Advanced Television

STB

Sky Q upgrade as Disney+ goes HDR

Sky Q is adding a raft of new features in the biggest change to the set-top-box since launch. A new expanded view UI, new show and sports centres, intuitive smart buttons and improved voice discovery will make it easier for users to browse, find and watch content. It’s HDR content is also growing, with Disney+ […]

July 8, 2020

Singapore: Anti-piracy court orders

The Singapore High Court has granted an order sought by BBC Studios, Discovery, the Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster TVB for Singapore’s Internet Service Providers to block access to seventeen domains associated with popular piracy streaming sites and forty-one domains associated with popular illicit streaming device (ISD) applications. These apps, which flagrantly infringe copyright […]

July 6, 2020By Colin Mann

Research: “STBs can adapt to have a role in OTT market”

Parks Associates research shows the number of hours per week consumers spend watching online video has almost doubled from 3.6 hours per week in 2017 to nearly seven hours per week in 2020. The Set-top Box Innovations and Trends report also notes traditional pay-TV has declined from an adoption rate of 75 per cent to […]

July 2, 2020

Property seizures in ISD search

A Range Rover Sport SVR V8 and an Audi A5 convertible were amongst items seized from an address in the northwest England town of Lytham, after police officers executed a search warrant in connection with fraud and money laundering, as part of an investigation into the provision of illegal TV streaming devices and services, which […]

June 29, 2020By Colin Mann

Comcast denied TiVo patents review

The US Supreme Court has denied a review requested by Comcast over its long-running patents argument with TiVo/Rovi. The Comcast appeal request was seeking to overturn the decision by a Federal Court in March that endorsed the US International Trade Commission’s (ITC) opinion which ruled that Comcast could not import its X1 set-top boxes – […]

June 26, 2020By Chris Forrester

Saudis in pirate website crackdown

In a move that may benefit the potential takeover of English Premier League football club Newcastle United by Saudi interests, the kingdom’s IP body, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), has announced its intention to block 231 websites that it says violate regulations and rights. The announcement follows a damning report from the World […]

June 22, 2020By Colin Mann

WTO: Saudi state backed beoutQ piracy

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the Government of Saudi Arabia has actively promoted and supported the beoutQ pirate operation since the beginning. The WTO’s final judgement – published on June 16th 2020 – declares  Saudi Arabia has wholly breached, and is breaching, its obligations under international law to protect intellectual property rights. […]

June 17, 2020By Colin Mann

Research: 80% US homes own connected TV device

Findings from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) indicate that 80 per cent of US TV households have at least one Internet-connected TV device, including connected Smart TVs, stand-alone streaming devices (such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV stick or set-top box, Chromecast, or Apple TV), connected video game systems, and/or connected Blu-ray players. This is an increase […]

June 8, 2020

Pirate device seller jailed

A man who sold illegal devices that bypassed paid-for TV content – costing legitimate service providers more than £2 million (€2.25m) – has been jailed. Daniel Aimson was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud at Manchester Crown Court in the northwest of England. In 2017, Greater Manchester […]

June 2, 2020By Colin Mann

BritBox app on BT TV STBs

BritBox and BT have announced that the BritBox app is now available on BT TV set-top boxes. The streaming service offers British box sets including the likes of Downton Abbey, Broadchurch, Gavin & Stacey, Classic Doctor Who, Only Fools and Horses, Vera, Broadchurch, Love Island and more. BT TV customers will be able to access […]

June 1, 2020