Amazon.com plans to release its own TV set-top box, setting its sights on the living room and creating a flagship device for its Instant Video streaming service, according to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek report this morning, quoting anonymous sources.
The device will be introduced this fall, according to the story by Brad Stone, who is working on a book about the company.
Amazon’s streaming video service is currently available through a variety of devices, including television sets, Roku set-top boxes and game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Amazon isn’t commenting on the Bloomberg report.
The company is also reported to be working on a smartphone to complement its existing lineup of Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets. The company’s strategy, as outline by CEO Jeff Bezos, is to sell hardware at or near cost and make money instead from the content and services purchased by users of those devices.
Amazon is competing against services such as Hulu and Netflix in the market for streaming video, with all three companies developing their own original content to supplement licensed programs and differentiate their offerings.
