Redbox Instant is coming to Google TV soon, Roku up next
Redbox Instant is coming to Google TV devices soon, and the company plans to launch a channel on Roku streaming media players soon after. Read more »
Google TV will receive Android 4.2.2 update as well as latest version of Chrome
Google TV will finally be upgraded from Android 3.2 aka Honeycomb when it receives the next major system update later this year. The new version will be based on Android 4.2.2. Read more »
Next up for Google TV: An NBC app with full, free episodes?
NBC may be ready to rethink its stance towards Google TV, and make its content available for free on the platform through a native app. Read more »
Really, Microsoft? Your vision for the future of TV is… an HDMI cable?
photo: digitpedia
Microsoft is reportedly looking to closely integrate its upcoming Xbox successor with live television – but it’s using a very cumbersome way to do so. Read more »
Taking it to the home turf: YouTube adds AirPlay competitor to its iOS app
iPad users can now beam YouTube videos straight to their Google TV device, thanks to a new AirPlay-like feature added to the latest app update. Read more »
WD is getting ready to develop its own Google TV products
WD’s streaming boxes are up for a refresh this year, and a job ad suggests that the company is going to migrate to Google TV. Read more »
Hardware partners plot future of Google TV in closed-door meeting
photo: SLR Jester
20 companies invested in Google TV came together in Seoul last week to talk about the future of the platform. Some hardware partners have already begun to work on the next version of Google TV. Read more »
An inside look at Google’s Los Angeles Video hackathon
photo: Google
What motivates 70 people to spend two days in a conference room, coding their hearts out? For the participants in this weekend’s Google hackathon, the answer was a lot bigger than just winning a new TV. Read more »
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How consumer media will change in 2013
Many of the biggest stories in the connected consumer space occurred mostly offstage in 2012, from Apple’s new media services to policymakers in Washington. Overall, the past 12 months have laid important groundwork for significant advances in the connected consumer space. The year 2013 should be eventful. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
AirPlay for everyone? Zapstreak outs Android SDK with more in store
The SDK makes it relatively simple for Android apps to stream content to any DLNA-enabled device, from TV sets to stereos. Next up? Similar SDKs for Windows Phone 8 and iOS. Read more »
Google TV update adds voice control, taps into Knowledge Graph
Google TV is getting advanced voice control, and the technology behind it is being fed by the knowledge graph that also powers Google Now. Speaking of which: The mobile app will soon be much more closely connected to Google’s TV platform. Read more »
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OTT technologies and strategies for broadcasters
TV broadcasters and programmers must embrace a new set of video-delivery techniques to reach consumers today. Online delivery to so many types of consumer devices means that video programmers must produce multiple internet-streaming formats that use different types of security and different ways of inserting ads. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
YouTube for Google TV gets AirPlay-like functionality
Google TV just got a little more Apple-like: Android users can now use AirPlay-like functionality to send videos from their mobile phones and tablets to their Google TV devices. Google has said that it wants to bring that functionality to other platforms as well. Read more »
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The state of cross-platform media measurement
Brand advertising’s focus on cross-platform media measurement has grown dramatically in the past five years. Within the next 36 months cross-platform digital video advertising will standardize, driven by the shift in media dollars to online viewing and the adoption of the Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) initiative. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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What the shift to the cloud means for the future EPG
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 »
Here comes The Fold, a daily news program made for cord cutters
The Washington Post’s new daily news show The Fold is interesting for a number of reasons: It debuts on Google TV and was made specifically to be viewed on connected TVs, and its target audience are cord cutters who don’t watch cable news anymore. Read more »
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Development strategies for the app-developer community
App developers are the cornerstones of the multibillion-dollar app market, but the overall community remains largely unknown. As app downloads increase, organizations that can bring tools, resources, and a collective voice to this group will be an important factor in the evolution of mobile-app development. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cord Cutters: Our review of Vizio’s Co-Star Google TV box
Vizio’s Co-Star is the company’s first Google TV device. How does it stack up to Roku, Apple TV and other media streamers, and how well does it work for cord cutters? Check out our video review for a detailed look at the device. Read more »
Why Google is going to sell Motorola’s set-top box biz
Motorola’s set-top box business was supposed to be the silver bullet for Google TV, helping to bring the smart TV platform into millions of homes. So why has Google hired an investment bank to sell the unit, and what does this mean for Google TV? Read more »
Guten Tag: Google TV is launching in Germany next month
Sony is bringing its new Google TV set-top box to Germany, where it could soon compete with the Roku box. The question is: With Netflix and Hulu both absent from the German online video market, which services are Germans going to watch with these devices? Read more »
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The evolution of consumer-media cloud storage
Cloud-based storage and cross-device syncing of media content are two of the most competitive areas in consumer IT. Apple, Google and Amazon see cloud-based media services both as a way to increase attachment to their platforms and a means to extend and amplify their broader strategic goals. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
What to expect from Google I/O 2012: The Google TV edition
Google TV is going to play a bigger role at this year’s Google I/O developer conference, will is happening this week in San Francisco. There is going to be a bunch of new devices, possibly additional partners, but no major overhaul of the core platform. Read more »
Sony launches new Google TV set-top for global market
After disappointing sales of its first-generation Google TV product, Sony will launch an updated version of its Android-based set-top next month. It will also be the first to extend the platform beyond the U.S., with plans to debut it in Europe and Latin America. Read more at paidContent »
Did Google Fiber just get its own Google TV set-top box?
