Nvidia revealed the latest features being rolled out in its Shield Experience Upgrade 3.0. The game-centric streaming console received several improvements, including an update to Android Marshmallow, expanded external storage options, menu customization options and additional streaming content, including 4K movie rentals and the Shield TV debut of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The Shield TV console has been updated to Android’s Marshmallow operating system In addition, the update offers increased flexibility with external storage devices, allowing SD cards and USB flash drives to be used as internal storage. This will commit the storage device as a Shield TV-specific device, so users should only use this feature on USB flash drives or SD cards they intend to leave attached to their Shield TV.

Several new features offer increased personalization and ease of use. The home screen can now be customized by rearranging app tiles and menus. Searching has become easier with a new speak or click-to-type functionality, and setup can now be achieved without typing at all by connecting to your Android-based smartphone and acquiring your Google account information automatically using vocal commands from your smartphone.

Nvidia’s Shield TV Update 3.0 also brings a 4K content rental service called UltraFlix to the platform, and it appeared to have no lag while scrubbing around the video. This depends entirely on your network’s capabilities, but it seemed that with a powerful enough Internet connection, you could click on any part of a 4K movie and see playback instantly, without any buffering. How this is achieved is not quite yet known, but it is a welcome feature for 4K-display wielding Shield TV users.

In addition, the Google Play store received a facelift and should be easier to navigate.

Also making its Shield TV debut is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, which Nvidia claimed is a full-blown console-grade game title. The gameplay was actually quite smooth, even on the 4K display it was demoed on.

Nvidia’s Shield TV Update 3.0 will be available sometime soon.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Amazon's Fire TV and Fire TV Stick were undoubtedly two of the coolest gadgets released in 2014. However, Amazon is pushing to make its streaming devices even better in 2015 thanks to over-the-air software upgrades that are scheduled to roll out to consumers over the next several weeks.

One of the biggest new features Amazon is implementing in both devices is the ability to connect to wireless networks that require web authentication. Amazon indicated that this service will work in most hotel rooms and "some" universities. The two streaming devices will also include a new shortcut that makes putting the device to sleep easier, as well as a shortcut to enable display mirroring.

The new over-the-air update will also bring a new PIN entry screen to both devices. The big deal here is that the numbers will be hidden as the customer enters the code, preventing curious little eyes from gaining access to questionable content. Amazon will also introduce the ability to browse and search through hundreds of Prime playlists, which according to Amazon will fit every mood and situation.

Amazon Fire TV will have several exclusive features thanks to the update. For starters, Amazon has added support for wireless Bluetooth headphones to allow users to watch and listen without bothering other individuals. The Fire TV update will also unlock the USB port so that users can plug in a USB drive and expand the device's storage capacity. This should be good news for customers who have managed to max out the internal storage.

"Customer response to Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick has been overwhelming—we've been working hard to build more of both as quickly as possible, and we're excited to be adding new features we think customers will love," said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Devices.

Amazon introduced the Fire TV set-top-box back in April 2014. The device includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, 2 GB of memory and 8 GB of internal storage. Fire TV is also packed with Ethernet and dual-band Wireless N connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI output and the company's forked build of Android, FireOS 3.0.  

As for the Fire TV Stick, it launched in November 2014. This tiny device, which connects directly to an HDMI port, has a dual-core Broadcom chip, 1 GB of combined RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Other hardware features include dual-band Wireless N and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, as well as Amazon's FireOS 3.0 platform. This device is currently slated to launch in the UK and Germany on April 15.

Both the Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick are great devices for those looking to cut the cable cord. Users can load up Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora and loads more that, when combined, provide over 200,000 TV episodes and movies. The Fire TV set-top-box costs $99, whereas the Fire TV Stick costs a mere $39. Both come packed with remotes and access to Amazon's Android-based app store.

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Still on the fence about signing up for Sling TV? Then maybe DISH Network's new offer can be an incentive to make the Sling TV plunge. For a limited time only, customers who subscribe now can get one of the following: a free Amazon Fire TV Stick, a Roku Streaming Stick, $50 off the Amazon Fire TV set-top box or $50 off the Roku 3 set-top box. The catch? Customers must subscribe to the service for three months, a $60 prepaid requirement, if they want just the core Sling TV package.

DISH Network launched Sling TV earlier this week, which combines a number of popular live TV channels into one app that can be streamed over the Internet without a cable subscription. The base $20 plan includes AMC, TNT, TBS, the Food Network, ABC Family, CNN, The Disney Channel and more. There are also three $5 "Extra" plans that add additional channels dedicated to sports, news and kids. That said, customers can sign on for everything for a mere $35 a month.

So which device will be the right choice for you? If Amazon has its way, you'll be grabbing the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Fire TV set-top box when signing on with Sling TV. The company revealed on Thursday that it has added not only Sling TV to its hardware, but a handful of new apps and games to the Fire TV lineup including FOX Sports Go, TED, CBS News, Crossy Road and the Game of Thrones game from Telltale.

