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the delay of streaming compared to DTT

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

This World Cup has involved a meeting in the field with friends in every match in Spaina fairly typical scene that shows that, when there is football (and even more so when La Roja plays), everything comes to a standstill. We take the TV out on the porch, grab some chairs, have some snacks and dinner, and what more could you ask for. Well yes, one thing is: don’t let the neighbor spoil the surprise of the goals. Since we did not have a coaxial cable antenna at hand, we streamed through the app Movistar Plus+. The thing about streaming is that, generally, the retransmission it’s more late than the signal that is emitted from DTT. It is not particularly annoying as long as there are no cuts, but an event like a World Cup, where each goal is shouted out loud, can become quite a nuisance. And even more so when the signal is more than a minute late, as was the case with us. So I couldn’t think of anything other than to explain the reasons why this happens and its possible solutions. The traditional antenna is faster than it looks Traditional television, which is received via antenna, also has its own delay. It has never been a one hundred percent instantaneous broadcast, since the networks They usually apply a small margin between five and ten seconds, precisely to be able to cut off in time if something inappropriate happens live. This cushion has existed for decades and is the same for all viewers who watch the signal on the antenna. The difference is that this delay is short, stable and homogeneous. Everyone who watches the game on DTT sees it, more or less, at the same time. However, in streaming things change. The (much longer) journey of a signal over the Internet To understand why streaming always arrives later, we have to follow the path that the image takes from the stadium to our devices. And this journey goes through several stages: first with the capture of the image, then with encoding, transcoding, distribution and, finally, decoding on the viewer’s device. Each of those steps adds timeand none are instantaneous. Image generated by AI with Gemini The key is how that video is distributed over the internet. The vast majority of streaming platformswhether large general services or sports applications, use protocols such as HLS or its equivalent DASH. Both work in a very specific way, since the server does not send a continuous stream of video, but rather cuts it into small fragments of between two and ten seconds in length, which the player downloads one after the other. So that the playback is not cut off or stuck if the connection fails for a moment, the player does not limit itself to downloading the fragment that is to be seen at that moment, but also also save several fragments aheadsomething we call “buffer“. This mechanism prioritizes making the video look fluid over seeing it at the exact moment it happens, and that is precisely the price you pay in seconds of delay. To this we must add the distribution through the so-called CDNs (content distribution networks), which are the infrastructures that allow millions of people to watch the same game at the same time without the original servers collapsing. The CDN77 company calculate that, adding network latency, transcoding time (about five seconds on average) and the player’s own buffer, common HTTP protocols generatea total delay of between 25 and 40 secondsfrom the moment the play occurs until it reaches the viewer’s screen. Amazon Web Services, which provides technical support to numerous streaming platforms, matches in that the player’s safety margin is a decision made by each application, and the greater the margin, the more protected the playback is against cuts, but also the later the image reaches the viewer. There are extreme cases. FEED technical magazine remember that, during the last Euro Cup, many viewers received the notification of the goal on their mobile phone before even seeing it on the screen streaming, and also cites the case of boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul broadcast by Netflix, which had significant loading and lag problems. And there is no solution? It’s not that the platforms don’t want to reduce the delay, it’s that they want to do it without sacrificing image quality or connection stability It is complicated and expensive. In current streaming, each application distributes the content through its own distribution networks, which causes the delay to vary from one service to another, something that does not normally happen with classic television, where all viewers usually share the same delay. This is precisely why “low latency” versions of common protocols, known as LL-HLS and LL-DASH, have begun to appear. These variants allow the player to start downloading and to show a video fragment even before that fragment has completely finished recording, instead of waiting until it is completely closed. It is a technical change that can cut the delay from the usual 15-30 seconds to just two or five, depending on collect the Dacast platform. Some chains have already begun to apply it in practice. From FEED they count that Sky Sports launched a low latency version of its main channel this year that has managed to reduce the lag by 20 seconds compared to the previous version, and that the BBC has done its first tests of low latency streaming on its iPlayer platform to measure how this technology behaves on a large scale with the current internet infrastructure. What can you do While waiting for these technologies to become widespread, something that in an event with the global audience of a World Cup is neither easy nor cheap to implement, the most practical recommendation is still to turn on the antenna whenever you can, if you don’t want your goal spoiled, and flee from WhatsApp and social networks at that time. Cover image | Wemax Projectors (Unsplash) and RTVE In … Read more

