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] The commercial company behind the product seems to be Purplecomm, Inc. according to payment and refund information of the Amazon payment system.[9][10][11][12]
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Crowdfunded dongle Matchstick sparks backlash with DRM plans". ZDNet.
- ^ "DRM issues kill off Matchstick Firefox OS dongle as pledges refunded". ZDNet.
- ^ "Matchstick Delay Announcement". Matchstick. February 6, 2015.
- ^ A painful decision - we will refund your money Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Open "Chromecast killer" committed suicide-by-DRM". Boing Boing. 4 August 2015.
- ^ "Comment on Kickstarter project". 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ^ "Comment on Kickstarter project". 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ^ "Just a heads up: Matchstick refunds have begun rolling out". 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ^ "Comment on Kickstarter project update". 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
External links edit
- Matchstick - The Streaming Stick Built on Firefox OS project on Kickstarter
- Matchstick TV on Twitter