Smart Home (connected home, home networking) News

Amazon introduces second generation Fire TV Cube
Sep 4, 2019 – Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced a new Fire TV Cube. The streaming media player features far-field voice control built directly into the device and is now available for pre-order in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.
News categories: Amazon, Marc Whitten, Digital TV, Germany, India, Japan, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Streaming, UK, USA

Videotron unveils Helix entertainment and home management platform
Aug 27, 2019 – Videotron has unveiled its Helix technology platform. With its voice remote, ultra-intelligent Wi-Fi, and, coming soon, its ability to integrate automation features, Helix will soon play a major role in Québec households.
News categories: Videotron, Quebecor, Jean-François Pruneau, Pierre Karl Péladeau, Canada, Digital TV, IPTV, Set Top Box, Smart Home

TELUS Home Assistant giving Optik TV customers hands-free voice control
Aug 15, 2019 – TELUS has launched TELUS Home Assistant, a Google Assistant-based platform that gives Optik TV customers the freedom to control their entertainment experience hands-free using voice commands, at no extra cost.
News categories: TELUS, Blair Miller, Canada, Digital TV, IPTV, Set Top Box, Smart Home, UX

Global smart speaker sales grow 96% to 30.3 million in Q2 2019
Aug 14, 2019 – Global sales of smart speakers continued to soar in the second quarter of 2019, reaching 30.3 million units, nearly double the same period in 2018, according to Strategy Analytics. With a 21.9% share Amazon remained the leading brand, although its share has fallen.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, David Watkins, David Mercer, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

Most smart speakers and video streamers are energy efficient
Aug 12, 2019 – Most of the more than 100 million smart speakers and video streaming devices installed in America’s homes are quite energy efficient, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has said in the first independent report on their electricity use.
News categories: NRDC, Noah Horowitz, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Streaming, USA

HONOR Vision first smart screen device with Huawei's HarmonyOS
Aug 10, 2019 – HONOR has launched its HONOR Vision Series at the 2019 Huawei Developer Conference (HDC). Equipped with three Huawei chipsets, HONOR Vision is the world's first smart screen device to carry Huawei's self-developed HarmonyOS.
News categories: HONOR, Huawei, George Zhao, China, Digital TV, Middleware, Semiconductor, Smart Home, Smart TV

Smart speakers with screens took off in 2018
Aug 9, 2019 – The global home audio hardware market grew 20% last year to reach 154 million units, with a further 19% growth projected in 2019, according to Futuresource Consulting. The sector witnessed 5% revenue growth, with trade values reaching $14.5 billion.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Guy Hammett, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

Huawei launches HarmonyOS distributed operating system
Aug 9, 2019 – At the Huawei Developer Conference, Huawei launched HarmonyOS – its microkernel-based, distributed operating system. HarmonyOS will first be used for smart devices like smart watches, smart screens, in-vehicle systems, and smart speakers.
News categories: Huawei, Richard Yu, China, Digital TV, Middleware, Smart Home, Worldwide

RTI introduces driver for IP control of LG Smart TVs
Aug 7, 2019 – RTI has developed a driver for IP control of select 2018 and 2019 LG AI ThinQ TVs, including OLED and select NanoCell models. The driver simplifies the integration of LG TVs into RTI automation and control systems to provide consumers with premium control options.
News categories: RTI Corp, LG Electronics, Ed McConaghay, Joseph Colombo, Digital TV, Smart Home, Smart TV, Worldwide