Boxee plotting a new DVR subscription service

Boxee may be planning to launch a new DVR subscription service aimed at users who’ve purchased its new Live TV stick, according to a new survey the company sent  to users over the weekend.

The Boxee Box is a streaming set-top box featuring Boxee’s open-source media software, which transforms televisions into internet connected media centers. The company launched its Live TV tuner stick back in January, which is a $49 add-on that acts as a … Continue Reading

Canadian cable companies may have fabled Apple iTV prototypes

New rumors of the much-anticipated Apple-branded television set (a.k.a. iTV) have surfaced regarding launch partnerships with major telecom companies as well as the device’s user controls.

Apple has allegedly entered into discussions with Canada’s Rogers Communications and Bell Canada on an iTV launch because the companies are involved in both wireless and broadband markets, according to large Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, which cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Additionally, Rogers and Bell … Continue Reading

Verizon and Redbox join forces on new video rental service

Verizon and Redbox are teaming up on a new video rental service that will directly compete with Netflix, the companies announced in a joint statement today.

The new service will allow people to access streaming video through Verizon, while also taking advantage of Redbox’s DVD & Blu-ray rental Kiosks. At this point it’s unknown if both services will retain their own branding or forge a single brand to unify the service. However, we do know … Continue Reading

AOL to transform Huffington Post into an Internet TV network

AOL is planning to launch a new streaming video network branded under its Huffington Post web news site, the company announced Thursday.

The new network will feature live streaming video content 12 hours a day during the week from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. ET, according to a THR report. Founding Huffington Post editor Roy Sekoff will head up the new network, which will be produced in AOL’s New York City and LA studios by … Continue Reading

One day after appointing new CEO, Sony announces losses of $2.09B

A slumping TV business and a surging yen combined to send Sony into the red. The company reported a net loss of $2.09 billion for the final quarter of 2011, a far cry from the nearly billion in profit it managed to end 2010 with.

This makes nine straight years of losses for Sony’s TV business. Sensibly, new CEO Kazuo Hirai’s first moves have been to scale back the television division and look to replicate … Continue Reading

Apple’s rumored iTV: Analyst outlines three content scenarios

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has reaffirmed suspicions that Apple is on track to launch a company-branded television set by late 2012. His latest comments came in a note he sent to clients Tuesday.

While Munster has predicted the debut of an Apple iTV product for years, his claims have only recently started gaining credibility thanks to comments that appeared in the official Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. In the book, Jobs claimed he … Continue Reading

Boxee to remove PC application from its website

It’s no secret that streaming media startup Boxee is no longer supporting the PC version of its media center software, but after today it might be hard to find.

Boxee is known for producing streaming media software that allows you to access web content from your television set and manage your digital media collections. Last month, the company announced that it would end support for its PC applications, and instead, focus all resources on connected … Continue Reading

Revision3 does cable TV network numbers — viewership hits 800M in 2011

With the influx of smart TVs, set-top boxes, and connect-mobile devices, many people are discovering a new world of independently produced web video content. And for Internet TV network Revision3, this trend has translated into record growth that puts it on par with some cable TV networks.

If you’ve ever perused the free content channels available on pretty much any internet-connected video device, it’s very likely that you’ve seen Revision3′s familiar logo. The network is … Continue Reading

Why it’s stupid for Netflix to focus on competition at home

With increases in revenue and higher than expected subscriber growth, video rental service Netflix is once again the darling investment among Wall Street analysts (for the most part). However, not all the comments from Wednesday’s fourth quarter earnings results were positive.

Netflix warned of increasing competition against its domestic streaming service, while celebrating its shrinking DVD-by-mail business — two subjects analysts spend far too much time obsessing over. The biggest threat Netflix faces overall has … Continue Reading

Boxee rolls out 1.5 software update with Live TV support

Boxee is rolling out some major updates to its connected television platform today, including a new software update to support the company’s Live TV stick product, which goes on sale today.

The Boxee Box is a streaming set-top box featuring Boxee’s open-source media software, which transforms televisions into internet connected media centers. The company announced back in November it would be launching Live TV stick, a $49 addon that acts a high-powered HD antenna to … Continue Reading

App maker SkyGrid hits the big time with LG deal (video)

App maker SkyGrid has a plan to bring TV to your iPad. It’s also landed a promising partnership with huge Korean electronics maker LG to integrate its app technology into tens of millions of televisions.

