The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Anecdotal evidence suggests over-the-top video is a booming trend. But it takes technical skill, state-of-the-art broadband connections and the willingness to shell out money for both bandwidth and content subscriptions to fully integrate OTT into a household, much less consider trying to use it to cord cut. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Dish is betting big on the DVR to help it win over more customers and fight off competition. The satellite TV provider is coming out with new and improved recording devices that can be taken advantage of from up to four TVs throughout the home. Read more »
Time Warner Cable will soon offer a promotion that will give rebates for Slingboxes to its Wideband Internet customers. That provides an incentive for users to sign up, but also gives Time Warner Cable a way to offer its TV “everywhere” without signing agreements with networks. Read more »
With adaptive streaming technology in its set-top boxes, access to digital rights and the Blockbuster brand, as well as some spectrum that could be used for wireless broadband services, Dish could be well-positioned to roll out new, IP-delivered video services. Read more »
Dish and EchoStar have finally given up fighting against TiVo in the long-running dispute over DVR patents. After a court found Dish would have to replace its customers’ set-top boxes, the satellite TV provider decided it would be cheaper to license TiVo’s intellectual property instead. Read more »
Echostar announced today that it has acquired the assets of Move Networks. It’s not clear what the satellite technology provider will do with those assets, but the deal marks the end of an era for a once high-flying provider of high-quality video delivery technology. Read more »
The PTO reaffirmed TiVo’s Time Warp Patent, striking a blow against Dish and EchoStar today. The patent office’s ruling, which TiVo says is final and not appealable, enforced the patent at the center of a legal fight between the DVR maker and the satellite TV provider. Read more »
Widevine announced this morning that its technology has been chosen to be embedded in EchoStar SlingLoaded set-top boxes. The deal will give an extra layer of protection to video that is being place-shifted from user’s home TV sets to whatever device they’re watching video on. Read more »
Dish subscribers will be able to watch their satellite TV programming on their iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch starting in September. Support for Blackberry devices will also be rolled out that month, and Android users will be able to join in on the fun in October. Read more »
In a petition to deny the Comcast-NBCU transaction, Dish Network says the deal poses “grave threats” to online video. With a TV Everywhere initiative and a stake in Hulu, Dish says the combined entity would have the incentive and ability to take anticompetitive action against competitors. Read more »
The US patent office issued a ruling against patents held by TiVo that could affect its lawsuit against Dish Network and EchoStar. The PTO rejected two software claims related to TiVo’s “time warp” technology, which enables users to record and play back TV programs. Read more »
A federal appeals court said today that it’s going to take another look at the patent infringement suit between TiVo and satellite companies Dish and Echostar, throwing into jeopardy a $200 million award that TiVo was granted last September and causing TiVo’s stock to tumble. Read more »
Dish Network subscribers will soon be able to watch their TV anywhere through PCs and mobile phones, as the satellite TV provider is finally making Sling-enabled DVRs available to its customers, about a year after they were expected to ship. Dish will sell the ViP922 SlingLoaded […] Read more »
