DVR

TiVo, Yahoo! Strike Online Listing Deal

TiVo has partnered with Yahoo! to provide online scheduling via Yahoo! TV. One must link a Yahoo! account with a TiVo web account to utilize the service. While this new scheduling functionality is redundant, Yahoo! provides an easily browsed grid guide which is conspicuously absent from TiVo’s site. Previously, TiVo and AOL had a similar … Read more

SageTV Adds HD, Expands Guide

With the release of Media Center V4, SageTV has added over-the-air (OTA) HD support. QAM is not supported, though BeyondTV also lacks that functionality in their upcoming v4 offering. Fully integrated European and Canadian guide data has been added to the upgrade, along with additional media and playlist support. SageTV says: With the addition of … Read more

Quadruple Play, Cell-based PVR

Marketing fluff, profit sharing, or really the ultimate in convergence? Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications have just signed a 20 year agreement to integrate all your media and data in a “quadruple play” of services. Sprint, the linchpin of the arrangement, is dropping a cool $100 million to provide a variety of … Read more

TiVo 7.2.1 Dissected, With Pics

TiVo 7-2-1Here’s a little more info and picture pr0n covering TiVo’s last Series 2 software release of 2005.

New Feature
The year concludes with a long overdue capability…

  • Overlap Protection

Notable Bug Fix
This doesn’t impact a whole lot of TiVo owners, though it’s a welcome correction.

  • Restored serial control of DirecTV HD receivers

Minor Enhancements
These are subtle changes which may or may not be apparent… they keyword is minor.

  • Wireless Stability & Performance
  • User Interface Performance

I assume there are the typical bug fixes and tweaks under the hood, and perhaps some unrevealed enhancements preparing for future TiVo services and HME-style applications as well. One can also hope that, despite the death of the Netflix deal, the technology has been put in place to provide VOD services via new partners.

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TiVo Begins Overlap Protection Rollout

It looks like TiVo system software 7.2.1 has begun rolling out for Series 2 models. As I previously reported, the highlight of this release is Overlap Protection – a method to deal with the networks staggering the traditional beginning and ending times of shows without missing a recording. Everything else appears to be under the … Read more

WSJ Talks Ads In A Digital World

The Wall Street Journal is running an interesting article covering advertising in a digital video world… go check it out and get back to me. Oh, and do you think the author is aware you can turn off TiVo sound effects? WSJ says: There is no denying that a major transformation in television-viewing habits is … Read more

Time Warner Launches Pseudo-DVR Service

Time Warner has been talking up their pseudo-DVR service “Start Over” since first mentioned in the WSJ last year, with more details revealed this spring. Now that they’ve gotten NBC’s blessing (money talks), South Carolina digital cable subscribers will be getting first dibs next month. Start Over falls somewhere between VOD and a DVR in … Read more

Hauppauge Releases Mac DVR

EyeTV picks up some competition today, with HauppaugeÂ’s release of myTV.PVR. The name grates, but the $149 price is attractive. As with all DVRs, success boils down to the software – we’ll find out soon enough if Eskape Labs got it right. I’m still waiting for a homebrew solution like this that throws in an … Read more