Hasta La Gadget!

The free WatchESPN app that lets users tune into the family sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com) has been upgraded to version 1.1 on iOS (also available for Android) and in the process added a new UI designed just for the iPad. It sports a new tablet friendly UI, but the key restriction is still that you need to subscribe to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV to make use of the service. If you don’t have one of those and need a quick hit of sports TV without your TV, there is an account preview option that gives a few hours of viewing, no authentication necessary. You can download it yourself at the iTunes link below or check out the commercial embedded after the break.

Continue reading WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers

WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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Remember Dimenco? A four-man splinter group of former Philips employees, the company has been hard at work refining its glasses-free 3D display tech and today some of the earliest fruit of its labor is going on sale. Nissho Electronics in Japan is beginning sales of a 52-inch LCD panel that can pump out full 1080p of 3D vision without requiring any headgear from the viewer. Initially, this big lenticular display will target businesses, who’ll be among the few to be able to afford the ¥1.7 million ($20,820) asking price. Other specs include a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, 700 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate. The 3D on this TV is actually described as a unique “2D + depth” implementation, which can also be used to convert 2D images in real time. Great, now take a zero out of that price, ship it westwards, and watch the sales really take off.

Nissho starts selling 52-inch, glasses-free 3D TV with Full HD resolution in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Although TiVo announced it would offer Hulu Plus back in September we’re still waiting for it to arrive on those Premiere DVRs. Twitter user @dlayphoto spotted these materials in their local Best Buy promising six months of the $7.99 / month service for free with the purchase of a new box — with a new price tag — although it’s hard to see if this will apply to existing users as well. The URL on the cards leads to a (now deactivated, but larger screenshots are over at Zatz Not Funny) page where TiVo owners can input their serial number and email address to get access. Judging by the dates on the promotions, things should get rolling within the next month or so, but we’ll let you know when we hear something official.

Hulu Plus on TiVo promos pop up in stores and online, suggest launch soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been waiting since 2009 for the RVU Alliance to deliver on its promise of TV service controlled by a main server that streams content to any screen in the home without requiring any set-top boxes and it appears DirecTV is ready to make it so. A press release issued today indicates it has started field trials of the HR34 RVU server that will be the keystone in its Home Media Center, and plans to roll the service out nationwide in October. If you want to know when to start buying HDTVs like the Samsung D6000 series, it also mentions RVU certification for those and DirecTV’s own C30 Home Media Clients (check out a video demo here) is expected to be finalized in June. There’s been some delays but if you were also hoping that 2011 would be the year we can get rid of the cable box, the progress is looking very promising.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Continue reading DirecTV is field testing RVU, will offer satellite TV without individual receivers in October

DirecTV is field testing RVU, will offer satellite TV without individual receivers in October originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 19:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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