Thursday, April 25, 2013

Kindle TV: Is an Amazon set-top box on the way? - Christian Science Monitor

A new report Suggests That Amazon could release a TV set-top box by the end of 2013.

Later this year, and possibly as soon as the fall, Amazon will intro a TV set-top box, allo wing users to stream a range of content from Amazon’s Video on Demand store and the Instant Video service. That’s the word today from Business Week, Which sources its report “to three people familiar with the project who Are not Authorized to discuss it.” So no, Amazon has not exactly confirmed That it’s going into the set-top box business. But it’s an interesting idea.

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After all, In recent years Amazon has charged full steam ahead into the streaming video business. Besides Instant Video and Video on Demand, its overpriced sponsored an array of original content, including an experiment wherein users can view a bunch of TV pilots, and Decides to which one’s attention. And According To Amazon internal projections (hat tip Techcrunch), plenty of people around the world are tuning into.

It’s worth Noting That all that Amazon is alreadycreated available through third-party devices Such as Roku. Still, it makes sense That Amazon would want to cut out the middle man, and just sell its own line of hardware. Business Week, Which That speculates the device could be called the Kindle TV, says design and implementation are being wrist by Amazon’s Lab126 division, by a team comprised of employees with “Considerable experience making set-top boxes.”

More When we know it.

As we noted yesterday, Netflix has recorded a blockbuster fiscal first quarter, with 2 million new members – making for 29 million users, in all. Meanwhile, quarterly revenue at Netflix surpassed $ 1 billion, helping cap a major rebound from the Qwikster debacle of 2011. (None of Which is particularly good news for Amazon’s video business.)

“In the end, the [The New Amazon TV device] May be an effort to Attract more developers to the Kindle platform and Increase Instant Video’s popularity,” writes Ed Oswald of Laptop Magazine. “By most metrics, Netflix Continues to dominate the streaming entertainment content industry by a wide margin, and iTunes overpriced holds an advantage When it comes to downloads.”

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