Apple TV to get long-anticipated upgrade?
For several years, Apple TV has been a mediocre product from a company that rarely accepts mediocrity. Left in the dust by a number of internet video-to-TV devices like Roku and even Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Apple’s offering has remained the same for a year and… Continue Reading
Will the Wii jump into the TV set-top box game?
In an interview with Variety magazine, Lionsgate president Curt Marvis let slip that the Wii presents a major opportunity for Hollywood studios to distribute movies and television shows — and that this might be a reality before the year is out. While it isn’t written… Continue Reading
ZillionTV takes a new approach to the set-top box
ZillionTV, yet another company serving on-demand internet video to television sets, has unveiled its set-top box to a largely unenthused audience. With Apple TV, Roku, Vudu, 2Wire, Boxee and more already battling it out, it seems doubtful that a player so late to the game… Continue Reading
With instant access to movies, Hollywood has a rental problem
Hollywood has a problem. Consumers are opting for online movie rentals and streaming rather than buying DVDs or Blu-rays. And it’s hurting movie makers’ bottom lines.
Recent data indicates that DVD and Blu-ray sales fell off a cliff in the fourth quarter of last year, traditionally… Continue Reading
Roku’s second act: Amazon Video on Demand
When it launched last year, Roku was a compelling device because it was the first set-top box that streamed Netflix Watch Instantly movies to your television. Now, several other devices do that as well, including Blu-ray players, TiVo, the Xbox 360 gaming console and now… Continue Reading
Boxee raises funding as it goes after content, your living room
I need to install Boxee. I’ve been putting it off, but it needs to happen — like tomorrow. You see, the media center solution startup has a fairly straightforward way of getting content from providers like Hulu (the NBC and Fox-backed online video streaming site)… Continue Reading
Roku nabs funds for video and digital media delivery
Digital media device maker Roku announced today that it scored an undisclosed but substantial amount in third round funding. Famous for the Netflix Player — the set-top box that lets you watch any of Netflix’s “play instantly” movies or TV shows in your living room… Continue Reading
Stayin’ alive: Roku to open its box
Roku is a compelling little device — right now, anyway. The living room box streams Netflix “Watch Instantly” films. These are movies and television shows that Netflix members can watch anytime for free. The mixture of free instantaneous content and a box that costs only… Continue Reading
Can hi-def porn save Vudu?
Vudu was sitting pretty 16 months ago. The set top box that streams premium content over the Internet to your television had over 5,000 movies from all the major studios except Sony and a bunch of smaller ones. This was impressive compared to its rivals,… Continue Reading
Digital distribution red hot: LG Blu-ray player to stream Netflix movies
Ever since Apple beefed up its Apple TV offering by announcing support for movie rentals from all the major movie studios back in January, the battle for digital distribution supremacy in the living room has been heating up. Recently, there’s been a string of big… Continue Reading
The Roku box to expand beyond Netflix. Living room Trojan horse?
If you’re a subscriber to the DVD rental-by-mail service Netflix, you probably want to get your hands on the new Roku box. This device lets you stream any of Netflix’s 10,000+ “Watch Now” movies (movies that can be watched immediately over the internet for free… Continue Reading
The Netflix Roku box tosses the freshly emerged Apple TV right back in the woods — and they’re thicker
After a lackluster start, things were starting to look good for the Apple TV device. With its 2.0 software update, the media streaming device was able to rent or purchase movies directly to television sets, play HD movies and thanks to a deal Apple cut… Continue Reading