Earlier this year at the international technology conference known as Mobile World Congress, we got our first chance to have a hands-on look at the Samsung HomeSync Android TV box. Tossing aside the idea that a Google-friendly TV box should run none other than Google TV itself, Samsung decided here that the system should take […]
Who would have thought there’d be an end to the seemingly never-ending enlargement of television displays for the home – yet here it is, being warned against by none other than the CEO of LG Display. Han Sang-beom has suggested this week that LG Display, the company he is CEO of at the moment, will […]
Sky+ viewers have had advanced search through the TV service’s mobile app for a while. Starting today, they’ll get that experience through their set-top boxes. Sky is rolling out an update to Sky+HD receivers that introduces as-you-type search, with unified results that include both live and on-demand shows. The upgrade will take a few months to reach all subscribers, but the days of slow searches may soon be at an end.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Sky
Give credit to the MediaPortal team for making swift progress: just a few weeks after revealing a pre-release build of MediaPortal 1.5, the group has released its finished software for download. As promised, the home theater PC client now supports CableCARD tuning for most channels outside of pay TV. The update also brings support for Windows 8.1, a directly integrated PowerScheduler++ feature and improved IPTV streaming. The only drawback is the end to Windows XP support, but we suspect that backward compatibility isn’t as much of an issue these days.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD
Source: MediaPortal
Wondering why the BBC brought iPlayer downloads to just 11 Android devices, several months after iOS users got their turn? The broadcaster has just explained itself through a blog post detailing the Android app’s testing process. Like Netflix, the BBC had to focus its support on a handful of Android products in order to launch on time; this supports what we’ve heard from our own sources, who suggest that iPlayer development is normally arduous. To address as much hardware as possible on a tight schedule, the network conducted frequent, iterative tests that guaranteed compatibility relatively quickly. While the end result still leaves a lot of viewers without downloads, the BBC suggests that its testing process introduced the feature sooner than would have otherwise been possible. Whether or not you’re happy with the finished product, you can check out the corporation’s full methodology at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Source: BBC Internet Blog
It’s not as if Toshiba’s TV division has been totally silent recently, but it apparently hasn’t been making enough noise to justify the continued employment of its full, 6,000-strong workforce. Although it’s not quite ready to give up, the Japanese manufacturer is scaling back its TV operation heavily: losing half of its staff globally and closing two of its three TV factories in favor of more outsourced production. The cuts are intended help Toshiba meet its target of $101 million in cost savings and the company hopes its TV division will return to profitability this year — but as you’d expect, at a much smaller scale than it once had.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Source: Reuters
Just yesterday we heard word that Intel was in talks with both Amazon and Samsung to bring web TV to the masses – today word is that this move has been pushed to 2014 as talks continue. Though it would seem that finalizing words between Amazon, Samsung, and Intel would be the final step before […]
LG has introduced two new Ultra HD televisions for the U.S. market, the LA9650 55-inch and 65-inch TVs. The announcement is in conjunction with the 2013 Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association Expo, CEDIA, and follows shortly after the company unveiled its new pair of 29-inch UltraWide monitors. Both of these new Ultra HD televisions […]
Gigabit internet access is all the rage these days, and C Spire is entirely willing to give in to peer pressure. It just announced an upcoming C Spire Fiber to the Home service that will supply 1Gbps internet access and IPTV to Mississippi residents sometime in 2014. Exactly where it arrives will depend on feedback, however. Much like Google, C Spire wants both municipal governments and residents to plead their case; the more vocal regions will get service first. Only local leaders can solicit C Spire at this stage, but everyone else will get their chance starting on September 30th.
Filed under: Networking, Internet, HD
Source: C Spire
When AMC split the last season of Breaking Bad in two, it annoyed iTunes Season Pass holders who had to pay twice to finish Walter White’s saga. Rather than point angry viewers in AMC’s direction, though, Apple is shouldering the burden (and trying to dodge a lawsuit) by issuing refunds. Customers who bought the not-actually-last season of Breaking Bad are receiving $23 iTunes credits that they can use for another Season Pass if they so choose. The refund comes just before the series wraps this Sunday, but it’s a welcome recompense for viewers who were caught off guard. Check out Apple’s email to customers after the break.
[Thanks, Abraham]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: BBC
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