Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… Comcast Appears to Soft Launch First 4K DVR Dish Network is quietly putting Android TV in hotel rooms DISH Hopper integrates with Amazon Alexa for hands-free TV Amazon Video can now stream in 4K on Xbox One S Android TV to gain new home launcher and Google Assistant with … Read more

Roku Spam Buttons Now Less Intrusive

As disseminated by Cord Cutters News, the new Roku 7.6 OS update resolves at least one “spam button” annoyance. When you accidentally sit on your Roku remote or your toddler grabs it, you won’t necessarily be dumped into a paid partner’s streaming app. Instead, while video is playing, you’ll be offered up a confirmation screen (as shown above, which doesn’t seem to time out) before making the leap. Sadly, Roku still doesn’t provide the ability to remap their growing list of rotating affiliates… to regain valuable real estate from a variety of shuttered services, like Rdio and Target Ticket (as shown below). While Roku remains a compelling player in this space many of their recent product decisions are driven by advertising and, by comparison, the similarly priced Fire TV offers a superior, clutter-free remote (that obviously pitches Amazon services via the on-screen interface).

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The TiVo Cord Cutter Solution That Never Was

When TiVo opened their CMS search to all a few weeks back, they left behind traces of an alternate timeline… one where the TiVo Bolt Aereo Edition actually made it to launch. And, fortunately for us, an astute reader ferreted out and preserved the details. First glimpsed in August of 2015, the TiVo Bolt Aereo … Read more

TiVo To Complete HDUI (after seven long years)

After seven long years, sources indicate TiVo is poised to finally complete the HDUI menuing system that was originally unveiled with the Premiere back in 2010. Although, it’s not actually clear that Premiere hardware will receive the interface update, whereas it’s confirmed Roamio and Mini will. Beyond updating the remaining standard definition screens to high … Read more

President Trump Loves His TiVo

Given President Trump’s television pedigree and media preoccupation, it should come as no surprise that he’s a big fan of the DVR. In fact, he cites TiVo by name as one of the greatest inventions of all time (although he doesn’t receive RCN cable). And that’s something we can all agree upon, irrespective of party … Read more

Roku Trademarks “Tada!” for…?

As regulars are well-aware, I love me a good mystery. And Roku just applied with the USPTO to trademark “Tada!” These sorts of filings are generally difficult to decipher, as the descriptions are often broad and vague, providing the company latitude down the road. So Tada! could refer to just about anything from a new marketing slogan, to an improved universal search utilizing recently licensed TiVo patents, another in-house recommendation show, a publishing platform for content distributors, or a full-on streaming video service to take on the likes of Sling TV or PlayStation Vue.

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Spotify to Launch Hardware, Cites Alexa and Snapchat

A trusted source indicates that Spotify, the highly regarded music streaming service, will soon follow in Snapchat’s footsteps with an unexpected foray into hardware. While details on the upcoming “wearable” were not provided, several job listings seemingly provide clues. Sr Product Manager-Hardware We are looking for a passionate and seasoned Senior Product Manager that will join the Platform … Read more

$250 Off TiVo Roamio OTA with Lifetime Service

Deal of the year, if this isn't a mistake! 1TB TiVo Roamio OTA *with Lifetime service* for just $149. https://t.co/ZWwXfU4Dm6 pic.twitter.com/mQb0s39kz5 — Dave Zatz (@davezatz) April 21, 2017