Microsoft has added id8 Group R2 Studios, along with its founder Blake Krikorian, to its Xbox division - a move which promises to increase the console's expansion into our living rooms.

R2 Studios specializes in technology related to distributing and displaying digital media on TVs and recently launched an Android app to allow users to control home heating and lighting systems from their smartphones.

Follow us

Before starting R2 Studios in May 2011, Krikorian was best-known for creating Sling Media and the Slingbox - a device which rebroadcasts signals from a TV in your living room to a laptop or smartphone.

Satellite provider EchoStar bought Sling Media in 2007 for $380 million and since then Krikorian has sat on Amazon's board of directors. However, he resigned in December saying it was due to the sale of his start-up and that he was taking a role with the company that bought it.

That company was Microsoft, according to the Wall Street Journal, which has bought R2 Studios for an undisclosed sum.

Apparently, Google and Apple were also in talks to buy the start-up, but were beaten by the Redmond software giant.

Microsoft's purchase comes as it seeks to move its Xbox from a primarily video game console to a hub connecting traditional TV with Web video. The console already has deals with companies such as Netflix, Time Warner, HBO and YouTube, to bring on-demand video to subscribers of Xbox Live.

Join Our Conversation

Smartphones

LG to launch always-on, voice-controlled smartphone next year

BlackBerry Q10 arriving on AT&T on June 21

HTC unleashes Butterfly S: Price, specs, availability

Huawei wants to acquire Nokia, calls Windows Phone "weak"

Tablet / Laptop / PC

Microsoft Surface RT 2 to rock Qualcomm 800 chip, Windows 8.1

AT&T Galaxy Note 8.0 LTE costs $399.99 on contract, $199.99 with smartphone bundles

Chromebooks land on Walmart, more retailers to get it soon

Apple's next iPad mini 7.9 inch Retina display will be Samsung-made

Gadgets

Nintendo 3DS outsold Microsoft Xbox 360 in the U.S.

AMD moves from Intel's x86 platform to ARM for servers

OUYA team and E3 organizers battle over parking lot space

Sony PlayStation 4 to be available at $399 at the end of this year

OS / Software

PS3 latest software update 4.45 bricking the consoles

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for Sony Xperia Z spotted in video

Windows Phone 8 GDR2 update reportedly coming in July

iOS 7 Beta comes with a bug that opens the lock screen to access photos [Video]

Internet / Social Media

Microsoft Socl adds meme generator and GIF creator

What to expect from Facebook's June 20 event

WWDC 2013: OS X 10.9 Mavericks Safari is going to help you extend battery life

Samsung Galaxy S3 browser bug spikes data usage, slows loading times

What's App

Microsoft paying app developers up to $100,000 to bring content to Windows Phone 8

Windows 8.1 brings newly updated Xbox Music app

Instagram may add video on June 20 to challenge Twitter's Vine

Microsoft Office now available for iPhones, but there's a catch