Share on Social Media:

Amazon Fire TV Developing Networked DVR

Amazon wants you to be able to record its live video programming. To that end, according to Bloomberg News, the web retailer and streaming video service is hard at work developing a networked DVR. Bloomberg says Amazon has not revealed a release date for the DVR.

Related image

A networked DVR is one held in the provider’s central location, not in the consumer’s home. It records live content in real time. The consumer can view the recorded content at will, unbound by TV network broadcast schedules.

Amazon’s Lab 126, which built the Fire TV and Echo devices, is working on the new DVR. Staff for Lab 126 have dubbed the new DVR project ‘Frank’.

‘Frank’ will incorporate the same wireless technology that connects its Echo voice control devices to Fire TV boxes.

The device, according to Bloomberg, could stream recorded video to mobile tablets and phones. Existing Fire TV devices on the customer’s home network will support it. Amazon’s new DVR will be connected through the home WiFi network. It will not plug into a TV.

A conventional DVR (TiVo, Channel Master, etc.) usually plugs into a TV set, and features its own user interface. A networked DVR, by contrast, doesn’t have to be plugged into a TV.  It can be placed anywhere in the home, and can stream recorded content to any TV, streaming stick, or mobile device. In most cases, networked DVRs don’t have their own HDMI ports.

Amazon Prime Video is a subscription service, for which the customer pays monthly or annual fees. Beside the video service, customers get free or discounted shipping on goods ordered through Amazon. The video service is meant to compete with Netflix and Hulu.

 

(For streaming video, you need a reliable internet service. To find the best one for you, shop with Satellite Country. We can help.)

Share on Social Media:

ROKU RELEASES $30.00 STREAMING STICK

Video without Cable or Satellite Subscriptions

If you’re seeking a way to stream video to your computer, it’s getting easier. And it costs less than ever before.

The market for internet video streaming devices is getting ever more crowded. One manufacturer after another is producing dedicated streaming sticks or boxes to meet the growing demand for video services without conventional cable or satellite subscriptions.

Roku’s New Streaming Devices

Roku, which has long been a leader in the market, has pulled ahead in the  industry’s price war with Monday’s introduction of the Express Player, a new streaming stick that will retail for a mere $29.99. This beats the $35.00 price for Google’s Chromecast Stick and the $40.00 price for the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The Roku Express works on TV sets with HDMI connections, and handles 1080p HD signals. Another model, the Express+, works on older TV sets without HDMI ports.

Other New Roku Models

Beside the Express models, Roku released three upscale streaming devices on Monday: the Premiere, the Premiere+, and the Ultra. The Premiere handles Ultra HD or 4K streaming at up to 60 frames per second. The Premiere+ features the same capabilities, plus High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. The Ultra has all of the capabilities of the Premiere and the Premiere+, and it decodes Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound. For local media playback, the Ultra also features a USB port. The Premiere will retail for $80.00, the Premiere+ for $100, and the Ultra for $130.00.

So far, Roku is the only manufacturer of dedicated video streaming devices to enroll in Comcast’s Xfinity TV Partner program, an effort to incorporate Comcast’s TV Everywhere app into streaming devices via open HTML5 standards.

All Roku devices will work with any internet service fast enough for video. This includes HughesNet.

Roku dominates the streaming device market, with about a 49% share.

(For timely and reliable information about TV and internet services, talk to us. We can help.)