Dave Zatz

Apple TV Lands Movie Extras (Again)

After a several year hiatus, Apple once again brings supplemental movie content to Apple TV in the form of iTunes Extras. It’s the sort of DVD and Blu-ray goodies you’d expect in cut scenes, featurettes, and the like. Whereas initial Apple TV models sported hard drives, over the last few years this downloadable content was only available to desktop … Read more

TiVo's Xbox Box One & Amazon Fire TV Hypotheticals

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In relation to TiVo’s summer update, the DVR pioneer has disclosed that they’ve moved large swaths of their code base from Adobe Air/Flash to Haxe – resulting in significant performance improvements. Based on the stellar document and YouTube video dug up by BigJimOutlaw, the two year project clearly benefits them (and us) on a number of levels, including less reliance on the resource-intensive Adobe, who has waffled in both the mobile and set-top space.

Beyond shedding light on what TiVo developers have been sidetracked with, the slide of hypotethical video endpoints displaying Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, and Smart televisions surely intrigues… along with the related Haxe Fire TV demo (below) and TiVo Roku renders shown earlier this year, TiVo seems intent upon extending their experience to non-TiVo hardware. Make it so!

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The TiVo "On Demand" Remote Giveaway

By way of the TiVo Community, I learned that, despite cessation of service, Charter-branded TiVo remotes live on. And why this might matter to you is the handy On Demand button, in relation to Comcast’s completion of the TiVo Xfinity On Demand rollout to retail DVRs. Yeah, TiVo’s On Demand interface is still old school and you may … Read more

Channel Master DVR+ Updated With 1TB Internal Drive

Channel Master has just updated their DVR+ line with a $400 model that houses a roomy 1TB internal drive – versus the original’s bring-your-own USB storage approach that requires more clutter, more complexity. We quite like the DVR+ and believe it’s a solid option for those seeking an over-the-air recorder and coming from VCR or new to DVR (whereas we suggest Tablo to our … Read more

Comcast One Ups Verizon With 15 Tuner DVR

DVR marketing ridiculousness continues… First Verizon introduced FiOS Quantum DVR, touting a whopping 12 tuners for recording or feeding extenders throughout the home for live viewing. With the small caveat that two 6-tuner DVR rentals are required. Well, Comcast has upped the ante with a Gillette-worthy 15 tuner Xfinity X1 experience. Assuming you rent three DVRs (and pay the associated … Read more

Microsoft To Revamp OneDrive Logo?

Microsoft OneDrive iconography will shortly be refreshed, if this trademark filing is any indication. Alternatively, Ed Bott wonders if this logo might represent a subset of OneDrive functionality – perhaps hybrid clouds, for example. Building upon the existing OneDrive logo, the three-bump background cloud is replaced by a stylized two-bump cloud profile network cable moving from background to foreground, better visualizing a virtual storage service. This follows … Read more

TiVo Summer Update Released (without Android streaming)

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TiVo’s summer update (20.4.2) has started rolling out. As expected, headlining the visual changes are a new customizable 3-column My Shows view and the release of the TiVo Roamio UI onto Premiere and Mini hardware. Along with the refreshed Premiere interface, is a bullet-worthy speed bump – already confirmed by one of our community peers. From TiVo’s new Service Updates page:

  • Updated, modern design: Premiere’s HD interface has a fresh, new look and feel
  • Zippier performance within TiVo menus: Navigate through Premiere menus quicker so you can find what you want faster
  • New categories in My Shows: Categories in My Shows automatically organize your recordings by genre so you can find a recording faster than ever
  • On-demand and web app options now in Guide: You’re no longer limited to live TV when browsing the Guide. With on-demand and web app options now included, browse shows from yesterday, today or tomorrow and watch them anytime with the click of a button

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