The Philips Hue Bridge (046677458478) is now Matter-certified… and presumably most downstream Hue accessories, like bulbs and motion detectors, will benefit. As to when we consumers gain these capabilities, that remains unknown. Although filing paperwork indicates the bridge requires firmware version 65536 or higher (and that number doesn’t map in an obvious way to the … Read more
Welp. It’s come to this. Slingbox servers will be shut down forever come November 9th. At which point all remaining devices will be bricked. * As part of the original Sling Media team, initially in an advisory role followed by full-time employment, redefining media consumption was a wild and fulfilling ride. But, like the personal … Read more
With Ring Car Alarm seemingly poised to launch, I began reinvestigating the status of Amazon’s automative companion… and have compiled several months of Ring Car Cam clues suggesting, that it too, is headed towards release. Up top, you’ll see I acquired a newer and higher resolution Ring Car Cam image since the last time I … Read more
After two years of radio silence, I was convinced Amazon had ceased development of Ring’s line of automotive accessories. Yet, in the closing days of October, new info has emerged which confirms the Ring Car Alarm is still in play and release may be imminent. Specifically, about a week ago, the large header image above … Read more
From where I sit, Meta Quest marketing continues to falter. They increased the Quest 2’s price point from $300 to $400 at the same time existing customers largely tune out or abandon Horizon Worlds – their VR centerpiece, promoted via a Super Bowl ad that ran a reported $13 million. To further poison their own … Read more
As Xperi is decoupled from its intellectual property business, to sidestep “channel conflict,” the company continues to crank away on their Roku-esque aspirations by turning the TiVo Stream platform into a television OS. Revealed two years ago, and arriving only a year late, the company’s first partnership is poised to begin producing Vestel televisions “Powered … Read more
In conjunction with Roku launching their line of white-labeled Wyze smart home paraphernalia, the streaming pioneer also released the requisite corresponding set-top “channel” — while it’s not the more holistic approach we were anticipating, the Roku Smart Home Cameras app is certainly good enough as an initial attempt moving in the direction of Apple TV … Read more
As prices continue to climb, it feels as though we’ve entered a new chapter of video streaming. One in which many of us will be more selective in what we subscribe to and at what frequency. Here’s a breakdown of some recent price hikes: Service Monthly Increase Effective Date Disney+ $3 (38%) 12/8/22 Apple TV+ … Read more