white label crushes premium options

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

The heat is overwhelming and there are few things you want more than opening the refrigerator and serving yourself a good bowl of cold salmorejo. The original recipe is one of the jewels of Spanish gastronomy, something that science itself supports, reaching the point that in 2016 a study by the University of Córdoba standardized the golden ratio of the perfect salmorejo from Cordoba: tomato, telera bread, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and salt. No more, no less. To the supermarket. When we transfer that artisanal perfection to the supermarket shelves, reality collides head-on with industrial demands. In this way, the OCU has chosen to put 30 refrigerated packaged salmorejos under the magnifying glass to find out which is the most suitable product for this summer. The nutritional triumph. If there was a general fear, it was thinking that these bottles were full of preservatives and additives. The OCU flatly denies this, since in its recent analysis of 2026it is noted that no industrial additives have been found in any of the 30 salmorejos analyzed. In fact, applying the organization’s Healthy Scale (which assesses the Nutriscore, fats, salts and processing), all of them turn out to be a good or very good option for the summer and even provide fewer calories than their homemade versions as they have a lower proportion of bread and oil. For example, brands such as Carrefour Classic, Eroski and Vicasol Delicias have come close to technical perfection with a 90/100 nutritional profile. The tasting disaster. If nutritionally they are a ten, the problem that the OCU has found in its analysis is the taste in the mouth. Here the consumer organization brought together a panel of expert chefs to analyze a blind tasting and the result is that 77% of the salmorejos have failed the gastronomic exam. The main reason is that brands “cheat” with the original salmorejo recipe, since to achieve acidity, extend shelf life or give a more intense color, manufacturers add extra ingredients to salmorejo. For example, red pepper is incorporated to camouflage the acidity of the tomato or onion and vinegar that are more characteristic of gazpacho. The winners. To get a good packaged salmorejo, it is not necessary to go for the most expensive option on the list that promises the best type of tomato from our fields. Here the OCU has the following ranking of brands: Landlord: the best valued in the analysis, with a score of 70/100 and a price of €3.00/liter. Auchan: with a score of 65/100 and a price of €2.18/liter. In addition to these, the one from the Día brand, La huerta de Don Simón, which is among the best rated, and the one from the Realfooding brand also stand out. The recommendations. From the OCU they point out in the first place that it has been shown that many cheap white label cartons surpass in taste and quality premium rigid plastic containers that have a higher price. In addition, it is pointed out how important it is to review the foods of these products, since, the moment you see vinegar, red pepper or onion, the truth is that the recipe is not the most faithful to the salmorejo that we expect in our classic gastronomy. Images | Straight to the Palate In Xataka | Spain has become a white label country: 60% of what we spend on food already goes to them

