Never enough time…

• TiVo and do-it-yourself television. (CNET)
• $9.99/mo commercial-free BabyFirstTV debuts. (Associated Press)
• Apple FrontRow and QuickTime updated. (AppleInsider)
• Why the world doesn’t need Hi-Def DVD’s. (NY Times)
• EchoStar 1Q profit down on TiVo victory. (Business Week)

Sling Media’s three Slingbox technology patent applications submitted last June have hit the US Patent Office database. Of particular interest is an allusion to the inevitable SlingCatcher device, a hardware appliance designed to receive streaming video for television display without requiring an intermediary computer. I imagine Aussie Ron can hardly wait!

The local clients can be any number of device types, including but not limited to desktop and notebook PCs, Web tablets, PDAs, embedded clients built expressly for the purposes of decoding the streams of the personal broadcaster, and other devices capable of receiving and/or playing a media stream over a network.

As with the local clients, the remote clients may include any number of device types, but not limited to desktop and notebook PCs, Web tablets, PDAs, embedded clients built expressly for the purposes of decoding the streams of the personal broadcaster, and other devices capable of receiving and/or playing a media stream over a network.

(more…)

Never enough time…

• Blu-ray is doomed. (PC Magazine)
• T-Mobile Europe to ban heavy data usage. (jkOnTheRun)
• Commercial server-hosted MP3 HME application released. (MP3tunes)
• Microsoft unveils beta of Windows CE 6 operating system for embedded devices. (CNET)
• GE debuts one-second ad targeted at PVR users. (PVRWire)
• Warner Brothers to team with BitTorrent for movie sales. (Engadget)
• Finally, Fox in the iTunes Music Store. (TUAW)

Rocketboom not doing it for you? TiVo has announced a partnership with Brightcove to distribute Internet video. Sounds neat, but I’m still waiting for a Hollywood feature film VOD service.

Interesting factoid: One article stated there are ~400,000 TiVo units on broadband.

Associated Press says: The deal with Brightcove Networks Inc., to be announced Wednesday, means some TiVo users will soon have not only TV shows to record, but also Internet-based videos from Brightcove’s content partners. “This is the first partnership for us to get content directly to the TV set,” said Brightcove’s founder and CEO, Jeremy Allaire. Allaire said TiVo and Brightcove would pick an as-yet-undisclosed set of Web-based programs to debut in June on TiVo’s Internet-connected, Series 2 digital video recorders. The companies said the programs would be offered for free initially, but may carry advertising. The two companies later plan to provide a way for content producers using Brightcove to have their material distributed to TiVo machines. The content providers could decide to charge for the content, the companies said.

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I guess sales aren’t so brisk, as only a month after launch MovieBeam has dropped hardware pricing $50 (to $200) and done away with the $30 activation fee. Will it matter? Somehow I don’t think so… their pricing model needs some serious tweaking if they’re going to compete with a large, installed base of cable and satellite subscribers who have easy access to PPV/VOD. MovieBeam seems intent on charging both hardware and movie rental fees, so I suggest they toss in 24 free flicks, two available per month, to sweeten the deal for consumers while protecting their financial interests.

When Jeremy Toeman isn’t wearing his Sling Media VP hat, he’s reporting on cool gadgets through LIVEdigitally. After putting MovieBeam through its paces, Jeremy came away largely impressed with the service… in standard definition.

Jeremy says: To me, Moviebeam is either the lazy man’s answer to Blockbuster, or, more likely, an early glimpse into the future of our soon-to-arrive “entertainment, anywhere, anytime, on-demand” lifestyle. I have to say the process of finding, selecting, and watching movies is completely satisfying. There may be some issues with pricing, business model, selection, etc., but when it comes down to the core functionality of the Moviebeam system, it does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it does it well. Once the movie is playing you have complete control over the playback experience, including slomo, frame-by-frame, and multiple speed fast-forward and rewind modes. Also, a convenient ‘chapter skip’ button skips ahead a fixed time interval. After some hands-on use, I have to say, the product is quite fun to use, and a welcome addition to my home.

Is this really neccessary…?

(via Gizmodo)

Never enough time…

• Slingbox whips Sony’s LocationFree TV. (Time)
• Porn industry may decide Blu-ray/HD-DVD winner. (PC World)
• DVR installations to grow by 100% a year. (ZDNet)
• No one really wants to buy UMD movies. (Kotaku)