Never enough time…

• Apple planning satellite radio integration? (Orbitcast)
• $4k gets you a Blu-ray + HD DVD media center PC. (EngadgetHD)
• Slingbox Pro receives 4/5 star review. (PC Mag)
• YouTube faces copyright penalty of $150,000 per clip? (LA Times)

I hear ya… You want to know who Mari is. I’ll have a proper intro up in the next day or so. Stay tuned! -DZ

Several news organizations are reporting that YouTube has wiped nearly 30,000 videos from its site after a Japanese audit fingered the clips for copyright infringement. Aside from the rights management concerns, this brings up an interesting issue for those who upload and store content on remote servers: When content isn’t stored locally, it isn’t under your control…

In this case it may have been perfectly reasonable for YouTube to remove 30,000 files, but these situations won’t always be black and white. There’s a growing trend towards moving our content off local devices — online word processing applications, photo storage sites, even under-development Network DVRs. While remote storage has its benefits, there are also disadvantages that shouldn’t be ignored. The ability for providers to delete files at will is one of them.

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For those of you thinking about picking up a new LocationFree device, you’re in for a bit of a wait. The Slingbox competitor, originally due next week, has been delayed and no new release date was announced. As long as they don’t ship with exploding batteries or a rootkit, we can wait — right?

AP writes: She said more tests were needed to adapt its remote controller to more models of DVD recorders and other machines the product will connect with. When asked about risks to its reputation by delaying a product, Eto said Sony decided a delay was better if the product will be compatible with more of the latest models.

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So Macworld events and speakers have been announced… and I’m wondering why the heck is Kevin Smith presenting? Disney did retain control of the Miramax name and film library (including Smith’s Clerks & Chasing Amy) when they split with the Weinstein brothers last year, though his films have yet to show up on iTunes. Is this part of an Apple movie push in support of iTunes, iTV, and perhaps a larger movie-centric iPod? Or am I reading to much into this and event sponsor IDG is just looking for some entertaining speakers?

While debating the future of my Series3 review unit, I went ahead and beefed up the storage on my Humax DVD-burning TiVo. I’ve previously upgraded on my own (S1 Philips) using the Hinsdale instructions, but opted for the efficiency of a Weaknees upgrade this time. The Weaknees drive came completely formatted and ready for use — I removed about a dozen screws in order to swap the drives and instantly bumped my max recording capacity from ~80 hours to over 300 hours (though who’s using Basic quality?). The whole process, including TiVo startup must have taken less than 20 minutes. If you don’t mind spending a few bucks and aren’t terribly concerned about giving up your current recordings, a Weaknees upgrade is quick and easy. If you’d prefer to do the tinkering, they also host an interactive guide for DIYers.

As for my Series3? Yes, I bought it — though 67% of you suggested I should hold it hostage or just send it back. Speaking of the S3 and Weaknees, they’ve just announced a few discounts and store credits.

In a strange twist of fate, both Logitech and I acquired Slim Devices on the same day. Though, I assume Logitech’s acquisition will last a bit longer than the 30 days I get with the Squeezebox. Given how well Logitech has integrated the Canadian business responsible for Harmony remotes, I’m expecting good things from this merger. Slim Devices products will see a (much larger) retail distribution, that they couldn’t muster on their own, and it’s reasonable to expect prices to eventually creep down. Additionally, I expect Logitech to work SlimServer software into other products such as their new Wireless DJ Music System — which happened to impress me at DigitalLife.

Love it or hate it, Motorola has shipped more cable boxes than anyone. We’re talking 50 million units… including 8 million HD-capable, 5 million DVR, and over 2,000 cable headends. I’ve had the dual-tuning HD 6412 in my home on three separate occasions and while the hardware has impressed me, the UI and (lack of) guide data is in need of help. I’m looking forward to seeing it run the TiVo OS in a few months… Shipping the S3 without the value-added features of multi-room viewing and TiVoToGo makes the Moto TiVo quite a compelling rental (for the Comcast customers who can get it).