HBO Go and WatchESPN require that people already have paid cable subscriptions. The ESPN app includes live video from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line, as well as some original shows.

The lack of HBO and sports content on the Apple TV has hurt the image of the unit.   Those services have been available for some time on the Xbox 360, Roku boxes, and Samsung TVs.

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The update will supports iTunes Radio and offers a few minor new features. The first beta, which is referred to as iOS 5.4 (notably skipping 5.3 entirely), doesn’t yet make any severe design changes but does add support for the forthcoming iTunes Radio, allowing developers a chance to test the service.

It is not yet clear if Apple will update the Apple TV software to reflect the style of iOS 7 in the near future, but in the current beta both the look and functionality are largely the same, with just a handfull of new features, all of which would be considered fairly minor. Users will also see that iTunes in the Cloud is supported alongside iTunes Match, the latter being a paid service that creates a large “virtual storage locker” for iTunes music.

Interestingly, Apple has not yet merged the “Radio” feature on Apple TV with the new “iTunes Radio” function, though that is expected to happen at some point. The Radio function is largely copied from iTunes.

Another minor change is a renaming of the sometimes-confusing “Photo Stream” to “iCloud photos,” which simply shows a gallery of any photos stored in iCloud.

he update is likely to be issued sometime just before or at the same time as the upgrade to iOS 7 for other Apple mobile devices — currently said to be happening this fall.

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The NSZ-GS8, named the “Internet Player with Google TV” by Sony’s online store, effectively combines the various features of Smart TVs into a single box, though the voice search is the main headline addition. It provides Internet access through Chrome, various apps for streaming audio, video, and social networking, and is able to use an existing cable or satellite service to provide live TV channels and program searches. Connectivity over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and HDMI, Dolby Digital Plus audio processing, the option to use a  tabletor smatphone as a remote control and second display, and 8GB of local storage are also included.

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Both PBS and PBS KIDS are available immediately for all Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku LT, Roku HD players, plus and the Roku Streaming Stick. The channels are located in the Movies & TV section of the Roku Channel Store.

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“With the sale of Mediaroom, Microsoft is dedicating all TV resources to Xbox in a continued mission to make it the premium entertainment service that delivers all the games and entertainment consumers want – whether on a console, phone, PC or tablet,” Microsoft Vice President Yusuf Mehdi writes in a blog post.

Mehdi writes that Microsoft will partner with a range of content creators, studios, networks, labels and distributors for the next generation of TV, made “more simple, tailored and intelligent.” Mediaroom is the tech behind AT&T’s U-Verse, Telefonica and Swisscom, among other services, and powers 22 million set top boxes worldwide.

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Playback has received some minor streamlining. Clicking Play on a show will now automatically start the latest episode, and while a video is active, holding down Select will bring up a Subtitles and Audio menu where captions can be turned on mid-stream.

To get the new app people must have an Apple TV running the latest firmware. Forcing an update is possible by going to the General menu under Settings.

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Effectively offering the same functionality as a normal TiVo box, users can set shows to record, as well as browsing through online offerings from Hulu Plus, Pandora, Spotify, and others. While it connects over wired Ethernet or MoCA, there currently is not the option for the TiVo Mini to connect over Wi-Fi, something that a number of other competing devices manages to accomplish.

The TiVo Mini is on sale for $100 and requires a $6 monthly charge to operate, but there is an option for a “Lifetime Service” at $150.

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Roku is launching its fastest media streamer to date. Benchmarked by the company at over five times faster than previous players, the new Roku 3 streamer boasts wide connectivity, a new user interface, a remote with a headphone jack for private listening, and an updated Roku Channel store.

The Roku 3 enhanced remote features a built-in headphone jack for private listening with the included in-ear headphones. Volume buttons on the remote control audio while private listening mode is in use. Additionally, the remote doubles as a motion-sensing game controller for gameplay.

Roku’s free app for iOS and Android allow mobile devices to be used as a controller for the streaming box.

Roku 3 comes pre-loaded with more than 750 channels of entertainment, 1080p HD support, dual-band 802.11n wireless, 10/100 Ethernet, USB ports, and a microSD slot. Recently launched channels on the Roku platform include TWC TV, BlockBuster On Demand and iHeartRadio.

Other channels launching soon include FOX NOW, PBS and PBS KIDS.

Available Now

The Roku 3 is available today for $99.99 from Amazon and Roku’s online store, and it’s coming to retail stores in April.

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Housing a 1-terabyte drive, the HomeSync can store content, such as movies and TV shows, which can then be transferred or streamed to mobile devices on demand. Supporting up to eight accounts, the storage offers private encrypted areas for individuals, separate from the main shared storage, with files able to be transferred over its dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, twin USB 3.0, or microUSB ports, as well as its Gigabit Ethernet connection.

