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

VUDU entertainment service launches on TiVo
Oct 30, 2014 – TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) has announced the launch of VUDU, Walmart's subscription-free, VOD movie service to TiVo® devices. The VUDU application enables users to rent or purchase movies and TV shows, as well as access an Ultraviolet cloud library.
News categories: TiVo Inc, VUDU, Tara Maitra, Apps, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA

Dish TV India adds 378k subs in Q3; considers local STB manufacturing
Oct 29, 2014 – Dish TV India (BSE:532839, NSE:DISHTV) has reported second quarter fiscal 2015 results. Dish TV added 378,000 net subscribers during the quarter to finish with a net subscriber base of 12.1 million at end-September. Dish TV said that it is considering plans for domestic manufacturing of STBs.
News categories: Dish TV India, Jawahar Goel, Digital TV, India, Results, Satellite, Set Top Box, Subscribers

Charter video subscribers down 9,000 in 3Q 2014
Oct 29, 2014 – Charter Communications has reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2014. Residential video customers decreased by 9,000 in the third quarter of 2014, versus a loss of 27,000 in the year-ago period.
News categories: Charter, Cable TV, Results, Set Top Box, Subscribers, USA

STMicroelectronics reports third quarter 2014 results
Oct 29, 2014 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) has reported results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 27, 2014. ST's third quarter net revenues increased 1.2% on a sequential basis to $1.89 billion, down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis.
News categories: STMicroelectronics, Results, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide

South Africa releases details of STB subsidy
Oct 28, 2014 – The Universal Service Agency of South Africa (USAASA) has released details of the set-top box subsidy scheme that it intends to roll out. As part of South Africa's Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) Programme, the USAASA is required to manage the disbursement of STB subsidies to needy TV-owning households.
News categories: USAASA, Digital TV, Satellite, Set Top Box, South Africa, Terrestrial

ARM announces single-core video codec IP for HEVC
Oct 28, 2014 – ARM (LSE:ARM; NASDAQ:ARMH) has announced a suite of integrated media IP designed to deliver rich visual content. The IP suite is comprised of the Mali-V550 video accelerator, the Mali-DP550 display processor and the Mali-T800 GPU family.
News categories: ARM, Mark Dickinson, Digital TV, Mobile, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Silicon IP, Smart TV

Silicon Labs launches 6th generation silicon tuners
Oct 27, 2014 – Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) has introduced the sixth generation of its TV tuner ICs. Silicon Labs’ Si2151 and Si2141 TV tuners address the hybrid and digital TV markets, support both digital and analog video broadcasts, and comply with all terrestrial/cable TV standards.
News categories: Silicon Labs, James Stansberry, Cable TV, Digital TV, ICs, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Terrestrial, Worldwide

Amazon introduces its Fire TV Stick
Oct 27, 2014 – Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has introduced its Fire TV Stick, a small stick that connects to the HDMI port of an HDTV for instant access to movies, TV shows, music, photos, apps, and games. Fire TV Stick is $39 and is available for pre-order.
News categories: Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Apps, Digital TV, Placeshifting, Smart Home, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Pace achieves Minerva certification for IPTV STBs
Oct 22, 2014 – Pace (LSE: PIC) has announced that its IPTV set-top boxes (STB), including its Whole Home DVR system, have been certified by Minerva as meeting the requirements of the Minerva IPTV middleware platform.
News categories: Pace plc, Minerva, Tim O'Loughlin, Mauro Bonomi, Digital TV, IPTV, Middleware, Set Top Box, Worldwide