set-topbox
Latest
VuNow streaming set-top boxes to get CinemaNow streaming movie access
Verismo's quest to bring its streaming media platform to more customers and OEMs has received a shot in the arm, now that the company announced support for CinemaNow. CinemaNow has already announced plans to come directly to flatscreens via widgets, so if the VuNow platform is adopted into more hardware as it was by Sherwood, expect to have one more internet movie-capable box sneaking into your living room disguised as a receiver, amplifier or cable DVR over the next few years. Word is this is just the first content announcement with more to come, while we anticipate who is next (CinemaNow-based providers like Blockbuster are an easy bet) check the full press release after the break.
ISB Corp assimilates Android into STB
Netbooks and digital picture frames aren't the only new territory Google's Android can be found exploring. ISB Corp is tinkering with the platform as a way of powering a set-top box. A reference board powered by TI's OMAP 3530 processor was on display last week, strutting its video playback and web browsing capabilities at the 12th Embedded Systems Expo in Tokyo, and there the company said it was in the process of optimizing the software for a smooth HD video experience. It's also reportedly demonstrating support for wireless keyboards and Bluetooth. Frankly, we haven't been 100 percent sold on a lot of these Android implementations, but there's definitely potential here. Hopefully we can get some more glimpses of it in the not too distant future.
Panasonic again giving tru2way a boost at Cable Show '09
Panasonic has consistently been one of the companies backing tru2way with the most hardware, and this year's Cable Show is no different. First up, its tru2way compatible plasma HDTVs are now on sale in Atlanta, with additional rollouts planned for the rest of '09 -- put host city Washington D.C. on the list for sure, since since Comcast has hooked the booth up to a live feed for demonstrations as previously seen in Denver. Don't have the scratch for a whole new TV just to experience the new tech? Say hello to the PCH2180 Advanced Multi-tuner tru2way set-top receiver (pictured) that's now shipping, an HD-DVR ready for multistream CableCARDs and includes a DOCSIS modem, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 compatibility plus MoCA networking capabilities. Panasonic's taken the time to tie it to a prototype Easy Touch multitouch remote (video embedded after the break) that we were digging at CEATEC and CES alike, with this kind of investment the NCTA might be able to make us forget January's disappointment.%Gallery-33142%
Kodak's Theatre HD Player unboxed and reviewed
We already heard what a few others had to say about Kodak's Theatre HD Player, but we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to unbox our own and toss out some impressions. We won't bother teasing you, though -- head on over to Engadget Classic for the full spill.
Kodak's Theatre HD Player with gyro-based Pointer Remote unboxed and reviewed
We've been playing around with Kodak's new Theatre HD Player for the past few days, and our feelings are mixed. Kodak is doing a lot of interesting and innovative things here, especially with the gyroscopic Pointer Remote it has included for interfacing with the box, but we're not convinced this thing is polished or helpful enough to justify the $299 asking price. Check out our full impressions after the break. %Gallery-42830% %Gallery-42831%
Australian peace restored with free HD tuners
For all of our complaining about the long run-up to the analog shutoff here in the US, this story illustrates the benefits of taking time to do a little consumer education. In Australia, it turns out that not everyone was aware that TVs with analog-only tuners are unable to receive the HD programming that Seven and Ten are advertising so heavily. This all came to a boil with Ten's HD-only Masters golf broadcast, and some customers returned to stores with talk of "misrepresentation." Retailers are giving away digital set-top boxes to smooth things over, though, so hopefully things are cleared up for now. This sounds exactly like the kind of thing US big-box retailers avoided by clearing shelves of analog-only TVs, and we might suggest some similar action for other global HD citizens.
