Fun with the New Squeezebox Remote Android App

What happens when you install the new Logitech Squeezebox Remote app from the Android Marketplace and proceed to play around with the interface from a remote location? You scare the pants off anybody who’s still at home and wondering why the little radio box is suddenly playing music all by itself*. That’s what happened this afternoon when I decided to test out the new Android app despite not being anywhere near my Squeezebox. The app loaded beautifully, and apparently it had no trouble communicating with my player. Here’s the text message I received from home shortly afterward: “Your squeezebox just came on by itself. #afraidtogodownstairs”

I can’t speak to the in-home experience yet, as I’m still on the road, but the Squeezebox Remote interface on my phone is a joy. The Home screen gives me access to a full menu of Internet radio stations, apps, my music library, search, and Squeezebox settings. Through my apps I can get directly to Slacker (my preferred Internet radio service), and instantly into my saved stations and songs. The songs don’t play on my phone – the app’s not designed for that – but they do apparently play without problem from the Squeezebox.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t see the purpose of using a secondary phone remote to control one of my devices, but this one has an interface that not only beats my existing remote, but beats the interface on the Squeezebox display itself. After all, my beloved Squeezebox Classic is from 2006, which means it doesn’t have the visual bells and whistles present on some of the newer products in the Squeezebox line. And that brings me to another point. The new Logitech app works on a piece of hardware I’ve had for more than four years. Given how rapidly smartphone companies give up on supporting their handsets with new upgrades, I find myself continually amazed to see this little Internet-radio-streamer-that-could still getting feature updates. Kudos to the product team for that one.

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What’s Next For TiVo: Hulu, Streaming, Extenders

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While we generally shy away from rumor and speculation, TiVo’s been pretty quiet as they approach the one year anniversary of Premiere retail availability. Given our site heritage and interests, the lack of news out of Alviso can be frustrating. So we’ve whipped up a post based purely on hearsay, but one that hopefully gives some indication what TiVo is quietly working on.

Hulu
Access to Hulu Plus from TiVo DVRs was announced way back in September and expected to launch “in the coming months.” Yet we’re wrapping up month six and who knows what Hulu may look like when TiVo’s app ultimately launches. Engadget’s received word that beta testing is underway. While I can’t corroborate with 100% certainty, I’ve seen purported blurry cam video footage of the service and, at least on a cursory basis, the interface looks quite similar to Hulu’s other set-top box offerings (like Roku and PS3). If Hulu Plus is indeed in beta testing, I’d expect the TiVo app would be ready to go live in the very near future. However, in the past Hulu has dictated partner announcements and product releases. So its launch may be held until the news can be bundled. For example, we’re still awaiting Hulu Plus on the Xbox 360.

Streaming
Regulars know I’ve been disappointed in TiVo’s multi-room viewing technology. Most whole home solutions stream content room to room, whereas TiVo played it safe early on by merely copying shows on demand – given their own prior hardware limitations and home network concerns. However, we’re collectively at a better place on the technological front while we’re conversely limited by obtuse cable policies designed to prevent piracy (but actually do nothing more than inhibit valid, secure usage). According to this anonymous comment and anonymous private correspondence, TiVo may be currently testing Premiere-to-Premiere streaming. Unfortunately, older hardware won’t benefit from this solution. And while TiVo could artificially draw the line in the sand, TiVo Series3 and HD hardware truly would struggle with real time HD streaming in many network environments.

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Hands on the McTiVia PC-to-TV Streamer

We continue to find ourselves in a transition period where the majority of our set-top boxes and televisions aren’t sufficiently empowered to deliver Internet content. While some of us have resorted to directly connecting a computer to the HDTV, a variety of solutions have sprung up to relay PC-based content onto the television. Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi) and Veebeam are examples we’ve covered in recent months. However, as each of these manufacturers uniquely tackle this challenge, McTiVia is a new entrant worth discussing.

