set-top box

Despite being plagued with high prices, low sales, and difficulty with program distribution in the U.S., Google TV is expanding to Europe. Come September, Sony will sell Google TV-based products in Europe, according to GigaOM via a translation of a Les Echos article.

Slated to go on sale in France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K. are two devices: a set-top box costing 200 Euros ($266) and an integrated Blu-ray player for 300 euros ($399), according to GigaOM.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt announced Google TV's rollout to Europe last August and Sony confirmed that two Google TV-compatible set-top … Read more

Can your game console act as a TV replacement? Very nearly, now that more and more video apps are hitting consoles at a record rate. HBO Go, which has become a symbol of sorts for the potential of app-based on-demand entertainment as a cable accessory, has hit the Xbox, joining Roku, Android phones, the iPhone, and the iPad -- and, of course, smart TVs and laptops, too.

Unlike IP-based cable provider apps like Time Warner and Xfinity, HBO Go works anywhere in the U.S. just like Netflix, provided you have a subscriber log-in that comes from signing in via your cable provider. Oh, there's one more thing: not all cable providers allow HBO Go to work on the Xbox. Depending on who your provider is, you'll either (a) not be able to use HBO Go, or (b) be able to use it on certain devices, but not others.… Read more

Cisco Systems has signed a $5 billion deal to buy set-top box software developer NDS, the companies said today.

NDS, based in the U.K., sells its software platform along with a combined service platform to video service providers. The products allow video providers to deliver a service that easily lets people view, search, and navigate video content at anytime from anywhere.

Cisco plans to use NDS software and services to enhance development of Videoscape, its own video platform for paid TV providers. The company said the NDS acquisition should help it expand into emerging markets, such as China and … Read more

While dodging a question about Apple's plans to get into the TV business, the company's chief executive pointed out that its more than year-old set-top box is doing just fine.

Answering a question about Apple's strategy for the living room from Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, Apple CEO Tim Cook replied by pointing to the fact that in this past quarter, the company sold half as many Apple TV set-top boxes as it did during all of last year.

"The Apple TV product is doing actually very well," Cook argued. "In last fiscal year … Read more

The Apple TV might still be a hobby, but it's the king of the set-top box market, researcher Strategy Analytics says.

By the end of the year, worldwide set-top box sales are expected to hit nearly 12 million units, the research firm said yesterday. Apple is expected to sell about 4 million Apple TV units this year, giving it 32 percent market share and the lead against countless other products vying for control in that space, including Roku's line of devices.

Apple launched its latest Apple TV last year. The device allows users to stream movies, television shows, … Read more

The Google TV-equipped Logitech Revue is finally getting its Honeycomb update.

Earlier today, both Google and Logitech announced that the set-top box's owners would be able to download an over-the-air update bringing Android 3.1 to the device. Honeycomb delivers a host of improvements, including a redesigned interface, access to Google Music, and support for the Android Market. In addition, the software's Chrome browser supports Adobe Flash Player 10.2.

The update comes over a month after owners of Sony's Google TV-based devices were offered the software. The only issue is, early reviews of Honeycomb for Google … Read more

Logitech is halting production of its Google TV Revue set-top boxes, acknowledging that the whole affair was a financial disaster for the company.

At an Analyst and Investor Day hosted by Logitech on Wednesday, CEO Guerrino De Luca confessed that the Revue was a "mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature." In his presentation, DeLuca in part pointed the finger at Google TV, referring to it as a "beta" product, according to The Verge.

De Luca told investors that Logitech lost more than $100 million in operating profits on the Revue after bringing it to the … Read more

Google TV: doomed product or stealth Apple TV competitor? Maybe a little of both, given the recent price slashing of Logitech's high-profile Revue With Google TV. A couple months back, the $299 Internet-meets-TV appliance dropped to a much more appealing $99.

And now it's even less. Buy.com has the Logitech Revue With Google TV for $89.99 shipped. And it's new, not refurbished.

In case you're not familiar with this set-top box, it goes above and beyond Apple TV- and Roku-style media streaming by offering apps, a Web browser, and a keyboard.

When it … Read more

It was barely a week ago that D-Link dropped the price of the Boxee Box to $180, down from $200, but that's still too rich for my blood.

Today only, and while supplies last, Sellout.woot has the refurbished D-Link Boxee Box for $119.99, plus $5 for shipping. My question for you: even at that price, is the Box worth buying? (If it sells out, I guess we'll know.)

For those unfamiliar with it, Boxee is a media-streaming set-top gizmo that competes with the likes of Apple TV, Google TV, and Roku. However, even at $120, it'… Read more