MHL promises to turn your mobile phone into a portable set-top box, capable of playing photos, videos and games on the TV screen via a cheap five-pin cable. It’s already supported by more than a dozen handsets — but hardly anyone knows about it. Read More »
video
Video ad network YuMe confirmed it has raised $12 million in funding led by Samsung Ventures and Translink Capital. The funding comes as the startup looks to expand from serving up ads on web video to serving up ads on connected TV platforms. Read More »
The TV app market is incredibly fragmented, but Adobe’s Flash won’t provide a solution. The company confirmed that like mobile, it will no longer focus on porting the Flash plugin into web browsers on CE devices, but thinks developers should build native apps instead. Read More »
There are a ton of development frameworks for creating apps on various connected TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, set-top boxes, tablets, smartphones and the like, which is more than most publishers can reasonably be expected to develop for. Enter SyncTV, which hopes to solve that issue. Read More »
TV gaming startup PlayJam has raised a $5 million Series A funding round from GameStop Digital Ventures, Adobe Ventures, Endeavour Ventures, London Venture Partners and others. The financing comes as PlayJam sees a massive opportunity to bring new games to connected TV platforms. Read More »
Pay TV operators are increasingly enabling viewers to browse, navigate and watch their programming on third-party devices like connected TVs and game consoles. But when they do that, are they ceding control to CE manufacturers? And who ends up really owning the consumer relationship? Read More »
SnagFilms is rapidly expanding both its content and distribution. As a result, it’s announcing its first slate of fictional titles, as well as availability on more connected devices like Android tablets, as well as sales channels through DirecTV, Vudu and Amazon. Read More »
With its latest Free the TV Challenge, Samsung is looking to extend its influence beyond just the TV with apps that create converged experiences among multiple devices. That could improve the experience for consumers and give them reason to buy some of its other products. Read More »
Yahoo TV is one of the oldest connected TV platforms still around, but it continues to innovate. Its broadcast interactivity feature offers new ways for broadcasters and advertisers to reach consumers. But with some of its OEMs looking at other platforms, can it fulfill its promise?… Read More »
The NBA’s effort to increase the amount of video available to fans in the latest season, with the league reporting more website visitors and video streams watched over the course of the 2010/2011 season and postseason than ever before. Read More »
Comcast has partnered with Skype to bring its video chat service to subscriber living rooms. With an adapter box and HD video camera, Comcast subscribers will soon be able to video chat with any other Skype users from the comfort of their living rooms. Read More »
Microsoft is trying to position its six-year-old Xbox 360 less as a video game console and more as an “all-in-one entertainment device.” But it might have difficult getting content providers on board, unless it makes its platform easier to develop for. Read More »
More Must Reads
