Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a lot of new content offerings announced by companies like Netflix, Amazon and YouTube as they look to directly target the living room via entertainment devices. Indeed, the adoption rate of hardware devices like the Xbox 360, PS3, TiVo, Roku, VUDU, Apple TV and broadband-enabled […]

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Roku representatives have responded to rumors on its online forum board regarding when it will launch streaming HD services and announced, earlier than they’d like, that it will team up with Netflix to bring HD content to its subscribers.

Compared to the recently announced Xbox and Netflix tie-up that will also see streaming HD content to the Xbox, Roku will use different Advanced Profile encoding to deliver the HD content at significantly lower bit-rates. 

In related news, CNet reports that Netflix has decided to stop selling used DVDs to its customer base, instead deciding to focus its attention on its rental by mail and Watch Instantly services.

“As you know, our core business is delivering great movie rentals to you on DVD by mail and instantly to the computer and TV, so we’ve decided it makes sense for us to focus exclusively on that,” the company stated in a Netflix blog post.

More on the streaming from Electronista (and thanks for the photo).

Tags: CNet, netflix, roku, streaming HD, xbox

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While you might think it’s time to cut the cable cord, there are some things you should consider before telling Comcast where it can shove its overpriced coaxial cable. Whether it’s time to dump cable depends on how much TV you watch, how important picture quality is, and whether or not you’re a sports fan.

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To Buy or Not To Buy?

I am stuffing my mattress. No gadgets for me
I am a Gadget Junkie, so I will keep buying
My company buys gadgets for me

Today’s launch of a $400 touch-screen e-Reader from Sony had me eager to whip out my credit card, but the mess on Wall Street stopped […]

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Earlier today, I spent a delightful hour with Vinnie Mirchandani, a well respected analyst in the enterprise software industry, mostly because he knows how to figure out the impact of big technological trends on software. Accompanying him was George Gilbert, formerly an enterprise software analyst with Credit Suisse First Boston, a Wall Street firm.
While […]

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The recent flurry of announcements regarding devices that can be used to play movies and other video-based content, delivered via the Internet, on the TV has many in the industry believing that the tide is finally turning. The numbers, however, tell a somewhat different story.

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If you were thinking of starting a set-top box company that delivers video content to the TV, let me stop you right there. There are already numerous players vying to dominate your digital entertainment future, and three of them are big names that you already know. Those three are also well-funded, well-equipped, and well on […]

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Blogged about the intriguing Netflix/Roku deal back on May 20, but now an interesting piece on VentureBeat makes it even more (and more!) interesting.

The new Roku box (doesn’t look like much, does it?) lets you stream any of Netflix’s 10,000+ “Watch Now” movies (movies that can be watched immediately over the internet for free with your subscription) to your TV set instantly. However, a new wrinkle may make the device even more attractive — with a simple software download, other services beyond Netflix will soon be able to use it, according to Forbes.

This changes the device from a nice little purchase (it’s only $99), into a potential Trojan horse for digital content in your living room. Of course, it entirely depends on what other services reach agreements to use the device. Roku would only say that other “big name” providers could bring their services to the device with a simple update.

At the same time, Netflix plans to release another box featuring its “Watch Now” service in conjunction with LG later this year. There’s also an intriguing rumor that the service could come to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. 

Tags: Forbes, LG, Microsoft, Netflix, Roku, VentureBeat, Xbox 360

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