Hasta La Gadget!

Say hello to the new Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo, a device that while “inspired” by the Premiere is much more than just the same old box with new stickers. Set to debut in the UK in mid-December, it packs a 1TB HDD, but trumps TiVo’s previous efforts by promising a third tuner (to be enabled by a software update in 2011), an internal cable modem for downloading without cutting into your existing broadband speed and ties into catch-up TV just in case you forget to DVR something. While the box itself has a slick new design, the traditional peanut remote hasn’t changed and neither have the menus as seen by these screenshots. Interested parties should squirrel away £199 (plus £40 for installation and £26.50 for the XL TiVo package) and hit the source link to queue for purchase.

Continue reading Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo is official, coming soon with 1TB HDD, 3 tuners

Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo is official, coming soon with 1TB HDD, 3 tuners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it seems we finally know why TiVo was waxing poetic about software in recent months — it’s the way the company primarily plans to charge for its DVR hardware from now on. Following a week-long experiment of free-on-contract DVRs conducted last month, TiVo’s opening up subsidized and partially subsidized pricing tiers to the entire US for those willing to chain themselves to a pricier $20 monthly fee. You can now get a TiVo Premiere for $0 on a two-year contract or $100 with a one-year arrangement, or pick up a TiVo Premiere XL for $300 on a one-year deal — the same price the regular old 45-hour TiVo Premiere cost originally. TiVo’s also kept the original $12.95-a-month plans around in case you want to pay full price for your hardware, which would normally make better financial sense after about three years, if not for the fact that there are still lifetime subscriptions available for $400 if you’re truly in it for the long haul.

We’re all for expanding our buying power in this arena, but there’s one group of customers who are liable to get mighty pissed at the new arrangement — the regular Joes and Janes headed to Best Buy right now to pick up a $99 TiVo Premiere “on sale.” You see, retailers apparently didn’t get the memo about the new tiered pricing and are advertising the arrangement as a $200 discount instead, which leaves TiVo’s fine print the unenviable role of explaining that they’re going to pony up $20 a month from now on.

2.1.2 When purchasing a TiVo Premiere box from a third party retailer at $99.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere box or $299.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere XL box, you may only subscribe to the TiVo Service on a monthly basis for $19.99 a month with a one (1) year commitment (renews monthly after one year).

Choices, choices.

[Thanks, Daniel and Chris R.]

TiVo Premiere now free on contract for $20 monthly, as TiVo introduces (and enforces) tiered subsidies originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And this, friends, is why Japan is a marvelous place. Panasonic has just removed the wraps from its new DIGA DMR-BF200, which is being hailed as the planet’s smallest Blu-ray recorder. For all intents and purposes, this is simply an external hard drive with a slot-loading Blu-ray burner baked in, but there’s plenty more on the inside to pay attention to. It’ll stream DLNA content, interface with your other VIERA Link equipment, output content via HDMI and even access acTVila (a Japanese video-on-demand service). Users can also toss in an SD card for watching flicks stored on more portable media, and most anything housed on the 320GB internal hard drive can be toasted on BD-R/RE for playback elsewhere. It should be noted, however, that neither BDXL nor Blu-ray 3D are supported, but those still keenly interested can find it on November 15th for ¥70,000 ($861) in black or white.

Panasonic’s DMR-BF200 stuffs hard drive and Blu-ray burner into one tiny, magical box originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku’s streaming media players can shake off the “Netflix box” tag once and for all. TiVo, too, keeps its spot high in the set-top food chain. Both Roku players and TiVo’s Premiere and Premiere XL boxes will be able to stream network shows with Hulu Plus this fall.

Hulu Plus, a $9.99/month subscription service that offers additional premium content in addition to the network TV shows and backlist films offered through the free Hulu web site, is already available for streaming with net-connected Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players, Boxee’s set-top boxes, and Sony’s Playstation 3, with announced support for XBox 360, other Sony devices, and some Vizio TVs and Blu-ray players coming either this fall or in early 2011.

The announcements from TiVo and Roku did not specify dates on which the service would be available on either device. Roku currently offers access to Netflix Watch Instantly, Amazon Streaming Video, Pandora, and other streaming media channels. TiVo offers DVR capability in addition to most of the same services. Apple’s much-anticipated new version of Apple TV offers Netflix access and rentals through iTunes, but not Hulu at this time.

The emerging model for set-top boxes appears to be devices that offer a wide range of streaming services, whether free, for purchase, for rental, or through subscriptions. Either the boxes are inexpensive and dedicated for this purpose, like Roku and the new Apple TV, or relatively expensive but offer additional services like gaming, web browsing, or video recording, like TiVo, PS3, or XBox 360.

The devices have differentiated themselves according to three features: 1) price; 2) some exclusive features, as in the case of game consoles; and 3) the strength and ease-of-use of their interfaces — both the on-screen software and remote control capability.

All can be used in conjunction with traditional cable and satellite TV service, but some users are beginning to find the offerings of internet video rich enough that they can forego cable or satellite altogether. Hulu Plus on TiVo and Roku may be what pushes many of them over the edge.

Image via Hulu.com

See Also:

• Hulu Plus Launches: Three Networks, Zero Real-Time Shows …
• Subscription Hulu: Beginning of the End for Cable, Satellite TV …
• Roku Launches $60 HD Streaming Media Player
• Roku Moves Beyond Netflix, Says Hello To Amazon
• TiVo Redesigns Search Function, Wants to be the 'Google of TV …
• It's Another QWERTY Keyboard, Now for TV
• Google TV Revealed: One Screen to Rule Them All

After seeing Motorola’s sweet-looking NYXboard QWERTY remote last week, we were itching to know if the hardware was part of a bigger plan. A new video featuring exec Malcolm Latham now answers that question, highlighting several key features in the company’s Medios TV guide platform. We’ve known that at its core the HTML-based software was created to provide a similar viewing experience across phones, TVs, and computers, but more meaty bits like cross-platform bookmarking, a content recommendation engine, and so-called “Social TV” have been revealed. We’re certainly all for our devices playing together nicely and new content suggestions, but Social TV has us a bit skeptical. The idea is similar to any instant message client in that it allows your friends to know when you’re on Medios and then view what exactly you’re watching. Sure, there might be some value in it — Ping is betting that’s true with music, — but the potential for getting caught watching Gossip Girl is a serious deterrent. What’s worse is that your friends can then rag you about it via chat right on the screen using their handy NYXboard remote. To see where we’re coming, from check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Motorola exec struts Medios TV guide platform capabilities in IBC video

Motorola exec struts Medios TV guide platform capabilities in IBC video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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