"The growth of apps and games available on Amazon Fire TV has been tremendous since launch—selection is up 5x since April, and many popular titles such as FOX Sports GO and Flappy Birds Family have launched exclusively on the Fire TV platform," said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President Amazon Appstore. "We're especially excited to be one of the first platforms to launch the Sling TV app—we think Fire TV and Fire TV Stick customers are going to love it."

According to Amazon, customers who prepay three months of Sling TV service will receive a promotional code that can be used to purchase the Fire TV Stick and knock $50 off the set-top box (which normally runs at $99). To apply the discount, merely add the device to your Amazon cart and then add the promotional code to the "Enter a gift card or promotional code" field during checkout.

So what Amazon device is right for you? The Fire TV set-top box includes an Ethernet port for wired connectivity to the network, voice search, 2 GB of internal storage and a quad-core processor. Otherwise, both products connect via HDMI, have built-in wireless connectivity and include a remote. The Fire TV Stick has 1 MB of internal storage and a dual-core processor.

Want a Roku device instead? The Roku 3 set-top box includes an Ethernet port, motion control for games like Angry Birds, a headphone jack on the remote, a microSD card slot for additional storage and a dual-core processor. Both devices can store over 2,000 channels and include built-in wireless and a remote. The Roku Stick also has 512 MB of internal storage.

All in all, the new Sling TV promotion is a good deal and has its sights set on potential cord cutters who are looking for ways to get their favorite channels without having to pay hefty fees to the cable companies. With Sling TV, users can not only stream live TV from the likes of TBS and AMC, but access On Demand content related to those channels. Good stuff.

Is Sling TV worth the subscription price? We think so, but then again, if consumers are looking to cut the cord, they'll need to invest in over-the-air digital TV access if they want to watch their favorite network TV shows…or just subscribe to Hulu Plus.

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In addition to launching the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus 6 smartphone on Wednesday, Google also finally introduced its set-top-box, the Nexus Player. As previously predicted, it doubles as a media player as well as an Android game console, allowing customers to rent or purchase video content and enjoy the best of what Google Play has to offer in the gaming department.

So what's under the hood? The specs reveal an Intel Atom quad-core processor clocked at 1.8 GHz, the Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine, 1 GB of memory, and 8 GB of internal storage. There's also dual-band Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity, an HDMI port (1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz), and a microUSB 2.0 port. This is also the very first device to sport Android TV.  

The bad news here is that the device doesn't provide a microSD card slot. Android customers know that 8 GB isn't a whole lot of space, as the operating system itself takes about 2 GB. That limits the number of high-definition games that can be locally installed, such as titles from Gameloft (N.O.V.A., Modern Combat, etc).

The big selling point with the Nexus Player seems to be its remote control. The device isn't cluttered with a plethora of buttons, but rather just four: Play/Pause, Back, Start and Search. Hit that last button, and you can use voice search to find a movie, TV show or other content.

"Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV," said Sundar Pichai, SVP, Android, Chrome & Apps.

Another big selling point is in its games library. This is where the Nexus Player outranks the OUYA and Amazon's own Fire TV set-top box. Oh sure, Amazon has Android games, but they're usually listed long after they've appeared on Google Play... if at all. The OUYA console doesn't even officially have Netflix, let alone most of the blockbuster games that can be purchased on Google Play.

According to the Nexus Player listing, owners will have access to Netflix, TuneIn Radio, PBS Kids, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Crackle, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Goggle Games, Google Movies & TV, Google Music and loads more. Already have a Google phone or tablet? Then this set-top-box is definitely for you.

Google also revealed on Wednesday a new controller that works with the set-top-box. The device is a standard issue console controller, packed with two analog sticks; the D-pad; the ABXY buttons; shoulder buttons; and dedicated buttons for power, Start and Back. This controller, along with the Nexus Player, is manufactured by Asus, the company who built the two Nexus 7 tablets.

The beauty of this setup is that gamers can start a session on the Nexus Player, and pick up where they left off on a tablet or smartphone (and vice versa). Presumably, the same holds true when watching a movie or TV show episode. Plus, there's no more having to tether the smartphone or tablet to an HDTV via an HDMI cable to play games and watch media on a big screen; the set-top-box is already connected.

So what does this box mean for Android gamers? At a glance, the Nexus Player will be just another micro-console out on the market. However, what will hurt competition is the Google branding, as well as the fact that this device comes straight from the search engine giant and not through a Kickstarter project or a third-party peripheral maker.

All that said, Google has just made your Android life a lot easier -- and a lot bigger -- with the launch of this set-top-box. Google will start taking preorders on October 17, costing customers $99.99 for the box and remote and an extra $39.99 for the game controller.

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A blog post on Listen reports that Amazon's freshly-based Fire TV may be a data hog for many users. The news comes from blogger Tyler Hayes who reports that he received an email from Cox Cable stating that he reached the monthly data limit.

"With the particular speed of service I'm signed up for, I get 250 GB/month," Hayes writes. "That data allotment has always been enough in the past, even streaming all TV, movies, music and having 10+ connected devices in the house."

After receiving the email, Hayes immediately assumed that someone nearby was leeching off his wireless network, and changed the router's administrator and wireless access passwords. He also checked his wife's computer as well as his Mac.