This is the new Huawei FreeClip 2 S, headphones with a design more like a jewel

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

When looking for new headphones, not everyone wants them to offer the best possible sound. There are other things to evaluate, including its design. Precisely for this reason, the Huawei FreeClip 2 S catches our attention, headphones that look more like a jewel for the ears. and since they can now be purchased: they have a price of 229 eurosbut MediaMarkt has them available for 199 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Ideal headphones for those looking for something different These new Huawei headphones follow the same line as the first FreeClips. They are headphones with a clip design made up of three parts: a part that is behind the ear where the battery goes, one that is placed inside the ear and is where the driver is, and a C-shaped bridge between both parts. What result does this structure offer? Well, as our colleague explains Jose Garcia, They make them very comfortable to wear for hours. The case is also different from those we usually see on other headphones, with a spherical design and a mirror-like finish. Huawei promises that these headphones are capable of offering 9 hours of total playback, reaching 38 hours if we count the battery in the case. In addition, they have multipoint connection, which allows you to connect the headphones to several devices at the same time. On a sound level, these new Huawei FreeClip 2 S meet a good level, especially if we take into account that they have some bass that feels pretty good (something commendable if we take into account the format they have). In addition, they will also allow us to take phone calls and have several gestures to perform certain actions, such as pausing the music or invoking Gemini. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: huawei freeclip 2 s ✅ THE BEST Very comfortable headphones: Their design, in addition to being very attractive and eye-catching, is designed to be very comfortable even during very long sessions. Very good autonomy: They reach 9 hours of playback and 38 hours if we add the battery in the case. ❌ THE WORST They don’t have the best sound: Their sound is not bad, but it is below what other headphones offer in the same price range. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for headphones with a different design, that are comfortable all day long and that have an open character so as not to isolate you from the outside. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Do you prefer a more conventional option or your priority is to have outstanding sound. In that case, you have the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5. You may also be interested HUAWEI FreeClip 2 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Open Earbuds, All Day Comfort, Open-Ear Adaptive Listening, up to 38h Autonomy, iOS and Android, 42 Month Warranty, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Soundcore C50i by Anker, Open Headphones, Clip-on Headphones, FlexiClip design, 12 mm drivers with powerful bass, Clear calls with AI, 28 hours of use, Secure Fit, IP55, Bluetooth 6.0 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Jose GarciaXataka, Huawei In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models In Xataka | Best truly wireless earbuds (TWS) with noise cancellation. Which one to buy and seven recommended models

“Quantum computers are the solution to tritium that will fuel nuclear fusion”

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

The nuclear fusion It promises us clean and practically unlimited energy, but it has been stuck for decades by an obstacle that is difficult to overcome: fuel. The reactors tokamakthe most frequent in experimental projects, work fusing deuterium and tritiumtwo isotopes of hydrogen that when combined release a helium nucleus and a neutron that is ejected with an energy of about 14 MeV (megaelectronvolts). The problem is that the tritium It is an extraordinarily rare isotope on Earth. It is only formed naturally in the atmosphere due to the interaction of cosmic raysand in tiny quantities. In this scenario, for nuclear fusion to have a future as a real energy source, scientists need to find an efficient strategy that allows them to produce tritium in an artificial and sustainable way. This is the context in which the latest research carried out by the Cleveland Clinic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, IBM’s TJ Watson Research Center and Michigan State University, all in the US, is drawing a lot of attention. And for the first time a team of scientists has used a quantum computer to identify the molecular configurations of the material that acts as a tritium “breeding blanket” within a nuclear fusion reactor. FLiBe: the molten salt that can save fusion The material identified by this quantum machine is called FLiBe, and it is a molten salt composed of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. Inside a reactor tokamak The neutrons released by the fusion plasma impact this molten salt that covers the internal walls of the vacuum chamber, and it is this process that is responsible for producing tritium. Finding the optimal FLiBe configuration is the key to making fuel production viable on an industrial scale. This approach allows you to rule out less promising options in advance, saving time and money. A quick note before moving forward: the technique used by these researchers is known as quantum computing focused on supercomputing, and it is the same as Cleveland Clinic has previously used to simulate protein configurations of thousands of atoms. Applying it now to the chemistry of fusion materials is a novelty. The result of this strategy has been the identification of nine different molecular configurations of the FLiBe material, each with its own electronic structure, atomic behavior and molecular bond strength. Tom Beck, a computational chemist at Oak Ridge Laboratory, has explained that quantum computers are essential tools for accelerating the discovery and design cycles necessary to produce enough tritium to fuel fusion reactors. However, it is important that we temper our expectations. The nine configurations are, for now, simulations, and still have to be validated in the laboratory before making the leap to a real reactor. What this approach does allow is to rule out in advance the least promising optionssaving time and money on experiments that might otherwise go nowhere. IBM researcher Jerry Chow has added These results reinforce the idea that quantum computing is already a practical tool capable of solving problems that have eluded chemists and engineers for years. For now, nuclear fusion still does not have a closed solution to its fuel problem. However, for the first time a quantum computer has put concrete candidate materials on the table with which to begin solving this enormous challenge. Image | Fusion for Energy (F4E) More information | Science Alert In Xataka | The start-up of the largest nuclear fusion reactor on the planet is delayed by a decade. These are the reasons for the ITER gap

