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

CEA defines 'HDR Compatible' displays
Aug 27, 2015 – The CEA has announced the industry definition for high dynamic range (HDR) compatible video displays. HDR is a new capability that promises to deliver an expansive range of brightness and shadow detail, further enhancing the viewing experience.
News categories: Consumer Electronics Association, Brian Markwalter, Digital TV, Smart TV, USA

Opera TV debuts HbbTV 2.0 SDK for TV and STB manufacturers
Aug 27, 2015 – Opera TV will soon start shipping its Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) 2.0 software development kit (SDK) to TV manufacturers and set-top-box OEMs, enabling them to get to market with HbbTV-2.0-compliant devices.
News categories: Opera TV, HbbTV Association, Frode Hernes, Klaus Illgner, Digital TV, HbbTV, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide

ALi introduces STB/Sound Bar combo
Aug 26, 2015 – ALi Corporation has added sound bar support to its set-top box chipsets. The solution, to be demonstrated at IBC, combines ALi’s STB chipset, supporting DVB-C/T2/S2 and IPTV video streaming, with streaming music delivery.
News categories: ALi Corp, Dr. Ben Lin, Digital TV, IBCShow, Middleware, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide

Half of U.S. internet homes own a connected TV device
Aug 26, 2015 – According to The NPD Group, the CE industry reached a milestone in the second quarter with half of U.S. Internet homes now owning a Connected TV device. This includes connected TVs, video game consoles, streaming media players, and Blu-ray Disc players.
News categories: NPD Group, John Buffone, Blu-ray, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

DTH driving HDTV boom in South Asia
Aug 25, 2015 – The HDTV segment in the SAARC region is expected to boom over the next three years, according to Dataxis. The company reports a steady increase in both HDTV subscribers and HDTV channels in the region.
News categories: Dataxis, Sreeja VN, Bangladesh, Cable TV, Digital TV, India, Market Research, Nepal, Pakistan, Satellite, Smart TV, Sri Lanka

24.8 million connected TV sets in the top 5 Latin American countries
Aug 24, 2015 – According to Dataxis at the end of 2014 in the five largest Latin American countries there were 78.3 million digital, 75.8 million HD-ready, 24.8 million connected and only 60,900 4K television sets installed.
News categories: Dataxis, Digital TV, Latin America, Market Research, Mobile, Smart TV

HGI sets requirements for home network devices
Aug 24, 2015 – The Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) has announced that it has published new requirements for home network devices. The new document extends the current Quality of Service (QoS) architecture already published by HGI, to cover the entire home network.
News categories: HGI, Duncan Bees, Gateway, Middleware, Smart Home, Worldwide

SIXTY announces lightweight STB user interface framework
Aug 24, 2015 – SIXTY has announced the launch of Ease TV, the first product of its Ease by Sixty product line. Ease TV is a fast, strong and lightweight user interface framework for the set-top box market.
News categories: SIXTY, Carl Mathisen, Digital TV, Middleware, Set Top Box, UX, Worldwide

Amazon, Apple, Google, and Roku dominate streaming media device market
Aug 20, 2015 – A Parks Associates report on streaming media devices reports four brands accounted for 86% of all units sold to U.S. broadband households in 2014. The report estimates that 86 million streaming media devices will be sold globally in 2019.
News categories: Parks Associates, Barbara Kraus, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA