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Hisense picks up Hillcrest Labs' gesture and motion control tech for TVs
Following LG and TCL, Hisense is now the latest TV manufacturer to adopt Hillcrest Labs' Freespace technology. According to the agreement, Hisense, the world's fifth largest smart TV brand (as of Q1 2013, according to NPD DisplaySearch), will be able to add in-air pointing, gesture control and motion control -- all via a remote control -- to its future smart TVs and set-top boxes. This also means TCL now faces a fellow Chinese competitor with the same set of Freespace features. While there's no time frame just yet, we've been told that Hisense will eventually sell these next-gen devices in the US and China later this year, so stay tuned.
Channel Master and Echostar working on new OTA DVR
Sometimes you just want to enjoy TV without making a commitment, and time-shifting broadcasts either means building your own HTPC or purchasing an OTA DVR -- like the now defunct Boxee. Back in 2011, Channel Master teamed up with Entone to fill that niche and a recent FCC filing shows the company (once again) partnering with Echostar to bring a new OTA DVR to the market. The set-top box -- called Channel Master K77 (not pictured) -- also provides over-the-top functionality and comes in two flavors: CM-7500GB16, which features 16GB of built-in flash (and relies on external USB storage for DVR support) and CM-7500GB320, which incorporates a 320GB hard drive. While it's unclear when the device will launch, it will be competing with a number of similar offerings from Simple.TV, Tivo (Series 5) and Aereo once it lands on store shelves.
Pandora launches TV / console-friendly HTML5 site
With 70 million active monthly users, we suspect the world isn't desperately searching for another way to listen to Pandora. That said, we certainly can't fault the internet radio provider for attempting to optimize the experience for as many platforms as possible. The latest push comes in the form of tv.pandora.com, a service the company claims is optimized for that proverbial "10-foot experience." The HTML5-based site plays nicely with your Xbox 360 at the moment, and Pandora says that it'll be coming to further TVs, set top boxes and consoles in the months to come. tv.pandora.com has a simplified navigation system, play, pause, skip and thumbs up and down functionality and 500 curated stations to get you started. You can check the site out today, or peep a press release on the matter after the break.
Fanhattan plans living room invasion with versatile Fan TV set-top box (video)
Fanhattan, maker of video-streaming tablet and smartphone apps, now has a set-top box to call its own. It's called Fan TV, and combines live web streaming, TV and cloud-based DVR functionality in a single device. The interface is very simple and clean -- you navigate through a TV-based UI, as you'd probably expect, with a tiny multi-touch remote driving the experience. The main device, designed in partnership with Yves Behar of OLPC fame, is also quite compact. Spec details are light, but we do know that the system runs on Android, and features limited connectivity, including Ethernet and HDMI. According to a The Next Web report, Fanhattan is planning to sell Fan TV through cable TV providers, rather than directly to consumers. The company isn't sharing its content and distribution partners yet, but more details will surely become public before the expected US launch later this year. There's also no mention of price. For a closer look, check out the promo video after the break.
Microsoft reportedly developed set-top box prototypes
Rumors have been circulating for some time that Microsoft is prepping a streaming media box. The Xbox may have many of the same functions, but it's still primarily a gaming console. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that there are prototypes of a simpler, cheaper set-top device designed exclusively for consuming media floating around Redmond. Obviously, this would provide Microsoft a path to living rooms at a price that's much easier for consumers to swallow than the $199 Xbox 360. But, just as important, it could also offer a way to keep the Xbox brand separate and primarily gaming-focused. On the other hand, if a Roku competitor with Xbox branding were to hit shelves for $99, it would further broaden the scope of Microsoft's entertainment division. That wouldn't be terribly surprising, since some of the prototypes are reportedly designed to work with Kinect. Whether or not these devices will ever see the light of day is still anyone's guess, but it could provide a cheap way to get that Heroes reboot into people's living rooms.
Amazon reportedly introducing set-top box this fall
Will Amazon release a set-top box this year? All the pieces seem to in place certainly, between the retailer's robust online video offerings both premium and Prime (not to mention a slew of original material), as well as some experience in the hardware department through various Kindle devices. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the company will be doing just that this fall -- that information, incidentally, comes from three anonymous sources. The device is said to let users stream web content to a set, not unlike Apple's own offering in the space. The site even went so far as suggesting "Kindle TV" as a name, though that seems to be Businessweek's own wishful thinking. Update: We reached out to Amazon and unsurprisingly received, the customary "no comment."