We spent some time on the floor of CES last week talking with SkyGrid chief executive and founder Kevin Pomplun about his app and the new LG deal. (Watch our short, two-minute video interview below.)

“All you have to do … Continue Reading

YouTube teams up with Ridley Scott on new film festival channel

YouTube is launching a new film festival channel in partnership with the Venice Film Festival and film director Ridley Scott, the company announced today.

The new Your Film Fest channel is part of  YouTube’s strategy to boost the amount of premium original videos available on the site — and making it more than just a place to watch funny cat videos and viral content. In October, YouTube committed $100 million on channel partnerships to ensure … Continue Reading

Fanhattan aggregates videos on your iPad (video)

There are plenty of movies and TV shows available to watch online or on your mobile device. The trouble is, they’re spread across too many sources, so it can take a lot of searching across sites like Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, and Vudu to find what you’re looking for.

Fanhattan tries to make sense of that, organizing your entertainment under one roof. The company showed off its app for aggregating online video content at the Consumer … Continue Reading

LG in talks to produce a “Nexus” Google TV set

Electronics manufacturer LG may create a Google-branded television set that would run an unreleased, future version of the Android-based Google TV software.

The Google TV software — which currently runs on a variety of set-top boxes from Logitech, Sony and others — allows regular television sets to gain access to content on the Internet. It also helps organize that content so it can more easily be found and consumed, and adds support for developers to … Continue Reading

Microsoft’s live TV service for Xbox is dead

Announcements about internet-connected smart TVs have had an overwhelming presence at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show, which is probably because streaming live video is growing in popularity among consumers.

But despite this upward trend, tech giant Microsoft has decided to cancel the launch of its new live TV service, according to a Reuters report today.

The company was planning to implement the live TV service through its Xbox Live game console, as VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi … Continue Reading

‘Showtime Anytime’ app streams premium TV shows to your iPad

Following the success of its rival’s HBO Go mobile app, the CBS owned premium TV network Showtime has launched a new iPad application allowing current subscribers to stream content.

The app, called Showtime AnyTime, gives you On Demand streaming access to most of the network’s library of movies, documentaries and comedy specials. But the crown jewel of the app is definitely the backlog of Showtime original programs, such as Weeds, Dexter, Homeland, Californication, Shameless, Nurse … Continue Reading

Comcast’s AnyPlay brings live TV to your iPad, but only from home

Cable television provider Comcast has released more details about its new AnyPlay service, which allows you live stream TV on your iPad as well as a few other Internet-connected devices.

AnyPlay won’t replace or compete with the company’s Xfinity TV iOS application or web browser offerings for one simple reason: Comcast subscribers will need a separate set-top box connected to an Internet router to take advantage of live streaming via a tablet computer.

If you … Continue Reading

Dish Network is really ‘hopping’ up its game against cable TV

Satellite television service provider Dish Network made a handful of big announcements today that the company hopes will give it an advantage over its cable TV and streaming video competitors.

Under the theme of Kangaroos, Dish first unveiled a new Hopper HD DVR system, which includes three satellite TV receivers and a 2TB hard drive capable of storing up to 2,000 hours of HD and SD video programing. The system allows you to record up … Continue Reading

How we watch TV now: Viewers are going mobile and multi-tasking

How do you watch your favorite TV shows? Chances are, you’re still using that traditional TV in your living room, but according to a report from Nielsen audiences are increasingly going mobile to consume videos and television.

Nielsen released its 2011 State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report Monday, which looks at all the data collected by the company over the course of the past year to paint a bigger picture of how we consume … Continue Reading

Ubuntu TV ‘for human beings’ unveiled at CES

Joining the ranks of Apple and Google, Linux is entering the TV market with an Ubuntu TV. Canonical, the team behind the Linux based Ubuntu operating system, debuted the Ubuntu TV at CES on Monday.

No wires, no boxes, no remote is the mantra of the Ubuntu TV. Controls will be touch and gesture based, with the ability to use a smartphone as a remote as well. Of course, the TV will connect to cable … Continue Reading