HD-DVD Launch Whimper

Looks like the next generation of DVDs will be getting off to a slow start. Netflix may have added a HD rental page, but they won’t have any discs to rent to the few consumers who manage to get their hands on a player. Generally speaking, I’m an early adopter of new technology. I was … Read more

MovieBeam Reviewed (Not Very Good)

Ben over at HD Beat got his hands on a MovieBeam and doesn’t come away impressed. The bottom line seems to be a limited selection of content with poor picture quality. Granted, both these faults could be improved without requiring a software or hardware upgrade — sign more partners and use less compression. But it’s … Read more

TiVo KidZone: The Product

TiVo’s KidZone Road Show hit DC yesterday… An intimate group of about three dozen people, half of whom seemed affiliated with one presenter or another, witnessed two new KidZone announcements. First, Parents’ Choice Foundation has signed on as the fourth provider of children’s programming recommendations. Second, KidZone will identify congress-mandated Educational and Informational (E/I) television programming for recording.

At the moment I’m thinking this will be a three-part story. The first two portions will cover the people and the product in photos. I’ll offer my opinion of KidZone and describe how the technology works with the third entry.

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TiVo KidZone: The People

TiVo’s KidZone Road Show hit DC today… An intimate group of about three dozen people, half of whom seemed affiliated with one presenter or another, witnessed two new KidZone announcements. First, Parents’ Choice Foundation has signed on as the fourth provider of children’s programming recommendations. Second, KidZone will identify congress-mandated Educational and Informational (E/I) television programming for recording.

At the moment I’m thinking this will be a three-part story. The first two portions will cover the people and the product in photos. I’ll offer my opinion of KidZone and describe how the technology works with the third entry.


Tom Rogers, CEO
TiVo, Inc.

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TiVo’s New Pricing Summarized

There’s still quite a bit of confusion regarding TiVo’s new pricing, so here’s a brief summary… Lifetime Service New and existing TiVo units are eligible for Lifetime Service at $299 if activated by April 15. Lifetime Service will not be offered for sale after 4/15. Lifetime gift cards will be honored when redeemed as will … Read more

TiVo Series 3 HD Pricing and Timing

TiVo is running an American Idol contest over the next 11 weeks — each week you vote who’s going home. That’s all well and good… but the real interesting news is that in 11 weeks they’ll be giving away a Series 3. Though TiVo officially has up to four months beyond the sweepstakes to deliver.

So speaking of worshipping that false idol, we now have a little more info to base our speculation on. I’ll go first… Series 3 HD will be available 9/1 @ $800 a pop. What’s your guess?

Update: This is now a contest! Predict the Series 3 release date and cost to win a TiVo-branded wireless adapter. Details are in the comments.

Grand Prize: 1 Special Limited Edition TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder w/Product Lifetime Service
Average Retail Value: $1,500.00

Selected entrants will receive the the weekly prize by mail within thirty (30) days of the Weekly Sweepstakes end date and the Grand Prize by mail within four (4) months of the end of the Sweepstakes Period (exact timing subject to change based upon availability of Grand Prize, which is scheduled to be released for public sale in the second half of 2006).

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SlingPlayer Mobile… Getting Closer

It won’t be long now… The Slingbox portable player is on the way. If you recall, this will let you access your Sling stream via recent Microsoft PDAs and phones (PPC 2003, WM5) using WiFi or your cellular carrier. You can sign up to receive an email when the mobile player is ready for public … Read more

Firefly Mini HTPC Remote

SnapStream, the BeyondTV folks, has added the Firefly Mini to their arsenal. Unlike the original RF Firefly, the new remote is IR and button presses trigger keyboard commands to control many common software apps without requiring configuration or the installation of any drivers. Both Firefly remotes fully support BeyondTV and other SnapStream software, but it’s … Read more