Google is gearing up to bring fiber-fast broadband to Kansas City, and a device that could be key to these efforts just popped up the FCC’s website. The set-top box GFHD100 comes with a Google fiber logo – and looks very much like a Google TV device. Read more »
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Who and what to watch in the new era of the living room
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 »
Plex preinstalled on Sony’s upcoming Google TV devices
The Plex app for Google TV will be preinstalled on Sony’s upcoming Google TV devices, which are expected to hit the shelves in the U.S. and other countries this summer. This is a big deal for Plex, and a nice addition to Google TV. Read more »
LG set to roll out Google TV models later this month
Hoping to spark both the suddenly sagging U.S. TV market and Google’s struggling Android-based TV platform at the same time, consumer electronics maker LG has confirmed that it will release in the U.S. two new smart TV models based on Google TV software later in May. Read more at paidContent »
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Controversy, courtrooms and the cloud in Q1
In the first quarter of 2012 all eyes were on the screen, both big and small. Apple’s new Retina display pushed video streaming, and broadcast-TV streaming service Aereo’s launch was quickly followed with litigation. These events and more are discussed in a new quarterly report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google TV is coming to Europe this September
Sony will start selling two Google TV-based devices in Europe this September. The company confirmed the launch in France to a local news source, and also spilled a few more details about their new Google TV hardware: Apparently, it will once again be pretty expensive. Read more »
Scoop: Less than 1M Google TV devices in use
How many Google TV devices are actually being used by consumers? Google and its partners have never released any sales figures, but publicly available Android Market data offers some interesting insights. Market data also suggests that price may be key to Google TV’s future success. Read more »
Google TV goes Android 3.2, next up Ice Cream Sandwich
Google TV devices from Sony received an update based on Android Honeycomb 3.2 this week, and Logitech’s Revue will be updated in the near future. This is the last major update for the platform before Ice Cream sandwich, which is rumored to come before year’s end. Read more »
Boxee officially pulls the plug on PC client
Boxee is following through with its announcement to remove the Mac, Windows and Linux versions of its client from its website. PC users have until the end of Tuesday to download the latest version, but many might opt to check out a competitor instead. Read more »
Google TV’s biggest competitor looks awfully familiar
No, it’s not Apple’s long-rumored TV set or one of the countless other app platforms from Samsung to Roku: Google TV’s biggest competitor, capable even of derailing the company’s entrance into the market for pay-TV set-top boxes, may just be Android itself. Read more »
Where were all the Google TVs at CES?
A week ago, it seemed like Google TV was back on track after announcing new partners. But if Google finally is gaining the trust and support of the consumer electronics industry, there was little evidence of it at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Read more »
New Google TV Devices Finally On The Way
The Google (NSDQ: GOOG) TV reset that started last fall with software updates for existing Sony (NYSE: SNE) hardware heads into the next pha… Read more at paidContent »
Google TV on track to launch around the world in 2012
Sony is going to start selling Google TV devices around the world, Google revealed in a blog post today. Google also confirmed we are going to see new Google TV gear from LG, Vizio, Samsung and Sony at CES in Las Vegas next week. Read more »
Marvell’s ARM chips will power Google TV’s future
The Intel days are over for Google TV: The next generation of Google TV devices will be powered by an ARM chip from Marvell that promises to be cheaper, snappier and less of a power hog. Also in Marvell’s pipeline: Android set-top-boxes for pay-TV operators. Read more »
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Connected Consumer 2012: A year of consolidation and integration
Call it the year of lessons learned, if not quite bubbles burst. In 2011, several trends in the connected consumer space that appeared inexorable at the start of the year seemed disorganized by the end. What does that mean for the next 12 months? From cloud-based media storage to daily deals to the fight for the digital living room, 2012 will be a year of consolidation and integration. Both entrepreneurs and investors will figure out that many once-promising standalone business models need to be grounded on more solid, integrated platforms to create real value. Companies mentioned in this report include Hulu, LivingSocial, Netflix and Zynga. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple’s TV plans: my takeaways from the WSJ report
On Sunday the Wall Street Journal published a report on Apple’s television plans. I had to read the story at least three times to really figure out what exactly Apple is doing when it comes to television. Here are my takeaways from the report. Read more »
Why Google TV will win
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt recently said that the company’s TV platform will soon dominate the CE market. I was initially underwhelmed by the recent system update, but now I have to say that I agree with Schmidt. Here are five reasons Google TV will be huge. Read more »
