Panasonic have been showing off their combination DVR/Freesat/Blu-ray home cinema system, and it looks like enough to make anyone without access to the free-to-air Freesat satellite service weep with envy. The Panasonic DMR-BS850 brings together a 500GB hard-drive, a Blu-ray recorder and two Freesat tuners, with full HD recording and more.
While competitors are still promoting their half Terabyte DVR add-on external storage, Apricorn is one Terabyte ahead; packing their DVR Xpander series external drive with a 1.5TB single disk storage device, adds an instant recording capacities for up to 843 hours of Standard format TV, or 187.5 hours of HD programs, to your favorite DVR set-tops.
Just in time for President Obama’s presidential inauguration we have spotted the Obaba Buckle DVR (yes it’s spelled “Obaba”), which really is nothing more than a spy cam in a place you wouldn’t normally look. The buckle includes a hidden video cam complete with audio.
Cable subscribers, especially the Verizon folks should be fairly familiar with MoCA (multimedia over Coax Alliance) technology as networking platform to stream multimedia though coaxial cable. No? How about the Zeevee box that is capable of livecasting any internet-based video from PC-to-Tv with similar technology? If we are getting there, here’s another piece of MoCA-based SoC (System-oc-Chip) invention from Broadcom to take on industry’s first HD STB devices piggybacking coax cable infrastructure into a whole-home media distribution network.
DISH Network Corporation has unveiled the world’s first “SlingLoaded” HD DuoDVR, the award-winning ViP 922. The Vip 922 is the first high definition video recorder to incorporate placeshifting technology. This device was build by EchoStar Technologies and DISH Network as an entertainment centerpiece that combines 1080p Video on Demand and 100 percent, all-HD suite of programming packages available today.
Funai looks forward to beat the godfather of DVR, step ahead of Tivo to launch tru2Way integrated dual-tuner set-top DVR. Announced back in May, the company exhibited its tru2way STB platform with DVR, dual decode, NTSC, ATSC and various network capabilities at the Cable Show in Big Easy; today, they have further confirmed its plan to mass-produce the tru2wy box during the third quarter of 2009, but the timing will hinge on CableLabs’s approval.
Now we know why TiVo were so keen to deny that Amazon HD rumor: heaven forfend it should over-shadow today’s announcement of Netflix SD and HD on the Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL DVRs. First promised back in October, the service offers Netflix’s 12,000-strong catalog of movies and TV episodes direct to your TiVo, with no premium above the standard $8.99 subscription. A mixture of standard-definition and high-definition titles are available.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Archos TV+ or the AppleTV, Dane-Elec may have the option. The DaneDigital So Speaky PVR is a network-connected hard-drive media player and recorder, available with anything from 320GB to 1TB of internal capacity and capable of recording DVD-quality video.
After a non-functioning HD option appeared on Amazon’s On Demand video service for TiVo subscribers, the obvious assumption was that the content provider was planning an imminent launch. Things, however, may not be so clear cut. In a statement made to SlashGear, TiVo are now denying any such launch is planned.
TiVo have launched a mobile site that allows subscribers to program their DVR from any internet-capable cellphone. The TiVo Mobile interface has been formatted for the compact screen sizes available on mobile devices, but still manages to squeeze in listings browsing, searches and record settings, together with the company’s own “If you like this…” tool to discover new shows based on your viewing habits.
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