Based on what we're hearing, a slate of soon-to-be-proposed FCC rules may stop the likes of Comcast from discriminating against P2P applications on their networks, and AT&T sure will have a tougher time justifying why it won't let the iPhone's version of SlingPlayer run on 3G while giving WinMo and BlackBerry users all the bandwidth they can handle. Julius Genachowski, the new chairman of the entity, is slated to discuss the new rules on Monday, though he isn't expected to dig too deep into the minutiae. Essentially, the guidelines will "prevent wireless companies from blocking internet applications and prevent them from discriminating (or acting as gatekeepers) [against] web content and services." We know what you're thinking: "Huzzah!" And in general, that's probably the right reaction to have as a consumer, but one has to wonder how network quality for all will be affected if everyone is cut loose to, well, cut loose. Oh, and if this forces telecoms to deploy more cell sites to handle the influx in traffic, you can rest assured that the bill will be passed on to you. Ain't nuthin' free, kids.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We can't tell you precisely how much we've been yearning for an L-shaped media streamer, but we can tell you that Compro has made the hopes, dreams and wishes of quite a few content junkies come true with the debut of its VideoMate T1000W. Showcased late last week at SecuTech Expo 2009, this network media streamer is an all-in-one solution that handles content shuffling, TV tuning, internal storing of files, expansion ports, WiFi access, support for USB DVD players and even BitTorrent files. As expected, pretty much any file format you could think of is supported here, though the DVB-T tuner won't do us Yanks much good in the homeland. Fudzilla asserts that the unit should hit shelves overseas this May, though the £200 ($293) price tag just might scare away most potential buyers.

[Thanks, TheLostSwede]

HD streaming mavens GridNetworks have merged with Global Media Services to create what they term as the "first comprehensive streaming and media services platform." We know GridNetworks is all about peer-to-peer GridCasting delivery tech that would let many view lag-free high definition streams over the Internet, and it seems that GMS is all about putting on live streaming events, so this should let them keep doing that, but in even higher quality. The first media company/brand/event to take advantage of this pairing? We're still waiting to hear that.

It's been just about ten full months since Myka's BitTorrent box was formally introduced to Earthlings, but it seems like the wheels are finally turning on production way across the way in China. According to a promising update on Myka's official website, "production is in full swing," which means that boxes should start arriving to eager consumers in around four to six weeks. For those unaware, this here box pulls down torrents as you sleep and then plays 'em back nicely on your connected HDTV. Users can also load up additional media on the inbuilt 80GB, 160GB or 500GB hard drive, but first you'll need to hand over $299, $349 or $459 depending on just how capacious you like your media servers.

[Thanks, Julio]

It was a valiant effort, it truly was, but even we saw this coming. Way back when, a couple of Skype founders had a brilliant idea of trying to pump out its own software that utilized peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing technology in order to distribute videos online and circumvent the so-called bandwidth limitations. Fast forward to now, and those plans are finally being axed. According to a notice from Joost, users will "no longer be able to watch videos in the Joost software application" after December 19th. Instead, those hoping to suck up some content from the company will be forced to watch the web video player, which has practically become the de facto standard over the past year. Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey even chimed in with this gem after hearing of the development: "[P2P] as a platform for legal consumer video is dead." Tough to disagree with the man, huh?

It's no secret that Comcast has already put a stop to the most extravagant of download parties (all while charging more for its TV services), but for those still wondering what was to come of all the data tampering going on earlier this year, here's the final spill. According to an e-mail just sent out to customers, Comcast will be "switching to a new network congestion management technique by the end of the year." The new approach will focus on "managing network congestion only when and where it may occur," and obviously it completely replaces the current technique. As predicted, Comcast asserts that only the heaviest of users will even notice that it's watching their pipeline like a hawk, but it remains to be seen what kind of backlash the new throttling methods will / won't have. Hop on past the break for the memo in its entirety.

[Thanks, M.N.]

