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

FRANSAT, Samsung and NEOTION break new ground for satellite TV reception in France
Apr 10, 2012 – FRANSAT, Samsung (Seoul: 005930) and NEOTION have announced that they have integrated a satellite receiver and a DTT module for FRANSAT into Samsung TVs from its 2012 range. The pack comprises a NEOTION decryption module and an access card for reception of FRANSAT.
News categories: NEOTION, FRANSAT, Samsung, CAM, Digital TV, France, Satellite, Smart TV

38% of U.S. Households Now Have a TV Connected to the Internet
Apr 9, 2012 – New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 38% of all households have at least one television set connected to the Internet -- up from 30% last year, and 24% two years ago.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Blu-ray, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

NorDig replaces DVB-MHP with HbbTV for interactive IRDs
Apr 4, 2012 – NorDig has specified a common API for interactive services for advanced IRDs, now referred to as hybrid IRDs. From now on hybrid IRDs will be based on the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) standard, replacing DVB MHP as NorDig's chosen API.
News categories: NorDig, Denmark, Digital TV, Finland, HbbTV, Iceland, Middleware, Norway, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Sweden, Terrestrial

Version 1.5 of HbbTV Specification Released
Apr 4, 2012 – The HbbTV consortium has announced the publication of version 1.5 of its hybrid TV specification. Version 1.5 of the HbbTV specification notably introduces support for HTTP adaptive streaming based on the recently published MPEG-DASH specification.
News categories: HbbTV Consortium, Cable TV, Digital TV, HbbTV, Middleware, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, Terrestrial

Multiscreen devices active on pay-TV networks to rise to 300 million in 2015
Apr 3, 2012 – Recent news of acquisitions and divestments in the US cable market underscore the industry's shift in focus away from set-top box hardware and toward software and services designed to accommodate the booming opportunity for pay-TV multiscreen devices.
News categories: Screen Digest, Cable TV, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet, USA

ARM, Gemalto and G&D Form Connected Device Security JV
Apr 3, 2012 – ARM (LSE: ARM; Nasdaq: ARMH), Gemalto (Paris: GTO) and Giesecke & Devrient have announced the creation of a joint venture dedicated to delivering a secure, accessible environment for advanced services running on the growing range of connected devices.
News categories: ARM, Gemalto, G&D, Content Protection, Gaming, Mobile, Semiconductor, Silicon IP, Smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet

Sigma Designs Selected to Purchase Trident's Digital Television Business
Apr 2, 2012 – Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM) has announced that it has been selected as the successful bidder to acquire certain assets of Trident Microsystems' DTV Business for $21 million in cash plus assumption of specified liabilities upon the closing of the transaction.
News categories: Sigma Designs, MandA, Semiconductor, Smart TV

Quickflix launches movie streaming service in New Zealand
Mar 29, 2012 – Quickflix (ASX: QFX) has announced the launch of its movie subscription streaming service in New Zealand, becoming the first home entertainment company in that country to offer unlimited viewing of Hollywood movies and TV series streamed over the internet.
News categories: Quickflix, Blu-ray, Digital TV, Gaming, New Zealand, Smart TV, Streaming, Tablet

NEOTION brings dual service descrambling CA Modules to the Austrian market
Mar 26, 2012 – NEOTION has announced that its NEOTION IRDETO SoftCell 3.11 Dual Mode CA Modules are now able to descramble two channels simultaneously for advanced set-top boxes or iDTVs which handle PVR features or Picture in Picture (PIP) functionality.
News categories: NEOTION, Austria, CAM, Conditional Access, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart TV