Altec Lansing just informed me that they’ve released the XM3120 speaker system, supporting both the RoadyXT and Xpress receivers. Retail price is about $100. It looks pretty cute, and devices like these push me to upgrade my Roady2 (which I connect to computer speakers at work via the home kit). It’s somewhat ironic that to get a remote control for the RoadyXT I’d have to purchase a home kit which the XM3120 is designed to replace.

Altec Lansing says: Altec Lansing’s new XM3120 speaker system is engineered specifically for XM Radio’s Delphi Roady XT and Audiovox Xpress receivers. Now, XM users can listen to their favorite satellite radio stations everywhere from the dorm room to the garage. The system contains specially engineered drivers to deliver a full spectrum of pure, distinct sound, as well as bass enhancement technology that pumps out quality bass without the need for a subwoofer. Its contemporary design and compact size make it an ideal accessory for any room in the home or office. And, it includes a 20-foot home antenna for exceptional reception no matter your location.

The SlingPlayer Mobile for portable Windows devices, which has been in public beta for a month, is officially released today. If you were savvy enough to buy and register a Slingbox by 4/26, the software is free… otherwise it’s going to cost you $29.99. It looks like they’re still working out the kinks on non-touchscreen devices like the TMo SDA (HTC Tornado) and will provide a software update in the near future.

By the way, if you look real closely at the press clipping below you’ll notice additional phone OS support is in the works…

Sling says: Sling Media, Inc., a digital lifestyle consumer electronics products company, today announced the first official release of SlingPlayer™ Mobile for Slingbox™ owners. SlingPlayer Mobile is a new software package that gives Slingbox owners the ability to watch and control their home TV from any network-enabled mobile phone or handheld computer (PDA) powered by Windows Mobile. The SlingPlayer Mobile software available today is compatible with devices that run Windows Mobile Pocket PC 5.0 and 2003 Second Edition. Sling Media will deliver a version for non-touchscreen devices based on Windows Mobile Smartphone later this quarter.

“We have been thrilled with the response to our public beta and the feedback we’ve received from our customers,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media. “Having completed this important phase of development, we are now ready to officially release SlingPlayer Mobile. While Microsoft Windows Mobile is the first handheld and mobile phone platform that Sling Media is supporting, we are committed to expanding support for other mobile device platforms in the future.”

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PC Magazine spent some using Peerflix, the online DVD exchange, and settled on a 3.5/5 review. Peerflix allows you to unload discs you no longer want in exchange for Peerbux (quantity based on the relative value of a movie) which are then used to purchase other DVDs. Since there are no subscription fees, Peerflix hopes to make money off the 99 cent charge per trade. They’re still offering a free DVD to promote their service.

Exchange models have always fascinated me, but I’m pretty happy with my current situation… An unlimited amount of DVDs come in from Netflix and movies I own are unloaded via Amazon or ebay when it’s convenient. I have to say it does seem like Peerflix has made it pretty quick and simple to fire off movies, but I still worry about incoming disc quality. Anyone using it?

PC Mag says: Building your list of discs to unload is easy. Simply input their UPC codes (found on the back of the DVD boxes. Unlike the similar service SwitchDiscs, with Peerflix you don’t specify what you’ve included (the case, the artwork, and so on); it’s assumed that you’re including the main movie disc and nothing else—not the box, not the extra discs, not the booklets. One of my discs, Sin City, was requested immediately. I clicked on Mail It Now, printed out the custom envelope on a regular 8.5-by-11 piece of paper (which had my return address and the user’s mailing address all ready to go), folded it around the disc, and sealed it with the disc inside. Then I put a 39-cent stamp on it (69 cents is required for two discs) and mailed it off. Presto—as soon as I committed to sending the DVD, I received three Peerbux and the chance to get another movie.

The reviews are trickling in… Today, Personal Tech Pipeline describe their hand’s on time with the Samsung Helix. They focus on the unit’s ability to record audio programming and come away impressed. The recording and storage abilities don’t interest me nearly as much as having live satellite radio in such a compact (and attractive) form. I’m thinking this will make an excellent companion to my new Forerunner 205 when running along the Potomac, though I may wait until the rebates appear.

For an extensive review of the similar Pioneer model, check out Orbitcast’s Inno coverage. The Inno is still listed as a pre-order and the Helix as coming soon at the XM store.

Personal Tech Pipeline says: The three words that Samsung uses to pitch the Helix — a pocket XM radio receiver and recorder — is “TiVo for radio.” Like most analogies, it’s not quite right. But it’s not all that far off, either. What’s notable about the Helix is its ability to capture XM programming for time-shifted playback. At its simplest, you can set the unit to record a given channel at a given time so you can listen to it during your commute or workout or whatever. More intriguingly, you can record individual songs off the air by pressing a single button. If you don’t catch the beginning of the song, don’t fret: The Helix has a 10-minute buffer, so you can hit the button pretty much anywhere in a song and get the whole thing unless you’re grabbing “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” or a Dave Matthews Band concert. The gotcha here is the same one as TiVo’s; you have to have been tuned to that station in order to use the buffer. If you hop to a new channel and immediately land on something you want to grab in mid-song, you’re out of luck.

