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

Zimbabwe buys satellite capacity from Eutelsat
Sep 21, 2015 – According to newspaper reports, Zimbabwe has bought satellite capacity from Eutelsat to guarantee universal availability of digital broadcasting. The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has also purchased 400,000 set-top boxes from a Chinese manufacturer.
News categories: Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, Huawei, Digital TV, Satellite, Set Top Box, Zimbabwe

MediaTek chipsets power new Amazon devices
Sep 18, 2015 – MediaTek has announced that it will power an array of Amazon consumer products, including the Amazon Fire TV, and Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 tablets. These are the latest in a series of Amazon devices powered by MediaTek.
News categories: MediaTek, Amazon, Joe Che, Peter Larsen, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Streaming, Tablet, USA

Tablets and phones popular for video, but not for live TV
Sep 17, 2015 – New data from Hub Research shows a dramatic growth in the use of tablets and smartphones for TV viewing in the U.S. However, the popularity of mobile devices has not created a demand for streaming live TV to tablets and smartphones.
News categories: Hub Research, Peter Fondulas, Jon Giegengack, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Amazon intros 4K Ultra HD Fire TV STB and Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote
Sep 17, 2015 – Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has introduced the next generation of Fire TV -- the Amazon Fire TV with support for 4K Ultra HD, and the Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote. Amazon Fire TV is half the price of any other 4K Ultra HD streaming media player.
News categories: Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA

MStar launches 4k STB SoCs with HDR to SDR conversion
Sep 17, 2015 – MStar Semi has released a new range of 4K STB chipsets including HDR to SDR conversion. If an MStar-based set-top box detects that the TV has a programmable backlight then it can control the backlight to simulate HDR even on an SDR TV.
News categories: MStar Semi, Trevor Neal, Digital TV, IBCShow, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide

Futarque releases MStar-based Android STB dev kit
Sep 17, 2015 – Futarque has announced the release of their DVB-T2 based Android STB development kit. The kit is available as small complete STB motherboard that can be purchased directly in large volume and used as the heart of an STB development.
News categories: Futarque, MStar, Jesper Kaagaard, Trevor Neal, Digital TV, IBCShow, Middleware, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide

MTN Nigeria buys DTT broadcasting licence
Sep 16, 2015 – According to Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission, South Africa's MTN has bought a licence to provide pay TV in the country for 34 billion Naira. MTN Nigeria will use part of the 700MHz frequency band to provide digital broadcasting services.
News categories: National Broadcasting Commission, MTN Nigeria, Digital TV, Nigeria, Set Top Box, Terrestrial

Accedo powers OTT multiscreen Cloud DVR service for Telecable
Sep 16, 2015 – Accedo has announced that it is powering Telecable’s Cloud DVR service, Tedi, the latest version of which launched earlier this month. Subscribers across Spain are now able to access Tedi via a dedicated set-top-box, or via the iOS or Android apps.
News categories: Accedo, Telecable, Jerónimo Macanás, Jesús Pérez, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Mobile, Set Top Box, Spain, Streaming

Swisscom offers Marvell-based Ultra HD Android IPTV STBs
Sep 16, 2015 – Marvell (NASDAQ:MRVL) has expanded its partnership with Swisscom to launch a new line of Ultra HD (UHD) Android IPTV set-top boxes (STBs) powered by Marvell's ARMADA 1500 Ultra (88DE3218) system-on-chip (SoC).
News categories: Marvell, Swisscom, Weili Dai, Peter Fregelius, Android TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Switzerland