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 will survive. But ZillionTV is taking a different tack that could either help it cut through the competition — or completely tank.
Considering that it’s led by Mitch Berman, veteran executive… Continue Reading
Roundup: Intel pours cash into factories, N.J. goes solar, Obama taps cybersecurity chief, and more
Microsoft to tighten ties with Facebook chat? — Steve Ballmer implies (oh so subtly) full interoperability between Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger.
Intel to sink funds into factories — Despite the downturn, the giant earmarks $7 billion for its chip manufacturing plants over the next two years.
Obama anoints Melissa Hathaway cybersecurity czar — The former aide to president Bush’s intelligence director plans to evaluate current measures to secure government networks from spies and terrorists.
Cisco’s on the hunt for acquisitions —… 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) to your Apple TV. This will allow me to eradicate cable — done deal.
But even for those without an Apple TV, Boxee offers a rich and interesting Apple TV (or… 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 — the Saratoga, Calif. company plans to use the new money to further develop its flagship product and others that stream digital media to the TV.
Menlo Ventures provided the round,… Continue Reading
Roundup: Amazon takes over reader social networking, IE8 to subtract ads, bad signs from China and more
Amazon buys social network for book lovers — Shelfari, a small social network for bibliophiles, has been acquired by Amazon.com, according to John Cook at the Seattle PI. Amazon also has a stake in Shelfari’s main competitor, LibraryThing.
Internet Explorer to subtract some ads — A feature called InPrivate Blocking will stop tracking pixels that help advertisers see where you have been on the web, while another privacy feature will prevent information like cookies and browsing history from… Continue Reading
Roundup: Icahn’s board selections, YouTube live streaming plan nixed and more
Here’s the latest action:
Icahn haz board members? – Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is already on Yahoo’s board, but now he needs to fill the two complimentary seats given to him by Yahoo. Edward Meyer and Frank Biondi are the two front runners in AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher’s mind, but it could be her wild card, John Chapple, who gets to sit next to Biondi, according to The Wall Street Journal. They all kind of look the… 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, which at the time included traditional cable boxes and the first version of the Apple TV.
Times have changed.
Now the company faces competition from many of the big guns in the… 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 announcements and today brings another: LG is releasing a Blu-ray player this fall that will have the ability to stream Netflix movies to your television.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because… Continue Reading
Rumor: Has Vudu just raised more than $40M?
We’ve heard a rumor that Vudu, a startup seeking to bring internet video to your television, has raised more than $40 million of funding. Our source says hedge funds are the likely backers.
I emailed the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company a few minutes ago, and I’ll update if they get back to us.
We haven’t heard of too many other fundings in this area, mainly because the market seems dominated by big players like Apple and Comcast…. Continue Reading
Roundup: Singularity hype, Xobni, Rapleaf selling your data, Vudu, Seedcamp and more
Here’s the latest action:
Singularity Institute, the quirky group that thinks machines will take over – Peter Thiel, the former CEO of PayPal, and leader of the Founders Fund, graces the pages of the Mercury News and the SF Chron today with his views about how machines are likely to be directing human affairs sometime in the future, possibly within 30 years. The Merc asks why he’s a lead backer of the institute. Thiel responds: Science… Continue Reading