Items tagged with set-top box
TiVo is making an aggressive pitch to cord cutters and would-be cord cutters alike, saying its new Bolt OTA set-top box can save them hundreds of dollars a year "while still enjoying the best TV experience of your life." In three years time, TiVo says the savings can add up to more than $800, a not insignificant amount of money. "TiVo Bolt OTA is the perfect solution for a broad range of passionate TV viewers, including those considering cutting their cable TV subscriptions or those who might’ve already cut the cord but are unhappy with their limited HD antenna tuner," the company says. The Bolt OTA is a 4K set-top box for pulling in signals from just about any high-definition antenna....
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Dish Network has been trying to disrupt the traditional cable TV model with Sling TV, its live TV streaming service for cord cutters that starts at $20 per month for over 30 channels. To make the proposition even more appealing, Sling TV is launching its own set-top box called AirTV Player. Subscribers will be able to use the set-top box to scan local TV channels from their digital antenna and combine that content with Sling TV's streaming channels. It supports Netflix, too. "Get the live channels you love and the shows you can't miss. Watch Sling TV on AirTV Player, and enjoy live sports, shows, and movies with the simplicity of an app. With the AirTV Player, cut the cord and keep the TV experience....
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After taking on Internet service providers (ISPs) and wireless carriers with a set of net neutrality rules, it looked as though FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler was on the verge of going to war with cable companies next. That was the plan when, earlier this year, Wheeler talked about forcing cable companies to use open standards so that consumers could choose their own set-top box rather than paying rental or leasing fees for sub-par models provided by their service provider. Now the FCC is ditching that plan in favor of apps. What's that, apps you say? Yes indeed—rather than continue to push for the adoption of third-party set-top boxes, the FCC is set to vote later this month on a proposal that would...
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Much to the chagrin of cable TV providers that profit from leasing out set-top boxes to customers, the Obama administration joined the Federal Communications Commission in pushing for changes that would give consumers the option of buying less expensive third-party boxes that would offer full functionality with their TV service. At the beginning of the year, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler issued a proposal that would do exactly that. The FCC ultimately approved the proposal by a 3-2 vote, which kicked off a 60-day "information-gathering process" to give the FCC and cable providers a chance to work out the details on how to implement the proposal. "You could have a set a standards such that anyone could...
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If anyone was concerned that appointing a former cable industry insider as the FCC chairman would mean that the regulatory body would favor the cable industry, those concerns have been completely obliterated over the past few years. First there was the ruling on net neutrality, which sent telecoms into a tizzy, and we have a ruling that already has the cable industry spitting fire. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler issued a proposal last month that would give cable customers the freedom to ditch their service provider-supplied cable box in favor of units made by third-parties. Making this move would not only allow customers to save on leasing/rental fees on often outdated and power-hungry cable box hardware,...
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If there’s one U.S. industry that could use a healthy dose or regulation, it’s likely the cable industry. The cable industry has been slow to change and adapt to new technologies because existing regulations have allowed it to basically get it way, commanding service monopolies (or duopolies) in most regions and fighting tooth and nail to thwart any fresh competition (i.e. municipal broadband). The FCC has taken steps to weaken the power of cable companies in recent years by siding with towns looking to offer their own Internet services, and it now looks as though the regulatory body has another trick up its sleeve that could save customers a few bucks in more ways than one. FCC Chairman Tom...
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We used to say that ViewSonic was seen primarily as a monitor company, but now, we aren't so sure. The company has expanded mightily over the years, offering a wide variety of consumer electronics devices ranging from portable media players to e-reader devices to a new living room set-top box. The new NexTV VMP75 is entering a market that's deeply crowded with options from Vudu, Roku, Popcorn Hour and (soon) Google, but this sector has still yet to go mainstream. So in a way, there's still a chance for more market players to grab market share. This new device is a network media player, capable of displaying 1080p content from external storage devices or streaming media from home networks and...
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Never heard of Litl? That's because they're a rather small (or little, if we should be so hilarious) start-up company, trying their best to compete with the big boys at Google and the like. Last year, the company introduced their version of a convertible netbook, called the Webbook. It runs a special, proprietary operating system (Litl OS), and just recently went to $399 from a high of $699 at launch. Now, Litl OS is about to find its second home, on an upcoming set-top box designed to take on the impending Google TV. At the upcoming Flash and the City developers conference, Litl will be on-hand to reveal plans for a "new web-connected TV product slated for launch in early 2011 and extend the...
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Hot on the heels of Broadcom's announcement STB SoC yesterday, STMicroelectronics has announced the STi5107. Integration of the latest security specifications seem to be the biggest selling point of the new chip, although other performance enhancements have been added. STMicroelectronics, the world's largest supplier of silicon chips for set-top boxes (STB)*, has announced the STi5107, a new MPEG decoder for standard definition TV, within the Company's OMEGA family of STB solutions. Using the new device, manufacturers will be able to cut their total component cost and simplify board design and assembly, while offering enhanced security features. The STi5107 is designed to address the requirements...
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Broadcom is already sampling these chips to early adopters, and is providing a value line reference implementation as well a top-of-the-line reference platform. With all of the various new specifications and related standards being supported, this chip will certainly command the lion's share of set-top boxes for the near future. Based on NGNA developments to date, the BCM7118 provides support for all of today's cable network operating requirements, and also integrates features required to support the transition to CableLabs-based open industry standards (i.e. OpenCable(TM) Applications Platform (OCAP), DOCSIS 2.0 with DOCSIS Set-Top Gateway...
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