Hardware (DVD, TV, PMP, Set-top Box, …) News

TRAI issues recommendations on set-top box interoperability
Apr 10, 2020 – The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations that all set-top-boxes in India must support technical interoperability in principle, i.e. every STB provided to a consumer must be interoperable.
News categories: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, CAM, Digital TV, India, Regulation, Set Top Box

Crave now available on Roku devices in Canada
Apr 8, 2020 – Bell Media has announced that Crave is available on all Roku streaming devices in Canada. Roku users now have access to programming from HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Hollywood-hit movies, as well as French-language TV and films from SUPER ÉCRAN.
News categories: Bell Media, Roku, Tracey Pearce, Arthur van Rest, Apps, Canada, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming

Roku launches The Roku Channel in the UK
Apr 7, 2020 – Roku has announced the arrival of 'The Roku Channel' in the UK. There are no subscriptions, fees or logins required to access The Roku Channel. The Roku Channel is available to consumers with a Roku streaming player, Roku TV, NOW TV device or Sky Q box.
News categories: Roku, Rob Holmes, Apps, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, UK

HbbTV releases HbbTV Conformance Test Suite v2020-1
Apr 6, 2020 – The HbbTV Association has announced the publication of a new version (v2020-1) of the HbbTV Conformance Test Suite. The release contains 2,586 test cases in total, including 177 tests for the new features in HbbTV specification v2.0.2.
News categories: HbbTV Association, Vincent Grivet, Digital TV, Europe, HbbTV, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide

BritBox app launches on LG Smart TVs
Apr 3, 2020 – BritBox has announced that Britbox is now available on LG Smart TVs manufactured from 2014. BritBox will be adding support for other Freeview Play Smart TVs and YouView devices in the next few months.
News categories: BritBox, LG Electronics, Reemah Sakaan, Carolyn Anderson, Apps, Digital TV, Smart TV, Streaming, UK

Omdia cuts 2020 TV shipment forecast by 10 percentage points
Mar 31, 2020 – Omdia has slashed its 2020 global television shipment outlook by nearly 10 percentage points, with the market now expected to undergo a sharp downturn due to coronavirus mitigation measures initiated by governments worldwide.
News categories: Omdia, Paul Gray, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

VideoAmp creates combined Smart TV and STB viewing dataset for the U.S.
Mar 31, 2020 – VideoAmp has launched the most comprehensive and accurate commingled dataset in the US, boasting 26M households and 37M devices. VideoAmp has partnered with two of the largest Smart TV OEMs and 38 MVPDs for its viewership data.
News categories: VideoAmp, Randy Laughlin, Michael Parkes, Jonathan Steuer, Maggie Zhang, Andrea Palmer, Advertising, Big Data, Content Identification, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart TV, USA

Roku OS 9.3 begins roll-out
Mar 31, 2020 – Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) has announced that Roku OS 9.3 will start rolling out to Roku devices. The update offers enhanced help via Roku Voice for consumers to get to content quickly, improves overall performance and adds new customization options and more.
News categories: Roku, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, TV OS, Worldwide

Comscore sees notable rise in U.S. streaming usage
Mar 27, 2020 – Research from Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR) finds that OTT streaming has significantly increased across Connected TVs and streaming boxes/sticks in recent weeks. The higher utilization rates are the latest example of how media consumption shifts are rapidly occurring amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
News categories: Comscore, Bill Livek, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA