Denver, CO – CEDIA EXPO 2008 – September 4 – 7, 2008 – Booth #410 – When you take the best possible options for high definition entertainment and combine them into one seriously powerful media server, you’re going to need a new name for the experience you create. Life|ware™, makers of whole home automation and entertainment solutions, have done just that, unveiling a new “High Density Television™” initiative that brings in more high definition entertainment and distributes it around the home more effectively than ever before.

“High Density TV reinvents how we will move and/or view high definition entertainment around the home,” said Seale Moorer, Life|ware’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is the first solution to provide a whole house entertainment server that provides unparalleled capability in terms of HDTV tuners, HDTV streaming and Digital Media management for consumers.”

Life|media™ 810: 8 TV tuners, 10 Extenders, 12 TB of Storage
Several new Life|media units highlight the effort, headed by the company’s new Life|media LMS-810, which has 8 HDTV CableCARD™ tuners and can support up to 10 Media Center Extender devices.

“The 810 is a very powerful Media Server,” said Moorer. “It deftly handles the high-definition feeds from eight CableCARD tuners and provides HD streaming to ten extenders over the existing home network.”
The 810 provides an incredible 12 terabytes of RAID 5 storage which provide the disk space for a huge digital library of recorded TV, movies, music, photos and videos.

“The Life|media LMS 810 is the centerpiece of a digital entertainment solution as we all envision it,” said Pat King, senior vice president of Seagate’s Consumer Solution Division. “Seagate’s Pipeline HD hard drives are designed specifically for this type of scenario. With HD video optimization, exceptionally quiet acoustics and power management, Pipeline HD drives enable the LMS 810 to provide a reliable way to enjoy digital entertainment.”

Life|tuner™ provides more video options
Also being unveiled at CEDIA is the Life|tuner series of HDTV CableCARD tuner devices that work with Life|ware’s Life|media media servers, allowing the addition of up to six additional HDTV tuners to the Life|media experience.

“Life|tuner is another product that makes life easier for our dealers,” said Moorer. “Obviously, TV tuners themselves are nothing new, but this product allows the easy addition of two, four or six CableCARD tuners to our Life|media servers.”

Life|media media servers feature two CableCARD TV tuners. By adding the six-tuner Life|tuner unit to a high-end Life|media, a consumer has a remarkable 8-tuner DVR solution.

One thing he unfortunately doesn't take a position on is the disturbing trend of data caps from most of the major ISPs, which are technically net neutral, and satisfy his current mantra of full disclosure (i.e., your ISP can rape you, as long as they tell you first). Om has a pretty dire (but probably correct) take on Martin's position (or lack thereof).

We might see some rules over on the cable side to force them to open a bit more, if they don't do it of their own volition though:

"The cable operators won’t license a device that integrates Internet video content with their content,” he said. “I’m saying that’s wrong, and I am trying to get the other commissioners to address it.”

He hates the cable industry so, so much, and I kind of love him for it (even if it is a smokescreen). If you care at all about the future of the internet, cable or wireless, read the interview, there's a lot there. [Bits]

NCTA and TiVo Announce Progress on Switched Digital Adapter for TiVo DVRs SDV solutions from TiVo, Motorola and Cisco currently undergoing CableLabs(R) testing Cisco and Motorola tuning adapters on display at the 2008 Cable Show TiVo HD DVRs with tuning adapter support on display at the CableNET and Motorola booths at the 2008 Cable Show

NEW ORLEANS, May 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), today announced that after a series of successful informal interoperability tests TiVo and several manufacturers of switched digital external tuning adapters have submitted products for formal testing at CableLabs. The tuning adapter will enable TiVo Series3(TM), TiVo HD DVRs, and certain other one-way digital cable ready consumer electronic devices that utilize CableCARDs(TM) to access digital cable channels delivered using switched digital technology.

"The ability to turn concept into reality this quickly is a testament to how closely cable operators, CableLabs, TiVo and other cable vendors have worked over the last several months to develop this first-of-its-kind marketplace solution," said Kyle McSlarrow, NCTA President & CEO. "We are extremely grateful to TiVo for the critical role it has played throughout and are confident that customers will benefit from this solution enabling full access to switched digital channels."

Motorola and Cisco have both developed external tuning adapters and are seeking qualification by CableLabs(R) before being delivered to cable operators for deployment. The tuning adapters are expected to be offered in the coming months by cable operators including Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, and Cablevision in areas where switched digital technology is being deployed. The cable operators and TiVo plan to work cooperatively to alert TiVo subscribers about the availability or need of the new external adapter and to ensure that installation of the adapter and CableCARDs will be easy and seamless for the consumer.

TiVo has modified its software for its TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs to communicate with the external Tuning Adapter. TiVo announced that the modified software has been submitted to CableLabs for verification testing. Upon verification, the software upgrade will be made available to TiVo subscribers via a regularly scheduled update.

Switched digital technology enables cable operators to transmit individual channels to customers on an as-needed basis rather than broadcasting all channels to all subscribers all the time. Switched digital technology provides more flexibility for cable operators to utilize network capacity to deliver interactive digital services, high-definition (HD) channels, broadband Internet and digital phone service. The Tuning Adapter is intended to work on any Unidirectional Digital Cable Ready Product (UDCP) that has a USB connector and necessary firmware.

"We are pleased with the focus and cooperation that CableLabs and the cable industry has exhibited from the outset and are eager to see this solution through to fruition so that customers can enjoy access to all switched digital cable channels," said TiVo CEO & President Tom Rogers. "This undertaking is a significant step forward in our ongoing relationship with the cable industry to develop technology and provide solutions that improve the television experience of cable subscribers."