Eventually, Hayes figured out that the Fire TV device consumed 80 GB of data in a single day. Once he unplugged the box, the data consumption went back to normal. "This seemed weird until I went back through some of the Fire TV's features and realized ASAP – the feature to predictively cache shows you watch – was the culprit," Hayes writes.

Amazon launched Fire TV back in April, a $99 set-top-box for streaming movies, music and playing Android games. This device also includes a service called Advanced Streaming and Prediction (ASAP), which according to Amazon "predicts which movies and TV episodes you'll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play."

Unfortunately, users can't turn this feature off. The good news is that Amazon looked into the matter and determined that the data gulping has nothing to do with ASAP, but stems from the screen saver images.

"You've helped us find an edge case bug related to our screensaver," Amazon's email states. "There is a small possibility if a customer uses the 'mosaic' feature (not the default setting) on the screensaver, images will not be cached. We're working on a software update that will fix this bug."

To avoid the data gulping issue, customers should turn off the mosaic view for the screensaver until the problem is addressed.

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Amazon's rumored set-top box is back in the spotlight, this time thanks to Gamasutra, which claims that Amazon is approaching game developers to bring content to the unannounced device. The news follows the initial report from unnamed sources back in April claiming that the device will be based on the Kindle experience and stream the company's expanding video collection to connected HDTVs.

Earlier this year, sources said Amazon's set-top box, powered by Qualcomm hardware, would compete directly with similar products like Apple TV, the Boxee Cloud DVR, the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and others. That indicated an app-like environment offering other services like Netflix and Hulu Plus as a downloadable option. Amazon Instant Video, Amazon Cloud Player, the Silk browser, the Amazon Appstore and perhaps even Kindle would be integrated into the OS much like they are on the Kindle Fire tablets.

Unnamed sources told Gamasutra that the team behind the set-top-box is also talking to game developers mainly in the United States, and reaching out to a handful of developers spread out across the globe. The idea is to create a highly-rich gaming ecosystem based on what sources claim is high-end hardware to support those dreams. They claim that Google is working on a similar, high-end product too, hence Amazon's push for such a competitive product.

The unnamed sources said that Amazon's long-term gaming-focused plan extends beyond the set-top box, that the next set of Kindle tablets will support game controllers as well act as a "second screen" for the Amazon set-top box. Amazon is even providing game developers with an SDK although the company isn't specifically mentioning a dedicated box. Muffin Knight developer Angry Mob Games is reportedly one of the developers Amazon has approached.

Gamasutra reports that many developers are interested in bringing their Android games to the Amazon box, while others are taking a "wait and see" approach. Madfinger, the studio behind the Shadowgun series, is reportedly pulling is support for Amazon due to a lack of sales (Amazon seriously needs to take a hint from Google's UI design).

Amazon is reportedly shooting for a pre-Christmas release, thus the device will join other Android-based set-top boxes hitting the market or currently available like the OUYA, Nvidia's Shield hand-held, GameStick, the M.O.J.O., GamePop and Google's own rumored device. However unlike the listed competitors, Amazon may be looking for a more complete package than a gaming-focused device to back its videos services.

"They have a ton of content, an existing billing relationship with millions of users, an existing Android app marketplace that could be leveraged on the box, a reputation for solid hardware products and a terrific channel through which to promote the product," said Jason Krikorian, former co-founder of Sling Media and currently a general partner at venture capital form DCM.

The new Kindle products are expected to be revealed before the end of the month.

Unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal that Google is working on a set-top box. The device actually made a private appearance – just like the second-gen Nexus 10 prototype – during CES 2013 in January, and was demonstrated by Andy Rubin himself. The device was based on Android and provided Hangouts as a core feature. It also had a video camera and a motion sensor, sources said.

Sources insisted that this device was different than the 2 inch Chromecast media streaming device Google launched on Wednesday. The company's latest gadget is based on a simplified Chrome OS and relies on mobile apps and the Chrome browser for media. In an app, the user simply hits the Chromecast icon and a movie, TV show or other content is pulled from the Internet. The Chrome browser also has an extension that can be installed, or a website can incorporate Google's API.

That said, Chromecast isn't a fully-featured Chrome OS or Android system on a stick, allowing for app installation. The set-top box shown at CES 2013 had a broader set of features, sources told the paper, providing full access to Google Play. Users could stream YouTube videos, watch TV shows and supposedly even play games. Netflix and Pandora were also mentioned.

Sources said Google was supposedly set to launch the device during Google I/O back in May, but that didn't happen. Currently it's unclear if Google canned the whole project and went with the smaller Chromecast instead, or plans to launch the set-top box at a later date. The latter is more likely given Google's attempts to launch a TV streaming service in the near future. Could this be the company's own Nexus-style Google TV set-top box?

Just last week, conveniently before Chromecast made its appearance, sources told the New York Times that Google has reignited its streaming TV service plans. The company has reportedly approached media companies in recent months about streaming their traditional TV programming. In one case, Google even demonstrated the product, meaning the streaming TV plan is more than just a concept on paper.

It's quite possible the demonstration included the rumored set-top box. Google may not have revealed the device in May because its streaming TV plans aren't finalized. Indeed, it's supposedly been a battle in landing deals with content providers for not only Google, but Apple and Intel as well who are supposedly gearing up to offer their own streaming services.

Last week the New York Times indicated that Apple has learned that it needed to cooperate with content providers in order to have greater access. That meant adding HBO and ESPN apps to Apple TV which require an existing cable or satellite subscription, and likely Apple without its 30 percent cut. Time Warner Cable's TWC TV app is also coming to Apple TV in the near future.

Bloomberg recently said that Pete Distad, SVP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu, will be hired by Apple to help Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, in negotiations with media and cable companies. This move could help accelerate Apple's plan to transform the way consumers watch television as the late Steve Jobs envisioned.

The first two TV adventures did not play out very well, but there is now speculation that Intel will be making a third attempt to get its foot into the highly attractive and profitable consumer market. According to TechCrunch, Intel will be offering a set top box, which makes sense as a reference platform, as well as its own virtual cable TV service, which does not make any sense at all.

The report claims that the service will be rolled out city-by-city. The hardware rumors are supported by a string of announcements and reports, including Intel's licensing of Comcast's reference design kit. Additionally, it is no secret that the failures of Viiv and Google TV were painful for the company, but revealed Intel's weakness in being able to relate its technology to content providers. Viiv, for example, was anchored in influential Hollywood celebrities such as Morgan Freeman and Tom Hanks, both of which were not able to help Intel gain enough credibility that streaming content could be monetized and flourish on a PC. Clickstar, a joint venture between Freeman and Intel failed without releasing a single major piece of content to Viiv-branded Intel PCs.

This time around it seems that Intel could be promoting a subscription TV service directly for the TV and gain greater influence to push its chips into the set top box market. Rumor has it that the service would combine existing content - similar to movie rental and subscription services like Netflix or Redbox - into a service that automatically comes with its set top boxes.

Netflix' troubles to acquire content have shown just how difficult it is to deal with Hollywood and it is unlikely that Intel will be able to change that situation, especially when we remember that Intel had, so far, zero success in scoring any notable content deal with content holders. It would be highly surprising if Intel moved into the content business once again.

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The Wall Street Journal is the latest to add to the iTV rumor, with inside sources telling the paper that the device will erase the distinction between live and on-demand content. They claim it will feature a DVR service that stores TV shows in the cloud so that users can start any show at any time, or restart a show minutes after it has begun, similar to Time Warner's Start Over feature.

The paper also reports that Apple has been talking with cable operators, including Time Warner Cable, to let subscribers replace their current set-top boxes with Apple's own solution for live television and other content. The fruity company has also reportedly approached content owners with an outline of what Apples wants the device to do in regards to their media.

Insiders report that some of the proposed new services -- including the web-based DVR -- reside outside the existing rights over TV content cable operators currently have. To make everyone happy, content owners will need to expand the rights of cable operators so that the Apple box can be deployed. Apple may also need to negotiate with content owners to bring past seasons of shows it already offers through iTunes to the set-top box.

Sources report that the relationship between Apple, cable operators and content owners still remain tense, and the company still hasn't sold the idea to operators. It's quest to transform the TV industry thus remains stagnant, as operators and content owners are worried that Apple will dominate this sector just as it has with smartphones and tablets.

Most of what the Wall Street Journal described on Friday is nothing new: a user interface similar to what's offered on the iPhone and iPad, social features embedded on the screen such as sharing shows via Twitter and Facebook, and accessing media through a host of other Apple products. Previous reports have even indicated that Apple wants users to start a show on one device, and pick up on another.

At one time, talk about Apple's rumored iTV stemmed around an actual HDTV with a built-in iOS operating system, Siri and motion sensing technology. That may still indeed be the case given that several people have actually seen this device. But Apple may also be looking to offer a cheaper set-top box, following Google's Google TV efforts of offering both form factors. The set-top box could still contain all the features found in the pricier HDTV model, just without the screen.

The paper reports that talk about the iTV gadget arrives as sales of Apple's current set-top product, the $99 Apple TV, are "picking up but are still small." In the last quarter that ended in June, Apple reportedly sold only 1.3 million units. The device is more like a web streamer than a multimedia cable box, offering some internet video and services like Hulu Plus and Netflix.

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Microsoft says it can reduce latencies compared to previous video conferencing approaches, but the patent does not indicate that the company has solved the general problem of home videoconferencing itself.

The patent suggests that a PC client, connected to a TV via a TV client module, can serve as the Internet and data connection, while the TV and a cheap USB camera connected to the TV are used as the visual data output devices. the data between the TV and computer would be accelerated via a remote desktop protocol (RDP), while the incoming and outgoing data traffic is IP-based. In this patent, the PC serves as the data hub, while the TV avoids a scenario in which a user will have to leave the living room to make a visual call.

