Cable TV

Sony is reportedly scheming a web TV system intended to pull the rug out from under cable operators, delivering more affordable TV content via the internet to the PS3 and other Sony hardware. The company has opened talks with NBCUniversal, Discovery and News Corp, the WSJ's sources claim, though Sony's apparent aim to license a smaller package of channels - to keep its own costs, and subsequent user fees, low - is said to not be going down well among content creators.

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Time Warner Cable is planning to offer free SlingBox Pro-HD set-top boxes to its customers starting in September. Customers that sign up for Time Warner Cable's $99 per month Wide Internet service will get a $300 rebate for the total cost of the device. A SlingBox set-top box lets users watch their home TV programming from anywhere that they can connect to the internet.

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Buyers of the SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME cable tuner will now be able to watch their shows directly on their iPad 2, with the release of the Elgato HDHomeRun PRIME app. Supporting both live streaming and recording direct to the iPad, the app supports those channels with the "copy freely" tag, in addition to Clear QAM channels offered by their cable provider.

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The Cablevision iOS app that lets you stream TV shows to your iPad has finally cleared the Viacom hurdle. The Optimum iOS app for the iPad was first introduced back in April, offering up to 300 TV channels. And much like the reaction to the Time Warner Cable iPad app, Viacom sued Cablevision claiming that the company did not have the right to put its shows on anything except cable TV.

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I am considered an oddity among some of my friends and family because I don't have cable. I do have a TV, but I rely on DVDs, Netflix and my Roku player for my television viewing. When someone asks me if I've seen a commercial, I just smile and say "no". In fact, my daughter (at 4 years old) was shocked the first time she watched Nickelodeon when the commercials came on. She had never seen one. But maybe my odd choice is becoming less odd. A new report by Nielsen shows that for the first time since 1992, there are less US households with television sets. To be sure, the vast majority of households still own TVs, but the percentage has gone from 98.9 percent to 96.7 percent. Part of the explanation is the economy, and the change to digital. But is there another explanation?

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There's been a bit of a change in the hearts and minds of several big players today, an uncertain day full of fear and doubt to be sure. That's not to say that there weren't any fantastical gadgets and technologies to be spoken about however, and we've got those for you too. One of the oddest of these was a press conference called by Facebook to discuss not a new gadget, not a new system of poking your friends, nay, twas as Open Compute Project they spoke of. Then it got REAL interesting.

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Time Warner Cable and Viacom are duking it out over the popular live TV streaming app that the cable company dished out late last month. The two companies each filed lawsuits today with Time Warner Cable asking the court to confirm the right to in-home viewing of channels on any screen while Viacom shot back with a suit for breach of contract and copyright violations.

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Comcast today launched an update for their Xfinity TV iOS app. The app lets your iOS device function like a TV remote---finding your favorite shows and movies, controlling your channels, and scheduling DVR recordings. Certain TV shows can even be streamed to your iPad via a WiFi connection.

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Stop being so excited about football! Our contest with Toshiba to give away one gigantic television is complete! We've tallied up the votes, counted the heads, and filled up the glasses of wine, and we've chosen the person who will nab the big huge prize!

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TiVo and Charter Communications have announced plans for a next-gen TV system, which will bundle traditional cable and IPTV services. On offer later in 2011, the system will begin with the TiVo Premiere DVR - including the companion iPad app - and then be followed with multi-room playback and non-DVR receivers.

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Comcast is trialling a smart TV service of its own, with Comcast Spectrum currently in user testing in Augusta, Ga. The service - developed under the codename "Xcalibur" - follows Google TV and other platforms in blending on-demand, live and recorded cable programming with internet video and basic social network access. However, green-lighting for the project is yet to be granted, and Comcast is unclear on how Spectrum might be priced should it see a commercial launch; "We are testing many technological approaches to understand how best to meet consumer interests, and this small trial is one of those experiments" is all a Comcast spokesperson would confirm.

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There's probably been a few nights where you've been watching your favorite show, or just flipping through channels, and before you realize what's happening, your passed out. And then, without warning, a commercial comes on the air, and the volume is surprisingly louder than what you remember. It isn't your imagination, and you probably didn't roll over and hit the volume up button on your remote. It's a problem that many people have been clamoring about for some time now, and Congress has listened. They've officially passed the CALM Act, which is specifically meant to address the fact that some TV advertisements are way too loud.

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