TiVo Co-founders Discontinue Qplay
Internet video streaming service Qplay, established by TiVo co-founders Michael Ramsay and Jim Barton just a few months ago, will be shut down on July 25. In a blog post, the company didn’t explain the reason to discontinue the service. The only reference was the following statement: “It is not possible for us to keep developing and running the service … We did our best, and we’re sorry this is the end for Qplay. Farewell.”
The service used curated queues of video from various sources to offer a lean-back Internet video experience. Using an iPad app, users were able to manage Internet video and play it on TVs. However, the service faced stiff competition from similar video streaming services such as Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV. The company promised a refund for those who have purchased the $49 Qplay TV Adapter. Refund requests will be accepted until July 25. All TV adapters as well as the app, website and service will stop functioning when the service shuts down at 5pm Pacific on Friday.