The NAB Punts On Streaming EAS Alerts

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has filed comments with the FCC that indicate it’s just too hard to for its members to deliver Emergency Alert System (EAS) notices via streaming apps: the web-based architecture and infrastructure of streaming services make it impractical for such providers to monitor for EAS alerts or distribute alerts to … Read more

Time Runs Out for T-Mobile TV in 2018

After scooping up startup Layer3 TV earlier this year, T-Mobile’s plans to launch a disruptive online video service in 2018 appear to have faltered. The delay may not be a long one, but it follows years of bold claims by the Layer3 TV team that have amounted to very little in the consumer market. Bloomberg … Read more

Alticast HDMI Stick Shown Running Cox UI and Android

Alticast HDMI Media Express Stick with Cox guide and apps

HDMI streaming sticks are everywhere now, but a new one powered by Alticast, and shown for the first time at CES, comes with an interesting twist. The HDMI Media Express Stick includes both the Reference Design Kit (RDK) software bundle developed by Comcast (and now jointly managed with Time Warner), and Android support. That means it can be used as a set-top alternative by cable companies while also including access to Android apps.

Alticast CTO John Carlucci ran through a demo that showed multiple cable UIs running on the streaming stick. One was Korean (Alticast is headquartered in Korea), but one was the Cox Trio guide.

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The Evolution Of Vizio Internet Apps

Vizio was one of the first and perhaps largest manufacturer to take on the Yahoo Internet TV platform. And early iterations could be a bit painful. Fast forward a few years, never minding that brief flirtation with Google TV, and we find ourselves a visually rich, customizable, and robust “VIA+” experience based on Yahoo Connected TV … Read more

LG's webOS Smart TV UI Revealed

By way of our pal @evleaks comes an exclusive image of the refreshed webOS UI headed to at least one LG Smart TV. As you can see, the new card carousel is a looker. And, unlike competing Samsung and Panasonic Internet-connected televisions, apps aren’t buried in a silo-ed grid of icons (and ads). Of course, there’s … Read more

What Might Amazon's TV Streamer Look Like?

kindle-mhl

Having missed the ever so lucrative holiday hopping season, we stop to wonder what Amazon might pack into their forthcoming TV streamer (after failing to reach a deal for the Netflix-backed Roku a few years back).

First, given pulled and presumably filled job openings, one technology Amazon’s Lab126 Kindle division has been interested in is MHL – something we’ve seen leveraged by the Roku streaming sick, as means of doing away with the set-top box. Of course, the M in MHL is “mobile” and this could equally refer to the Kindle Fire line of tablets — either on their own or as a means of interfacing with a Kindle streamer. However, we fully believe any Amazon TV stick or set-top would act as an endpoint to the Kindle Fire’s Miracast capabilities.

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Slingbox 500 Launches DishWorld International TV App

Sling has unveiled a second app for their high end Slingbox 500, a placeshifter with benefits. And, like the company’s first foray in reverse streaming, the EchoStar subsidiary dabbles in nepotism with the launch of DISHWorld — a service that offers a variety of international programming, including live “television” and a sports package that runs $10/month. I’d hoped … Read more