First, we witnessed the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Then, we experienced the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. And soon, we’ll have a front-row seat for the War for the Planet of the Apes. The first teaser for the third and final film of this prequel trilogy has hit the interwebs and … well … it doesn’t tell us much. On the plus side, however, it’s eerily beautiful and seriously cool.
The term “teaser” has evolved quite a bit in recent years, but this spot is in line with the old-school interpretation of the word. It provides a quick reminder that the film is in fact on its way, but doesn’t actually show any footage from the film itself. It’s basically one big … you know … tease.
By contrast, the “teasers” for films like The Martian and Allied are just trailers that are slightly shorter than usual. It’s sort of annoying that we don’t know what to expect from teasers anymore, and, if you came here looking for footage of the titular war, you can blame Hollywood for muddying the waters.
What we do have here is a simplistic-yet-stunning sneak peek that starts out with an all-black background and the sound of howling winds. We then begin to see flurries of snow appear, which gradually accumulate and reveal the silhouette of Caesar, leader of the apes. As this is happening, we hear his strained voice say, “You must go before fighting begins. I am sorry. War has begun.”
It’s unclear whom Caesar is speaking to in this monologue, but they should probably heed his warning.
War for the Planet of the Apes stars Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games), Judy Greer (Ant-Man), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club), Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and Chad Rook (The Flash). The film is set to hit theaters July 14, 2017.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.