Dave Zatz, Author at Zatz Not Funny!

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

TiVo Cloud DVR Details Emerge

When TiVo pulled the page hosting Mavrik imagery, they left behind a search box… and search I did. The TiVo Mavrik is confirmed as an OTA two-tuner network accessory, a la Tablo, that will beam both live and recorded content to web browsers, mobile apps, and the Fire TV. Mavrik plugs into your HD antenna and … Read more

TiVo Mavrik In Pictures

As TiVo brings on new leadership, encompassing their consumer portfolio, Google has surfaced an almost treasure trove of Mavrik imagery. The majority of the photos, originally published way back in July, have been removed or relocated… leaving us with just a small selection of gadgety goodness. We anticipate the presumably delayed TiVo Mavrik will ultimately be revealed as an OTA network tuner, somewhat akin to the HDHomeRun or Tablo, with cloud DVR capabilities and, at the very least, streaming video output to Amazon Fire TV. I’d also hope TiVo is busy retrofitting their existing iOS app for Apple TV support. Assuming the project hasn’t been or won’t be scrapped.

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat Gets Deeper Alexa Integration

Update: Confirmation of Alexa support and a photo of the ecobee4 can be found here, ahead of a May 3rd announcement.

The ecobee4 smart thermostat, originally leaked last month by Apple, has just passed through the FCC. As to what it offers over the ecobee3 and its remote sensors, well, that remains mostly a mystery. We assume it will retain Apple HomeKit integration and there is some thought its profile will match the new and slightly revised ecobee3 lite.

But most curious, based on the FCC glamour shot above, is some sort of round opening along the top of the ecobee4’s enclosure. What I’d originally thought might be additional or relocated environmental sensors, versus an exhaust port, may actually be a small speaker given new intel I have received indicating tighter ecobee+Alexa voice integration. Incorporating Amazon’s voice assistant makes a whole lot of sense given the practicality (why clutter things up with yet another Echo Dot) and recent $35 million dollar investment.

Bose is prepping a pair of Bluetooth speakers that shift the Soundlink line into a new, vertical orientation. Visually, the Bose Soundlink Revolve looks quite similar in form to the Amazon Echo while the Revolve Plus is more like a larger Google Home given is bulbous shape. And both share some resemblance to the Amazon Tap – due to its optional charging stand. The speakers, providing at least 10 hours of juice, will be offered in both black and grey, with the smaller model clocking in at 2.2lbs and the slightly larger model tipping the scales at 2.9lbs (with handle). Beyond music and podcast duties, like the original line of Soundlink speakers these also feature speakerphone capabilities with integrated mic and similar top-mounted button including volume, power, bluetooth, aux, and mic. Sadly, there’s not yet any confirmation of Alexa voice assistant or WiFi integration — perhaps maintaining the distinction between Bose’s Soundlink and the more Sonos-like Soundtouch lines.

TiVo Offers $99 Lifetime Service Transfer*

*with catches, of course While its been periodically available, to folks who call in, TiVo is now publicizing a highly compelling but targeted $99 Lifetime Service transfer… from older DVRs onto the newer TiVo Bolt platform. For a limited time, transfer lifetime service from your TiVo Series 2 or Series 3 DVR for only $99 with a … Read more