Games and apps can be downloaded from the Google Play store, which can then be played on a HDTV at a 1080p resolution through its HDMI 1.4 connection, alongside the systems own media player for stored content. Processing is provided by a dual-core 1.7GHz chip supported by 1GB of DDR3 RAM, while a separate 8GB eMMC provides basic storage for system software.

The HomeSync will go on sale from April 2013 in the US, and Samsung plans to offer it in other regions shortly afterwards. Pricing for the HomeSync is currently unavailable.

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WD TV Play’s high-speed 802.11n or 10/100 Ethernet connection allows for Full-HD 1080p video streaming. The device’s new remote control features pre-programmed buttons, giving users one-touch access to their favorite apps. Customers can also download the free WD TV Remote app to turn an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Android-compatible mobile device into an advanced remote control. WD TV Remote connects over the home wireless network, and works with multiple WD TV media players in the home.

The device supports AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG4, VC-1), MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T/M2TS (MPEG4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, AVC), WMV9, and FLV (AVC) video codecs. Audio formats supported are MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, and Dolby TrueHD.

The unit is available now for $69.99.

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Another addition is support for Bluetooth keyboards, which should make it easier to search for content. Finally, users can now push the audio in Apple TV videos to other AirPlay-capable devices, such as speakers, an AirPort Express, or even another Apple TV.

Unusually, Apple also appears to have released firmware  for a device identified as the “Apple TV 3,2.” The current Apple TV model is the 3,1, and first shipped in March last year. The 3,2 is also listed as the J33I, though, perhaps signalling an international version of the regular J33. Apple recently started selling the Apple TV in a number of new countries, which may have demanded a separate firmware/hardware release

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Customers can also use the Sling feature to watch DVR recordings stored on Hopper’s hard drive, including major network shows recorded using DISH’s PrimeTime Anytime feature. Both live and recorded television programs are available for viewing in the home as well as outside of it, with quality depending on receiving downstream bandwidth as well as the DVR’s upstream capacity. The feature is compatible with tablets, Windows, and OS X. Sling technology is also available as an add-on to the original Hopper whole-home DVR.

The Hopper Transfers app lets viewers move recorded television programs from their DVR to an iPad and watch those shows on the go for no additional charge. The transfer of these recordings to the iPad occurs via Wi-Fi in the home prior to viewing and is not a streaming feature across the Internet. An hour of video occupies approximately 2GB of space on an iPad. A single recording is DRM-restricted and can be only copied up to five times, but the same program can be re-recorded, resetting the counter. This feature is exclusive to Hopper with Sling.

The new Hopper with Sling is powered by a 1.3GHz Broadcom BCM7425 processor and runs up to three times faster than any other satellite-TV receiver in the US market, the company claims. Hopper with Sling contains a 2TB hard drive, giving viewers up to 500 hours of high-definition or 2,000 hours of standard-definition recordings. DISH’s Hopper with Sling includes built-in Wi-Fi for easy networking.

The Hopper with Sling DVR upgrade pricing to existing customers will be available some time in 2013. Retail price of the DVR is $449. New subscribers can obtain the DVR for free with contract. According to the CEO of Dish Network, release is expected within a month.

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All of the content will be divided into five sections on the same screen, named “On TV”, “Movies & TV Shows” for VOD content, “Apps”, “Social”, and “Photos, Videos & Music.” Users will be able to “flip” between the five pages at the top of the screen, according to a company blog post.

Images on the company’s Flickr stream shows the revised Smart Hub on what appears to be a Series 8 television, released earlier this year. It could be the case that the Smart Hub will update on existing Samsung Smart TV offerings, but it is likely that the company will be demonstrating it on its new wave of HDTVs at the trade show in January.

The post Samsung Will Launch Revised Smart Hub for Smart TVs at CES 2013 appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Standing on distinctive legs and housed in an almost borderless surround, the new sizes include a smaller 42-inch screen, a 50-inch version that sits at the middle of the range, and a new-largest 60-inch model. The HDTVs use both gestures and a Qwerty remote control, and offers access to various apps, including streaming gaming service OnLive, YouTube, and a digital TV guide.

More details will be revealed by LG during CES in Las Vegas next month.

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Plus, Spotify will be coming to Roku HD and Roku LT players for customers in the United States and United Kingdom. The blog post announcing the arrival of Spotify on Roku devices gave no time frame for the service on those Roku units beyond “coming soon.”

For Roku, the addition of Spotify adds yet another media service to a range of options its customers can access. Roku media boxes can also take advantage of the Plex Media Center, and UK satellite broadcaster Sky brought its pay-per-view video streaming service Now TV to Roku devices last month.

