Smart Home

DVRs Killing DVDs

The Netflix rental model is beloved in my household, and we watch very different things on Netflix DVDs than we do on our DVR. However, a new study out of the UK by a firm called Ofcom, the independent regulator of UK communications industries, suggests that DVR viewing may be cutting into DVD popularity. In … Read more

Content with Leverage

In a world where content is king, probably nothing matches the audience appeal and leverage power of sports programming. Most people want to watch sports live (a boon to advertisers) and there are rabid fans at all levels, from high school athletics to professional-league games. Witness the recent hullabaloo over the Big Ten Network (BTN). … Read more

Another Day, Another Set-Top

A new set-top maker has entered the fray to the tune of $17.5 million in capital investments. The company, Building-B, says it will have a product in retail this fall that will combine broadcast TV with VOD and Web video. Sounds great. But haven’t we heard that somewhere before? There’s a reason no one else … Read more

FiOS Doesn’t Cause Fires

Yes, we’re all pyromaniacs at heart. First there were the exclusive new pics of AT&T’s fiber node blow-up, and now there’s a Verizon story of a FiOS installer possibly starting a fire when he drilled through an electrical main. Fire or no, Verizon has a great post up on its policy blog addressing the issue … Read more

The Latest IP Phone

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I’m a few days behind in my news reading after a week of lounging on the beach, so I just caught Engadget’s Samsung’s IP phone post. Supposedly it shows TV on its miniature screen, allows video conferencing, plays music and offers access to online shopping. Since I love the Verizon IP phone Dave and I saw demo’ed back in July, you’d think the Samsung version would tickle my fancy. Not so much.

Both with the video and the music, you’re not getting either great quality (big screen/nice speakers) or the convenience of portability. And shopping on this phone while my PC is nearby? I can’t imagine it.

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Media Extenders in 20% of Broadband Homes?

Emerging Media Dynamics has a report out claiming that 20% of broadband homes (roughly 12 million households) will have media extenders by the end of this year. Anybody else astounded by that number? The report is including in this category devices like Apple TV, the Xbox 360 and Sling’s SlingCatcher. All of these products are … Read more

So Much for Portable Computing

I’ve switched over to a new work laptop, and it’s significantly bigger than my old laptop. Yes, bigger. I decided I wanted a large, wide-screen device since I stare at it virtually all day long. The trade-off, of course, is that my new laptop is harder to carry around. Should I get a UMPC for … Read more

Does Anybody Read Anymore?

That is, does anybody read books anymore? Like 8.3 million other people, we bought the final Harry Potter book for our household on Saturday. The huge sales would seem to suggest that people are still engaging in the offline activity. But, beyond the Harry Potter series, I wonder how many people actually read regularly just … Read more