Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been almost two years since Sezmi launched its hybrid antenna and internet TV service, and now it has announced the dream of pay-TV without cable or satellite is dead. An email went out to customers tonight informing them the ability to view or record programming on their Sezmi systems would be shut off Monday, September 26th. The only compensation given for the sudden disconnect? Free access to the VOD catalog before that disappears too, on November 1st. The $20 / month Select Plus package that offered pay-TV channels over antenna never spread beyond Los Angeles, although users happy to settle for basic channels and online VOD had access in other markets. Still, we predict it won’t be missed simply because it doesn’t seem like many people ever signed up. Despite nice features like unique profiles for different household members, the limited sports selection cut off many early adopters from the beginning. The company is apparently trying to pivot into selling its technology to other service providers, we’ll wait and see if a Moxi-like resurgence is in the cards. Check out the letter to subscribers and our original video demo after the break while we plan a month-long memorial service for those soon-to-be-useless 1TB DVRs.

[Thanks, John]

Continue reading Sezmi’s cable / satellite alternative TV service to shut down Monday, won’t be missed

Sezmi’s cable / satellite alternative TV service to shut down Monday, won’t be missed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need another reason to be interested in the PlayStation Vita? Sony announced during tonight’s press conference that it will tie in with the only-available-in-Japan Torne DVR adapter (PlayTV in Europe and nonexistent in NA) for the PlayStation 3. Once synced up, it allows users to remotely tune into live TV streams Slingbox-style, browse listings and remotely schedule recordings via an app on the portable device. It should be ready to go at launch, while the ability to export recorded shows to the Vita like one of Monsoon’s boxes will be added later. For now however, we can only look on in envy and hope rumors of a PlayTV 2 eventually come true, and come out here.

PlayStation Vita’s Torne app pulls in live TV streams served up from a PS3 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When TiVo announced its first quad tuner DVR, the Premiere Q, fans were devastated to learn it would only be available via cable operators, and that it featured a smallish 500GB hard drive. Fortunately, the company has rectified both of those issues by announcing the TiVo Premiere Elite, a quad tuner Series 4 DVR with 2TB of storage built that will be available through TiVo.com, Best Buy’s Magnolia stores and authorized home theater installers. There’s no word yet on price or an exact release date, as all of this is still pending a waiver from the FCC allowing TiVo to sell the box without any OTA or analog cable tuners, making this a digital cable (or Verizon FiOS) only experience. It’s also THX Certified and most of the press release is dedicated to focusing on the high end nature of the hardware TiVo is unleashing. Also unmentioned so far is any retail edition of the TiVo Preview multiroom extender box, but we should get some hands-on time with this quad tuner edition very shortly during CEDIA 2011. For now, just check out the press release, included after the break, and for our European readers Engadget Spanish has you covered on the launch of the TiVo Premiere for ONO in Spain.

Update: The official TiVo.com/elite page is live, and reveals the price as $499 “with service”, $499 additional for a lifetime subscription. [Thanks @PhilipSaad]

Continue reading TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year

TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether or not your cable TV provider has decided to offer live TV streaming to your mobile devices, you can do it yourself with the new HDHomeRun iPad app from Elgato. Paired with one of SiliconDust’s new HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuners, the $17.99 app can tune into cable channels that are sent without encyption or are marked copy freely (varies from provider to provider) and even allows users to record them right on the app. Restrictions include that it only works on the iPad 2, with standard definition MPEG-2 channels and (for now) only the most recent HDHomeRun hardware is supported. Check out the video demo for more information on exactly how it works or click the source link to get to iTunes and buy — in a market suddenly flooded by CableCARD tuners maybe this extra functionality is just what’s needed to tip the balance between one device or another.

Continue reading Elgato HDHomeRun iPad app brings (some) cable channels to the tablet

Elgato HDHomeRun iPad app brings (some) cable channels to the tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy and TiVo announced they were forming a “broad partnership” two years ago, then revealed a connected HDTV product last year, and now it’s apparently just days from being released. This information posted over at ZatzNotFunny pegs the launch date for the Insignia cTV as July 31st, packing the TiVo Premiere’s menu system and apps like Netflix, CinemaNow and Pandora. The 32- and 42-inch models feature built-in WiFi, but no included DVR and don’t require a TiVo subscription. With the recent launch of multiroom streaming on the TiVo Premiere and another DVR-less product from TiVo in the Preview, this is a perfect opportunity to include multiroom access, no set-top box needed. Unfortunately, like the pricetag of the cTV units, that detail has yet to be revealed.

Best Buy Insignia cTV with DVR-less TiVo built-in launches July 31st originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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