A periodic roundup of relevant news…

• Philips cranks out Windows Vista Media Center remotes: Chris Lanier
• BBC to offer free show downloads for the US: BBC
• Hands on with Akimbo’s new RCA box: GigaOM
• Walmart bundles adult content with Zune: Fox Chicago
• Arrington dumps Netflix for Blockbuster: TechCrunch
• Purchase a TiVo Series3 for as low (ha) as $511: TiVo Lovers

When I first read that CinemaNow has added new programming via deals with Showtime and A&E, I didn’t think too much about it. After all, iTunes already already offers the same programming and, generally speaking, buying television shows at $2 a pop doesn’t appeal to me. However, CinemaNow must have some sort of exclusive deal with Showtime — They’ve got the first episode of Sleeper Cell, Season 2 (and for free!)… which is MIA on iTunes. While I have a DVR (or several), I don’t subscribe to Showtime… So buying episodes is not an entirely unreasonable proposition in this case. (I Netflix-ed the first Sleeper Cell mini-series.)

In the past, the SVideo output from my laptop (to TV) has worked well for iTunes video playback. But, as an Xbox 360 and Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) owner I should be able to stream CinemaNow (and Movielink) content to my TV — somewhat more convenient than setting up the laptop and, more importantly, providing a remote to pause and rewind. As you can see, I’ve “purchased” that first episode (58 minutes, 670MB) and will give it a shot tonight!

After several months in both private and then public beta testing, SageTV 6 has just been released. Some highlights of the new version include:

• Browse, search, and play Google Video
• Support for Digital Video Broadcast (DVB, as in: Europe)
• Easier video conversion for portables (iPod, PSP, etc) or storage

Version 5 upgraders get the new version free of charge; Folks running earlier editions can upgrade for $30. Anyone just joining in will have to pony up $80, which is comparable to BeyondTV… though possibly more expensive than Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) or Vista. (more…)

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.