Dave Zatz

Digital Media Bytes: Last100 Edition

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100: Livestation demos live Internet TV on iPhone and iPod touch Livestation is currently in talks with Apple to bring a version of its international news video application to the iPhone and iPod Touch, likely to be supported over WiFi only. Nokia announces Internet radio … Read more

The Week in TiVo

Amazon Video on Demand… in HD? We had a brief glimmer of hope earlier this week when TiVo units appeared to offer Amazon Video on Demand in high definition… for about half a day. Sadly, the link directed subscribers to standard definition video rentals. After checking in with TiVo, it appears this was a layout … Read more

Blockbuster OnDemand Not Ready For Prime Time

As the title states, the Blockbuster OnDemand MediaPoint 2Wire box just isn’t ready for prime time. While the pricing is extremely reasonable ($99 for the hardware, including 25 movie rentals), the interface looks pleasant, and the content selection is solid… the device is in need of a software update before I can recommend it. Blockbuster … Read more

Neuros LINK Unboxed & Setup

A loaner Neuros LINK ($300) arrived earlier today, and for once I forgive the UPS guy for not hiking up four flights of stairs to make a delivery… The unit is essentially a full-on computer, with the total kit weighing in at about 15lbs.

During the early phase of alpha testing, the Ubuntu Linux system is booting off a 4GB USB stick. The primary function of Neuros LINK is to organize and access web-based video, such as Hulu or Amazon OnDemand. And similar to ZvBox, the main launchpad is essentially a Firefox web browser. While Zv provides a customized build, the Neuros LINK interface is the standard browser running in full screen mode displaying Neuros’ customized site/experience. I haven’t found or tested the browsing functionality yet, but the automatic word complete suggestions via the web search feature is quite nice. I had no problems locating Hulu content and playing it back full screen – both audio and video passed fine from PC to HDTV over HDMI. When not streaming from the web, Linux media center software MythTV is also installed (!) for local and network media playback. I’ll be looking at this unit for a few weeks and providing feedback to the Neuros team, so it’s safe to assume I’ll have more to blog as well. Stay tuned.

11 pictures follow:

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Joost Not Dead Yet, Lands on iPhone

During my Dublin vacation, I caught wind of the new iPhone Joost client via Twitter. Putting the hotel’s complimentary Internet connectivity to good use, I immediately downloaded the WiFi-only app. Joost’s content selection, while in Europe, was pretty sparse… especially in regards to what I’d call premium video. (Axl Rose riding an airport luggage carousel … Read more

Blockbuster OnDemand Unboxing & Setup

So much for a day of vacation recovery… UPS just arrived with the new Blockbuster OnDemand movie rental box, by 2Wire. If you recall, $99 gets you the box and 25 video rental credits. Once those have been consumed, content begins at $1.99 a pop.

Packaging is Blockbuster branded, though there’s absolutely no mention of “Blockbuster” on the 2Wire MediaPoint unit. (Then again, the competing Roku box is also devoid of “Netflix” branding.) The AppleTV-shaped hardware feels somewhat plasticy, but it’s more attractive and has more personality than the Roku box.

Setup didn’t start so smoothly when the 2Wire box just hung (repeatedly) when using an Ethernet connection. However, I was successful going wireless by punching in my SSID and WPA2 security key. Once connected, I was prompted to set my television resolution and link to a Blockbuster web account – where I provided my billing info. The remote control works fine and the interface is pretty straight forward, though some screens fill in slower than I’d like. Unlike the Netflix streaming experience, Blockbuster permits you to browse their entire catalog from the couch… although they charge per rental, like typical video on demand services. Which raises the question: Why pick up this unit if you’ve got a (cable, gaming, or TiVo) box that already offers VOD?

The big surprise for me is that Blockbuster OnDemand is not purely a streaming service. Video can be played back while streaming, without transport controls, and/or once the download has completed. I assume this is why they’re beginning (?) with only “DVD quality” content, since it’s being queued up on an internal 8GB USB stick. (Which has some implications on the sort of Blu-ray players Blockbuster will support…) Speaking of storage, I haven’t yet tried inserting anything into the SD slot on the front. And while I’ve started to download the new Indiana Jones flick, I haven’t tested video playback yet. In addition to checking out the quality and playback controls, I’m curious to see how (if) the device manages storage. Stay tuned.

21 pictures follow:

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Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 Modems in the Wild: Connected Home 2 Go Tech Behind All-Digital Cable Transition: Connected Home 2 Go MPAA Intends to Close Analog Hole: Geek Tonic The Motorola Museum: Connected Home 2 Go Boxee Fix for Apple TV 2.3: Geek Tonic

Blockbuster Launches Movie Rental Box

We’d heard Blockbuster was launching a set-top box prior to the holidays, and here we are. The Blockbuster OnDemand service is powered by 2Wire’s new MediaPoint hardware. The box is “free” … should you choose to pre-pay for 25 Internet-delivered movies at a cost of $99. Additional rentals will start at $1.99 and Blockbuster promises … Read more