Apple is working on fleshing out its universal search capability and has announced that search now covers content from three new networks. Users of the fourth generation Apple TV can now search for shows from Comedy Central, MTV, and VH1 that is hosted on their apps. Apple says that the new capability is immediately available for all fourth generation Apple TV owners in the US.
The NVIDIA SHIELD is a nifty Android device that is quite perfect for developing graphics intensive apps, like games, thanks to its NVIDIA Tegra X1 chip and the shiny new Vulkan API.But at its heart, it is an entertainment device with a disposition for high quality, high resolution video. That nature is all the more emphasized in the latest firmware 3.2 update that brings, among other things, Plex server, support for 4K videos on VUDU and YouTube, and Netlix in HDR mode.
Having a set-top box that isn't tied to a specific service or network has many advantages but at least one big disadvantage: sorting through the myriad of sources to get to the content you want, at the price you like. Roku created its Search software to address that need, offering "unbiased" results with their equivalent prices, if applicable. Now Roku is adding more sources to harvest videos from, about more than 50 channels. Those include, for the first time, news channels so that you can also keep updated not just on fictional events but real-world ones as well.
Back in January, the FCC came up with a plan to reform the US's cable TV industry by "unlocking" set-top boxes, in turn allowing consumers to use devices from other companies or receive content from multiple providers. The goal is to both open the market to competitors, as well as give consumers more choices in how they browse content. The cable industry, unsurprisingly, didn't like this idea, and now, several months later, has proposed their own idea for reform.
Do you remember that Amazon has its own Android Fire OS set-top box and even a Chromecast HDMI streaming stick? You might be forgiven a bit if you have forgotten, seeing as how the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick have mostly taken a backseat compared to Amazon's latest darlings, the Echo and its cousins, as well as third party devices that integrate Alexa. Still, Amazon boasts that the Fire TV is the streaming media player in the US so, better late than never, it has finally introduced Alexa to its Fire TV.
It looks like Verizon may be moving away from its FiOS brand, and replacing it with an all-new cable and internet service, according to a new report from Variety. Sources have said the service will be based on a model that uses a new set-top box based on internet technologies, as opposed to existing digital cable signals. At the earliest, it sounds like Verizon may debut the service in an existing FiOS market before the end of the year.
Sling TV will soon include local TV channels acquired through a new set-top box and antenna setup called “AirTV,” according to a new report. The set-top box would help solve a big problem for Sling TV and streaming live-TV services like it — regional affiliates of national networks like CBS and ABC, and the troubles that come with providing those local channels — and their advertisements — over the Internet.
Roku has introduced an updated Streaming Stick, and it brings with it a quad-core processor. Unlike the previous Streaming Stick, this new model is black and features the company’s new “Private Listening” feature. With it, users can listen to their show using headphones connected to their phone, assuming the phone is running the Roku mobile app. This feature is available only via the new Streaming Stick, and is similar in convenience to the headphone jack included on some Roku remotes.
It's been quite a while since we've last heard of a Xiaomi Android set-top box but it seems that the Chinese OEM isn't yet read to put a fourth gen device out there yet. Instead, it has revamped the Mi Box 3 and is launching it as a Mi Box 3 Enhanced Edition. In addition to the slight spec bump, the box gets a new remote control that will undoubtedly remind you of the Wii Remote that made Nintendo's gaming console quite popular back in the days.
Owners of the first generation of the Amazon Fire TV are in for some good news: Amazon is bringing its Alexa digital assistant to the set-top box with a new firmware update rolling out over the next few weeks. First-gen Fire TV users may have been feeling out of the loop lately, with Amazon focusing on the new 4K model, not mention Alexa already being brought the second-gen Fire TV last fall. Fortunately the voice-based assistant is also coming to the original Fire TV Stick as well.
Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming the FCC would soon propose a change involving set top boxes, and such a proposal was indeed made public today. According to the FCC, “Ninety-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers are chained to their set-top boxes because cable and satellite operators have locked up the market.” If the commission gets its way, its proposal will save consumers money currently spent on leasing boxes from providers, and will open the doors for more consumer options.
It's well-known that Apple isn't known to waste time when it comes to moving ahead on production of forthcoming devices, even when a brand-new model was just introduced to consumers. Case in point: the new, fourth-generation Apple TV was just released in October, following three years without an update, but now Apple is prepping to begin production of a fifth-gen model in early 2016. This comes a day after the news that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting a new 4-inch iPhone model to debut in the same time period.