New Houston-based streaming service showcases the best of the Bayou City

IVOX AND CHILL

The team behind Houston-based IVOX+ will spotlight local and Texas topics. Photo courtesy of IVOX Media

Fans of Houston and Texas culture and personalities who want to see even more coverage have a new outlet. Local production house IVOX Media has launched IVOX+, a new streaming service available through multiple partner apps and devices.

Boasting original local programming, independent films, classic movies, and music, IVOX+ is available for download for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as Google Play for Android phones and tablets.

For bigger screen options, the service is also available on Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, and on Samsung TVs, smart TVs, and other devices. Subscribers pay $5.99 per month for independent movies, short films, original series, and thousands of movie classics and old school TV shows.

“As an independent streaming service created in Texas, IVOX+ speaks directly to Texas culture, music, sports, and filmmaking,” IVOX founder Louie Comella tells CultureMap. “The independent spirit that is uniquely Texas can be found in many of the IVOX+ original programs which highlight Texas brands, businesses, destinations, and people.”

On tap for original local programming are Beerliners, Distillery Arts, and Food Civilization, which feature Yellow Rose Distilling, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, 8th Wonder Brewery, Clutch Distilling, and chef Ryan Pera of Coltivare and Agricole Hospitality.

Meanwhile, sports personality Lauren Leal (ESPN 97.5FM, Channel 2 KPRC, CW39, and AT&T Sportsnet), will host Sports with Balls with co-host Jeff Michael.

Other Houston topics and programs include The Art Car Parade, Chinatown, The Mahatma Gandhi District, and The Navigation Esplanade neighborhood in IVOX+ originals Es La Realidad, Stories from Chinatown, and Reel Humans.

Houston filmmakers featured on IVOX+ include Courtney Glaude, Stan Hillard, Jantel Fontenot, and Bob Willems. Musical artists Zak The Tyrant, Dalton D’Rich, Jono Jono, Rxbyn, and Doug Westscott will be featured in the cinematic music series.

Plans for IVOX+ include linear and live channels over the next year for its media brands, including Comedy Show TV, Food Civilization, and IVOX MUSIC, with curated channels from Houston, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs, California.

The streaming service was born from Comella (a commercial film executive producer), who, along with fellow cinematographer Gracie Henley, experienced the challenges faced by independent artists to get their work seen by an audience, a release notes.

“Considering all the streaming platforms available, there’s still no real entry point for independents to get their work actually seen by a global audience,” said Comella in a statement. “The days of meeting a studio executive to get the big break are long gone. IVOX+ was created to support independent filmmakers, and content creators, as well as be a destination for indie movies, short films, and new artists.”

Other Texas topics, according to a press release, include:

Austin

  • Austin City Limits
  • Kyle Park
  • Deep Eddy Vodka
  • The Continental Club
  • SoCo neighborhood

Dallas

  • The Reverend Horton Heat
  • Ricki Derek
  • Lower Greenville neighborhood
  • Jimmy’s Italian Grocery

San Antonio

  • The Blue Star Brewing Co.
  • The Phantom Rockers
  • Rico’s
  • Rebecca Creek Distillery
  • Sam’s Burger Joint
  • Pearl Brewery
  • The BlueStar First Friday event
  • SouthTown

For more information or to stream the service, visit www.IVOXplus.com.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Houston-based Church Space is launching a new tool to help religious groups reach their congregations virtually. Photo via bookchurchspace.com

Houston organization creates the 'Netflix for churches' in light of social distancing

tune in

Places of worship were not immune from various stay-at-home orders, and many still have not resumed services. But a Houston startup is giving religious institutions an opportunity to reach their congregations — virtually.

Houston-based Church Space allows groups to rent spaces for worship and is described as "the Airbnb for churches." In light of the pandemic, the company is gearing up to launch Church Space TV, a streaming program that allows churches and ministries to stream worship services for free.

"It felt like the perfect opportunity to give churches a way to reach more people during the pandemic," says Day Edwards, founder and CEO of Church Space. "This would create more impact than anything we could possibly offer at this time."

Church Space focuses on weekly worship services to growing churches and one-time community events. The space sharing platform helps churches earn extra income while helping growing congregations by providing them with space to gather and worship.

Now with the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent stay-at-home orders, many churches have closed, with many growing ministries no longer able to reach congregations in a shared space. Church Space Tv offers churches a new solution by providing a streaming program for worshippers on Roku and Apple TV.

"The true church has no doors, and we must adapt during these uncertain times," says Edwards. "We must rely on a wildly imaginative use of technology to reach more people than ever before."

For Edwards, a second-generation church planter, the inspiration for Church Space comes from her childhood growing up watching her mother, Paster Cherry DeeDee Edwards, transform living rooms into worship rooms for new burgeoning churches.

Now, Edwards continues that legacy with the help of modern technology.

"Many churches already recognize the need to incorporate live streaming into their worship services and have experience doing so through their websites and Facebook pages," says Edwards. "Through Church Space Tv, we want to help them expand their reach beyond their current congregation, network, and community."

Church Space Tv allows churches and ministries to expand their reach with 36. 9 million Roku users and 35. 8 million Apple TV users. According to Edwards, they already have 36 hours of content and counting ready for audiences to view from churches all over the country including ministries from Florida, Atlanta, and California in their catalog.

