Smart TV (Connected TV, Integrated Digital Television, IDTV) News

4K TVs to reach 23% market penetration in 2016
Nov 25, 2015 – Global LCD TV shipments for 2015 will total 216 million sets, according to the latest estimation by WitsView. This year’s shipments will represent a slight annual decline, for the first time since the shipment slide in 2013.
News categories: WitsView, Ricky Lin, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

Ultra HD TVs could add $1 billion to U.S. viewers' annual energy bills
Nov 17, 2015 – The latest Ultra HD TVs use 30% more energy than their HD predecessors, which could add $1 billion to U.S. viewers' annual utility bills if energy-saving improvements are not expanded, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
News categories: Natural Resources Defense Council, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, USA

Google Play Movies & TV coming to LG Smart TVs
Nov 17, 2015 – Starting this month, U.S. owners of LG Smart TVs will be able to enjoy thousands of movies and TV shows through 'Google Play Movies & TV.' Compatible with LG's webOS Smart TV platform, Google Play Movies & TV will offer content in both HD and SD formats.
News categories: LG Electronics, Google, David VanderWaal, Apps, Australia, Canada, Digital TV, Middleware, Smart TV, Streaming, UK, USA

ETSI releases new specification for HbbTV 2.0
Nov 12, 2015 – ETSI has released the latest specification on hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HbbTV) which corresponds to HbbTV 2.0. The latest release adds support for new capabilities including companion device support, HTML5 user experience and support for advanced video delivery.
News categories: HbbTV, ETSI, Digital TV, HbbTV, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide

Brazil's SBT develops Smart TV app with Foxxum
Nov 9, 2015 – SBT has partnered with Foxxum to launch a Smart TV App reaching out to 9 million Smart TV households in Brazil. The SBT TV App will add value to the Smart TV experience of Brazilian users, bringing them a suite of entertaining and informative content.
News categories: SBT, Foxxum, Fernando Pensado, Apps, Brazil, Digital TV, Smart TV, Streaming

82% growth expected in U.S. internet-connected TV devices by 2018
Nov 9, 2015 – By the end of 2018, 231 million installed devices are expected to be connected to the Internet and able to deliver apps to TVs, representing 82 percent growth from 2014 to 2018, according to The NPD Group.
News categories: NPD, John Buffone, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Opera TV launches on LG Smart TVs
Nov 5, 2015 – Brands, broadcasters and content owners can now extend their existing online video channels and video content catalogs to LG Smart TVs at no extra cost, with Opera TV Snap, the toolkit for generating Smart TV channels.
News categories: Opera Software, LG, Aneesh Rajaram, Apps, Brazil, Digital TV, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Smart TV, Spain, UK, USA

Xbox and PlayStation most popular online video platforms in the U.S.
Nov 4, 2015 – Research from Parks Associates finds that 21% of U.S. broadband households with at least one Internet-connected CE device use a streaming media player as the primary platform for online video, up from 12% a year ago.
News categories: Parks Associates, Barbara Kraus, Blu-ray, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

UHD LCD TV panels to exceed 40 percent of total shipment area in 2016
Nov 4, 2015 – Despite overall sluggishness in liquid crystal display (LCD) TV sales, year-over-year unit shipments of UHD TV panels are forecast to double in 2015, topping 40 million units, according to IHS (NYSE: IHS).
News categories: IHS Inc, Ricky Park, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide