set top box

Although it shed off its high-profile name last year, which probably doesn't help its publicity, Kodi, the media center formerly knowns as XBMC, hasn't stopped being the favorite solution of homebrew media centers. And with version 15.0 "Isengard", it has gotten even better, with new features that, honestly speaking, you would have expected to have been there already in this day and age. And for the Android faithful, Kodi brings the gift of its first ever official stable release for the platform, which includes support for 4K resolutions.

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Name five devices that run on Google's Android TV operating system. If you managed to do that without hurriedly running to a Google search, you are a rare breed. Ask the average user, even someone who is a longtime Android user, and you will probably get a blank stare.

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While streaming HDMI dongles like the Chromecast have stolen the spotlight, set-top boxes like Apple TV and Roku still have a large and faithful following. And as a treat for those faithful, Roku is rolling out updates to its software that it started more than a month ago. Arriving on all Roku players, including its own Roku Streaming Stick, are the enhanced Roku Search and Roku Feed features, which are also appearing on Roku's mobile apps. Plus, the new Roku 2 lands in the UK to give interested buyers a more affordable option.

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This week the folks at DISH Network have added Netflix multi-room functionality for their Joey-using clients. In addition to extending the abilities of Netflix, DISH is bringing Vevo - for music videos - to the Hopper DVR experience. DISH suggests that the addition of Netflix in this manner to Joey units makes them "the first major U.S. pay-TV provider to offer its customers a whole-home Netflix experience." To be clear, this isn't the first time Netflix has been on the Hopper DVR - it's the first time it's been extended to the Joey system.

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Roku has announced that some changes have been made to both its software and hardware. The updated software makes it easier for users of Roku set top boxes to find content that they want to watch. Roku has added the ability for consumers to view filmographies, availability, and pricing options they might not have known about before.

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Today NVIDIA has revealed their newest addition to the SHIELD family - an Android TV device called "SHIELD." This device is just called SHIELD. It essentially takes on the name of what's now (and has been since the Tablet) called the SHIELD Portable. That makes three devices - SHIELD, SHIELD Portable, and SHIELD Tablet. Together they make one big happy family for gaming in all sorts of different places. This solution is made to sit in the living room next to your TV rather than fit in your backpack or provide picture on its own.

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Today, Xiaomi not only debuted its super high end Mi Note phablet. It also revealed two new products that flaunted the companies manufacturing and engineering muscles. The Mi Headphones is designed withs superior audio quality in mind and goes quite nicely with the Mi Note's Hi-Fi audio promise. On the other hand, the Mi Box Mini probably doesn't deserve to be called a set-top box anymore. Not because it doesn't fulfill its purpose but because it's hard to qualify it under that category because of its ridiculously small size.

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Set-top boxes are a common gadget at this point, with the most notable ones being devices like the Roku and Chromecast. Other lesser-known options are available, however, often requiring a few tech skills to get everything setup but offering more user freedom in return. The new CuBoxTV is one such item, offering users the XBMC platform alongside a tiny cube-shaped design with a variety of connectivity options and media support. CuBoxTV comes from SolidRun, which has put the device up for pre-order.

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If you're looking for something a bit more powerful than a Chromecast or similar device, Tronsmart has rolled out the red carpet for a new Android set-top box that boasts, among other things, an octa core processor. Because it runs Android, users can use apps on their television from the Google Play Store, never mind how tricky it might be controlling them using the included remote. The box is called the Tronsmart Draco AW80 Meta, and it is available now through certain online retailers.

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If your set-top box isn't quite router-like enough for you, there's the antenna-toting Orion R28 from Tronsmart, an Android TV Box that is now available for pre-order. Two models are available currently, with a third one being in the pipeline, all of them offering Android 4.4.

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The latest set-top box to surface is the VidOn Box from a company by the same name, a small router-like entertainment device that runs XMBC (now called Kodi). Unlike some similar boxes, however, it comes with a unique software subscription bundled into the overall price that tosses in some extra features.

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Roku is perhaps the best-known set-top entertainment box, and its popularity spurred other companies to offer their own similar devices. The Freakbox is similar to them, but in its own way -- it's a limited edition device that offers Android 4.4, and will eventually support Linux, launching at the budget-friendly price of about $100 USD.

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