An anonymous reader shares a report: If you go out and purchase a new TV today, it’s going to have smart TV features allowing access to streaming services and the internet. However, if that new TV is running on the Google TV platform, it’s possible to easily disable all the smart features during setup. The option to make your TV dumb…
Tag: smart tvs
Roku Buys Quibi Content For Less Than $100 Million
phalse phace writes: After days of advanced talks to sell Quibi’s content library to Roku, the companies have finally reached a deal. According to Deadline, Roku will acquire most of Quibi’s content for less than $100 million. “The acquisition covers most of the Quibi library, but some daily news shows are not part of the package,” reports Deadline. “A key draw…
Roku Tops 51 Million Accounts, Becoming the Biggest Smart TV Platform in North America
Roku’s bet on smart TVs is paying off: Seven years after the company first began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, it has become a market leader in North America. Roku and its hardware partners sold more smart TVs in the U.S. in 2020 than competitors like Samsung, LG and Vizio, according to data from the NPD Group released by…
Discovery+ Launches Today
Discovery+, the new streaming channel from Discovery, is officially available in the U.S.. “The list of places where you can download Discovery+ is extensive, with almost every popular platform but the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 included in the company’s launch slate,” reports Engadget. From the report: Most notably, you can access the app through Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and…
DHS Is Looking Into Backdoors In Smart TVs By China’s TCL
chicksdaddy shares a report from The Security Ledger: The acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the agency was assessing the cyber risk of smart TVs sold by the Chinese electronics giant TCL, following reports last month in The Security Ledger and elsewhere that the devices may give the company “back door” access to deployed sets, The Security…
Amazon Fire TV Adds Local News In 12 U.S. Cities, With 90 More Coming In 2021
At the end of a record-setting year of news consumption, Amazon Fire TV said local TV stations in 12 U.S. cities will be added to Amazon’s news app, with another 90 on deck for 2021. From a report: The initial dozen stations are in New York, LA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. The roster…
Microsoft Hints at Turning Xbox Into an App For Your TV
Microsoft is in the early phases of rolling out its xCloud streaming service on mobile devices, but TVs are the next logical step. From a report:In an interview with The Verge, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has revealed we’ll likely see an Xbox app appear on smart TVs over the next year. “I think you’re going to see that in the next…
GitHub Reinstates YouTube-dl Library After EFF Intervention
GitHub has reinstated today the youtube-dl open-source project, a Python library that lets users download the source audio and video files behind YouTube videos. From a report: GitHub, a code-hosting repository, had previously removed the library from its portal after it received a controversial DMCA takedown request from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 23. In a DMCA…
Security Holes Opened Back Door To TCL Android Smart TVs
chicksdaddy shares a report from The Security Ledger: Millions of Android smart television sets from the Chinese vendor TCL Technology Group Corporation contained gaping software security holes that researchers say could have allowed remote attackers to take control of the devices, steal data or even control cameras and microphones to surveil the set’s owners. The security holes appear to have been…
New Huawei Chip Factory May Help It Avoid US Trade Ban
In August the U.S. announced restrictions aimed at preventing Huawei from obtaining semiconductors without a special license. It might work, reports Engadget: Huawei might have a way to avoid some of the worst consequences of tightening U.S. trade restrictions, provided it’s willing to be patient. Financial Times sources claim Huawei is planning a dedicated chip factory in Shanghai that would make…