Basically, McTiVia ($199) allows you to broadcast your Mac or PC display and audio straight to your television. Unlike Veebeam, which includes a wireless USB dongle you attach to your computer that communicates to a small box co-located at a television, McTiVia is software powered. And 8 computers can be configured to beam their desktops to the TV (in a much more agnostic method than Intel’s CPU-locked down offering).

One of my primary complaints with these sorts of products has been the inability to remote control your computer content on the television. Both Intel and Veebeam expect you to sit on your couch with a laptop… on your laptop. So one of the things that makes McTiVia compelling is its USB port to facilitate the use of a wireless keyboard and mouse. Although, it’s not clear what sort of latency one can expect when using it.

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App of the Week: NHK World TV Live

Like much of the world, I’ve been transfixed by the hat trick of horror that Japan has been confronted with. And my heart goes out to the people of that nation, as the death toll climbs and the challenges continue. Last weekend, while updating my iPhone apps, I came across NHK World TV Live which is … Read more

As Expected, New York Times Erects Paywall

The New York Times is starting to roll out digital subscription plans in Canada this week, with US and international subscriptions set to take effect on march 28th. Readers will be able to view the paper’s home page for free, and read up to 20 articles per month at no cost. You’ll also be able to … Read more

Yahoo Connected TV Widget Store Delayed

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Back in November, Yahoo announced their intention to expand their Connected TV platform beyond television manufacturer curated widgets into a full fledged app store. The plan was set to go live in March. Well, here we are. And the schedule’s been blown:

It’s not clear at this point when the store will be open for consumers.

Mari’s prescient Yahoo TV post headline out of CES sums it up: “Falling for Yahoo Again, Knowing Heartbreak Ahead”. Good ideas are not enough. Timely execution and partner support are also requisite.

As the owner of a Yahoo Connected TV, my initial excitement (Netflix, Vudu, weather!) has been replaced by fear and loathing. I don’t know if I should be directing my ire towards Vizio or Yahoo, but any potential gain I might have received from integrated Internet widgets has been offset by platform unreliability. As in: my television has a predisposition to reboot while accessing apps. Adding insult to injury, when the TV manages to stay up, half my widgets say the network is unavailable… contradicted by the other half that report no issues. Unfortunately, I’m not alone. From GigaOm:

Here’s something I didn’t imagine when I hooked up my brand-new Vizio XVT553SV TV last week: It crashed. Again. And again. And again. The culprit? Turns out the “smart” Internet apps made my television really dumb.

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iPad March Madness Starts Tonight!

If you’re not going to be in front of a TV tonight for the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament, never fear, the (free) iPad app is here. The iPad launch last year just missed the March Madness season, which means this is the first time you can stream live games to the tablet screen. And given how many games take place during the tournament, having a portable television by your side is a major plus. I’ll be home tonight when the tourney kicks off, but given all the work that needs to be done around my house, I probably won’t be tied to the living-room TV. The iPad, however, will travel around with me.

Of course, if you don’t have an iPad, there are plenty of places to catch the college games, but the iPad implementation is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, given the screen size and portability of the iPad, the tablet truly starts to feel like a portable TV – much more so than the old black-and-white carry-around I had as a kid that could barely pull down an OTA signal.

Second, from an industry perspective, the start of March Madness makes an interesting new test of how well the web can deliver on live video events. If I recall right, there hasn’t been a major live TV event since the iPad launched. The presidential inauguration and the Olympic games were all pre-iPad. What will demand be like on the beautiful, traveling iPad screen? And what kind of reviews will we give to the new UI, the Apple HTTP Live Streaming protocol, and our network connections?

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Time Warner Brings Live Cable TV to iPad

While Comcast was first to announce their intentions to bring live cable television to the iPad, Time Warner Cable is first to execute with the release of  TWCable TV today: Now you can watch your favorite networks on your iPad in your home! If you are a Time Warner Cable video subscriber, the FREE TWCable TV™ … Read more