Filed under: Home Entertainment

We hadn’t heard from struggling content-delivery service Akimbo in over a year, so it’s not really surprising that the latest news isn’t exactly cheerful: the company is shutting down, leaving only a “skeleton crew” behind to find a buyer for its remaining assets. Akimbo seemed like it was searching for a viable business model from the start (eventually leading the company to drop its hardware offerings entirely), and like other would-be set-top box vendors, it looks like the economics of content delivery were simply too skewed to wrestle into profitability. Any bets on who’s next?

[Via GigaOM]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Although DISH Network’s previous quarter wasn’t anything to write home about, it sounds like the satcaster (EchoStar, technically) isn’t going to allow its set-top line to grow stale in the process. During the recent Team Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, DISH’s CEO Charlie Ergen reiterated that it would be beaming out “more than 100 national HD channels” by the end of 2008, and he also made mention that the EchoStar 11 satellite would lift off in July. Most interesting, however, was all the talk about the new STBs. The forthcoming ViP 722 will be the first HD DVR from the outfit with loads of Sling technology built in — not too shocking considering the recent acquisition. Additionally, the box is said to feature an all new interface and the ability to browse to (select) websites, double as a SlingCatcher and even handle Clip & Sling duties. There’s plenty more where this came from, so be sure and hit the read link when you’ve got some spare time for reading.

[Via GizmoLovers]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Quanta, the OEM behind the OLPC and MacBook, just announced its move into home-based HD video conferencing. Quanta is teaming with OoVoo to produce the Quanta Video Messenger — a 1,280 x 720 pixel / 30fps, multi-point-capable set-top box that plugs directly into your HDTV and home Internet connection (presumably via Ethernet or 802.11n, they don’t say). OoVoo is also looking to integrate its wares in existing set-top boxes. The prototype STB is the size of a hardback book and does not currently include a webcam or mic — those must be plugged into the device separately. They’d better bundle a webcam then, if they hope to generate mass market appeal across familial generations. Early tests of the H.264 video over an Internet connection capped at 512kbps upstream produced the occasional video sputter (when watching a fast moving object) in quality roughly equivalent to DVDs. Fortunately, Quanta and OoVoo have 9 months to sort out any issues as they don’t expect to ship until “later this year” for a price meant to be “affordable to consumers.”

[Via MicroHoo News]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Samsung’s See’N'Search set-top box that intelligently and automatically pulls content from the internet to match whatever TV show is on sounded nice enough, but we wanted to see it in action. Apparently the good people at Samsung have also perfected their wish-granting technology to match the the unit’s metadata scrapers, because here’s a demo video. Check it out after the break, and be mindful of your thoughts, wouldn’t want to distract Samsung’s R&D from preparing that sandwich we just telepathically requested.

Continue reading Samsung’s See’N'Search set-top TV / Internet box demo video

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments