Hillcrest Labs’ Kylo browser for TV viewing on home theater PCs is going open source: The company released the source code for the browser under the Mozilla Public License, hoping that others will pick up some of the development of the TV-optimized browser platform. Read more »
Navigating a browser with a plain old TV remote is no fun. Hillcrest Labs wants to improve that experience with point-and-click input devices, and the company just secured an additional round of funding to deal with the increased demand for a different kind of remote control. Read more »
Hillcrest Labs announced a new edition of its TV-optimized Kylo browser today, with major integration with Clicker.tv’s TV-optimized programming guide to help users view online content on a 10-foot experience. Kylo also now offers a UK edition, as well as Windows Media Center integration. Read more »
The Boxee competitor web video browser is experiencing the same ups and downs as Boxee did when it comes to Hulu. Its latest workaround for giving users access to the streaming media site, introduced three days ago, is no longer in operation. Read more »
Google unveiled Google TV at its I/O conference on May 20, promising to revolutionize the TV ecosystem by giving people “the power to experience what they love on TV and on the web on a single screen,” while turning the living room “into a new platform for innovation.”
It’s a promise made by others (including no-less formidable innovators such as Microsoft and Apple) but never delivered on. Much has changed since Microsoft failed with Web TV, however, and even since Apple introduced (and has since largely ignored) its Apple TV. The amount of premium video content available on the Internet has grown exponentially, while faster broadband connections have made delivering high-quality video over IP networks feasible. In this research note, we look at why the time is ripe for Google’s offering to succeed, what it si, and its potential impacts on the TV ecosystem, including users, hardware providers, app stores, content providers, distributors, and competitors (including Apple, Microsoft, and independent IP video platforms). Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Kylo, the web video browser software from Hillcrest Labs, was blocked from accessing Hulu just hours after it launched back in March. Now the software been updated with a new workaround that will allow users to watch Hulu videos. But how long will the hack work? Read more »
TV apps — interactive, web-like applications meant to “enhance” the TV viewing experience by supplementing programming content with additional material and activities — are evolving quickly from a novelty feature on some Internet-enabled HDTVs and a few cable systems to a standard capability. Their rise is driven by rapid growth in the number of Internet-connected devices in consumers’ living rooms, growing consumer familiarity with mobile apps and strategic competitive forces that influence video service providers. In this report, we look at the market dynamics, key players, and provide forecasts for the market, including network-connected televisions, embedded app marketplaces, app downloads, paid TV apps, and revenue from the sale of paid apps to consumers, which will grow from $10 million in 2010 to $1.9 billion by 2015. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
