Archives For HDTV

Roku Drops Prices… Ahead of Apple TV Refresh?

Brent Evans —  September 1, 2010 — 1 Comment

roku-appletv

Roku may be responding to competition from Sony and others (rumors of a refreshed Apple TV/iTV with Netflix streaming) with a decent price drop on their popular streamer boxes:

Add to this the fact that the Roku HD-XR is due to receive 1080p USB video playback later this year and you have an interesting story. I expect the competition to get really tough for those focusing on Netflix streaming as this will become a very common thing in hardware that does much more – especially if it does turn out to be a feature in the rumored AppleTV upgrades.

This post republished from GeekTonic.

In HDTV, Netflix, Video
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Digital Media Bytes

Dave Zatz —  August 30, 2010 — 1 Comment

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


Are You Ready for Some (3D) Football?
Verizon has announced it’s bringing football into the action with a 3D broadcast of the pre-season NFL game between the Giants and the Patriots on September 2nd.

A Content War: Retransmission, TV Everywhere and Tru2way
Content providers and content owners need to move quickly to figure out new ways create and manage revenue – ways like personalizing content, delivering content to multiple screens, and rapidly introducing new content-based services.

To Buy or To Lease (your set-top)
Starting in September, Shaw Direct (Canada) will let subscribers choose whether to buy a new HD Motorola HDPVR 630 from the company for $399, or rent one for $15 a month.

VOD Economics: Are We There Yet?
The collapse of release windows is one sign that economics are now working for the VOD model. Another sign is the increasingly competitive environment for providers who find they have to invest in greater network capacity to ward off rivals.

Timeline: The Evolution of FiOS TV
Remember when the Verizon brand was introduced back in the summer of 2000? For a long time my biggest association with the name came from the many pay phones plastered with the company’s big red logo. Who knew then that Verizon would go on to become a major player in TV services?

In DVR, HDTV, Industry, Video
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Ceton Quad CableCARD Tuner Arrives (For Real)

Brent Evans —  August 11, 2010 — 7 Comments

It’s here. Ceton’s quad-CableCARD tuner, aka InfiniTV 4, has finally started shipping to those who pre-ordered – and the first few end user hands-on reports are trickling out.

The Ceton tuner is unique for the following reasons:

  • There aren’t a lot of choices at the moment for CableCARD tuners.  So anytime we see a company willing to devote nearly all of their resources to it we have to give them credit.
  • This first version of the Ceton card is a 4 tuner CableCARD device. Yes you can record up to 4 shows all from this one card – including encrypted, digital cable HD shows.
  • CableCARD has drawn a renewed interest from HTPC owners – particularly Microsoft Media Center users since MS ended the OEM PC CableCard requirement.

This tuner will cost you $400 so it isn’t cheap by any means, but it does seem to be a good piece of hardware.  Here’s the first few reports: Read the rest of this entry »

In CableCARD, HDTV, HTPC
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Digital Media Bytes

Dave Zatz —  July 30, 2010 — 4 Comments

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

Motorola’s New Multi-Room DVR Software
The multi-room DVR launches continue to roll. Cincinnati Bell is now deploying Motorola’s software-based whole-home DVR solution, giving subscribers access to DVR features on up to eight client boxes over an in-home MoCA network.

The 3D TV Road Ahead
Two stories on 3D this week point in opposite directions for the future of the technology. On the one hand, Panasonic introduced a 3D camcorder designed to get consumers interested in producing their own 3D content. On the other hand, a publication covering Hollywood, has posted data suggesting that the revenue share from 3D movie screenings is declining.

Motorola Set-Tops for Comcast AnyRoom DVR
Comcast has officially launched its multi-room DVR service, dubbed AnyRoom DVR, in parts of Oregon and Washington. The long-anticipated service uses Motorola DCX set-tops with MoCA, and connects up to three client boxes to one 500GB DVR hub.

Revisiting Video Cache-and-Carry
There are a number of interesting discussions taking place now over different business models for paid TV content, but one current debate feels a bit like a throwback to 2007: the practicality of video streaming versus video downloading.

In Broadband, HDTV, Video
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The (Current) Hardware of Hulu Plus

Dave Zatz —  July 21, 2010 — 14 Comments


Click to enlarge

When Hulu Plus launched a few weeks back, there was some initial device compatibility confusion – specifically, regarding the Sony PS3 implementation and compatible Samsung Blu-ray players.

Fortunately, at some point, the Hulu folks updated their supported devices webpage to bring some clarity to the situation. And they’ve confirmed that a PlayStation Plus subscription ($50/yr) is required during the Hulu Plus beta (invite only). Additionally, what was positioned as Hulu Plus integration into all current Internet-connected Samsung Blu-ray players has (thus far) turned out to be a single, higher-end model: the BD-C6900, ~$300.

While I’ve bought into Hulu Plus, I’m currently between PS3s and not quite committed enough to pony up for that particular Blu-ray player. So, until lower-end units are supported (or better yet, my Xbox 360 in 2011), I’ll be evaluating Hulu Plus via iPhone. (Thanks, Adam!)

In HDTV, Video, Web
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