April 15, 2014

The latest in TV Technology - April 2014

The world of TV is an exciting and fast moving place, with new technologies and platforms appearing every month. Here is the latest overview of the most relevant new developments.

The biggest news this month was the entry of Amazon Fire TV into the space. Amazon launched its new set-top box at a press event in early April. It has several interesting features, including voice search (to find movies, series, actors and genres), high performance specifications which allow for a very snappy interface and impressive support for gaming with a dedicated Amazon Fire Game Controller. The device runs on Amazon’s Android flavour Fire OS and has an open App Store through which external developers can release apps. Obviously we’re excited to see Amazon’s initiative and we’ve got a few Fire TVs on the way from the US!

Google is moving into TV from multiple angles. Its Chromecast has become available in a large number of countries, including most of Europe. Google has already sold millions of units and with more and more smartphone and tablet apps adding support for Chromecast through the Google Cast SDK, this number is certain to rise. Meanwhile Google is not content with just Chromecast and is apparently going full steam ahead with Android TV as well.

Roku recently expanded its product range with a Roku Streaming Stick which is now for sale in the US. Just like Google, Roku is also betting on multiple horses and integrating its platform directly into TV sets as well. Roku’s CEO gave an interesting interview recently which is definitely worth watching.

Both Microsoft and Sony have been very busy selling their new generation of gaming consoles. Sony has sold at least 6 million PlayStation 4s, while the latest Xbox One numbers indicate almost 4 million by January. The Xbox One is coming to 26 more countries in september, so those numbers are sure to grow. In step with Microsoft’s approach of selling the Xbox One as both a gaming console and a media hub, it has added a Media Remote to its product line. 24i is proud to be a certified app developer for both Xbox (One and 360) and Playstation (4 and 3).

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