"It brings communities together by watching with friends and family," says Edwards. "And it brings those who may have to work or those who cannot worship in person with a sense of comfort by being in their home while still feeling part of the church community while expanding their access to a more diverse catalog content from different churches."

Church Space TV is launching Sunday, May 24, on Roku and Apple TV. According to Edwards, she expects this iteration of the Church Space brand to become the "Netflix for churches."

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Musk’s SpaceX spends $17B to acquire spectrum licenses from EchoStar

SpaceX Update

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reached a deal worth about $17 billion with EchoStar for spectrum licenses that it will use to beef up its Starlink satellite network.

The deal for EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses includes up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock. SpaceX will make approximately $2 billion in cash interest payments on EchoStar debt through November 2027.

SpaceX and EchoStar will enter into a long-term commercial agreement which will allow EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers to access SpaceX’s next generation Starlink Direct to Cell service.

Shares of EchoStar surged 19% before the market opened Monday.

Last month AT&T said that it will spend $23 billion to acquire wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar, a significant expansion of its low- and mid-band coverage networks.

EchoStar said that it anticipates that the AT&T deal and the SpaceX transaction will resolve recent inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission about the rollout of 5G technology in the U.S. The FCC had been calling for hearings on whether Echostar was properly using the spectrum that it is now selling, and its efforts to make 5G more available to communities.

EchoStar said Monday that it will use the proceeds from the sale partly to pay down debt. Current operations of Dish TV, Sling and Hughes will not be impacted, the company said.

Houston students develop cost-effective glove to treat Parkinson's symptoms

smart glove

Two Rice undergraduate engineering students have developed a non-invasive vibrotactile glove that aims to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease through therapeutic vibrations.

Emmie Casey and Tomi Kuye developed the project with support from the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) and guidance from its director, Maria Oden, and Rice lecturer Heather Bisesti, according to a news release from the university.

The team based the design on research from the Peter Tass Lab at Stanford University, which explored how randomized vibratory stimuli delivered to the fingertips could help rewire misfiring neurons in the brain—a key component of Parkinson’s disease.

Clinical trials from Stanford showed that coordinated reset stimulation from the vibrations helped patients regain motor control and reduced abnormal brain activity. The effects lasted even after users removed the vibrotactile gloves.

Casey and Kuye set out to replicate the breakthrough at a lower cost. Their prototype replaced the expensive motors used in previous designs with motors found in smartphones that create similar tiny vibrations. They then embedded the motors into each fingertip of a wireless glove.

“We wanted to take this breakthrough and make it accessible to people who would never be able to afford an expensive medical device,” Casey said in the release. “We set out to design a glove that delivers the same therapeutic vibrations but at a fraction of the cost.”

Rice’s design also targets the root of the neurological disruption and attempts to retrain the brain. An early prototype was given to a family friend who had an early onset of the disease. According to anecdotal data from Rice, after six months of regularly using the gloves, the user was able to walk unaided.

“We’re not claiming it’s a cure,” Kuye said in the release. “But if it can give people just a little more control, a little more freedom, that’s life-changing.”

Casey and Kuye are working to develop a commercial version of the glove priced at $250. They are taking preorders and hope to release 500 pairs of gloves this fall. They've also published an open-source instruction manual online for others who want to try to build their own glove at home. They have also formed a nonprofit and plan to use a sliding scale price model to help users manage the cost.

“This project exemplifies what we strive for at the OEDK — empowering students to translate cutting-edge research into real-world solutions,” Oden added in the release. “Emmie and Tomi have shown extraordinary initiative and empathy in developing a device that could bring meaningful relief to people living with Parkinson’s, no matter their resources.”

New Austin tower eclipses Houston landmark as Texas' tallest building

Tallest in Texas

Texas officially has a new tallest tower. The title moves from Houston, for the JPMorgan Chase Tower, to Austin, for Waterline at 98 Red River St. The new tower will contain mixed-use spaces including apartments, offices, a hotel, restaurants, and retail. It is scheduled to open in full in 2026.

Waterline held a "topping out" ceremony in August, when the final beam was added to the top of the tower. It now reaches 74 stories and 1,025 feet — just 23 feet taller than the JPMorgan Chase Tower.

Waterline height comparison Waterline is now the tallest building in Texas.Graphic courtesy of Lincoln Property Company

According to a press release, hundreds of construction workers and team project members attended the Waterline ceremony, and more than 4,750 people have worked on it since the project broke ground in 2022. An estimated 875 people were working onsite every day at the busiest time for construction.

The Waterline site is on a 3.3-acre campus with lots of views of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake. The building contains space for 352 luxury apartments, 700,000 square feet of offices, a hotel called 1 Hotel Austin with 251 rooms, and 24,000 square feet of retail stores and restaurants.

The only space that is open to new tenants already is the office space, with residential soon to follow. The hotel and residential units are expected to open in fall 2026.

Waterline tower Austin A view from above, shot by drone.Photo courtesy of Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential

“Seamlessly integrated with Waller Creek, Waterloo Greenway and the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, Waterline will quickly become a top downtown destination and activity center," said Lincoln executive vice president Seth Johnston in a press release. Project improvements will also make it far easier for people to access all of the public amenities in this area from Rainey Street, the new Austin Convention Center, and the rest of the Central Business District."

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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