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

70% of Ultra HD TVs to feature HDR or other enhancements by 2020
May 15, 2015 – ​ABI Research expects that by 2020 nearly 70% of UHD TVs will support new technologies and enhancements like HDR, wider color gamut, high frame rates, and immersive audio. This could prove too conservative if a lower tier of UHD TVs does not persist as currently anticipated.
News categories: ​ABI Research, Michael Inouye, Sam Rosen, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

Panasonic launches first Firefox OS-based TVs
May 15, 2015 – The first Panasonic VIERA Smart TVs powered by Firefox OS are now available in Europe and will be available worldwide in the coming months. Panasonic Smart TVs powered by Firefox OS are optimized for HTML5 to provide strong performance of Web apps.
News categories: Mozilla, Panasonic, Andreas Gal, Masahiro Shinada, Digital TV, Europe, HTML5, Smart TV, Worldwide

TCL introduces premium TVs with Roku integrated
May 13, 2015 – TCL has announced that seven TCL Roku TVs will soon be available at major U.S. retailers. Following the launch of three 3700 series models, TCL is expanding its 2015 TCL Roku TV lineup with three 3800 Design Series models and four 3850 Decorator Series models.
News categories: TCL, Roku, Chris Larson, Digital TV, Middleware, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Over 100 million Freeview-capable devices sold in UK
May 12, 2015 – Freeview in the UK has passed the 100 million mark for the number of DTT TVs and boxes sold since its launch in 2002. The figure includes all televisions, set-top boxes and DVD and Blu-ray devices with an inbuilt Freeview DVB-T SD or HD tuner.
News categories: Freeview, Guy North, Blu-ray, Digital TV, DVD, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Terrestrial, UK

SES and Samsung demonstrate world’s first DVB HDR Ultra HD broadcast
May 6, 2015 – SES (Paris;LuxX:SESG) and Samsung have announced that they will be demonstrating the first DVB transmission of High Dynamic Range UHD TV at the annual SES Industry Days in Luxembourg 6th and 7th May 2015.
News categories: SES S.A, Samsung, Thomas Wrede, John Adam, Digital TV, Satellite, Smart TV, UK

Roku announces Sharp Roku TV models
May 6, 2015 – Roku has announced that it has added the Sharp brand to the Roku TV program. Sharp Roku TV models will soon be available for purchase exclusively at Best Buy stores as well as at BestBuy.com.
News categories: Roku, Sharp Electronics, Canada, Digital TV, Middleware, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

SENSIO 3D VOD service coming to Samsung Smart TV
Apr 29, 2015 – SENSIO (TSX VENTURE:SIO) has announced that it has signed an agreement with Samsung to make 3DGO! available on Samsung's smart TV platforms. The launch is expected in the second half of 2015 in North America.
News categories: SENSIO, Samsung, Nicholas Routhier, Apps, Digital TV, Metaverse, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Global 4K display market to reach $52 billion in 2020
Apr 20, 2015 – Strong promotion of 4K display resolutions from TV makers, display manufacturers and distribution channels has successfully increased consumer awareness and boosted 4K LCD TV penetration in 2014, according to a new report from IHS (NYSE: IHS).
News categories: IHS Inc, David Hsieh, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, Smart TV, Worldwide

Fraunhofer IIS, Qualcomm and Technicolor to demonstrate MPEG-H Audio
Apr 11, 2015 – At NAB 2015, Fraunhofer IIS, Qualcomm and Technicolor will offer the world’s first live broadcast demonstration of MPEG-H Audio, the TV audio system currently proposed for ATSC 3.0 and being developed for over-the-top streaming video services.
News categories: Fraunhofer IIS, Qualcomm, Technicolor, Robert Bleidt, Samir Gupta, Claude Gagnon, ATSC 3, Digital TV, Media Player, NABShow, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA