With access to four tuners and 1.5 terrabytes of storage, I thought that I had the ultimate DVR setup. However, after seeing Snapstream’s Enterprise PC DVR in action, I’m envious of its capabilities and my home entertainment system suddenly seems wimpy. I don’t know how much Snapstream is charging, but if money grew on trees, I’d be all over this in a heartbeat.

With 10 tuners, one won’t worry about programming conflicts. And with 2 terrabytes of storage, it would mean that one can record 10 different channels, 24 hours a day for at least 8 days before worrying about archiving. Even, if one needed to save old content, the software enables video backup onto DVD.

While the specs had me drooling, the search capabilities were what I found most impressive. By taking advantage of the closed captioning system, SnapStream is able to search the transcripts of any program you record. This allows you to record a lot of junk and filter it for the information that you care about. Unlike the DVR in your living room, this isn’t limited to one monitor. SnapStream has designed the DVR to act as a server, allowing multiple users to search and stream videos from anywhere on a network.

(more…)

Just when I thought we’d enter a period of tech news radio silence leading up to the holidays and prior to CES early next month, Digeo is out recruiting for two betas. One product we knew about, the other we didn’t…

First up is the Holy Grail for us geeks - public recruiting for a hardware beta: The Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR, which I previewed a few months ago, was originally slated to launch in retail this year and has been slightly delayed. But it looks like we’re getting closer…

With a single box – and a single remote – this Moxi HD Digital Media Recorder brings it all together: movies, TV shows, music, games, photos and MP3s. Plug your speakers directly into your Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR for full surround sound. A digital surround sound amplifier is built right in – and Dolby® Digital is included – so you don’t need a separate receiver. By participating in this limited beta, you will get to preview and help us test Moxi Home Cinema HD Digital Media Recorder as we get ready to release to the general public.

I’m still not entirely sure if there’s a market for a higher-end retail DVR without CableCARD support. However, I do appreciate fully supported clear QAM and an integrated receiver - if additional devices can be connected.

But wait. There’s more! (more…)

This can’t be good news for Beyond TV, SageTV, and ReplayTV… TiVo’s entering the PC software DVR market (!) with Nero at an unspecified time and price. A few years ago, perhaps before current CEO Tom Rogers took the helm, PC DVR software was alluded to at a conference call - But I had assumed the idea had long been passed over. If TiVo was doing this on their own, I’d say it was a bone-headed move for a niche market owned by Microsoft’s Media Center these days. However, TiVo’s expense and risk are probably low by partnering with Nero. And as the press release mentions, this is a clever way of pushing the TiVo interface and experience towards an international audience. (Nero, who you may know as a DVD-burning software company, has offices in Germany, Japan, and China in addition to the US.) Some details from the press release:

Under the agreement, Nero will develop a software solution that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer. Capitalizing on the growing PC TV tuner market, it will answer the consumer demand for a trusted PC-based DVR experience [...] “This agreement provides TiVo with an opportunity to deliver its interface and differentiated feature set globally via the PC, enabling TiVo to use all avenues of mass distribution — from consumer electronics, to cable and satellite boxes and soon, the PC,” said Tom Rogers.

After months of hearing their customers clamor for more juicy information and photos of the upcoming SageTV HD Extender, SageTV posted many STX-HD100 media extender details on the forums yesterday.Like Microsoft’s Media Center extenders that were sold for the old XP version of Media Center, the STX-HD100 is made specifically to stream content from a computer running SageTV. All menus and functionality should be built-in to the box.

Confirmed Features/Details:

• HDMI output
• 1080p upscaled output
• H.264 decoding
• Digital Audio S/PDIF (optical)
• Wired Lan: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet RJ45 Connection
• Includes S-Video, Composite and RCA Component Outputs
• Dimensions: 14 3/16″ Wide, 1 15/16″ High and 9 1/4″ Deep

The new media extender will be priced $199.95 (includes a SageTV server-side license for the extender) and should be available December 10, 2007 per Jeffrey Kardatzke, CTO & Founder of SageTV, LLC.

For more SageTV HD Extender details and photos, head over to Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

The latest SageTV beta version (v6.3.2) was released last week. Notable features included within this build:

• 125 new online services (check it out above)
• Hauppauge HVR-950, ElGato EyeTV Hybrid, and HDHomeRun support for Mac
• Various bug fixes & performance optimizations
• Enhancements included in beta v6.3.1

Remember, this is a beta where the kinks get worked out. So, there will likely be some bumps. (via SageTV forums)

Brent enjoys sharing his reflections on tech, gadgets, software and media. Check out more at Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

I’ve been a Beyond TV & Beyond Media (both Home Theater PC software products) user for the past three years. So when I saw that Rakesh Agrawal, the founder and CEO of Snapstream would be in Kansas City to talk about his company’s latest project, Snapstream Enterprise I jumped at the chance to meet with Agrawal to hear about what Snapstream is working on and learn more about Agrawal and the company.

Rakesh was generous enough to sit down with me and answer several questions I had for him. Over lunch, we talked about Snapstream’s history, the change in their industry, Snapstream’s new Enterprise product, the effect of Microsoft Vista on Snapstream, Integration of DVD & Music playback with Beyond TV and many other topics.

I asked Rakesh how he initially became interested in the Software PVR market. He explained that the idea took hold when traveling on business. “We needed a way to stream our shows to the hotel room from our home. That grew into a concept that became Snapstream Personal Video Station.” Personal Video Station was even showcased in Bill Gates keynote address at the Windows XP Launch which is ironic since Windows eventually added their own PVR program to their Windows Operating System. Version 3 of Personal video System was launched in May 2003 and in November of 2005 the latest version of Beyond TV BTV4 (note there has been many free upgrades since 2005) was released.

Our conversation moved on to how the Software PVR business has changed since Agrawal started Snapstream back in 2000. Snapstream moved on from “Personal Video Station” to Beyond TV and then Beyond Media (Snapstream’s HTPC media front-end software) These two products were developed separately and continue to act as stand-alone products today.

Learn more about Snapstream’s new Enterprise initiative and the future of BTV at Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

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

• The Motorola CableCARD Q&A: Connected Home 2 Go
• DivX Thrives, DVD Continues To Die: Davis Freeberg’s Digital Connection
• Netflix Watch Now Download Hack Surveillance: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• FiOS TV Gets HD: Connected Home 2 Go
• Sage 6.3.1 Beta Released, HD Extender Support: Brent Evanas Geek Tonic
• Femtocell Trials Begin: Connected Home 2 Go

After months of semi-public beta testing, Microsoft’s Windows Home Server is finally arriving in retail. HP’s MediaSmart Server is up first and the companies are offering live informational webcasts - including one today at 4PM EST:

In addition to a live demonstration, consumer technology industry experts such as Rob Enderle/The Enderle Group, Rick Doherty/Envisioneering, Paul Thurrott/SuperSite for Windows, and Ed Bott/ZDNet will discuss how the explosion in media consumption is driving the need for this type of solution. Representatives from HP and Microsoft will also be on-hand to respond directly to audience questions related to either the HP MediaSmart Server or the new Windows Home Server software.

NewTeeVee wonders if Home Server will become the digital hub Microsoft intends, and I also have questions. Is the mainstream ready for network-attached storage and does Microsoft provide the plug and play simplicity needed to make it fly? And don’t forget consumer friendly Apple waiting in the wings - they’ve got ZFS and Time Machine backups need a home…