Amazon Developing Competitor to Apple TV Set-Top Box

[MacRumors]

Amazon is developing a set-top box to stream video over the Internet via its Amazon Prime and Instant Video services, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

The box will compete with similar offerings like the Apple TV and the Roku, though both Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's Playstation have moved into the streaming video arena in recent years.

The set-top box is being developed by Amazon's Lab126 division, based in Cupertino (Calif.), which has toyed with building TV-connected devices for several years, the people familiar with the effort say. The project is being run by Malachy Moynihan, a former vice president of emerging video products at Cisco who worked on the networking company's various consumer video initiatives. Moynihan also spent nine years at Apple during the 1980s and 1990s. Among the other hardware engineers working at Lab126 with considerable experience making set-top boxes are Andy Goodman, formerly a top engineer at TiVo and Vudu, and Chris Coley, a former hardware architect at ReplayTV, one of Silicon Valley's first DVR companies.

Amazon has stepped up its streaming content offerings recently, producing 14 original television pilots and using customer feedback to decide which get made into full shows, as well as spending significant amounts of money to secure exclusive rights to shows like Downton Abbey and The West Wing. The tactic takes on both Netflix's subscription streaming service and Apple's iTunes content store.

Currently Amazon's Instant Video service is available on iPads and iPhones, the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, the Sony Playstation 3, smart televisions from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio, TiVo, the Roku box, as well as a number of Blu-ray players.

Article Link: Amazon Developing Competitor to Apple TV Set-Top Box

 

[SmileyBlast!]

Steve should never have told Walter Isaacson that he "cracked it" referring to the iTV.
Telegraphed too much to the rest of the industry.

 

[Bill Killer]

So...no Amazon Instant Video on Apple TV?

That sucks.

 

[Peace]

So...no Amazon Instant Video on Apple TV?

That sucks.

I wouldn't worry about that. This paradigm is the future. Everybody will be doing it. The real question is who does it best.

 

[Stella]

Steve should never have told Walter Isaacson that he "cracked it" referring to the iTV.
Telegraphed too much to the rest of the industry.

If JS cracked it, where is it? If it even exists...

 

[komodrone]

BUT I ALREADY HAVE A wii/xbox 360/another xbox 360/ps3/onlive/another ps3/raspberry pi/roku/apple tv/tv internet box/blu ray/dvd player/macbook air IN MY LIVING ROOM

 

[DTphonehome]

Apple is really dropping the ball by not allowing third party apps on the AppleTV. The space is wide open, and Amazon offers a great product with Prime. If they capitalize on that with a cheap set top box that allows apps, they can really own the space.
Apple has a great opportunity to change the whole industry with an app-enabled ATV. Video games, channel-specific streaming, etc. there's huge demand for this, and while I'm sure they're working on it, they can't wait forever.

 

[CJK]

Meh. My LG TV already has the Amazon Instant Video app, and it's easily the ugliest, least friendly streaming video app around. Can't imagine this will have much to recommend it over a Roku, for example.

 

[Sky Blue]

It's amazing how much lead time Apple had with the Apple TV and how little they've done with it.

 

[rhett7660]

It's amazing how much lead time Apple had with the Apple TV and how little they've done with it.

I am guessing everything is being devoted to the iPhone/iPad teams and products.

I agree 100% with your statement. This box could do so much more!!!

 

[2bikes]

If sold at cost of production like kindle and integrated 3rd party apps, this could be very competitive.

 

[iamkarlp]

Mistake.

Amazon should spend all available money for Instant Video on making the store experience better. Right now the store is cumbersome and slow.

If they really wanted to do something in the player space, they should simply buy up Roku. They already make reasonable hardware at (very) compelling price points. An infusion of engineers and maybe some 3rd party apps are all they need to really soar.

Apple has done very well with the aTV, it will be interesting to see how they choose to make it better once real competition exists. (Right now it doesn't.) I own all the media streamers and the aTV is the smoothest and nicest to use by far. Once someone else matches it's "slickness" and more importantly interface responsiveness; the game will be on.

Karl P

 

[tshrimp]

BUT I ALREADY HAVE A wii/xbox 360/another xbox 360/ps3/onlive/another ps3/raspberry pi/roku/apple tv/tv internet box/blu ray/dvd player/macbook air IN MY LIVING ROOM

Image

You are my new hero. A geek to make other geeks (like me) proud.

 

[Peace]

It's amazing how much lead time Apple had with the Apple TV and how little they've done with it.

It is amazing. It's also amazing nobody has perfected it yet. At least Apple has had the experience longer than most companies. This gives them the ability to do it right.

