set-top boxes

Seven Questions for Seagate CEO Steve Luczo About the Effects of the Thailand Floods

Arik Hesseldahl in News on November 23, 2011 at 5:45 am PT

Flooding in Thailand has killed more than 600 people, devastated the Thai economy and caused one of the most significant supply chain disruptions to the computer industry in a generation.

“Painful But Necessary”: Analysts Comment on Cisco’s Cuts

Arik Hesseldahl in News on July 19, 2011 at 5:30 am PT

Analysts are generally positive on yesterday’s news that Cisco Systems is reducing its headcount by 11,500. Next step: Trim Cisco’s long-term growth expectations with Wall Street.

Calculating the Benefit of a Targeted TV Ad

Jessica E. Vascellaro, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on March 7, 2011 at 1:02 pm PT

Companies are racing to build complex systems for targeting TV ads, betting consumers will prefer them and they’ll save advertisers money. Some are starting to spill out interesting data to support their case. One company, Simulmedia, says that set-top boxes that saw a targeted promotion tuned in two to three times more to the show being advertised than set-top boxes that didn’t receive a targeted promotion.

Cisco: It's Just a Little Transition, That's All

Arik Hesseldahl in Enterprise on February 9, 2011 at 5:39 pm PT

No more talk of short term “air pockets” from Cisco CEO John Chambers today. The new phrase is “a period of transition,” and it seems nowhere near over.

FCC Makes It Slightly Easier to Pull Plug on Cable Box Rentals

Amy Schatz, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 15, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

It’s been 14 years since Congress first instructed the Federal Communications Commission to make it easier for consumers to avoid cable-TV set-top box rental fees. The agency is still working on that one, but on Thursday it approved some new rules to help give consumers a few more choices.

Shaping Ads for Web-Connected TV

Jessica E. Vascellaro and Suzanne Vranica, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal in News on September 20, 2010 at 3:51 pm PT

Technology companies racing to deliver video to the living room over the Web are exploring the idea of offering ads on their services, seeking to capture some of the billions of ad dollars that flow to television. A few companies, including TiVo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., have released ad products tied to broadband-video services designed to be accessed on television sets, not computers.

Google TV Is a Tough Sell Among Would-Be Partners

Jessica E. Vascellaro, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on August 18, 2010 at 7:51 am PT

Google Inc. is launching a campaign to line up TV networks’ support for its new Google TV software, but many remain reluctant to partner with a service they believe encroaches on their turf.

Glasses-Free 3-D Set to Grow, Thomson Reuters Says

Lauren Goode, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 23, 2009 at 12:01 am PT

The term “3-D” has been largely synonymous with Hollywood blockbusters, buttered popcorn and ill-fitting cardboard glasses since the 1950s, when three-dimensionality was introduced to draw TV owners into theaters. Over the past 20 years, 3-D-capable devices like set-top boxes as well as 3-D programming have become available at home. A lack of standard broadcasting formats, relatively little content and the need for 3-D glasses, however, have kept it from a broad audience.

CES: Cisco Says It Is Now a Consumer Company

Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily in News on January 7, 2009 at 11:49 am PT

Cisco has decided to be a player in the consumer electronics business. Cisco is a company that tends to be associated with enterprise networking–at its heart it remains a manufacturer of big honking routers. But over the last few years, the company has made a concerted effort to get into the consumer business.