Apple TV vs Roku
Now that Apple has added full 1080p streaming to its set-top box, it’s lost one disadvantage it had when compared to the Roku 2. If you live in an Apple universe, then it’s no surprise that you should keep the trend going and get Apple TV. You can use all your iTunes Media plus it comes with AirPlay and allows users to stream content from other Apple devices like the new iPad or the iPhone 4S. The Roku 2 XS (which retails for the same price –$99) includes a motion controller to play games with, an Ethernet port and a USB port for accessing content such as movies or music from a...
read moreSmarter TVs
The mobile wars are still being fought (with Apple leading by a large margin), but manufacturers may already have their sights set on another battleground: smart TVs. The industry is still growing, but it’s a logical progression for tech giants like Apple and Google. The consumer electronics market is positively overrun with a demand for smart devices, and while it’s hard to envision apps for a refrigerator, iOS and Android would work on a TV screen. The way people consume media is changing and a big change in the smart TV market is...
read moreXbox vs. Cable Box
Microsoft added three new video apps to its Xbox 360 console today that include on-demand content from Comcast, HBO GO, and MLB.TV. Microsoft announced the new Xbox TV last October, and the service debuted with offerings from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and its own Zune store with plans to add more pay TV channel partners. Comcast’s Xfinity TV is the first time the cable TV giant has made its on-demand content available through a console, and HBO GO makes the network’s entire catalogue of shows available on the Xbox. Many of the offerings require separate pay TV subscriptions or...
read moreAmazon Prime adds Discovery TV
Amazon is adding a slew of new shows to its Amazon Prime streaming service. Episodes and specials from the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Military Channel are all included. Amazon is reporting that the agreement adds over 3,000 titles to their streaming catalog. Amazon Prime costs $79 a year and the price includes free two day shipping on select items, the video streaming library and the Kindle Lending Library. To promote Amazon Prime, the retailer has been giving away a free month of service with any purchase of a Kindle Fire tablet....
read moreAereo
Aereo is a startup company with a $12/month service that lets you stream live and recorded over-the-air TV using an iOS device or your web browser. You simply touch a show and live TV starts streaming on your device. Unfortunately, Aereo is currently only available in New York, but the project is still an ambitious one. The technology behind the service is rather unique: Aereo has several large “antenna arrays” set up somewhere in Brooklyn, filled with thousands of tiny TV antennas. When users access their Aereo, account they are assigned their own individual mini-antenna. A...
read moreNetflix Just for Kids
Netflix has released a new user interface geared towards kids on the Sony PS3. The Just for Kids interface is now a choice when you start Netflix on the system and only shows selected movies and TV shows suitable for children. Netflix stated back in January that they would introduce the concept of different user profiles and tailor content to each member of the household in 2012, and hopefully the new kid-friendly option is just the...
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