Recent Comments:
Is a new TiVo imminent? {Engadget HD}
Nov 18th 2009 5:06PM I still don't have a Tivo, even though the Cable DVR's completely suck. Why? Well Tivo is still a monthly fee, but no Video On Demand. No Caller ID on Screen. It's STILL a stretched SD interface. If I have to pay for a DVR monthly, might as well just be the crappy cable DVR, as it can at least get VOD.
When your in an area that only has 42 HD channels, High Def VOD is really a godsend to supplement that low quantity of HD programming. Now if we had well over 100 HD channels, I would have plenty of content to DVR and make my own VOD library on the Tivo.... but that's simply not the case where I live. I'm a Comcast subscriber, so eventually we'll get up to date, but right now it's a waiting game... and they don't tell us anything in advance.
I have a survey on the BroadbandReports Comcast TV message board on what features they would like to see Comcast implement in future generations of their DVR platform. I have confirmation that Comcast is watching the thread, so if you are a Comcast subscriber, I urge you to go vote for the features you are most interested in. That poll is here:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r23344588-Comcast-On-Screen-Guide-Community-Feature-Wishlist
I believe you have to join BroadbandReports for your vote to count, but it's free, and there's a bunch of great forums on that site that you could find useful.
It's interesting to note, that currently as of this writing, the top 20 features voted on (in order) are:
1. Revamped HD Interface
2. Larger DVR hard drives
3. Multi-Room DVR
4. Channel Logos
5. Option to Map HD Ch to SD number
6. Triple tuner DVRs
7. Smart keyword searching including VOD
8. Better program information – ability to drill down and find related programs
9. Store guide data on hard drive (prevent “To Be Announced”)
10. Web based programming (DVR AND Settings – Parental Controls)
11. Ability to expand storage with eSATA or USB2.0
12. Pull guide data over much faster DOCSIS channel
13. Home network integration with DLNA/PlayON to share content to/ from PC
14. Use of REC2 light on newer DVRs
15. When selecting show in search – ask to record it in HD if available
16. Intelligent recording of repeats to prevent duplicate recordings
17. Bookmark VOD on web – retrieve it on box
18. Backlit remotes with more than 3 devices
19. Bring web video content to TV (Youtube/Vimeo/Google)
20. Ability to check Comcast account balance and pay bill from TV
That's one provider specific... but I think at least the whole HD interface, Multi Room, more hard drives and more tuners could apply for Tivo as well.
Motorola might be looking to sell set-top business, we've got $5 on it {Engadget HD}
Nov 12th 2009 7:16PM Maybe Motorola should be pressuring operators and software developers to write an operating system that showcases everything the DVR's can do. My DCX3400 with 320 GB hard drive is a nice piece of equipment, but it's running such a shitty operating system. It's fully capeable of a 16:9 HD guide with transparancies and alpha blending, but were stuck with this DOS looking program from Comcast.
Seriously, it's like installing Windows 3.1 on a Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM. What the hell is the point? I can't believe these guide programmers are completely OBLIVIOUS to Windows Media Center, Boxee, Apple TV, XBOX 360, PS3, WII, the I Phone and all the other advanced UI devices out there. You mean to tell me not ONE employee of Rovi or Comcast has ever seen an XBOX 360 Dashboard? They never seen Aero in Windows Vista or Windows 7? They never used an Apple product? That just CANT be the case. Let these developers out of their jail cells already! They are living in the late 80's!
Boxee inks deal with first hardware partner: a 'Boxee Box' is coming {Engadget HD}
Nov 12th 2009 7:10PM Cool! Now only if it had a DVR interface, cable card slot and 3 or 4 tuners. Then I could get rid of my piece of shit Comcast / Motorola box.
Comcast lining up more day-and-date HD VOD this month {Engadget HD}
Nov 7th 2009 6:39PM Too bad the guide system sucks, it's more than 10 years out of date and it's a real challenge to find anything through their spaghetti maze of menu's.
And still, who cares about this... you have to pay at least $4.99 plus tax to watch one of these movies with only 24 hours to watch it. God forbid some emergency comes up and you have to stop the movie and run out of time to continue it. There's other more affordable ways to get HD movies.
RVU Alliance gets Motorola, Pace, Thomson and others to dream the multiroom dream {Engadget HD}
Nov 5th 2009 4:46PM This is good and all, but Cable operators don't have a good track record for releasing any kind of updates on a regular schedule. It'll still be up to the cable operators to enable these features.
I have a Motorola DCX3400, which supports 16:9 HD graphics, MoCA & Multi-room, eSATA expantion, MPEG4, 1 GHz tuning, USB ports, internal DOCSIS modem for DSG, and the list goes on. My cable provider however utilizes NONE of those features. It functions the same as a DCT-6412.
Sure the companies in this alliance may try to put the squeeze on MSO's to get this stuff working... but the MSO's are too lazy, weak, and unimaginable to support it.
We've heard people complain about the lack of Cable innovation before (see: http://www.businessinsider.com/time-for-cable-companies-to-get-serious-about-software-2009-3 and http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/08/cable-boxes-and-their-fisher-price-remotes-are-junk-demand-better/ for just two examples). They just keep pushing things back. Tru2Way? Try to get a Tru2Way device. I dare you. What happened to Tivo running on a Motorola set top? Oh only in a few remote towns in New England. The things been there since 2006 and we still have yet to see it outside of it's 'test' environment.
Pace and Rovi work together to make a standard set-top a true multi-room DVR {Engadget HD}
Oct 28th 2009 9:01AM Great Concept!
I bet it still uses that ugly, outdated I-Guide user interface. Time to step that up a bit, don't you think?
Microsoft officially delays Digital Cable Tuner firmware and Advisor Utility {Engadget HD}
Oct 22nd 2009 4:14PM If it involves the cable industry in any way, it will be delayed with no date given. Since this device connects to a cable plant and tunes channels, the cable industry is somehow involved and voila - delay!
Remember that new Comcast DVR UI posted on here in Jan 2008's CES article? Yeah it's almost 2010 and nothing even close to that is being shown. Again, cable has their hands in it.
Tru2Way deadlines? Of course they are not met. The Cable TV industry is at it again...
What a horribly slow industry.
Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player gets official {Engadget HD}
Oct 13th 2009 2:53PM Need to see UI pics. That blurry background shot sort of looks like MOXI ?
The Weather Channel's HD feed gets interactive on DirecTV {Engadget HD}
Oct 6th 2009 11:55PM pics?
OCZ's PCIe SSD Z-Drive finally starts shipping {Engadget}
Sep 17th 2009 8:00AM But can you set your BIOS to boot off a PCI-E card? Isn't the BIOS limited to SATA/PATA or NIC?
