As of tomorrow, all Cablevision triple-play (television, data, voice) customers will be capable of receiving CallerID through their Scientific Atlanta set-top boxes. The feature can be toggled on/off and is provided at no extra charge. CallerID has proven to be a very popular feature in luring and retaining triple-play customers – Cablevision is wise to … Read more
You may have heard of the extremely popular, but thorn-in-the-side of the music industry AllofMP3.com. Well after selling non-DRM’d MP3’s to the masses for dirt cheap (they didn’t pay royalties), the Russians are at it again – this time offering movie downloads for $1.99. After AllofMP3 was shut down, it was re-branded & re-launched as … Read more
Friends of mine worked an event today in New York with a company called MC Square. MC Square made the gadget blogs a couple of years ago with its brain booster device, but back then the product was only available in Asia. Today the company opened up availability in the US. How does the gizmo … Read more
The Discovery Channel and Discovery Communications have been on a tear lately. First there’s the company’s original programming, including the continued success of shows like MythBusters and Dirty Jobs (with Mike Rowe, target of many a man-crush). Then there’s the fact that Discovery is the poster child for HDTV, particularly with shows like the miniseries … Read more
I haven’t payed close attention to the Hollywood writers’ strike, but given that the heart of the issue is digital media distribution, I probably should. Multichannel News notes that the Writers Guild of America is penning a strike blog, and from today’s posts comes a succinct video on media moguls discussing the riches to be … Read more
Just in time for the holidays, I’ve gotten a slew of emails telling me about the $500 gift card Target/Macy’s/Walmart is trying to send me. Since I’m a sucker for deals and the emails suggest this is a “second attempt” to send me a confirmation, I’ve actually found myself on the verge of clicking my … Read more
Following up on Mari’s HDTV holiday buying research, I’ve noticed an interesting strategy that television service providers are employing this fall to lure folks away from the CableCo: Verizon FiOS TV is offering new subscribers a free Sharp 19″ LCD HDTV and Dish Network is offering new or existing customers $800 off a variety of … Read more
As someone helping relatives purchase HDTVs this holiday season, I thought it would be worthwhile to post some of the things I’ve learned: Prices have dropped into the highly-reasonable range. You can easily get a 32″ HDTV display for under $1,000, and I’ve already seen Black Friday ads for sets over 40″ in the same … Read more