Three TiVo Premiere Mysteries

As no one beyond TiVo Inc, and their NDA-ed testers or partners, have spent more than a short while with the TiVo Premiere, there are quite a few outstanding questions of the CableCARD DVR. Is the hard drive still user expandable/replaceable? To what extent has the HME API been expanded to support the new Flash … Read more

The TiVo Premiere is here! (That’s it?)

After a few months of unintended leaks and 3 1/2 years since third generation hardware was introduced, the TiVo Series 4 Premiere has arrived. As with TiVo’s HD line, which is being cleared out, the Premiere will ship (next month) in two SKUs: A base model with 45 hours of HD storage (320GB) at $300. … Read more

CableCARD Installs Getting Better?

Over the years, I’ve experienced more CableCARD installs than most. As I frequently rotate devices and have lived something of a gypsy lifestyle since unloading our home (along with our projector) and given bi-coastal employment. The vast majority of installs have been problematic. When the Comcast or Cox Communication techs bother to show. I even … Read more

CableLabs Confab

CableLabs is holding its Winter Conference this week featuring, among other activities, an Innovation Showcase. To bring a little buzz to the event, CableLabs hosted a short media teleconference yesterday announcing the winner of Best Product Idea among the Showcase participants. Jinni got the nod from conference attendees for its “next-gen guide” including personalization features … Read more

DirecTV Opens Multiroom Viewing Beta

Earlier this week, DirecTV expanded their previously private whole-home DVR viewing pilot into an opt-in open beta. DirecTV’s rendition of multi-room viewing is similar to most – stream recorded content from a HD DVR to any other HD DVR or receiver around the home via a unified or filtered playlist. Additionally, you’ll be able to … Read more

ZNF: The Year in Stats

Following in Brent’s GeekTonic footsteps, I’d like to point out a few fun facts from 2009 ZNF blogging as we enter our 6th year rocking the suburbs. Despite my earlier assumption, given our evolving strategy of fewer but more meaningful posts, blog traffic was actually up about 30%. We averaged 66 posts a month in … Read more

5 Things Missing from CES 2010

The Griffin Technology folks as pictured on the CES blog Not making the trek out to Vegas this year for CES? You’re not alone. Here’s a list of five things missing from CES 2010. Cablecos and Telcos Despite the fact that we now live in a connected world, many of the providers that make our … Read more

TiVo Prepping New “Premiere” DVR?

Due to a possible shipping slip up, we may have just caught our first glimpse of the next model in TiVo’s Series3/HD line. When Patrick McCarron recently upgraded to a TiVo HD, his packaging contained a TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL setup guide. Which diagrams a back panel we’ve never seen before. The reworked DVR … Read more