set-top box

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

Look at what the cable companies found on their doorstep this morning.

Google announced today that it is acquiring Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, a whopper deal that gives Google important handset know-how and patents. You can read more about that here.

But the acquisition also means that Google is now one of the world's biggest set-top box makers and therefore now part of the cable industry's distribution chain. Shudder. Remember, earlier this year that Motorola split itself into two separate independent companies, Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility. The latter half got control of the handset business … Read more

Rumor has it that Research In Motion is working on a media-streaming device.

BlackBerry enthusiast site NerdBerry has supposedly confirmed with a trusted source that RIM will soon offer a digital media receiver, code-named BlackBerry Cyclone and destined for the market this fall.

Details on the device are a bit slim at this point, but NerdBerry reports that it will have access to Netflix and YouTube (not the most compelling lineup; we'd like to assume there would be more content providers upon launch). Other rumored features include HDMI, Wi-Fi, and DLNA/home network content playback.

As for aesthetics, NerdBerry says the media hub will resemble the BlackBerry Presenter, a small device capable of displaying PowerPoint and PDF files from a BlackBerry onto a monitor/projector. No word if it will feature the next-generation QNX interface found on RIM's PlayBook tablet.… Read more

The case of the energy-hogging set-top boxes and DVRs highlights the challenges of changing existing industry and consumer practices to boost energy efficiency.

The New York Times yesterday ran an in-depth look at the issues surrounding set-top boxes and DVRs, which have become the biggest energy consumer in many homes. The National Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, published an analysis two weeks ago which found that set-top boxes consume more energy than the TVs they're connected to, and more than EnergyStar refrigerators. Because they're on all the time, they cost consumers $2 billion a year when … Read more

A couple of weeks ago, TiVo announced the Premiere Q, a quad-tuner DVR available only through cable service providers. According to a recent FCC filing by TiVo, though, it might be headed to retail soon, too.

Gleaned from the filing is a new retail name, the Premiere Elite, and that it'll have "increased recording capability, increased capacity (300 HD hours), reduced power consumption, and a space-saving design."… Read more

The Natural Resources Defense Council has ranked the biggest energy hogs in the home, and the thing that's gobbling up the most is probably not what you think: the pairing of your digital video recorder and set-top box.

The environmental monitoring group released a study today that says that a high-definition cable or satellite set-top box when combined with a high-definition DVR uses up 446 kilowatt hours per year. That's more than a new Energy Star rated 21 cubic-foot refrigerator, which uses 415 kWh per year, according to the NRDC's data.

The combination of an HD DVR … Read more

TiVo has unveiled two new hardware products to bolster its appeal to service providers.

Dubbed the Premiere Q, TiVo's latest DVR is the first from the company that can record up to four programs at the same time. In addition, the device comes with support for streaming content when connected to the Web via Ethernet or home-entertainment networking standard MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance). Up to three HD streams can be accommodated over those connections.

According to TiVo, the Premiere Q will support a full range of services from cable and satellite providers, including video on demand, pay-per-view, and … Read more