Matchstick TV
Matchstick TV was a project started on Kickstarter in September 2014 with the tag line "The Streaming Stick Built on Firefox OS".[1] It was described as an "Open hardware and software platform" device built on Firefox OS and OpenFlint.[2] The Matchstick was to work similar to the Chromecast, so the user can "fling" content from a smartphone to a Wi-Fi connected Matchstick to show the content on a TV.
The project's original completion date was February 2015[3] but Matchstick's controversial 2015 decision to add digital rights management (DRM) delayed and ultimately killed the product.[4][5] On February 6, 2015 Matchstick announced the devices would not ship that month and would be delayed until August 2015,[6] citing the addition of DRM as the reason for the delay. On August 3, 2015, the project officially ended due to issues implementing DRM into Firefox OS, and the Matchstick team offered refunds to the backers.[7] Boing Boing called the decision "suicide-by-DRM," citing backers who wanted the product as originally specified without DRM.[8] They also seem to do business as Purplecomm, Inc. according to the Amazon payment system.
References
- ^ Meet matchstick, Mozilla's $25 Chromecast alternative Cnet September 2014.
- ^ Matchstick to take on Chromecast with a Firefox OS dongle launched on Kickstarter The Next Web September 2014
- ^ "Matchstick Project". Matchstick. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
- ^ http://www.zdnet.com/article/crowdfunded-dongle-matchstick-sparks-backlash-with-drm-plans/#!
- ^ http://www.zdnet.com/article/drm-issues-kill-off-matchstick-firefox-os-dongle-as-pledges-refunded/
- ^ "Matchstick Delay Announcement". Matchstick. February 6, 2015.
- ^ A painful decision - we will refund your money Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ https://boingboing.net/2015/08/04/open-chromecast-killer-com.html