World Series: DVD On Demand

I doubt this will shake up the market much, but it’s nice to see continual distribution innovation in the market. For 20 bucks (ouch), you can order and receive a copy of any World Series game on DVD within days of broadcast. For under $20/mo you could grab all the games with a DVR. ;) … Read more

Time Warner Cable Launches Network DVR (Sort Of)

Folks in San Antonio are getting a free TWC upgrade today in the form of “Start Over,” a service that lets you restart a show in progress using an existing digital cable box. It’s not exactly a full fledged DVR, but it’s an interesting spin on the “network DVR” concept for folks who don’t get … Read more

Interesting News Dave Hasn’t Covered

Never enough time… Apple planning satellite radio integration? (Orbitcast) $4k gets you a Blu-ray + HD DVD media center PC. (EngadgetHD) Slingbox Pro receives 4/5 star review. (PC Mag) YouTube faces copyright penalty of $150,000 per clip? (LA Times)

Is Our Online Digital Media Safe?

I hear ya… You want to know who Mari is. I’ll have a proper intro up in the next day or so. Stay tuned! -DZ

youtube.gifSeveral news organizations are reporting that YouTube has wiped nearly 30,000 videos from its site after a Japanese audit fingered the clips for copyright infringement. Aside from the rights management concerns, this brings up an interesting issue for those who upload and store content on remote servers: When content isn’t stored locally, it isn’t under your control…

In this case it may have been perfectly reasonable for YouTube to remove 30,000 files, but these situations won’t always be black and white. There’s a growing trend towards moving our content off local devices — online word processing applications, photo storage sites, even under-development Network DVRs. While remote storage has its benefits, there are also disadvantages that shouldn’t be ignored. The ability for providers to delete files at will is one of them.

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Motorola: 50 Million Served

Dan Moloney, President of Motorola Connected Home Solutions Ed Zander, CEO of Motorola Love it or hate it, Motorola has shipped more cable boxes than anyone. We’re talking 50 million units… including 8 million HD-capable, 5 million DVR, and over 2,000 cable headends. I’ve had the dual-tuning HD 6412 in my home on three separate … Read more

Never enough time… New Sony LocationFree LF-B20 with WiFi reviewed. (CNET) Is that a laser in your TV, or are you just happy to see me? (Australian AP) Nielsen’s commercial/advertising tracking effort stumbles. (NY Times) Another day, another web site streaming pirated TV. (WebTVHub)

When Good Shows Get Cancelled

Mari Silbey joins ZNF… TV technology keeps getting better, and yet so far it hasn’t solved the problem of good shows that get cancelled long before they should. Rumor has it that Studio 60 may not be getting the viewers it needs to stick around. Will shows like this – with a bad time slot … Read more

Let’s Get Ready To Rumble: Moxi v TV Guide, Part 1

The story so far… September, 2006 Digeo, maker of the Moxi DVR, files an antitrust lawsuit against Gemstar, the TV Guide electronic/interactive programming guide folks, as described in the Seattle Times: The rivalry between Digeo and Gemstar surfaced Thursday in federal court in Seattle, where Digeo filed a lawsuit claiming that Gemstar violated federal and … Read more