Of course, video conferences are valuable in business environments and are beneficial to those who need to bridge substantial distance to keep in touch with loved ones. However, in the majority of cases, visual calls are more hassle and are more inconvenient than simple phone calls or even chat messages. Consumer teleconferencing services such as Mingleverse, for example, have failed because we tend to feel rather awkward in front of a camera and there are plenty of cases when we just don't want someone to see us - or our living room.

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It might have been a bit overshadowed by all of the exciting Mobile World Congress news to hit this week, but Vodafone has launched a new device that endeavors to bring internet access to the televisions of people in developing nations.

Dubbed Webbox, Vodafone’s Patrick Chomet said the device is basically the data part of a phone inside a keyboard with a good, old analog RCA cable added in for connectivity. Once you plug in those color-coded red, white, and yellow cables and power on, you’ll see a home screen that plays host to Opera Mini 5.1. Aside from surfing the web and email, users will also have access to SMS, an FM radio, a photo gallery tool, a music player, games, a basic text editor, and a locally relevant job search and application service.

All data is sent compressed over 2.5G and EDGE mobile networks. Though pricing will obviously depend on the country, Vodafone is promising affordable internet access here, so anything extortionate would kind of defeat the purpose.

Vodacom in South Africa has announced that they will start selling the Webbox from next week. Other markets across Vodafone’s emerging market footprint are scheduled for launch at some point in 2011.

Monday brought reports that cloud-based gaming service OnLive plans to provide streaming movies and television shows in 2011. The news arrives as media companies grow concerned that Netflix is growing too large and are now seeking out alternative content distributors.

According to a report from Reuters, OnLive is currently in negotiations with major film and TV studios. However games will still be the main focus on OnLive, as they offer higher margins than movies.

"Streaming technology is available to anybody," said OnLive Chief Executive Steve Perlman in an interview. "We want to work with the studios. All of these guys want to offer content, we're just here to distribute. OnLive can deliver any experience that Netflix can."

Launched earlier this year, OnLive offers PC-based gaming in three flavors: a 3-day PlayPass, a 5-day PlayPass, and a full PlayPass. Prices vary across the board, and not all titles offer 3-day and 5-day passes. The drawback to OnLive is that the library is currently limited, offering around 45 titles. However the service is cloud-based, allowing players to experience many hardware-demanding games without the need to upgrade components.

For a PC or Mac, OnLive's minimum system requirements include a 3 Mbps wired or Wifi connection, Windows 7 or Vista (32 or 64-bit) or XP SP3 (32-bit), Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, and a screen resolution of 1024 x 576. OnLive states that the cloud-based gaming service works on most PCs, netbooks and Intel-based Macs, however the recommended system requirements include a 5 Mbps Internet connection, dual-core PCs, Mac OS X 10.6 or later, and a screen resolution of 1280 x 720.

Of course, OnLive also offers a dedicated $99 stand-alone "console" that hooks directly into the TV. OnLive is also starting a $9.99/mo subscription plan beginning January 15 that grants access to every title in the library. Those who purchase the console can participate in the beta for free until January 14.

As for the movie and TV streaming aspect, the details are unknown. Reuters said that Perlman declined to comment when asked about details and pricing. As Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros is one of the OnLive investors, it's probably a given that everything related to the studio is already on the table.

Could OnLive pose as a threat to Netflix? That will will depend on the content, however a monthly subscription that included one PC game rental for a month could really strike a serious blow below the belt.

Yesterday Google announced it was teaming up with Intel, Sony and Logitech for a little venture called Google TV. Though Sony is to supply the televisions (and Intel the chips for those tellies), Logitech is supplying not only the remotes and keyboards but standalone companion boxes for those of us who don't feel like investing in a new TV just for Google.

Though there's little in the way of official information floating around the Web, Engadget mosied on down to Logitech's booth at Google I/O and got an eye-full of the technology and scored some juicy details about the box. An example? Well how about controlling your TV with your smartphone via either an iPhone or Android application?

"To our surprise, the Logitech product manager pulled out a Nexus One and iPhone," writes Sean Hollister. "He explained that the companion box has all the technology of Logitech's $400 Harmony 900 remote and extends it to your handset over WiFi."

Using the smartphone app, you can not only control the Google browser but also a Samsung TV, Onkyo receiver and TiVo set top box.

Specswise, you're looking at Intel's CE4100 1.2GHz "Sodaville" Atom CPU, 4GB of RAM, 802.11n WiFi, 2xUSB, a rear I/O panel with a wired LAN jack, two IR headers and a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports.

Full scoop and demo video on Engadget.

Times like these call for deals and big savings. This weekend, Valve is giving you the chance to purchase The Orange Box (usually $50*) for just ten bucks. As a refresher, that’s Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Episode 1, Half-Life 2 Episode 2, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, Team Fortress 2 and Portal.

If you don’t have a tenner to spare, we’ll spot you the money. Okay, so that’s a blatant fabrication on my part but seriously, do not miss out on this deal. The Orange Box is a pretty sweet purchase at $50, so bagging it for $10 is an insanely good deal.

Click here to buy.

*Edit: Just to clarify, that's $50 at retail. The Orange Box is usually $29.99 on Steam (thanks, misnand).

