse are tapping Coinbase’s Base blockchain to deploy interoperable Revuelto in-game assets.

Automobili Lamborghini and Animoca’s Motoverse said they are taking their collectible game efforts to the next level, selecting Base as their blockchain platform of choice to mint exclusive Revuelto collectibles.

This aligns with Lamborghini’s introduction of Fast ForWorld, its brand-new digital ecosystem created in collaboration with Motoverse, Animoca Brands’ motorsports-focused project. Together, they’re driving innovation at the intersection of luxury and motorsports—bringing Lamborghini fans and collectors a unique, immersive digital experience.

The Revuelto launch represents a big moment for Lamborghini’s immersive digital ecosystem Fast ForWorld, developed in partnership with Motorverse. In its first version, which will go live on November 7, 2024, Fast ForWorld will feature a 3D wallet to store digital items and interoperable features, allowing users to interact and play with their cars across multiple titles in the future.

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Each digital Revuelto mirrors its physical counterpart with unique characteristics, serving as both a collectible and the gateway to Fast ForWorld. The platform functions as a comprehensive digital hub where enthusiasts can showcase their vehicles, participate in exclusive experiences, and engage with the broader Lamborghini ecosystem.

Revuelto collectors will receive a Fast ForWorld Genesis Capsule, unlocking premium benefits including race tickets, real-world experiences, engagement points, and exclusive Lamborghini digital merchandise.

Will Griffiths, general manager of the Motorverse, said in a statement, “We’re so excited to announce this collaboration with Lamborghini. We know users are committed to this name, and bringing their latest contribution into the digital landscape highlights what this space can do for both fans and brands. We expect this is the beginning of a much deeper relationship as the Motorverse evolves.”

The selection of Base as the minting blockchain leverages its industry-leading security, cost-efficiency, and performance. As Coinbase’s Layer 2 solution, Base has emerged as a premier platform for onchain applications, making it an ideal foundation for Lamborghini’s digital initiatives.

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This development showcases the Motorverse’s vision for integrated digital experiences where collectibles enhance user engagement across the entire ecosystem while supporting beloved automotive brands. The Revuelto release marks the beginning of an expanded digital collection strategy.


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Introducing the 2024 Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists at TechCrunch Disrupt

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Introducing the 2024 Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists at TechCrunch Disrupt

We can’t keep this secret any longer! The time has come to unveil this year’s Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists who will compete in a winner-takes-all pitch competition on the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. 

TechCrunch editorial hand-selected 200 startups, out of thousands of applicants, to comprise the Startup Battlefield 200. This year, TechCrunch saw the highest number of applications from around the world and across many industries. Of the 200, 20 companies have been selected as finalists to battle it out on the Disrupt Stage for the  $100,000 equity-free grand prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup. Less than 1% of applicants to the Startup Battlefield program are selected as a Top 20 Finalist, making it one of the most competitive startup programs in the industry. 

As part of the Startup Battlefield 200, founders participate in a series of pre-event, virtual programming to help prepare them to pitch on the Disrupt Stage. In addition to extensive pitch coaching, this year’s programming included Founder Fireside Chats with legends like Kevin Ryan (AlleyCorp) and Marcelo Lebre (Remote), as well as VC panels with Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures) and Ishani Thakur (Index Ventures).  

This year’s Top 20 Finalists will follow in the footsteps of Startup Battlefield legends like DropBox, Discord, CloudFlare and Mint on the Disrupt Stage. With over 1,500 alumni having participated in the program, Startup Battlefield Alumni have collectively raised over $29 billion in funding with more than 200 successful exits.

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The Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists were chosen for their potential for game-changing societal, environmental and financial impact. In addition to having ambitious visions, these startups demonstrated prospective early traction, strong founding teams, business model and market size in their applications. These companies are actively working to solve critical challenges in clean tech, SaaS, fintech, health tech, auto tech, entertainment, and manufacturing.

Starting today, the Top 20 Finalists will pitch and demo live on stage for six minutes followed by a six-minute Q&A with our expert panel of judges. These top-tier VC judges include folks like Navin Chaddha (Mayfield), Chris Farmer (SignalFire), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Ann Miura-Ko (Floodgate) and Hans Tung (Notable Capital), just to name a few. 

All 20 startups will pitch in semi-final showdowns on Monday and Tuesday and the top 5 finalists will be announced Tuesday evening. Those five companies will then pitch once more in the Battlefield Finals on Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. and we will announce the winner at 4 p.m., all on the Disrupt Stage. You won’t want to miss it.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for…. Here are the 2024 Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists: 

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Monday, October 28th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 1): 10:35 a.m.–11:50 a.m.

NitroFix: Aims to reduce carbon footprints by optimizing ammonia production with zero emissions, relying solely on renewable electricity, water, and air. 

ForestGuard: Dedicated to preventing wildfires with their solar-powered IoT devices and AI-assisted algorithms which allow them to detect fire hazards up to 80% earlier than traditional methods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. 

SpiralWave: A novel reactor that produces affordable e-methanol from flue gas or air and water in one step, eliminating captured CO2 and H2 feedstocks, without a catalyst. 

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Level Zero Health: Pioneering Continuous Hormone Monitoring with a simple patch device that you can wear on top of your arm for up to 2 weeks.

