Samsung is speeding along toward the launch of a new retail CableCard device thanks to a waiver granted last week by the FCC. As Dave reported back in May, Samsung is planning to bring its Smart Media Player to market in time for the holiday shopping season. However, the company needed a waiver to avoid having to include an analog tuner in the device. Samsung got its wish with this notice from the FCC:
Specifically, we waive the requirement in Section 15.118(b) of the Commission’s rules that Samsung’s Smart Media Player include tuners that are capable of receiving analog cable channels. We conclude that the waiver is in the public interest because it will reduce the cost and power consumption of the Smart Media Player and provide consumers with a retail set-top box option that can better compete with devices leased by cable operators, thus enhancing competition in the retail set-top box market.
The FCC waiver helps ensure Samsung’s box will actually make to retail shelves, but it’s not the most interesting angle to this story. First of all, the hybrid cable+OTT set-top comes along at a time when retail CableCARD devices were all but presumed dead. Second, while the new set-top doesn’t include a hardware-based digital video recorder, Samsung could conceivably pair the device with Boxee cloud DVR service. Samsung picked up Boxee earlier this summer with plans to include the company’s technology in future “smart” television products. The new Smart Media Player certainly sounds like it qualifies.
I hope Boxee does better at Samsung than webOS has been doing at LG… (and I suspect this particular product will be a dud).
Seems highly unlikely. The whole Boxee DVR thing seemed poorly thought out and unlikely to avoid being sued out of existence honestly. Turned out it didn’t matter since it was quickly axed.
Course I have no idea why Samsung is building this product. Hey, maybe it won’t be a complete waste of their time…
Is this basically their Smart Hub system in a box instead of built into a TV? Well, that plus a tuner and CableCard compatibility, which none of their TVs have. Same apps and UI I would assume. To retrofit older than TVs?
I’d love to see them play the Boxee Cloud DVR angle. Will they? Dunno, but it’d be cool to see them try.
I’ve got recent Samsung TV’s in two rooms. I’ve used Vudu once in the bedroom cuz we got a free movie. I added a few apps, played around, then stopped using it. Ditto the living room. I don’t use either to access Netflix since there’s a better experience on the Apple TV or the TiVo or the Roku. And uh… I’m never sure where the TV remote is.
I don’t think any of the Samsung apps are compelling enough to compete against cheaper alternatives that are substantially better (Roku, Apple TV, ChromeCast), have better retail distribution, and more customer mindshare, etc etc.
That said, hey I wish them luck.
But Glen, none of the devices you mention accept cablecard.
The Boxee DVR did work as advertised and it made an actual recording of what was being broadcast at my location. But it did compress the recording, and it only played it back in stereo instead of the DD 5.1 it was broadcast in. All they needed to do was improve a few things and it would have been a very good service.
The Boxee Cloud DVR did work as advertised and it made an actual recording of what was being broadcast at my location. But it did compress the recording, and it only played it back in stereo instead of the DD 5.1 it was broadcast in. All they needed to do was improve a few things and it would have been a very good service.