Double toil and trouble, VUDU rumor pot bubbles over
With apologies to Shakespeare, something is brewing at VUDU. With CEDIA just around the corner, the company has laid off some of its staff, most notably some of its marketing higher-ups. Additionally, rumors are swirling regarding just about every aspect of the upstart company's future. CEPro got some talk-time with the VUDU's national dealer channel manager, and a theme of decreased emphasis on the retail channel seems to run throughout the conversation, punctuated by a end-of-life status on the VUDU X100. Meanwhile, the company is making some CEDIA promises for its custom-install-targeted VUDU XL: more HD content (1,000 titles), more connectivity (HD over component) and lifetime warranties on purchased titles. It's all rumor, but we wouldn't be surprised to see VUDU move exclusively into the custom-install market where it seems to have a toe-hold. So what say ye -- is something rotten in VUDU, or should we hang up the codpiece and get back to work? [Image courtesy Blog of Wishes] Read - CEPro's VUDU interview Read - VUDU CEDIA plans
Panasonic lone TV manufacturer signed up for tru2way Developers' Conference
Sure, we've got reports that this year's The Cable Show '08 (May 18 - 20) will be a blowout year for tru2way, but there's evidence that TV manufacturer support is lagging a bit. Hampered out of the gate by its crazy naming progression, the technology formerly known as CableCARD 2.0/OCAP/OpenCable has got some CE manufacturer trust to gain before it can take off. Don't get us wrong, we want to see the promise of a set-top box-less setup realized; but sadly, we don't call the shots for the industry. Counterbalancing tru2way's coming out party at The Cable Show '08 is this: TV manufacturer enrollment for the tru2way Developers' Conference numbers exactly one party -- Panasonic (no surprise there). Sure, there are plenty of technology providers signed up, but with Panasonic as the sole TV manufacturer, don't expect to see a flood of tru2way TVs just yet.
Vudu set-top box review round-up
We got to spend a bit of time with Vudu's eponymously named set-top box earlier this month at CEDIA, but those still trying to justify that $399 price tag now have a bit more info to help inform their decision, with a number of reviews of the device now cropping up online. Among the first to churn out a full review were the folks at Laptop Magazine, who seem to have found quite a bit to like in the device, despite some fairly serious limitations. They were especially impressed by the Vudu's "surprisingly good" video quality, which they say "makes you forget you're watching a movie downloaded over the Web." Leading those aforementioned limitations is the fact that those all those movies are "trapped on the Vudu box," meaning you can't offload them onto a portable media or stream them over a network connection. That also proved to be one CNET's big gripes with the device, who also lamented the lack of built-in WiFi, and the somewhat limited 24-hour viewing period for downloaded movies. Those also looking for an unboxing of the device can find that and more in Paul Stamatiou's review, which even goes so far as to rip the device apart for a peek inside. As for how the Vudu works, he too seems to have been fairly impressed by the general user experience, although the movie pricing structure proved to be a major stumbling block for him, as was the device's inability to export movies to a PC.Read - Laptop Magazine (3.5 out of 5)Read - CNET (7.7 out of 10)Read - PaulStamatiou.com (7 out of 10)[Photo courtesy of PaulStamatiou.com]
Polaroid's Digital Entertainment Center revealed in FCC documents
It looks as though Polaroid is about to get into the set-top box game with a new product the company has sent to the FCC for review. Apparently holding steady on its path away from cameras, Polaroid has cooked up an all-in-one, do-everything "Digital Entertainment Center" (or DEC, as they're calling it). The main purpose of the device will apparently be to store and stream your media to a TV, stereo, or any other old-world box you have lying around. The DEC will have a hard drive of indeterminate capacity, and will feature 802.11b/g, HDMI and component outs, two USB ports, as well as composite and S-Video ins and outs for video, with RCA ins and outs, plus coaxial and optical outs for audio. On the front you'll have access to a slew of slots (MMC, SD, MD, CF, Memory Stick), as well as additional USB, video, and audio jacks. So now the questions are when, where, how much, what kind of OS, and what is it compatible with? We'll be poring over the many, many pages of FCC papers while we wait on those answers.
Netflix prepping cheap set-top boxes for your living room?
