Dave Zatz Back at CES, we admired Verizon’s upcoming six-tuner IPTV Media Server (VMS) and thin clients. And while it appears “soon” is off the table, the company has put a stake in the ground at NAB for a September launch. FiOS TV has long offered a whole-home DVR experience, but this evolved solution takes on more of … Read more
While the Slingbox may be the most well known placeshifting technologies, there have been others… And Sling Media rival Monsoon, makers of HAVA and Vulkano devices, licensed their tech to Belkin under the @TV brand in 2012. Presumably due to Belkin’s broad retail footprint, Sling took issue and launched a patent infringement suit in January. Monsoon … Read more
Just when you thought the FCC and Charter had put the final nail in CableCARD’s coffin, Samsung reveals plans to produce a hybrid cable+OTT set-top box for a fall 2013 launch. Assuming the FCC gets around to granting TiVo’s analog tuner waiver request in a timely fashion. Smart Media Player, an innovative product with a compelling consumer … Read more
It’s come to my attention that Bose will soon launch the next entrant into their QuietComfort range of noise cancelling headsets. However, unlike the current QC 15 and QC 3, the incoming QuietComfort 20 moves to an in-ear design. While I’d have preferred an update to the on-ear or around-ear models, I’m told the QC20 have … Read more
Prior to the division’s potential sale, Logitech’s last Harmony remote control models have started arriving at Best Buy. The Harmony Ultimate and (soon) the Harmony Smart Control join the Touch and 650 on a revamped retail display. Both new models ship with a the “Harmony Hub” – which appears to represent the evolution of the Harmony … Read more
After a March tease, Roku 2 streaming players are finally entitled to the updated interface (that ships with the Roku 3). While Roku has staggered the rollout over a two-week window, you can manually trigger an update via Settings > Software update > Check now… as I did. While I’ve only had the new UI a few days, I’m glad to see … Read more
Despite the sudden glut of video streaming services, the joint Redbox-Verizon initiative presses on. And, according to GigaOm, up next for the $8/month service will be Google TV and Roku clients. Given the Android set-top’s limited penetration, having failed to land on the “majority” of televisions, and upcoming retirement of Flash I’m somewhat surprised Redbox … Read more