A mysterious reader graciously wrote in with a clever hack that allows you to essentially re-record and edit your TiVo’d shows with no additional hardware or software. I haven’t tried it yet, as I do my editing and conversion on PC, but it looks interesting.

Tivo can playback and record a TV signal at the same time. This means if you have Tivo set up to record through RF, just put a line from RF in to RF out and it can record the video it’s playing back. This allows you to edit video, lower the quality of video and many more things. Just hit record and play back a video and Tivo records it with ffwds editing out parts you don’t like and at whatever quality you like.

There is also a great effect of the the screen fading to white as Tivo copies its own live signal. The picture is Tivo copying itself to white as it buffers it’s own signal and replicates faults like making a copy of something over and over again until you have nothing. The picture gets smaller (the screen should be full blue) and you can almost see the status bar has copies of itself behind it.

These are features Tivo does not have, many other DVRs have and many people request. Since I figured it out, I do it all the time. All my videos in my playlist, which are just a hand full now, are these edited videos. I have not seen this hack anywhere. Tell everyone about it.

The Harmony 890 has finally hit the shelves and the reviews are trickling in. On top of the features his younger brother the 880 offers, the new model adds RF (to make it through those pesky cabinets and walls) and is fully backlit. But is that really worth the $150-$200 premium? With a list price of $399, I just can’t stomach paying more for this remote than I’d pay for an Xbox 360. Heck, it costs more than my HD tuner, DVD player, and Xbox 1 combined. The later 600 models are still my favorites of the Harmony line, though we’re currently using a 520 in our living room.

Business Week says: Logitech’s Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote costs more than many of the TV sets and stereo components it controls. It promises to change channels on your TV, turn up the volume on your stereo, pause your DVD player, and manage a multitude of other devices. The 890 uses radio frequencies in addition to infrared, so it can control devices behind cabinet doors or even in rooms a floor away. If it sounds a bit too ambitious — well, it is. A big problem with universal remotes is that the TVs, set-top boxes, and stereos they control are so intricate that no all-in-one remote can possibly handle every function with grace. Give the 890 credit for trying.

PC World says: It took a bit more effort to get the Harmony to work with its wireless RF extender. To enable the RF features, I had to specify whether the device I wanted to control was to be operated by the remote (via infrared) or by the extender. The 890 did practically everything I asked of it, flawlessly controlling equipment located in a nearby room. Unfortunately, my shipping unit routinely lost the connection when I tried to control my first-floor stereo equipment from the second floor, where I have remote speakers. In contrast, my year-old Home Theater Master MX-600 from Universal Remote (purchased for $450 and now available for half that much) handles this location easily.

It’s easy to forget that technology I find commonplace doesn’t exist yet in many regions. That’s why the announcement of Showtime being first to offer DVRs in the Middle East caught my eye this morning. No word yet on what’s powering their box, but I’ll keep my eyes open.

AME Info says: Showtime, a leading pay-TV network in the Middle East, announced today the introduction of the latest generation of smart technology with the launch of their new decoder: the ShowBox DVR. The service offers the ultimate level of control and convenience giving viewers the power to choose what they want to watch and when. The new device will be available to Showtime subscribers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE from 15 February, followed by other Gulf markets. ‘Suddenly the phone ringing at a crucial point in a movie is not as big a deal as it used to be. And if you blink too hard and miss a scene, you can rewind and play it again, in slow motion if you like. And with the on screen TV guide completely integrated into the decoder, you can record an entire series at the push of a button -with not a tape in sight.’ Based on advanced technology which encompasses a hard disc and an integrated on screen TV guide (the EPG), Showbox is the region’s first DVR service which makes television entertainment fit into a lifestyle rather than the other way round.

What’s a bored, snowed-in geek to do on a Sunday AM? Troll the FCC website for new products, of course!

Sony’s got a home wireless AV transmission system (HWS-AV10) in the works. It uses the 2.4 GHz frequency to relay audio, video, and IR remote signals from a component in one room to a TV in another… while likely interfering with your cordless phones and WiFi. The base station includes an IR blaster allowing you to change channels or choose TiVo recordings at a distance. The receiver smartly bundles an external antenna to fine-tune reception.

