Dave Zatz

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

Sony’s Cord Cutting Problem

Sony serves up one of the very best cord cutting offerings of a small, but growing, gaggle of services that largely replicate cable bundles in aggregating a number pay channels, but served up over the Internet, with more modern interfaces and features (except when they don’t). Unfortunately, by going with “PlayStation” Vue branding, confusion has arisen as, it’s become clear … Read more

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat Houses Amazon Alexa

As foreshadowed by FCC documents, seemingly displaying a rear-firing speaker, ecobee4 product marketing materials that have come my way and a premature Lowe’s listing confirm the presence of Alexa… to not only adjust one’s temperature via far-field voice recognition, but leverage many if not all of Amazon’s voice assistant capabilities. Hey, look there’s even the signature blinking … Read more

TiVo Roamio OTA for only $250 (including service!)

The TiVo Roamio OTA is on sale for $250, including lifetime service (!) and free shipping. Two points to note: This is the older, 500GB model and it is a refurb. However, this is a fantabulous deal — the cheapest way to get one of the very best antenna experiences… a likely better investment than the … Read more