Never enough time…

• Download your TV; the current options. (TechCrunch)
• ABC.com users watch more than two million streams. (PVRBlog)
• TV networks blissfully ignore TiVo problem. (CNN Money)
• Windows Vista requires analog tuner. (jkOnTheRun)
• Paramount embraces blogosphere. (Technorati)

Harman Kardon has unveiled the Take Control (TC) 30, a custom branded Logitech Harmony remote. So what features does the $299 TC 30 offer over the similarly designed $99 Harmony 520? A color screen, rechargeable battery with cradle, and four more activity buttons. However… If you’re in the market for a remote with those features at that price, I’d suggest picking up the Harmony 880 which has better ergonomics and larger buttons. You can also find it on sale fairly often.

In other Harmony news, the 520 is being superceded by the 550. The updated remote adds six buttons, more closely mirroring the Harmony 360’s form.

Remember that Guru Guides feature TiVo inadvertently announced with their updated privacy policy? Well, TiVo just put out a release with the details. Because Guru Guides uses the same technology as KidZone, you won’t see this feature for another few months. Initially subscriptions will be handled via TiVo’s web site, though I expect we’ll ultimately see a HME registration app as with KidZone. Reading between the lines indicates GG has the potential to move beyond television show recommendations and into BrightCove distributed video as well.

TiVo today announced the upcoming launch of TiVo Guru Guide(TM) recommendations. TiVo’s newest feature will be available to subscribers in the coming weeks. It allows TiVo subscribers to discover exciting programming and automatically record great collections of shows, recommended by editorial experts at some of the nation’s top consumer magazines and news sources. Guru Guide(TM) recommendations will create a virtual television channel from each of these authorities, while leaving the ultimate selection and choice to the consumer.

Gurus from Entertainment Weekly, Star, Sports Illustrated, Automobile, Billboard, CNET and others will offer TiVo subscribers program recommendations based on popular television categories including sports, films, music, comedies, drama and more. As an added benefit, TiVo subscribers will be able to automatically record Guru Guide recommendations via the company’s online scheduling feature.

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I’m not sure when the site was updated, but the EFF has dropped a Slingbox reference into their “Fair Use” manifesto. Though it doesn’t seem like HBO or others will be waiting until (if?) the “analog hole” is closed before going after Sling.

EFF says: If you can see or hear it, you can copy it, right? Not if the entertainment companies get to restrict anything that can convert “analog” sound or video to digital bits, including camcorders, sound cards, VCRs, and beyond. Congressional proposals to “plug the analog hole” would restrict both new and ordinary uses. You won’t be able to use tools like the Slingbox to send recorded TV shows to yourself over the Internet. And if you want to excerpt a DVD for a school report, too bad.

I just stumbled across this cute little write up… which many of us can appreciate. The site does require registration, so here’s a convenient link to BugMeNot.

Arkansas Democrat says: In time, they start to forget things. Like what day their shows come on - after all, it’s not like they have to remember for themselves. Which leads to them forgetting what day it is - is today Monday? Or is it Tuesday? Eh, whatever, The Apprentice got recorded, so who really cares? Before long, the DVR Disorder-stricken grow utterly inattentive. They become so accustomed to being able to fly past uninteresting footage and rewinding and replaying scenes they weren’t focused enough to appreciate sufficiently the first time around that they begin zoning out in everyday life. They find themselves grabbing for nonexistent skip forward and skip back buttons on their car radios, spouses, church pews, children, conference room tables, sporting event seats and movie theater armrests.

No sooner had I contemplated the usefulness of the XM3120 did Altec Lansing send me a review sample. The compact speaker dock includes two clear plastic cutouts for either the Delphi Roady XT or the Audiovox Xpress. I’ve enjoyed using it with the Roady XT at work the last few weeks. Not only does it look sharp and sound decent, but I’ve gotten rid of Roady2 home kit cable clutter and bulky computer speakers. The bundled external antenna wisely includes 20′ of cable for placements without window exposure. XM3120 retails for about $100, which compares with the butt-ugly Belkin F5X007. However, Belkin’s offering does come with a remote control — something I’d like to have seen Altec Lansing include.

Getting the XM3120 in the mail was all the encouragement I needed to upgrade from the Roady2 to the Roady XT. As you can see from the pics, the XT is smaller and sleeker. More importantly the FM transmitter is significantly improved, resulting in better reception and higher quality audio coming through my car radio. The display is also noticeably brighter. If you’re in the market for a small plug & play XM receiver, this model with included car kit runs only about $50 - $60 after rebate at places like Amazon and Best Buy or you can pick it up for $48.34 at Walmart without any rebate hassles (which is what I did).

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Enrollment and distribution has begun for folks interested in receiving a weekly CNET tech news segment, as announced last month. The service is being offered to both Cox cable customers, and in this case, broadband-enabled TiVo units. CNET had also announced their intention to include advertising, partnering with Best Buy as a charter sponsor. The inaugural 15 minute episode took slightly over an hour to trickle down and contains E3 footage from the floor… without any Best Buy references.

I find this only mildly interesting (where’s my VOD?), but I took Thomas Hawk’s advice and bought a tripod — so consider this a photographic test.