We've heard talk of a Netflix set-top box before, and while those "end of the year" rumors (as in 2006) didn't exactly pan out, it looks like the company is still keen on the idea, at least according to an individual who claims to have participated in a recent focus group on the subject. Supposedly, Netflix demoed two different boxes that stream content from the company's "Watch Now" service via an Ethernet or wireless connection, each of which were apparently still in rough prototype form. The only difference between the boxes, it seems, is added Component and HDMI connections on the $100 "Enhanced" model, as opposed to just Composite and S-Video on the standard $50 model, although there isn't any actual HD content (at the moment) to stream to either of 'em. While we'll obviously have to wait and see if any of this actually pans out, it certainly seems to be in line with Netflix's recently announced "Internet TV" division, which has already made its living room intentions pretty clear.
Comcast WILL raise their rates thanks to a new FCC ruling
Quick refresher: the FCC has a new rule going into effect July 1, 2007 that requires cable companies to install Cable Card-equipped set-top boxes for all new digital subscribers. Got it? Most industry experts were wondering how this was going to affect the current subscribers and just as we feared, rates are going up. Comcast is reporting via Multichannel News that instead of charging $2-$3 more for their digital subscribers, the company is going to spread that cost over their entire subscription base resulting in slight increases for everyone. Digital subscribers should like that idea but it sure sounds like the analog subs are taking one for the team. Here's the good news though, these costs will not hit your bill till 2008.
New FCC regulation might raise cable rates even higher
Frustrated about your high cable bill? Well then, we're sorry to start the week off like this. Come July 1st, you might see a higher cable bill if you have a new cable box installed when a federal rule goes into effect. Security is the buzzword here and any set-top-box that is deployed after July 1st must have a CableCARD installed. Plus, the FCC is looking to create a retail market for set-top Cable CARD equipped boxes and requiring a CableCARD levels the playing field a bit. (Example: Samsung SMT-H3050) So not only will the boxes cost more to lease, 'cause of all this new security, but then cable companies can tack on an extra cost for the CableCARD. How much more are we talking? A bias and more than likely high-cost estimate rings in from a TiVo spokesmen at around $20 per new box deployed. Only time will tell if prices will in fact go up, but everyone knows that when at all possible, cable companies do raise rates.
Cisco planning "souped-up" set-top boxes
It looks like Cisco is about to make its biggest push into the consumer market to date, with BusinessWeek reporting that the company is readying a "souped-up" set-top box that'll supposedly combine a number of different products into one. Of course, as BusinessWeek points out, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, especially given the company's recent acquisitions of Linksys, Scientific-Atlanta, and KiSS Technology. As you may be able to surmise by that confluence of companies, the new do-it-all box will apparently be networked like nobody's business (wireless, naturally), including the ability to pull content off the Internet and distribute it to other devices around the house. It'll reportedly include its own web browser as well. While Cisco's pulling all the strings, it apparently won't be slapping its own name on the boxes, selling them instead directly to consumers under the Linksys brand and offering 'em up to various cable companies. If all goes as planned, you should be able to snag one for yourself by the end of this year or early next year.[Thanks, Mercurial]
Akimbo to stop selling hardware, just doing internet TV delivery
No real shocker here: set-top box-maker and service provider Akimbo is apparently shutting down its hardware line as of tomorrow. In a way it's almost uneventful that yet another set-top box is going teats up; which is, of course, why we were a little skeptical about the announcement of VuDu last week. Still, even if Akimbo's MovieLink deal didn't work out, they're not vanishing completely -- you've still got the software service end of their business, able to deliver programming to your PC through their Media Center interface, for example. Those who plunked down for a box, though, can apparently expect discounts and even in some cases refunds for their investment. But for now it looks like Akimbo's biggest guns have been silenced.
