ReplayTVBlog

Starting in May, Comcast will be adding several NBC shows to their Video on Demand (VOD) lineup. The shows will be available to order and watch starting at Midnight on the day following the original airing of the show. It will cost $.99 to order the shows and the following shows will be available:

• Ghost Hunters
• Celebrity Poker Showdown
• Law and Order: SVU
• Law and Order: Criminal Intent
• Passions
• Battlestar Galactica
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• Late Night with Conan O’Brien
• Monk
• Conviction
• Las Vegas
• The Office

The list is an interesting mix of shows that are popluar and doing well in the ratings (The Office, Battlestar Galactica) along with some shows that probably need some publicity (Conviction, Ghost Hunters). I’m sure that NBC is hoping that making these shows available on VOD will give them a boost in ratings.

The one real question with this service is who will be able to get it. Apparently, it’s only going to be available in markets where the local NBC affiliate is actually owned by NBC. I don’t know if my local NBC affiliate is actually owned by NBC, but if I get these shows on VOD I will definitely have to try it out and order a couple of them. It will be interesting to see what they do with the commercials — will there be any, will we be able to fast forward through them, etc.

Technorati Tags: Comcast, NBC, VOD, Video on Demand, The Office, Law and Order, Battlestar Galactica

Popularity: 4%

With the announcement by Cablevision earlier this week that they will begin testing their Remote Storage DVR System (RS-DVR), both Comcast and Time Warner have come out in support of Cablevision and their RS-DVR System. At the Bank of America Media, Telecommunications and Entertainment Conference Comcast COO Stephen Burke said: “It’s a great idea. I applaud it.” Burke, along with Time Warner CFO John Martin, said at the conference that the Cable industry is watching Cablevision and that if their tests are successful that they would most likely implement a similar solution.

It seems like the rest of the Cable industry is watching Cablevision to see if they get sued by the broadcast networks. Time Warner had toyed with the idea of implementing a similar service a couple of years back (called Maestro) but abandoned the service amid fears of copyright lawsuits from the TV networks. The difference with Cablevision’s RS-DVR system is that users will select which shows to record and each will have their on storage, initially limited to 80 hours. The Time Warner Maestro system was going to record all TV shows and store them so that users could choose to watch any show they wanted to without having to have scheduled it to record.

If Cablevision’s RS-DVR system works and they are not sued by the broadcast networks, I think that the rest of the Cable companies will probably follow suit and put into place their own Remote Storage DVR solution. So what will this mean for the Comcast / TiVo deal and any future deals that TiVo may be working on with the other Cable companies? If Comcast does go ahead with an RS-DVR system, why would they also offer TiVo boxes — although they could probably offer the TiVo boxes as a “premium” solution, I don’t see many people opting for it. The RS-DVR choice would be cheaper and most people just don’t know how much better a TiVo is compared to your average generic DVR or PVR, which is what the RS-DVR systems will probably be like.

Technorati Tags: Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner, RS-DVR, DVR, PVR, TiVo

Popularity: 4%

Cablevision has announced this week that they will begin testing a remote DVR service that will give users similar functionality to a TiVo or DVR box in their home but without any additional hardware needing to be installed. Basically, it will work similar to Video On Demand (VOD) except that users will be able to set specific TV shows to record and then watch them at a later date, similar to any DVR such as TiVo or ReplayTV. The recordings will be stored on Cablevision servers and users will be alotted 80 hours of storage. The recorded shows can be played back at any time and they will be able to fast forward through commercials — although I’m sure this is subject to change at any time.

Is a Remote DVR Service like this a good thing? And can it be a replacement for a real PVR like a TiVo or Cable Company DVR Box? I don’t know but I don’t think I like it. Anytime I think about storing any “data” of mine on somebody else’s storage devices, it makes me a little nervous. Whether it’s a web based email service, online photo storage, or (as in this case) my recorded TV shows, I don’t like the idea of giving somebody else control of my recorded shows — especially a Cable Company. Privacy concerns aside (and there are a ton of them), what will they do with the recordings? If I keep them too long will they automatically delete them? Are they going to load them up with Digital Rights Management (DRM) or Copy Protection so I can’t do anything with them? Will they take away the ability to fast forward through commercials? Who knows?

Right now, I like having control of my recorded TV shows. With my ReplayTV, I can record anything I want, and I can even copy it to my computer and archive it / burn it to DVD / transfer it to my video iPod — whatever I want to do with it! With a remote storage DVR service, I won’t be able to do most of these things and the few that I can do now could be taken away at any time.

I’ll stick with my ReplayTV and TiVo and keep control of my recordings, thank you very much.

Technorati Tags: TiVo, ReplayTV, Cablevision, DVR, PVR, iPod

Popularity: 3%

Aplus.net announced today that they have developed an application that will let you view your photos stored on their web photo service, Web-a-Photo, on your TiVo. The TiVo application requires that your computer and your TiVo be connected to the same network in your home and that you use the Web-a-photo software on your computer to upload photos from your digital camera. You will also need version 7.2.2 for your TiVo software, which if you don’t have it already can be requested on the TiVo website.

The TiVo Web-a-Photo application will allow you to access any photos you have uploaded from your PC to Web-a-Photo. They can be viewed on your TV and you can email the photos and order prints — all from your TiVo!

The photos have to be uploaded to the Web-a-Photo service from your computer and can then be accessed by your TiVo.

Technorati Tags: TiVo, Web-a-Photo, Aplus.net

Popularity: 2%

We all thought we would have to wait for the upcoming Series 3 TiVo to get two tuners in our beloved TiVo box, but apparently we were wrong. Over at Zatz Not Funny, they are reporting that there is a new Series 2 TiVo box for sale online that has dual TV tuners! According to the product page on Amazon, this new TiVo also has built in ethernet for connecting to a wired network.

While this updated Series 2 TiVo does not have the ability to record High Definition TV (HDTV) or Cablecard support, it has the most wanted feature right after HDTV - Dual Tuners! With the two built in tuners, you will be able to record one TV show while watching another live. There are some limitations to this — you can not record from two digital cable channels at the same time — only one basic cable channel and one digital cable channel or two basic cable channels at the same time.

All of this information is extremely preliminary and not verified. Right now, there is nothing on the official TiVo website and all of the information here is gathered from Amazon. You can’t even order this unit from Amazon yet, so I’m sure all of this information is subject to change at a moments notice. Still, it’s exciting to finally see a dual tuner TiVo coming out — if only it could record HDTV I would smash my Comcast / Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR to pieces!

Technorati Tags: TiVo, HDTV, Comcast, Scientific Atlanta, DVR, PVR

Popularity: 3%

A big event is about to begin this week that may go down in TiVo history. TiVo’s lawsuit against EchoStar Communications (Dish Network) for patent violations will start in Texas. The lawsuit could mean millions of dollars for TiVo if they win.

In the suit, TiVo claims that EchoStar violated a TiVo patent for a Multimedia Time Warping System. While this sounds like something out of Star Trek, it’s basically a patent on any device or system that allows a user to store a broadcast television program while simultaneously watching another television program — in other words, watching one TV show while recording another.

If TiVo wins this lawsuit, they could be awarded millions of dollars to compensate for lost license fees. This would also open the door for TiVo to go after any company that makes a DVR or PVR device for license fees. They probably won’t do this, but they will use this as leverage with all of the Cable companies to get licensing deals for the TiVo software similar to the deal they already have with Comcast.

It will be interesting to watch this case as it progresses — not only could it mean a nice influx of cash for TiVo, it could also mean that we would see TiVo software everywhere — a definite victory for DVR users!

Technorati Tags: TiVo, EchoStar, Dish Network, DVR, PVR, Cable, Comcast

Popularity: 3%

So here’s something that shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone — Traditional TV Ads Just Don’t Work Anymore! According to a survey by the Association of National Advertisers, 78 percent of the TV Advertisers surveyed felt that their TV Ads had become less effective in the last two years. The advertisers that were surveyed also said that they were exploring new technologies to help make their ads more effective.

This survey is interesting because it basically shows that advertisers are pretty much giving up on the traditional 30 second TV commercial and possibly TV advertising all together. While survey participants did say they are looking at new technologies to try and make their commercials more effective, 80% of them also said that they would be spending more money on web advertising.

With 80 percent of them looking to spend more money on web advertising, I think they’ve pretty much conceded that TV Advertising is dead. And while they might be right, I also think they just don’t get it. The problem is not that we have DVRs and Video On Demand that lets us fast forward through commercials, it’s that the commercials are so boring and run of the mill that we don’t want to watch them. Most of my TV watching is not live anymore. With 2 DVRs in the house (ReplayTV and Comcast DVR), I don’t watch live TV anymore. So I am always fast forwarding through commercials. But, there are some commercials that I enjoy so much that I will actually stop fast forwarding and rewind just to watch them.

Maybe I’m not the norm when it comes to watching TV commercials, but it seems to me that if the advertisers would just make interesting, clever, and unique commercials, we would actually want to watch them which would be much more effective than commercials we are forced to watch because we can’t skip them.

Technorati Tags: DVR, PVR, ReplayTV, Comcast, Advertising, Commercials

Popularity: 4%

Last week I posted about the end of TiVo Lifetime Subscriptions and that March 16th would be the last day to get your TiVo lifetime subscription. Well, TiVo has made a last minute reprieve on the death sentence for lifetime subscriptions sign ups, albeit temporary. For an unknown reason, TiVo has decided to extend the date to get a lifetime subscription until April 15th. This means that you can get a lifetime subscription on any TiVo purchased between now and April 15th. You do have to call to activate your TiVo and get your lifetime subscription (it can’t be done on the unit itself), and you have to do this by April 15th.

Whether it’s because they saw a spike in sales because of the announcement or they just decided it would be fair to give people a little more notice to get their lifetime subscription, I really don’t care — I just see this as a second chance to get my TiVo and a lifetime subscription. As the Godfather would say, “TiVo has made us an offer we can’t refuse”.

Technorati Tags: TiVo

Popularity: 2%

SlingMedia has finally released a beta version of their SlingPlayer Mobile for PocketPC Devices. This beta version will expire on April 26 when they expect to release version 1.0. PocketPC Devices are the only portable devices supported in this version — they are projecting a release of the software that will include support for Smart Phones running Windows Mobile to be out sometime in the second quarter of 2006.

If anyone has a slingbox and a PocketPC mobile device that they can test this on, I would be curious to hear about their experiences. I’m not sure how good the experience will be on the small screen. Great idea in theory, but (kind of like the video iPod) in practice I’m not so sure I would really want to watch TV for an extended period of time on such a small screen. But then again, if it meant I could watch The Sopranos while I’m on the road, the small screen might not matter so much.

Technorati Tags: Slingbox, SlingMedia, SlingPlayer Mobile, PocketPC, Windows Mobile, iPod, Sopranos

Popularity: 3%

More and more people are discovering every day how a DVR can change your life (at least your TV live), and apparently this trend will continue for a long time. A new study by Strategy Analytics predicts that DVRs will be in 130 million homes worldwide by the year 2010 with the US and Europe leading the way. According to the study, 12 percent of homes have a DVR in the US and they expect this number to increase to more than 50 percent by 2010.

Alot of this growth will definitely be attributed to the integration of the DVR into not only cable and satellite boxes but also Televisions and Computers — Windows XP Media Center Edition being the most notable addition to date. As PVR and DVR functions become a part of more consumer electronics devices, people will come to expect these features as standard.

Since we already have a refrigerator with a built in TV, can the refrigerator with a TV and DVR be coming soon?

Technorati Tags: DVR, PVR, Windows XP Media Center

Popularity: 4%

As I wrote about earlier in the month, TiVo is in the process of changing their pricing model and with this change comes the end of the lifetime subscription. Well, the time has come. Today, March 16 2006, is the last day the the TiVo Lifetime Subscription will be available. After today, there will be no more lifetime subscriptions — it’s monthly fees forever!

So, if you haven’t done so already, I would suggest you sign up for a lifetime subscription immediately. While it may be a decent chunk of money up front, it will definitely pay for itself over time. I don’t think we’ll be seeing a lifetime subscription deal like this from any DVR or PVR manufacturer ever again.

Technorati Tags: TiVo, DVR, PVR

Popularity: 2%

Over on Flickr, User q240z has posted pictures of his latest project to the byopvr group — A 1952 Philco (Philips) TV Console that he has converted into a custom cabinet for his LCD TV and custom built PVR. The pictures are great — they document the project from the original cabinet (which looks great!) all the way to the finished product (which also looks great!)

For the actual components of the system, a 32″ Sharp Aquos LCD TV was used for the display and a custom built PC was assembled from parts for the DVR. The Aquos LCD TV had to be disassembled so it could be mounted in the cabinet and the components for the computer (motherboard, hard disk drive, dvd drive) were mounted directly to the cabinet. The computer is also water cooled so that it is almost silent and does not require any special ventilation for cooling.

