“How much would you be willing to pay for the ability to record 300hrs of TV?” the Boxee survey asked, offering a choice of $5 per month, $10 per month, $15 per month or “Not interested” as possible responses.

Currently, the $49 Live TV adapter allows Boxee Box owners to tune in to free-to-air TV broadcasts and watch them in real-time. However, while there’s an SD card slot and external drive support on the Boxee Box, the tuner dongle doesn’t permit recording of content; instead, viewers are expected to use streaming catch-up services, such as Hulu and Netflix, if they missed the show first time round.

The Boxee team said it was evaluating the possibility of DVR features and that, if it proved viable, would have more to announce later in the year. It seems a free upgrade to do that isn’t the company’s priority, though, which could come as a frustration to owners of the STB.

Luckily, though, I accessed my favorite shows on my DVR and TiVo. Whenever I had a chance to check out an episode, I did. And when I realized that what I was watching was really not worth it, I deleted it and moved on. Best of all, I didn’t have to watch a single commercial.

[Image credit: Leo Reynolds]

My DVR experience over the last several weeks has solidified my belief that a world without the DVR is one that I don’t want to live in. In fact, I think it would be a crying shame if we were forced to go back to a time when the DVR wouldn’t be available.

I realize that there are many people that don’t have DVRs and they’re just fine without them. They sit down at a specified time each night to watch their favorite shows, and they might even enjoy watching commercials. It’s a ritual of sorts that they’ve grown comfortable with. And it’s something that those people wouldn’t want to lose.

But I have a different take on it. I’m one of those people that can’t stand online ads, commercials, or any other advertising initiative that distracts me from what I’m trying to enjoy. So, when I have the chance to skip commercials, I can’t wait to take advantage.

There’s also the issue of watching all the many shows I want to to watch. At any given time, I might have two or three shows on that I would really like to watch. Rather than pick one, DVRs afford me the opportunity to not miss either show. It’s a great option that I think far too many people look past when they’re deciding against buying a TiVo or paying just a few bucks a month for their cable company-provided DVR.

Of course, I realize I’m not covering new ground by saying DVRs are a fine option for the living room. And I’m sure the vast majority of you out there agree with everything I’m saying. But I wonder — given TiVo’s history and the sub-par quality of standard DVRs — if enough people see value in them. TiVos aren’t exactly flying off store shelves, and I’m still shocked by the number of people in my life who aren’t using DVRs — and see no reason to do so.

There appears to be a divide among those who are DVR owners and those who are not. One group couldn’t live without DVRs, and another can’t see a reason to live with them. Whereas some say they’re worth the cost, others say that they aren’t. And although there are some folks who say DVRs give us more time to do other, healthier things in our lives, like read a book or take a walk, detractors say they keep us tied to our couch.

So, what’s the truth? At the end of the day, it all depends on the individual. But as far as I’m concerned, DVRs offer a host of benefits — and very little, if any, downside.

The TiVo HD DVR combines the TiVo service with DirecTV’s HD content in a seamless interface along with TiVo’s unique peanut remote and Swivel Search feature. It allows users to easily set Season Pass Recordings, create WishList Searches, get TiVo show suggestions, record up to 100 hours of HD programming, and record two shows at once.

Users can access more than 7,000 on-demand movies and shows from both HD shows and movies from DirecTV Cinema. The set-top box costs $199, but an additional $5 per month TiVo service fee is required along with a $10 HD Access fee and a $7 DVR fee.

[via MarketWatch]

TiVo’s DVR service offers users four ways to access content, including traditional live TV, recorded TV, video-on-demand, and other internet-delivered content, such as through Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu Plus. This latest study found that only 38 percent of viewing via TiVo is live. Of the TiVo users that also use the internet content services, such as Netflix, only 27 percent of viewing was of live TV.

The company’s audience research unit tracks anonymous usage across 2 million TiVo DVR devices on a second-by-second basis. An obvious trend is that for videos, users generally prefer on-demand, whether its recorded or delivered via broadband. Although the study doesn’t take into account the viewers not using a TiVo DVR, it does show a major shift in the way we watch television that will require the TV industry to adjust how it delivers ads and distributes its programming.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

Not only is this like most HD DVR’s that can consume content, pause and record live HDTV but it also doubles as a TV tuner that converts broadcast and cable TV into streaming MPEG-4 for the most popular connected devices such as iPad and iPhone.

There is one big difference with Simple.TV from most of their competition. They don’t offer standard HDMI outputs or internal storage. Instead users can connect to their home wireless networks to stream content to their devices, including home PC’s and laptops. Same goes for the storage and instead they offer USB 2.0 allowing their customers the option to stream to their network for a low price, or add their own external storage devices.

Launching with major partners already such as Roku and Google TV we can expect to see more from Simple.TV at CES and will be sure to stop by their booth for a full rundown. One important note and concern is the fact that this is a streaming media device yet doesn’t offer WiFi — users will be required to connect using Ethernet, but they do provide 2 ports. We’re assuming you could also use the USB port for wireless network cards.

It will run users a low price of $4.99 per month but allows unlimited streaming for up to 5 users. Priced at $149 plus the $4.99/month subscription, Simple.TV will ship in the Spring of 2012.

There’s also on-demand access to HD content from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, Sirius XM radio and Blockbuster @Home with a further 3,000 titles on-demand. The Weather Channel, msnbc, NBC Sports and Access Hollywood apps are preloaded, and there’s predictive search to help you find the content you’re interested in more readily.

Inside Hopper there’s a 750MHz Broadcom chipset and three satellite tuners, capable of streaming to four sets simultaneously. You also get Bluetooth for wireless headphones and picture-in-picture support. The included remote pairs up via ZigBee RF4CE, not IR, which means it doesn’t demand line-of-sight, and there’s even a “locate” button on the Hopper and Joey units that makes the remote wail so that you can find it more easily.

DISH intends to add Facebook, Twitter, Pandora and photo sharing to the system, as well as games, news, weather, sports, and stock quotes. More immediately, there’s a new HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand offering with expanded content to stream, along with DISH Unplugged that loads new HBO content on your Hopper every day via satellite.

Hopper and Joey will be available in Q1 2012; DISH Network will announce hardware pricing and package costs closer to launch.

The forum post reveals that the new TiVo set-top box will be available only in the following ten major US cities: Chicago IL, Denver CO, Los Angeles CA, New York NY, Philadelphia PA, Phoenix AZ, Sacramento CA, San Francisco CA, Seattle WA, and Washington DC. A nationwide rollout for other markets is still being evaluated.

However, this new TiVo-powered DVR will carry a $5 per month TiVo service fee in addtion to the $7 DVR service fee and the $10 HD Access Fee. With the new TiVo box, users will be able to access all of DirecTV’s live, on-demand, and pay-per-view videos. Updates will be downloaded via satellite and remote DVR functions are supported.

[via CNET]

You won’t be able to use this new Elite system with analog cables or over-the-air antenna, such is the nature of this digital cable system ONLY solution. This device is a THX Certified DVR, and it maintains TiVo’s “gold-standard,” user interface, Neflix, Pandora, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and YouTube. The TiVo Premiere Elite outputs to HDMI, component video, composite video, optical audio, and analog audio.

Video outputs range from 480i to 1080p, and you’ll be able to input video with CableCARD, Cable coax, and of course, ethernet for all your internet-based content. You’ll get 2 USB 2.0 ports, eSATA for external recording space, and TiVo wireless N or G network adapter capability. This system supports digital cable, HD digital cable, and Verizon FiOS, and the entire system is built on TiVo Series4 architecture. This Elite system will be available through tivo.com, authorized home theater installers, and Magnolia stores nationwide immediately if not soon for $499.99 MSRP.

Four tuners means you can record four different shows at the same time and watch a fifth. Apparently, the DVR need to get an analog tuner waver from the FCC, which is expected to be granted. Once that is given, it will hit stores for $500. The DVR is also broadband connected. That means that it can stream all sorts of content from Netflix, Pandora, and Hulu Plus.

The big downside to this TiVo DVR and any other TiVo for that matter is the monthly TiVo fees on top of your cable plan. TiVo will charge you an extra $20 monthly for service or $500 for a lifetime. The DVR is THX certified for sound quality. There is no indication if users will get a discount on multi-units or lifetime upgrades. Still, the DVR sounds really cool.

