Blinkx rolled out a new channel for Roku devices, making its index of premium videos available through the broadband set-top box. The video search and ad company is expanding to reach the big screen, taking videos from its content partners and displaying them on connected devices. Read more »
Verizon could soon make its Flex View VOD service available on connected devices like Roku and the Boxee Box. In a press briefing, it showed off some new features, including a channel that could allow Verizon FiOS customers to access the VOD service on Roku devices. Read more »
Roku has pulled an unauthorized TV.com app from being available on its broadband set-top boxes after receiving a takedown request from CBS. The takedown follows the removal of a similar YouTube third-party app, and highlights the problem of third-party developers creating and publishing private channels. Read more »
Searching for movie or TV show titles on your Roku media player just got easier thanks to a new universal remote control app called Dijit. The app turns our iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a Roku remote, complete with onscreen keyboard and customizable gestures. Read more »
A new firmware update for the Boxee Box adds new features to its user interface and video playback, as well as support for more languages. The update also adds new content, including movie trailers, new apps from Wealth TV and SnagFilms and access to HBO Go. Read more »
Plex just published a beta version of its Roku channel, making it possible to access media stored on your computer as well as Internet content sources on the popular media player. The channel is currently considered beta and still seems to have a few kinks. Read more »
After a year in which over-the-top video services grabbed most of the media’s attention, some of the online video headlines shifted back to traditional pay-TV providers in the first quarter of 2011. Device manufacturers rolled out new offerings, while cable-TV providers moved to expand their in-home footprint beyond the TV itself. But over-the-top continued to encroach, with Roku adding its first linear channels to the Roku store and Netflix acquiring exclusive rights to high-profile original series House of Cards. Finally, traditional web powers like Google, Yahoo and Apple made moves to reassert their presence in the living room after their early stumbles. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Comcast, Cablevision, Viacom and VUDU. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Playing YouTube videos on your Roku player just a got a lot harder: Google made Roku take down a private channel that brought YouTube videos to the device, likely because it violated YouTube’s terms of service. However, there are already negotiations to resolve the issue. Read more »
Online video distribution firm Ooyala is beefing up its TV Everywhere capabilities, adding new DRM and authentication features, and expanding distribution to new connected device platforms. The new capabilities will give more flexibility to content providers who want to provide authenticated access to their content. Read more »
In the three years since launch, Roku has sold more than a million units, relying on online sales and word-of-mouth to drive interest in its products. But now it has a big retail partner in Best Buy, which will sell its Roku XD product. Read more »
Sony online video venture Crackle is rolling out a new, free, ad-supported movie service to a connected TV or Blu-ray player near you. There’s just one catch — that TV or Blu-ray player will probably have to be made by Sony. Read more »
Music subscription service Rdio, which exited beta last summer, has added a new platform for its on demand cloud-based library: the Roku. This adds Rdio to the list of streaming services discovering the unexpected popularity of music channels on the set-top box. Read more »
Is your Roku just a box that streams Netflix? Well, it can do a whole lot more. In this week’s episode of Cord Cutters, Janko shows you how you can watch YouTube, enjoy locally-hosted videos and stream from your PC to the box itself. Read more »
Thanks to its addition of Al Jazeera English, Roku users around the country can now watch coverage of Egypt on their TVs. But cable giants are trying to stymie innovation by Roku and others, and have threatened to throttle or block content that competes with them. Read more »
The next Billy Graham or Joel Osteen may use Roku and other Internet set-top boxes to reach worshippers in the privacy of their living room. More and more churches have been embracing Roku in particular to compete with big mega-churches and their huge cable TV outlets. Read more »
Viewers interested in watching Al-Jazeera’s coverage of unrest in Egypt has largely been limited to watching live streams online. But the network is also now available on viewer TV sets, through live and on-demand feeds that can be accessed on Roku broadband set-top boxes. Read more »
WealthTV announced that its live video feed will soon be available to Roku users for $2.99 a month. While the announcement is a big win for Roku, it also underscores the need for independent cable networks to seek alternative methods of distribution beyond just cable TV. Read more »
Today on the Net: DirecTV is getting more expensive, Inception is getting a lot of interest on torrent sites and porn downloaders aren’t getting sued. Read more »
Got an Xbox for Xmas? Or maybe a Boxee Box – and now you’re dying to know all the cool stuff you can do with it? Then check out or ultimate video gadget resource post, also featuring tips for new PS3, Roku, SLR and iPhone owners. Read more »