"Cisco continues to develop innovative video technology that allows cable operators to provide a broad range of video entertainment options, including high definition and niche content," said Michael Harney, senior vice president, Cisco, Service Provider Video Technology Group. "As part of our portfolio of advanced technology, Cisco will have on display the STA1520 Switched Tuning Adapter, which was developed in conjunction with CableLabs, our cable operator customers and TiVo."

"Motorola is committed to accelerating the delivery of personalized media experiences," commented John Burke, senior vice president and general manager for Motorola's Digital Video Solutions group. "Working collaboratively, we have developed a solution that extends the reach of innovative interactive services to TiVo users and we are pleased to be able to showcase this solution at the Cable Show."

TiVo HD DVRs attached to Motorola external adapters are currently on display in both the CableNET and Motorola booths at the 2008 Cable Show in New Orleans. The 2008 Cable Show, which runs May 18 - 20, is the largest cable and telecommunications exhibition in the United States.

• "Content available on cable networks is changing all the time. New services are added, some are redesigned and others are removed."

• "SDV technology is designed to expand the range of services offered by cable operators, not reduce them."

• "Many CE companies chose to implement receivers that lack the necessary circuitry to provide a full two-way cable experience with the CableCard."

• "No product was ever originally designed to work with this new Tuning Adaptor including the existing Tivo UDPC products...Since consumer products don't use Microsoft Windows, they don't have plug-in drivers. Instead a new firmware update is needed to include the necessary driver controls to interact with this new external device. Makers of any existing UDCPs that already have a USB port (there are many) are just as able to provide new firmware as Tivo, if they chose to do so."

• "Consumers should look for products identified as tru2way to ensure they will be able to get all the new and advanced services their digital cable systems can deliver."

Last we checked, Panasonic was the only one with a tru2way TV pegged to an actual shipdate, and Comcast was the only cable company even talking about implementing it this year, but again, hopefully we'll hear a lot more about this come the NCTA's Cable Show on May 18-20. We certainly look forward to hearing good news from CableLabs (and we're sure they look forward to sharing some). [CableLabs; Original HD Guru Story]

Cablevision and Time Warner Cable say that there is a CableLabs fix, a USB-based dongle that will enable the upstream communication required for SDV. But Merson says makers of CableCard TV sets (fewer and farther between these days) can't make use of any USB dongles. TiVo, on the other hand, said in December it would release the SDV-compatible dongle at an unspecified time this year, though they're not talking any more about it at the current time.

It's a lot of cable-tech mumbo jumbo, but if it means losing channels (and not getting any kind of payback for the loss, says Merson), well, it's a crisis. Fortunately, the big industry Cable Show will be happening soon, so let's make sure they have something to talk about. Check with your provider, and let us know if you're experiencing any SDV-related shafting on your end. [HD Guru]

Two-way CableCards basically mean that the cable box, with all its features including VOD and PPV, is built into the TV. Right now, the CableCard in a TiVo or Media Center PC will only get you video. Panasonic will integrate OCAP into its mid-level PZ80 line, in 50" and 42" models this summer. Though the list prices for the TVs without OCAP are $2499 and $1599 respectively, the price of OCAP itself will be quite noticeable. Though there are some shared-chip advantages to integrating the set-top box, Panasonic still says "it'll be the cost of a cable box built into a TV," so like, not cheap.

Panasonic is currently testing with Comcast in five markets, and are building this to spec with CableLabs and all of the cable companies, but that's no guarantee that any carrier will be ready to deploy when the TVs are, so get ready for cranky customer service operators and a lot of educational consumership. That is to say, you might have to teach your cable carrier about this new technology. [Panasonic 2008 Viera Lineup; CableLabs OpenCable]

If you're a Blu-ray aficionado, your model would be the AR630E for $1700. If you want to hook it up to your cable service, get the AR660U with CableCARD inside for $2400, and if you have a hankering for both Blu-ray and cable TV watching, $3300 takes the AR690U with both inside. Desktop replacement? These laptops are getting powerful enough to be an everything replacement. [Sony]

See the performance monitor shots in the gallery above—it's hardly working, using just 57% of its processing power while feeding and recording all that video. It's doing that using NVIDIA's highest-end graphics card, the 8800GTS (that's DVI-only, but easily converted to HDMI).

We're not sure who would really need to run four Xbox media extenders at the same time, recording all that stuff. Might be nice for a small hotel or a family with a dozen children. It was a fascinating engineering exercise nonetheless.

Here's what TiVo platform product manager Andrew Morrison told us about the funky timing:

This was a stategic release for TiVo. We have been focused on shipping our HD platforms giving our customers what they have been demanding, while continuing to work on the advanced features our early-adopter customers value. By delivering MRV and TiVoToGo in November, we will be able to offer this advanced functionality not only to those purchasing a new HD TiVo for the holidays, but also to our valued long-time customers who have grown attached to the benefits of multi-room viewing and TiVoToGo.

This is what TiVo's Bob Pony recently posted to the TiVo Community Forum:

I know you've been anxiously awaiting TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing on your Series3 and TiVoHD boxes.

I wanted to let you know that development has been progressing smoothly, and all is well. You can expect TTG & MRV to be available for Series3 and TiVoHD this November.

These features will provide support for video transfers between Series3 & Series2 systems and between a Series3/Series2 system and a PC. High Definition content will not be supported for transfer or playback on a Series2 system (Series2's just can't play HD), and copy-protected High Def or Standard Def content cannot be transferred (same as our current Series2 products).

Big Brother, Meet Little Brother
Although the TiVo HD is built on the Series3 platform, it's not exactly an update. Here's the breakdown:

• The original Series3 can record 300 hours of standard-def video and 32 hours of HD on a 250GB internal; the TiVo HD can record 180 hours of SD and just 20 hours of HD on a 160GB drive.

• It's not THX certified, but it's got the coaxial cable and antenna inputs, plus all the requisite outputs: HDMI, component, S-Video and composite. It also has an optical audio out.