[via Zatznotfunny]

With the new Android and Windows Phone device additions, the U-Verse Mobile app is now available on more than 20 devices and four major operating platforms. The number of TV shows available in the U-Verse Mobile library has also expanded to include over 100 TV series and more than 700 TV shows from various genres.

The app lets subscribers browse the U-Verse TV guide, schedule and manage DVR recordings, and watch TV shows directly on their smartphones. However, to watch TV shows, customers must subscribe to a qualifying TV plan.

[via MultiChannel]

Previously, in order to play a TV show recorded from another TiVo set-top box in your house, you had to copy and transfer the file before you could watch it on the second TV. With the TiVo Premiere set-top box and the latest software update, you will no longer need to do this. Instead of transferring to watch, you can now stream the content from one TiVo to another.

The original method of copying and transferring made sense when home networks were much slower. Now, as more and more content are getting streamed, it seems like a logical step for TiVo. And although no official announcements were made for the new streaming capability, some folks in the TiVo forum have indicated that the feature is already turned on. However, reviews on the performance are mixed, which could still require more tweaking, hence no official announcement.

[via Electronista]

But as of late, I’ve learned the hard way that my love for technology is in no way universal. In fact, some of my closest friends and family members will look at something so appealing to me and find it to be boring or unnecessary.

That was the case over the weekend when I had an interesting chat with a friend. We were talking about some of the television shows we enjoy watching, and I mentioned that my DVR is packed with past episodes of shows I need to catch up on. I told my friend that I’d like nothing more than to have a couple DVRs connected to my television, so I could catch everything I’m interested in.

My friend, however, saw things much differently. He told me that he doesn’t have a DVR in the home, and as far as he’s concerned, there’s no reason to have one.

As you might expect, I was taken aback. DVRs have become integral to my entertainment life. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to watch half of the shows I enjoy now, and I would argue that I would have less time available to me to engage in other activities, such as work, exercise, and gaming.

But my friend sees things differently. He said that by using a DVR, I’m investing more time in watching television than I should. And he argued that our reliance upon DVRs to help us get through shows quicker by skipping commercials could hurt us in the long-run by forcing programs to bring more commercials into epsiodes.

Admittedly, I understood where he was coming from. And I can appreciate that DVRs, in some cases, can contribute to more television viewership than less, but I see no reason to not have a DVR in the home. Sure, it could do some harm, but can’t it also do some good? After all, if you simply couldn’t make it home to watch an important show, having a DVR as your backup makes great sense.

But as with anything else in this industry, there are some who see value in the addition of tech in the home, and there are others who don’t. My friend says that DVRs are unnecessary, and when one considers their actual value to our daily lives, they don’t even justify the $10 or so we pay our cable providers each month to have one.

And, he said, don’t forget that services like Hulu and Netflix are out there to help us catch up on a series that we might have missed.

Though I won’t agree with my friend, he makes some interesting points that serve as a solid jumping-off point for a discussion on DVRs: are they really necessary? Are they causing more harm than good in our lives?

Let us know how you feel about DVRs in the comments below.

I’m speaking next month in San Diego at the Internet Retailer conference on the subject of the future of TV. I plan to dive into depth on how internet-connected or Smart TVs combined with over-the-top-services are will soon provide a viable alternative to paying a cable or satellite company. In fact, for a growing number of consumers they have already made this leap, cutting the cable cord in favor of online TV.

This doesn’t mean that the issue of ads will go away. Of that 22-24 minutes of ads per hour show you see, many of them are not relevant to you, which is why we skip them. Instead they will become more relevant and more personal.

Images of Minority Report come to mind.

My primary point is that there are a good deal of brands and consumer goods, electronics etc. that I am very interested in and I am willing to subject myself to marketing if it is indeed something I am interested in.

As I begin to consume more TV related content using the internet as a delivery mechanism, the personalization power of the web comes into affect. This will allow me to set my preferences or even have the service learn about my interests and deliver me more relevant ads.

Now, at the end of the day, we know nothing is truly free. The studio networks, your internet provider and more will all want a piece of this action. What I think will happen in the future as over-the-top services become more mainstream is that access to TV online will be bundled with your internet service costs.

This may mean internet service costs go up, but right now one would reasonably pay $110 dollars for TV and internet service from Comcast. In this model, perhaps the cost is $60 dollars a month and you get the internet with access to over-the-top TV services.

The reality, however, is right now TV on the internet is much like the internet itself in the early days. It’s not mature and is in the infant stages of maturing. There are still a number of challenges to bringing TV in its entirety over the internet:

• - The networks are still not sure how to monetize streaming vs. their revenue from cable companies
• - The cable companies don’t want to lose control of their broadcast pipe to your home
• - There aren’t enough internet-connected TV’s or long form web streaming demand to justify the costs
• - Legal issues between content rights holders, licensees and the networks need to be solved

That’s why this isn’t going to happen tomorrow or at the end of the year and not even next year. This is probably a five year journey at a minimum.

As a Microsoft executive once said to me, “Television is going to change in the next five years more than it has changed in the last fifty.” The only problem is, that was four years ago.

It’s not clear how long the free trial is for existing users. TiVo plus subscriptions on the TiVo Premiere DVRs will cost $7.99 monthly. Users of Hulu Plus on the TiVo DVRs will have access to all the same content that users of the Hulu Plus service on other devices. The content includes movies and hit shows from Fox, ABC, NBC, MTV, and Comedy Central. TiVo customers already had access to Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, and BLOCKBUSTER.

One of the best things about Hulu Plus for me is the huge catalog of old shows that you can watch like X-Files “Hulu’s mission is to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium video content when, where and how they want it. To that end, we are thrilled that today we are opening up the Hulu Plus experience to TiVo Premiere users,” says Andy Forssell, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution for Hulu.

[via TiVo]

I did not cut off TiVo because of incompatibility problems, though those do exist. I have eschewed satellite television and IPTV solutions like AT&T U-Verse because they are incompatible with TiVo. I suffered cable service, and I was using cable cards before the cable company installers themselves even knew how to use them. I recently moved to a new apartment, where I had a choice between Time Warner Cable and AT&T U-Verse. After 3 weeks of meditating on the issue, and living without cable TV or wired Internet, I chose U-Verse.

(Disclosure: I work for Samsung in the mobile phones division. We sell stuff on AT&T.)

When my wife and I split, I got the good TiVo. She got the Series 2, I took the TiVo HD. I thought she would live with the non-HD model, but I went to visit one day and sitting above her TV was a shiny new TiVo Premiere. She asked me to help set it up, but I had already returned my cable cards. She needed a professional. Of course the installer showed up without the proper cable cards, and though Time Warner claimed to have scoured the North Texas area, none could be found for half a week.

At first I was jealous. It was a shiny, new black box. The remote was fresh, with no buttons worn down or missing. I couldn’t wait to give it a whirl. Then I noticed the WiFi adapter sitting next to the box. It was the old adapter I had used for my Series 2 and my TiVo HD. It cost a fortune, because the TiVo HD requires a TiVo-branded adapter, which is a scam and a half (maybe there are 3rd party solutions, but I went the easy and lazy route).

I turned on the new TiVo, expecting a shiny, new, modern interface. Nope. Same old interface. The same design I’ve been staring at for years and years. New features, of course, but these are mostly buried in the menus, and not obvious to users. The device didn’t seem to perform any better. There was still a long delay after button presses. Search was unimproved. Season Pass management is still a slog.

The biggest change? TiVo service is now $20 per month. For $20, you mostly get a TV Guide listing. It’s not even 100% correct. It’s especially bad at separating first run shows from reruns on the same channel from syndicated reruns on less-popular networks.

I never bought a TiVo lifetime pass. When I bought my first TiVo, actually a Sony box, I was living paycheck to paycheck in New York City. I couldn’t scrounge the money for a lifetime pass, but I could handle the $12 monthly fee. I’ve been paying the monthly fee ever since, for almost 12 years. When I finally could afford the lifetime plan, I was never convinced TiVo would be around long enough to justify paying in advance. I’m still not convinced.

When I finally cancelled my TiVo service, I was paying 2 monthly fees, one for each TiVo. One was $12, the other was about $16. Almost $30 per month for a TV Guide. You can use TiVo without paying the fee, but you have to manually assign each recording, and they show up in the recorded program menus with a time stamp, not a program name. Too much hassle.

My ex-wife bought her TiVo Premiere for $300. With that ‘subsidized’ price (excuse me, I just threw up a little in my mouth), the user still has to pay $20 per month. You can pay more for the Premiere, and then you get a cheaper monthly plan. But there is no lifetime option any more.

Where to begin? When I was pricing Internet and TV packages, I compared similar offerings from Time Warner and AT&T U-Verse. Time Warner was cheaper, but the difference was less than a hundred dollars over the course of a year, with all of the discounts and premiums thrown in. However, AT&T U-Verse came with a multi-room DVR, while my Time Warner plan involved skipping the provided DVR in favor of my TiVo. The DVR provided by most cable companies is an embarrassment. It’s horrible to use, and I think DVRs would be much more popular, and more highly regarded, if the cable companies spent more than 5 minutes on interface design.

Including the monthly TiVo fees, the cable service is much more expensive. This comparison does not take into account the quality of service. I wasn’t worrying about compression issues with HD programming over IP (U-Verse), or the saturation of users on available modem bandwidth (Cable). I was only thinking about the channels I wanted, and the download speeds I require.

Then there is the hardware. The TiVo Premiere box is huge. It’s about the size of a large gaming console, and much larger than an HTPC that you could buy to perform the same tasks, and much more. There is no WiFi built in. How can that be? I suspect a cynical grab at more money from accessories, which is also why the sliding remote control with a QWERTY keyboard, which is really a necessity for power users, is also an add-on.

The reliance on cable cards would have been a convenient option if the cable companies had played along, but they did not. They charge a similar rental fee for the cards as they do for the box, and getting cards installed properly can be unreliable, depending on your technician. I’ve had the cards installed three times in three states, and only once did a tech get it right on the first try.

Most offensive, though, is the pricing. On TiVo.com, the company prominently promotes generous upgrade pricing for existing users. In fact, TiVo’s prices are higher than Amazon’s. TiVo doesn’t care that I’ve been a member for 12 years. It doesn’t offer any real discount for existing members, even though I would trade in my older hardware for a new box if they would knock $100 off the price. They have even raised the monthly fee, and existing users don’t catch a break on this increase.

TiVo treats its customers like dirt. As an original TiVo owner, I feel like TiVo has been riding my coattails, milking me for all the money I’m willing to shell out without making any significant improvements. There have been no great hardware improvements, no great software design improvements. The logic behind the search and program management systems is horrendous and confusing. TiVo has failed to innovate for the last decade.

This might have been acceptable when there were no better alternatives. For years, TiVo customers could be happy knowing their boxes were better than the DVR offered by the cable company. But a Windows 7 Media Center PC is a great improvement over TiVo. AT&T’s U-Verse seems like a much better interface, with more features to boot, though I’ve only been using it for less than a week.

TiVo, I’m sad to go. I have great affection for my TiVo, in the same way I’ve had great affection for many groundbreaking products over the years. I thought it was the best product of the last decade, even though it was launched before the turn of the century. But it’s still just that, the best product from the last decade. Instead, I want the best product for right now.

Still, many folks are huge TiVo fans and will pay whatever it takes to keep their beloved service. TiVo has announced that it is trying to make its prices easier for shoppers to understand. Unfortunately easier to understand and simplified means that the cheap plans are getting the axe in favor of the more expensive plans. The new monthly fee for TiVo Premiere users will be $19.99 with a 1-year commitment required to start with.

The lifetime service option is offered again at a whopping $499, which is the most the lifetime service has cost in TiVo history. There are rumors that multi-unit service discounts will continue, but at an increased rate of $14.95 from the $9.95 currently. The lifetime multi-unit option will cost $399. The TiVo hardware pricing has the Premiere selling for $99 and the Premiere XL going for $299.

[via Zatznotfunny]

The Regza ZG2 line have IPS displays measuring in at 42-, 47- or 55-inches, 16-segment LED backlighting, along with Active Scan 480 for high-speed screen refreshes. There’s also upscaling – both of SD to HD content, and 2D to 3D content – active shutter glasses and 2TB integrated hard-drives that support timeshifting and scheduled recordings. Toshiba has thrown in a total of six digital terrestrial tuners.

The sets are all networked, and support “Remote Play” from Windows 7 along with streaming DLNA content. There are USB ports for hooking up external storage and camcorders for direct AVCHD playback, various HDMI ports and an SDHC memory card slot. No word on pricing or availability outside of Japan at this stage.

As for the Blu-ray DVRs, the RD-BZ810 has a 1TB drive and the RD-BZ710 and RD-BZ610 each have 500GB drives. They also support USB storage, direct AVCHD playback, reading/writing various Blu-ray and DVD discs, and ethernet streaming. Again, no word on pricing.

Video demo after the cut

The HDS-600RS does a lot, and there’s plenty of box to accommodate all that too. Measuring in at a hefty 386 x 280 x 58 mm, it follows the usual trapezoidal Slingbox style with red highlights. Up front is a 16-character LCD display and a row of nine touch-sensitive buttons, along with a USB 2.0 port and Smart Card reader. On the back, meanwhile, there’s HDMI, two SCARTs, S/PDIF digital audio, RCA audio, another USB port, 10/100 ethernet, twin RF inputs and the power port.

Inside, meanwhile, there are two DVB-S2 freesat+ tuners – allowing the HDS-600RS to record two channels simultaneously, or show live TV while recording another program – together with a 500GB hard-drive good for up to 300hrs of SD content or 100hrs of HD. Regular 576i SD broadcasts can be upscaled in-box to 720p or 1080i.

Rather than the more common – and more easily installed – Freeview standard, EchoStop opted for freesat+, which is subscription free but still demands a satellite dish be installed (or a leftover Sky dish be used). That, the company told us, was to bypass the “unregulated free-for-all” of budget Freeview boxes and DVRs as well as give the company more scope for launching the HDS-600RS hardware across Europe. With only minor – and relatively low cost – modifications, the DVR can be adapted to suit Germany, Italy, France and Spain, following the UK debut.

Of course the most interesting aspect of the new EchoStar box is its Sling functionality. Like the Slingbox Pro-HD, it can push content from its own tuners either within the home network or over the internet, using automatic quality-scaling to suit the capacity of whatever connection you’re working with. The HDS-600RS is particularly targeted at multiroom media addicts; 55- to 60-percent of Sling users funnel their content around the home rather than outside it, and EchoStar expect the DVR to be popular with young couples and small families who want to be able to pause TV in one room and resume playback elsewhere without the traditional hassle of setting up a distributed A/V system.

EchoStar SlingLoaded HDS-600RS demo:

The Sling component works with the company’s existing iPhone, iPad and Android apps, together with the web portal for notebooks and PCs. If you’d rather watch on a regular TV, there’s the SlingCatcher; that comes with its own remote, but the software viewers show the same on-screen UI as the main HDS-600RS itself. Since that’s being rendered on the DVR and then squirted over the wireless connection it can be a little slow to respond; we asked if there were plans to make a free-to-download remote app, similar to what Logitech and Sonos offer, to run on an iOS or Android smartphone, but currently EchoStar plans to stick with just the regular place-shifting apps.

That does mean you’ll have to pay a reasonably hefty fee per mobile device. The iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and other apps are $29.99/£17.99 each (though you can install the iOS versions on up to five devices, as long as they’re registered to the same iTunes account) though the regular web portal is free. EchoStar is yet to confirm pricing for the HDS-600RS itself, though the box itself is expected to go on sale – initially in John Lewis retail stores and though Amazon online – from April 1, with pre-orders from tomorrow.

After that, EchoStar told us, they’d be looking to potential bundles, pairing the HDS-600RS with other Slingbox components. A “TV Two” style package is perhaps the most likely, with the PVR and a SlingCatcher. Meanwhile, the PVR itself is likely to see regular updates thanks to its expansible design; it will ship with BBC iPlayer support, and the company tells us other IPTV services will be added shortly after launch. Future plans could include pay-per-view or subscription streaming content, something which – when paired with Sling functionality – might mean an end to digital rentals going unwatched because they’re stuck on one device in your living room. If the HDS-600RS is popular enough, a Freeview HD version could also be on the cards.

