Boxee's post on the box has nothing in the way of details yet, so I'm just going to have to take a WILD guess at what this thing will look like: It'll be a box, with an Ion chipset, a medium-sized HDD, HDMI-out and a Boxee sticker and a $200 price tag. Why? Because nothing else would really make any sense.

We'll get to see the box—assuming it's not just this Boxee-compatible Myka number we saw a few days ago—come December 7th, when it gets the full unveiling treatment. Also interesting, though probably a little aspirational:

* make it easy for users to consume and find content – no matter what the source
* give content owners, aggregators, and developers the tools to create unique experiences with a variety of business models
* enable CE companies to enhance their Connected devices

This will be the first connected device running Boxee, but the idea is to provide consumers with a way to get Boxee in their living rooms, no matter whether it's on a Connected TV, game console, set-top box, BluRay player, computer, etc.

Multiple Boxee Boxes! Boxee Boxen! [Boxee]

But first, the extender: The Moxi Mate is a small $399 ($199 for now, if purchased in a bundle or by an existing Moxi HD customer) satellite box that plays back recordings from your Moxi HD from afar, over your home network. It's not all that feature-rich—no wi-fi built in, no scheduling of recordings, no support for more than one Moxi Mate at a time—but if your goal is to stream your Moxi library around the house, at least you now have a way to do it.

About that library. Although the hardware on the main box hasn't changed, Moxi's software update, which should push out tonight, gives your box the gumption it needs to take onboard much larger drives via the e-SATA port, as well as a new optional browsing interface called Grid Guide, which gives users a more familiar, cable-guide-like experience than Moxi's novel—but good—regular UI. Another, smaller update is Switched Digital Video support by way of an adapter, if your cable company's into that kind of thing.

At any rate, the core offering may have grown an extender, but it hasn't really changed. The whole system has the same strengths—a strong interface, good performance, and clear superiority over cableco boxes—as well as the same weaknesses—dependency on PlayOn for online streaming, the learning curve— so unless Moxi Mate tips the scales for you, or you've got $1000+ to drop on storage to build an absurdly large video bank, your current impressions probably still stand. [Moxi]

It's got nothing to do with Vudu's service, which is largely unchanged from the days of the Vudu set-top box. (I mean, we're still in those days, technically, but hey, narrative! ) The interface is the same easily navigable set of panels and menus, which seem to work fine with LG's standard remotes—no standalone clickwheel controller here. The movie selection is still decent, with concurrent releases for SD, 720p and 1080p HDX films on a near-DVD timescale, which has been one of Vudu's selling points since it first hit A/V stacks last year. And it's certainly not the 1080p HDX video quality, which was excellent on the 47-inch LH50 and started streaming in just a few seconds, even on the demo room's ~4.5mbps connection. Nope, it's not that.

The strange feeling I got from the movie samples, whether in SD, 720p or 1080p modes, was down to LG: The NetCast sets that'll carry the Vudu option have LG's 120Hz Trumotion interpolation technology, meaning that they essentially insert frames between what's already on the source material, with the stated purpose of "smoothing" the video output. As we—and others—have complained about before, though, the effect can be strange, making motions seem unnatural, and giving a multi-hundred-million-dollar films an odd, camcorder-like aesthetic.

That issue is really offputting here, and not optional. It made The Knowing look like a daytime soap opera, and made the bus chase scene in The Prisoner of Azkaban look like an extended Benny Hill sketch. Sure, I'm being a little hyperbolic, and for a lot of people—the people who actually like the idea of these high refresh rate sets, I guess—this won't matter. But for anyone who's sensitive to this kind of thing, it could be a dealbreaker. Vudu says they're in talks with LG to include an option to disable this feature with future Vudu-enabled sets, but for now, well, sorry,

But despite this admittedly obnoxious issue, the previous conclusion still stands: set-top boxes are on their way out, and multi-service web-connected TV's are The Thing Right Now. Netflix is showing its bright red face basically everywhere right now, and apparently, Vudu's in talks to try to get that same kind of presence. Which, 120Hz or not, is a step in the right direction. [Vudu on Giz]

So what gets this? It's a decent spread of 42-inch-and-up plasma and LCD TVs, including the 47-inch LCD 47LH50 and 50-inch plasma 50PS80, available now for $1,699 and $1,799, respectively, and the forthcoming 42-inch LCD 42LH50, and the 60-inch plasma 60PS80, which should land outside the price spread of the current sets on both ends.

Vudu has promised a smattering of improvements on their side of things, from video quality tweaks to a snappier user interface—mostly due to these HDTVs' more substantial hardware, I'd assume. But the most important part of this announcement isn't even about Vudu:

With LG's NetCast Entertainment Access, consumers have instant access to millions of streaming movies, TV shows and web videos through an Ethernet connection. These models, ranging in screen size from 42- to 60-inch class sizes*, also include access to content from Netflix, Yahoo! Widgets, YouTube and more

This "choose your widget" scenario is an increasingly common scenario for new HDTVs right now, which is fantastic news for customers, and not so fantastic news for whatever poor companies got roped into manufacturing the various standalone streaming set-top boxes we'd just started to get used to. (Sorry, Roku!) Without the hardware entry cost, these video services can fight it out with the features that really matter: Netflix's monthly subscription vs. Roku's per-movie rentals and purchases; Vudu's 1080p HDX streaming vs. Netflix's 720p VC1AP video; etc. Open platform TVs and Blu-ray players are the new battlefield, and they won't be a forgiving one. [LG, Vudu]

LG ELECTRONICS FIRST TO BRING VUDU HD MOVIE SERVICE
TO BROADBAND HDTVs

VUDU's Unique Streaming Movie Service, Largest Library of HD Movies,
enhance LG ‘NetCast Entertainment Access' LCD and Plasma HDTVs

NEW YORK, July 29, 2009 — LG Electronics will be the first to introduce broadband HDTVs with the instant-access high-definition (HD) movie service from VUDU Inc., a leading provider of digital on-demand entertainment services, the companies announced today. VUDU on-demand movies will be available on LG's LH50 1080p LCD series and PS80 Plasma 1080p series with "NetCast Entertainment Access," beginning next month.

"Our alliance with VUDU further demonstrates LG's commitment to delivering the ultimate HD viewing experience, by providing instant access to more 1080p movie content than ever before" said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing and strategy, LG Electronics USA. "VUDU highlights the superb video quality of our ‘Full HD' sets with NetCast Entertainment Access, while providing consumers with access to thousands of HD movies with the touch of a button."

The VUDU service allows consumers to instantly buy or rent from an extensive library of movies and TV titles, including an industry-leading catalog of more than 2,000 high-definition movies – with no monthly fees and without having to buy, install, or connect any additional hardware. Consumers will enjoy movies in VUDU's unique HDX format, with Full HD 1080p resolution, plus Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.

VUDU's streaming movie service delivers a near-instant viewing experience – movies start immediately, including high definition HDX movies, and viewers can fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays or the frustration associated with slow buffering. The VUDU catalog is updated weekly, and newly released movies from major studios are typically available months before they are available on subscription-based services.

"Together, LG's Broadband HDTVs and the VUDU service set the industry standard for easy access to on-demand HD movies," said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU. "VUDU is blazingly fast on LG's Broadband HDTVs and makes discovering and watching new HD movies a truly exciting and fun user experience. With this partnership, VUDU is raising the bar on delivering Hollywood movies to this new class of Smart TVs."

With LG's NetCast Entertainment Access, consumers have instant access to millions of streaming movies, TV shows and web videos through an Ethernet connection. These models, ranging in screen size from 42- to 60-inch class sizes*, also include access to content from Netflix, Yahoo! Widgets, YouTube and more. With this enhanced connectivity, LG's Broadband HDTVs transform and personalize the home theater experience by offering a virtually endless array of entertainment options.
LG's 47-inch class* LCD HDTV (model 47LH50) and 50-inch class* plasma HDTV (model 50PS80) with NetCast Entertainment Access are available now at national retailers with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,699 and $1,799. LG's 42-inch class* LCD (model 42LH50) and 60-inch class* plasma (model 60PS80) will be available and existing LG Broadband TV owners will be able to add the VUDU service next month.

Motorola Clarifies KDDI "au BOX" based on KreaTV platform for set-top devices, not Android.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) would like to clarify that contrary to some recent reports, the set tops supplied to KDDI by Motorola to deliver the operator's "au BOX" service are not based on Android. The platform used is in fact Motorola's KreaTV platform for set tops which is based on Linux and there are no plans to produce an Android-based version.

The "au BOX" service allows mobile customers to transfer content between their home entertainment systems and their mobile devices. Motorola's KreaTV™ open software platform for set-top devices is designed to enable operator customers to easily add new functionality and services at any time, allowing the system to grow according to their business needs and customer demands. KreaTV is compatible with a wide range of OS middleware and Digital Rights Management (DRM), and supports multiple different video formats ranging from MPEG-2 SD to H.264 HD, DVR, and hybrid.

The powerful multimedia set top also offers video encoding capabilities to allow users to upload video from their personal video recorders and then transfer it to a mobile handset. It can also play DVDs when linked to an external monitor. The set top can additionally serve as a portal for internet web browsing, enabling users to access a wide range services and user generated content in addition to the option of purchasing music and video content from online stores.

We've been told from the start that Android—essentially just a lightweight Linux distribution—would make its way to a variety of devices aside from cellphones, but most people took that to mean we'd see Google's mobile OS on netbooks, tablets or MIDs. Those are coming, but it looks like Motorola, with this unexpected use, could beat them all out of the gate.

As for the box: It's a simple set-top unit with an emphasis on mobility. What that means, other than small size, is that the box has integrated speakers, a wide variety of connectors and even an internal optical drive that can play DVDs or rip CDs to the device's hard drive. It's Japan-only and won't arrive until CEATEC in October, at least, but it's interesting too see just how wide Android's applications are, in practice. [Android Guys via CNET]

That's not to say that ZillionTV is drastically more versatile than any number of existing set-top arrangements. It does, however, look attractively simple. Here's what it is, in a nutshell: a set-top box that streams free content, a la Hulu, except directly to your TV. After a $100 setup fee, it's mostly advertising-supported—again, like Hulu. The company claims a wide range of content partnerships, which is clearly necessary to compete in this field.

But it's not just ad-supported TV that Zillions is focused on, as paid content will be available as well. They hope to offer up premium TV and film content for individual purchase or rental, though your payment won't net you an actual file—the system is entirely stream-based.

If all this sounds familiar, that's because none of it is distinctly new. ZillionTV hasn't created something that anyone with some time and a Boxee install couldn't patch together themselves—but it might be able to provide it in a simpler, more accessible package. The company is promising lots of features, including a motion-sensing remote (by the whizzes at Hillcrest) instant-on streaming on anything better than a 1.5mbps connection, that will make the system attractive as a do-it-all set-top box, but until we have more than promises and renders, we'll have to reserve full judgment.

For what it's worth, Jon Healey at the LAT has tried the system, and found it impressive. He does—and this is crucial—note that ZillionTV might be having some issues securing rights to all the content it wants, but again, we'll have to wait and see. [ZillionTV]

With the Neuros.TV interface, the Link does something simple but spectacular. Instead of pushing you through a clumsy series of web portals, it gives you a simple, unified interface for browsing online video content. With out-of-the-box support for nearly any video codec (courtesy of mPlayer and VLC, mainly), a solid interface and an included wireless keyboard/controller, it's a capable machine. At $299 (or $249 without the keyboard), it'll be tough to take on the $229 Apple TV, which in addition to having an included local hard drive and access to iTunes, supports most of Neuros.TV's features though Boxee. Spec sheet below. [Neuros via Zatz]

Technical specifications

* 1080p H.264 video playback
* HDMI (max resolution 1920x1200, 1080p) output
* High-definition 6-channel Audio output
* Optical S/PDIF audio output
* Gigabit Ethernet
* 802.11 g/b WiFi, up to 54Mbps
* Lots of USB 2.0 High-speed Ports (6 external ones today)
* Housing: 300mm x 90mm x 326mm (11.8" x 3.5" x 12.8")
* Noise: under 27dB
* Controller: 2.4 GHz wireless keyboard trackball controller
* Software:
o Seamless integration with Neuros.TV, a free service that lets you organize and watch Internet TV on your TV
o Neuros distribution of Ubuntu 8.10
o Open-source video players (MPlayer, VLC, Xine). A comprehensive list of formats, containers and media can be found on the above websites.

Intel and Yahoo's solution can pull down Flickr photos, weather, and related TV content and dump it into widgets along the bottom of the screen. It's nothing we haven't seen before. But at least now Intel's FCC plea for mandatory ethernet jacks on all STBs makes a lot more sense. The folks at Laptop had a chance to walk through the interface:

CE 3100 predates Atom, so it does not appear to be the Atom-based SoCs hinted at previously. Also, it packs more muscle than what's required to simply dump some web widgets on the screen, so we'll probably see some more robust media extender technology running on the platform soon. [Video: Laptopmag]

Full release from IDF:

Intel Introduces First IA System on Chip for Consumer Electronics, Expands Internet to TV Experience

Internet on TV Collaboration with Yahoo!®, Mobile Internet Device Momentum and ‘Boundless’ Opportunities for Software Developers Highlighted
IDF San Francisco 2008

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—NOTE TO EDITORS: photos, videos and more facts available at www.intel.com/pressroom/idf.

At the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Corporation introduced the Intel® Media Processor CE 3100, the first in a new family of purpose-built System on Chips (SoCs) for Consumer Electronics devices based on the company’s popular Intel Architecture (IA) blueprint.

Executives on Wednesday also provided updates on the Mobile Internet Device (MID) category and Intel Atom™ processor, unveiled a brand with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. around the shift to 3-D movie-making and outlined a number of efforts to speed many-core processor software design.

The CE 3100 has been developed for Internet-connected consumer electronics (CE) products such as optical media players, connected CE devices, advanced cable set top boxes and digital TVs. The media processor (previously codenamed “Canmore”) combines leading-edge CE features for high-definition video support, home-theater quality audio and advanced 3-D graphics, with the performance, flexibility and compatibility of IA-based hardware and software. Intel expects to begin shipments of this product next month.

Intel and its customers have been working together to develop a variety of products for emerging growth areas – consumer electronics, MIDs, netbooks and embedded computers – each based on Intel architecture that enables uncompromised Internet access.

“As consumers look to stay connected and entertained regardless of where they are and what device they are using, the Web continues to affect our lives in new ways and is quickly moving to the TV thanks to a new generation of Internet-connected CE devices,” said Eric Kim, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Digital Home Group. “As Intel delivers its first IA SoC with leading-edge performance and Internet compatibility for consumer electronics devices, we are providing a powerful and flexible technology foundation upon which the industry can quickly innovate upon. This technology foundation will help the high-tech industry bring devices to market faster, as well as encourage new designs and inspire new services, such as connecting the TV to the Internet.”

“I Love TV” – Intel Extends the Power of IA into Consumer Electronics

As another SoC product from Intel, the Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is a highly integrated solution that pairs a powerful IA processor core with leading-edge multi-stream video decoding and processing hardware. It also adds a 3-channel 800 MHz DDR2 memory controller, dedicated multi-channel dual audio DSPs, a powerful 3-D graphics engine enabling advanced UIs and EPGs, and support for multiple peripherals, including USB 2.0 and PCI Express.

The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 also features Intel® Media Play Technology that combines hardware-based decoding for broadcast TV and optical media playback with software-based decode for Internet content. When a consumer watches broadcast TV or content on optical media players, the video is encoded in standard formats, such as MPEG-2, H.264 or VC-1. Intel Media Play Technology software routes the video to the on-chip hardware decoders. When viewing Internet content, the software automatically routes the video, and audio as applicable, to a software codec running on the IA processor core. As the Internet becomes more omnipresent, the ability to decode multiple video and audio formats will provide the industry with greater flexibility to evolving standards and technologies, and consumers with more viewing experiences.

The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is scheduled to ship to CE manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.1 and Toshiba1. More information is available at www.intel.com/go/celink.

In related news, Intel and Yahoo! Inc. previewed an applications framework for televisions (TV) and related CE devices that use the Intel Architecture, which blends the openness, personality and community aspects of the Web with the simplicity and entertainment strengths of the TV. This application framework, called the Widget Channel, introduces a new and user-friendly way to enjoy Web content while watching TV programs. The Widget Channel is powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine and is optimized to use the performance and the capabilities of Intel Media Processor CE 3100. [A separate press release and more information about the Widget Channel and the Yahoo! Widget Engine are available at www.intel.com/pressroom/idf or connectedtv.yahoo.com/newsroom.]

