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Are DVRs actually going to save the network TV model?

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 5:29PM

Stay tuned for the network's latest DVR strategy: acceptance. Armed with the latest Nielsen data, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are rushing to tell advertisers that even with a set-top box and its bevy of pauses, fast forwards and 30 second skips at the ready -- we're guessing this doesn't apply to Media Center users on automated setups -- most viewers simply settle in and watch the commercials anyway. The New York Times breaks down the commercial-plus-three ratings system the networks initially opposed that could end up saving shows like Heroes from cancellation -- though a return to the old way of thinking might be worthwhile if it means an end to that show's now pitiable existence.

Media Manager for Mac enables iPhone / iTunes media streaming to FiOS TV DVR (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2009 at 9:01AM

We're hearing that the PC version of this here software still beats out the Mac counterpart, but equality is slowly but surely becoming a reality. The main new feature over on the OS X side, however, is a good one: the ability to stream iPhone and iTunes media directly to your TV via your FiOS TV DVR. Fire up an iTunes playlist and watch the fun roll by on your home TV, and there's even support for photo slideshows and the like. It's available to download right now from the read link, and those still skeptical can catch a demonstration vid just past the break.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

Continue reading Media Manager for Mac enables iPhone / iTunes media streaming to FiOS TV DVR (video)

SeaChange shows 108 TB DVR at Cable-Tec

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 29th 2009 at 7:07PM

SeaChange diagram
More news from the Cable-Tec Expo and this time it's from SeaChange -- although we'd all probably love to have this in our home, the RS-DVR is 108 TB and is designed to service 500 subscribers, while taking up 7 racks of data center space. The system would probably work nicely for operators like Cablevision who plan to replace the DVR sitting under your HDTV with a network based version -- especially since SeaChange claims the total cost of ownership is only $100, which apparently is less than a third what DVRs are currently costing providers. The RS-DVR can record 4,000 SD shows at once, which might just be enough since Hollywood is requiring cable companies to record one copy of each show per customer. It can also serve up content to portable devices while still letting you resume where you left off later on your HDTV. No word if there's been any takers, or even a price though.

Ask Engadget HD: Is it (still) a good time to buy a TiVo?

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 29th 2009 at 2:40PM Featured Story

The TiVo platform has been around for quite some time -- and has undoubtedly grown quite long in the tooth -- but it's still a great HD DVR, and has attempted to keep things fresh with new features like Netflix streaming, video on-demand access and more. But now, in late 2009 with new challengers to the throne, cable and satellite operators offering their own upgraded boxes and a little thing called Windows 7 Media Center, Nick wants to know if it's still his best option:

"Moving into a new place in a couple of weeks, and while I haven't decided between cable, satellite or FiOS for my TV, I figure part of the decision is how I want to set up my DVR. I've had a regular one from Time Warner for the last few years, but I had a TiVo before that and I'm itching to go back. Media Center seems awfully complicated to set up and I'm not sure what other options there are and which one if the best value, what's your suggestion?"

It's been a while since we took on the soul-wrenching question of the TiVo, and a year later with Series4 boxes hopefully just around the corner it's time to confront the beast once again. Whether you have a TiVo or chose to go in another direction, the date has changed but the question is the same, is this still a great time to buy one?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Broadcom's new DVR chip could make all our dreams come true

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 29th 2009 at 11:29AM

Generic Broadcom chipWe look to our TV provider and companies like TiVo and Moxi to bring us DVRs, but the one thing just about every DVR has in common is a Broadcom chip makes them tick. So while the rest of the box varies by a lot, if the System on a Chip (SoC) doesn't support it, then it probably isn't there -- assuming another chip isn't added for a specific task. So you can understand why we got so excited when we saw the specs on the latest SoC, the BCM7125, announced by Broadcom at the Cable-Tec Expo. It of course supports tru2way and CableCARD, but more interestingly; MoCA 1.1, DLNA, Flash (as in video streaming), DOCSIS 3.0, and a 3D graphics engine. This means that little little guy could be the key to a multi-room DVR without running wires, that will play Hulu directly from the internet as well as stream content from PlayOn, all via a great looking user interface. So yeah, it has potential. The sad news is that there's no way to know how long we'll have to wait before a DVR is released that'll actually take advantage it.

How to automatically skip commercials in Windows 7 Media Center

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 22nd 2009 at 8:22PM Featured Story

Windows 7 Media Center
Skipping commercials on a HTPC DVR has been around for a long long time, but it isn't always the easiest thing to setup. And even if you do get it working, there are so many options, it can take some time before you get it working the way you want it. So in the spirt of Windows 7 day, and the fact that the next major version of ShowAnalyzer is being released, we figured we'd write up a how to with a few tips and tricks of our own. We start by downloading and installing the main components; DVRMSToolBox, the DTB Media Center Add-in and ShowAnalyzer, and finish off with some troubleshooting for when things go wrong. So if you use Media Center, click through and never pick up the remote to skip a commercial again.

Continue reading How to automatically skip commercials in Windows 7 Media Center

Blockbuster On Demand goes live on TiVo boxes

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2009 at 8:59AM

We knew good and well it was coming, and now the deed has been done. As promised, Blockbuster's On Demand movie rental service has gone live on a bevy of TiVo boxes, enabling Series2, Series3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL DVRs to watch all sorts of releases without needing to purchase another set-top-box or tap into their cable company's VOD system. We're told that most rentals will range from $2.99 (for the classics) to $3.99 (for new releases), with the film catalog expected to expand over the coming weeks. HD aficionados will have to wait a tick before seeing any movies available in high-def, but those looking to pick up a new TiVo can now saunter into any Blockbuster retail location in order to claim one. Eager to get in on the action? Fire up your box and hit the "Video On Demand" screen from TiVo Central.

TiVo for BlackBerry now available, remotely schedules recordings with BlackBerry-like efficiency

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 30th 2009 at 2:43AM

Don't expect anything out of a science fiction novel like placeshifting -- better look to the gurus at Sling Media for that -- but if you're just looking for a nice, easy way to peruse your channel guide and set up TiVo recordings remotely from the soft glow of your BlackBerry's screen, there's a new option in town. The aptly-named TiVo for BlackBerry app lets you record one-off shows, set up Season Passes, and browse a guide that looks surprisingly similar to the UI you'll find on the TiVo itself. It's available for download now from App World, and rest assured, you don't need to worry about blowing through your carrier's data caps with this one.

Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 7:14PM Featured Story


Look, Moblin and MIDs and USB 3.0 are all well and good, but the real highlight of IDF is hiding in plain sight: it's Intel's CE 3100 Media Processor-based Tru2way DVR server, which has three digital cable tuners that can be streamed over a regular gigabit Ethernet or MoCA to any number of clients, ranging from other 3100-based set-top boxes to DLNA devices like laptops and even the PS3. It's seriously cool -- the clients all see the server's tuners as their own, so the experience is seamless, and since it all runs on the Tru2way stack, it doesn't matter what kind of client you plug in -- the three clients on the show floor were running interfaces from Intel, Comcast (Rovi), and Digeo. Of course, since it's a DVR, you can actually add more clients than tuners and have them play back recorded content while your other boxes use the tuners -- Intel was demoing XBMC on a Sony laptop connecting over DLNA and streaming a recorded program while a PS3 nearby ran a photo slideshow, all while the three cable clients streamed uncompressed HD video from the tuners. Intel says a number of cable companies are interested in deploying this stuff and that we should see things on the market in the next year -- we honestly can't wait. Check a video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

Digeo purchased by Arris, promises continued Moxi development, sales and support

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 9:51PM


After a post-CES "streamlining" resulted in layoffs and left highly anticipated products like the Multi-Room HD DMR to never see the light of day the future of Moxi DVR builder Digeo has remained in doubt, but that's all behind us as it has been acquired by ARRIS. Promising not only continued support for current Moxi customers but also plans to continue to develop and market the line of products, it appears the communications company sees this as a way to expand its own networking expertise. The cost to snap up Digeo's IP, 75 employees and other assets? A mere $20 million cash - we expect to find out more details via conference call tomorrow, any questions you want answered about the future of Moxi? Let us know in the comments, whether this means the UI will get a makeover is already on our list.

The CEA asks the FCC if CableCARD is helping to spur competition

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 1:04PM

CableCARD in a box
It's about time someone said something and it's no surprise that it was the Consumer Electronics Association who finally did. You see CableCARDs are the solution that the cable industry came up with to comply with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which stated that consumers should be able to bring their own equipment to the cable party. We of course know that outside of TiVo and a few other CableCARD DVRs like Media Center, no one uses it. Well actually the entire cable industry uses it because the FCC mandated that after July of 2007, that every single newly deployed digital set-top had use a CableCARD instead of the integrated security. This mandate was supposed to encourage the cable industry to support 3rd party CableCARD host devices better, which obviously didn't happen. And so the CEA is doing whatever it can and nudging the FCC with a, "this isn't working, what's next?" What is supposed to be next is tru2way, but we all know how that it is going nowhere, and fast. The CEA says enough is enough, lets bring on downloadable conditional access (DAC) which would replace the whole card thing with a simple download. Of course this alone isn't enough to solve the problem, and until the cable industry agrees to give up complete control of the infrastructure and adopts a two-way standardized protocol like DCR+, no matter what the cable industry does, this entire cycle is just going to start all over again. But hey, it's a start, maybe in another 16 years we'll actually be able to watch HDTV without a set-top-box.

