Advanced Television

Connected TV

Sears and Kmart launch day and date download service

Sonic Solutions’ RoxioNow platform licensee, Sears, has launched its online movie download service, Alphaline Entertainment. The new service enables the US retail giant and its Kmart customers to download entertainment online, including new movies on the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Sonic is working with Sears on a multi-phase rollout […]

December 29, 2010

Apple TV passes 1m units

Apple says this week it will surpass one million sales of Apple TV and added that iTunes users are now renting and buying more than 400,000 TV shows and more than 150,000 movies per day. In September, Apple introduced a less expensive, smaller version of Apple TV for $99. It says: “Now with AirPlay, recently […]

December 22, 2010

UK TV buyers ‘confused by retailers’

A study conducted with 10 of the UK’s leading high street retailers has found that consumers are being left confused when shopping for TVs, as a result of retailers who don’t fully understand the new era of TV technology. A mystery shopper exercise, conducted by digital TV expert ANT, found retailers guilty of misinforming consumers […]

December 22, 2010

Google TV delayed

Google has delayed the launch of its Google TV software and decided not to show it off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month in Las Vegas. Google already has a deal with Sony for its Internet TVs, and other television makers were all set to make a big splash with their technology at […]

December 20, 2010

Best Buy: 3D, connected TVs selling poorly

US consumer electronics giant Best Buy’s disappointing third quarter financial numbers have seen the company put much of the blame on poor sales of 3D and Internet-enabled televisions. The CE retailer has reported quarterly revenue dropped five per cent, compared to last year’s third quarter. TV makers and retail partners had been expecting a slight […]

December 17, 2010

Free’s new box set and package

French broadband and IPTV supplier Free (part of the Iliad group) has unveiled its new box and package with Iliad’s chairman Xavier Niel describing the new box as a “revolution”.  It consists, in fact, of a pair of boxes, designed by the leading stylist Philippe Starck. The modem box has a fibre and ADSL modem, […]

December 14, 2010From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris

Sherlock Holmes most popular movie on connected TVs

Acetrax, the movie retailer on connected TVs from Samsung, LG and Panasonic, has revealed the most popular film streamed through its service this year in the UK has been Sherlock Holmes, closely followed by Clash Of The Titans and Harry Potter. The Acetrax Movies App allows users to register directly on their TVs and instantly […]

December 13, 2010

Bennett leads iPlayer global push

Jana Bennett is moving from her job as BBC Vision director to BBC Worldwide, with responsibilities including the global rollout of the international subscription version of the iPlayer. Bennett will join BBC Worldwide in February as president, worldwide networks and global iPlayer. The BBC is seeking to build on the popularity of its iPlayer by […]

December 2, 2010

blinkx sets sights on YouView

Video search-engine operator blinkx is hoping it will be available on UK IPTV platform YouView when it launches in 2011, and has initiated discussions to that end. “We know the YouView team very well and we are involved in the various processes they currently have running with the tech teams,” blinkx founder and chief executive […]

December 2, 2010

3m US homes to buy connected TV at Xmas

International market research firm Parks Associates predicts three million US broadband households plan to purchase an Internet-connected TV during the 2010 Christmas shopping season, further eroding consumer need for brick-and-mortar video sources. Nearly 25 per cent of US broadband households already own at least one connected TV device, and one-fourth of these households have watched […]

December 1, 2010