Beginning next month, broadband-connected Series2 TiVo units will be able to subscribe to multiple new downloadable web and television video offerings in addition to the current CNET and Rocketboom services. I’m envisioning TiVoCast will be housed in a HME subscription application, similar to the recently launched ProductWatch.

Interestingly, no money is changing hands (yet) between TiVo and the content providers who will advertise their brands while selling commercials. In return TiVo continues to differentiate themselves from generic DVRs while refining the service and looking to partner with bigger fish. You know… the kind of fish that can provide movies on demand. As with MovieBeam, I’m willing to pay for true VOD distinct from a cable or satellite provider.

(I’m surprised that Brightcove isn’t referenced…)

TiVo Inc., the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR), today announced the launch of TiVoCast(TM), a revolutionary new service which will deliver broadband video directly to the television sets of TiVo subscribers. The TiVoCast service turns Web video into television by bringing top broadband content now only available on the PC to the TV set.

“The range and quality of broadband video is exploding on the Web, but it’s not TV until it is on the TV,” said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. “With the TiVoCast service, we are once again transforming the television experience by bringing the rapidly expanding array of video content on the Internet into the living room.”

“Television is still the preferred platform for watching video. The TiVoCast service captures mainstream and specialty-based content on the Web, delivering programming that is not otherwise available through the TV today and providing a wide variety of choice that will be of interest to all segments of the TV audience,” said Tara Maitra, TiVo’s Vice President and General Manager, Programming. “The TiVoCast service provides niche networks and broadband content suppliers, for which the economics of television distribution might not make sense, a way to connect with audiences in the living room via their favorite medium for watching video, TV and TiVo.”

As part of the launch, TiVo announced that it has reached new agreements with leading video content providers including the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), The New York Times, Heavy, iVillage and CNET among others. The broadband video content will include:

(more…)

Never enough time…

• ReplayTV recruits for PC DVR software beta testing. (ReplayTV)
• Hollywood, retailers eye movie download kiosks. (Reuters)
• Cablevision begs for network DVR mercy. (Reuters)
• Sony’s eReader delayed until late summer. (Sony)
• Yet another home media extender, though this one touts Viiv and HDMI. (eHomeUpgrade)

Never enough time…

• The “Academy” hinders modern movie distribution. (Pan and Scan)
• $200 three-way HDMI switch. (HD Blog)
• Movielink for sale? (Hacking Netflix)
• PSP firmware update supports game demo downloads. (jkOnTheRun)
• Another Mac Mini as theater hub experiment. (MacWorld)

If you recall, MovieBeam is the movie rental device and service spun off from Disney and backed by Cisco. Unlike Akimbo’s internet downloads, MovieBeam contracts local broadcasters to distribute films over the air. The box supposedly holds 100 movie rentals at any given time, including several offered in HD.

A few weeks ago, MovieBeam lowered the hardware fee to $200, soon followed by a $50 blogosphere deal. At $200, I felt the device was still too expensive given per movie rental expenses ($1.99 - $4.99). However, $50 seemed reasonable and I decided to join in (though they ultimately gave me the box). I figured in the worst case scenario I could cannibalize MovieBeam for the 160GB hard drive.

Overall, I’ve been relatively pleased with MovieBeam. While I have no control over the movies in the library, the selection is quite broad covering a variety of genres with both recent and classic films. Movies do not appear on the box until they’ve been downloaded; therefore, rental playback is immediate. Rented flicks remain available for 24 hours and typical in-movie VCR controls are offered. I found standard definition films upscaled from 480p (using a HDMI cable) to look and sound very good. Those without a cable/satellite box offering PPV or not conveniently located near a Blockbuster will appreciate MovieBeam for spontaneous movie rentals.

So how does MovieBeam perform with true HD? I have no idea — my box only has a few HD films in stock, the most recent being Bubble followed by Kill Bill, Volume 2. Because of a poor selection and being connected to a 30″ HDTV (not large enough to perform a reasonable analysis of HD picture quality), I chose to pass. Though others whom I respect have chimed in… Ben feels HD quality is poor and Jeremy opined while it isn’t Comcast HD, it is better than DVD-quality. The good news is that MovieBeam can most likely improve HD quality in the future by simply using less compression.

Two minor annoyances to consider before purchase: 1. MovieBeam needs a landline to periodically dial in for billing purposes. I have it working through my Vonage box, which is inconveniently located in another room. 2. Service is not offered in all regions. Even in my supported area, the flat antenna needed to be precisely placed on a window sill with good visibility for download reception.

And now for something entirely different (and hopefully useful) on ZNF… I present a MovieBeam video overview.

Never enough time…

• The DVD war against consumers. (Business Week)
• Verizon adds interactive services to Fios TV. (CNET)
• Sirius on WiFi-enabled portable Zing player. (Orbitcast)
• Mac Mini mounted on wall with plasma TV. (TUAW)

The Dell XPS M2010 and I have something in common - we both need to shed about 15 pounds. That hasn’t stopped Dell from brandishing terms like compact, mobile, and portable to describe their new, 20lb. high-end offering. PC Mag has branded the M2010 a “lifestyle notebook,” and indeed, a substance-abusing lifestyle may be neccessary to lift this thing by its handle. In reality, what we have here is a sleek desktop PC with integrated, hinged LCD. Neither the folding concept nor the handle will see regular usage. So what exactly does a $3500 “media center” PC get you? Apparently not a TV tuner — that’s extra. Maybe I’m being too harsh… the gyroscopic remote with LCD is appealing and the 20″ screen is nothing to sneeze at. Just don’t call it portable.

How’s this for strange bed fellows… Online movie distributor CinemaNow has added both pornography and Disney film downloads to their library this month.

CinemaNow has always offered more obscure independent and foreign flicks compared to Movielink, so the new porn offerings aren’t so surprising. Unlike the major studios overpriced burn-to-DVD features, porn coinsurers may appreciate the relative discretion of creating discs at home for later, uh, reuse.

Scoring Disney is unexpected and could be a major coup for CinemaNow. Apparently their ability to transfer flicks to Windows Portable Media Players ahead of Movielink was a major factor in the deal. I can’t image the relationship is exclusive (no, I’m not talking about those porn plots), so it’s highly likely Disney will offer their movies to other download services in the future. Remember, Steve Jobs is on the Disney board and has had success selling Disney’s ABC television shows via iTunes…

Forbes says: Beginning today, CinemaNow users will be able to choose from 30 Disney titles, including National Treasure, The Pirates of the Caribbean and Chicken Little; the studio will also begin selling online downloads “day and date” with their DVD releases, beginning with the June 6 release of Glory Road. CinemaNow President Bruce Eisen said his company had been in talks with Disney for months, but “it just took a while to turn the ship around.”

Washington Post says: Hollywood has been tiptoeing its way toward letting consumers buy a movie online, burn it onto a DVD and watch it on a living-room TV. While the studios hesitate, the adult film industry is taking the leap. Vivid Entertainment says it will sell its adult films through the online movie service CinemaNow, allowing buyers to burn DVDs that will play on any screen, not just a computer.

Disney tickets at huge discounts! Purchase them from Tickets 2 You. They will match any competitors discount Disney ticket prices.

Never enough time…

• Video of SlingPlayer (10fps?) on Motorola Q. (Mobileburn)
• Dell to announce home media product today? (PVRWire)
• IPTV over WiFi. (CNET)
• Macrovision inks deal to put ACP in AACS. (HDBeat)
• Bloggers are journalists, protected by First Amendment. (MacWorld)