DirecTV's CEDIA booth was all about multi-room viewing

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 14th 2009 at 1:36PM


When we were walking around CEDIA this past week we noticed a thing or two that we would've missed if we just focused on reader press releases. One of those things was the emphasis DirecTV put on multi-room viewing. This is good news to us, because we think that MRV is one of the next big things in the world of HD and DVRs. Most consumers just want to be able to watch whatever they want, wherever they want, so having the exact same experience on every TV in the house is key. Specifically DirecTV was showing its vision of the future including how the next generation of DirecTV HD DVR would work. What's interesting is that although DirecTV does allow customers to download beta software for the current HD DVR that enables MRV features, that isn't what these pictures are of. The current technology also isn't using the new RVU Alliance's technology, of which DirecTV promised to deploy next year. Overall we'll be keeping a close eye on the progress, but we were disappointed to hear the booth representatives describe the system without mentioning the full experience on the thin clients.

Video: Dish Network Media Center tuner in action

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 10th 2009 at 4:37PM


We told you we were able to get a video of the Dish Network tuner for Windows Media Center in action and here it is. You can see that for the most part, the Dish content plays back just like any other HD source. We did seem to think that the channel changes were slower than we were used to, but not bad enough to be a deal breaker. The short clip is after the jump.

Continue reading Video: Dish Network Media Center tuner in action

Hands-on with the Ceton CableCARD tuner

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 10th 2009 at 11:48AM


We learned all about it this new tuner first thing this morning and were very pleased to see a "technology preview" of the card in action at the Microsoft's booth. As expected, it is a single PCI-E card that uses one multi-stream CableCARD and offers the ability to record four HD channels at once. The tuner shows up as a single network adapter in Windows and still uses UPnP like the currently available ATI tuner does. The configuration and diagnostic interface included tabs for each individual tuner and apparently two Tuning Adapters -- unfortunately there wasn't a working demo of the SDV tuning in action. And in case you are wondering, we did ask about the price and as you might expect we were referred to Ceton for specific product questions. We do already have an appointment with them tomorrow, but we'd be surprised if they were ready to tell us.

Clear QAM HD isn't going anywhere!

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Aug 28th 2009 at 5:48PM

Clear QAM tuner
Oh we just love the echo chamber that is the internet these days -- some genius reads about something as harmless as a integrated security waver for cheap digital SD set-top-boxes and automatically predicts the end of clear QAM as we know it. Now we hate all the feet dragging by cable operators in the US as much as the next, and wish the FCC would enforce the Telecommunications Act of 1996 already, but that doesn't mean that everything big cable does is evil, or that the FCC is useless.

The bottom line is that local broadcast channels are available in HD to any cable subscriber with a clear QAM tuner, whether you have a set-top-box or not. The recent news changes nothing, except maybe a very select few who were lucky enough to receive more than locals via clear QAM. We dropped the FCC a line to make sure we had our facts straight -- wouldn't want to call people out without checking our own first -- and the very prompt answer we received was that this statutory requirement goes all the way back to the to the Communications Act of 1934 (Section 614(b)(4)(B).

More recently, the FCC addressed the issue when laying down the digital transition rules which "states that broadcast signals that are subject to mandatory carriage must be "viewable via cable on all television receivers of a subscriber which are connected to a cable system by a cable operator or for which a cable operator provides a connection." Now obviously we're not lawyers, but it seems pretty clear that local cable operators are not allowed to encrypt any locally broadcast HD stations. Now we've heard reports that some cable companies do indeed encrypt these signals, but while you might be willing to complain on some forum about it, have you taken the time to file a proper complaint with the FCC? If not, then you really don't have anything to complain about.

Read (doc) - The 2007 Report to set the transition rules (paragraph 15)

**UPDATE** As you can see from the comments, with anything legal it isn't exactly cut and dry. In fact the only thing we've managed to accomplish is to be confused. So while some level of broadcast TV has to be free, we're not sure if it's free as in beer or what. Stay tuned for a follow up just as soon as we figure it out.




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