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Multimedia - Home Servers

ECJ Rules STBs With Piracy Add-Ons Illegal!

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ECJ Rules STBs With Piracy Add-Ons Illegal!

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) takes a further step against film and TV piracy as it declares STBs configured for easy streaming are against the law.

The ruling comes via decision taken in the Dutch district case against one Mr. Wullems, who used to sell multimedia players through the website Filmspeler.nl. The court decreed Wullems' actions as a "communication to the public" (a peculiar doctrine specific to European law) in breech of copyright law, and following the decision the sale of all such players is, essentially, illegal.

Filmspeler.nl sold Android-based STBs running a version of Kodi pre-loaded with plugins allowing for easy access to pirated streams. European law allows to the temporary reproduction of copyrighted work (which is what a stream technically does) but the court insists piracy-friendly boxes adversely affect the actual copyright holder, and thus go against the exemption.

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Fibaro Teams Up With QNAP

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Fibaro Teams Up With QNAP

Smart home device maker Fibaro announces a partnership with network attached storage (NAS) manufacturer QNAP, one adding the features of Fibaro systems to QNAP NAS servers.

As a result, customers will be able to create a smart home via server and peripheral devices such as motion sensors, leak sensors, shutters and lighting controllers, with the NAS server taking the role of hub device. All one needs to turn a server into a home automation hub is a USB Z-Wave stick.

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A Caavo STB to Rule All TV Devices?

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A Caavo STB to Rule All TV Devices?

A startup founded by the developers of the Sling box presents what it hopes is one STB to rule them all-- the Caavo, an STB able to control up to 8 different devices at once, as well popular streaming services.

The Caavo comes in the shape of an stylish console complete with a replaceable wooden top. It has 8 HDMI inputs paired with software the developer claims automatically recognises and configures just about any device, making it a universal input for all home entertainment needs. Control comes through companion universal remote armed with touchscreen and multi-functional buttons, as well as connected voice-controlled assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.

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Pioneer Pioneers PC 4K Blu-ray Drives

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Pioneer Pioneers PC 4K Blu-ray Drives

Pioneer is the first company to launch PC Blu-ray drives capable of playing UHD Blu-rays, providing customers with means to check out disc-based 4K resolution content on their computers.

The Japanese company offers two flavours of drive-- the regular BDRBDR-S11J-BK and higher-end BDR-S11J-X promising improved audio CD playback quality as well as more quiet performance.

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Nvidia Updates Shield TV at CES

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Nvidia Updates Shield TV at CES

The Nvidia CES 2017 keynote has the company reveal a refresh of the Shield TV streaming box-- an update complete with 4K HDR streaming capability for both games and movies.

Described by the company as "the streamer for gamers," the latest Shield TV comes with both a game controller and a regular remote. Customers can also control it through voice via Google Assistant, with an optional microphone accessory (named the Nvidia Spot) acting as an equivalent to the Amazon Echo speaker. Integration with the SmartThings smart home hub adds control of devices compatible with the Samsung automation platform.

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