Hasta La Gadget!

TiVo’s results for the second quarter are here and there were a few tidbits that let us know where its products are going in the future. Despite reporting a net loss for the quarter, its cash position was up after receiving the first $300 million payment from its settlement with Dish Network. Things appear to be going well with Virgin Media in the UK where it reported 50,000 TiVo’s live by the end of July and ONO is closing in on a launch in Spain, while closer to home RCN is almost ready to officially offer a whole-home DVR setup based on the quad-tuner TiVo Premiere Q. Charter and DirecTV are mentioned as “progressing towards launch”, but the company seems particularly excited to see the current state of patent warfare going on, trumpeting its 210 issued patents and 389 applications.

Speaking of the DirecTivo, an apparent training video has leaked. ZatzNotFunny has more information, but it reveals the hardware and UI, which disappointingly harken back to the days of older Series3 hardware instead of the updated HD menus on the new Premiere boxes. Check out the video and Q2 press release after the break.

Continue reading TiVo talks cable, satellite deals in Q2 results; DirecTiVo exposed! (video)

TiVo talks cable, satellite deals in Q2 results; DirecTiVo exposed! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may not have live TV streaming yet, but Comcast has been at the forefront of expanding the cable TV experience to phones and tablets with its Xfinity app and pushed further recently, updating the iOS version and releasing an edition for Blackberry phones. On Blackberry it brings the usual set of features, including Comcast.net email access, remote DVR scheduling and trailers for VOD selections. On iOS, v1.60 adds a “previously played” button that can return the TV to previously watched channels, or start playing VOD content on the mobile devices right where you last left off. Check the official blog for more details or just download from iTunes or Blackberry App World.

Comcast’s Xfinity app debuts on Blackberry, updated on iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over the past few days, we’ve received more than 1,000 horror stories about bad cable experiences: tales of bad techs, terrible service, and troubling billing practices. We used those to build a cable customer’s bill of rights. More »

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Well, that was anticlimactic. Viacom quickly sued Cablevision after the Optimum for iPad (now on iPhone and iPod Touch) app launched and allowed cable customers to stream the entire channel lineup on their tablets, but now they’ve resolved that and “an unrelated business matter”. Viacom’s case against Time Warner’s similar offering is on hold while they also try to work out a deal, but Cablevision’s stance from the start is that its approach fell within the existing agreements and they appear to have gotten their way. Just like most other channel carriage disputes, it was likely a deal on the supposedly unrelated issue that got things moving, but as long as we can keep watching Teen Mom in the kitchen, bathroom or out on the patio it doesn’t really matter. Check the official statement from both companies after the break.

Continue reading Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad

Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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