Hasta La Gadget!

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Comcast will start testing a new video delivery system that is completely internet protocol based at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in “the coming months.” AT&T’s U-verse uses IPTV already, while others use similar technology for video on-demand or some of the new initiatives that stream TV to the iPad. Comcast plans to let students watch by connecting TVs, computers or other devices to the campus network, followed by a test just for employees and eventually an all-IP service to run alongside — but not replacing — its traditional cable TV service. This could allow the company to deliver video to devices with no set-top box required and even potentially outside its current footprint. That however is unlikely given the headache just a move to multi-platform IP delivery might cause when it comes to negotiating broadcast rights. Being able to watch pay TV on whatever you want and potentially wherever you want may help fight off subscribers temptation for cable cutting, but between testing and the aforementioned legal wrangling, it could be a while before we get to see it.

What is much closer is the new HD and internet connected guide software we spotted testing in Georgia. As the cabler celebrates passing 20 billion video on-demand views (PR after the break), it’s bringing the internet and cloud technology behind its mobile apps back to the cable box to help organize it all. Dubbed Xcalibur, the new DVR setup pictured above is available to all new customers in the Augusta, GA area now and will roll out next year, assuming there are no worldwide calamities or product delays before then.

Continue reading Comcast will start testing an IPTV service at MIT, new Xcalibur guide coming your way sooner

Comcast will start testing an IPTV service at MIT, new Xcalibur guide coming your way sooner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 19:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been about six months since we heard Comcast was running tests of a brand new set-top box platform but now thanks to one of our tipsters we’re able to see it in action and find out what’s on the way. From the remote to the box to the menus it’s all new, and appears to be a major step forward for the company and already includes familiar apps like Facebook and Pandora. The look of the new guide mirrors what we’d seen in the manual received by the FCC in December and demonstrated on Samsung HDTVs at CES earlier this year, intended for 16×9 displays and moving the main navigation elements to the top. The redesigned remote has a few new buttons and while it hasn’t gone the QWERTY route, the software and hardware are designed around T9-style access for searching and messaging, with a button and microphone icon suggesting voice control is a possibility as well. The DVR itself is the Pace box we’d seen previously, although there was differing information on the number of tuners and hard drive space available, suggesting these details may still be up in the air. Check after the break for more details and our tipster’s first hand account of the new TV experience.

[Thanks, Mark van der Linden]

Continue reading Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps

Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The problem with Sirius Satellite Radio? You can listen to hundreds of stations, but only if you tune in live. As it stands, licensing restrictions make it impossible to record Howard Stern asking intrusive questions about people’s sex lives. But that could change with version 2.0 of the platform, which is rumored to be on track for a fall release. According to a CNET report citing the good ole’ “source close to the company,” select programs will be available for on-demand listening for a limited period after their original airing. And, this source says, the new platform could take a cue from Pandora and Slacker with personalized stations that let you skip songs, flag your favorites, and ban the ones that drive you insane. If true, listeners would get a whole lot more value out of that $13 monthly subscription — and SiriusXM might have a greater chance of beating Pandora in the battle for your in-car attention. Until then, you’ll just have to keep listening to Tiger Blood Radio live.

Sirius Satellite 2.0 to include DVR-like features, personalized stations? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were wondering what is next for TiVo, another leaked customer survey may give some indications. ZatzNotFunny has a few screenshots, and the questions ask customers about their interest in a companion box that could sit in another room and stream live TV or recordings from the DVR on a second TV, as well as their interest in a DVR with four tuners. Windows Media Center fans with four tuner InfiniTV setups or Moxi owners with three are unlikely to accept anything with less, and TiVo itself already ships a three tuner box for Virgin Media in the UK while cable and satellite providers have largely stuck with two, making it a logical feature to beat them on. Those weren’t the only features users were asked about, they also ranked items like the ability to hide SD versions of channels from the guide, browse recorded shows on every DVR from any box and other UI related options. TiVo is apparently figuring out where it should allocate resources going forward and while we’d suggest enabling the second core of that processor and extending the new Premiere UI across all menus, they didn’t ask us. Check out the full text of the survey a tipster forwarded to us after the break and see if TiVo missed anything else you might want them to focus on.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading TiVo survey hints at multiroom companion box, four tuner DVR in the future

TiVo survey hints at multiroom companion box, four tuner DVR in the future originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got to check out Xtreamer’s Prodigy media player and go hands-on with its Ultra HTPC at CeBIT last week, but it turns out that the company has another nifty device set to debut this year. After taking a peek at its 2011 product catalog, we discovered that the Xtreamer PVR is “comming soon” with a similarly sexy exterior and much of the same specs as the Prodigy, but packing a Sigma Designs SMP8656 chip for high-end 3D graphics, optional dual tuners, and Android 2.2. We sincerely hope that Xtreamer’s prowess with Froyo far exceeds its aptitude for spelling — we kid because we care.

Android’s everywhere! Xtreamer PVR to serve up a heaping helping of Froyo in your home theater originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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