DVR
”PlayStation 3 PlayTV is Non-Transferable After All
When we heard that PS3 PlayTV DVR recordings would be transferable to PSPs and PCs, we we're absolutely thrilled, proclaiming, "For the first time in a long time, we want to grab Sony and kiss them square on the lips." Well, put away the Binaca, because Sony has taken back their promise for undisclosed reasons. More »Dealzmodo: Free Home Media HD-DVR For a Year With Verizon FiOS
Sign up for some sweet, sweet fiber pipes via Verizon FiOS between now and October 4th and you can bag a year's worth of free Home Media multi-room DVR—the nifty recorder that can play three different saved shows on up to six TVs simultaneously, with individual pause/play controls on each set. You know, the one Kevin Garnett likes so much. More »Court Rejects Studios and Networks' Copyright Beef With Cloud-Storage DVRs
Waaay back in 2006, Cablevision planned to roll out a DVR which stored shows on Cablevision's servers rather than on hard disk inside your set-top box. As they are wont to do, the studios and networks saw an opportunity to suck more revenue out of the system, citing obscure copyright conditions which call for fees when content is "retransmitted" in any way. Now, a judge has smacked down their suit to block remote-storage DVRs, meaning DVRs in the cloud could see the light of day after all. More »MythTV's MyMote iPhone Remote App
The idea of controlling your DVR via your iPhone is nothing new, but this MythTV iPhone remote allows Linux DVR users to get in on the fun of using their phones as visual remotes. It's got a real-time program guide so you can easily set recordings, plus the standard channel and volume buttons to flip around channels with. The only thing we have to complain about is that the UI is fairly ugly and not refined at all, but it's bearable. Unfortunately all of us here use either TiVo or Media Center or the cheap set-top-box provided from our Cable company, so we can't test it out. Let us know how it works for you. [eHomeUpgrade]TBS, I Can Pause My Own TV, Thanks
TBS has opted to not only advertise during television shows through those pesky lower third banners, but to go so far as to pause the show you are watching to do it. A particularly offensive case of interstitial marketing, needless to say, it's not going to do wonders for the network's ratings. Oh, and for the TBS marketing gurus high-fiving right now and claiming that any press is good press, we have two words for you: Michael. Jackson. [kottke via bbGadgets]Australia Gets TiVo Minus the Subscription Fees
The Seven Media Group is so excited to distribute TiVos in Australia before the Beijing Olympics (and worried about fierce regional competition) that they're actually offering the boxes with full service sans subscription fees. If you ask the average non-TiVo user why he/she uses an alternative DVR, 9 out of 10 people will probably point to recurring costs. Even with TiVo's lifetime subscription back in action, the company still asks for a lot of money to provide basic DVR services. Not to stereotype here, but you're telling me that Australia gets boxing kangaroos, Crocodile Dundee and free TiVo service? Lucky! [SMH via Zatz Not Funny]Microsoft Will Totally Bork Your Media Center DVR If NBC (or Anyone) Asks It To
Last week, courtesy of NBC, people with a Windows Media Center DVR setup got a rude reminder that broadcasters can flip a switch (called a broadcast flag) to tell DVRs not to record a show. Here's the thing: Honoring the flag is actually optional for software and hardware makers, after courts smacked down the FCC proposal to make them mandatory. But Microsoft has confirmed that they do whatever the broadcaster tells them, again, even though they don't have to. NBC hasn't confirmed yet whether or not the American Gladiators flag was intentional, but their history doesn't give me a fuzzy feeling. Update: NBC says it was an accident. More »Seagate Showcase 1TB DVR Extender Records 12 HD Streams at Once (Now You Just Need 12 CableCards)
Seagate is taking their first crack at external DVR storage with the Showcase line of HDDs. The Showcase drives range in size from 250GB to 1TB, work with both eSATA and USB connections, and can record a whopping 12 HD streams simultaneously. For now, Motorola cable boxes are the only ones compatible with the Showcase, so TiVo owners and others should hold off until we hear more. They'll be on sale this fall, full release after the jump. [Seagate] More »New Dish Network 722s HD DVR Has Built-In Slingbox and Slingcatcher
At their Team Summit Retailer Conference over the weekend, Dish Network pulled back the curtain on a new flavor their latest HD DVR, the 722s. It's got a built-in Slingbox, plus Clip + Sling and Slingcatcher functionality to boot. The pile of whip cream on that box of synergy awesomeness is a brand new HD UI; a built-in, Yahooified browser; and a new remote with a touchpad and trigger. There's some other minor Dish stuff happening at the link too, if you're interested, but this new box is the headliner—all that and a can of Buffalo Pringles. [Multichannel via Zatz Not Funny]Which Couldn't You Live Without, HD or DVR?
Our memories have grown fuzzy. We can't remember exactly what watching TV was like 10 years ago, but we're pretty sure that it involved a 16mm projector, slide rule and a horse that walked in circles around the room (oddly enough, the horse wasn't actually connected to anything). Now we have a slew of new viewing technologies options, like streaming media, DVRs and high definition broadcast. And today, we're forcing you to make the Sophie's Choice of the entertainment center:
More »Question of the Day: What Do You Use To Record Your TV Shows?
The news that TiVo has brought back lifetime subscriptions got me thinking about how many people subscribe to TiVo versus going with a cable DVR or a PC-based method. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter as long as I don't have to sit through LOST with a commercial break popping up every 5 minutes. So, the question is, what do you use to record your favorite TV shows?
More »
Media Center's Do Not Record Broadcast Flag Is Still Alive
Recently, some Windows Media Center owners were blocked from recording American Gladiators and Medium because of an incorrectly set broadcast flag from NBC. What's the deal here? The broadcasters (NBC, ABC, HBO) can turn on a flag in their data stream that tells whatever DVR machine on your end that it's NOT alright to record a show, protecting Pay-Per-View or premium channel content from being archived. This has actually been around for years.
More »
Native Orb App Brings Live TV to Your iPhone
The OrbLive streaming media app is for everyone who is sick of waiting for a Sling Mobile client on their iPhone. As you may (or may not) know, Orb pulls files off your PC and streams them to any device with an app or web browser capable of accessing the Orb interface. From there you can stream music, video files, and if you have a TV tuner card, live TV. While Orb was previously accessible via Safari, this new, official app is supposed to be an easier, more intuitive way to get your media on the go. It does require a jailbroken iPhone, however. Check out the video of the client in action. [Orb via Register Hardware]
More »
Building B/Sezmi One True Set Top Box Aims to Kill TV as You Know It
Last week, we had a demo of the TV godbox we reported on last summer by Building B—now Sezmi. If anything, their claims have actually gotten bolder: They're promising the "first complete TV 2.0 solution" that rolls up traditional TV with movies, on-demand, DVR and internet video, all presented seamlessly to viewers. That's a tall order, and moreover, an extremely complicated one.
More »


















