Dave Zatz

An Apple TV Update

An Apple TV update (v2.0.2) was made available last week. Though, I wouldn’t have known about it without reading Sean Alexander’s blog. Since moving about a month ago, I haven’t bothered unpacking Ben‘s unit. Other than the video podcasts, I don’t have a whole lot of love for this device. Speaking of which, we’re going … Read more

The Walking Desk Upgrade

I’m still going through my gear and getting organized at the new place… It’s been a good opportunity to rethink how (and where) I use technology. And I feel pretty certain my desktop CPU form factor computing days are behind me. While I’ve got a Vista tower, it just doesn’t see much use. And I … Read more

Elgato EyeTV Hybrid Unboxing

Since I’m notoriously slow writing up reviews, I’m harnessing the power of my still unreviewed yet highly relied upon Eye-Fi with the quirky but efficient WordPress 2.5 image gallery functionality to at least get some photos up of my latest goody… I’ve been contemplating replacing one of my TiVo units with an HTPC. And I’m … Read more

Disposable DVDs Rise From The Dead

It wasn’t a good idea in 1999 when we buried Circuit City-backed Digital Video Express (Divx). It wasn’t a good idea in 2006 when MovieKlub failed to launch. And it’s not a good idea now: DVD-D Germany Ltd’s ‘Einmal’ (German for ‘once’) – discs incorporate a self-destruct chemical coating to render them unreadable after a … Read more

TiVo Gets A Little Bit Social (On Facebook)

TiVo’s getting a little bit social (hey, it’s the thing to do) in launching “My TV” on Facebook. As you would expect, one can add, rate, and review all sorts of television programming. There’s also links to online scheduling (for us TiVo customers), but no integration with Facebook’s existing TV show favorites or a method to import your existing Season Passes, Now Playing list, etc. Interestingly, TiVo didn’t name the widget after themselves and clearly indicates one doesn’t need to be a TiVo owner to participate. Which is a smart marketing move. (via Gizmo Lovers)

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Comcastic Insecurity!

Dave Winer’s Internet service was recently shut down by Comcast without warning. Apparently, he’s in the top percentile of bandwidth usage and Dave feels that Comcast has singled him out as a criminal. While I don’t know how he’s using his Internet connectivity, I do agree that the way Comcast handles these matters isn’t very consumer friendly.

However, what interested me is that Dave was directed to the Comcast Customer Security Assurance and Legal Response team. Frankly, Comcast needs to tighten up their own security before making customer insinuations… Last week, we initiated a customer support chat to get our Comcast.net credentials. Despite providing our specific account number, phone number, and partial social security number Comcast reset the former resident’s email password and gave it to us. No social engineering required. Fortunately, this is a mostly unused account and I’m a pretty ethical guy. But the experience surely gives me pause.

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Where’s the SDV Tuning Resolver?

So it’s Q2 and I’m probably not the only one wondering where the SDV Tuning Resolver is. If you recall, this product will allow unidrectional CableCARD retail devices to tune switched digital video channels – which would otherwise be unavailable for viewing. It’s unlikely older CableCARD devices like first generation TVs with slots would receive … Read more

Question of the Day: Replace Car Stereo or Add Satellite?

Today’s question, via IM, wonders how to handle the death of a car stereo. Though, it’s not quite so simple — Both the CD player and line-in jack still work, so they’ve been considering a satellite radio add-on. They don’t have a problem with the monthly fee but, upon quizzing, it seems clear they’re not … Read more