Hands On With The Channel Master DVR+

We’ve been tracking Channel Master‘s moves since new digital video recorder hardware first surfaced in FCC documents last summer. They’ve clearly used the intervening months wisely to fine tune both the product experience and marketing strategy as the originally documented pair of K77 set-tops has been whittled down to the single and more memorable DVR+ ($250). And, as you … Read more

Apps Up Next for Chromecast

Google Chromecast apps

Google announced a slate of new apps for Chromecast last week, but as most were less than compelling, it’s time to speculate on what else might be in the pipeline. According to Janko Roettgers over at GigaOM, Google plans to launch further “waves of Chromecast apps” in the near future. Here are a few guesses as to what they’ll be.

Mari’s Purely Speculative Chromecast App List

First up, Aereo! The little streaming-start-up-that-could is reportedly making a profit in some markets, and CEO Chet Kanojia has said publicly that Chromecast support is on the way. Given the limited reach of Aereo, Chromecast integration isn’t likely to be on anyone’s make-or-break list. But with Aereo already available on Roku and Apple TV (via Airplay), Google’s streaming stick would be a natural platform extension.

Second app: Time Warner Cable.

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TiVo Thumb Buttons To Rate The Voice Finalists

the-voice-tivo

Perhaps another benefit of the TiVo 20.3.8 software update is a framework to tabulate in-show tenor by repurposing those iconic TiVo thumbs up/down remote buttons (versus their original purpose to rate programming as a means of generating suggestions). Classified as an “experiment” by “TiVo Labs”, select customers have been recruited to test this new functionality:

If you’re interested in helping out, here’s what to do:

  • Watch The Voice episode “Live Final Performances,” airing Monday, 12/16 at 8 PM/7 Central.
  • As you watch the episode, please use the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down buttons on your TiVo remote throughout the episode to rate the contestants’ performances.
  • Really loving it? Press Thumbs Up! Totally hate it? Press Thumbs Down!
  • You can use the Thumbs buttons as many times as you want throughout the episode.
  • You can use the Thumbs buttons more than once on the same performance.
  • Feel free to fast-forward, pause, and rewind as usual.

You don’t have to watch the episode live as it airs, but if possible, please try to watch the episode on Monday night. Sound interesting? Just watch and click — that’s all you have to do. There’s no online survey, just “vote with your remote.”

While TiVo’s collected this sort of behavioral data before,

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TiVo Software Update 20.3.8 Rolling Out

tivo-opera-tv

TiVo software update 20.3.8 has started rolling out to Premiere, Roamio and Mini boxes, including these notable enhancements:

  • new transparency options for Closed Captions
  • support for new apps (some of which may start appearing next week)
  • support for “low battery” message for new RF remotes
  • fixed an issue where the grid Guide didn’t keep its place after scheduling a recording
  • now will retry tuning requests after a Tuning Adapter fails to respond
  • improved some issues related to transferring shows between Series4 and Series5 DVRs

While this doesn’t ship with the prime billing that the Fall Update did, it’s rather significant in a few ways.

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TiVo Founders Reunite, Prep Qplay TV Adapter

qplay

Shortly after TiVo co-founder Jim Barton resigned from the DVR maker in 2012, he reunited with his former DVR compatriot Michael Ramsay to found InVisioneer. While the Kleiner-backed company is somewhat shrouded in secrecy, descriptions from their recruitment efforts provide some insight (1, 2):

InVisioneer is building a product that sits at the nexus of exciting trends in video, mobile, and social.

We’re building a compelling new way to discover and play media that will become an integral part of people’s lives.

Scouring the web for clues has turned up a variety of intriguing LinkedIn profiles and other social mentions, including an early survey and what appears to be a test Twitter account… with one very familiar follower. Of course, given the headline and imagery above, you’ve already discerned that InVisioneer sent some hardware through the FCC in the form of a Qplay TV Adapter.

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Chromecast Update Arrives, Vevo & Plex Streaming In Tow

Chromcast update 14651 has arrived. And, with it, a refreshed TV home screen that does away with the WiFi signal strength meter. Under the hood, we find the requisite bug fixes plus an enhanced SDK to support new curated partners and their apps. Of the 10 new streaming partners, you need only concern yourself with … Read more

PlayOn Upgrades To High Definition Streaming

One of PlayOn’s perennial dings has been the lack of high definition streaming. But, starting this month, both new and existing customers can upgrade from 480p to 720p… at a cost – both in terms of fees and required quad core processing capabilities. As a refresher, PlayOn lives on your home PC (sorry Mac owners) and … Read more

TiVo Premiere To Receive Updated Netflix App

#TiVo Premiere customers who love #Netflix – today is a good day to get on the list for the next update: http://t.co/MV97tjMdAF — TiVo Margret Schmidt (@tivodesign) December 9, 2013 We were quite surprised when the big, Fall Update hit TiVo Premiere units without without an updated Netflix app… as we had solid intel indicating a … Read more