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

HD PLUS and NAGRA extend content protection partnership to Smart TVs
May 29, 2019 – NAGRA (SIX:KUD.S) and HD PLUS have renewed their technology partnership and extended it to include content protection on Smart TVs. NAGRA content protection supports the HD PLUS solution for Smart TVs not requiring an external device, such as a CAM or STB.
News categories: NAGRA, HD PLUS, Thierry Legrand, Georges Agnes, Apps, Content Protection, Digital TV, Germany, Satellite, Smart TV

China TV brands shrug off headwinds in 1Q, says WitsView
May 27, 2019 – According to WitsView, shipments of TV brands worldwide were 49.87 million units in 1Q19, a QoQ slide of 24.6% and a YoY bump of 0.5%. First and second place in the rankings were Korean brands, while China brands filled up third to sixth.
News categories: TrendForce, WitsView, Jeff Yang, China, Digital TV, Korea, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

Virgin Media's live UHD coverage of Roland-Garros first in UK with HDR
May 25, 2019 – Virgin Media will become the first UK TV platform to broadcast an event in 4K UHD with HDR when Eurosport’s coverage of Roland-Garros starts on May 26. Virgin Media will use Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) technology in the transmissions to its V6 set top box.
News categories: Virgin Media, Eurosport, David Bouchier, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Set Top Box, UK

Malaysia's MYTV distributes 2 million decoders
May 24, 2019 – Malaysia has joined 60 other countries in the world who have switched over to digital TV transmission with its successful transition from analogue to digital under the myFreeview brand. 15 TV channels and six radio channels are already available on the platform.
News categories: MCMC, myFreeview, MYTV Broadcasting, Gerard Lim, Content Distribution, Digital TV, DVB-T2, Malaysia, Satellite, Set Top Box

Sky Deutschland adds multiroom box to Sky Q offering
May 23, 2019 – One year after the launch of Sky Q by Sky Deutschland, the company has added a Sky Q Mini Box for multiroom viewing and expanded platform support for the Sky Q app, so that customers can enjoy their Sky programming on even more devices at home.
News categories: Sky Deutschland, Julia Laukemann, Apps, Austria, Digital TV, Germany, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart Home

2019 LG AI ThinQ TVs add Amazon Alexa support
May 23, 2019 – LG has begun adding Amazon Alexa support to the company’s 2019 TV models featuring artificial intelligence. The update will be implemented through the Alexa app on 2019 TVs featuring ThinQ AI including LG UHD TVs, NanoCell TVs and OLED TVs.
News categories: LG Electronics, Amazon Alexa, Brian Kwon, Apps, Australia, Austria, Canada, Digital TV, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Smart Home, Smart TV, Spain, UK, USA

VIZIO announces SmartCast 3.0 smart TV experience rollout
May 21, 2019 – VIZIO has announced new features coming to VIZIO SmartCast 3.0, the latest iteration of its smart TV experience designed to bring users more of the entertainment they love, all in one place. The new updates and features will begin to roll out in the coming weeks.
News categories: VIZIO, Bill Baxter, Apps, Digital TV, Smart Home, Smart TV, Streaming, USA, UX

AminoTV deployed on multi-tenant platform at DELTA and Caiway
May 21, 2019 – Amino has announced the first deployment of AminoTV on a multi-tenant platform at DELTA and Caiway in the Netherlands. This follows the acquisition of the two providers by EQT and their subsequent merger into DELTA Fiber.
News categories: Amino, DELTA Fiber, Donald McGarva, John Wittekamp, Cable TV, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Middleware, Netherlands, Set Top Box

Sony’s first 8K TVs go on sale in early June
May 20, 2019 – Sony Europe has announced the pricing and availability of its MASTER Series ZG9 8K HDR Full Array LED TVs. The MASTER Series TVs feature Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced to ensure that content is delivered as intended.
News categories: Sony Europe, Digital TV, Europe, Smart TV