70% of its hotels lack staff

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

Becoming one of the great resorts in the world has its price. Spain knows this, as it is on its way to overcoming the 100 million visitors foreigners and become the country with the most tourists of the planet. And Japan certainly knows this, which in recent years has seen its flow of foreign travelers skyrocket to almost the 43 million. That avalanche of people eager to climb Fujisee the geishas and he Sakura or be photographed in Shibuya has strained coexistence in the country, sparking the debate about the tourism and one wave of social rejection. Japan could, however, have a natural (and unexpected) brake on its tourist expansion: the lack of staff in hotels. The percentage: 72.2%. In full tourist boom and with Japan breaking records of foreign visitors, the Japanese authorities recently did a curious exercise: they asked the country’s hotels how they are doing. Not in terms of billing and demand, but in terms of their ability to provide services. It may seem like a strange task, but the truth is that it has revealed a surprising fact: 72.2% Of the more than 500 accommodations surveyed, they acknowledged having fewer staff than they really need. That is to say, in the midst of a tourism boom, it is easier for businesses to attract clients than workers. Does it affect everyone equally? For their study, the technicians spoke with 522 establishments of all kinds, from large hotel chains to more modest accommodations and ryokan traditional. Of all of them, those that acknowledged having the most difficulties when training their staff are medium-sized businesses, with an annual turnover level of between 100 and 1,000 million yen, equivalent to between 540,000 and 5.4 million euros. Of the 280 businesses interviewed with these characteristics, 77.1% admitted that it is difficult for him to find professionals. And almost all of them (90%) are companies with less than 100 employees. What’s more, half don’t even reach 30. One word: overexertion. The problem is not only the greater or lesser shortage of staff, but what this means for the professionals who already work in hotels. The equation is very simple: more work without more staff ends up resulting in greater pressure on the workforce. The Government study confirms this with figures: 79.3% of accommodations with a lack of staff recognizes that this handicap ends up overloading their staff in high season. 40.6% have no choice but to reduce their services. The great mystery. The question at this point is obvious… If tourism has become a booming business in Japan and the country aspire While this demand continues to grow, why is it so difficult for hotels to hire staff? l The answer is complicated and requires handling several keys. The main one: the hospitality industry is not the most desired sector in the country. Low salaries and a lack of breaks discourage the Japanese population from looking for work in the sector, leading the authors of the ‘White Paper’ on Japanese tourism to propose an improvement of working conditions. They also advocate modernizing their accommodations. Is it the only problem? No. In the background there is another handicap that cannot be ignored either: it is not only that Japan has fewer employees for its hotels, it is that in general Japan has fewer people for everything. Its population has been contracting for yearswhich in turn affects the nation’s labor muscle: if in 2010 it came close to 128.1 million of inhabitants, in 2025 it would not reach 124 million. And a significant part of that population is already very old. With these data as a backdrop, it is better understood that the sector has chosen to look for talent outside, signing foreign personnel and offering part-time contracts. Ironically, in recent years Japan he hasn’t made it easy to immigrants who come to the country to work or undertake, hardening the conditions that must be met to qualify for resident status. It is estimated that at the end of 2025, Japan would host slightly more than four million of foreign residents, an interesting figure on two counts: it represents 9.5% more than the previous year and (above all) a new historical record. A not so new notice. This is not the first time that Japan has seen alarm bells go off due to labor shortages in the tourism sector. He did it in 2025when the Asia Pacific Institute of Research warned that the country risked suffering a deficit of hundreds of thousands of hospitality workers. Specifically, it estimates that if the nation maintains its goal of reaching 60 million tourists in 2030, it will find itself with a ‘hole’ of about 536,000 employees. The problem is the same: demand in hotels and restaurants increases, but the sector’s muscle to meet it is not strengthened. Even the aviation sector would have problems. In 2024 Bloomberg warned that to reach the goal of 60 million tourists the country will need many more pilots. At the moment the flow of foreign visitors remains below the 43 millionbut the trend is clear growth. Images | IK’s World Trip (Flickr), Ramon Buçard (Unsplash) and Victoriano Izquierdo (Unsplash) In Xataka | “If you only visit Copacabana, you don’t really visit Rio”: mass tourism has found its new object of desire in the favelas

This is how the new Castellana subway will work

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

A few days ago we knew that Madrid it was over with one of the key phases of the burial of the north of Paseo de la Castellana. This is the excavation of the tunnel that will connect the M-30 with the surroundings of the Four Towers, ending after the demolition of the last wall that separated both ends of the work. The mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, present at the time along with the delegate of Works and Equipment, Paloma García Romero, assured that the infrastructure, 675 meters long, will be ready for vehicles to circulate. starting in december. A tunnel with AI. The capital already has more than 40 kilometers of underground traffic galleries, but everything indicates that this will be the most technologically advanced. And unlike passageways like those of the M-30 under Madrid Río, which have been built for almost 20 years, the new tunnel will incorporate technology based on artificial intelligence to monitor and manage in real time everything that happens inside. What AI will do. The idea is that the system is trained to identify vehiclescontrol the speed at which they circulate, detect incidents or violations and monitor the polluting emissions generated inside the tunnel. This information will also allow the ventilation of the gallery to be automatically adjusted based on the level of pollution detected at all times, thus optimizing air quality without the need for manual intervention. Between the lines. The goal is for the tunnel to function as a self-regulating system. The more data you collect about traffic and pollution, the more accurately you can anticipate problems, from a traffic jam to a broken down vehicle, before they become a risk to those driving inside. According to sources collected by The reasonthis commitment also seeks to provide the tunnel with the highest safety standards. And along with all its AI, the infrastructure will also have improved emergency exit systems and Wi-Fi coverage. What will it be like inside? The tunnel will have three lanes in each direction, not counting the accesses, exits and links with roads such as the M-30, the M-607, the A-1 or the M-11. The route will connect the current underpass on Sinesio Delgado Street, in the south, with the North Nude, next to the La Paz Hospital. Furthermore, according to they count from ABC, it has been designed on two levels to minimize the impact on the trees that exist right now, thus conserving the greatest number of specimens, especially the largest conifers. And now what. This summer, excavation will begin on the second level of the tunnel, an extension that in the future will connect La Castellana with the Begoña neighborhood and with the new Madrid Nuevo Norte district. For now the infrastructure will be prepared, but it will not come into operation until that connection arrives. Meanwhile, on the surface the construction of Parque Castellana is progressing, a green area of 70,000 square meters with more than 1,500 trees, a large jet fountain and a 35-meter-high pergola covered with solar panels that, according to explained Almeida, will serve to “guarantee that at all times there is an adequate supply” of energy for vehicles traveling through the tunnel. The idea is that, when everything is finished, only public transport and local traffic accessing the buildings in the area will circulate on the surface. Cover image | Madrid City Council In Xataka | The Mayrit tunnel boring machine has crossed under the Manzanares and the M-30: thus it has arrived eleven days ahead of schedule to its first major stop

Anthropic claims to have found Claude’s “consciousness”, although the data tells another story

