Did you know that on average during an hour long television show you are subjected to 22-24 minutes of ads? Now of course many of us have DVRs and we rarely watch TV live, allowing us to skip the ads. Still TV used to be free and the ads supported the network costs. In 10 years we will look back and reflect on how archaic TV was.
Early last year and late in 2009, tech fiends were debating the best product to come out in the first decade of the new millenium. My answer was decisive: TiVo. Not just the DVR in general, I mean, specifically, TiVo. I love TiVo. Tech friends, always quick to correct technical errors, would point out that TiVo actually appeared in 1999, but they did not have to tell me that. I owned one in 1999. I might have been TiVo’s best customer of all time. But this month I shut off my TiVo service and switched to something different.
It's not just Toshiba's AT300 tablet which is fresh to the company's Regza range today. Toshiba also has a trio of Regza 3D HDTVs - the 55ZG2, 47ZG2 and 42ZG2 - along with three new Blu-ray DVRs - the RD-BZ810, RD-BZ710 and RD-BZ610 - each hitting Japan in late May.
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How smart can a set-top box get? If EchoStar are behind it then the answer is pretty darn smart indeed; the company’s new DVR, the EchoStar SlingLoaded HDS-600RS, pulls together not only live TV recording and time-shifting but media shifting using Slingbox technology. Initially intended for the UK freesat+ system, the HDS-600RS promises to push live and recorded content to your iPad, laptop and smartphone whether you’re at home or on the move. SlashGear caught up with the EchoStar team to find out more.
Video demo after the cut
Eminent has outed its latest STB media player, the Eminent HD EM7195, a twin digital tuner model with USB 3.0 and network connectivity. Built around a pair of DVB-T Freeview tuners and Realtek's new RT1183 DD C+ chipset - reportedly allowing for faster UI and EPG navigation - the HD EM7195 can record two shows simultaneously as well as stream network content.
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Another stumbling block on the path to all-content multimedia enlightenment in a single STB has presented itself, with rights holders taking umbrage with TiVo DVRs supplied by cable companies. According to Suddenlink - though the limitation also stands for Cox and RCN - rights holders aren't willing to see streaming and VOD content on the same cable-powered device; that means that, while Hulu Plus is expected to launch on TiVo STBs soon, it will only be available for those bought at retail, not supplied by cable companies
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Panasonic Japan has outed a new HDTV, and if you've ever wished for an easy way to archive live TV without messing with a DVR then this could be the VIERA you've been waiting for. The Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 is a 42-inch set with an IPS LED-backlit Full HD display, but the clever stuff is in the SD card reader in the side. Rather than just allowing you to play back media, as with memory card slots on other HDTVs, this one lets you record it.
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Recently, my day was over and I wanted to relax, so I took to the couch, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. Based on what time it was, I thought I’d catch the end of one of the shows I watch each week and then get to another program after that. I thought it would be a slow, relaxing night.
And then the fun began.
Panasonic Japan has outed what the company is calling the smallest ever DVR that integrates both Blu-ray burning and a hard-drive. The Panasonic DIGA DMR-BF200 measures a slight 210 x 194 x 65 mm and weighs in at 2.2kg; it can burn BD-R or BD-RE discs and or record media to its 320GB hard-drive.
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TiVo has launched an Online Season Pass Manager, which will allow subscribers to transfer season pass subscriptions between their various TiVo boxes, as well as adding new passes and deleting old ones. Billed as a direct request from TiVo's customers - and we can't really blame them - the new manager builds on the old system (which would allow Season Passes to be set up online) with more flexibility for multi-TiVo households and for those upgrading from an old TiVo box.
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Monsoon Multimedia are taking preorders for their Vulkano set-top box, which the company reckons can replace not only your TiVo but your Slingbox and Roku too. Basically a place-shifting streamer with optional DVR functionality and various smartphone clients for remote use over 3G/WiFi, the Vulkano also promises to keep pace with new STBs; the company has said they'll be releasing updates to add Google TV compatibility, among other things.
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It used to be straightforward: satellite TV, like that from Sky, comes via a satellite dish, and cable comes via cable. Now, according to some leaked documents from Sky UK, it seems things might not be quite so clean-cut anymore. TrustedReviews have heard that Sky UK are ramping up to offer their Sky+ service "through a new set top box supplied by Sky connected to your Freeview aerial and broadband connection", that would use IPTV distribution rather than the traditional dish.
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