Amid new Roku apps and the launch of the Roku Streaming Stick, company CEO Anthony Wood also let slip this week that Roku “has been in talks” with companies about introducing new lower-cost, broadband-only TV services. Wood said at a recent industry event that he expects a new virtual MSO to pop up in the … Read more
Wal-mart’s Disc-to-Digital service, launching under the Vudu brand, became available today. That’s the theory anyhow. Unfortunately, reps at two different local Walmart outposts tell me they haven’t yet been trained and I was unsuccessful in getting my discs “converted” during lunch. Backing up a bit, this new service falls under the studio-backed UltraViolet initiative — … Read more
D-Link unveiled a new low-end streamer this week, the MovieNite (DSM-310) – exclusively available via Wal-mart for $48. So, as I’m wont to do, I immediately picked one up (and simultaneously discovered a new Roku box). Unlike its chief competition at this price point, MovieNite has a finite number of pre-loaded “channels” compared to Roku’s … Read more
Right on schedule, members of Panasonic’s 2012 Blu-ray player lineup have begun arriving at Best Buy. Last year, we regularly recommended the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 to folks seeking a reasonably priced deck with well rounded features, including a healthy online ecosystem and fast boot times. And now in 2012, the DMP-BDT220 (MSRP $150) looks to be … Read more
Boxee, makers of software powering digital media streaming boxes and computers, recently launched a campaign that seemingly encourages folks to “cut the cord” (and find fulfillment via their new Live TV USB dongle): Yes, there are hundreds of cable channels, but make a list of the stuff you actually watch. You will probably find that most … Read more
Vizio’s been talking up Google TV since CES 2011. Yet very little seemed to materialize last year and so 2012 looks to be the year they get serious… with the introduction of new Google TV-powered televisions, Blu-ray deck, and the “Stream Player” shown above. Building upon their VIA branding (as in Vizio Internet Apps ) and … Read more
It’s that time of the year again where we run down our selection of best digital media boxes. And, surprisingly, the top 2012 recommendations aren’t dramatically different from our 2011 picks. In the ‘all around’ category, we’re still partial to the current generation of Sony and Microsoft gaming consoles… which offer far more than HD gaming. … Read more
There’s been a decent amount of interest in Sony’s new SMP-N200 digital media streamer – at least amongst those in the know as we’ve yet to see much marketing. Like many other players in this space, such as the recently revised WDTV Live and Apple TV, Sony’s latest iteration clocks in at the $100 price … Read more