Intel also announced the formation of The Intel® Consumer Electronics Network, a member-based community of hardware, software and services providers aimed at speeding the delivery of Internet-connected CE devices based on IA SoCs. Together, the network, which includes Alticast Inc1., Futarque A/S1, Giga-Byte Technology Co., LTD1, Tatung Co1., Unihan Corporation, Videon Central Inc1., and VividLogic Inc1., will receive early access to Intel CE platforms and will work to develop and market more feature-rich products to ultimately provide consumers with more choice.

Mobile Internet Devices: “Platform for Innovation”

Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager for the Ultra Mobility Group, discussed how Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx series-based MIDs are becoming platforms for innovation in the mobile ecosystem. He added that the Internet revolution continues unabated with the rapid growth of social networking, user-generated content and location-based services. These trends are even more important for mobile users who are demanding the right device to take this experience with them.

Building on the launch of the Intel Atom processor for MIDs in April, Chandrasekher reinforced the growing need for performance, Internet and software compatibility, and wireless broadband connectivity in order to bring Internet innovations to pocketable devices. He showcased a range of MIDs coming to market across the target market segments and welcomed executives from Clarion1 and Panasonic1 to launch their products in the U.S. market. Chandrasekher also demonstrated the world’s first full 1080p high-definition video playback in a handheld device on the upcoming OQO1 MID. Additionally, he highlighted MIDs from Fujitsu1 and Lenovo1.

Supporting the diverse range of devices spotlighted at IDF this week in San Francisco is a rapidly developing software ecosystem based on the Moblin-based operating system. More than 10 software vendors, including GyPSii1 for social networking, Fuel Games1 for online gaming, Move Networks1 for Internet TV programming and Neusoft1 for UI and applications, announced plans for making their applications available for Moblin-based MIDs.

Continuing on the path of innovation, Chandrasekher reinforced Intel’s MID roadmap with the next-generation platform codenamed “Moorestown,” which is on track for 2009/2010. Holding up the first wafer, he announced that first silicon has been produced, reinforced the versatility of the architecture, and the opportunity to target the communication MID with data and voice capabilities.

Developing for the Future of Computing

Renee James, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Software and Solutions Group, described how software developers play an essential role in bringing emerging technologies and Internet opportunities to life. Processor performance and the move to Intel’s multi-core processors with multi-threaded software are accelerating advancements in all aspects of visual computing for richer and more believable experiences.

James and DreamWorks Animation1 CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg jointly unveiled a new brand, InTru™ 3D, that will represent the next generation of movie storytelling and enhanced 3-D viewing experience. The InTru 3D logo represents stunning computer generated 3-D imagery made possible by the unique combination of Intel technology and DreamWorks creativity. The logo will be employed by Intel and DreamWorks in promotion of 3-D movies, and presented within all of DreamWorks’ 3-D movies beginning with “Monsters vs. Aliens.”

James also announced Visual Adrenaline, Intel’s new visual computing developer program. The program offers resources to help developers, publishers, artists, animators and other gaming and digital content creation and consumption professionals take full advantage of Intel products and technologies as they create tomorrow’s most compelling visual experiences. More information on Visual Adrenaline is available at www.intel.com/software/visualadrenaline.

Additionally, Intel announced the next generation of parallel programming tools that offer new options for multi-core software development for mainstream client applications. The Intel® Parallel Studio includes expanded capabilities for helping design, code, debug and tune applications to harness the power of multi-core processing through parallel programming. Intel Parallel Studio will ease the path for parallel application development to deliver performance and forward scaling to many-core processors for Microsoft Visual Studio developers. For more information, visit www.intel.com/go/parallel.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Intel, Intel Atom and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

CANAL+ Chooses the Latest Generation of NDS Middleware to Transform Subscribers' Set-Top Boxes into Digital Video Recorders