The post Spotify Comes to Roku 2 Players, Streaming Stick appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Unchanged since launch, Now TV currently offers a £15 ($24) per month subscription for access to movies that Sky currently holds licenses to broadcast, as well as access to live streams of the Sky Movies package itself. At present, Sky claims to have blockbuster releases on its channels six months after their cinema runs end, with films being made available through Now TV and Sky Movies On Demand services a year before they appear on Netflix and LoveFilm Instant. Now TV also hopes to have the Sky Sports package integrated into the service in the next few months, followed by on-demand streaming of other core Sky channels and programming.

Roku currently offers two devices within the UK. The Roku LT with wireless connectivity only costs £50 ($80), while the 1080p-capable Roku 2 XS with wired connection options and games costs £100 ($160).

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Android App can also run on the box, and the multimedia file support is extensive. Videos in up to 1080p resolution can be played back thanks to the 800MHz Cortex A9 processor and 1GB of RAM. Wi-Fi is onboard, while physical connections include an HDMI connection, an Ethernet port, a composite video output, a microUSB port, a digital audio out, and the power connection.

Xiaomi promises weekly software updates for the device, which ships in December in China, priced at 399 yuan, or about $64.

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Boxee TV is now available for purchase at Walmart. The big box store chain is the only retail location to purchase the device, with online purchasing at Boxee’s site the other option. The $98 piece of hardware includes a digital antenna, and word is buyers will get a three-month trial period to the No Limits DVR service.

The service usually costs $15 per month, but early buyers will apparently get a discounted rate for $10 per month for life, provided they do so before or during the holidays. Also on offer is three months of Netflix for free and a $5.99 Vudu credit. After the holidays, a free DVR trial will also be offered, though details have not been disclosed yet

Otherwise, the Boxee TV gets more preloaded apps than originally expected, including Accuweather, Boxee’s Cloudee, MLB, Spotify, TED, and Wall Street Journal. Originally, only Netflix, Pandora, Vimeo, Vudu, and YouTube were confirmed.

Owners of the original Boxee Box can expect continued support for the forseeable future and an updated Flash Player.

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The form has been up since the system was initially unveilled, according to The Verge. Initial reports suggest that residents of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC. stand a chance at receiving one at no charge, though it isn’t clear if it will be for people that have previously signed up on the website, or if new registrants will be eligible.

The Boxee TV allows users to watch live TV content from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and others in HD, and also acts as a DVR and a Smart TV device. Unencrypted basic cable lines and antennas can be hooked up to the dual tuners, and show recordings can be hosted to the cloud-based “No Limits DVR” storage at a cost of $15 per month.

The Boxee TV system is expected to cost around $100.

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Users can hook up an antenna or unencrypted basic cable lines to the Boxee TV. Dual tuners allow watching one show and recording another simultaneously. The recordings go up to a cloud-based storage server however, which Boxee calls No Limits DVR. Apart from never running out of space, Boxee says, another advantage of this is that users can access their recordings from notebooks, tablets, desktops, and their TV through the Boxee TV. In 2012, No Limits DVR will only be available in eight markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and DC, with more coming in 2013. The service requires a $15 monthly fee.

Preloaded apps include Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Vimeo, and Pandora, among others, so web-connected users have plenty of entertainment options. Boxee promises to add more apps and services as time goes on as well.

The Boxee TV hardware is due to ship sometime in November, priced at $100.

The post Boxee TV Sports Subscription-Based No Limits DVR Capability appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Apple has released a major firmware update for second- and third-generation Apple TVs. The v5.1 upgrade implements several new features, most notably the ability to save several iTunes accounts on the same unit and switch between them. App icons can now be reordered by holding down the select button, and new advanced network options can be set via configuration profiles. People with AirPlay-compatible speakers, AirPort Express routers, and/or other Apple TVs can use AirPlay to stream audio to them.

The firmware also allows viewing shared iCloud Photo Streams, and improves subtitle support, for instance enabling SDH for the deaf. New screensaver types include Cascade, Shrinking Tiles, and Sliding Panels.

Apple TV owners can download v5.1 through the General section under Settings.

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With the Roku Streaming Stick, a USB-size wireless device, the company is trying to piggyback on sales of regular HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players, by bundling its device into the retail price. The first products compatible with the Roku Streaming Stick are TVs from Best Buy’s Insignia brand, Apex Digital and Hitachi, but Roku has not announced any product bundling deals yet.

Roku promises a broade selection of content with more than 600 channels, of which roughly 75% are free to users, though many of those are in niche genres. Content partners include Netflix, HBO Go, Disney, Fox News Channel, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Pandora and UFC. Currently, Roku does not provide access to Google’s YouTube, which is overwhelmingly the Internet’s most popular video website. But the company is “absolutely working with YouTube” on a deal to add its content, director of product management Lloyd Klarke said.