Los Angeles (CA) - ABC announced this week that it will bring some of its most popular television shows to free on-demand video services, but viewers won't be able to skip the commercials.

ABC will begin to offer shows like Desperate Housewives and Lost on cable/satellite free-on-demand channels. It will be the first time that a non-Internet on-demand video platform will block users from fast-forwarding through commercials.

Despite the fact that other channels like NBC and CBS offer online video and digital downloads, none of the standard networks offers programming on existing on-demand cable services.

ABC does offer complete episodes of some shows directly on ABC.com, with 15- to 30-second commercial breaks that are un-skippable. However, ABC's online video presence seems to be under par compared to other networks.

News Corp, which owns Fox, and NBC have founded a video streaming service called Hulu, where they broadcast full episodes of shows, and CBS has launched its own platform called Inntertube.

Las Vegas (NV) - During a press conference at CES, DirecTV made several few announcements, including the introduction of a portable satellite system and pending agreements with new channels for HD broadcasts. By the end of the year, DirecTV will be offering more than 100 HD channels to its customers.

Without doubt the most intriguing announcement was DirecTV's portable satellite TV and receiver, which allows users to watch DirecTV programming anywhere where a signal can be received. Dubbed the SAT-GO, it is about the size of a briefcase and includes a TV monitor with iPod dock. In April, DirecTV will begin making the system available for "A-list customers", with general consumers to follow shortly thereafter.

A demonstration of the portable satellite receiver

Additionally, HD content was a big topic of the presentation. However, while many big-name cable companies are still slow on offering HD feeds of local and cable channels, DirecTV is already pursuing additional national channels to offer its programming in high definition. There are agreements, or pending agreements, in place for channels like CNN, FX, Sci-Fi, and USA to offer HD feeds to DirecTV customers, all of which are initially planned for rollout by the end of the year. According to DirecTV, the service will carry more than 100 HD channels by the close of 2007, with 70 of those being nationally broadcast channels. Currently, DirecTV has 49 channels in high-def.

One other thing briefly mentioned was the announcement of DirecTV On Demand video, which allows broadband-connected customers to download shows through a satellite or Internet connection. It also will have an interactive interface with the feel of a media center PC. A beta version will come out some time this quarter, with final rollout scheduled for the middle of the year.

An example of what the NBC On Demand menu will look like when the service launches later this year.

Atlanta (GA) - Taking the "school" out of old school, Fox Sports has announced that it will begin to air sports content on the Web, and offer digital downloads, beginning today. Initially, live streaming programming will include only college football bowl games.

In a statement released by Fox, the media company said that it will stream the New Year's Cotton Bowl Classic game, claiming it will be the first time a major college bowl game has been aired online.

In addition to streaming content, Fox Sports has also launched a rollout of prerecorded video available for purchase from all the major sites, including iTunes and AOL Video, along with company-owned sites FoxSports.com and Fox Interactive.

Users will be able to purchase condensed "previews" of games that include all the major highlights for $1.99 each. Full versions of games will be available on a download-to-own basis at least 24 hours after the end of the game and will cost $2.99.

Downloadable videos of games will include the Cotton Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Game, said Fox Sports.

New York (NY) - In September 1963, about a year and a half after he launched the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite instituted one of the most innovative developments in journalism: On the surface, it appeared that CBS merely expanded the broadcast from 15 minutes to a half-hour. But in doing so, Cronkite actually helped invent the minute-by-minute "layout" system of story prioritization that enabled television news editors to manage their broadcasts like a press agency. It was an innovation that NBC would emulate only weeks later, and that would establish television as the principal provider of news for most Americans.

Forty-three years later, almost to the day, CBS will attempt to launch Katie Couric as the new caretaker of Cronkite's seat by attempting a different kind of technical innovation: On 5 September, the network will simulcast the Evening News during the same time zone as the viewer (assuming he doesn't fib about his local time zone in the entry form). At least on the East Coast, viewers may watch Couric at 6:30 pm ET, either on TV or the Web.

In March 2005, soon after Bob Schieffer assumed the anchor chair from Dan Rather, CBS.com began presenting an edited "Online Edition" of the Evening News, available for download after the broadcast edition signed off on the west coast. Again, NBC soon followed, then ABC launched separate, online-only editions of World News available during mid-afternoon, although currently those abbreviated editions often serve as previews of coming attractions for the evening broadcast. ABC also offers a full-time, all-online news service, ABC News Now, comprised in large part of taped and replayed programming produced specifically for streaming.

But CBS' next move, announced yesterday, is different for the key reason that, for the first time, one of the networks principal news products will be available on a medium that effectively competes with itself, along with all the other Web news sources currently clamoring for the public's attention. For affiliate stations - a diminishing majority of which are actually owned by CBS Corp. - this means a portion of the viewing audience won't be tuned to their channels, and therefore won't be seeing local advertising inserts.

Despite that fact, CBS spokesperson Shannon L. Jacobs told TG Daily, the network managed to craft an agreement with its affiliates, effectively giving the network their permission - if not officially their blessing - to go ahead with the plan. But CBS' message to its affiliates may have included the notion that the Web simulcast actually won't compete all that much. "We don't think people will watch the online version if they are at home and able to watch it on TV," Jacobs told us, "so [the simulcast] doesn't take away viewers from affiliates or our owned stations. This will allow those who are not at home or in front of TV to watch."

"The broadcast networks are definitely dipping their toes in the water and experimenting with new forms of distribution for the evening newscasts," stated Brian Stelter, proprietor of TVNewser, easily the most influential blog devoted to US broadcast journalism. "It's not clear whether any of these experiments are being used in great numbers, though."

Historically, it's always taken time for the proprietors of an old medium to transfer their mindsets to a new way of thinking when moving to a new medium. Edward R. Murrow's famous words, when opening his first See It Now TV broadcast in November 1951, could still ring true today: "This is an old team learning a new trade." Even after 10 years of MSNBC on the Web, networks still wrestle with how and why the Internet and broadcast mindsets fail to converge. Conceivably, if a network were to simply produce one product for two media - assuming no party with ties to only one medium were to object - it could reach a broader audience while reducing costs.

Perhaps CBS is taking a step toward determining whether such a fantastic notion could ever become practical. But if it's anything we at TG Daily could tell CBS - we'd happily waive the 5¢ consulting fee - it's that online news ages very rapidly. After and perhaps even during the Evening News simulcast, online viewers may be able to dial up the broadcast even as late as the following afternoon. But since it would already be yesterday's news, how many viewers actually find the "Online Edition" of the CBS Evening News, and the "NetCast" version of NBC Nightly News, valuable?

"If you consider the evening newscasts to be a first draft of history, then they have a certain time capsule quality to them, and that could make archived online streams an attractive option for users," Stelter told us. "But I'm not sure many consumers want to watch last night's news after the next day's sunrise."

Were it not for pharmaceutical companies, some say the evening TV newscasts would already be extinct (PBS' News Hour with Jim Lehrer notwithstanding). They're not the revenue sources they used to be, especially in comparison with their morning news counterparts - assuming the term "news" still applies there as much as it once did. The key reason TV networks are exploring the Web is the same reason magazine publishers continue to "explore" the Web: the prospects of subsidiary revenue sources through repurposing and rebranding.

"All three evening newscasts are being rebranded as a platform for news throughout the day," remarked Stelter. "Essentially, the morning shows are with you until noon, when the evening news teams take over. And the evening news takes you to primetime." Currently, networks create short previews or, in the case of ABC, 15-minute Webcasts. CBS will be establishing a similar online platform around its new signature brand - not really the Evening News so much as Katie Couric herself. The network said yesterday that CBS.com would be offering CBS News First Look with Katie Couric each afternoon, describing it as a preview of "stories being considered for coverage on that night's CBS Evening News," along with a daily blog entitled "Couric & Company."

Does the creation of "platforms" around the network news brands actually extend their lifespan as intended? Or do they actually highlight the "fish out of water" nature of the convergence of the two media, which is the frequent subject of Brian Williams' blog, "The Daily Nightly," for NBC - in so doing, perhaps contributing to the broadcasts' inevitable obsolescence? "I think it extends the lifespan of the format," responded Stelter, "while at the same time expanding and experimenting with the format. Clearly, the half-hour newscast is not a model that works for every news consumer. But it's a model that still works for many, and making it available on the Internet simply enables more individuals to access it."

On the other hand, an Internet edition or simulcast could conceivably open up access to a news broadcast to an entirely new audience: specifically, those who remain loyal to its own competitors. Couric's audience could thus expand to include some of Williams' or Charles Gibson's viewers. But just how many? Would that be a material number? And assuming it could be, is it something that can be measured? Or worth measuring?

Which leads to an entirely new dilemma: The value of advertising on each of today's TV news broadcasts continues to be measured in terms of how many viewers it garners over and above the competition. Assuming the networks' recent Internet experiments are successful, there could be a great many viewers who tune in to more than one Webcast, or perhaps even selected parts of all three. Doesn't this make it more difficult for ratings services to determine the relative value of one network's broadcast over the other? "Yes. Definitely," responded TVNewser's Brian Stelter. "The Nielsen numbers are already outdated, and it's only going to get worse. I'm not sure what the solution is."

For a growing number of us, the Web has already been around for longer than a decade, and yet broadcast networks are still struggling with how to embrace it as a medium for their content. News, it would seem, would be the single category of content best suited for adaptation to the Web; and yet the process of adaptation - just as for print journalism - requires a change of mindset that compels broadcasters to let go of many of the presumptions they carry with them from their old medium. Murrow successfully shed the baggage of radio when making the transition to television; Cronkite, a decade later, transformed his experience from wire service journalism to build the business processes of the broadcast medium.

And now it's Couric's turn to lead the jump from one pond into the other. But the new pond isn't as new as it was, and the opportunity isn't quite as fresh or as innovative. More importantly, if the Web is truly to blame for the decline in viewership of television news, then the reason for that decline must run deeper than the fact that the Web comes to viewers on a different screen. As CBS itself acknowledged to us, the purpose of the simulcast is to help its Evening News reach viewers on the other screen - adaptation for convenience purposes rather than evolutionary. Perhaps now more clearly than ever, CBS News is an old team learning a new trade.