Solideon: Layers off-the-shelf robotics with proprietary software that creates multi-robotic, forward deployable micro-factories that are capable of 3D printing, post processing, assembling, and inspecting entire structures and vehicles without human intervention.

Semi-Finals (Session 2): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

Advex AI: Helps the world’s largest manufacturers reduce costs and improve efficiency by providing highly reliable computer vision models in hours. 

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DGLegacy: Ensures that in the case of an unforeseen event, your assets won’t be lost and your loved ones would be able to claim their rightful ownership with a digital legacy planning and inheritance app.

VRTL: A virtual venue for entertainment organizations to deliver and scale in-person fan experiences to a remote, global audience, for greater lifetime values and data collection.

MabLab: Maker of 5-in-1, at-home rapid tests to screen for laced drugs and spiked drinks. Results delivered in under three minutes, potentially saving over 100,000 lives annually and preventing an additional 5 million hospitalizations every year.

Stitch3D: Offers a SaaS platform for hosting, processing, viewing, analyzing, and sharing large volumes of LIDAR point cloud data, all in a real-time collaborative 3D viewer.

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Tuesday, October 29th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 3): 10:05 a.m.–11:15 a.m.

HILOS:  Unifies deep tech with sustainable craft to offer a software and manufacturing platform to design and launch 3D-printed footwear made locally, on-demand, without end-of-life waste.

CTGT: Removes barriers to production-ready AI, tailoring LLMs to company needs by eliminating unwanted content, enabling 10x faster AI deployment for critical applications like finance and healthcare.

luna: An AI-driven health and wellbeing companion for teens, so they can feel empowered to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing as they move into adulthood.

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Narada AI: A generative AI assistant that identifies tasks from conversations and executes them across enterprise tools using AI orchestration.

Salva Health: Julieta is a portable, AI-powered breast cancer detection device that eliminates barriers to early screening, ensuring access even in remote areas. 

Semi-Finals (Session 4): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

BANF: Ensures safe driving and optimizes fuel efficiency by 20% with their smart tire profile technology by providing real-time tire data, including pressure, temperature, wear, load, wheel alignment, and lug nut status. 

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ForceField: MARQ protects company, community & country data with tamper-proof badges. Patent-pending APIs defend against deepfake scams, fraud & breaches.

geCKo Materials: A bio-inspired Dry Adhesive that is ultra-strong, reusable, leaves no residue, and requires no force to detach. The product opens new applications in industrial automations, robotic gripping, space and defense.

Haptic: A B2B SaaS company creating a universal language through touch whose tactile technology empowers intuitive, safe navigation without visual or audio cues – enhancing accessibility and awareness for all.

MDC: Revolutionizing surgery with a novel robotic system that provides physicians direct access inside MRI scanners.

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Wednesday, October 30th, Disrupt Stage

Alumni Update Panel: 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2023, BioticsAI is a clinical intelligence platform for prenatal health care utilizing machine learning to catch abnormalities in fetal ultrasound imagery, help doctors streamline their workloads by generating automated reports, and help with legal compliance to help reduce malpractice cases within the hospitals.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2022, Minerva Lithium is a water treatment platform technology company leading the charge in sustainable Lithium Refining. Minerva Lithium selectively traps valuable minerals and other harmful pathogens from water.

2022 Startup Battlefield Runner-Up, Intropic Materials is imparting a favorable end-of-life at the beginning by embedding degrading enzymes directly inside plastics. Once activated, the enzymes trigger the plastic to rapidly and completely self-degrade into biodegradable or chemically recyclable small molecules. 

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Startup Battlefield Finals: 11:30 a.m.–12:50 p.m.

Winner Announced: 4:05 p.m – 4:20 p.m.

Haven’t snagged your ticket yet? It’s not too late! Join us at Disrupt 2024 to witness these outstanding companies pitch live on stage. Register here or when you arrive at the registration desk at Disrupt.

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Apple put the Magic Mouse’s charging port on the bottom again

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Apple put the Magic Mouse’s charging port on the bottom again

Apple’s new USB-C-equipped Magic Mouse somehow still has the charging port on the bottom. While Apple could have used the launch as an opportunity to move the charging port from the underside of the device — where the port has remained for nearly a decade, despite other updates to the mouse and being mocked for the decision — the port is still there.

This new $99 Magic Mouse means that, for the foreseeable future, Apple still thinks that the best way to charge your Magic Mouse is by flipping it over to plug it in, making it so you can’t use it. Why?

There have been other solutions to the ridiculous Magic Mouse charging situation. For example, my colleague Wes Davis wrote about an ergonomic grip for the Magic Mouse 2 that can charge the mouse via MagSafe. But Apple seemingly didn’t think that it needed to make a major change to where the charging port is, so you’ll once again have to turn it over to get some more juice.

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Apple launches new iMac with M4 chips, first Macs with Apple Intelligence

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Apple iMacs with M4 against a white background

After plenty of leaks and speculation, Apple has officially announced the latest iMac, equipped with both the M4 chip and Apple Intelligence – the first Mac device featuring the AI-based technology.

According to Apple, the M4 iMac is “1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.1x faster for demanding workflows like photo editing and gaming,” compared to the M1 iMac. Its 24-inch 4.5K Retina display has a new nano-texture glass option, and it’s also outfitted with a new 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, and up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports. It comes standard with 16GB of unified memory and is configurable up to 32GB

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