Intel launches Media Server Reference Design to speed up set-top box creation
It's no secret that Intel wants more of a presence in the living room, even if it's sometimes less than welcome. The chip giant's new Media Server Reference Design might be key to getting that foot in at least a few doors. The kit combines both Atom CE5300-based hardware with software tools, the combination of which should fast-track media hubs and set-top boxes for those who don't want to start from scratch. It's more than just the expected media and TV engines; Intel also bundles in Hillcrest Labs' Freespace engine to simplify motion remote control. MSRD kits should be available in April, although it's likely to be months later before we learn whether or not home theater companies want to follow where Intel takes them.
Xiaomi Box launches in a three-city trial on March 19th at a lower price
The Xiaomi Box has had an arduous road to travel before it could go on sale: Chinese regulations reportedly kept it in limbo until local broadcaster iCNTV stepped in this January to get the ball rolling once again. The end is in sight now that a limited trial is set to start on March 19th. Changsha, Hangzhou and Shanghai will get about 10,000 total units of the Android media hub, whose price is dropping from the originally chosen ¥399 ($64) to an extra-frugal ¥299 ($48). The price slash could well make the set-top box that much more alluring, especially when it's still poised to give both Android and iOS users some media sharing love. Could you please hurry up your release plans, Xiaomi?
Archos reveals Android-powered TV Connect, puts Play store on your big screen
There are plenty of ways to get Android on your TV -- from smartphone docks, to dongles and even the officially sanctioned Google TV. But most of them are missing something, be it a simple way to control them or access to the full Play store. Archos is aiming to solve those conundrums with its new TV Connect, an Android computer, complete with HD camera and a handheld remote with a pair pointer sticks used to simulate a multitouch screen. Under the hood is a 1.5GHz "multi core" CPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. For networking you can go old school and plug in an Ethernet line or lose the cables and rely on WiFi. The remote has more control options than you could possibly desire crammed in a form factor that's more than a little reminiscent of a certain failed Atari console. In addition to the pair of pointer sticks, there's a full QWERTY keypad, a directional pad, four game buttons, the standard Android keys and volume controls -- not to mention you can move an onscreen cursor simply by pointing the remote at your TV. The strongest selling point of the TV Connect, however, is its unfettered access to the Google Play store. That means its vast repositories of music, movies and TV shows are available to you but, more importantly, so are the hundreds of thousands of apps like Netflix, Google Talk and Skype. The Jelly Bean running set top box will be hitting shelves in February for $130. For a bit more check out the gallery below and the PR after the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Movea gesture control coming to Orange's Livebox Play TV system, launches next month
In a bid to spruce up its hardware, European mobile operator Orange has drafted in Movea to bring gesture controls to its new set-top box. Running the SmartMotion server, movements will be picked up by Movea's MEMS motion-sensing remote, with gestures for volume control, web browsing and even gamepad and joystick commands. The new Livebox Play will pick up ten "contextually aware" movements, with a 'check' gesture aimed to avoid the frustration at selecting items on a distant screen, while there's also a close function embedded into the TV remote. Alongside gestures, the LiveBox Play service will offer the obligatory internet, social network and VOD bells and whistles, as well as access to games and apps on your big screen. Sick of buttons? The device is available on pre-order (for now, in France) and launches next month -- we've embedded a quick demo of the remote's precision after the break as a quick refresher.
Hisense Pulse with Google TV priced at $100, now available from Amazon
It's been a while since we saw it at IFA, but it looks like the Hisense Pulse with Google TV is finally available for purchase a month after its promised release date. You can finally snag the Google TV set-top box from Amazon for $100 -- it misses that "under $99" mark mentioned in its initial announcement, but it's certainly close enough. The compact entertainment box supports 1080p output and has WiFi, HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports, letting you pump in content through a host of connections. Much like other Google TV products, the remote that ships with the device is double-sided -- there's a QWERTY keyboard on the bottom and more traditional controls (along with a trackpad) up top. We didn't think much of the touchpad's small size at the initial hands-on, so hopefully the manufacturer's solved that in the final product. Hisense is certainly cutting things close with this late-December release, but if you click "add to cart" now, it may just arrive in time to make its way underneath a tree.
