Hasta La Gadget!

Pay-TV operators have been tossing out “quadruple play” bundles for the better part of three years now, but we dare say that none of ’em have come close to nailing it like this. France’s own Free, a well-known ISP in the nation, has just introduced the Freebox v6 Revolution, a newfangled set-top box designed by Philippe Starck and engineered to handle just about all of your home entertainment needs. It’s stuffed with 250GB of hard drive space, an internal 802.11n WiFi module, Blu-ray drive, inbuilt web browser and Intel’s Atom CE4100 media processor. It also ships with a motion-sensing remote, and in short, it’s designed to provide live / streaming television options, internet (fiber or DSL is supported), gaming (via a streaming service similar to OnLive) and at-home calling to boot. Free’s also planning to dabble in mobile telephony starting in 2012, hence the plans for a quadruple play offering in the not-too-distant future. We’re told that a joystick (presumably for getting your game on) is thrown in, as are a pair of powerline adapters in order to easily network it through your abode’s power network. The Revolution is up for pre-order now, and depending on how long you’ve had your current Free STB, it could cost as little as €59.99 or as much as €119.99. The “basic” Freebox service will run €29.99, and once Free goes mobile in 2012, you can add a mobile line for another €29.99.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Freebox v6 Revolution set-top box brings calling, TV and gaming together originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our British mates aboard the VOD ship may look a little cheerier today as The Guardian reports both ITV and Channel 4 — two of the nation’s foremost commercial channels — are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have been available as web-based services for a while, but they’ve both now agreed deals with Sony, who projects their overall traffic will improve by around 10 percent as a result. ITV’s leaving the door wide open for adding its content to “other consoles,” web-connected TVs, and tablets like the iPad, whereas Channel 4 has found Microsoft unforthcoming about Xbox 360 deals and the Wii inhospitable because it doesn’t support advertising. For its part, Sony’s clearly making a big content push, having recently welcomed Lovefilm into the fold and completed the rollout of its Qriocity on-demand facility across Europe. Does anyone even play games on these things anymore?

PS3 to start streaming ITV and Channel 4 content in the UK this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought Skype was a new idea, you need to catch up on your old school sci-fi movies! Video phone concepts have actually been popping up since the 1870s. Proof? This collection of forward looking photos, illustrations, and ads. More »

BBC.com managing director Luke Bradley-Jones has dropped some knowledge on the TV-loving world by revealing that the iPlayer’s global launch will be on a “pure paid subscription model,” to be followed thereafter by partnerships with advertisers on “free” areas of the British TV catchup service. The US is specifically named as one of the first new markets for the venture, which is expected to go live in the middle of next year. In addition to knowing you’ll have to shell out to get your fix of Top Gear, Doctor Who and, erm, The Foods that Make Billions, you’ll also be wanting to know that the first platform for the iPlayer outside the UK will be none other than Apple’s iPad. What is it with Brits and the iPad?

BBC iPlayer to start international rollout with subscription service on iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hold your horses, Bubsy. While it looked like there were but a few Is to dot and Ts to cross before Comcast’s takeover of NBC Universal was official, folks in high places are now shaking their heads at a recent decision by the carrier. As the story goes, Comcast and NBC Universal are still in talks with the government over the proposed takeover, and it seems that a few wires were crossed in recent days; Comcast decided to announce a new management slate for NBC Universal just a few days ago, despite the fact that the takeover hasn’t actually been green-lit. According to an inside report over at The New York Times, one unnamed official in Washington had this to say: “For a deal this large, and one that hasn’t been approved, Comcast’s behavior is presumptuous and arrogant.” Of course, it’s not like this trigger-pulling in and of itself is reason for the whole deal to collapse, but it certainly won’t make things any easier on either company. So much for taking on those new roles (and accompanying raises) prior to Turkey Day, huh?

Regulators perturbed by Comcast’s executive reshuffling, NBC Universal takeover to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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