Never enough time… in Canada!

• DVD versus download. (CNN Money)
• ATI releases Avivo video converter for portables and DivX. (ATI)
• Comcast buys digital media services company. (GigaOm)
• Slingbox celebrates first birthday. (Sling Community)
• Malaysia gets first DVR. (NextNews)

Applian’s SlingCorder has been updated and renamed (at Sling’s request) as the At-Large Recorder. Feature enhancements include repeating scheduled recordings, an updated interface, and the ability to automatically launch the SlingPlayer. It’s a neat little app and does what it says, though my TiVo already does a decent job handling my scheduled recordings.

As I previously mentioned, the software records your SlingStream as 320×240 Windows Media Video (ASF) and offers a free demo (5 minutes of recording). The full version will set you back $30.

UPDATE:

• 7/13/06, SlingPlayer 1.3 Beta Doesn’t Support SlingCorder

Never enough time… in Canada!

• Newly manufactured 25″+ TVs must contain ATSC digital tuners starting today. (HD Beat)
• Ready for TV pop-up advertising? (Tampa Tribune)
• Catch the Shuttle launch in HD today. (HDNet)
• Toshiba still wants unified DVD format. (eWeek)
• MobiTV now available for Windows Mobile 5.0. (Engadget Mobile)

I no longer ride the subway to work, so now my commute is far less interesting and far less productive. However, I still have a fond place in my heart for portable multimedia. The two media apps I find myself using most frequently (which can’t be accessed on a subway) are the portable Slingbox player (it does go full screen) and MiniXM (as shown above on my Sprint 6700). I’m obviously on XM, but Sirius subscribers can stream stations via SiriuCE. TiVoToGo converted shows are played back via the included Windows Media Player and ripped DVDs through TCPMP. Orb could stream my home music collection, video, pictures, and television if I wanted — the TV component isn’t nearly as slick as Sling’s box and custom app, but it is free if you have a PC with tuner card. Down the road, I’d really like to see Windows Mobile support PMP services such as Vongo’s all-you-can-eat movie rentals.

Get a new 80 hour Series 2 for free after rebates! If you already have service, a second unit runs only $6.95/mo. I think it’s safe to say this model is heading out… not surprising given digital tuner regulation going into effect next year.

• Buy.com
• Best Buy
• Circuit City
• CompUSA

Todd Perlmutter responded to my request for a custom GUI and has delivered the TiVo Converter Wrapper. TCW allows you to choose an encoding profile and queue up .tivo shows for conversion. Unlike TiVo Desktop, you can transcode multiple shows on demand and irrespective of folder location (and without mucking around in XML and the command prompt). Also unlike the TiVo Desktop, you can efficiently choose and run different profiles as needed — useful if you have multiple devices.

Great work, Todd! Now get started on adding settings for custom resolutions.

Tonight, at Digital Experience, ReplayTV will debut their software-only DVR product. I’m skipping the event, but perhaps my Engadget or Gizmodo buddies will take the new software for a spin and report back. ReplayTV is expected to ship this fall for $100. I hope that includes the referenced Hauppage tuner card, otherwise it’s horribly overpriced compared to Windows MCE, Yahoo, and BeyondTV. Guide data is included for the first year, but will cost $20 for subsequent years… effectively killing any chances at success they might have had. I can’t say I’m too excited about any of this — PC-as-PVR is a niche and Replay is late to the party.

USA Today says: While ReplayTV will continue to serve its stand-alone DVRs, it has been unloading inventory to focus exclusively on software. “The PC is a very vibrant market,” says ReplayTV General Manager Bill Loewenthal. “It’s natural that a DVR experience come to that.” ReplayTV will require a PC with at least a Pentium 4 processor and Windows XP operating system. Users can decide how much hard drive space to devote to TV shows (an hour typically requires a gigabyte). The unit also has a device that sends infrared signals to a cable or satellite box so people can use a single remote to also change channels.