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

Anthropic has published an article that promises to change the way we understand the inner workings of your business models. artificial intelligence (AI), like we explain to you last week. This company claims to have identified a kind of global workspace within Claudewhich he has named J-Spacewhere the model analyzes and manipulates concepts before these become part of the final answer. What is surprising is that, according to Anthropic, this space has not been deliberately programmed: it has emerged as a byproduct of training the model. To analyze it and understand how it works, a technique known as J-Lens which is capable of mapping the internal activations of the model onto words from its own output vocabulary. When asking Claude to solve a multi-step mathematical calculation the visible answer contained only the final result, but within the J-Space each intermediate step was represented separately. Without this technique no part of that process could have been observed from the outside. However, Anthropic itself recognizes that much of what a language model does does not even go through this internal space. Speaking fluently, remembering simple facts or applying basic grammatical rules almost completely dispenses with J-Spaceand when the company blocked its use Claude continued to function normally, although he lost some of his higher-order cognitive functions. Claude “knows” that he is being watched During one of his most striking experiments, Anthropic subjected Claude to injection attempts. prompts during data acquisition processes. He J-Space then showed words like “false”, “injection”, “erroneous”, “prompt“, “fraud” and “poison”, while the visible response of the model completely ignored the attempted manipulation. Interestingly, when pressed to comment on the matter, terms such as “transparency”, “honesty” and “truth” emerged in the internal space. The language used in the article sometimes borders on the idea of an emerging consciousness The Anthropic researchers also observed that Claude seems to recognize when he is being evaluated, which leads him to behave differently when faced with tests than when faced with prompts everyday. In a particularly revealing test, Anthropic removed J-Space the vocabulary associated with that consciousness of being put to the test (terms such as “fake”, “fictitious” or “scenario”) and found that Claude became much more vulnerable to attempts at blackmail or provocation. Be that as it may, the researchers’ report admits important limits: the J-Space is restricted to a single-token vocabulary, so plans or concepts that cannot be expressed with a single word may not appear in the reading, even though the model is calculating them anyway. Anthropic also does not dare to claim that monitoring this space is sufficient to guarantee the alignment of a model. However, we must not overlook that the language used in the article sometimes borders on the idea of an emerging consciousness. Neel Nanda, head of model interpretability at DeepMind, supports this finding as real evidence of a cognitive space within the modelsalthough he clarifies that the practical usefulness of J-Lens remains limited. This achievement, in any case, opens a promising avenue for auditing the honesty of models, although it is still far from being a complete window into a machine’s thinking. Image | Generated by Xataka with ChatGPT using a prompt created with Claude More information | Anthropic In Xataka | While most oppose AI data centers, there is one group enthusiastic about them: merchandise thieves

“Every repetition is an experiment for the brain”

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

The premiere of the live-action remake of ‘Moana’ does not seem to have started too well, and it is already planned considerable losses in this attempt to recapture the success of the original film and its sequel, just a decade after the release of the first installment. But that does not detract from the achievements of the original ‘Moana’: it is still, according to figures from Disney itself, the most watched movie in the history of Disney+. What is so special about that film that makes it hold such a record? That success. Disney talks about more than 1.5 billion hours playedan amount unexpected even by the film’s creators themselves. Directors John Musker and Ron Clements they counted that when they learned the figure, the information left them perplexed: they had not imagined that the film would have such a journey in streaming, taking into account that it neither won an Oscar nor was it the highest grossing of the year of its release. Some explanation. Sam Wass, child psychologist and director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth at the University of East London, explains for The New York Times that a young child’s brain learns by predicting. Each viewing allows you to fine-tune a different prediction: first the general plot, then the jokes, the characters’ emotions or the vocabulary. Wass places the optimal point of learning in what he calls the “Goldilocks zone” (translated: Goldilocks), the space between the completely predictable and the impossible to anticipate. ‘Moana’ is especially attractive in that regard. The more complex the narrative is, the more repetitions are needed before it stops providing new information. ‘Moana’ meets this requirement better than a linear story, because it has several layers of reading at the same time: the maritime adventure, the family bond and the identity crisis of the protagonist. What seems like empty repetition to an adult may be, to a three-year-old brain, just the level of challenge it needs. why andThe adult also repeats. The phenomenon does not only apply to children. The aforementioned article talks about the studies of Cristel Antonia Russell, a marketing professor, who has spent a decade studying why people return to the same content over and over again, a phenomenon that certainly goes beyond the success of ‘Moana’. In 2012, together with Sidney J. Levy, he published a study in the Journal of Consumer Research on what they call “volitional reconsumption”: the conscious search for a hedonic experience already lived. Paradox of choice. Russell also resorts to the paradox of choice, the concept that psychologist Barry Schwartz raised in 2004 in his book of the same name: when options multiply, choosing something already proven reduces the cognitive load of deciding. It is linked to the phenomenon of marathon the same series over and over again: the self-control necessary to process new stimuli is exhausted, and returning to something familiar does not require that effort. Clinical psychologist Lecina Fernández matches in which the pattern is identical in children and adults: knowing how something ends eliminates uncertainty, and that absence of surprise is, in itself, pleasant. Watching ‘Moana’ for the umpteenth time and watching ‘The Office’ for the umpteenth time are phenomena, deep down, not very different from each other. The limit of the formula. But then, if repetition is so rewarding, why has the new version stumbled, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui? Critics have sunk the remake with 33% on Rotten Tomatoesbut possibly the secret of the puncture is precisely what has led to its streaming success: the new version is so mimetic of the original that the public has no reason to pay for something they already have, free and in a known version, in their own living room. At home, predictability is the advantage, as we have seen. But if we pay an entrance fee, we want surprises and novelty, even if the packaging is familiar. After the setbacks of the new versions of ‘Moana’ and ‘Snow White’, and despite the sweet smell of banknotes in ‘Lilo & Stitch’, in this case repetition does not guarantee pleasure. In Xataka | The failure of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is something more worrying for Disney: what the hell is it doing with Star Wars