• As you can see in the gallery, it has a dual CableCARD slot so you can record two shows at once (and watch a third, too). One of the slots even supports M-Card, for multistreaming, so you wouldn't need two separate cards. I am not entirely sure if you can use it to go hog wild and record three shows at once—it may not surprise you that Cablevision never mentioned it as an option when I ordered the CableCARDs.

• Instead of the original Series3's glowing OLED display, TiVo HD has an array of multicolored status-indicator LEDs. That's the extent of the glowing, too—unlike the pricier Series3, this one has a standard TiVo remote, happily unchanged these 10 long years.

• TiVo HD has an eSATA port on the back, same as its big brother, so expansion will be easy. It also has hardware support for AVC (H.264) and VC-1, though there still isn't any software implementation of this talent. We're waiting!

• As I just sort of alluded, nothing is different on the software side of things. Any rumors suggesting that TiVoToGo is available in the TiVo HD are incorrect at this point, though we'd love to see someone wave a magic wand and make that happen. The few screenshots I included in the gallery are intended to show you the similarities: it's all there, even though you're paying less than half the price.

Hands On
Though I had been suffereing at the hands of the loathed Explorer 8300HD for some time, I dreaded calling Cablevision and asking for CableCARDs. Fortunately, they knew what I was up to, and—after a couple of visits—were able to make it work. The trouble was not technical. The cards worked just fine. The trouble was that Cablevision installers are not allowed to be in your house when you go through the 20-minute setup, which they claim takes between 4 and 24 hours. In truth, the most time-consuming part of the process is waiting for the CableCARDs to take hold once they are installed. That took hours, but required the cable guy. Can I just say that I hate when people who don't know squat make up dumb rules? Well, I just said it.

The rest of the setup was super easy. TiVo provided the $60 Wi-Fi USB dongle, though you can use others, or just connect via Ethernet. I always love setting TiVo remotes to control the TV; it's a simple thing that any remote in the world can do, but I rarely do it with my cable remotes. Having that reassuring wizard is just a better incentive.

Once all of that was working, I was back in TiVo Country. I could search for shows without growing a beard in the process, jumping to Swivel Search to do stream-of-consciousness browsing. I ended up jumping from The Daily Show to a TiVoCast channel of content from The Onion. Everything we've discussed in the recent past is there: Amazon Unbox downloads, One True Media video and photo sharing, Yahoo! and Fandango. But most of all, it's a $300 way to unlock the HD cable subscription I pay a ridiculous amount of money for but can't navigate using standard cable boxes.

OK, it's not all perfect. My guess is that, since I had an early unit, there was some bugginess that will be fixed in the near term, including:

• Messed-up video decoding; I often got that that weird psychedelic MPEG frame lag, and some entire scenes of standard-def video had a bad iridescent quality, though that could have been due to a crappy analog source.

• At least one HD channel remains scrambled, and not a premium one. OK, I admit, it's CBS. I just got caught off guard by how funny The New Adventures of Old Christine is.

• Worst—though perhaps most fixable—of all: when I fast forward through lengthy stretches of content, the cursor jumps and skips, so that I end up way far away from where I want to be. Again, though I'm a bit traumatized, my guess is that it'll be fixed in the next firmware update.

• Also, as you know, decommissioning your cable box means no one-touch VOD. I like VOD, I will admit. But I am trying to figure out if I like it most because it's a way of getting around the frustrating user interface of cable DVRs.

How to get one
As you know, TiVo still has a monthly fee, one that can be as high as $17 per month if you don't commit to anything over a year, or as low as $9 per month, if you pay, up front, $299 for three full years of service. (That's a special offer. It's been around a while, but it might disappear at any time.) I figure if you're already saving $500 in not buying the deluxe Series3, might as well pay $300 of it back for the better service plan.

TiVo is taking pre-orders starting right this second. (According to one tipster, they actually started taking orders earlier, but quickly stopped.) The units themselves will start showing up in early August. If you are one of those sorry sons o' guns who recently bought a full-priced Series3, I really hope you can dig up the receipt.

TiVo Unveils New Attractively Priced TiVo® HD DVR—the Ultimate Companion to HDTVs

The new TiVo® HD DVR seamlessly combines ease of use, new content and affordability.

ALVISO, Calif.– July 24, 2007 – TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), announced today the launch of a new TiVo high definition DVR, delivering a premium HD experience at an affordable price. Starting today, consumers can pre-order TiVo HD at www.tivo.com for just $299.99, with product expected to arrive on retail shelves in early August. The new TiVo HD DVR is the ultimate HDTV companion, maximizing the HD cable experience by combining a new popular price with the clarity of HD programming and our Emmy® award-winning TiVo™ service. The new TiVo HD is also a Digital Cable Ready set-top-box that works seamlessly with any cable provider in the U.S. Moreover, the new product also enables the latest and greatest exclusive TiVo service features such as Movie & TV Downloads from Amazon.com, Home Movie Sharing and universal Swivel™ search, delivering the best of broadband video directly to the television set.

"TiVo HD extends the TiVo experience to an even wider audience than ever, giving sports and entertainment enthusiasts the ultimate companion to their HDTV set," said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. "It is the ultimate media centerpiece for the living room with the broadest selection of broadband content, right alongside your favorite broadcast and cable programs, giving HDTV viewers more choice and control than they've ever had before. And it can be used in place of the customer's existing cable box."

The TiVo HD is designed to fit seamlessly with home entertainment centers, replacing cable boxes while complimenting other entertainment devices. It is compatible with digital cable, analog cable and digital antenna (ATSC). TiVo HD offers 20 hours of HD or up to 180 hours of standard definition content. The new TiVo HD DVR allows users to record two HD channels at the same time, while watching a third previously recorded show. With a built-in Ethernet jack, two CableCARD™ slots and USB ports, TiVo HD also provides advanced connectivity and easy networking, making it simple to access an additional suite of exclusive TiVo features.