In the past, I’ve used a few variations of this device with mediocre results. I’ve had better luck using media extenders/servers over WiFi… though they require a larger investment of both time and money. If cash is no object, go whole-hog with Sony’s LocationFree TV and take your screen with you around the house. For basic video, I’d advise just fishing the coax.

Sorry, HD Beat… this puppy’s standard def only.

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Echostar’s DISH satellite launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow. As I posted earlier, the ocean launch will be webcast live. Supposedly this new satellite will provide DISH with additional bandwidth to expand their HD offerings… but I’m just interested in seeing the rocket take off.

Sea Launch says: After a halt in the countdown for launch on February 8, Sea Launch is now preparing for a second launch attempt on Sunday, February 12, with liftoff planned for 3:35pm PST (23:35 GMT).

The Zenit-3SL rocket is now being erected on the launch pad, and preparations are underway at the launch site. On launch day, the rocket will lift the 4,333 kg (9,553 lb.) EchoStar X satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on the way to its final orbital position of 110 degrees West Longitude.

“We understand the ground support system issue we observed during countdown last Wednesday and we are confident that our corrective action will support a successful liftoff on Sunday,” said Jim Maser, president and general manager of Sea Launch.

Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, wrote a response to yesterday’s Marketwatch summary. As with my prior interactions with the father of Slingbox, I get the sense Blake is a stand-up guy in touch with both his customers and the market. Kudos for conversing directly with us in forums (AVS, TCF) and the blogosphere.

Blake says: hey dave,

saying that we fear commoditization is a bit much’the most critical thing for us is to stay very focused on delivering great experiences to consumers’that’s what is in our control. in terms of predicting the future, we all know that’s futile�along the way of executing to the best of your abilities, you hope to also get some breaks and make some good decisions�and if you are lucky, you come out on the winning end over the course of years�simple as that.

can we continue to the improve the slingbox? can we continue to make it easier and easier to set up? can we create additional products that consumers love and find entertaining and/or useful?�these are the things that we �worry� about.

it is semi-amusing to get hypothetical / speculative questions like �how long until you are a feature in something else? or how long until you are commoditized?��how the heck is someone supposed to answer that? i think i gave a stupid answer�but that’s the type of answer that is deserving of that type of question. at least that’s my $.02

one other thing�i just read that interview in it’s entirety.

since you and i have talked before, you know that i have nothing but the utmost respect for what tivo has done�my quote that �tivo had religious issues� was taken a bit out of context�and to say that tivo or timeshifting is a �mere add-on� to set top boxes is one of the largest understatements i have heard in long time. that certainly didn’t come from my mouth.

the quote was taken while i was explaining my *general* belief that in the �convergence space�, products over time trend towards consolidation. i also made the point that is NOT always the case�for example, my desktop pc can act as a router, but do i use it that way? of course not�my netgear router does the job wonderfully (well, usually) and is at the right price point / value ratio to justify it’s stand alone existence.

should tivo have embraced licensing their technology on more attractive terms earlier on? perhaps�did they let �religious issues� get in the way of making some of those decisions? perhaps�but i wasn’t there and i don’t know for sure�and as we all know, hindsight is 20/20.

the last time i checked, tivo was still in business, so that story aint over yet either

As reported last month, TiVo’s been busy updating their online scheduling tools. The refreshed TiVo Central Online is available now and features an enhanced, customizable AJAX-animated grid guide with improved search functionality.

As you may recall, BitTorrent began their uphill battle towards legitimacy by partnering with the MPAA last fall to crack down on movie piracy. Now they’re taking it a step further by introducing a video download service with UK cable provider NTL. Once they add a custom storefront, will the service really be much different than an iTunes or Vongo… other than the P2P method of distribution and download?

Reuters says: UK cable firm NTL is teaming up with BitTorrent Inc., the company behind the popular file-sharing software, to test a new service that will let users purchase movies and music video downloads. “We’re working with rightsholders and ISPs because we view ourselves at the center of a lot of the activity going on here,” said BitTorrent Inc. Chief Operating Officer Ashwin Navin. “There’s been a lot of banter about video over the Internet this year, but for BitTorrent it’s a few years old.”

(via GigaOm)