Five TVs that you can buy today at Carrefour at an outlet price and saving VAT

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

If you were waiting for the right moment to retire your old television from the living room, renew the television in the living room, Carrefour has just made it easy for you. His popular campaign “Save VAT” is now active (for TVs 65 inches or larger), which translates into a golden opportunity to get top-notch imaging technology at discounted prices. The available catalog is extensive and it is easy to get lost among dozens of acronyms and models. To save you the research work, we have thoroughly analyzed the five best smart TVs of this campaign, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and budget. Of course, to be able to see the price of each model, you will have to add it to the shopping cart. Samsung – QLED TV 189cm (75′) Samsung TQ75Q7F5AUXXC, 4K Vision AI Quantum dot Smart TV. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi TV A Pro 75 (2026) by 450.18 euros: 75-inch QLED and with Google TV. TCL 65P71K by 392.78 euros: 65-inch QLED and with Google TV. LG OLED65B6ELC by 1,311.18 euros: 65-inch OLED and with Dolby ATmos. Hisense 65E79S by 499 euros: 65-inch QLED with VIDAA operating system. Samsung TQ75Q7F5AU by 573.18 euros: 75-inch QLED and with Tizen. Xiaomi TV A Pro 75 (2026) By 450.18 euros (compared to the 549 euros it previously cost) you can buy this TV 75 inch QLED from the Chinese manufacturer. It stands out for its Quantum Dot panel with 4K resolution and AI optimization, accompanied by a surround audio system compatible with Dolby Audio and DTS:X. In addition, it works under the Google TV operating system. Xiaomi QLED 75″ A PRO 2026 UltraHD 4K Dolby Audio Google TV The price could vary. We earn commission from these links TCL 65P71K Although it is already reduced to 479 euros, now, in addition, in the “Save the VAT” campaign you can get this 65-inch QLED TV from TCL for 392.78 euros. It offers 4K resolution and is compatible with HDR10. The operating system under which it works is Google TVso it has Google Assistant and Chromecast integrated. TCL – QLED TV 165.1 cm (65′) TCL 65P7K, 4K HDR TV, Smart TV Powered by Google TV, compatible with Voice Assistants. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG OLED65B6ELC If you are looking to take a leap in quality, this 2026 LG TV from the B range stands out for offering pure whites and blacks. Now, you can take it at Carrefour for 1,311.18 euros and you also have a refund of 150 euros available. This TV 65-inch OLED is compatible with Dolby Atmos and it has 120 Hz refresh rate, so it is also perfect for gaming. TV LG OLED AI OLED65B6ELC 65″ 4K UltraHD 120Hz Smart TV WebOS HDR10 Dolby Vision Gaming The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense 65E79S By 499 eurosyou have this Hisense TV available 65 inch QLED with 4K resolution and that stands out for incorporating Dolby Vision IQ, an intelligent system that analyzes the light in your living room to adjust the brightness and contrast of the screen in real time. It offers surround sound compatible with DTS:X and Dolby Atmos and the operating system under which it works is VIDAA. TV Hisense LED 65A79S 65″ 4K UltraHD 60Hz Smart TV VIDAA HDR10 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung is another of those firms that cannot be missing from our compilation of televisions and this model TQ75Q7F5AU is one of the models that are worth it in this Carrefour campaign (now it costs 573.18 euros). It is a TV with a panel 75 inch QLED and operating system tizen. In addition, you get up to 345 euros as a gift in content. What stands out about this TV is that it is compatible with HDR10+ and the Alexa voice assistant. Samsung – QLED TV 189cm (75′) Samsung TQ75Q7F5AUXXC, 4K Vision AI Quantum dot Smart TV. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Webedia, TCL, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi and Hisense In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 140 euros

