Digital Vision intros ultra-simple GiGo Digital TV Recorder
Digital Vision has announced the GiGo Digital TV Recorder, a simplistic DVR built to record Freeview programming to USB thumb drives in MPEG2 format. Envisioned to be placed in secondary rooms such as kitchens rather than the living room, the GiGo does without a built-in hard drive though Digital Vision says it does connect to large capacity external hard drives without issue. It has 3 USB slot, only one tuner and an electronic program guide. It isn't compatible with Freeview+, but users can watch one program while recording another. The GiGo will launch later this year for the rough equivalent of $115 and Digital Vision says it is also working on developing higher-end DVRs with internal drives and MPEG4 compatibility.
There's plenty of good things to say about TiVo's HD XL DVR. Not only does it have all the TiVo functionality many of us are quite familiar with, it's THX-certified, has a massive 1 Terabyte hard drive that'll store up to 150 hours of HD content, is fully internet-connected so you can record content from services such as Amazon Unbox and Rhapsody, and can transfer content to your PC or portable device via TiVo To Go. Rated excellent by the prolific product reviewers at CNET, the HD XL DVR only has a couple of flaws. Because it's a one-way CableCARD device, you won't be able to peruse any interactive content. Basically you can't record video-on-demand. Nor does it record anything from cable provider's using Switched Digital Video without a tuner. Other than that, no complaints. Unless you're a hardcore TV recording fanatic though, the TiVo HD DVR is probably a better choice, because for all the extras found on the HD XL you'll pay a premium-a little under $580 at Amazon.
Seagate's Showcase HDD: A Storage Solution For Motorola DVR's
The Seagate Showcase external HDD was designed to make sure you never lose any of your DVR'ed content again. Compatible with Motorola's eSATA HD DVR's the Showcase will have an intial storage space of 1 TB, enough to store about 200 hours of HD shows and movies or 1000 hours of standard-def content. If offers a simple plug-and-play setup using either a USB 2.0 or an eSATA connection that uses an included cable to connect directly to Motorola DVR's. The Seagate Showcase is expected to be available from Seagate's website sometime this fall.
Next-Gen Dish DVR Will Feature Slingbox, Clip And Sling, Slingcatcher, And Web Access!
The next Dish DVR will supposedly add in Slingbox capabilities, limited web access with some kind of connection to Yahoo, and even a sharing feature, Clip and Sling, that'll alllow you to send video to your friends. The new DVR will combine the Sling features with the Dish 722 box and feature a new remote with a touchpad and trigger and new user interface. Expected to have 1 TB of storage, the Dish DVR will lose half of its disk space to preloaded HD movies. The front of the unit will have no buttons whatsoever, relying on touch keys and will be backlit. We'll keep our eye out for this release, it'll be hot!
If your familiar with the TubeStick hybrid TV tuner, you'll know that it was previously only compatible with DVB-T, the European broadcasting standard. But Equinux, the company behind the TubeStick has developed a tuner specifically for the US market, combining both ATSC and NTSC tuners for decoding over-the-air HDTV and SDTV signals, unencrypted cable (ClearQAM) signals, and over-the-air analog signals. The USB device for the Macintosh, can also store video from analog sources such as video cameras and game consoles with S-VHS or composite video outputs.
Packaged with the Tubestick is The Tube, software for recording and timeshifting TV shows. The software also includes TubeTalk and TubeToGo, allowing public chat and portable viewing with any internet connection respectively as long as you have .Mac or FTP support. So if you have an Intel-based Mac running on a minimum Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later, 1GB RAM, 2GB hard disk space and an available USB 2.0 port, you might like to get your hands on this handy little piece of electronic. It's available for $129 from Equinux.
You know whenever you watch a show such as America's Most Wanted, the surveillance images of bad guys in action are so blurry and grainy you can't even tell what they're doing, never mind what they look like. That's all about to change as Mobilygen, a provider of low-power H.264 codec solutions, has announced the world's first digital video recorder with HD monitoring. Designed specifically for the surveillance industry, the new DVR uses Mobilygen's MG3500 Codec ICs to "record up to 16 channels of full D1 resolution H.264 video while streaming multiple video channels over an IP network with low latency". In bad guy terms-you're busted, because with HD video surveillance we're going to get a much, much better look at your clothing, features, face, and crime.
The MG3500 Codec IC has all the necessary features for optimal video surveillance including "image stabilization, motion detection, object tracking, scene change detection, event-triggered HD still image capture, privacy region protection, burn-in, and digital time stamps and signatures". Mobilygen's new surveillance DVR will be tagged at $9995 available in May 2008.
ABC Looks To Fight DVR's With Mandatory Commercials
ABC Networks, its affiliates and Cox Communications are expected to announce a new video-on-demand service today that will allow viewers to watch ABC shows anytime they want. Definitely a big plus for busy fans of shows such as Desperate Housewives, who after missing one episode are completely lost for the remainder of the season. The new service is an outright attempt on the network's behalf to fight the use of digital video recorders such as the TiVo, which enables on-demand viewing of TV shows and lets you fast forward through commercials. And that's where the catch comes in.
The new service will allow you to watch your favorite ABC shows on-demand, but disables commercial fast forwarding. In exchange for your shows when you want, you'll be forced to watch commercials, although the on-demand commercials will be much shorter than what you're used to on traditional over-the-air TV.
"As network and affiliates, we both have an interest in slowing down the explosive growth of DVRs," Mr. Cole said. "This is about combating DVRs. As we developed this at every stage, there was an agreement that however we put this together, disabling the fast-forward function was key."
Having Trouble With Your TiVo? Deal With It, You Don't Matter (Unless You Have A Hammer)
Going back as far as last October's TiVo software update, a small "subset" of TiVo users who use the TiVoToGo feature to transfer recorded shows to mobile devices such as their cell phones have been having all kinds of problems. Not only with the TiVoToGo feature, but also with getting TiVo to fix the problem.
TiVo's fall update changed the way recorded files were saved and since then, the Toast 8 software created by Roxio used to transfer recorded content has had all kinds of technical glitches as a result of not meshing properly with the TiVo update. The main problem has been with audio delays and skips during the playback of transferred content rendering it completely unwatchable for some users. Roxio did release an update of their own to try and solve the problem, but it wasn't a complete success and some users are still having problems...5 months later. And they're having trouble getting TiVo and Roxio to acknowledge them as valuable customers.
Comcast's TiVo-Powered DVR Finally Ready, But Only In Boston
Comcast is finally ready to release the TiVo interface as a software upgrade for its DVR subscribers two years after initially promised...but only in Boston. Back in 2005, DirecTV stopped marketing TiVo after developing their own DVR, a big hit for TiVo. However that same year Comcast announced in a press release that they expected TiVo service to be available to the the majority of their customers by mid-to-late 2006. Definitely a lifesaver for TiVo. But it never happened and TiVo has lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers since.
Finally ready in 2008, Comcast says they drastically underestimated the difficulty of integrating TiVo into their DVR's and operating system, but the struggle finally ended thanks to the development of Tru2way software, a big focus of this year's CES conference in Las Vegas. Tru2way allows "TVs, DVRs and other consumer electronics to handle its interactive services, including video on demand", currently only provided by Comcast gear.
The partnership will run until at least 2014 and TiVo CEO Tom Rogers is excited about the possibilities of a "total integration of cable services into TiVo", even beyond Comcast. There are a few remaining issues however. Number one being the service will only initially be offered in Boston, a far cry from the promise of availability in the majority of Comcast markets two years ago. The software also has some remaining bugs though Comcast has updates planned in the coming weeks to fix the problems. And finally, the complexity of the system means subscribers have to schedule an hour long telephone call with Comcast for consumer education purposes, making us wonder: if the software upgrade is so difficult to use, will anyone use it?
TiVo Deal: Get 3 Months Of 1 Year TiVo Subscription Free With Purchase Of TiVo HD DVR
If you're looking to get into the TiVo market, now may be the time. TiVo has a special offer starting today and ending February 17 that includes the first 3 months of a 12 month subscription service free when you buy the TiVo HD DVR. It works out to a total price of $299.99 for the year. Buy the TiVo, and you won't start paying your $12.95/month subscription fee until month 4 of your one year contract.
Just when we were all impressed with the TiVo Series 3 with 2 terabytes of storage, we come across this. The SnapStream Enterprise DVR, a cross between a traditional DVR and a search engine, can record up to 10 channels at once and store up to 2300 hours of content. Being commercial grade, the Enterprise actually allows you to search within content to pinpoint that which happens to be most important to you. It has the easy setup and all the features of a consumer DVR as well, allowing to to watch, rewind, and pause live TV. Skipping commercials is easy as well with SnapStream's SmartSkip technology, and you can even work on your PC while watching TV in one corner of your computer screen. It's not priced like a TiVo however, with a hefty tag of $15000. Check out the video above for a demo.
2 Terabyte Tivo Series 3 At WeaKnees.com, Only $1599
WeaKnees, the online superstore devoted to TiVo products and upgrades, is featuring a TiVo Series 3 DVR with an unbelievable 2 terabytes of storage capacity. That's about 292 hours of HD content storage capacity and 2800 hours of standard definition capacity. Rather than just a 1 terabyte internal drive, the WeaKnees TiVO also includes a 1 terabyte external hard drive, but it will also set you back a pretty penny as it costs $1599 after a $200 rebate. The company is generous enough to ship for free after you empty your bank account into theirs.
Gizmodo did an excellent review of the Monsoon Hava Titanium HD via a comparison to the Sling Pro. The Monsoon features component HD support and Wi-fi via USB, and like most set-top boxes allows you to pause, rewind, and fast forward programming. It also supports simultaneous viewing from local and remote connections, allows you to record to your hard disk and burn to DVD. Video playback is generally smooth with some artifacting. Downsides include slow response time for the on-screen remote, sub-par sound quality, and it only works with Windows meaning Mac users are out of luck.
The Sling Box Pro (only $191 at Amazon.com) on the other hand requires a $50 attachment for component HD (only $40 at Amazon.com) support and only supports Wi-fi via power lines. However video quality on the Sling is better and the user interface is better designed from a visual standpoint and is easier to use. Response time for the Sling Pro is vastly superior and sound quality is much better as well. Not to mention it works with both Windows and Mac software.
Prices are comparable with the Monsoon costing $249, more expensive than the Sling Pro, but also not requiring a $50 investment for component HD. Overall though, the Sling Pro was found a be a better deal.
DaweVision's BabelTV launches November 6. The set-top box device allows users to watch and listen to all Freeview TV and radio stations combined with personal video recording and internet access capabilities. Basically, the simple-to-use device can be plugged into a Freeview aerial and broadband connection enabling TiVo-like control over television programming, access to internet TV, and even allows you to shop online! Any internet-related process like storing photos, managing emails, downloading mp3's, even making Skype calls can be done through the box. And since it's managed remotely by a Babel technical team, no tech know-how is required to operate it. Enviro-conscious consumers will be happy to know that the Babel box only consumes 15 watts of power rather than the typical 60 watts of most set-top boxes and whopping 150 watts for a computer. The boxes will be made available November 6 at the BabelTV website for 295 pounds. Oh, and by the way, Freeview is a UK-based signal provider which means no Babel TV for us North Americans. Interesting news nonetheless.
Digital Vision intros ultra-simple GiGo Digital TV Recorder
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