A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• Nero teams with TiVo for PC DVR software: Gizmodo
• Is TiVo testing a new user interface: Engadget
• The complete Tom Rogers interview from All Things Digital: GizmoLovers
• Stay up to date with TiVo/DIRECTV partnership: TiVoBlog

Leaving comments across the blogosphere…

XBox Live Video Store - where’s all the content?
There’s plenty of content here in the US, though as you observed it’s kinda of random - but that’s not limited to the Xbox. The bigger problem is presentation. It’s just long lists of genres. Again, Microsoft isn’t the only one with this problem. At least the Marketplace is better designed for the 10′ interface, whereas I find the PS3 more computer-like - things are too small from the couch.

Is Online Gaming Creating Citizens or Monsters?
Davis, in some of the ZNF comments and the TCF I’ve seen at least one or two mentions of adult gaming groups - I assume it would limit some of the silliness. I traded in my Xbox for a PS3 and the Xbox at least allowed me to rate asses and in extreme cases report them. No such feature on the PS3 as far as I can tell. I’ve been playing CoD4 and SOCOM withOUT my headset - less community feel, but less stupid people.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook reviewed
Agreed, it does look sharp. But after Laptop’s article, I just canceled my (delayed) order. I can live with the battery life, but the reason I’m getting a 10″ screen was for the larger keyboard. “Cramped” doesn’t work for me. Guess I’ll be keeping an eye out for deals on a 6 cell Eee 1000H or MSI Wind. Unless Apple does something crazy in the next few weeks…

MacBook Pros, what to expect, when
16″ and 18″ screens are non-standard and would boost production costs - unless it’s a start of a new trend. WiMax? Forget it - they’d need to get in bed with Sprint. If there’s any 3G or 4G, it’d be more likely they’d expand their relationship with AT&T. For the most part we’re all just educated guessing or regurgitating unsubstantiated rumors. Time will tell…

Seven Social Media Consultants That Deliver Tangible Value
Some of the best results are achieved by consultants/agencies largely invisible to the echochamber. Perhaps that’s how it should be - I know we’re all preaching transparancy, but at the end of the day it’s about the client not the consultant.

Roku’s gone on the record and put a stake in the ground:

“We’re opening up the platform to anyone who wants to put their video service on this box,” says Wood. “We’re going to release the software developer kit, so anyone can publish any channel, and users can access web content on their TVs.”

Without revealing their sales figures and projections, I’m not certain how compelling an SDK would be for the major players (Hulu, YouTube) to develop something in a vaccuum. Certainly, some of the smaller sites, like a Jaman, might find this an appealing way to extend their brand. However, Roku really needs to be the one driving collaborative relationships to provide additional quality content. So Roku has an SDK and YouTube has an API… but who’s going to build it? Ultimately, it’s in Roku’s best interest to continue working the phones - there’s a much larger audience of potential Hulu and YouTube viewers than there are Netflix subscribers. Related, there’s been speculation that the box may be renamed at some point to deemphasize Netflix. Who, by the way, is now streaming CBS and Disney Channel television content.

Pre-orders for Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD ($300) began about two weeks ago and units are now shipping, with a brick & mortar presence expected shortly.

What makes this box unique among Sling’s placeshifting lineup is the ability to broadcast your home video content at true high definition resolutions (up to 1080i) - both within the home and beyond. Unlike the Slingbox SOLO (MSRP $180) which is officially* designed to handle one video source, the PRO-HD is more akin to the PRO that preceded it, by offering multiple inputs. Not only will this Slingbox take high def content from a set-top box via component connectivity, it also integrates a digital tuner to receive over-the-air (OTA) ATSC and clear QAM (unencrypted digital cable) broadcasts. Additionally, standard def sources can be fed to the PRO-HD via S-Video and composite inputs.

Video quality has been outstanding. And I say this as a guy primarily running Windows SlingPlayer 2.0 constrained by the limited resources of a Mac virtual machine. (Yeah, there’s no immediate OS X HD support.) While I occasionally wonder if dedicated hardware-based placeshifting solutions such as the Slingbox may be headed towards extinction, high definition streaming breathes new life into this category. (Especially in conjunction with the upcoming SlingCatcher.) I’d much rather watch my own primetime HD recordings, than Hulu’s low def offerings.

Head on over to the SlingCommunity for an in-depth look at PRO-HD features, performance, and configuration.

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

• Femtocell in a Photo Frame: Connected Home 2 Go
• DVB-T HDHomeRun Delayed: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• Best Demos at Techcrunch50: The Daleisphere
• New Motorola WiMAX USB Adaptor: Connected Home 2 Go
• Grab On, DOCSIS 3.0 is Here: Connected Home 2 Go

Obviously, the big news today is T-Mobile’s launch of the first Google Android phone - on HTC hardware. From a digital media stand point, what makes the G1 ($179, available next month) interesting is the bundled software and services. The requisite audio and videos (480×320 resolution) players are present, along with YouTube and a 3 megapixel camera. While I’m not certain what percent of smartphone owners will/do make music purchases direct from a handset, the alliance has brought on Amazon to power a resident MP3 store - consisting of 6 million DRM-free tracks. (Take that, Apple!?) Presumably, desktop software will also be provided to sync these tunes up to a computer. Although the G1 incorporates a microSD slot, supporting up to 8GB of storage.

The T-Mobile G1 comes pre-loaded with an Amazon MP3 application, giving customers a phone-optimized version of the Amazon MP3 store and the immediate gratification of buying and playing their favorite music.  Downloading music from Amazon MP3 using the T-Mobile G1 requires a Wi-Fi connection but searching, browsing, listening to samples and buying MP3s can be done wherever customers are connected to the T-Mobile network. Downloaded MP3s can be played anytime on the T-Mobile G1, PCs, Macs or any other MP3 music player.

No details yet on the capabilities of the video player (codecs) or possible support for Flash web video. And I have inquiries out to Sling and HAVA regarding their potential intentions. Stay tuned…

UPDATE: I’ve heard back from Sling. While the Android platform is on their radar, I wouldn’t expect Slingbox support this year. Blackberry and iPhone clients are the current priorities.

While many probably think of me as a Slingbox homer, I’m also a HAVA owner. However, while employed by Sling, you might not have trusted me to objectively cover competitor Monsoon Multimedia - so I largely steered clear. (Like the Slingbox, HAVA boxes ($100 - $250) stream content from a variety of set-top boxes over a local network or beyond via the Internet.)

At CTIA last spring the HAVA team combined two of my favorite geek technologies by bringing placeshifting to Nokia’s N810 WiFi-enabled Internet tablet (<$400). A device that I doubt we’ll see Sling tackle. And while the N810 is a niche product, this software allows HAVA to differentiate themselves (and their mobile clients are free). Plus, they’ve proven they can produce a Linux client - which should open doors to additional mobile and desktop platforms.

As you can see from the pics, the N810 makes for a nice portable television. (Love that integrated kickstand.) I had great results streaming my TiVo Series3 both within and outside of the home - relatively high download rates and consistently decent picture quality… despite HAVA not taking advantage of Nokia’s QVGA resolution when full-screen. HAVA made an interesting design choice when it comes to control - instead of squeezing everything into a lone virtual remote, they provide four different remote screens divvied up by function. The benefit being that buttons are large enough to hit with a finger tip, no stylus needed. It’s a fine idea but, for us DVR owners, they should really find a way to display transport controls on all screens.

Sadly, the N810 is a loaner I’ll be returning. While I recognize the market for this product is limited, I’ve been a fan of Nokia’s Maemo initiative since the 770 days.