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

KDDI launches Video Pass online movie service
May 15, 2012 – KDDI (Tokyo:9433) and Okinawa Cellular have announced the launch of Video Pass. Video Pass movies can be viewed on smartphones, via HDMI from a smartphone to a TV, or on PCs and tablets. An Android-based set-top box is also under development by KDDI.
News categories: KDDI, Okinawa Cellular, Digital TV, Japan, Set Top Box, Smartphone, Streaming, Tablet

Entropic Unveils Set-Top Box SoC for Cable and IP-Client Markets
May 14, 2012 – Entropic (Nasdaq:ENTR) has introduced its TSC17x/18x set-top box system-on-a-chip (SoC), offering cable and IP markets a dual-core ARM® Cortex-A9 processors with integrated NEON™ SIMD extensions.
News categories: Entropic, Cable TV, Digital TV, ICs, IPTV, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Silicon IP

LG Previews Google TV At Internet Week
May 14, 2012 – LG (KSE: 066570) is conducting live demonstrations of LG's Google TV models at Internet Week New York. LG's Smart TV with Google TV (G2 Series) combines the power of Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) services with the speed of LG's new L9 dual-core chipset.
News categories: LG Electronics, Google TV, Metaverse, Middleware, Silicon IP, Smart TV, Streaming

AltoBeam Closes $6M Series D Funding
May 14, 2012 – AltoBeam has announced that it has successfully closed a 6 million US dollars round of Series D funding. In 2011, AltoBeam enjoyed an over 80% TV and Set Top Box market share in DTMB/DVB-C demodulator shipments.
News categories: AltoBeam, US Venture Partners, Cable TV, China, DTMB, Market Research, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Terrestrial, Venture Capital

DTS and Lenovo Bring High-Definition Audio Experience to Smart TVs
May 14, 2012 – DTS (Nasdaq:DTSI) has announced that Lenovo has integrated DTS audio into its K91 smart TV. The K91 smart TV is the world's first smart TV powered by Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core 8060 Snapdragon CPU and operated by the Android 4.0 system.
News categories: DTS, Lenovo, China, Semiconductor, Silicon IP, Smart TV

TransACT partners with FetchTV in Australia
May 11, 2012 – TransACT has announced that it has partnered with FetchTV to offer television services in Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura on its DOCSIS 3 network. The fetchtv service offers free and subscription TV, internet entertainment, and a video store.
News categories: FetchTV, TransACT, Australia, Digital TV, DOCSIS, DVR, Fibre, IPTV, Set Top Box, Terrestrial

Liberty Global Reports First Quarter 2012 Results
May 10, 2012 – Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB, LBTYK) has announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2012. Liberty Global expects commercial deployment of its Horizon platform to begin in Q3 in the Netherlands, followed by Switzerland.
News categories: Liberty Global, Austria, Belgium, Cable TV, Chile, Czech Republic, DVR, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, MMDS, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Results, Romania, Satellite, Set Top Box, Slovakia, Subscribers, Switzerland

DISH Introduces Commercial-Free TV With 'Auto Hop'
May 10, 2012 – DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) has announced an 'Auto Hop' capability for its Hopper whole-home HD DVR system which allows customers to skip all commercials for most recorded primetime HD programs shown on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC when viewed the day after airing.
News categories: DISH Network, Digital TV, DVR, Middleware, Satellite, Set Top Box, USA

SES: HD+ Reaches More Than 2.6 Million Households
May 10, 2012 – SES (Paris;LuxX:SESG) has announced that its German HD+ platform reached more than 2.6 million households at the end of the first quarter of this year. Nearly three million HD+ receivers have been sold since the launch of HD+ at the end of 2009.
News categories: SES S.A, CAM, Digital TV, DVR, Germany, Market Research, Satellite, Set Top Box, Subscribers