¶ Highlights: ¶ — CANAL+ GROUP has deployed the latest generation of NDS' MediaHighway(R) middleware, allowing subscribers to easily transform their HD set-top boxes (STBs) into HD digital video recorders (DVRs) ¶ — CANAL+ and CANALSAT subscribers in France can now add an external hard drive via the USB port on their HD STB to have a fully functional HD DVR ¶ — CANAL+ has also deployed NDS' MediaHighway to support its latest dual-tuner HD STB
LONDON & PARIS —(Business Wire)— Feb. 26, 2008 NDS (NASDAQ:NNDS), the leading provider of technology solutions for digital Pay-TV, today announced that CANAL+ GROUP, France's leading Pay TV provider, has chosen the latest generation of MediaHighway(R) middleware to enable subscribers to transform their HD STBs into DVRs. CANAL+ launched its first HD STB two years ago and currently there are about 250,000 HD satellite STBs installed in subscribers' homes.

CANAL+ subscribers can connect an external hard disk to their HD STB via the USB port. Only external hard disk units which meet the requirements of CANAL+ for performance, stability and security will be integrated to provide the service. On its website, CANAL+ GROUP publishes a list of approved hard disks that are now available to buy in retail outlets.

As part of the adoption of the new version of MediaHighway, the middleware has automatically downloaded new software to each HD STB. The HD STBs now detect the addition of a new external hard drive and format the drive for use as a DVR. Subscribers may use more than one external hard drive if they wish.

CANAL+ has kicked off a marketing program to encourage customers to upgrade to HD and DVR functionality.

In addition, NDS today announced that CANAL+ has deployed NDS' MediaHighway to support its latest satellite dual-tuner HD STB for the French market.

MediaHighway is the market-leading middleware for digital pay TV worldwide. There are currently over 76.4 million NDS middleware clients deployed, and there are over 10.4 million NDS-powered DVRs in viewers' homes around the world.

"MediaHighway was the only middleware that enabled CANAL+ to offer its consumers the choice of industry-leading pay-TV solutions it required. MediaHighway has demonstrated yet again that it can handle complex requirements," commented Caroline Le Bigot, NDS Vice President, EMEA.

About CANAL+ GROUP

CANAL+ GROUP is the leader in Pay-TV in France with more than 10 million subscriptions to a wide range of offers including CANAL+, CANALSat and the former TPS. Within its offer, CANAL+ LE BOUQUET, the first multi-channel premium offer in France, available via satellite, cable, digital terrestrial television and ADSL networks, features six premium content channels built around the leading premium general-interest channel, CANAL+. CANAL+ GROUP also produces a range of channels dedicated to subscribers' favorite themes which include films (CineCinema), sport (Sport+, Infosport), news (i>Tele), series (Jimmy), documentaries (Planete) and programs for young people (Piwi, Teletoon). CANAL+ GROUP distributes CANALSAT as well, a multichannel offering available on satellite, cable, ADSL, DTT through a minipack and adapted for third generation (3G) mobile telephones. CANAL+ GROUP is also a major producer of French pay-TV channels and, through StudioCANAL, a significant contributor to the financing, acquisition and distribution of films. A pionner in new technologies, CANAL+ GROUP is the first Pay TV operator to have launched HD programs via satellite in Spring 2006 and have today the largest offering in the French TV market with more than 10 HD channels.

About NDS

NDS Group plc (NASDAQ:NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services to digital pay-television platform operators and content providers. See http://www.nds.com for more information about NDS.

That means a Netflix set-top box, right? Follow the jump for unclarification.

Although the press release stresses that Wood's role will be to strengthen Netflix's budding Internet video platform—Watch It Now—currently available only on PCs, it couldn't help but mention that a) Netflix was "expanding its selection of instantly viewable content and [would] work to bring the feature to all Internet-connected screens, from cell phones to PCs to plasma TVs" and b) that "Wood is best known as the creator of the digital video recorder."

On the other hand, wasn't ReplayTV's latest version a software-only product? By then it was out of Wood's hands, but it definitely serves as a reminder that entering into the set-top box fray between the Comcasts and Verizons of the world may not be the best play, even for a powerhouse like Netflix. –Wilson Rothman

Netflix Taps ReplayTV Founder to Head Internet TV Group [BetaNews]