Incumbent TVOS makers consistently talk about the market's high barrier to entry. 

But it can't be that high. According to tech reporter Janko Roettgers and his LowPass newsletter, the globally fragmented smart TV operating system market is set to splinter anew with the entry of "Titan OS," a new software developed by Hong Kong-based TVP Technology.

According to Roettgers, who said he confirmed the development with a TP Vision source after stumbling on it in public documents, the new software is set to be unveiled at an event in Barcelona at the end of January. (There has been no official announcement yet.)

In 2012, TVP entered into an agreement with Royal Philips to form Amsterdam-based joint venture, TP Vision, which today manufactures and sells Philips-branded smart TVs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America. (Funai Corp., the North American subsidiary of Japan's Funai Electric Co., has a similar arrangement with Philips to make and sell its branded sets in the U.S.)

Like many other smart TV brands, most Philips sets in places like Europe are powered by Android TV. But Roettgers said that some of these sets might already be running Titan OS. He also reported that the Titan OS product group has been incorporated into its own corporate entity, and that TPV plans to license the software to other smart TV makers. 

Philips has launched its first Roku-powered TV, a 40-inch model that sells for $349.

That model is being sold today at Sam’s Club locations and will be available soon at Samsclub.com

P&F USA, the North American license partner (and part of Funai Electric) for Philips TVs and other home video products, plans to introduce a 43-inch Roku TV model for $379 (timing is to be announced), and a 50-inch version for $429 that will go on sale in January. All three models will come with Roku OS 8, which includes a guide that blends OTA programming with OTT content, Full HD resolution, and 802.11ac WiFi.

RELATED: Funai Preps Launch of Philips-Branded Roku TV Models

Philips joins an expanding list of television makers that have built Roku TV models, including RCA, TCL, Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense.

TV-maker licenses are a component of Roku’s Platform’s business. That unit, Roku’s fastest-growing, also includes advertising and subscription revenue sharing.

The headline was too good not to reuse, but Dave Zatz has a few more details about a DVR with integrated over-the-air TV capabilities that TiVo and Philips are developing.

 HD Guru first came across this development at CES last month, but Zatz notes that a two-tuner prototype shown at CES appeared to be reusing an old Philips form-factor,  and that the interface presented there “looks nothing like the current or upcoming TiVo UI,” so it’s not clear whether this was merely a “placeholder” for what will grace the final product.

But the combo marks a reunion of sorts as Philips and TiVo got together to build and market an original retail TiVo PVR, a monstrosity that was standard-def-only and used a telco return to obtain data for the guide, as well as TiVo-powered receivers for DirecTV. 

HD Guru reported that the new Philips-TiVo combo will be coming out in the fall, with pricing to be announced on what was being referred to at CES as the “Philips HD Personal Video Recorder Powered by TiVo.”

TiVo, which still sells the cord-cutter-focused Roamio OTA and coming off merger with Rovi last year, is still mum on any additional details about the new Philips hook-up, but offered this statement:

“While we do not comment on our customers' product plans, TiVo does continuously work with companies to develop new products and features to create innovative user experiences and enable viewers to stay connected to their favorite entertainment.”

Elsewhere in TiVo-land, The Donohue Report uncovered documents revealing some details about a new 4K DVR IP video gateway called the DCX905 that Arris has developed in partnership with TiVo and appears to be tagged for cable MSO partners. That product seemingly stems from a deal announced by TiVo and Arris in 2015.

RELATED: Arris Ties in TiVo