It will be interesting to see more Mods and Conversions like this — I think I’ll have to come up with one of my own for the DVR I’m planning on building soon.

Technorati Tags: Flickr, PVR, DVR, Aquos

Popularity: 11%

Sling has announced that they will be making a version of the Sling Player for the upcoming Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) from Microsoft that has been code named Origami.

Of course at this point, who knows when any type of UMPC will be released. But when (if) it is released, users who have a SlingBox will be able to use their UMPC anywhere they can get a high speed Internet connection to view their home video sources that are connected to the SlingBox. This means being able to control and watch your DVR (TiVo, ReplayTV, Cable DVR, etc.) from anywhere.

I know this is possible now with a laptop, but sometimes it’s really a pain to lug around a laptop and get it out, turn it on, boot into windows, start your sling player, etc. when a UMPC with the Sling Player installed would be much quicker and easier to use — In Theory!

Technorati Tags: SlingBox, UMPC, Microsoft, Origami, TiVo, ReplayTV, DVR

Popularity: 3%

Over at CNet, there is an interesting article that compares the Mac Mini to Windows XP Media Center for use as a DVR / PVR in the home. According to the article, this is just round one, but the winner is suprising — The Mac Mini wins Round One! It’s not that I don’t think the Mac Mini makes a better DVR or PVR than a computer running Windows XP Media Center, but I didn’t think a mainstream media outlet like CNet would ever even take a look at the Mac Mini, no less say it’s better than Media Center.

Of course, this is just round one, and what they looked at in round one — initial setup — is definitely going to be a strength of the Mac Mini. We’ll have to wait and see until the next round — which will focus on the PVR / DVR functionality of each device — how well the Mac holds up. I think it’s going to have a hard time since it doesn’t include a TV Tuner and really wasn’t designed to be a DVR.

Technorati Tags: CNet, DVR, PVR, Apple, Mac Mini, Windows XP Media Center

Popularity: 5%

TiVo is beginning to roll out the newest version of their software, version 7.2.2, to subscribers. This new version is for TiVo Series 2 units only — unfortunately, series 1 and and DirecTV DVR with TiVo owners are left out in the cold. This is an advanced release (the current released version is still version 7.2.1) that includes the following new features:

• Improved Support for USB Network Adapters - The new version will add support for some new Linksys and SMC USB Network Adapters. USB Network Adapter support had definetly been a weak point so far — if you’ve ever tried to find a network adapter for your TiVo in a retail store, you know what I mean.
• New and Improved Suggestions
• An Undelete Feature for Recently Deleted Recordings

Of all the new features, probably the most interesting is the new Undelete Feature. Basically, it will act somewhat like the trash bin in Windows XP. When a recording is deleted, it will be kept in a Recently Deleted Group in the Now Playing List. As long as there is space available on the hard drive, the deleted recording will be available in this group and can still be watched. As soon as space is needed, the oldest deleted recordings will be removed from the Recently Deleted Group to create enough space on the TiVo hard drive for the new recording.

The Undelete feature is definitely a good idea, but I’m not sure how well it will work in the real world. I know that my hard drive on all of my DVRs is constantly filling up with recordings — I just don’t seem to have enough time to watch all the TV shows I’m recording! So, for me I don’t think recordings would end up staying in the Recently Deleted Group very long (if at all!), buy your mileage may vary.

To get the advance release of the version 7.2.2 software downloaded to your TiVo, you need to request the update at the TiVo website and then it should be downloaded to your TiVo within three business days.

Technorati Tags: TiVo, DVR, DirecTV

Popularity: 4%

SnapStream has announced on their blog that they have officially launched the Firefly Mini Remote. The Firefly Mini Remote is an Infrared Remote along with an Infrared Receiver that connects to any computer through a USB port. The Firefly Mini does not require any drivers with Windows XP (it functions as an HID compliant device) and can be used to control not only SnapStream’s software products (Beyond TV) but also other programs including Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition.

This is in addition to the current remote offered by SnapStream, the Firefly. The main differences between the two remotes are that the Firefly Mini is smaller, has fewer buttons, and it is an Infrared Remote (the Firefly is a Radio Frequency (RF) remote). Because it is infrared, the functions of the Firefly Mini remote that control the Beyond TV software can be easily added to any Universal Remote that has a learning function.

More info is available from the SnapStream Web Site and the Firefly Mini Remote product page.

Technorati Tags: SnapStream, Firefly, Remote Control, Beyond TV, Windows XP Media Center

Popularity: 4%

ShowShifter was one of the first DVR / PVR software packages available for the PC and it is now one of the first to go. They have apparently gone out of business and the whole enterprise is up for sale, including the employees and the ShowShifter software product itself.

I don’t think this bodes well for ReplayTV’s recent exit from the hardware business to move into the software only business. With the explosion of Windows XP Media Center on retail shelves, it’s going to be an uphill battle for any company trying to sell a software DVR or PVR package for windows based PCs. At this point, manufacturers such as HP, Compaq, Gateway, and eMachines are putting Windows XP Media Center on almost every computer they make — including laptops! ReplayTV will end up facing the same problem in the software DVR market that TiVo currently faces in the hardware DVR market — if people are already getting DVR software on their computer from Windows XP Media Center for free, why would they pay more money for another piece of software that does the same thing?

Without some killer feature that Windows XP Media Center doesn’t have, I don’t think any software PVR or DVR can succeed against the Microsoft juggernaut.

Technorati Tags: ShowShifter, DVR, PVR, Windows XP Media Center, ReplayTV, Microsoft, TiVo

Popularity: 2%

As reported last month, TiVo has announced a new pricing plan for their DVR units. Under the new plan, there will no longer be a lifetime subscription fee available. But, buyers will not have to buy a TiVo anymore - they only have to sign up for an annual contract and pay a monthly fee. TiVo contracts will be available in lengths of one, two, or three years with the monthly fee being $19.95 a month for a one year contract, $18.95 a month for a two year contract, and $16.95 a month for a three year contract. Initially, the new pricing plans will be available only to customers who sign up on TiVo.com with retail store customers still getting the old pricing. Eventually, TiVo plans to also change retail stores over to the new plans.

Switching to these “no money up front” pricing plans is something TiVo had to do. Since Cable companies offer their DVRs for free — the monthly service charge is the only cost — most people saw no reason to pay for a TiVo unit and then still have to pay a monthly service fee when they could get the same thing for free from their cable company. While Cable Company DVRs and TiVo DVRs are definitely not the same thing, most people don’t understand this and see absolutely no value in getting a TiVo over any other DVR.

Even though TiVo may be trying to win the battle by differentiating themselves from the Cable Company DVR boxes, in the meantime they are losing subscribers to the Cable Companies. TiVo needs to get their boxes into more homes now and this is one good way to do it.

Technorati Tags: TiVo, DVR, Cable

Popularity: 4%

TiVo announced today that they have a deal with Verizon Wireless to enable Verizon cell phone users to control their TiVo from their Verizon cell phone. The new service, called TiVo Mobile, will give TiVo subscribers the ability to schedule recordings while away from home through their cell phone — provided that it is a Verizon Wireless cell phone, that is.

It’s good to see TiVo adding new features like this that help to differentiate TiVo from all of the “generic” DVR units that are now available from Cable and Satellite providers. This is the only way that TiVo is going to survive — if they are the same as all the generic DVRs, why would anyone buy one if they can get it for free from their Cable company?

Technorati Tags: TiVo, Verizon, Cell Phone, DVR

Popularity: 2%

As the DVR becomes more common in todays households, Nielsen has realized that they need to include DVR viewings of TV shows in their ratings. As a result, they have added a new type of rating they call live plus seven day ratings. In essence, this means that these ratings include not only live viewings of TV shows but also a show that is viewed within 7 days on any DVR device (TiVo, ReplayTV, etc.).

I think this is a good sign. For a while now I’ve been worried that some shows ratings may be affected adversely by DVR usage. For example, I have two DVR units in my house (a ReplayTV and a Comcast HD DVR) and I rarely watch live TV anymore. If my household were a Nielsen Ratings Household (which it is not ), the TV shows that I watch on my DVR would not be included in the ratings for my household. This would include the TV shows that deserve my ratings the most, since I make sure that my favorite shows are always recorded on my DVR. I think this is the case for any Nielsen household that has a DVR, so including these DVR viewings in the ratings will only help to make the Nielsen ratings a more accurate representation of the number of viewers of a TV show. It’s also a sign that the DVR is here to stay — which is also a good thing!

Technorati Tags: Nielsen, DVR, Ratings, ReplayTV, Comcast

Popularity: 2%