It seemed just months ago our newfound love affair with connected TVs was in full swing. That was before two pieces of news gave us cause to question whether our new living room mates are who we thought they were. With concerns about security and half-baked ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It’s been a great year for gadgets and connected devices that let users access their favorite online video services in the living room and on the go. Today we present our top five gadgets for online video viewing, just in time for Christmas. Read more »
Today on the Net: Roku CEO Anthony Wood says sales of its broadband set-top boxes doubled after Apple TV entered the market with a competing product, Google poached Paramount SVP of digital distribution Malik Ducard for its content team and Sezmi keeps kicking without cable content. Read more »
Want to watch YouTube videos on your Roku digital media player? Or how about giving one to your parents for the holidays, and then sending them family photos straight to the TV? Check out our list of ten helpful tips every Roku owner should know about. Read more »
Today on the Net: Netflix explains why it uses HTML5 for its connected device user interfaces, Roku is preparing to roll out a pay-per-view offering for small video publishers next year and FilmOn and Ivi are both hated by broadcasters but they’re not the same company. Read more »
Hulu Plus is now available in the Roku channel store. New users can check the service out for a week, after which it will cost $7.99 per month. That money gets you plenty of TV shows, with commercials. Check out a first look at the service. Read more »
Hulu is making its subscription service available in the Roku Channel Store as part of a software update on the streaming set-top box. In a tweet, Roku confirmed that the Hulu Plus channel can now be downloaded, and gave instructions on how to access the service. Read more »
The Apple TV doesn’t seem to be getting its due on Amazon’s “Bestsellers in Electronics” list. While the device is clearly selling well, it hasn’t appeared among the top 100 sellers on Amazon’s list. Is the online store joining the battle to upset Cupertino’s efforts? Read more »
TV apps will soon be “everywhere,” according to attendees of a recent GigaOM Bunker event examining the future of the TV market. But how that market will develop, and which TV platforms will win out, is yet to be ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The television business is on the cusp of the biggest technological upheaval since the introduction of cable TV. The addition of Internet connectivity to living room devices will enable new functionality around programming services, program discovery, social networking, ad targeting and measurement — aspects of the TV viewing experience that have remained largely unchanged for decades. These trends have the potential to become the foundation for new economic models around how viewers pay for video service and how program creation is financed. In this report, we examine the leading contenders’ strategic positioning, relative strengths and weaknesses, and provide the early line on their odds of success. Companies mentioned include Google, Apple, Boxee, Roku, Vudu, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
GigaOM TV rock-tobered this month, delivering a bevy of videos that will engage, entertain and quite possibly inspire. From business insights and optimal work habits, to cutting-edge inventions, see what you may have missed. Read more »
Apple didn’t announce the number of Apple TVs sold as part of its earnings release, but Steve Jobs reported on the company’s investor call that it’s sold more than 250,000 Apple TVs since the company first made the product available in early September. Read more »
Today on the Net: Google and NBC Universal give up on their two-year old Google TV partnership, Justin.TV’s chief business officer leaves a week after the VP of product departed and Netgear is selling co-branded Roku boxes at Fry’s. Read more »
Google TV, Apple TV and Roku all have access to movies and TV show streaming from Netflix, but each device has a very distinct interface. Apple’s Netflix UI for example looks like Front Row. Google TV on the other hand looks so far pretty outdated. Read more »
Google TV will come with Netflix, Amazon VOD and Pandora. Apple TV on the other hand has Netflix, but instead of Amazon just iTunes, plus Flickr for your photos. Roku has MLB.tv, and Boxee hearts Last.fm. Still confused? Then check out our handy comparison chart. Read more »
Today on the Net: the new Apple TV is reviewed, Real releases a brand new RealPlayer with the ability to watch videos across multiple devices and Ooyala now lets publishers make custom channels for content on Roku set-top boxes. Read more »
Today, Roku is officially confirming that a Hulu Plus channel will be available on the set-top box later this fall. In addition, TiVo has announced that they too will be teaming with Hulu to provide Hulu Plus access to TiVo Premiere subscribers. Read more »
Roku users will soon be able to access Hulu Plus on their devices, if recent changes to the Roku.com web site are any indicator. The site already features a partner page for Hulu, boasting that Hulu PLus is easy to set up on Roku’s boxes. Read more »
Twelve percent of Roku’s customers have canceled their cable TV subscription, and many others have cut bakc on their monthly pay TV spending, according to Roku’s CEO Anthony Wood. Check out the video interview we did with Wood when he visited our office earlier this week. Read more »
Roku is coming to market with updates to its broadband set-top boxes tomorrow, improving the video quality and capabilities of its products while retaining the same low prices. The update comes as Roku tries to get out ahead of product releases from Apple, Google and Boxee. Read more »
Yesterday Janko made the case for why a family man without cable access might buy a Boxee Box. There are many reasons why I won’t be buying one, but it mainly comes down to price, competition and content availability. Read more »
