When you put the two leaders of two high-profile companies in a room, good things are bound to happen, right?
Sony CEO Howard Stringer and Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee met behind closed doors Monday for the first time since Lee returned to the top of Samsung in March.
While Sony says the meeting is just a regular discussion with its LCD partner, analysts are speculating that Sony is trying to secure more reliable panel supplies after a lackluster performance from a previous partnership with Sharp.
Other possible points of discussion are 3D standards. While source-to-sink standards for both Blu-ray and broadcast TV have been settled on, similar industry-wide standards for 3D glasses are nearly non-existent. Two major CE companies standardizing 3D glasses would be a coup for the industry, but it’s just speculation at this point.
What isn’t speculation is Sony’s need for a steady supply of higher-end LCD panels. While there’s nothing technologically revolutionary in 3D-capable LCD panels, their 240Hz refresh rates make them more expensive than similar 120Hz panels. Sony’s recent partnership with Sharp was met with lackluster results, which may compound problems as display sales tick up in the midst of industry buzz and economic recovery.
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Details from the I/O Google TV announcement.
Rumors, whispers, and snippets of info regarding Google TV have been floating around for a few months now.
But Thursday at Google I/O 2010, the company made the big announcement of Google TV, while Sony and Logitech followed suit with the first Google TV products. Dish Network also said it will offer a Google TV-powered DVR recording feature on set-top boxes.
Devices for Google TV will be sold at Best Buy.
Google TV
Roughly two out of three people watch TV. So it’s no surprise Google wants a piece of that pie. “Video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that’s the TV,” says Google.
So how do they plan to bring the web to the TV without compromising video or content? A search-driven experience centered around discovery and customization. Media aggregation helps as well, with Hulu logos being thrown around like candy, which might be the most intriguing aspect of the whole ordeal.
All of this is going to be based on Intel’s CE4100 Atom processor running a version of the Android OS, Chrome browser, and Flash 10.1. Devices will have a WiFi network connection, HDMI, and QWERTY input option along with standard remote controls.
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DirecTV’s Whole-Home DVR has been in beta testing for a few months, but is now live nation wide for just $3/month.
The DVR wars have been pretty fierce lately. Comcast has been targeting AT&T, DISH has been going after DirecTV on price, and DirecTV’s ads have been taking shots at just about everyone.
As of today, DirecTV has one more feather to place in their hat with the full release of Whole Home DVR.
The Whole-Home DVR feature allows programs from an HD DVR to be streamed to other non-DVR HD Receivers throughout your home. Up to 15 TVs, including the display the HD DVR is connected to, can take place in the streaming fun.
The best part is no new hardware is required. The slightly worse news is the service will tack $3/month onto your monthly bill, but I don’t foresee any natural disasters or magnetic poles shifting over that minor fee.
Not to miss a chance to get a few jabs in, the DirecTV Whole-Home DVR site takes shots at DISH Network’s Sling-enabled DVRs and cable company DVRs’ capacity and connectivity. I just wish someone would start throwing some punches TiVo’s way. Maybe then they would bring some more appealing features to their TiVo Premiere.
Other features DirecTV makes note of include: manage your DVR playlist from any room; record two shows while watching two others; and set separate parental controls for each TV.
Check out the YouTube video below for more on Whole-Home DVR:
