Philips makes some big promises with its new Cloud TV service

By Ryan Waniata September 6, 2013

philips promises hundreds of channels with new cloud tv service ifa 2013

Today at IFA 2013 in Berlin, Phillips announced two new cloud service apps, Cloud Explorer and Cloud TV, both of which will be available on all Philips Smart TVs from 2012 or later. Partnering with Dropbox, Cloud Explorer will allow users to access files, media, and pictures on their TV from dedicated folders in their Dropbox accounts. Cloud TV, however, is a bit more ambitious, promising ‘hundreds of local, national, and special interest channels’ all from the convenience of your Philips Smart TV.

So is Philips’ new Cloud TV service the slayer of the cable dragon? Probably not. The service appears to depend on several caveats, most specifically where you live. While the official press release claims Cloud TV will offer a large selection of premium and non-premium channels ‘most of which’ are free, there’s also a short disclaimer at the bottom that reads ‘availability and specifications of services are country dependent’.

That could mean a lot of things, but it’s probably not an encouraging sign, especially for U.S. residents. Let’s be honest, aside from some BBC gems, the vast majority of TV content that most of us watch is created and broadcast here in the United states — and it would be very surprising to see much of it legally accessible for free online, especially on U.S. soil. Further driving skepticism is the fact that none of the channels offered are listed in the press release, or anywhere else we could find.

While we’re always hopeful for some magic beans in our search for free online content of the legal variety, the TV overlords have always kept a firm grasp on their content (see Aereo and FilmOn), and we can’t see that changing anytime soon. We’ll keep you posted as more details emerge, but don’t expect a Philips Smart TV to serve up ‘Game of Thrones’ for free anytime soon.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

TV

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…

Deals

This 65-inch TV is down to $478 at Walmart (we can’t believe it either)

The 65-inch Philips 4K TV with a city scene on the screen.

It's no longer out of your reach to upgrade your home theater setup's screen to a massive display, as there's no shortage of 4K TV deals that you can avail of. Walmart is a good source for such offers, with the retailer's 65-inch TV deals currently including this $70 discount for the 65-inch Philips 4K Android Smart TV, which brings its price down to a more affordable $478 from its original price of $548.

If you come up with a 65-inch screen when you check out Digital Trends' what size tv to buy, it's highly recommended that you go for the 65-inch Philips 4K Android Smart TV. It features 4K UHD resolution for clear details and vivid colors, and HDR 10 technology, which offers a much more impressive boost in picture quality, according to our 4K TV buying guide.

Deals

Here’s why Best Buy shoppers love this 70-inch 4K TV (hint: It’s ONLY $580)

Hisense 70A6G 70-inch 4K UHD Android Smart TV in living room on stand.

When you're ready to grab a new TV, upgrade an existing one -- like the one in your living room -- or add one to a new room, it's always good to see all the amazing TV deals floating around. Typically, it's pretty easy to find 4K TV deals, a host of Best Buy TV deals, or even some large 70-inch TV deals. They all claim that you won't find deals like them, but most of us know better -- there are always some kind of deals to take advantage of, which can actually create some problems. For example, are those deals super cheap because the TVs are just not as good as others, or is there something else going on? It can be difficult to tell, but one of the best ways to understand how good a TV really is is to look at customer reviews. Those are the people who are currently using and watching the sets.

That's kind of what's going on with the Hisense 70-inch Class A6G Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV currently. Over at Best Buy, the Hisense 70-inch has accrued over 100 reviews, mostly positive, with a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. About 89% of those reviewers recommend this particular set to friends and family. But what does that mean? What do they have to say about it, and what kind of features can you expect from this thing? We'll explore all of that in more detail below, or you can head over to Best Buy to check out some of those reviews yourself. You might also be happy to know it's on sale right now, down from $850 to $580 with free shipping and delivery, or you can pick it up at a local store.

Audio / Video

What was Locast? The free TV streaming service the big broadcasters hated

Photo of Locast app on a mobile phone.

No great surprise here, but Locast — which took over-the-air broadcasts from the major network channels in about three dozen major markets in the United States — is no more. After a couple years in existence, the networks banded together and filed suit. And on Sept. 1, 2021, a federal judge granted summary judgement that led to Locast ending operations just one day later.

We'll leave the rest of this post as is, for the sake of posterity.