Credit: Steve Garfield CC BY-NC-SA It’s been over two years since Comcast announced that its DVR boxen would be getting the TiVo treatment, with nothing materializing yet. That is, of course, unless your name is Steve Garfield, of the Boston area, in which case your DVR is now a TiVo. Garfield is apparently the first customer in the country to get the upgrade, and things are going about how you’d expect things would for the early adopter: poor support, buggy software, and an all-around headache. But the fact is, the upgrades are rolling out, so when do we expect the service in, say, Seattle? We have no idea, and I’m tired of waiting for my Comcast rep to call me back. First reports of the Comcast-TiVo box [PVR blog] → Read More
It would be tempting to come up with a snarky headline for this story, such as “TiVo changing channels”, but we’ll spare you. In fact, we’re going to make a general summarization: TiVo is doing better than analysts thought it would, and that’s because it’s concentrating on working with content providers, not just using what they create. NBC, for example, after leaving Apple, is now working with TiVo to deliver NBC programming on-demand to TiVo owners. It’s significant because the networks hated on the TiVo when it first appeared a few years ago, basically jumpstarting the DVR marketplace. That, coupled with TiVo’s licensing of the interface and back-end, means that TiVo’s winning strategy won’t be hardware, it will be services, and you can bet Xbox and Apple TV are in its sights. TiVo Shifts to Help Companies It Once Threatened [NYT] → Read More
Your TiVo box added a wee bit o’ usefulness today with the inclusion of Photobucket and Picasa compatibility. You can view your own photos, other people’s photos that you’ve been given the ability to access, and you can also customize photo feeds and view photos that have been tagged with specific keywords. Anyone try this out yet? I’m gonna fire my TiVo up this afternoon and give it a whirl. TiVo gains Photobucket, Picasa photo streaming [Electronista] → Read More
I found this here. I do not know what it is and I am very scared. Nobody likes cable companies, but now you have a reason to loathe Comcast a little less. New England Comcast customers can pay $2.95 a month to get the TiVo interface in their cable box in addition to the normal $16.94 a month charge for a DVR, ratcheting the cost up to about $19.89. This is a good move for Comcast because it makes them look less like backwards Neanderthals and it’s a good move for TiVo because now their R&D team can eat again and build up some energy to produce an HD product that people actually will buy. It’s just not win-win for that $2.95 burning a hole in your pocket every month, but you don’t count. Comcast to Charge $2.95 Extra for TiVo DVR Service [Mulitchannel] → Read More
Let’s face it. Much of TiVo’s charisma is due to its excellent software interface. The boxes are nice, yes, but the real power is in the UI. Well TiVo and Nero have just struck a deal wherein "Nero will develop a software solution that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer." Hot damn. No word on timeframe or how much it’ll cost but this is good news nonetheless. TiVo and Nero Partner to Deliver the TV Experience to the Personal Computer [Press Release] via Digital Trends → Read More
Oh hey. Ya, they got them TiVo in Canada now, you betcha. You can get a Series 2 dual-tuner DVR for $199 CAD or $10,223 USD, considering the exchange rate. You also got to get yourself a TiVo subscription, ya, and it’ll be available at Best Buy, The Brick, Ye Olde Maple and Moose Shoppes, Beer ‘n’ Pancakes ‘n’ DVRs, Bruce’s Hockey and Electronics Store, and Geez It’s Got a Low Price, Dave. Press Release Product Page [Warning: In Canadian] → Read More
Wow, this is a good one. I bought a single tuner TiVo last year for around the same price (maybe even more). This offer is $125 for a dual-tuner Series2 TiVo with 80-hour recording time and an entire year of service. The deal ends on December 28th, so you do have some time to mull it over. Enter promo code "Toyota" without the quotes. Toyota Owners Online [TiVo] via FatWallet → Read More
The Bullet DVR system is a portable video recorder designed for racing. It records all of your racing action from a first-person point of view and can be played back on a Windows PC. TrackTimer, a provided app, will allow you to log your lap times, jetting, gearing, suspension and fuel consumption. If you’re a struggling serious racer, this could be a great tool to study your driving skills and figure out what you need to improve on. The solid-state video recorder uses mpeg-2/mpeg-4 encoding with a max resolution of 720×480. The DVR is also resistant to shock/vibration and can have up to 8GB of storage via CF card. On a side note, does anyone out there race a Mini Cooper S? If so, how is it? Bullet DVR [official site] → Read More
Thinking of buying a TiVo soon? You’ll enjoy discounted service rates if you make your purchase between now and February 2nd. Monthly dues have gone from $16.95 to $12.95, 1 year prepay has gone from $179 to $129, 2 year prepay has gone from $279 to $249, and 3 year prepay is staying the same at $299. Unfortunately, this offer only applies to new TiVo customers. Existing customers can, however, scoop up a previously-defunct lifetime subscription for $399 for a limited time. Adding an extra TiVo to your package now costs $9.95 per month (up from $6.95 if I’m not mistaken) or $99 per year, too. TiVo offers a temporary price break on its service fees [CNET] → Read More
As a current TiVo and former Rhapsody subscriber, the idea of putting the two together intrigues me. What doesn’t intrigue me is paying $17 a month for TiVo and another $13 a month to use Rhapsody on it. I like the services and all but $30 a month seems a little steep, especially on top of the extortion money that I have to shell out to Comcast every month to rent (against my will) a ridiculous and cumbersome box for every TV in the house. → Read More
In the New England area (where I live) Comcast just started rolling out set-top DVRs equipped with TiVo software. It’s sure gonna be hard for me to say goodbye to Comcast’s awesome user interface. Pretty soon, I’ll have to use TiVo’s crappy, stupid interface instead. → Read More
Fancy listening to music on your TiVo? The company today is expected to announce a deal with Real’s Rhapsody to allow its users to sign up (for $13 per month) and listen to the more than 3.5 million songs right from the DVR. Further details are still sketchy—I bet TiVo’s not too happy that word of this partnership leaked, considering there’s supposed to be an event tonight where it, presumably, was first going to announce the deal—but don’t expect to be able to share the songs amongst your many TiVos connected over the Internet. And as the Times points out, yeah, TiVo is adding bells and whistles to its platform in order to distinguish it from the DVR your cable company gives you: Amazon Unbox, Rhapsody… Is TiVo’s Comeback the Real Deal? [Bits New York Times Blog] → Read More
OK, when I first got wind of this rumor a couple days ago, I dismissed it. It’s something that I chalked up to background chatter. The thing is, I got a second email today from another source who’s always been right, so now this thing is looking more like a real deal. Rumormonger One told me that Vizio, you know, the HDTV guys, were getting ready to build hard drives into their TVs. Whatever, wanky wanky. But then Rumormonger Two emails me saying something similar. Not HDs built into the sets, but rather complimentary units that play DVDs, output surround sound, and act as a DVR. I called a source who’s a buyer here in Seattle for a major retailer, and she said she’d heard people talking about something similar, so it’s plausible. If true, it would be the first non-TV product (other than a few accessories) that Vizio would offer. We know that the scrappy Vizio is the unlikely marketshare leader in HDTVs in the USA. It sounds like its planning on parlaying that success to branch out in more directions, which we’re for: Vizio makes great HDTVs we can actually afford. We’ve got our sweaty tentacles all up in Vizio’s grill trying to track down more information. We’ll post it up here when we get it. → Read More
You may be able to get a DVR with your cable box, but nothing comes close to being able to record shows and burn them to a DVD. So it makes sense that years-old DVD-recorders are going for as much as $1800 on Amazon.com and eBay. Consumers aren’t able to find boxes that can both record and burn shows without a monthly fee in stores anymore, so they’re turning to the Internet in hopes of finding a box with both a DVD burner and a built-in hard disk. Says cnet: The answer is pretty simple–if you know the gritty details of consumer electronics and a little economics. The whole phenomenon is actually easily explained by one simple fact: almost* nobody makes DVD-recorders with built-in hard drives anymore. Just a few years ago, plenty of manufacturers made DVD-recorders with built-in hard drives, but if you walk into a Best Buy or Circuit City today you probably won’t find a single unit. Popular models include the Panasonic DMR-EH75V and Philips DVDR3575H37. If you have one collecting dust in your living room, I suggest throwing it up on Amazon and selling it. Think of the sweet 42-inch LCD TV you can buy with the profits you make. The demand is here; take advantage of it. Old DVD-recorders selling for $1,900 [cnet] → Read More