Roku’s pitch is that it handles all the software updates and Internet connectivity, so consumer-electronics makers can focus on their core products. And it’s easier to swap out the $100 stick than replacing an entire TV set, which consumers typically replace every six to eight years.   One limitation of the Roku Streaming Stick is that is relies on the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) specification. Originally designed to let smartphones transfer content to TVs, the technology is not widely supported today. “MHL is still young,” Klarke acknowledged, but added that 50 MHL-enabled TV models are set to ship by the end of 2012.

In another bid to combat Apple TV, Roku is adding a feature to its remote-control mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, dubbed “Play on Roku,” that streams photos and music to TVs. The feature is compatible with MP3 and M4A audio files and JPG and PNG image files. That’s similar to Apple’s AirPlay technology for mirroring content on iPhones or iPads to an Apple TV set-top, although Play on Roku does not support video, Klarke said.   Meanwhile, the deal with Vudu gives Roku users access to more than 100,000 pay-per-view titles, including new Hollywood releases, older movies, independent films and TV shows. Vudu provides some content in 1080p HD format, with titles available the same day they are released to DVD or Blu-ray.

The Roku Streaming Stick, when purchased separately and not bundled with another device, includes an enhanced remote with volume buttons and motion controls for game play as well as a copy of Angry Birds (as does the Roku 2 XS model).The stick will be available in October for $99.99 from Roku’s website and Amazon.com, with other retailers in the pipeline.

The post Roku Readies New Net TV Stick appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The box also needs to be plugged into a home network, and support for Android devices is promised to be coming in the near future as well. TiVo is proud to say the product is the first to allow streaming up to as many as four devices without affecting the TV stream.

When outside the home network’s range, the device will let iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch users download recorded shows only rather than also watch live content. TiVo said that a one-hour show can be downloaded in 15 minutes under ideal network conditions and viewed offline later. What’s more, users can choose from one of two download sizes before they begin the transfer. Content plays back in the free TiVo app which makes for a consistent experience and interface.

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This software will let users stream recorded digital programs on the connected Nasne PVR to Sony’s PSP, PSP Vita, and Walkman devices. Owners of Sony tablets will also get dedicated software. There is no mention of support for Xperia phones, however.

DLNA support means other devices that comply with the standard will also be capable of accessing content recorded by the Nasne box.

Nasne has a terrestrial and satellite tuner, while a B-CAS card slot lets users access paid content. There is a 500GB hard drive onboard for storage, and photos and music can be shared on the network. It will also allow for pausing live TV.
The PVR, which was originally due to ship in Japan on July 19, will be priced at 16,800 yen (about $214). If or when it will launch in other countries remains to be seen.

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The FiOS TV app will allow customers to tune into 26 live channels from Verizon FiOS. Customers will also have access to the FlexView video on-demand content library. Since it works through the Smart TV or Blu-ray player, the app requires no separate set-top box.

Further information on the app is available on Samsung’s App Store page. The app update has been expected since at least January, when Verizon and Samsung jointly announced that FiOS TV would be coming to Samsung devices.

The post Samsung Devices Get Live streaming, On-Demand Content from Verizon FiOS TV appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Hulu may be an important addition for Apple, since it introduces content from major American TV networks that isn’t necessarily on Netflix. That should allow more people to treat the Apple TV as a primary source of entertainment.

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The Co-Star supports 1080p video, as well as 3D. It also offers users the ability to connect to a cable or satellite box. This allows users to view web pages in full screen mode, with support for Adobe Flash and HTML5 built in. The device will also allow users to enjoy content from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, iHeartRadio all of which can be controlled by the included universal touchpad remote with keyboard.

The Vizio Co-Star is available for pre-order now only through the Vizio website. For a limited period, customers will also receive free shipping.

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The Smart TV Box has an HDMI output, three USB ports, Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port, and a microSD memory card slot. An external hard drive can be connected to record content onto the device as well. At the core is a dual-core CPU from an unnamed manufacturer.

Apps can be purchased from one of three markets, including Smart Pass, Google Play, and Cable Market.

The device is supposed to reach customers sometime this fall in Japan only, though prices haven’t been revealed.

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Video playback has been improved in the update, with claimed improvements for the MLB.TV and GBTV channels. Language support has also been expanded to include Spanish and German to the user interface. Roku developers will see support for PlayReady 2.0, an extended list screen and Roku 2D API features, and increased theme attribute support on screen templates.

Roku 2 and Roku LT owners will see the update pushed automatically, with the Roku HD receiving it a few days later. Those wishing to skip the wait can run the updates from the settings menu.

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When a user taps repeatedly on the Nexus Q’s image in the dedicated Android app, a screen appears with the text “Have a dilemma? Ask the Q.” The user can then use the voice input on a connected device to ask questions, and the Q give responses reminiscent of those found in the well-known Magic 8 Ball novelty toy.

Google is well-known for packing similar treats into its software and services, as well as for its yearly April Fool’s jokes.

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