May 12

Comcast Xfinity iPad remote app changes channels and invites friends to watch RHONY

Posted in: app, Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, dvr, ipad, Today's Chili, video

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts just hit the stage at The Cable Show and displayed the company’s prototype iPad app, the Xfinity Remote. At least so far it doesn’t appear to let you stream television programs directly to Apple’s media consumption device, but it does let you turn it into a TV guide browser and remote for your set-top box that outpaces even its already released iPhone prog. They pulled in G4’s Kevin Pereira for the quick video demo (embedded after the break) highlighting not only the remote DVR scheduling but also a social feature that lets you invite friends to watch live TV with you — as long as they have Comcast, and the app, and an iPad. Of course, the innovation we’d like to see is a new UI for our cable boxes like the one shown on the iPad… or the one we saw a few years ago. So far the reaction to Facebook and Twitter chat on the screen via widgets has been mild at best, but social tie-ins to another screen could be just what our Real Housewives of New York viewing parties need.

Continue reading Comcast Xfinity iPad remote app changes channels and invites friends to watch RHONY

Comcast Xfinity iPad remote app changes channels and invites friends to watch RHONY originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceComcast Voices, YouTube  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
May 10

Cox ‘Plus Package’ brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels

Posted in: cisco, dvr, set-top-box, Today's Chili, ui, video

Cox is ready to make a major leap forward in its user interface — goodbye SARA and Passport, we won’t miss you — with the newly developed “Plus Package” rolling out in limited areas during Q2 and throughout its service area by the end of the year. For the hardware Cox is bringing a Whole Home DVR solution to bear based on a Cisco 8642 HD/DVR with 500GB (3x more than the sizes currently offered) of storage, and MoCA-connected 1642 HD receivers, which are also necessary to tune to the new HD channels on the way delivered over Switched Digital Video (SDV) in the 860-MHz band.

The star of the show however is the new “Trio” program guide (video embedded after the break), a 16:9 interface that spaces out program info over three panes — channels on the left, programs in the middle, details on the right. TV programs can also be sorted grid-style, by themes, HD-only or favorite channels, while VOD lists titles, box art and detailed info in the three window style. There’s personalization for up to eight members of a household, as well as TiVo-style suggestions and related programming searches based on metadata. An exec told Multichannel News the new tru2way-built software started by realizing that “our guides were, in fact, broken” and this all-new approach is a step towards fixing that. Besides the TiVos and Moxis of the world, other service providers with similar setups include DirecTV, FiOS, Dish Network and U-verse and while we’d definitely like to see that middle pane expanded a bit to show more of each title, Cox could be the first cable company offering a set-top box that actually competes with any of them.

Gallery: Cox Advanced TV Plus Package

Continue reading Cox ‘Plus Package’ brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels

Cox ‘Plus Package’ brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 May 2010 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
May 06

Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don’t affect purchases, ‘TiVo effect’ may not exist

Posted in: ads, advertising, commercial, dvr, research, statistics, stats, study, Television, tivo, Today's Chili, TV

Two years back, consumer research told us the vast majority of DVR users skipped commercials; now, statisticians at Duke University say that’s not the case. More importantly, even those who do hit that oh-so-tempting skip button aren’t necessarily spending less on advertised products as a result. Pulling data from over 1,200 TiVo boxes over the course of three years, Professor Carl Mela and colleagues found that a staggering 95 percent of television was watched live instead of recorded, giving viewers no opportunity to skip, and even when there was an opportunity, users took it only 6.5 percent of the time.

Moreover, every attempt the researchers made to find a “TiVo effect” failed — comparing those who had DVRs with those who didn’t, they found no significant difference in the amount TV watchers spent on nine different goods (including cleaning and grooming products) advertised. This could be for a variety of reasons — perhaps advertising doesn’t work, period, or perhaps those without DVRs “skipped” commercials simply by walking out of the room — but no matter the reason, it seems these days television advertisers don’t have quite so much to fear.

Continue reading Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don’t affect purchases, ‘TiVo effect’ may not exist

Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don’t affect purchases, ‘TiVo effect’ may not exist originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 21:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink High-Def Digest  |  sourceDuke University  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Apr 23

How would you change the TiVo Premiere?

Posted in: dvr, Features, HWYC, set-top-box, tivo, Today's Chili

TiVo loyalists have waited a long, long time for this. The Premiere is marketed as the DVR to end all DVRs, and unlike those plain-jane boxes served up at your local pay-TV provider, there’s actually a decent amount of ingenuity within TiVo’s freshest set-top box. Unfortunately, those good intentions didn’t really lead to a beautiful implementation, and we found quite a few bones to pick during our time with it. Make no mistake — TiVo’s still charging a small fortune for the privilege of using its user interface and hearing its bloops and beeps, and frankly, we expected more for the premium. Are you in the same boat? Couldn’t disagree more? We’re anxious to see how you’d retool the Premiere if given the opportunity, and what you’d do differently now that you’ve been relying on it for the past couple of months. Go on, comments are waiting for you.

How would you change the TiVo Premiere? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Apr 20

Sharp’s 46-inch Quattron LE821E HDTV and its integrated Freeview HD DVR make reviewers gush

Posted in: 1080p, dvr, hdtv, LCD, review, Sharp, Today's Chili, uk

Now this is more like it. Instead of chewing on another underwhelming 3D display, the Tech Radar crew have pulled in one of Sharp’s hot new Quattron sets — distinguishable, if you look really really closely, by the addition of yellow to the standard RGB colors in each pixel — and their experience has certainly been something to write about. Describing the LE821E’s color response as “utterly spectacular,” they go on to praise the LCD’s improved brightness thanks to the yellow sub-pixel’s higher transparency, confident upscaling of standard def pictures to Full HD resolution, and “inspired onscreen menus.” Counteracting the good stuff were mildly disappointing black levels and a £2,000 ($3,053) price for the 46-inch model. Sure it’s steep, but with Freeview HD and an 8GB HDD built into the box, we can think of a few ways to justify the expense. As ever, the source link will give you the unabridged verdict, so read on.

[Thanks, David]

Sharp’s 46-inch Quattron LE821E HDTV and its integrated Freeview HD DVR make reviewers gush originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTech Radar  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Apr 19

Verizon FiOS DVR Manager ensures you’ll never miss an episode of iCarly… ‘evar’

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, dvr, iPhone, Today's Chili, verizon, vzw
America has spoken (at least the TV-addicted, iPhone owning segment) and the cry is being heard: they want to control their DVRs from their handset! The Verizon FiOS DVR Manager sounds pretty straightforward: set your DVR! Set parental controls! Bookmark, browse, search TV programming, and more! And all from your iPhone. (Of course, plenty of Android users have been doing this for a while now.) Kind of makes that old iTunes-based media management system seem a little weak sauce, doesn’t it? Of course, if you’re out at dinner or in a meeting and you’re being driven to distraction trying to remember if Ninja Assassin is a video-on-demand selection this month, you probably have much bigger problems than on-the-road DVR management. But that’s none of our business. Compatible with your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad sportin’ OS 3.0 or later. Hit the source link to download now!

Verizon FiOS DVR Manager ensures you’ll never miss an episode of iCarly… ‘evar’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceApp Store  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,
Apr 19

Marusys MS630S and MS850S set-top boxes stream straight to your iPhone

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, dvr, iPhone, set-top-box, Today's Chili
Marusys MS630S and MS850S set-top boxes stream straight to your iPhone

If you didn’t already have enough ways to get content onto your iPhone, Marusys is adding two more to the pile with its MS630S and MS850S set-top boxes. Said to be PVR-ready, these boxes are designed to serve up content in all sorts of ways, with composite, component, and HDMI video outputs on the back and, inside, the ability to run Linux-based media players like XBMC. Both rock a Magnum DX6225 media chip, enabling on-the-fly transcoding of content into a variety of formats, including the hallmark feature of these devices: streaming straight to the iPhone over WiFi. It’s not exactly clear how this will work as Marusys itself doesn’t explain this functionality on its site, but Magnum certainly talks it up in the press release after the break. No word on price and availability of either, or when we might get more info on how this whole thing fits together, but you can be sure you’ll know as soon as we do.

Continue reading Marusys MS630S and MS850S set-top boxes stream straight to your iPhone

Marusys MS630S and MS850S set-top boxes stream straight to your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Linux for Devices  |  sourceMarusys MS630S, MS850S  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Apr 19

TiVo Premiere is updated and expanded, but is it ready?

Posted in: dvr, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, software update, SoftwareUpdate, tivo, Today's Chili

It’s not streaking through downtown Dallas remaking Matt & Kim videos just yet but after an uneven start the TiVo Premiere continues to evolve, this time towards something with even more capacity and (hopefully) less lockups. ZatzNotFunny mentions a new software update to version 14.1c has gone live this weekend which is intended to fix lockups some customers are experiencing with more revisions promised over the coming weeks and months to address various performance and stability issues. Forum reactions are mixed, with some dropping back to the old UI for more stability and speed but if you’re living the Premiere lifestyle let us know how things are going for you. Those still on the outside looking in who haven’t been scared off by the growing pains can also consider a few new larger capacity options courtesy of longtime modder/reseller WeaKnees, now ready to deliver units with up to 2TB of storage internally or even externally for those who like it like that — you know who you are.

TiVo Premiere is updated and expanded, but is it ready? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceZatzNotFunny (software update), ZatzNotFunny (WeaKnees)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Apr 15

Sony PlayTV getting Facebook, still no love for stateside PS3 owners

Posted in: dvr, sony, Today's Chili
Sony PlayTV, the digital TV tuner / DVR for PS3 that is still painfully unavailable in the United States, is getting “great new features,” according to the PlayStation Blog. What does that mean for you? Well, if you’re in England (as well as the rest of the UK, wiseguy), Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, or the UAE, it means Facebook integration! What else does it mean? “Other great enhancements,” the likes of which the company refuses to divulge at this point. That said, it looks like we’ll know “later this year,” at least according to James Thorpe, PlayStation Network Product Manager. We’ll keep you posted.

Sony PlayTV getting Facebook, still no love for stateside PS3 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink EuroGamer  |  sourcePlayStation Blog  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Apr 02

TiVo Premiere unearths hidden power: USB keyboard functionality

Posted in: dvr, keyboard, qwerty, remote, tivo, Today's Chili, video

One of our bigger gripes with the TiVo Premiere was the lack of an included QWERTY remote and how cumbersome it was to use search with the directional pad. Fortunately, while we wait for the official peripheral, it seems our old friend Dave Zatz has been snooping around the internet searching for alternatives — and best of all, he’s found ’em. Turns out even a wireless keyboard will do the trick, with the directional pad and alphanumeric keys working as expected and the function keys serving as shortcuts. Some other hidden functionality should pave the way for Android and iPhone apps to do the trick, but in the meantime, our run-of-the-mill USB keyboard worked just fine. Watch Zatz’s proof of concept with an off-the-shelf Arc Keyboard after the break.

Continue reading TiVo Premiere unearths hidden power: USB keyboard functionality

TiVo Premiere unearths hidden power: USB keyboard functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceZatz Not Funny  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: