08/01, 8:40am
Features easy setup, TiVo interface
Best Buy has announced its Insignia-branded Connected TV (cTV). The Insignia cTV is a smart TV that uses the TiVo interface to simplify searching for broadcast programming, internet content, and chumby social media applications. The cTV does not have DVR capability and does not require a paid TiVo subscription. Two models will be available, featuring either a 32-inch or 42-inch 1080p/120Hz LED display.
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07/27, 7:50pm
Image leak shows packaging ahead of launch
Best Buy appears to be readying its Insignia televisions to launch with a number of connected features, including the Chumby apps that were detailed last month. Corroborating recent rumors, a fresh set of leaked images, which were posted on Zatz Not Funny, show the packaging for the 42-inch variant. Earlier reports already pointed to several other connected features, such as Netflix and Pandora, however the TVs may arrive as the first to offer the Chumby apps.
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07/15, 4:40pm
Insignia TiVo TVs get leaked release schedule
Insignia's once-vaporware TiVo-integrated TVs have shown up again in a leak on Friday. Now called the cTV, the sets would offer every non-DVR feature of a TiVo, ranging from CinemaNow and Netflix video to Napster and Pandora music. Materials obtained by Zatz Not Funny suggested TiVo would instead be used as a smart TV interface to find Internet content without Insignia, most often known as Best Buy's in-house brand, having to invest in the work.
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06/14, 12:30pm
Will demo at Cable Show in Chicago June 14-16
Internet content company Chumby Industries and digital video device manufacturer Pace have collaborated on a set of applications to run on Pace's Internet-connected television set-top boxes. Chumby had previously focused on managing content through stand-alone Chumby-branded and third party devices such as the Sony Dash and Best Buy Insignia Infocast Internet Media Display. Chumby apps are also available for the Android OS.
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03/14, 7:45pm
Non-DVR TiVo appears in app logs
Nearly a year after Best Buy first announced plans to build Insignia televisions equipped with TiVo software, the retailer may finally be testing upcoming products. A post on the unofficial TiVo Community Forum suggests that a new TiVo device, without DVR storage capabilities, has surfaced in access logs for a third-party game that works with networked TiVo systems.
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11/28, 12:20pm
Best Buy post-BF deal gives free GPS with iPod
Best Buy today kicked off a post-Thanksgiving sale with a heavy emphasis on iPods. The deal gives those who buy an 8GB fourth-generation iPod touch a free GPS unit from the store's in-house Insignia badge. Other iPods are also on sale, ranging from $5 for a fourth-generation iPod shuffle to $10 off new iPod nanos and $15 off the iPod classic.
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10/12, 1:45pm
New Insignia portable HD Radio due at Best Buy
Best Buy's in-house Insignia label has released a second-generation portable HD Radio in the NS-HD02. A direct successor to the NS-HD01, it features improvements such as a larger capacitive touchscreen rather than an LCD and button combination, as well as three new features. An Artist Experience shows images related to the song being played along with ads, Live Pause buffers back by as much as 15 minutes for rewinds, and a Bookmark identifies favorite tracks.
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09/22, 10:10am
Streaming Netflix service arrives in Canada
Netflix on Wednesday launched its Canadian service that lets residents sign up for Watch Instantly streaming movies and TV shows. Like the US service, users can visit with their Internet-connected PCs, Macs, Samsung and Toshiba Blu-ray players, PS3s, Wiis or iOS devices to the service in order to receiver streaming content. Blu-ray and DVD aren't options due to the costs and licenses needed for physical discs.
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07/09, 4:30pm
Chumby software to be used in TVs, tablets, more
Chumby software may soon extend its reach beyond the Chumby One, Sony Dash, and Insignia's Infocast picture frame to include tablet computers, TVs and home energy control monitors. Chumby is open-source software that includes an applications market and the company is marketing the software as a media platform that is easily adaptable for a multitude of portable and home electronics.
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06/18, 2:05pm
Best Buy gets Insignia 5.1 system with Audyssey
Best Buy on Friday introduced its own Insignia home theater sound system to its lineup. The 5.1-channel system has 110W per channel and a 120W subwoofer, along with Audyssey sound processing. Three HDMI 1.4 inputs support 3D video formats, and an HDMI output relays the
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05/25, 2:30pm
TiVo UI utilized, but not DVR functionality
Best Buy and TiVo have announced that TiVo software will soon be integrated into Internet-connected Insignia TVs. The devices will take advantage of TiVo's platform as a single user interface for both standard TV features nd a variety of additional content available through an Internet connection.
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05/18, 9:15am
Best Buy's CinemaNow goes live
Best Buy today officially relaunched CinemaNow as its own service. The site provides the same movie and TV show downloads and streaming as before but will be the official service of choice for all of its devices. Besides reaching most new LG Blu-ray players and home theaters, it should also be a staple feature later this year on the retailer's in-house Insignia label as well as other companies' hardware.
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11/24, 10:35am
Best Buy Black Friday deals now official
Best Buy has posted its Black Friday specials online, confirming many of the prices and deals that were seen in a leaked flyer as well as some new doorbuster deals. The new deals include a Palm Pre handset priced at $80, matching a recent sale price at Amazon, as well as a 15.6-inch HP G60 notebook powered by a 2.2GHz Intel Celeron processor priced at $197. Unlike the other deals, the HP notebook is only available in store. The remaining deals are available online, starting on Thursday.
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11/03, 5:45pm
Best Buy deal to give online movies as bonus
Best Buy today struck a deal with Roxio to create a unique online and DVD hybrid movie service for the big-box retailer. The unnamed project hopes to give users buy once, play anywhere privileges: those who buy a DVD in-store will then have access to a CinemaNow-based portal for watching movies both on computers as well as on smartphones and Internet-aware Blu-ray players. Many of the movies will be new releases instead of reprints or old titles.
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10/21, 4:35pm
Insignia outs two BD players with Netflix support
Netflix this week partnered with Best Buy to endow the retailer's Insignia-brand Blu-ray players with the ability to stream Netflix movies and TV shows. This partnership has resulted in two Insignia Blu-ray players with this capability, including the Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player (NS-WBRDVD) and the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player (NS-BRDVD3). Either is Internet ready, though the former uses a Wi-Fi connection for access, with the latter relying on a wired Ethernet connection. Both are Energy Star certified and feature Dolby TrueHD sound capability. Either can upconvert standard DVDs.
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07/13, 2:15pm
Insignia portable HD Radio
Best Buy's in-house brand Insignia has recently released its first HD Radio device, the NS-HD01. The device picks up both analog and digital stations on the FM band and has 10 user-programmable presets. Power comes from a sealed lithium-ion battery that is recharged by a standard mini-USB connection and an included cable. On a full charge, the device is said to be good for 10 hours of playback, and the screen automatically dims to save energy.
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07/09, 10:25am
Best Buy, TiVo make a deal
Electronics retail chain Best Buy and digital video recorder maker TiVo on Thursday announced a partnership that will see Best Buy carry a specially developed TiVo set-top box that will let Best Buy advertise its products and services to TiVo subscribers, among other benefits. What TiVo execs are calling the biggest marketing move in the DVR company's history, will see Best Buy committing to a multi-year deal to advertise, promote and carry the TiVo devices, though no financial details have been released.
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04/08, 3:15pm
Philips Outsources HDTVs
Philips today revealed that it will stop its direct development HDTVs for North America. The Dutch firm now says it will outsource all of the work for both these sets and Magnavox models to Japan-based Funai. The company will handle both manufacturing sets as well as marketing them in the two western countries. The move is cited as necessary to turn around Philips' loss-taking HDTV business, which is successful in Asia and Europe but has struggled in the more competitive North American space through tight profit margins.
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02/07, 3:15pm
Best Buy digital converter
Big-box retailer Best Buy will soon join a special discount plan, meant to help push Americans over from analog TV to digital. Beginning February 17th, the company will start selling selling an Insignia-branded digital-to-analog converter box, eligible for a coupon program initiated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This will cut the price of the converter by $40, making it a more reasonable $20.
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