Online streaming is nothing new to Internet giant, Amazon, but the tech company founded by Jeff Bezos is trying something different: they want to bring that streaming to your television.
Moving video from your computer to your TV is nothing new, but it’s a market that has been dominated by Roku and Apple TV. Amazon spent the better part of last year working on a Web TV box of their own, originally set to be released in time for the 2013 holidays, but the company shelved their plans for reasons unknown. Though a new release date has not officially been set, many sources believe that Amazon will be entering the market this March.
Amazon has been investing heavily into the streaming medium, both working hard at growing an extensive catalog and producing its own content, something that has proven successful for their current biggest competitor, Netflix. Like Roku and Apple TV, this new product will allow outside providers to show their content through different apps. It is said the product, like the Kindle e-reader, will be powered by Google’s Android system.
Amazon is of course hush-hush about the Web TV box (which is unnamed at this point), but rumors are flying that this may be in connection to their recent job activity: Amazon is hiring for game designers and programmers. Whether or not the TV box will moonlight as a game console is yet to be seen, but the video game website VG 24/7 reports that Amazon is working on an Android-operated console.
Could the two products be the same? If the TV box actually makes it to stores next month, we will all find out soon enough.