"TiVo HD is a perfect complement to the HDTV sets that are quickly becoming the standard for home entertainment," said Jim Denney, Vice President of Product Marketing at TiVo. "With an affordable price and uncompromised quality, TiVo HD is an obvious choice for anyone with a passion for home entertainment and HD programming."
TiVo HD includes access to a number of renowned TiVo features, furthering the difference between the TiVo service and generic DVR competitors, such as:

• Movie & TV Downloads - In partnership with Amazon.com, TiVo brings you Amazon Unbox™ on TiVo®, allowing you to download thousands of movies and TV shows straight to your TiVo DVR. Amazon Unbox on TiVo allows you to rent or buy movies from Amazon Unbox using your remote, download them to your TiVo box over your home network, and enjoy them right on your television set whenever you want. The movies you want are always in stock and new releases are available for purchase the same day they arrive on DVD. Best of all, order with your TiVo remote from the comfort of your living room and your rentals and purchases end up in your Now Playing list, right where you'd expect them to be. It's like having an entire video store connected to your TV.

• Universal Swivel™ Search - Exclusive to the TiVo service, universal Swivel search lets you quickly find everything you want in the world of broadcast and broadband television with a single, powerful search. It's the first truly TV centric onscreen search tool that allows subscribers to explore and discover broadcast, cable, and broadband content in an easy-to-use experience. TiVo subscribers can search using the way they intuitively think about television; that is, by starting with a program they currently enjoy and using elements of that program to find more of what they like. Universal Swivel search allows viewers to seamlessly link from descriptions of one program to all others that have common elements, including program name, actors, or suggestions based on other viewers' feedback.

• TiVoCast - TiVoCast delivers original video programming directly to your TiVo box over your broadband Internet connection from a variety of media brands and producers, including the New York Times, CNET, iVillage, The Onion, and many others. The content appears in your Now Playing List, alongside regular broadcast programming as well as your Amazon Unbox rentals and purchases and even Home Movies. It's all seamlessly integrated into the entire TiVo experience.

• Home Movie Sharing - Instead of burning your home movies to DVD and mailing them to friends and family, now you can share them through a private TiVo channel of your own. Simply upload your video footage or photographs to One True Media (www.OneTrueMedia.com), get a channel code, and send the code out to your audience. Your home videos will show up right in the Now Playing list on their TiVo boxes, so they can enjoy them on their own TV. No need to huddle around a computer screen anymore, home movie sharing delivers those precious moments directly to the TV.

• Online Services -With your TiVo box connected to your broadband home network, you can access a variety of online services right on your TV, including Yahoo! Traffic and Weather, Fandango movie tickets, live radio, podcasts, games and more.

• TiVo KidZone - Only TiVo-branded DVRs give you total control over what your kids see on TV. With TiVo KidZone, you get to choose which shows your children can watch and record. It also helps you discover great new shows for them through recommendations from leading national children's organizations. TiVo KidZone provides a customized Now Playing List for your children that displays only the shows you pre-approve, keeping their shows separate from your own shows. TiVo KidZone relies on your own personal settings and password to ensure your kids only see what you want them to see, keeping TV as safe as possible.

Pre-orders begin today with the first boxes being shipped in early August. See www.tivo.com for details on ship dates. A subscription to the TiVo service is required and sold separately. TiVo HD will be available starting early August at Best Buy, Circuit City and other retailers for $299.99.

About TiVo Inc.
Founded in 1997, TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) pioneered a brand new category of products with the development of the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). Sold through leading consumer electronic retailers, TiVo has developed a brand which resonates boldly with consumers as providing a superior television experience. Through agreements with leading satellite and cable providers, TiVo also integrates its full set of DVR service features into the set-top boxes of mass distributors. TiVo's DVR functionality and ease of use, with such features as Season Pass™ recordings and WishList® searches and KidZone have elevated its popularity among consumers and have created a whole new way for viewers to watch television. With a continued investment in its patented technologies, TiVo is revolutionizing the way consumers watch and access home entertainment. Rapidly becoming the focal point of the digital living room, TiVo's DVR is at the center of experiencing new forms of content on the TV, such as broadband delivered video, music and photos. With innovative features, such as TiVoToGo™ and online scheduling, TiVo is expanding the notion of consumers experiencing "TiVo, TV your way.®" The TiVo® service is also at the forefront of providing innovative marketing solutions for the television industry, including a unique platform for advertisers and audience measurement research. The Company is based in Alviso, California.

TiVo, Season Pass, Swivel, TiVoToGo, WishList, the slogan 'TiVo, TV your way.', Series2, Series3, and the TiVo logo are trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. © 2007 All rights reserved.

CableCARD™ is a trademark of the Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Also included in the 650PCIe is ClearQAM, a little publicized technology in a number of HDTVs. Like CableCARD, QAM is able to descramble digital TV signals without the use of a set top box. What that means for consumers is a handful of local channels and any other digital content cable companies include with basic cable. But seeing as they enjoy charging extra for extra hardware and multi-tiered cable schemes, we're guessing you won't be overwhelmed with the selection. No pricing yet, will arrive in September.
[Electronista]

The question is, are we turning a corner? The AP story below addresses how badly the cable companies are taking this new mandate. One industry spokesman called it a "set-top box tax" with "no benefit to consumers." A cable-co watchdog countered that cable companies have no problem raising rates anyway, so having a reason shouldn't make them mad. But what about those third-party products? The sad truth is, a set-top box issued by the cable overlords will still have more functionality than any third-party product, at least until CableCard 2.0 gets here.

Cable firms to raise set-top box rates [AP]

As a Cablevision subscriber with all of the channels the carrier now offers, all I can say is, "Please, dear God, no more programming!" Why would I say this?

The story mentions that Comcast and DirecTV are also building up capacity for HD, but not once does the story mention how the hell anyone intends to access this veritable sh'load of content. Cablevision, based mostly in and around the New York metropolitan area, uses the same Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD that its archrival Time Warner Cable NYC uses, yet with an even worse user interface, if you can imagine it:

• There's no way to search for shows (without growing a full beard in the process)
• There are 17 redundant options for scheduling a season pass, yet no way to skip recording one given episode
• By default, old content stays and when capacity is reached it stops recording new content, with no warning
• DVR and VOD options are separate channels, so there's no good way to do contextual search, among many other problems

I have been contemplating it, but now I will solemnly vow it: I will walk the fiery-coal path towards a Cablevision CableCard, to use with DVRs from TiVo and Microsoft. I will do so in the name of Giz, and in the name of 500-channel shitty-DVR sufferers everywhere. Down with the CableCo-mandated EPG!!! – Wilson Rothman

Cablevision could air 500 HD channels by year-end [Reuters]

Come July 1, when the government mandate that says all set-top-boxes need to have CableCARD support goes into effect, cable companies will be rolling out M-Card bi-directional cards that can activate dual-tuner DVRs from just one slot. But still, the problem is on the software side, which means TiVo Series 3s and Vista CableCARD machines won't be doing bi-directional support until a standard is there.

So the actual headline should probably be "There is no CableCARD 2.0...yet." – Jason Chen

There is no CableCARD 2.0 [Engadget HD]

Do you go with a cheap $9 a month rental from Comcast and put up with all its flaws to save money? Do you plunk down a couple hundred bucks and a monthly fee for a TiVo Series 3 because it just works the way you want it? Do you go all out and spend a couple grand for a Vista Media Center that has every single extra feature you could possibly want in a PC? Or do you go to the other extreme and build your own MythTV/SageTV/XP Media Center machine out of spare parts?

Here are the ten things you should know before you decide.

0) Do you have HDTV cable and an HDTV set? The pre-requisite to even getting an HD DVR is actually having high def cable and an HDTV. Make sure you're signed up for high definition cable from your cable provider (it's usually $5-$15 more a month) and have an HDTV to watch it on. The super-cheap EDTV sets you find at Costco won't support up to the 1080i resolution that HD cable brings, which means all those extra pixels are going to waste. Make sure you have the necessary equipment before you go and spend the money on an HD recorder.

1) Are you cheap? This is the biggest and most important question. Admit it, you're cheap. Hell, I'm pretty cheap too. Do you really need to spend $500 or $2000 for a system only to have to keep on paying rental or subscription fees of nearly $100 a month? Do you really want to watch that much TV? If not, then renting a HD DVR from your cable company or building your own Myth TV or XP Media Center Edition box with an over the air (OTA) HD recorder could be for you.

2) Are you familiar with Linux/PCs? If you are cheap (see #1), then you're probably contemplating salvaging an old PC and building a media center out of that. The only problem is that MythTV requires anywhere from slight Linux knowledge (installing some packages) to uber haxor Linux knowledge (recompiling kernels, fiddling with code and compiling), depending on what PC components you already have and which ones you can get your hands on. Even if you're going for a Windows XP MCE-based box, you might still have to go out and look for drivers and download updates to your current software. It's not nearly as easy as buying a TiVo or a pre-built Vista Media Center box.

3) Does someone nontechnical need to use it? If you or your wife/husband/roommates don't know the first thing about computers, you're going to want to go with TiVo. Although Vista's CableCARD HTPC is pretty easy to use (as we saw in our TiVo head-to-head), it's still a PC and still suffers from the same old PC problems like freezing or crashing. If you want the absolute simplest interface while still keeping features intact, you'll want a TiVo Series 3. Also, if you've already owned a TiVo before, you're going to want to stick with TiVo. Learning another system, even if it is easy like Vista's Media Center, is unnecessary if you're already an expert at one.

4) Do you need DivX/XviD playback? If you're often downloading TV shows and movies off of BitTorrent, you're going to want a way to watch them on your TV. And if you don't have an upscaling DVD player that supports DivX, a Vista CableCARD HTPC or a do-it-yourself Myth/XP machine can do the trick. However, most of the time HDTV encodes you find on BitTorrent are of poorer quality than the feeds you get from your cable provider—because they've been re-encoded, naturally. You'll want to watch most of your TV programming from your DVR instead of from BitTorrent if you can help it.

5) Do you have Satellite TV? If you have Dish or DirecTV, your own provider has a box made just to cram down your throat, so you're usually stuck with those. The DIY solutions like MythTV or XP MCE won't work with satellite, but Microsoft and DirecTV said they're going to integrate an app/plug-in into Vista Media Centers that allow reception of DirecTV. In this case, the receiver is your Vista HTPC, which brings with it all the benefits that HTPC systems have.

6) Do you need photos and music? Gaming? Internet browsing? Vista Media Centers trounce TiVo when it comes to viewing photos and playing back your music. To a slightly lesser extent, so do MythTV and XP MCE boxes. If you're going to want to play games or browse the Internet from your couch like some kind of non-shitty WebTV, a PC is the way to go.

7) Do you need On Demand? HD cable in general? This one's a little tricky. For On Demand, the only HD DVR that supports this is the one from your cable company. Both TiVos and Vista machines don't. Also, if you want HD cable, that totally rules out home-made machines like MythTV, which don't have CableCARD support and can only get cable over the air using an ATSC card. Depending on where you live, how big an antenna you use (yeah, you'll have to use an antenna), and what channels your local stations broadcast in HD, you may or may not have the same experience as HD cable.

8) Do you watch a lot of TV? If you record a lot of TV, you're going to need a lot of space. The DVRs from your cable company only have 120GB of space (the Comcast Motorola box), TiVo only has 250GB unless you upgrade it with an external hard drive, but Vista Media Centers and do-it-yourself solutions are almost infinitely expandable thanks to the fact that they're PCs. In fact, you could even store the recordings on another server over the network, or burn them to DVDs if you want to archive them.

9) Can you stand a PC in the living room? We're fine with it, but many people hate the sight of a PC in their home entertainment setups. This is a huge win for TiVo, since it looks like it belongs in your media center. However, you can technically get an extender like an Xbox 360 and get the exact same experience as if you had the Vista Media Center in your living room. This way, you can house your machine in another room and have a (relatively) quiet front-end. The same is true for MythTV systems, which can also be extended with smaller front ends and have larger servers in the back room.

10) Do you love Macs? Although we prefer to go with a TiVo 3 or Vista Media Center, we know of a couple people that are so tied into the Apple ecosystem of iTunes music and movies that they really want that experience in the living room as well. Using something like a Miglia TVMini HD+, you can turn your Mac Mini into a DVR that even records in DivX. Add to that the fact that you have a Mac with Front Row attached to your TV—so you can easily watch iTunes movies or listen to iTunes music—and you have the perfect setup for a Mac head who wants DVR features. The only caveat, like the issues MythTV systems run into on #7, is that you can only record over the air HD and not stuff from cable. (Of course, TiVo's desktop app is well supported on the Mac, so you can stream music and photos from your Apple, and a MCE PC can still run iTunes.)

With all these options, it's probably tough to decide which one is right for you. There's no perfect solution right now (neither TiVo nor Vista HTPCs are great for everyone), so you should pick the features you really, really need to have and choose the DVR that meets most of them. – Jason Chen

I compared the TiVo and Vista machine with CableCARDs this week. And I think you'll be surprised to know that the Media Center PC has a better user interface when it comes to recording shows, channel surfing, and watching TV. And playback of music, videos, and photos. The TiVo's OS just feels aged compared with the slick Vista Media Center interface. Did that surprise you?

I just wrote that Microsoft's interface is better than the TiVo's. Madness, I know.

The Media Center is better by almost all measurements. But for reasons I don't fully comprehend, I used the TiVo more. It's mysterious, but maybe I can shed some light on why:

For one thing, TiVo didn't crash. But it's more than the issue of stability that pushed me to TiVo (it's a big issue for TV recording, I know). Despite the OS being aged, it made me enjoy watching TV. I liked that it would recommend shows based on my viewing habits, and I liked that it didn't feel like I had too many other things to play with while I had it on. (A benefit to the TiVo sucking at most other things?) The main thing on the TiVo is that all my efforts were funneled towards couch potato non-action. The Media Center made me want to start using the keyboard, playing with the photos slideshow, and constantly switch between everything. The TiVo wasn't faster than the Media Center, and it wasn't slicker, but it was effortless. I don't know why.

Here's the breakdown on both:

The Guide and Flipping Channels
Media Center wins. The Media Center's guide is the fastest thing ever. Like TiVo, you can flip through by channel or by page. But scanning is ultra fast, without any refresh display.

Pressing up and down on the d-pad shows a mini onscreen guide, which shows guide detail of current shows, one channel at a time, without changing the channel until you select it. Massively useful.

Although the TiVo's UI has aged, it's still brilliant. The guide's listing is laggy, but it has the neat listing of a particular channel's shows on the right-hand side, show by show, instead of in half-hour increments. That way, it fits more on screen at once. If they fix that speed issue on the guide, the sensation of channel flipping would be a lot better.

Both show the current channel through the guide's transparent background.

Quick Recording
The Media center is faster. The Media Center can record with one click, and record a series of shows with a second click.
TiVo wins for being smart. There's some lag here, when shows are set to record, but that's not a big deal, merely an annoyance. TiVo's season pass just picks up the shows I want, knowing which are dupes, etc. MCE, I haven't developed that trust that it'll pick up the right shows.

Searching for shows
Media Center wins...if you have a keyboard, or not. Searching for shows is faster.
The TiVo's lag hits every time you click on a new letter, basically so that the TiVo can poll for matching shows as you type.

Photos and Music
Media center DESTROYS TiVo. TiVo desktop allows a PC or Mac to stream photos and music to the TiVo, but it's UI can't match the Media Center's handling of each. You can sort and create playlists and slideshows, and even edit photos. It's all thumbnailed and extremely slick. Using it makes me think about divorcing myself from iTunes, iPhoto, and make a Vista living-room PC my media server. (See the gallery for more understanding of why I love this system.) There's also a hookup for your online Yahoo's photos (not Flickr), but MCE has this too (not in the main photo menu, but under online).

Media Center can basically be loaded up with any codec...and double as a torrent machine.

Remote Scheduling
TiVo wins for ease of use. TiVo has their website, and MCE has an underdocumented MSN plug-in that allows it via the Web. TiVo has a Verizon App. But chances are a phone with a decent Web browser can sludge through the MSN site and remote schedule.

Recommendations, Movie Listings, Sports Features and More
TiVo's recommendation system is amazing. You give shows you're watching or have recorded between one to three thumbs-up or thumbs-down signs. And TiVo uses your spare space to get shows it think you might like. Amazing to find new shows this way, even if some people have voiced privacy concerns.

Media Center has a neat feature that grabs art and metadata for all the movies playing now or soon, and tiles them on a movies page. It's an easy way to find flicks.

TiVo has a movie rental hook in with Amazon's Unbox. Last time I checked, Unbox has ~5,000 movies. I'd like to see HD movies here. Movies expire 24 hours after you hit Play. MCE has all sorts of hook-ins for movie rental from services like Movielink. It's a PC, after all.

TiVo has weather and traffic maps via Yahoo, as well as a ticket-buying feature via Fandango. I like both.

Expandability
TiVo continues to release new features, like their Swivel search last week, which let's you search through a show's metadata to find similar content. But the Media Center's plug-in community is pretty extensive. There's tons of stuff for iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, weather, and more. Chances are, there aren't many partner features TiVo has that MCE can't somehow replicate, via plug-ins or via Windows itself.

Stability and Messes of Cables
It had to be said, but it's obvious. The Vista Machine is a Windows PC. It crashes, and sometimes the external USB tuner needs to be restarted. The Dell I'm testing lost connection with its ATI external tuner several times, needing to be rebooted, and crashed a few times over the week, too. Fantastic machine or not, a DVR has to be alive to record shows. And to match the twin HD tuners of the TiVo, you need 2 external ATI tuners, each using a USB port, power plug, and a cable coax. Very annoying. (Velocity Micro is shipping internal tuners in their boxes now.)

Mobile Devices
Media center can sync to Plays for Sure devices. TiVo can use TiVo to Go. I'm sure there are differences here, but it's pretty much a wash.

Price
A new, Cable Labs certified PC costs several thousand dollars, a TiVo Series 3 costs $600 plus ~$15 a month, and a crappy DVR from your cable goes for about $15/month, too. The TiVo and PC in these situations are luxury for the people insane enough to spend a lot of money on gadgets. The TiVo wins, but you already knew that.

I like the idea of the CableCARD PC a lot. So if the prices were closer together, I'd recommend it over the TiVo. But given the undeniable fact that I used TiVo 85% of the time (and I'm not a TiVo fanboy), and that its cheaper, I'd recommend that for couch potatoes, and the PC for ultimate media geeks. I just wish its fans would stop whirring. I feel like this thing uses a lot of juice to run 24/7. – Brian Lam

For people like Dave Zatz, the choice is clear—TiVo all the way. It's cheaper, has an easier-to-use interface, doesn't require a PC in the living room and people just like it more than a Windows machine.

But for others who want DivX playback, gaming, more than two TV tuners, larger storage and all the benefits of a PC, they'll definitely go with a Vista system.

But what do you think? The ease of use and lower price of the TiVo or the better customizability but higher cost of the Vista HTPCs? – Jason Chen

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Hey home theater PC lovers! Those of you who are still waiting around for CableCARD-enabled machines in order to get high-def cable in your home theater setup don't have to wait much longer, since these CC machines are finally shipping.

If you wanted to get a sneak peek at what you're going to get with these systems, check out our exclusive first hands on with Niveus's systems back in April. We'll have more coverage on these soon as well. – Jason Chen

Gallery [Gizmodo]

Few companies allowed self installation and the cards themselves weren't bidirectional, meaning you couldn't get pay-per-view or on-demand type of programming. CableCARD 2.0 will allow for two-way interactivity and support up to six independently tuned TV channels. The new cards will make their first appearance in 2008, but the catch is you'll need new components to take advantage of them. That is, if they ever catch on in the first place. – Louis Ramirez

CableCARD: What You Need to Know [Electronic House]

If you're curious to see how Vista handles CableCARD recording and playback, check out our first hands on with Niveus's units early this month. – Jason Chen

Product Site [S1Digital via Press Release]

Before the bug was found and the whole shipment processs stopped, a small amount of tuners were already given to Velocity Micro, which allowed them to be first out the gate with a handful of CableCARD tuner PCs. So some people are already in HD heaven.

However, the bug on ATI's side has been fixed already (it was a very minor one), and the only reason you can't get a HTPC with CableCARD tuner support right now is because CableLabs—the guys who made the tech—has a five-week certification process. So it looks like late April/early May still. – Jason Chen

ATI stops shipping CableCARD tuners due to bugs, will resume soon [Engadget]

In short, the Niveus PC can do whatever you normally do on Vista, such as watch downloaded movies, and it can also do what the TiVo Series 3 does.

The test setup, which you can see in the video on top, is running Niveus's higher-end Denali system along with the company's dual CableCARD receiver. Check that out, then join us after the jump for impressions.

If you've never used Vista's Media Center, you can see how shiny and usable the interface is. The bonus of going with a Niveus system is the company-specific add-ons and plugins: Stuff like HD music downloads via the Music Giants Network and Niveus's own backup software are all integrated into the 10-foot experience.

If you are familiar with Media Center—perhaps using it with an analog NTSC tuner to record standard definition cable now—you'll know it works quite well. Adding a CableCARD makes it work even better. In this test system, we were able to record three HD shows and play back a fourth without any hiccups. We were also able to flip channels in HD with even less delay than my piece-of-crap Comcast Motorola DVR.

You'll be needing both a standard Rainier or Denali set that has Vista installed, plus a Niveus Digital Cable Receiver with CableCARD in order to handle HD. This, in turn, makes it so you have two components to place into your media center cabinet, not just one. Plus, it jacks up the price a bit.

Other miscellaneous items: It's super quiet (only 20-something db) thanks to its all-but-fanless system. There's one fan in the power supply but everything else is passively cooled, with the heat out to the gigantic fins on the outside. It works with Niveus's other products like a Disc Changer, Storage Server, and a Media Center Companion that runs on a laptop or a tablet PC.

The only downside is that the setup is pricey. These are high-end systems here. If you thought a TiVo Series 3 was expensive, don't look at the $3199 price point for the Rainier, plus another $1499 for a CableCARD digital cable receiver. However, other than having DVR features, the Niveus system doesn't have that much in common with a TiVo. Can you play games on your TiVo? Record 4 HD channels simultaneously? Download and play back HD media? Link up to your 100-disc DVD changer? Play back HD DVD discs? Not exactly.

If you do want one with CableCARD recording capability, you'll have to wait until late April or early May to get it. Watch for our review before then. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Niveus]

Velocity Micro MCE [AVS Forum]

As we explored before, there hasn't been a single Vista CableCARD PC released yet, so if this is true, Niveus will be taking the crown as the first out the door. Which doesn't count for a whole lot months down the line, when better or cheaper devices are released. – Jason Chen

But January 30 has come and gone, but where are the cheap Vista DVRs? Nowhere, that's where. Microsoft's told us that there are no Vista Media Centers shipping as of right now with CableCARD support.

