GAME BOXES, BLU-RAY PLAYERS BRINGING ONLINE MOVIES TO TV SETS

Settop boxes dedicated to bringing online content to TV sets are being shunned as most consumers have indicated that they prefer to link to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime and other video sites via Blu-ray Disc players and game consoles, according to a survey conducted by Portland, OR-based Research Into Action (RIA) and reported today (Wednesday) by Home Media magazine. The principal game systems favored for Internet-to-TV access are the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 devices, with 33 percent of those surveyed saying that they use such devices to access Internet content. Placing second was the Blu-ray player with 28 percent saying that they use the device for that purpose. Coming in a distant third, with 15 percent, was the dedicated settop box, like Apple TV, Google TV, and Roku. “Our conclusion is that multifunction devices are still preferred to the single-function OTT [over the top] boxes,” said Marti Frank, an analyst with RIA.