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Samsung makes its free TV Plus streaming service available on the web
Samsung has launched its TV Plus streaming service on the web.
Recommended Reading: Apple's ambitious TV plan
Can Apple hack it in Hollywood? We talk to the man behind Apple TV+ Stuart McGurk, GQ UK Apple officially revealed it's TV streaming service in March, but it won't debut for the masses until this fall. There have been all kinds of reports swirling about content, including reports that Apple executives were micromanaging creative direction. GQ sat down with senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue to find out more about TV+, and get some clarity on a few of those rumors.
Belkin announces @TV, Slingbox-esque media streamer and companion app
Belkin has unveiled @TVPlus, a media streamer that jacks into your home theater and pumps episodes of Community (or, other things, we guess) to your smartphone, tablet or laptop through the internet. Packing a built-in WiFi radio, you'll connect to it on your travels with the @TV app, which is capable of recording live TV straight to your mobile device for offline viewing. The app is free for tablets ($12.99 for smartphones) while the box itself will set you back $150 when it arrives in mid-July.
Cox 'Plus Package' brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels
Cox is ready to make a major leap forward in its user interface -- goodbye SARA and Passport, we won't miss you -- with the newly developed "Plus Package" rolling out in limited areas during Q2 and throughout its service area by the end of the year. For the hardware Cox is bringing a Whole Home DVR solution to bear based on a Cisco 8642 HD/DVR with 500GB (3x more than the sizes currently offered) of storage, and MoCA-connected 1642 HD receivers, which are also necessary to tune to the new HD channels on the way delivered over Switched Digital Video (SDV) in the 860-MHz band. The star of the show however is the new "Trio" program guide (video embedded after the break), a 16:9 interface that spaces out program info over three panes -- channels on the left, programs in the middle, details on the right. TV programs can also be sorted grid-style, by themes, HD-only or favorite channels, while VOD lists titles, box art and detailed info in the three window style. There's personalization for up to eight members of a household, as well as TiVo-style suggestions and related programming searches based on metadata. An exec told Multichannel News the new tru2way-built software started by realizing that "our guides were, in fact, broken" and this all-new approach is a step towards fixing that. Besides the TiVos and Moxis of the world, other service providers with similar setups include DirecTV, FiOS, Dish Network and U-verse and while we'd definitely like to see that middle pane expanded a bit to show more of each title, Cox could be the first cable company offering a set-top box that actually competes with any of them. %Gallery-92661%
Archos TV+ WiFi-enabled DVR gets official
Don't act surprised -- you knew good and well this thing was a-comin', and it seems launch day has finally arrived. Highlighted now on the firm's website, the TV+ DVR still rocks that WiFi goodness we knew would be included, with options for an 80GB or 250GB hard drive and the ability to schedule, record and stream content at will. Additionally, you can sync your recorded shows with your Archos PMP, flip through songs / photos and even view PDFs. You know by now if this one is still lingering on your must-have list, and if so, you can snag one for $229 (80GB) or $349 (250GB). %Gallery-12596%
Archos's Generation 5 players are now available worldwide
Yeah, we already knew the 605 and 405 had been loosed Stateside, but Archos is finally ready to unleash the whole family on the world -- pictured above, with convenient comparisons to other players you-may-have-seen-around courtesy of Archos. Unfortunately, the Archos 705 WiFi and Archos TV+ won't actually be available until early next month, but the Archos 105, 405 and 605 WiFi are all out today. The players aren't terribly expensive either, with the 2GB 105 at $89; 2GB 405 at $149; the 4GB, 30GB, 80GB and 160GB 605 WiFi at $199, $299 and $349, $399, respectively; 80GB 705 WiFi at $399, 160GB at $499; 80GB Archos TV+ at $249, and finally the 250GB TV+ at $349. As for those curious about content partnerships, the WiFi models connect wirelessly to the "Archos Content Portal" for PC-free purchasing of premium content, and there are currently over 15 partners worldwide -- with CinemaNow doing the honors in the US.[Thanks, Peter L. Warning: PDF link]