If you want to buy one—and that's your only choice if you want CableCARD support for HDTV on a PC—then you've got only two options.

1) Pay thousands of dollars for a high end system and hope they upgrade your system afterwards. Both Niveus and Okoro have announced uber-expensive Vista systems with CableCARD support "coming sometime in the future". These have ATSC tuners for OTA tuning for now, but that was possible back on Windows XP Media Center.

2) Wait a few months for Dell, Sony, Gateway, and other cheap manufacturers to put CableCARD certified tuners in pre-built systems. This is what we recommend, actually, since Dell had some pretty cheap and relatively functional Media Center 2005 machines for sale.

So all this CableCARD Vista Media Center talk is still a bit premature, thanks to the fact that none are available yet. We'll check back in a few months and let you know where to grab one of your own. – Jason Chen

Niveus

While the system records two HD shows at the same time, it can play back a third prerecorded show or HD DVD, Blu-ray or anything else. And you can pack 3.75TB of storage in there, too. This sounds like the home theater convergence machine we've been waiting for.

The only catch?

These monsters cost in excess of $4399, and that's before you pile on that extra storage and the HD disc players.

Since these CableCARD-equipped units will ship in March, we're thinking they'll be loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista.

While the VidaBox Max and Lux units appear to be the ones packing this dual HD capability, we're also quite impressed with its Stealth model (pictured below), which the company says is completely silent.

Combine that quietude with all this HD and CableCARD capability, and you'll have what we're thinking is the home theater PC of the future. Oh yeah, make it all cost $800, and that'll be the sweet spot. – Charlie White

Press Release [VidaBox]

Unless that PC is an official Media Center Extender (MCX)—such as the Microsoft Xbox 360—you may not be able to snag digital cable content on a CableCard-equipped PC and then stream that video over your network to any another PC.

Hey! Hey! Wait a doggone minute....

Without that extra-special MCX voodoo, protected HD content won't be viewable on anything but the PC on which the CableCards reside. It's a closed-loop system to keep those pesky pirates at bay.

This streaming thing might seem like a small detail, but it will make it less convenient and sometimes impossible to move video around your house unless mommy says it's okay. That's right, the owners of the content get to decide how you use it, not you. That stinks.

Before long, there will probably be lots of third-party devices with embedded Media Center Extenders (the MCX technology is code-named Pika), especially non-recording devices such as DVD players and keypads. But all those devices will give the content owners control over us, dictating what we can do with our video. This can't be good. – Charlie White

Another MCE CableCard Shortcoming: No Streaming to Other PCs [CEPro]

But wait. While Zatz Not Funny reports Comcast balkiness with the CableCards, I had nothing but smooth sailing with Time Warner Cable, which sent over an astute technician who immediately plugged two CableCards into a TiVo Series 3 HD Multimedia Recorder, and all worked perfectly after just a few minutes. The company did charge me $31 for the truck roll, though. Anyone else having positive or negative experiences with the cable companies on this issue? – Charlie White

TiVo Meets With FCC, Talks CableCARD [Zatz Not Funny]

A little bird dropped a TiVo Series3 into our laps early, just in time for the official launch, right now. The Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder is going for the sky high $799.99 we reported earlier. The good news: it may be worth it. The 720p/1080i resolution digital video recorder packs in two CableCards, letting you record a couple of channels of HD digital cable or over-the-air HD programs at the same time while watching a third recording.

Here's an exclusive hands-on review with pictures and video, after the jump. – Charlie White

This TiVo feels just like the ones we've grown to love over the years, but now it records HD in a way that can only be called flawless. Its Dolby Digital audio isn't too shabby either, thanks to it being the first THX-certified personal video recorder in the world. It definitely sounds and looks the part. Plus, it has an HDMI port, a shiny piano-black case, a revamped remote control with backlighting, and of course that unparalleled usability of its famed TiVo interface.

Check out the back of this Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder and you'll see it's loaded with connectivity options. Of course, there is that HDMI output, optical digital audio output, and if you look over on your right, there is an E-SATA data output so you can expand that disk space ad nauseum. Too bad there's no coaxial digital audio output, something that we use quite often with some of our other home theater gear.

We also had a great experience with the Time Warner cable installer, a dude named Adam Jahnke, whom the company sent over with two CableCards. After carefully and precisely calibrating our video signal, he popped those two suckers into the TiVo and after a couple of minutes they were all registered and ready to go. Who says Time Warner is reluctant to install CableCards? Nothing doing here, and they sent one of their best guys to help us out. Thanks, Time Warner. Now take this Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD PVR piece of shite outta here and eliminate its command with extreme prejudice. KBye.

Next, I sat down to fire up this box to see what it could do. I quickly noticed how nice and quiet this TiVo is, and it has a cool-looking OLED display on the front that tells you the name of the program that’s being recorded. I plugged in the wireless G USB network adapter and the TiVo immediately recognized our network here. Not long after that, it was all ready to go and started downloading its program info. After installing the TiVo desktop on another one of our workstations, the TiVo was eager to exchange MP3s. It wasn't quite so happy about some high-rez photos I had, though, and TiVo reps say that's a feature that will be implemented later this year.

Another feature that was sorely missed is TiVo2Go, where you can rip programs from the TiVo onto a computer, a mobile device or an iPod. There's no sign of that on this latest TiVo yet, and TiVo officials say they are investigating this and working on getting it certified, but couldn't say when that would happen. But you're still able to program the TiVo via the Web, a great feature that can save your ass if you've, say, forgotten to program one of your favorite shows after you've gone to work.

What I didn't really miss were