Mari Silbey

Mari’s tech career started when she became the default “IT guy” in her first job out of college. Since leaving help-desk duties to the experts, she’s focused on trends in technology as a consultant, writer, reporter, analyst and at-home gadget tinkerer. Her current paid gig is with the non-profit organization US Ignite where she focuses on how networks and digital technologies impact smart cities. All posts on ZNF represent her own opinions and not those of US Ignite. Mari is a sucker for anything in the digital media space and covers interesting happenings in cable, telecom, and whatever else she feels like. Find her on Twitter at @msilbey.

New Gadget Cases for the US

Skooba, venerable maker of Checkpoint-friendly laptop bags and other sturdy computer cases (and CES CtrStg sponsor), has started selling Proporta-brand cases for portable gear as of today. Normally I wouldn’t bother reporting on reseller news, even a US exclusive, but 1. I like Skooba, and 2. Proporta has some nice-looking stuff. I’ve found it oddly … Read more

Network DVR vs. Remote-Storage DVR

Glen Hardin of Time Warner Cable recently wrote a comprehensive (and fabulous) article for Cable360 on the 2008 ruling in favor of Cablevision’s right to offer network-based DVR services. In it he uses the more precise term Remote-Storage DVR (RS-DVR) rather than Network DVR (nDVR) to describe the technology Cablevision has proposed. Is the difference … Read more

Adobe’s DVRCast FMS Module Launch Imminent

Folks in the streaming media industry are probably already aware of an Adobe product called DVRCast. Adobe has talked about it for several months, and you can find the occasional forum thread on it as well. If it’s a feature you’ve been waiting for, take heart. Adobe’s Kevin Towes announced in a Streaming Media East … Read more

Ranting on A-La-Carte

There continues to be a perception that we’re inevitably moving to an all-a-la-carte TV model… and that somehow that’s a good thing. I was reminded of this assumption in a keynote session this morning at Streaming Media East with Boxee founder Avner Ronen. Obviously Ronen believes in the premise given that Boxee is all about … Read more

Perspectives on TV from Streaming Media East

I skated into the Streaming Media East show just in time to catch the “Online Video and Set-Top Boxes” session. The panel included representatives from TiVo, Showtime, Motorola (my employer), and Verizon, and was remarkably reminiscent of a few of the sessions at The Cable Show last month. However, the conversation always changes a bit … Read more

Momentum Builds Behind 1080p 60

EngadgetHD recently reported that ESPN is in the process of tricking out a new studio that will be capable of 1080p 60 video production. That’s the 1080p HD format at 60 frames per second, a resolution far beyond what any of us see on TV today. Of course image quality is dependent on a lot … Read more

Cablevision Breaks the Speed Barrier and More

cablevision-101-mbps-docsis-3

Cablevision is going renegade. Unlike many other operators, the company has come out against bandwidth caps. And now to add to that rebel stance, Cablevision is introducing a new speed tier at $99.95 per month with 101 Mbps downstream. That’s higher than anything else offered in the US, and marks the first time we’ve seen someone break the 100 Mbps barrier on this continent. It’s remarkable that only 18 months ago we were looking at 20 Mbps as a record speed tier. It’s a wonder what competition (and DOCSIS 3.0 technology) will do.

Cablevision has also made headlines by offering free Wi-Fi access to subscribers at certain hotspots in its footprint. As many have pointed out, the MSO is going all out to counteract Verizon, which has come on strong in the NYC area. What’s interesting is how innovative Cablevision is willing to be. Remember, Cablevision is also the cable company fighting for Network DVR. It may not be one of the largest players on the scene, but Cablevision continues to do interesting things.

Full press release after the jump.

Adobe’s Flash-y Set-Top Demo at the NAB Show

Adobe’s announcement to bring Flash to the living room is undoubtedly the biggest news out of this year’s NAB show. While much of the focus of the annual event put on by the National Association of Broadcasters goes to the business of producing content, there are always a few flashy tech demos in the mix … Read more