Another week, another study…

RINGWOOD, N.J., April 26 /PRNewswire/ — According to the Total TV Audience Monitor (T-TAM), an annual syndicated report which measures total TV viewing, about one-fourth (24%) of DVR owners actually watch time-shifted TV in the average week. Furthermore, only 6% of DVR owner’s total weekly viewing time is shifted. DVR owners watch an average of 29.25 hours of TV in a week, and only 1.7 of those hours are shifted.

The T-TAM study reports that DVR owners watch 2 more hours of TV in an average week compared to non-owners. Those who watch any time-shifted content consume the most TV — 30 hours per week. Syndicated programs (8%) are amongst the most popular genres time-shifted by men. Sports events and news are the least likely types of programming to be viewed as shifted. Daytime soaps account for 26% of quarter hours viewed as time-shifted by women.

According to Barbara Leflein, with Total TV Audience Monitor, “there’s an incremental audience lift of as much as 9% among 35-49 year olds for select broadcast networks during primetime, when time shifted viewing is included. This is a significant finding, because when combined with out-of-home viewing, traditional measures can miss over one-fifth of time shifter’s viewing in the average week.”

The T-TAM 2005 study, also uncovered these key DVR facts:

• 17% of adults 18+ (36 million) report owning a DVR, an increase of 55% from the 11% reported in the 2004 study.
• The recent growth in DVR ownership can be attributed to upgrading to set-top boxes with built-in DVRs (4% of adults in 2004 to 8% in 2005). The penetration of TiVo and Replay units remained unchanged from 2004 (3% TiVo & 4% Replay).
• The West Central and South East territories have the highest DVR penetration levels (20% and 19% respectively). Penetration levels in these regions doubled since 2004.
• DVR owners are more likely than the average adult TV viewer to be: college educated (41%), employed in a professional occupation (36%) or self-employed (11%)
• DVR owners are also more likely to visit restaurants (24%), bars (9%), hotels (6%) or airports (3%)
• The average DVR owner has 3.3 working TVs compared to 2.9 among non- owners and is more likely to subscribe to premium pay channels and VOD.

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Does it really come as any surprise that HBO isn’t in favor of place shifting? If you recall, HBO petitioned the FCC to ban DVR recording too.

Light Reading says: “Content owners don’t like it [Sling] because they think it violates their copyrights,” HBO CTO Bob Zitter said during a panel here Tuesday. Zitter’s comment came in response to a question from the audience concerning how new technologies are changing the way content is distributed. After his keynote address here, HBO’s Zitter wasn’t eager to expand on his on-stage comments. He told Light Reading: “I’m not going to go any deeper into it than that. There are still a number of legal issues that need to be worked out.” Asked if legal proceedings were underway against Sling, Zitter said: “Not involving us, but from others.” When asked if HBO was planning such legal actions, Zitter replied: “I don’t think I want to say.”

Om’s got the scoop on Yahoo Go TV being released a mere week after Meedio announced they had been acquired. They weren’t kidding when they said they’ve been working on this relationship for awhile…

Here are some pics after my initial install. Don’t expect a comprehensive review anytime soon, I’m having too much fun playing. Will this be a Windows MCE, BeyondTV, or Front Row killer? At the very least the price of zero dollars makes it very competitive.

Yahoo says: Take back your TV

Now you can see all your Yahoo! stuff, such as photos, video clips and music videos, up on the big screen. Plus, your own DVR gives you the freedom to record and manage all your TV shows – no set-top boxes or monthly fees required.

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Remember those dual tuner units I broke the news on a few weeks ago? They’re here and Engadget had some hand’s on time with one…

Engadget says: So what’d we think? Well, it worked exactly as advertised, and that second tuner was totally seamless. So the question isn’t how good was the Series2 DT — it’s really no better than any other TiVo on the market right now, this isn’t like a tossup between a Series2 and a Series3 or Media Center PC. The question you is: how much is that second tuner worth to you?

TiVo says: The TiVo Series2 DT DVR is optimized for cable households, allowing you to record two shows at once, so now you never have to miss any of your favorite shows — even if they’re on at the same time. The TiVo Series2 DT DVR also incorporates built-in Ethernet and USB ports, making it easier than ever to add the TiVo box to the home network. “We’ve been hearing from our subscribers that they wanted a TiVo DVR that could record two shows at once,” said Jim Denney , Vice President of Product Marketing at TiVo. “With the TiVo Series2 DT DVR, we’ve delivered that capability to our customers at a very affordable price.” The TiVo Series2 DT DVR will join the existing TiVo product line, and is available in an 80-hour model priced at just $99.99, after rebate and service activation.

All in all good news for those with standard def and analog cable, but these units are about a year or so too late for me. Let me know when the Series 3 arrives. For those of you who are in the market, the 80 hour model can be ordered now and the 180 hour will be available next month — presumably once they’ve cleared the S2 single tuner stock. He who buys first, pays the most…
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