Press Release:

EchoStar Europe launches the world’s first Freesat+ digital television recorder with SlingLoaded® TV anywhere

London – 22 March, 2011: EchoStar Europe (www.echostar-europe.com), a leading developer of added value, connected device solutions to the digital television industry, announce their SlingLoaded® HDS-600RS, the world’s first HD digital video recorder (DVR) to combine Freesat+ features with Sling Media’s (www.slingmedia.com) unique place-shifting ability, enabling TV anywhere, on all popular smartphones and tablets*.
The SlingLoaded feature enables users to watch and manage their live and recorded TV remotely anytime, anywhere, via 3G or Wi-Fi, with no additional monthly fees. With Freesat+, viewers get over 150 digital channels, including HD, On Demand services and the ability to pause, rewind and record TV, all subscription free. There’s seamless access to catch-up TV including BBC iPlayer, with other connected TV services including ITV Net Player to follow.
Once connected to home broadband, the EchoStar HDS-600RS will Sling live or recorded TV anywhere, to your iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ smartphones or tablets, and any device supported by SlingPlayer® Mobile* (www.uk.slingbox.com/go/spm), even to your Mac® or PC via SlingPlayer® (which can be accessed for free, online at www.uk.slingbox.com). This ensures that you’ll never miss a moment of your favourite show, movie or sports event ever again. Throughout your home or around the world, you can truly Sling your TV anywhere.
The EchoStar HDS-600RS delivers a host of viewing options; ‘live pause and rewind’, simultaneously watch one show and record another, and one touch series-link via the High Definition (HD) Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) all ensure that you’ll never miss a show! The 500GB hard disk drive provides huge capacity to record up to 300 hours of Standard Definition (SD) programming or up to 100 hours of HD programming. You can even connect to a compatible Dolby® Digital home cinema amplifier, using the integrated Digital Audio Port, allowing you to enjoy cinema quality sound at home. All this is packaged in a stylish unit with a touch sensitive display.
“For TV lovers everywhere, this is the ultimate combination of subscription free TV anywhere meeting digital television recording and connected TV”, said Rhod Williams, General Manager of Echostar Europe. “We’re bringing together the strengths of EchoStar and Sling Media Inc. to create a hybrid device that will give people the ultimate TV viewing experience; what they want, when they want and where they want it. With this industry first we’re making TV anywhere a reality that delivers an enhanced user experience to consumers, with no monthly fees.”
Freesat Managing Director Emma Scott commented “This is a great partnership for us. It’s our first foray into EchoStar’s ‘TV anywhere’, and offers even more fantastic choice for our customers. Freesat has constantly evolved since launch and this paves the way for more exciting innovations in the future.”
The product will be available for purchase online at Amazon.co.uk and in-store and online at John Lewis (www.johnlewis.com) from 1st April 2011. Consumers can pre-order from Amazon.co.uk from 23rd March 2011. Please see retailers’ websites for the latest pricing.
For all of the latest product news and purchase information, please visit the new EchoStar consumer website www.myechostar.com.

• Record two programs and watch live TV on another channel
• Record three live programs, or
• Record three live programs while also watching something you’ve pre-recorded

The boxes were automatically upgraded, so there is no need to download anything.

[via Tivo Community Forum]

Back in 2005, DISH, then Echostar, was gearing up to use DVR technology from IBM.  TIVO sued claiming that the IBM DVR technology was too similar to TIVO in the way it stored digital video content and, therefore violated several of their patents.  DISH countersued and lost, forcing them to discontinue development of their own DVR.  But since every cable company and even DISH competitor DirecTV has their own DVR technology, it seems only fair that DISH get to play, and so the judge ruled in their favor.  But this is just another legal skirmish in a long war of attrition.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

From the off, Charter will offer the TiVo Premiere for regular DVR recording together with access to the cable company’s on-demand TV catalog. The Premier UI will incorporate both the traditional system and any IPTV on offer from the new partnership, as well as online streaming video in a similar manner to Google TV.

After that will come “new devices, features, and third party applications” all using TiVo’s search/navigation/discovery engine, in an ecosystem which Charter is hoping will be somewhat easier to use than having dozens of different STBs. No word at this stage on what the Charter TiVo Premiere will cost.

Press Release:

Charter Announces Next Generation TV Strategy With TiVo

Charter and TiVo Enter Into Strategic Relationship to Deliver Innovative IP Enabled Video Platform
ST. LOUIS, MO and ALVISO, CA, Jan 24, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) and TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), today announced that Charter is setting its strategy for the next generation of television into motion with TiVo Inc. Charter and TiVo have finalized a multi-year agreement that will leverage the TiVo user interface to bring a new and enhanced entertainment experience to customers using a hybrid platform that leverages traditional cable and next generation IP technologies. Through this agreement, Charter is making a significant commitment to deploy the TiVo service to enable an enhanced television experience for consumers.

The initial phase, which is expected to launch in Charter markets later this year, will utilize TiVo’s latest generation high definition user interface and TiVo(R) Premiere set top box, as well as upcoming multi-room and non-DVR platforms. Beyond the initial phase, the strategy will encompass next generation platforms that will expand the service with new devices, features, and third party applications — all enhanced by TiVo’s highly regarded discovery, search, navigation and recommendation features which allow Charter customers to experience the best of traditional and next generation television, including linear TV, video on demand, vast libraries of Internet-delivered video and IP applications.

Consumer electronics research indicates rapidly increasing numbers of Internet-connected devices in the home, and Charter is developing the strategic means to become the advanced television solutions provider for customers, bringing simplicity to the increasing complexity of home communications and entertainment. This new generation of television service will complement Charter Internet and wireless home networking services.

“We’re integrating formerly disparate worlds of traditional television and online content, and making it simple for customers to quickly find the content they’re looking for, as well as greatly expand their entertainment choices,” said Mike Lovett, Charter’s President and CEO. “Our strategic relationship with TiVo is a significant step in Charter’s multi-year effort to become the solutions provider for home entertainment and consumer information technology. With our superior IP infrastructure, we’re leading the way with TiVo to create a user-friendly entertainment experience that leverages an open standards platform to enable IP content and bring a whole new world of applications to the television.”

Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo Inc., added, “We are thrilled to have been selected by Charter for its next generation video platform, which builds on the distribution momentum we saw throughout 2010 for our products. Charter’s strategic direction is highly aligned with the way we see consumer entertainment demands evolving. We believe Charter is uniquely positioned to offer consumers a ground breaking video service combining the best of traditional cable television with the dynamic world of Internet delivered video. We are pleased to offer a solution that seamlessly delivers DVR based video on demand, traditional network based video on demand, and the newest in broadband to the TV video on demand. While numerous consumer electronic players point to so called connected experiences on various platforms, our relationship with Charter underscores our mutual recognition of the importance of a fully integrated user experience in building a video platform that truly unifies all available content in a world of rapidly expanding choices for the consumer.”

The following features are planned for the initial product:

– TiVo’s high-definition user interface including integrated search:
Instantly scans across all channels and sources, including TV, VOD,
and available online content, to help find what customers want to
watch
– Web applications: Allows customers to access local news, sports and
weather, as well as Facebook and Twitter(TM) updates, right from the
TV
– OnDemand: Offers access to thousands of hours of video from Charter’s
OnDemand library, including 900+ high-definition titles
– Online: Internet video from top destinations
– iPad app: Serves as command central, with an ability to browse the
program guide and recorded shows, schedule recordings, post on
Facebook or Twitter, schedule, search and browse for shows from
anywhere, and much more
– Control live TV: Allows pause, rewind, slow-motion, and instant replay
functions during live TV
– Multiroom DVR: View a common list of recordings and playback recorded
content throughout the home, pause a recorded program in one room and
resume playback in another, use trick-play functions on recorded
content and delete recordings from any room*
– Remote Management: Search and schedule recordings from the Web or from
a mobile phone
– TiVoToGo(TM) transfers: Transfer photos and movies from a personal
computer to the TiVo Premiere, for viewing on the TV set; or from the
TiVo Premiere to a laptop, media device, or smart phone, for viewing
outside the home*
– Automatic recordings: Records favorite shows each week with Season
Pass(R) recordings on the TiVo Premiere. In addition,
WishList(R) searches will find and record suggested programs based
on customer interests
– Content storage: Records up to 45 hours of high-definition (HD)
programming or up to 400 hours of standard-definition programming –
equivalent to more than 16 days of content
– Full HD support: Offers full support for 1080p and 1080i HD formats

*Only video programming without copy restrictions may be transferred using multi-room viewing or TiVoToGo.

Ports include one USB 3.0 Device, for hooking up to a computer and dropping files onto a SATA HDD in the EM7195′s internal bay, together with three USB host ports for external storage. There’s also 10/100 ethernet, HDMI and a multi-format memory card reader.

Supported file types include MKV and H.264, though Eminent is yet to reveal a full list. It also gets a backlit remote control. No pricing, but the Eminent HD EM7195 is set to hit the UK come March 2011.

Press Release:

Eminent announces new HD media player EM7195 with DVB-T twin tuner

The Eminent HD media player EM7195 with DVB-T, USB 3.0 and a next-generation Realtek chipset offers a complete home cinema experience. Eminent expects the HD media player EM7195 to be available in the UK in March 2011.

Supplier of ICT accessories Eminent will equip its HD media player EM7195 with a DVB-T twin tuner. As a result, it is possible to watch one Freeview™ channel and record another one at the same time. Use the electronic program guide (EPG) to choose from free digital TV channels. The Eminent HD media player EM7195 allows to schedule recordings and record up to two channels simultaneously.

Eminent is the first company offering an HD media player with the next-generation Realtek RT1183 DD C+ chipset in the UK. High stability, fast navigation and HD audio support add to the comfort of using the Eminent HD media player EM7195. It supports a broad range of video formats, including MKV and H.264.

The USB 3.0 connection facilitates fast movie transfer from a PC to the hard disk inside the Eminent HD media player EM7195. It takes seconds to copy a complete movie to the HD media player. Furthermore, it is possible to connect external storage devices to the USB ports, SATA port and card reader. Connect the Eminent HD media player EM7195 to the home network to stream multimedia files from a PC to the TV.

Additional accessories, such as the full-size luxurious backlit remote control, clearly add value to the Eminent HD media player EM7195. Eminent provides all necessary cables, including an HDMI and USB 3.0 cable. The Eminent HD media player EM7195 is an elegant black device made of brushed aluminium.

Eminent offers a 5 year warranty. This HD media player will be available in the UK in March 2011.

The Vulkano Blast is a versatile TV video platform according to Monsoon and it has lots of features. The device is easy to set up and the features include an integrated DVR, web video, TV anywhere, UPnP streaming, mobile video recording and packs in a 160GB HDD.

The Blast is capable of turning your smartphone into a mobile video recording and those programs can be played back on other device. The DVR mode allows fast forwarding of content and pause capability. TV programs can be watched on the go with the device over WiFi or 3G connections. Video is streamed at 150kbps in H.264 and MPEG-4 standards. The device has integrated WiFi and future updates will bring access to Amazon, Netflix, and more. The device will ship this month for $199.

“Currently, Hulu Plus will not be available on MVPD-provided TiVo Premiere DVRs,” Netflix told GigaOm, meaning there will be a significant feature-gap between standalone TiVo units and those supplied by cable providers. Suddenlink rolled out TiVo Premiere units as a $15 per month option recently; however, $5 more a month gets you TiVo’s own lease, and a box with Netflix support and Hulu Plus incoming.

The content issue could see TiVo struggle to pick up customers among cable companies, which had previously been identified as an under-staturated market for the DVR firm.

That slot will take SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards – up to 64GB in size – which is good enough for up to five hours of Full HD, 24Mbps video. Alternatively, there’s a USB port to which you can directly hook up an external drive, for even longer storage.

The only problem is that the media files the VIERA creates won’t apparently play on other TVs, computers or mobile devices, which seriously undermines the TH-L42G3′s usefulness as a way to get video onto your smartphone. Other features include an ethernet port for smart TV functionality, two HDMI ports, VIERA Link, video-on-demand connectivity and DLNA. It’ll drop in Japan come January 18 2011, priced at the equivalent of $1,800.

[via CrunchGear]

This app also allows you (just so long as you’ve got the correct DVR) to browse and search up to 9 days of shows, schedule recordings, delete shows on multiple receivers, and on the whole turn their iPad into one big huge remote control. Like comically large. Download the app for free now in Apple’s App Store, and check out the full press release below:

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — DISH Network L.L.C., today announced that DISH Remote Access, the free application that gives DISH Network customers the ability to watch their live and recorded TV on compatible smartphones, tablets and laptops, is now available for the iPad™. To enjoy live and recorded TV viewing on the iPad, DISH Network customers must have a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled™ device such as the Sling Adapter™ – a small placeshifting device that pairs with DISH Network’s ViP® 722 or 722k HD DVRs.

“DISH Network is the only pay-TV provider to offer a true TV everywhere solution, and now we’ve extended that experience to the iPad,” said DISH Network Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr. “Unlike mobile viewing from cable and telcos that limit access to select programs, our TV Everywhere services give consumers 24 x 7 access to all of their live and recorded content included with their DISH Network programming subscription.”

In addition to TV viewing, the DISH Remote Access app also gives DISH Network customers with compatible DVRs the ability to browse and search up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, delete shows on multiple receivers, and transform the iPad into a fully-functioning remote control.

The DISH Remote Access app for the iPad can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. For more information about DISH Remote Access, visit www.dish.com/tveverywhere.

About DISH Network

DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 14.2 million satellite TV customers, as of September 30, 2010, with the highest quality programming and technology at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy industry-leading customer satisfaction, the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.

The service has a Trio interactive program guide, 500GB of storage space on the DVR and new HD channels that are only available to those that subscribe to the Plus Package DVR system. The subscription adds $5 monthly to the bill.

The coolest part of the whole home DVR system is that you can use Active Bookmarking. That means you can set a bookmark in a show you are watching and then finish the show in another room from the point you bookmarked. The system allows the users to watch up to three programs at one time and recording can be scheduled form any TV in the house.

SlashSPACE
Today, Boeing has received first signals back from LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 satellite after its launch at 12:29 p.m. Eastern time on November 14th on an International Launch Services Proton vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. What will this big momma do, you ask? It’ll bring us 4G connective capabilities, that’s what! When operating fully, the satellite will use and combine ground-based beam-forming equipment and ground stations to create LightSquared’s Space-Based Network, the company’s first. LightSquared plans on combining with a network of more than 40,000 base stations to offer both ground and satellite coverage for the entirety of the USA, offering a wholesale 4G LTE wireless network in “the first four markets” by Q3, 2011. Off blast!

[Via PopSci]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
LG Vortex Heading To Verizon
Walmart Give Away $100 Giftcard For Purchasing a Smartphone

Android Community
Gingerbread Confirmed Today, Working on Nexus S, As Presented by Google CEO Eric Schmidt at Web 2.0 [TASTY]
Motorola MOTOPAD to be 7-inch Android 3.0 debut?
20+ custom Adam apps claim Notion Ink
Black Flyday helps you find shopping deals for holiday season
PC World yank Toshiba’s Folio 100 over poor buyer feedback?
Another Dual-Core Samsung Phone Confirmation (Plus More Anzu)
Sony Ericsson LiveView On Sale NOW in Several European Markets
ViewSonic ViewPad 7 tablet Now on Amazon for Pre-Order Price of $600
Pulse News Reader Goes FREE on All Platforms Today [FREE]
LG Vortex Announced by Verizon, Available November 18
US Cellular Announces Nov 19 Release of Their Version of Samsung Galaxy Tab
AT&T Unrolls Release Date of November 21 and Pay As You Go Data Plans for Samsung Galaxy Tab

SlashGear
Apple iTunes announcement “you’ll never forget” promised for Tuesday Nov 16 [FEATURED]
Android 3.0 MOTOPAD is Motorola & Google’s Honeycomb opener?
A Week with the HTC HD7: Hardware [FEATURED]
Verizon Ad Leaks Look at Pantech and LG LTE Modems
Jolicloud Jolibook Official Press Photos Now Available (2 Sizes?)
Why I can’t wait to get rid of my DVR [COLUMN]
DIY USB Floppy Disk Mixes the Best of Both Worlds [NOT MILEY RELATED]
Pillow Universal Remote Control Costs only $30 [SWEET GIFT]
Halo’s Master Chief Helmet is Wearable, Made of LEGOs
Holiday Gift Guide 2010 [FEATURED] [LOTS OF SWEET GIFTS]
Facebook Modern Messaging System Offers Full Social Integration and History [FEATURED]
Movie Review: Skyline [COLUMN]
T-Mobile Samsung Tab Review [REVIEW]
Verizon Galaxy Tab Review [REVIEW]
LG E2360V LED Display Review [REVIEW]

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
LG Vortex Heading To Verizon
Walmart Give Away $100 Giftcard For Purchasing a Smartphone

Android Community
Motorola MOTOPAD to be 7-inch Android 3.0 debut?
20+ custom Adam apps claim Notion Ink
Black Flyday helps you find shopping deals for holiday season
PC World yank Toshiba’s Folio 100 over poor buyer feedback?
Another Dual-Core Samsung Phone Confirmation (Plus More Anzu)
Gingerbread Comes Out Tomorrow(?) at Web 2.0 Summit
Dell Streak to get Froyo at end of November

SlashGear
Apple iTunes announcement “you’ll never forget” promised for Tuesday Nov 16 [FEATURED]
Android 3.0 MOTOPAD is Motorola & Google’s Honeycomb opener?
Nokia production line death sparks Indian investigation
Nokia E7 clears FCC, pentaband WCDMA intact
AMD join MeeGo project with Intel & Nokia: will use it with APUs
Rumor pegs Sony Ericsson Xperia X7 and X7 Mini inbound in Q1
Palm Pre 2 lands in UK
Stun Fone was a viral marketing campaign
HTC EVO Shift 4G trademark filing tips upcoming Android tablet?
Free MeeGo IdeaPad S10-3t for developers as Intel get open-source serious
T-Mobile Samsung Tab Review [REVIEW]
A Week with the HTC HD7: Hardware [FEATURED]
Verizon Ad Leaks Look at Pantech and LG LTE Modems
Jolicloud Jolibook Official Press Photos Now Available (2 Sizes?)
Why I can’t wait to get rid of my DVR [COLUMN]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

And then the fun began.

[Image credit: Steve Garfield]

As I turned on my DVR, it took about 15 seconds to start. When I tried changing the channels, it took about 10 seconds to perform the action. And in the moments when I hit a few buttons, like the channel up and channel down keys to test response time, it locked up for about a minute or so. When it came back, it performed all those actions in about a second.

At that point, I had enough. I knew the drill from talking to my cable company’s customer service agents in the past that the best idea in that situation is to unplug the DVR, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. So I did.

And then, as I stared at the black display on my television for, oh, about 5 minutes, I realized something. DVRs today are arguably the worst set-top boxes in any person’s entertainment center. And yet, many of us have them, so we can watch our favorite programming and record shows we want to see.

That is precisely why I can’t wait to get rid of my DVR. I long for the day when a single set-top box (or even a few) will be able to deliver me all the content I care about, so I can finally call the cable company and tell them that their DVR services are no longer required.

The best part is, I think I’m getting close to that point. I have Netflix streaming for old programming, the prospect of using Hulu Plus on my Roku set-top box at some point in the near future for the new stuff, and the possibility of seeing all kinds of content with Google TV once the search giant can find a way to coax studios into seeing its potential as the next big thing in home entertainment.

But alas, I’m not there yet. I watch too many cable shows for me to just ditch Time Warner Cable. And the content I’m currently accessing on other set-top boxes, like that on the Apple TV, can in no way match what I’m getting from my cable provider. At this point, I need to take the abuse my DVR doles out so I can be entertained.

But my patience is wearing thin. I have had countless DVRs over the years, and none of them have worked up to a standard that I even find adequate. There is no attention to detail put into the design of the boxes. They are simply poorly designed pieces of equipment that have no place in the home.

Now, I’m sure some might say I should get a TiVo. I should note that I have one in the bedroom. I replaced it in my living room with my DVR due to the issues I was having with my cable provider’s switched digital video adapter that accompanied the TiVo in order to access several channels. It was a major issue for me.

So, as I sit here contemplating what I will do tonight, I’m afraid I’ll have to go back to the DVR. It’s not that I want to — that’s certainly not the case — but at this point, I simply have no other choice.

What sort of DVR replacements do you think would solve this problem?

When the app is used with the Vulkano Pro or Deluxe DVRs the content on the DVR can be streamed directly to the smartphone over 3G or WiFi. The user can also watch life TV and can pause/rewind and record programs directly from the phone.

The app has the ability to record programs using the electronic program guide and it allows the viewing or photos and streaming music from the home to the device as well. Video is streamed in H.264 and MPEG-4 formats. The app is free and available to download right now.

Via Android Community

There’s also streaming content support, with an ethernet port on the back which allows users to access YouTube videos.  The hook-up to your TV is via HDMI, plus there’s an SD card slot and you can access content directly from memory cards.

Recorded video is encoded in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, and the hard-drive can hold around 290 hours in Full HD.  The DMR-BF200 will drop in Japan on November 15 priced at the equivalent of $860; no word on a release elsewhere as yet.

[via CrunchGear]

The only stipulation is, unsurprisingly, that the TiVo units themselves must be broadband connected for the new online manager to work.  All of the company’s broadband-compatible DVRs will support the service, and you still get online scheduling as well.

The new TiVo Online Season Pass Manager will be available later on today at tivo.com/spm.

Press Release:

TiVo Launches Online Season Pass Manager Giving Customers Superior Control Over Their Recordings

Enhances TiVo’s Already Robust Online Offerings So Users Never Miss an Episode of Their Favorite Programs

ALVISO, CA — (Marketwire) — 10/13/2010 — TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), a leader in advanced television services, including digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the launch of a Season Pass® manager on tivo.com. This tool, requested from customers directly, enhances TiVo’s already robust Web features, allowing TiVo customers to easily manage and transfer their Season Pass recordings online. This new feature joins TiVo’s online scheduling functionality on tivo.com for browsers and m.tivo.com for mobile devices, both of which allow customers to schedule recordings from anywhere they have access to the Internet.

For years, TiVo has allowed customers to remotely schedule recordings and set up Season Passes from tivo.com. With this updated tool TiVo subscribers can now also reprioritize or delete Season Passes on tivo.com, so that they have more control over their TV than ever. Customers can also transfer a Season Pass recording from one broadband-connected TiVo box to another box on their TiVo account making the addition of new TiVo DVRs or the transition from one TiVo DVR to another even easier.

“This is just another example of TiVo leading the way for in-home entertainment innovation and listening to customer feedback. The Season Pass manager is something that our subscribers have asked for and we are pleased to make it available to them today, saving customers time and giving the unique ability to ensure they do not miss a single episode of their favorite shows when they upgrade to a new box. No other company makes this level of control so easily,” said Jim Denney vice president and general manager of product marketing for TiVo. “TiVo has always been the easiest DVR to use and the Season Pass manager gives consumers even more control over how they choose to manage their recordings and settings.”

To manage Season Pass recordings online the TiVo box must be broadband connected and connected to the TiVo service. The Season Pass manager is available to all broadband-connected boxes including TiVo Premiere, Series3™, HD and Series2™ DVRs. To learn more about the Season Pass manager visit www.tivo.com/spm.

There have been apps for the iPhone and other smartphones for a while now with DirecTV and Dish Network for this sort of thing. Dish Network has announced that it has created the first DVR scheduler app that is optimized for the iPad specifically. The app is a full featured DVR scheduler that allows the user to control multiple receivers.

The app allows the user to schedule recordings, manage conflicts, delete programs, and shows up to nine days of programming at a time. The app is compatible with most of the Dish Network SD and HD DVRs. The app also turns the iPad into a remote for controlling the boxes. You can download the iPad app free on the App Store now.

The OutBack cam’s stand-out feature is the all-weather, rugged casing. Meant to keep the camera, equipment, and DVR safe-and-sound within, it should be able to stand up to weather like rain, wind, and snow without much of a problem. We wouldn’t recommend throwing it into a hurricane or tornado, but that should go without saying, probably. The camera on the inside is of the 2MP variety, and it has the ability to record video, or snap up some photos. It can even do color or black and white, based on your preference. Video recording can be triggered by motion, or you can set it up to start at a particular time, which you can alter with the LCD display within the box. It has multi-faceted mounting options, which means you can hang it on normal things, like your house, or even on trees, if you’re out there chasing Bigfoot.

Video are recorded in the AVI format, and still images in JPEG. There’s night vision, too, thanks to the 15 infrared LEDs. The camera is perfectly capable of getting video and still images up to 32 feet away. Videos and images taken by the camera are stored on the 2GB microSD card that’s available in the box, but it can handle up to 32GB of storage. It runs on four AA batteries, and there’s a USB port that allows you to transfer the pictures and video easily. The OutBack cam will be made available soon, and it will retail for about $150.

Press Release

Rugged, weather-proof case houses a 2 megapixel camera & DVR ideal for a variety of remote monitoring applications

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. – (August 5, 2010) – Swann Security, the global leader in security monitoring solutions, proudly announces its most versatile camera and video recorder to date – OutbackCam™. With its 2 megapixel color camera, built-in DVR, night vision capabilities and multi-faceted mounting options, OutbackCam™ is the ultimate choice for a myriad of monitoring solutions.

Housed in a rugged, all-weather case, the OutbackCam™ is capable of capturing crystal clear still images or videos in color or black & white with its 2 megapixel camera. Recording is triggered either by motion detection or a pre-scheduled date/time that is activated on the internal menu and LCD display.

Users can choose whether they want to record AVI videos or JPEG still pictures. Night vision is made possible thanks to 15 infrared LEDs, capable of capturing images up to 32’ away. All surveillance footage is stored on the internal DVR, which comes with a 2GB removable SD card, but is capable of handling a 32GB SD card.

Backing up video is simplified through a USB port contained inside the weather-proof housing. Best of all, the OutbackCam™ runs on 4 AA batteries and can be mounted to trees, posts or flat surfaces with the included strap. The OutbackCam is so durable, it’s tougher than the Australian outback!

Additional OutbackCam™ Key Specifications

Day, time & moon phase stamping for precise tracking
2GB SD card included, capable of accommodating a 32GB SD card
Night vision range up to 32’
2 megapixel color camera with wide viewing angle of 55°
Internal LCD display & controls make for easy operation
Video resolution: 640 x 480
Video frame Rate: 30 fps
Still image resolution: 1600 x 1200 (High) / 1280 x 1024 (Low)
Multiple still image capture: Yes (3)
Swann’s OutbackCam™ has a MSRP of $149.99 U.S. / $149.99 CAD and will be available through Swann’s network of retailers.

For more information on Swann’s OutbackCam™, please contact PR Representative Brian Metcalf at (305) 576-1171 x11 or at brianmetcalf@maxborgesagency.com or go to www.swannsecurity.com.

About Swann

Swann is a global leader in security monitoring solutions and I.T. peripherals targeting consumers through retail channels. Swann’s sustained growth and success has been based on designing and developing surveillance technology that is innovative yet cost effective.

The company’s products are mainly do-it-yourself (DIY) with easy-to-follow ‘plug-and-play’ instructions, full after-sale technical support and retail-friendly product packaging aimed at home, office and small-to-medium retail users.

For customers needing more high-tech solutions, Swann is at the forefront of the latest international trends including wireless connectivity, professional quality CCTV cameras with infrared night vision, digital video recording with motion detection and networkability, web surveillance and remote notification.

Swann was founded in 1988 by David Swann in Melbourne, Australia and now has offices in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, China and Hong Kong with distribution through partners across the globe.

Swann’s reseller network includes some of the world’s largest retailers and distributors including Fry’s Electronics, RadioShack, Menards, Brandsmart USA, Canadian Tire, Maplin Electronics, and Dick Smith.

Web: www.swannsecurity.com

Apricorn has been offering a line of DVR Expanders for a while now that are external HDDs optimized for video storage and streaming that work with various DVRs. The company has announced that it has updated the DVR Expander with a new design.

The new design brings the latest in passive cooling technology to the DVR Expander allowing for quiet and cool operation. The largest version is still a 2TB unit and pricing starts at $99 for the 500GB version. The 2TB DVR Expander sells for $249.

As with a Slingbox, with the Vulkano and the right smartphone app you can remotely control channels and access the EPG; on the iPad and PC/Mac apps you can also pause live TV.  UPnP streaming support allows you to display content stored on NAS or wirelessly-connected smartphones or PMPs, while Yahoo! Widgets, Netflix and Hulu compatibility is promised for the near future.

You can also view YouTube in up to 1080p HD quality, record to either 8GB or 16GB SD cards, or install up to a 1TB eSATA external hard-drive.  Connectivity includes HDMI, composite, component and S-Video, among other ports, plus two USB 2.0 ports (host and device); the basic Vulkano comes with 16GB of storage for $279.99, while the Vulkano Pro comes with a 1TB external drive for $379.99.  Both will ship on August 10th 2010.

[via Crackberry]

Press Release:

Vulkano – World’s First Universal and Affordable Video Platform for Smartphones, PC/Macs, iPads and TVs

Vulkano Integrates Multiple Disruptive Technologies – DVR, Web Video, Place Shifting, Universal Plug and Play streaming and Mobile Video Recording – Eliminating Multiple Boxes

SAN MATEO, CALIF. – July 27, 2010 – Monsoon Multimedia, a leading provider of video convergence products, today announced it is now taking pre-orders for Vulkano, which is shipping in early August 2010. Vulkano is a sleek consumer device as easy to set up as a video game console. Vulkano is a tightly integrated hardware and software platform that has a powerful video processor and local storage. Vulkano in addition to replacing multiple boxes such as TiVo, Slingbox and Roku provides significant other benefits and energy savings, giving consumers tremendous performance at a low cost. Cost of a Vulkano ranges from $259 to $379, depending on storage capacity.

When connected to a set-top box and a TV, Vulkano enables a complete video experience across Android, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs and the living room TV. Vulkano allows users for the first time to experience their TV channels, videos and photos on whichever screen they want, when they want it. Vulkano will be sold through Monsoon’s www.myvulkano.com, Amazon.com, leading retailers and etailers, and through strategic OEMs.

By downloading a free software application onto their device from www.myvulkano.com, or for iPhone/iPad from the Apple App store and installing a Vulkano, consumers can watch and control any home TV channel through a wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection from anywhere in the world. They can schedule a recording through an included EPG (electronic program guide) and transfer and watch these recordings at any time on their TV, computers, smartphones or iPad type devices. Software players for PCs/Macs and iPads also come with Pause/Live functions.

Vulkano lets users watch YouTube on their big screen TV. Moreover, by using a technology called UPnP (Universal Plug n Play), Vulkano users can stream video and photos from their smartphones, computers and cameras wirelessly on to their living room TV without having to use messy cables. In the near future, Vulkano will offer free service upgrades such as Google TV, Yahoo! Widgets, Netflix, Hulu and others.

TV set-top boxes are commonplace in households today with over 210 million shipped in 2009 alone, according to analyst firm In-Stat. The fundamental flaw in nearly all set-top boxes is that they are “closed.” Vulkano “opens” these boxes by allowing consumers to enjoy a total video experience on their smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs, or access services such as Netflix or YouTube.

“The combination of mobile video recording on iPads/smartphones, viewing YouTube on big screen TV, DVR and Universal Plug and Play streaming changes the television and web video experience in ways never before imagined,” said Colin Stiles, EVP Sales and Marketing at Monsoon. “We are proud to the be first to deliver your live and recorded TV content immediately with a simple screen tap. Whether in your backyard or on an international flight, you’ll have your favorite programming available anywhere, anytime – live or recorded.”

“We designed Vulkano from the ground up to replace single purpose solutions, such as TiVo, Roku, Slingbox, etc,” said Steve Stone, CTO at Monsoon. “In the coming months we will be pushing new apps to Vulkano owners for free so they can rest assured that this is the first and last product they’ll need for all their TV and Internet media needs.”

Mobile Video Recording (MVR): By using Vulkano’s unique MVR technology, consumers can schedule and record content from any TV channel on to the Vulkano’s local storage and either on demand or automatically transfer the content to smartphones, computers or iPads/iPod touches. A wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection is required and an included EPG can be used. For instance, iPad owners can schedule a recording before going to sleep and have it automatically downloaded to the iPad. It is then ready for watching anytime, anywhere at a cafe, airport, airplane, office or in one’s bed. Hundreds of recorded movies, sports events or TV shows can be stored onto the 64GB iPad for viewing anytime. PC, Mac and iPad apps also come with Direct Record, Pause and Live functions.

Place Shifting Live TV: Consumers can watch and control their home TV or TiVo from anywhere in the world, including their home.

Digital Video Recording (DVR): Users can select programs to be recorded to the Vulkano SD card or optional hard drive, which can store over a thousand programs depending on memory size. Once recorded, the programs can be downloaded to computers, smartphones or played back on living room TVs. Vulkano also allows a consumer to schedule recordings through a TiVo or other DVRs that may be built into a set-top box.

Web Video: Vulkano supports YouTube content (up to 1080p) streaming and progressive downloading for a big screen TV experience. Future software releases will add support for Netflix, Cinema Now, Amazon and free media content providers. Yahoo! Widgets will be released later this year and Google TV early next year. A fully functional web browser with media extensions (including HTML5 media support) will be released later this year.

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): Consumers can easily enjoy photos, video and music stored on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs on a big screen TV by deploying industry standard UPnP technology. This capability also enables multiple UPnP devices, such as video cameras, to play directly on the TV eliminating the tedious job of plugging and unplugging cables into the TV.

State of the Industry
Hundreds of millions of TV set-top boxes worldwide are “closed” preventing consumers from accessing new services and exciting video experiences. Due to the cost and logistics involved in constantly upgrading these boxes, companies cannot keep pace with the rapid changes in technology. The result is an array of single feature boxes resolving specific issues.

Consumers today are saddled with paying for TiVo, Sling, Roku, Vudu, Apple TV and other single solutions to address their needs. This has led to a cluttered living room, multiple service fees and constant maintenance of multiple devices. They are also often difficult to install and can cost over a thousand dollars combined. Vulkano eliminates all of these issues while saving on power consumption.

Summary of Vulkano Features:
• Transforms smartphones, iPads, iPod touches, PCs and Macs into Mobile Video Recorders
• Recorded programs play back on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs
• Direct record mode allows for Pause, Fast Forward/Rewind
• Schedule TV recording by show, channel or date and time
• Browse EPG for shows and episode descriptions
• Mark channels as Favorite for quick access
• Watch and control your live TV on the go via Wi-Fi or 3G
• Watch at home on iPads and computers in near HD resolution
• Change channels just like at home
• Search and watch YouTube videos on your home television
• Enjoy photos, video and music on home TV from UPnP supported devices, such as smartphones, PCs/Macs and cameras
• Multiple users can have recordings on Vulkano hard-drive and access independently
• Control Vulkano features and settings through intuitive television menu
• Connect to all major TV sources – cable, DVD, satellite, DVR, TiVo
• Stream video at H.264 and MPEG-4 standards at rates as low as 150kbps
• Includes 8GB or 16GB of SD card storage or e-SATA hard drives up to 1TB
• Connects wirelessly through Vulkano’s on board .11n WiFi to home router
• TV content is passed from the set-top box’s analog output (component, composite) to Vulkano; using resolutions up to 1080i

Pricing and Availability
Vulkano is available immediately for pre-order at www.myvulkano.com and www.amazon.com. Vulkano comes with 8GB, 16GB of SD storage and Vulkano Pro comes with 500GB and 1Terabyte e-SATA hard disk storage. Vulkano will be generally available in August through selected etailers, retailers and distributors worldwide. 8GB Vulkano will cost $259, 16GB $279, 500GB for $349 and the 1Terabyte Vulkano for $379. Monsoon will release its 3G version for the recently introduced iPhone 4 in August, 2010.

What you get for that extra $3 is the ability to record DVR programs on one DVR and then play them back on any TV in your home. You can have up to 15 other rooms and TVs connected to the system for playback. The coolest part is if you are like me and someone in your home likes to record tons of kids programs or girly programs that overlap with stuff you want, you can connect an additional DVR in another room and play that content back on any of the TVs as well.

With two DVRs in your home, you can record up to four programs at one time and watch up to two additional recorded programs at once across your entire network. That is very cool. Each TV on the network can get its own parental controls and any room in the home can manage the DVR playlist. If you lack the DVR receiver, it will set you back $199 and each room needs a standard HD receiver to work.

The new package will require the customer to use Sky Broadband as well as the company’s Freetime calling package, together with viewing all Freeview channels, on-demand Sky TV and various pay TV channels including Comedy Central, FX and National Geographic.  Pricing is tipped at £5 to £10 ($7-14) per month for the basic TV, with further channels such Sky Movies as levied as additional fees on top.  No word on when this might arrive on the market.

Connectivity includes component audio/video for hooking up the cable or satellite receiver, and USB for linking to the Mac.  An IR blaster controls the STB, so that you can change channel or even set up recordings remotely, and there’s an IR remote in the box for local control.

The $199.95 sticker price includes a year’s access to the the Elgato TV Guide, and the included software apparently makes editing ads out of the final recordings straightforward.  If you’re looking to transfer old video content you can do that too, plugging in via the analog inputs.

Press Release:

Elgato Debuts EyeTV HD – The Ultimate DVR for High Definition TV

Full-featured DVR captures television, including premium channels, from cable or satellite receivers and delivers it live to Macs

Updated EyeTV 3.4 software will enable streaming of live or recorded TV on Apple’s® iPad

San Francisco, Calif. – May 24, 2010 – Today, Elgato debuted the world’s only DVR solution which provides full access to premium cable or satellite TV content on a Mac – EyeTV HD. Customers can now watch record, edit and enjoy cable and satellite in high-definition, including all their premium channels. EyeTV HD includes a unique dual-format capture mode that records in iPad and iPhone formats at the same time, allowing users to stream live and recorded TV to an iPhone or iPad using the optional EyeTV app.

Easy Setup
EyeTV HD is a breeze to setup and use; simply connect EyeTV HD to the outputs of the cable or satellite receiver with the included component cables, and to the computer via USB. Then position the included infrared channel changer cable nearby. The EyeTV software setup assistant takes you through a simple configuration process and in just a few minutes you’ll be enjoying all your premium content like never before.

Unique dual-format capture mode
EyeTV HD also has a unique dual-format capture mode so that you can record in iPad and iPhone formats at the same time. EyeTV HD enables super-fast exports to iTunes from EyeTV. It is also possible to stream live TV, including high definition TV, to iPad or iPhone, using the optional EyeTV for iPhone/iPad app.

Superb quality digital TV recordings
EyeTV HD records in the pristine H.264 format for a crystal clear, high-definition digital picture. The H.264 format delivers beautiful image quality and a superb compression ratio, which produces smaller file size when compared to MPEG-2 recordings. H.264 can match the best possible MPEG-2 quality at up to half the data rate.

Capture HD and SD video from a camcorder or VCR
EyeTV HD can capture video from analog and digital sources such as a VCR or a camcorder. EyeTV HD includes component inputs for HD sources, as well as S-Video and composite inputs for standard definition sources. Simply connect the video source to your computer using the included breakout cable, then watch and even record the picture on your computer as an EyeTV recording.

Archive recordings
EyeTV HD also comes with Toast Basic disc-burning software so you can archive your favorite movies and TV shows and save space on your hard drive.

Award-winning software
EyeTV HD comes with EyeTV 3, the award-winning TV software for Mac. Watch, pause, and rewind live TV – at the desk or on the couch. Search the Program Guide using multiple criteria, and record one show or create Smart Series Guides to record the entire season of a TV series. Edit recordings, and share them with other Macs on the network. EyeTV can even export TV shows to iTunes automatically for playback on iPhone or iPad.

EyeTV 3 includes one year of free data from TV Guide, with optional renewal for only US$19.95 per year. An optional EyeTV app is available to stream live or recorded TV to an iPhone or iPad. Smart Series Guide functionality requires a TV Guide subscription.

System Requirements
• Macintosh: 2.26 GHz Intel Core® 2 Duo processor or better, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
• 2 GB RAM, built-in USB 2.0 port
• Cable or satellite receiver with analog video and audio outputs (component output required for HD)
• Internet connection required to download Program Guide data.

What’s In The Box
• EyeTV HD recorder
• EyeTV 3 TV software for Mac (CD-ROM)
• Infrared remote control with battery pack
• EyeTV infrared channel changer
• USB cable (6 ft)
• Component video cable (6 ft)
• Stereo audio cables (6 ft)
• Breakout cable for composite and S-Video inputs
• PDF product manual (CD-ROM)
• Quick start guide

Availability
EyeTV HD is available from the Elgato Online Store (www.elgato.com) and from the Apple Store at a price of US $199.95