Dave Zatz

Sony Blu-ray Now $499

Sony has released a new Blu-ray player (BDP-S300) for $499 – which makes it less than the Blu-ray equipped PS3, but still nearly twice as much as the entry level HD-DVD player. Have I mentioned lately how tired I am of boxes? I’m still waiting for a good deal (other than Sam’s) on the Xbox … Read more

On-box Ordering of Amazon Unbox on TiVo?

USA Today is out with a movie-ordering comparison of Apple TV versus Amazon Unbox on TiVo. Buried in the article is an interesting nugget:

Amazon and TiVo are expected today to announce direct sales that bypass the PC altogether.

Movies can currently be ordered via Amazon’s website on computer. (Unofficially: Unbox OnDemand) This method generally works out fine given movies can ‘t be watched until the download completes, but it makes sense to provide ordering directly on the TiVo unit – for both service and as a means of advertising the feature. The challenge isn’t really the technology of building the Java HME widget, the challenge is creating a well organized and friendly TV interface for Amazon’s large collection of content. We shall see…

iTunes Plus… Email

As promised, iTunes and EMI (partially) delivered on their promise of releasing DRM-free music. However, the initial batch of tracks doesn’t include anything in my collection. The bigger news with the new service seems to be iTunes Plus embedding personally identifiable info, such as name and email, into every file. I don’t have a problem … Read more

Apple IPTV?

Normally, I’d immediately dismiss this as crazy talk… But coming from Peter Rojas of Engadget, we have to consider the possibility: A well-connected source tells us that AT&T and Apple are working on adding IPTV capabilities to the Apple TV beginning sometime next year. Even with Apple’s recent hard drive upgrade, the A-TV won’t become … Read more

Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs. Telcos Exploit âDo Not Copyâ? Rules To Sell More DVRs: Davis Freeberg Widget TV: Connected Home 2 Go New Video Startup from Ex-Google Employees: Web TV Wire How Much Bandwidth Will You Need: Connected Home 2 Go

Engadget’s TiVo Deathwatch Continues

Despite TiVo’s profitable quarter, Engadget still has TiVo on deathwatch. While I don’t think TiVo is in any danger of dying, I agree with Engadget that one profitable quarter doesn’t imply financial well being as they struggle to find more subscribers. So, the question is – If Engadget isn’t lifting the deathwatch now, when should … Read more

Cablevision Appeals Network DVR Ruling

Those Cablevision guys sure are persistent… Multichannel News has a nice synopsis of the Network DVR situation. Storing content on the head-end seems like a sensible solution, but the content providers believe it infringes. With only 3+ million subscribers, I’m surprised to see Cablevision press on in fighting 20th Century Fox Film, Universal City Studios, … Read more

Bandwagon iTunes Backup Utility

UNEASYsilence has the scoop on the updated Mac Bandwagon iTunes backup utility. Unlike general file archive widgets like Mozy, Bandwagon is designed specifically for iTunes – including backing up media from multiple computers, syncing multiple computers, and obviously providing iTunes restore. Bandwagon is unique in that you can choose your storage location such as Amazon … Read more