They stay for free in luxury houses and castles throughout France

July 14, 2026 by usatoday24

Every few months, Claudine and Jean-Louis, a retired couple living in Aveyron, in the south of France, pack their bags to start some somewhat peculiar vacation. Sometimes their destination is a castle in the Saône-et-Loire region. Others, a house with a pool in French Provence. They are not millionairesbut no one charges them to stay in those luxurious properties. In return, the retired couple only has to give to eat a catwater a garden and collect mail from people they barely know. They have been doing it for twelve years and they told it in Le Figaro Emploi like someone describing any routine. Behind these apparent luxury vacations, there is a system with clear rules and an unexpected reason: they have to go spend the summer in palaces and mansions with pool because your retirement pension it wasn’t enough for them to go on vacation. The trick has a name: home-sitting The name sounds very modern, but in reality the idea is as old as asking a family member, neighbor or friend to stop by from time to time to water your plants or feed the cat during your vacation. In the case of home-sitting, that caregiver is not your neighbor, but rather they may have to travel across the country to water your plants, so the incentive is to allow them to stay free in your house while the order lasts. It is an exchange in kind in which there is no money involved. The retired couple has been using DomSittinga French platform specialized in this type of situation, designed only for retirees. Each assignment lasts from a few days to several weeks, and the owner usually explains the tasks to be carried out and shows the house in person before leaving on vacation. “Without DomSitting, we simply would not be able to travel,” Claudine declared to the French digital. They don’t put just anyone in your house Entering this world is not automatic. At the end of the day it is about bring a stranger into your house. As a control measure, they ask for a clean criminal record and insurance to cover possible damage to the home. Nomadorthe most used platform in France outside the exclusive circuit for retirees, requires verification of the DNI or passport and covers the home with insurance of up to 50,000 euros for damages. Once the profile is approved, the retiree can choose between assignments spread throughout France, and sometimes also extend to Switzerland or the Netherlands. Before each stay they sign a contract with specific rules, such as not receiving guests in the “borrowed” house. The assigned tasks are simple: walk the dog, water pots, make sure everything works. Nothing that a seventy-year-old retiree can’t do without effort. Word of mouth of this “trick” to stay in luxury villascastles or mansions during the summer has made it spread like wildfire. A French travel YouTuber posted a video from a villa in Nantes with a jacuzzi that, according to her, she “could never have afforded” on her own. His only tasks were to water a huge garden and feed Melchior, the house cat. He paid about 30 euros for three months of access to Nomador and chained five weeks of free accommodation in different destinations. Vacations within reach of retirees As indicated in their interview with the French media, Claudine and Jean-Louis’ joint pension is around 2,400 euros per month. It is not a low figure, but it does not leave much room for frequent getaways, taking into account the prices in France. According to the latest data As of 2025 from the French Government’s statistical agency, the average pension of a retiree in France is 1,666 euros gross, about 1,541 euros net. And today the country has 17.2 million retired people. The home-sitting alternative allows them to travel to other cities in the country, they do not pay rent, electricity, gas, or water in the place where they stay. They also hardly spend any money on their own home while they are away. Your vacation expenses only involve day-to-day gas and food. Claudine calculates that They save about 5,000 euros a yearmoney that previously went into hotels or vacation homes that never they could have afforded. In Xataka | Billionaires and celebrities have a new way to make money with their mansions: renting them to their fans Image | Unsplash (Alejandra Cifre González, 冷毛)

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