First off, you've got to be kidding us. Okay, now that we've got that out, get a load of this. After the FCC told Comcast earlier this month that its data discrimination tactics weren't kosher, the provider has decided to react by simply slowing all internet traffic on its heaviest users. More specifically, Mitch Bowling, Comcast's senior vice president and general manager of online services, stated in a recent interview that the top internet speeds for "targeted customers will be reduced for periods lasting 10 minutes to 20 minutes, keeping service to other users flowing." Right now, this may not affect you one iota, but what's to happen when your kid spends his summer sucking down content on the VUDU / Hulu / etc.? We can think of quite a few reasons to legitimately use a huge chunk of bandwidth, and having Big Provider keep watch and determine when enough is enough frightens us just a wee bit.

[Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of Kansas]

After being accused of slowing traffic on peer-to-peer applications and eventually fessing up at least somewhat to controlling throughput, Comcast has went and sunk some cash into a P2P video-delivery startup. Seattle-based GridNetworks announced this week that the mega-corp would make "an unspecified investment in the company and collaborate on developing so-called peer-to-peer file-sharing techniques that are friendly to internet service providers." Outside of that, what the deal means for either party has yet to be fully revealed, but regardless of future plans, one can't help but chuckle at the glaring irony of the whole ordeal.

If you're scouting a decent media server that just so happens to double as a NAS drive and BitTorrent server, we'd probably wait out this weekend. Apparently, the Popcorn Hour website is set to go live in T-minus two days, but an eagle-eyed individual manged to pull down what appears to be a screenshot of the firm's forthcoming Networked Media Tank. The NMT reportedly enables users to "watch, store and share digital content on your home network," and it also allows for "seamless integration between your digital media and your entertainment system." Best of all, buyers can toss in a hard drive of their choosing, and the 1080p output is sure to please the HD buffs. According to the capture (shown in full after the jump), all this functionality will only run you $179 (sans an HDD), but we'll out find out for certain in a matter of hours.

UPDATE: Seems this could be a rebadge of another product -- guess we'll wait and see, eh? Thanks for the update, Gabriel M.

[Thanks, Johan W.]

Azureus announced today that its HD internet video portal, dubbed Vuze, is experiencing "unprecedented growth," and celebrated reaching seven million users in its first six months of operation. Additionally, July saw content downloads "grow well over 100-percent compared to June," and now the company is offering up the complete two seasons of The Office UK (plus its specials) right here in the United States. Better still, the first episode is being made available completely free of charge. So, dear readers, how many of you have dipped into Vuze to check out, say, the vast array of BBC programming?

There's nothing we enjoy more than not even leaving the comforts of our Aeron chair in order to catch a program in HD, and now we've got reason to believe that even more high-definition content could be coming down the internet pipeline in the not-so-distant future. Neokast, which "streams live broadcasts and on-demand content over the Internet via advanced P2P protocols, has formed a partnership with MoveDigital, an online digital delivery service," in order to deliver streaming HD media "to the masses." Essentially, MoveDigital is looking to provide Neokast with the extra capacity necessary to ensure that "an HBO or an NBC's HD content" is available fluidly to customers over the internet. Of course, recent BitTorrent flops attempts have been less than enthralling, but considering the outright lack of HD available through it, we still see a door left wide open for someone to seize. Unfortunately, there was no word on a timeline, nor a mention of what type(s) of media would eventually be available, but considering just how far we have to walk from the PC to the living room, this stuff can't get finalized soon enough.

We're thinking that companies are just starting to mash-up popular buzzwords just for now. Take the P2POD from AHT International, play a little "Wheel of Fortune", buy a vowel and combine "P2P" with "iPod" and whaddya get: we're not sure other than a mash-up name. The P2POD is touted as an HDTV device, but we don't think you'll be watching any broadcast, cable or satellite on this. No, the P2POD looks like a peer-to-peer vessel to get high-def and other audio or video content from the Internet. There's no display, just a box with 64MB of RAM, an HDMI port, and a video decoder. There are more hardware buzzwords on the product page, but even more interesting is the MyMo Media service that provides an interface and content database. It also provides a nominal subscription fee, so we'll likely pass.

[via Engadget]