Consumers looking to cut the cord for under 20 bucks will have yet another cheap hardware option, according to recently unearthed FCC documents.
Walmart is readying an HD-only streaming stick that will be sold under its Onn brand and powered by Android TV, the documents reveal.
The “2K” resolution indicated by the filing suggests the device will be inexpensive, given that 4K connected TV devices typically sell for $25 or more.
Walmart has been a key destination for video technology, dating back to the profitable DVD market in the early aughts. More recently, TiVo negotiated coveted “endcap” space on Walmart store floors to launch its Android TV-powered Stream 4K device.
And in November, it was revealed that Google had entered into an OEM relationship with a company called Dynalink to sell OTT players at Walmart based on the ADT-3, a 4K/HDR-capable OTT device based on Android 10, with a quad-core processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a single HDMI port. Google provides this device to Android TV developers to help them come up with apps.
Walmart has also been reportedly talking to Comcast about making the cable operator’s Xfinity Flex platform the OS engine that powers inexpensive, Onn-branded smart TVs. Those discussions were first reported in early November and have been breathlessly parroted in publications like this one ever since. Comcast has spoken numerous times about expanding the horizons for Flex, which currently has 3 million users within the Comcast footprint. But those Walmart talks haven’t come up specifically.
