Zatz Not Funny!

TiVo Premiere 14.8 Software Update Begins

It’s been a long four months since the last TiVo Premiere software update. And, unfortunately, nothing in the forum chatter suggests version 14.8 features a completed HD UI or activates the second core. Somewhat surprisingly, the most apparent changes are HDUI elements that now appear within the standard definition interface – graphics, labels, and a … Read more

Choosing An iOS Infrared Remote Control

ZNF regular Chucky seeks our assistance in choosing the right iOS IR remote solution for his situation…

I’ve always avoided Harmony universal remotes. I’ve never really liked the Harmony UI, in either the touchscreen or physical button incarnations. But now, with the variety of iOS based universal remotes available, I’m suddenly interested in getting myself a universal remote with a better UI.

In figuring out which remote to buy, I have specific needs, which may greatly vary from yours. I place a high degree of value on software that is easy to use on a daily basis, easy to customize, and easy to initially learn. I’m willing to “teach” the new remote my button codes by pointing old remotes at it. In short, I’m willing to spend 1 day setting up the new remote just the way I want in order to enjoy it the next 364 days of the year.

The hardware must be functional, with a minimum of hassles on a regular basis, but I’ll take good software over good hardware for this project.

Also, I rarely watch live TV, and prefer scheduling my DVR recordings from the massive real estate and fine control offered by desktop or laptop computers, so programming “discovery” is not high on my priorities.

Here are the devices I’m looking to control for my single room media center:

TiVo Simplifies Pricing On May 19th

I’ve never been a fan of TiVo’s numerous pricing permutations. Why add complexity to what’s an already confusing purchase for many? If you need a FAQ, you have failed. Well, it looks like TiVo has discovered what most of us have suspected and will be simplifying their plans come May 19th.

Regardless of where or how you buy TiVo Premiere hardware, the new monthly fee will be $19.99 (with a required 1 year commitment). Also, the Lifetime service option will return as an option for new customers; albeit, at $499, its highest price point ever. I expect TiVo will also continue to offer multi-unit service discounts (MSD). In fact, rumor has it, monthly MSD pricing will jump from $9.95 to $14.95 (ouch) with the new Lifetime MSD option running $399.

Sadly, I expect the $12.95 monthly fee is gone for good. So when $19.99 contracts expire, renewals will continue at this rate. Add in CableCARD rental along with Additional Outlet (AO) fees in some markets and TiVo becomes a rather pricey proposition.

New Slacker On-Demand Service Worth the Wait

I’ve been itching for the new Slacker on-demand music service to launch since last fall, and today the new app is (finally!) ready to go on the web, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and Android devices. The whole Slacker experience has been overhauled, but the biggest change comes in the new Premium service tier. For $9.99 a month (or FREE for a limited time at www.facebook.com/SlackerRadio), Slacker Premium customers can now access individual songs and albums on demand. While this may not sound revolutionary, it is when you consider how Slacker implements its on-demand service. With a radio front end, users can find artists and songs simply by tuning to a station and either saving favorite selections as they play, or filtering through station content to find music worth storing. Naturally you can also search for any specific song and play it immediately, but the bigger benefit comes from station-based music discovery. Ask me what song I want to hear, and I may stumble over an answer. But play something I like, and I’ll add it to my personal playlist in a heartbeat.

After using Slacker Premium in beta for the last few weeks, I can happily say that the new service was worth the wait. I’ve only tested it on a computer so far, but I’ll be trialling it further on mobile devices in the near future, and the iPad video demo looks promising. From my own experience, the app is easy to use, and the ability to play favorite songs ad nauseum is addictive. I’ve never been one to collect music, so just being able to access songs when I want without having to make a commitment to buy is compelling. Even better, I don’t have to go out and search for music. If there’s a radio station I like, I can see the top 50 artists and songs on that station and jump around or create my own playlists at will. Stations, albums, and individual songs are also all cacheable for offline playback.

I spoke with Slacker CEO Jim Cady last week, who had a few things to say about where Slacker has been, and where it’s headed.

Netflix Wins Strategic Licensing Deal with Miramax

As digital licensing negotiations heat up, it’s heartening to see Netflix pull another big win from a new deal with Miramax. Netflix announced the multi-year agreement today, which includes instant streaming of a number of movies in the Miramax library, from Academy Award winners like “Shakespeare in Love,” and “The English Patient,” to cult favorites like “Chasing Amy” … Read more

Kindle On The Fritz? Remove The Cover.

Here’s a weird one… Should your 3rd generation Amazon Kindle begin spontaneously shutting down, fail to reliably power up, sprinkled with a dash of page sync issues, the culprit is most likely your official Amazon Kindle Leather Cover. Apparently, Amazon has been aware of this issue since at least late last year… and the cover is … Read more

The Vulkano Flow Placeshifter Giveaway

In honor of the new Zatz Not Funny Facebook annex, we’re giving away our Vulkano Flow review hardware. If you recall, the Flow is the first placeshifter with a MSRP under $100. And mobile clients run almost 2/3rds less than their Slingbox equivalents. Overall, we found it a good value for those with non-HD placeshifting … Read more

Verizon FiOS TV IMG 1.9 Rollout Paused

The eminently valuable Verizon Idea Exchange is not only a rich resource for customers and employees, somewhat reminiscent of the TiVo Community Forum back when TiVo actually ~~cared~~ participated, it’s also a blogger gold mine. Unfortunately, the news I bring you today represents a little short term pain based on customer feedback. Yet, it’ll presumably result in a better long term experience. The FiOS IMG 1.9 nationwide rollout has been temporarily placed on hold. From Verizon Director Joseph Ambeault:

We are pausing for a moment to incorporate some customer feedback into 1.9 (e.g. SD Override wizard and improved contrast between the text and background)… we’ll be back in action shortly.

And…

We’re incorporating feedback we got from customers in the 4 markets that were already upgraded to 1.9. Just some minor tweaks as we get ready to roll to other markets in the coming months.

Anecdotally, based upon ZNF commentary, it does appear some users have had difficulty reading text within the toned down color scheme. But I have no idea what this SD Override wizard is, as I do my best to avoid SD channels. Not to mention that most televisions offer plenty of display modes to stretch or zoom content. But our audience is probably a little more savvy than the typical cable customer and it sounds like Verizon may have ended up with a number of confused or disgruntled subscribers who’ve received 1.9. Hopefully, they clear these issues and resume the rollout in short order. As I’m ready for the 16:9 guide and whole home streaming to/from each and every HD DVR.