Opera confirms its Devices SDK is behind Boxee TV's HTML5 apps
It's been available since last month, but browser-maker Opera has only today confirmed that it's Opera Devices Software Development Kit is providing the backend for the Boxee TV's HTML5 apps. Those already include the likes of YouTube, Spotify and Vimeo, but Opera says one of the big advantages of Boxee using the SDK is that future apps built with it will be able to be easily ported to the Boxee TV -- no word on any big additions just yet, though. Boxee's COO Tom Sella also notes that using the SDK "enabled us to add a lot of apps to Boxee TV without a lot of effort on our part." If that sounds a bit familiar, it's because it largely echoes Opera's promise from last year to provide smart TV and set-top box makers with an easy-to-deploy solution filled with cross-platform apps. You can find the full announcement after the break.
Xiaomi Box taps the Chinese smart TV market on the cheap, flirts with AirPlay (hands-on)
The Apple TV may not be officially available in China, but there are already plenty of cheap Android TV dongles and set-top boxes over there to keep the folks occupied. That said, many of them don't offer a satisfying multimedia experience, so even for a latecomer like Xiaomi, there's still space for competition. Having just launched the much anticipated Xiaomi Phone 2, the Chinese startup recently announced that it had acquired digital content provider Duokan for some time, and the first fruit is this conveniently named Xiaomi Box. Even with the bundled one-meter HDMI cable, the pebble's priced at a competitive ¥399 (about $64) and we've been told it'll be available in mid-December. Better yet, it claims to be compatible with AirPlay right out of the box! Read on to see if that's the case with our pre-production unit.
Slingbox 350 and 500 review: Sling Media finally upgrades its line of media streamers
It's hard to believe that the Slingbox has been around for seven years, but that only makes it harder to accept these are the first retail models that have been released since 2008. That finally changes today, though: Sling Media just introduced two new place-shifters: the Slingbox 500 and 350 (pictured). Available on October 14th for $299 and $179, respectively, these new set-top boxes replace the Solo and Pro-HD. While the 350 simply adds 1080p streaming for the same price, the 500 adds SlingProjector, a feature that lets you take photos stored on your iOS or Android device and send them to your television (video streaming will soon be supported as well). The Slingbox 500 will also soon be able to play content on USB-attached storage, but that will come in a future software update. The SlingPlayer apps get a refresh as well, adding reminders and an easier way to share your Slingbox with friends. What we set out to determine in this review -- and what you'll discover if you click through -- is how big of an upgrade this really is. Is it worth chucking your old hardware for one of these boxes? What if you're thinking of getting your first media streamer? We'll delve into all that after the break.
BT to offer free YouView box with one-year broadband contract, £49 for existing customers
If you're not quite comfortable shelling out £299 for BT's YouView box, then you're in luck. Starting October 26th, the hardware will be free for new Infinity broadband subscribers who ink contracts that are one year or longer. Instead of relying on cable, the Humax-built device uses both aerial and internet connections to deliver content from more than 100 digital TV and radio channels including Channels 4 and 5, the BBC and ITV. With the IPTV box, users can sift through content that's aired in the past seven days, watch on-demand programs and record up to 300 hours of standard definition television or 125 hours of high-def video to a built-in 500GB hard drive. Current British Telecom subscribers pining for the subsidized box will be able to get their own for a £49 activation fee and a £6.95 delivery charge. Those eager for the gratis set-top solution will be able to order it online starting October 19th if they register interest with BT's website beforehand. For more details, check out the press release below.
Vizio Co-Star review: how good a deal is this $99 Google TV box?