In 2011, mobile TV services will have some 514 million subscribers worldwide, up from only 6.4 million at the end of 2005, according to ABI Research.

The fledgling market for mobile TV is beginning to build significant momentum, and advertising-supported broadcast services are expected to propel additional growth over the next few years, the research firm indicated.

More here at DigiTimes.

Reston (VA) - Not too long ago, AOL seemed unbeatable, with hundreds of thousands of new dial-up Internet users flocking to the service every month. Today, with dial-up becoming deadweight, the former "America Online" is realizing - perhaps too late - that it has missed the broadband wagon. With a dwindling subscriber base, the company now finds itself struggling to locate new growth areas. In2TV - in effect, a rerun service for the Web - could reverse this trend.

"There are a few applications we are putting a lot of investments in," said Fred McIntyre, AOL's vice president for video services. "Video is one of them." McIntyre told TG Daily that, while Internet-based video is still in its embryonic stages as a medium, its market numbers have already become significant, and its tastes and preferences are rapidly developing. "It's already a meaningful market," he said, "and we expected it to be twice as meaningful next year."

In2TV is AOL's first serious attempt to strategically position video content as a tool for growing the company. Described as "the first broadband television network," it plans to offer "thousands of classic TV shows" to everyday Web users - not just AOL subscribers - with throughput speeds approaching what AOL claims is DVD quality (1500 kB/s). Launched just a few weeks ago, the company has a ways to go to reach that goal, with 10 episodes currently available for each of 29 different shows. In2TV repackages content from Warner Bros., AOL's sister company, that may have otherwise lost its value in traditional television markets, including shows such as Kung Fu, The Fugitive, Babylon 5, Welcome Back, Kotter and Falcon Crest. Down the road, AOL plans to expand this portfolio with new episodes on a monthly basis.

What distinguishes In2TV from AOL's traditional portfolio of services, is that its content is not restricted to AOL users only. Instead of protecting its subscriber base, AOL has decided to go after the Web as a whole, to grow its audience as quickly as possible. Instead of cross-financing the content through portions of subscriber fees or selling individual episodes, AOL believes an ad-supported distribution model holds the most potential. "The business model is heavily focused on advertising, which is the biggest opportunity for us," McIntyre remarked. "Of course we do think about premium services as well - such as the rentals that we offer today - but In2TV is intended to be a service that is available to be for free."

In2TV's ads consist of so-called "pre-rolls" prior to the start of programming, along with commercial spots in their traditional break locations. Presently, AOL limits each break to one 15- to 20-second spot. While selling spots in this day and age may sound old-fashioned, commercial breaks have the virtue of being most comfortable with viewers already familiar with broadcast TV.

Digital rights management (DRM), which is typically a major drawback for other media download services, is also apparent in In2TV, but is less of an issue for users here: While movies purchased through Apple's iTunes are restricted for play only on computer and one iPod, AOL's streaming video content cannot be recorded and stored locally. However, it can always be viewed over a live Internet connection free of charge.

When AOL founder and then-CEO Steve Case stunned the Internet and media worlds by announcing its acquisition of Time Warner five years ago, in a $160 billion deal, analysts and observers expected it to signal the convergence of traditional and digital media. The move was heralded, at the time, as a departure from the risky, high-speed, virtual business models of Internet-dedicated businesses, into the stable realm of real-world assets. The merger was expected to revolutionize the business models of Internet portals and the media industry.

The revolution did come soon enough, just not the one everyone was expecting. Time Warner, now led by former banking executive Richard Parsons, revolved back to the top of the heap, with AOL being seen today as a lesser and lesser subsidiary. No longer is Steve Case part of the company, and AOL and Time Warner have grown apart in far more ways than just semantically. To this day, AOL has never been able to take full advantage of Time Warner's wealth of content, with the small portions that Warner has doled out being made available to AOL subscribers only. Five years later, Warner's video archive is finally open to AOL, in a move that might not have required a merger if it had been conceived five years ago.

But ironically, In2TV "broadband TV" may be coming too late for AOL to adjust its ISP strategy to create a substantial broadband subscriber base. AOL's US subscriber base has dropped from 26 million in 2002 to an estimated 20 million today, as telecommunications companies and cable providers become the default broadband providers in a market where broadband has become mainstream. In2TV won't reverse this trend, as it is freely available to all Internet users, though it has the potential to make AOL more interesting to at least some new potential sources of revenue - beyond ISP, instant messaging, and entry-level e-mail.

At this time, AOL does not intend to compete with iTunes. "They are selling content, we are selling lots of ads," AOL's McIntyre told us, comparing his venture with Apple's. But he also didn't rule the possibility of a commercial video download service in the future. "Apple is very smart player in this business," he conceded. "We are trying to learn from them; in the end, commerce is what we do as well."

Parks Associates released a forecast today predicting significant growth in Internet-based video services over the next four years, with users exceeding 15 million by the end of 2008.

Read the complete story.