FCC unties cable boxes from cable companies
According to Dow Jones, the FCC has shot down Comcast's request to be exempt from new rules intended to open up the playing field for cable boxes, leaving an appeal the company's only hope of keeping its customers tied to its own set-top boxes. Under the new rules, which are set to go into effect July 1st, cable companies will not be allowed to use integrated security features that tie their cable boxes directly to their own service. Instead, customers would be able to simply get a cable card from their cable company and pop it into their set-top box of choice -- the idea being, from the FCC's perspective, to open up a new marketplace for cable boxes, ultimately reducing the cost for consumers. Not surprisingly, Comcast sees things a little differently, calling the FCC decision "regrettable" and adding that "it amounts to an FCC tax of hundreds of millions of dollars on consumers with no countervailing benefits." The FCC has apparently given some smaller cable companies a bit of leeway with the deadline, however, saying they won't enforce action against companies that have already placed orders for new cable boxes but aren't expected to get them by July 1st.[Via Slashdot]
1394TA and HANA to offer "1394 over coax via UWB" home networking
Although coax isn't the freshest medium on the block, there's still a good bit of potential yet to be realized in your household cable wiring. The 1394 Trade Association has teamed up with the High Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (aka HANA) in hopes of networking the electronics in your crib by tapping into the copious amount of cable you've probably already got installed. While turning all of your home entertainment devices into one big happy family has been a long-standing fantasy, these two organizations are hoping to bring the ideas to complete fruition via ultrawideband technology (UWB). Plans are to leverage the bandwidth in your home's coaxial cable to network HDTVs, PVRs, set-top boxes, HTPCs, NAS drives, DVD players, and whatever else you can throw in the mix by using hardware and software developed by PulseLink (which we've already seen in action), Freescale Semiconductor, and Samsung Electronics. The technology will reportedly play nice with your legacy programming, meet the current FCC mandates, and even support IP. As expected, 1394 over coax via UWB will support DRM, so even though content guardians of the world can rest easy, we could potentially endure a bit of headache in the "seamless networking" that we're led to expect. This promising application will supposedly feature "real-time QoS [quality of service]" and raw data rates "exceeding 1Gbps," which combined with its long list of attributes, sounds like a match made in heaven for those looking to network their currently disconnected entertainment devices. But until we see hard pricing and implementations beyond a trade show setup (i.e. some industry support), we'll continue to keep our fingers patiently crossed, and our coax patiently un-networked.
Cablevision postpones networked DVR
Under heavy pressure in the form of a lawsuit filed by nearly all of TV land's major content providers, industry giant Cablevision has announced that it will delay the rollout of its networked DVR offering until the service's legality is confirmed in court. The lawsuit, filed by the four key networks and their parent studios, claims that Cablevision's plan to store customers' recorded swag on their own servers as opposed to local set-top boxes constitutes a retransmission of copyrighted material, and therefore violates pre-existing agreements the company has with its providers. Cablevision, on the other hand, argues that networked DVR services are only facilitating "fair-use" of their broadcasts by consumers, who have already paid for any programs they intend to record. The outcome of this suit will be closely monitored by other players in the cable industry as well, because a victory for Cablevision would allow Cox, Comcast, et al. to begin offering their own remote storage -- good news for consumers, but perhaps bad news for our old friend TiVo.
Microsoft shows off IPTV plans, partners
As the convergence race heats up, Microsoft is not sitting on the sidelines, as last week at the IBC show in Amsterdam they shed more light on their plans for IPTV devices with SBC, Intel, Motorola, Linksys and others. Among the announcements made for NTSC markets were:Previously announced Scientific Atlanta set top boxes including SD and HD receivers and DVRs, as well as IP-over-coax and DVB supportA Thomson/Intel box that is said to be commercially available, supporting Microsoft's IPTV Edition platform. Expandable to include DVR features, it also supports Windows Media 9, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 encoded sources.A system-on-a-chip developed with Sigma Designs specifically intended to support all IPTV edition features and lower cost so that it can be included in set top boxes, TV's, DVD players and gaming consoles. I don't think this nearly answers the question of where the Media Center Edition platform's future lies, but Microsoft is clearly doing everything they can to make sure they have their devices at the heart of your digital entertainment center of the future.