More Info Vizio Co-Star Google TV set-top box is up for pre-order, $100 brings it your way in August Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review And then there were two. We're talking about standalone Google TV boxes, folks, with the Vizio Co-Star recently joining Sony's NSZ-GS7. Both feature the same version of Google's software and come with a remote offering a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad. But with Vizio's model selling for just $99, it's half the price of Sony's entry, so you might be wondering how extensive the differences are. Now that we've had a chance to test both, we're ready to weigh in. Read on to find out if that 50 percent price difference makes the Co-Star worth it.%Gallery-165446%
EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts (hands-on video)
You may be familiar with EchoStar's satellite-based (Dish Network) and Sling Media (Slingbox) products, but the company also manufactures set-top boxes for third-party providers, as well as free-to-air services in the UK. It's this last grouping that'll be able to take advantage of the Android-based device we saw today, assuming it does in fact make its way to market. The HDX-410 runs native Ice Cream Sandwich, and is available in two versions -- one supports IP content and local storage exclusively, while a second can also accept terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) programming, letting you play back live TV shows in addition to content from a local server, pulled from the web or stored on attached media or an inserted microSD card. It connects to the web using Ethernet or WiFi, and includes USB ports on both the front and the rear, Bluetooth, HDMI out, digital audio out and a standard-definition connection. It's also paired with a QWERTY keyboard-equipped remote manufactured by Philips with gyroscopic or directional-pad curser control, along with pinch/zoom gesture capability. We had a chance to check out the ICS box at EchoStar's IBC booth today, where the device was running Android 4.0.4 and an early version of the company's hybrid app, which groups "favorited" content alongside terrestrial channels, letting you use the standard channel up/down button to navigate through stored TV shows, IP content or live programming quite seamlessly, as if all of the media was playing from the same source. It's clearly not yet ready for primetime, but the interface was sleek and speedy -- the set-top box performed very well overall. EchoStar reps were unable to confirm whether or not the HDX-410 would be coming to market at all, but they did add that the solution may be made available to third-parties in the future. Click past the break to take a closer look in our hands-on video.%Gallery-164692%
Sky+ update allows undeleting recorded shows, more on-demand and future Catch Up TV
Sky+ has been on a bit of a tear refreshing its set-top boxes, and it's not about to stop now. When ready, a new update for the satellite TV provider's devices will let you undelete recorded programs; deleted shows are now moved to a separate space and only removed permanently either through age or if you really, really don't want to watch. If you're more interested in watching content that's always available, both Anytime and Anytime+ will be rebranded as On Demand, while the Sky Guide is adding a dedicated store tab for movie rentals. Catch Up TV is also nearing with the update and should aggregate the last week's worth of shows from Sky in addition to BBC iPlayer, Demand 5 and ITV Player. The gotcha, as we know all too well from these kinds of firmware revisions, is the timing. You'll have to have either a Sky+ HD 1TB box or the Sky+ HD DRX890 to get the upgrade early on, and Sky is staggering its deployment in a move that could leave some subscribers twiddling their thumbs.
Netflix coming to future Freesat satellite TV boxes
Netflix making good on those investment promises for its UK viewers, with the streaming service set to be included in a new set-top box coming tomorrow. According to The Telegraph, the new device will link straight into Netflix services. Freesat's satellite TV offering launched back in 2008, with both BBC and ITV behind the project, while the new set-top box is rumored to add on-demand downloads and the ability to view programs up to eight days since they first air -- catching up to similar services from BT, Virgin and Sky. We're likely to hear more tomorrow, but Freesat's hoping it will be enough to make Brits reconsider those wallet-thumping Sky subscriptions.
Hisense Pulse Google TV set-top box coming in November for 'under $99'
It was just two days ago that a Google product manager let slip that Google was working with Hisense on a low-cost Google TV box. At the time, we didn't know much -- not even a product name -- but Google did intimate this mystery item would sell for under $100. Now, Hisense is stepping in to clarify a few key details. For starters, this thing is called the Pulse, and it will arrive in November priced at "under $99," more or less as expected. Other than the fact that it's built on Android (duh), it supports resolutions ranging from 480i to 1080p and has HDMI, USB and Ethernet sockets. (It also has WiFi, of course, in case you'd rather not make use of that wired internet connection.) Hisense also says it will ship with a double-sided remote, with a full QWERTY keyboard on one side, and a touchpad and dedicated Netflix button on the other. The Pulse is slated to arrive in mid-November, but there's a good chance we'll see it before then -- it's going to be on display at IFA, where we'll be reporting live this week.
