Amazon, the owner of Lovefilm, is reportedly planning its own set-top box that would stream video direct to customers’ homes.
The online retailer has been progressively building its video services that include the Amazon Video on Demand store.
The move was first reported by Bloomberg, which quoted sources that said the device would launch later this year.
Such a move would bring Amazon into closer competition with Apple, which already has its own streaming device, which offers access to both the Apple store, and rival streamer Netflix. It would also be in competition with devices from Roku and Boxee.
Bloomberg said the set-top was being developed by Amazon’s Lab126 division, based in Cupertino, California, under the supervision of Malachy Moynihan, a former vice president at Cisco.