Wolverine, some company no one has heard of, will be shipping its new ESP 5250 portable media jukebox this week. Designed for the consumer who likes watching movies while on the move, the 5250 packs 250GB of storage and has a multi-format card reader for additional storage. You can throw either 80,000 songs or 500 hours of video (depending on your codecs, etc.) on this bad boy to ensure that any plane ride, whether it be to Australia, Israel, or Japan, is tolerable. An optional cradle lets you turn the device into a DVR, which is great if you’re looking to take your favorite shows on the go with you. Also included is support for RAW photos, AAC, MP3, WMA, RAW CD audio (CDA), XviD video, MPEG video, and WMV video. And if you don’t pirate music or movies, there’s always a built-in FM radio waiting for you. Look for the Wolverine DSP 5250 in stores for a pricey $650, with the DVR cradle costing an additional $70. Wolverine releases 250GB portable media jukebox [Electronista] → Read More
Me: Santa, I’d like a PS3 for Christmas. Santa: I thought you hated the PS3. Me: Well, I did but Warwick Light, head of marketing for Sony in New Zealand, has made an announcement that’s making me eat my words. You see, Freeview is a free digital television and radio provider in NZ and Sony is hoping to support their terrestrial digital broadcast service by March 2008. Santa: That’s not possible you f*cking idiot! Me: It is possible because Sony is going to launch a digital tuner for the PS3, which will also allow users to record TV programming. I seriously take back every horrible thing I ever said about the PS3. Santa: Oh. Ok. I’ll think about it. Me: You’ll think about it?! WTF! I better see a PS3 under my Christmas tree or I’ll kick your ass, buddy. I own you. I know what you did last Christmas at the Biggs’ house. Santa: Ok, ok, ok. For the record, John came onto me. Me: I don’t care who hit on who. I just want a PS3. Get it done, fatboy. The future according to Sony [The Press] → Read More
It’s one thing to watch over-the-air HDTV on giant, 70-inch plasma display, but it’s quite another to watch such programming on your MacBook or iMac (or whatever other Mac you have nearby). Elgato’s Mac-only HDHomeRun combines a digital TV tuner and EyeTV software in one smart, if not awfully named, package. You’ll need to supply your own ATSC antenna or unscrambled cable TV connection for this to work, mind you, but once you do you’ll be in high-def heaven, provided your processor is up to the challenge. (To be able to view 720p or 1080i programming, you’ll need a dual G5- or Intel Core 2 Duo-based Mac.) The HDHomeRun is network-compatible, meaning that if you set it up appropriately, you’ll be able to watch high-def content on any of your networked Macs. Pretty cool. → Read More
If you’re the kind of person who’s reading a blog like this one, chances are pretty decent you’ve gotten yourself a handy DVR. You know, like a TiVo or the new digital boxes Comcast hands out. And you’re not alone: according to the Carmel group, in just 3 years 50% of those with cable TV will also have a DVR, and that number is expected to rise in the future. Of course, we see TVs with built-in DVRs on the horizon as well, along with cheaper Media Center-type PCs, meaning that the 50% number might actually be a lowball. If you hold stock in Dale’s Magnetic Tape, Inc., I’d sell today. Report: DVR adoption to surge past 50 percent by 2010 [Ars Technica] → Read More
The TiVo Series3 DVR is about to get a little more affordable, according to a recent Ars Technica article. A product with the model number “TCD652160″ has apparently been popping up intermittently on retail websites in the past few days and is believed to be the new “Series3 Lite” as it’s been christened by the TiVo community. General consensus is that the new device will cost around $300 and will include many of the same features contained within the original Series3, most notably that it’ll record two shows at once and will be able to handle 1080p. The hard drive will be a bit smaller — 160GB, down from 250GB — and the unit won’t have the front panel OLED display or THX certification. You’ll also get the plain, peanut remote as opposed to the sleeker remote that you’d get with the expensive version. So for a lot less cash, you miss out on about 10 hours of recording time, a fancy display, THX, and a shiny remote. Not a whole lot to give up compared with all the money you’ll save. There’s also some talk about an 80GB unit being available as well. If true, you might be able to get into the TiVo HD game for even less. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but Ars seems to think that this information is all pretty solid. Nothing too "Lite" about new $299 TiVo Series 3 unit [Ars Technica] → Read More
Groundbreaking! Hey, John, I like FiOS. Nuts to your crazy, East Asian “technology,” OK? Now, thanks to Zatz, I can look (no touching!) at FiOS TV 2.0, what the kids will call IMG. The jazzed up interface++, which now includes super helpful widgets and a free hard drive space indicator(!), is currently available in select FiOS neighborhoods. Verizon is expected to announce IMG’s wider, nationwide rollout soon, complete with the soul-crushing news that it still has no intention of making my neighborhood FiOS-compatible. Hands On With Verizon FiOS TV 2.0 [Zatz Not Funny!] → Read More