 

[DTphonehome]

It's amazing how much lead time Apple had with the Apple TV and how little they've done with it.

Exactly. They make tiny little tweaks here and there, but it's not much different than when it first came out. I bet they're hesitant because of poor interface via remote, but everyone has a smartphone now, and if you integrate siri, you can eliminate a lot of typing/searching. Apple is giving everyone else a huge opening.

 

[tshrimp]

I wouldn't worry about that. This paradigm is the future. Everybody will be doing it. The real question is who does it best.

You might be correct here. The problem is....Apple does it worst (well almost). I like my Apple TV just fine, but it does not compare to my Roku (or even Xbox and PS). The interface looks nicer, but that is about it. Functionality, ease of use, amount of content, etc all go to Roku, Xbox, PS3, and other devices.

 

[Plutonius]

Meh. My LG TV already has the Amazon Instant Video app, and it's easily the ugliest, least friendly streaming video app around. Can't imagine this will have much to recommend it over a Roku, for example.

Agreed. The content isn't bad but the interface is terrible. Amazon should fix it first.

 

[milo]

With Roku doing such a good job, I don't see the point of Amazon making their own box (other than having the power to lock out or downplay other services).

 

[Peace]

You might be correct here. The problem is....Apple does it worst (well almost). I like my Apple TV just fine, but it does not compare to my Roku (or even Xbox and PS). The interface looks nicer, but that is about it. Functionality, ease of use, amount of content, etc all go to Roku, Xbox, PS3, and other devices.

See now. That is the problem. People own 4 different devices to get content. There must be something wrong with that. People should be able to use just one device for everything.

 

[samcraig]

If sold at cost of production like kindle and integrated 3rd party apps, this could be very competitive.

Actually - I wonder if they would offer the box free to prime members as an incentive to sign up

 

[nia820]

ill stick with my apple tv until amazon can perfect their streaming service.

 

[Aragornii]

Apple is really dropping the ball by not allowing third party apps on the AppleTV. The space is wide open, and Amazon offers a great product with Prime. If they capitalize on that with a cheap set top box that allows apps, they can really own the space.
Apple has a great opportunity to change the whole industry with an app-enabled ATV. Video games, channel-specific streaming, etc. there's huge demand for this, and while I'm sure they're working on it, they can't wait forever.

My feelings exactly. Apple squandered a multi-year lead in this area. Could you imagine how many Apple TV apps there would have been by now had they opened up an App store 2 years ago? One of the things that keeps iOS on top despite increasing hardware competition is users' investment in the ios app ecosystem. They had an opportunity to do the same in the TV space. Have no idea why there is so much hate for the ATV over at Apple, going for years calling it a hobby, etc.

 

[absurdamerica]

Steve should never have told Walter Isaacson that he "cracked it" referring to the iTV.
Telegraphed too much to the rest of the industry.

Oh brother. Could you be any more melodramatic?

 

[iamkarlp]

You might be correct here. The problem is....Apple does it worst (well almost). I like my Apple TV just fine, but it does not compare to my Roku (or even Xbox and PS). The interface looks nicer, but that is about it. Functionality, ease of use, amount of content, etc all go to Roku, Xbox, PS3, and other devices.

Different strokes I suppose.

I was all Roku from the beginning, I owned like 4 or 5 of them. I still own a current Roku (to watch amazon instant video when I get free credit...)

I have also owned pretty much every other mentionable box out there including the big consoles.

Nothing beats the aTV 2/3 when we are judging on experience. The interface is slick and easy to navigate, it's very fast, and the remote apps are super-slick.

It's true no 3rd party apps is a bit of a downer, but airplay has all but eliminated that gripe as I can run it from my phone/ipad/MBP.

The fact that I still keep a Roku in my main viewing room does go to show that Apple has more work to do though. It is however, from my vantage point, theirs to loose.

Karl P

 

[samcraig]

Oh brother. Could you be any more melodramatic?

I'm going to tweet and post here that I have cracked the watch, touch payment, ebooks, cars and A.I.

I've just given away EVERYTHING to anyone who would ever invent something or who already has it in their pipeline. I've just screwed myself over!!

----------

Nothing beats the aTV 2/3 when we are judging on experience. The interface is slick and easy to navigate, it's very fast, and the remote apps are super-slick.

Unless I'm mistaken - you can't search for a video (in your library) with an ATV 2 or 3. Am I wrong?

That's a feature that I very much want. I own 2 AppleTV2s. I have over 900 videos. Scrolling is a massive pain.