Just when I thought we’d enter a period of tech news radio silence leading up to the holidays and prior to CES early next month, Digeo is out recruiting for two betas. One product we knew about, the other we didn’t…
First up is the Holy Grail for us geeks – public recruiting for a hardware beta: The Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR, which I previewed a few months ago, was originally slated to launch in retail this year and has been slightly delayed. But it looks like we’re getting closer…
With a single box – and a single remote – this Moxi HD Digital Media Recorder brings it all together: movies, TV shows, music, games, photos and MP3s. Plug your speakers directly into your Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR for full surround sound. A digital surround sound amplifier is built right in – and Dolby® Digital is included – so you don’t need a separate receiver. By participating in this limited beta, you will get to preview and help us test Moxi Home Cinema HD Digital Media Recorder as we get ready to release to the general public.
I’m still not entirely sure if there’s a market for a higher-end retail DVR without CableCARD support. However, I do appreciate fully supported clear QAM and an integrated receiver – if additional devices can be connected.
But wait. There’s more!
Digeo’s also announced PC media center software, Moxi TV for PC:
Unlike other PVR software applications which have traditionally targeted the technology enthusiast, Moxi TV for PC brings a more mainstream appeal to the category by applying best practices in TV navigation and design. With the popular Moxi Menu, users are able to intuitively explore two weeks of TV programming, watch live TV, schedule recordings and access other multimedia features including music, photos, and DVD viewing.
Digeo’s actively recruiting beta testers — the software is limited to Windows XP and some specific tuners (for now), so be sure to review the system requirements before requesting access. No word on release date or pricing and, as with TiVo’s recent PC software announcement, I’m not sure how large this market is or if it’s worth going head to head against Microsoft’s free offering. Though both TiVo and Digeo could improve their odds by enabling seemless PC<->DVR STB control and content transfer.
I plan to get my hands on both of these products during the beta phase. If you intend to apply, keep in mind Digeo expects you to spend a few hours each week testing, configuring, completing surveys, etc. – typical requests of beta testers.