A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• DirecTV SAT+GO! brown box does portable satellite TV: Gizmodo
• AOL offering free holiday movie downloads on Saturday: TechCrunch
• Wal-Mart joins the digital movie download fray: Engadget
• Better Options than Verizon-YouTube Lite: GigaOm
• Descriptions and prices of various media extenders: PVRWire

A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• Beatles and Apple near exclusive iTunes deal: Fortune
• EchoStar retrial on TiVo patents denied: Denver Post
• Will paying for user video pay off: GigaOm
• Xbox movie downloads timed: Gizmodo
• Control BeyondTV with Slingbox: Fresh Arrival
• TiVo Glo Remote available for 8,500 Reward Points: TiVo

It’s that time of year again! No, not the season of giving… Rather, it’s the season of trampling your neighbors to get the best deal for yourself at the Walmarts of the world.

I’ve put together a small list of what I want, where to get it, and at what cost. The odds of my succeeding are very low due to massive competition and the fact that I’ll be driving across several states to two different locations over the next four days. My top priority, based on need and attainability, is the LCD.

11/23
Xbox 360 @ $100
66% savings
Amazon.com

11/24
42″ Vizio Plasma HDTV @ $1000
17% savings (off already great price)
Costco

19″ Samsung LCD @ $130
48% Off
Best Buy

APC UPS 350VA @ $20
50% savings
CompUSA

11/25
Nintendo Wii @ $250
Full Price
Nintendo Store, NYC

In the last week there’s been a few DVR software news updates…

Beyond TV

BTV is out with the 4.5 point release. This update includes a variety of bug fixes and small enhancements plus the option to buy a DVD-burning plugin ($30 for current customers, $40 for new). The DVD burning option a little pricey, but it looks sharp and is quite convenient.

SageTV

Speaking of DVD burning, the community-built DVD plugin for SageTV has hit 2.0. The software requires a manual installation and configuration, but the price (free) is right. Additionally, SageTV’s 6.0 beta continues and is available for download.

ReplayTV

After three months of delays, ReplayTV’s PC Edition is finally shipping. It does offer several nice features, such as suggested recordings and a conflict manager, but with limited tuner support and priced 20% higher than the competition (plus annual guide fees) they’re going to have a hard time competing. RTV offers a free trial download, for those of you who want to give it a spin.

A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• HD-DVD and Blu-ray are dead on arrival: Slate
• Video overview of TiVo’s new broadband features: CrunchGear
• CBS show streaming paying dividends: Broadcasting & Cable
• ReplayTV PC Edition finally launches: PVRWire

The HDHomeRun is a networked dual HD tuner device for shipping programming around your home computer network. Currently designed to work on Linux or Mac operating systems, the HDHomeRun receives OTA and/or unencrypted QAM via RF coax inputs and transmits content via Ethernet. Support for Windows MCE and BeyondTV is planned.

EngadgetHD writes: If you are in the market for dual ATSC tuners for your MythTV setup this may be the way to go. The network-enabled device allows you to add as many tuners as you want without being limited by the number of PCI slots in your PC, which opens up opportunities with small form factor computers like the Mac Mini. Priced at $169, you will have a hard time buying two ATSC tuners cheaper.

Never enough time… Windows MCE Plugin Edition!

• WebGuide 4 provides remote MCE management. (jkOnTheRun)
• Big Screen Headlines RSS reader for MCE. (eHomeUpgrade)
• MCE Tunes supports iTunes DRM playback. (Chris Lanier)