Part of TiVo's (Nasdaq: TIVO) founding team has introduced a new set-top box for watching online video on the TV. The QPlay is a Wi-Fi-connected box that streams playlists from a variety of online video sources, which can then be shared with friends or the public.
The product is available now to "early adopters" interested in giving feedback on the device and service. Meanwhile, Qplay will be working to add more content--at launch Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) videos are not available but YouTube and Vimeo videos are, according to a GigaOm report.
The company will be working to add more content, "especially movies and TV shows," CEO Mike Ramsay wrote on Qplay's blog. The goal is to let users add videos from a variety of different sources--including Netflix and Hulu Plus--into a single playlist, Ramsay told GigaOm.
Similar to Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chromecast, the Qplay is controlled by an app running on an iPad but streams video directly to the device rather than through the iPad. Users can sort videos into "Qs," dial one up on the device and let it play as if it were a traditional TV channel. The company formed in 2012 and raised money from Redpoint Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufiled and Byers.
For more:
- see the Qplay blog
- GigaOm had this report
Commentary: Will the second screen become the first screen?
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