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Latest DirecTV sale rumors point to Verizon

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 28th 2009 at 3:08PM

The constant dance card shuffling with DirecTV's ownership and AT&T's satellite dealings fueled rumors of a sale earlier this year, now rekindled with Verizon and its FiOS TV unit listed as a potential partner. The idea, as described by the Wall Street Journal, is that Verizon's desire to expand its video business would manifest by buying a satellite company (DirecTV over DISH based on its performance and current restructuring by Liberty Media) and overnight going from number 8 to number 2 among cable and satellite operators. Whether the two telephone companies will actually battle it out over satellite remains to be seen, we're just wondering if this could give U-Verse or FiOS subs a crack at NFL Sunday Ticket.

[Via Barrons]

AT&T gives U-verse a streaming video portal without joining the TV Anywhere party

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 12th 2009 at 12:53PM


Not wanting to let it's cable and fiber competitors run away with all the streaming fun, AT&T has launched its own streaming video site in the vein of Sling.com and the various TV Anywhere related projects. Currently anyone who checks out the site can view all the content, including some provided by Hulu and CBS Interactive, but the plan is to include some walled off premium video for U-verse subscribers in the future.

TiVo projects larger than expected losses, still taking the patent fight to AT&T and Verizon

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 26th 2009 at 8:13PM

We'll let the analysts make sense of TiVo's new projection that it will lose $8 to $10 million in the third quarter, larger than Wall Street expectations while projected revenues are lower -- we're too busy adding Verizon and AT&T to the patent battlemap. Today it filed complaints against both for violating three of its DVR-related patents -- Nos. 6,233,389 B1 ("Multimedia Time Warping System"), 7,529,465 B2 ("System for Time Shifting Multimedia Content Streams"), and 7,493,015 B1 ("Automatic Playback Overshoot Correction System") if you must know -- seeking damages for past infringement and a permanent injunction. We'd assumed it would wait until settling things with DISH to push forward against other companies, but it looks like we're not the only ones getting impatient. Beyond the legal slapfight there's a few nuggets for the bleep bloop faithful, with the Comcast TiVo on-line scheduler beginning to roll out in Boston plus further expansions on the way and the due-in-2010 DirecTV HD TiVo still on track -- we'll need a few seasons of Law & Order queued up before this mess ever gets resolved.

Read - TiVo Swings to Loss, Files Infringement Suits
Read - TiVo Reports Results for the Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2010 Ended July 31, 2009
Read - TiVo Files Complaints for Patent Infringement Against AT&T and Verizon Communications in United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas; Seeking Damages and Injunction

AT&T also has a grudge against Cablevision

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 14th 2009 at 3:11PM

Looks like Verizon's not the only one to have beef with Cablevision's treatment of its MSG HD channels, now that AT&T has also petitioned the FCC to compel the cabler to sell the high definition feeds to its competitors. AT&T cites stats showing high definition is a big deal for consumers, with 45% saying they'd switch providers for a superior sports package, claiming it can't compete in Connecticut without the networks. Just as before, Cablevision claims it can do as it likes, that it already sells them every single game (in SD format) and that AT&T is a bigger company that doesn't need a bailout. We've had plenty of summertimes squabbles about who was and wasn't playing by the rules that ended with one side claiming they'd take their ball and go home, but we usually didn't bring the FCC in to settle it. The FCC is still on a five month clock to consider the complaints and the "terrestrial loophole," 'til it responds we can't guess how this one will end.

SlingPlayer 1.1 for iPhone promises DISH integration for US, 3G streaming elsewhere (maybe)

by Ross Miller posted Aug 10th 2009 at 6:31PM

As history tells us time and time again, iPhone apps / updates submitted to Apple aren't a sure deal for approval. Still, we can't help but like where SlingPlayer Mobile is going with the recently-submitted version 1.1. In addition to providing true 16:9 widescreen support that stretches across the whole screen, Slingbox owners with DISH Network can now navigate using a touch-supported native browser, instead of pushing through the TV-standard browsing screen being streamed in. That last bit's great for US customers, but it's what the rest of the world might get that has our interests very piqued. The company's submitted a version for use outside of AT&T's homeland that would finally allow for streaming over a 3G connection -- again, not a certainty for approval, but we'll be most interested to see if that one makes its way through the system.

Walls are no longer a limitation for U-verse with new RF Point Anywhere remote

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 9th 2009 at 10:52AM


For those who have far too often felt confined by having to point remotes at the devices being controlled, news of AT&T's new Point Anywhere RF remote for its U-Verse customers should be a sweet siren song. The relatively simple remote is backlit for your convenience, letting home theater owners hide their set-tops away in a closet without having to go all aftermarket for a control solution. Changing channels from previously impossible areas like the bathroom, kitchen or outside comes at a cost of $49 for the remote and USB dongle, available from AT&T's online store beyond the read link.

[Thanks, Anthony]

AT&T's U-Verse iPhone / iPod touch app launched

by Laura June posted Jun 26th 2009 at 10:03AM

We're pretty big fans of AT&T's U-verse (though, alas, we're not lucky enough to live in an area where we can have it!), and we sort of figured a few days back when the company rolled out some new tweaks to its Total Home DVR that something like this might be on the horizon, and here it is. AT&T's rolled out a free app for the iPhone app store that allows users to access the entire program guide, search for specific shows, and schedule, manage and delete programs and settings. The Mobile Remote Access App -- as it's not-so-creatively called -- sounds like a real winner for those with both U-Verse service and an iPhone... but then, we still communicate primarily with quills and parchment, so what would we know? One more screenshot of the app (plus a video!) after the break.

Continue reading AT&T's U-Verse iPhone / iPod touch app launched

AT&T CruiseCast in-car TV finally launches nationwide

by Darren Murph posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 5:23PM


Look, we know all about desperate -- those youngsters are cute and all, but any self-respecting parent starts having some seriously evil thoughts about three hours in to any road trip. In a presumed effort to keep you off of the evening news and in good standing with your relatives, AT&T is launching its CruiseCast in-car TV service today. If you'll recall, we knew the in-car satellite TV solution was being tested in various spots, but today marks the first day that the proverbial beta badge has been ripped off. Of course, such a unique offering ain't running anyone cheap, with the initial hardware package totaling $1,299 and the monthly fee ringing up at $28. If those numbers have yet to faze you, hop on past the break for a look at the channel lineup.

Continue reading AT&T CruiseCast in-car TV finally launches nationwide

DirecTV CEO rumored heading back to News Corp

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 1st 2009 at 8:56PM

According to an Associated Press source, DirecTV CEO Chase Carey is in talks to return to News Corp. as Rupert Murdoch's second in command, which at least one analyst believes could be an indication the company will be sold outright soon, possibly to AT&T. Check out the read links for the business details, we're just wondering how a more permanent marriage of the satellite company and U-verse would work.

Read - AP source: DirecTV CEO in talks to join News Corp
Read - Analyst: Carey Departure = DirecTV Sale

AT&T trumpets U-verse gains in Q1

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 7:04PM


AT&T's U-verse service just keeps on growing, with Q1 subscriber additions beating out those record Q4 numbers from last year, and up significantly from last year's 148,000 to 284,000. Now 1.3 million strong, it looks like offering dual tuner HD, 100 HD channels and Total Home DVR is having some effect. No word on plans for the future, although even with plans to more than double availability having slipped to 2011, we wouldn't be surprised to see the service rolling out in new areas soon. Now, about that Xbox 360 IPTV...

Microsoft, AT&T plug PlayReady / Silverlight DRM into U-verse without saying why

by Richard Lawler posted Mar 31st 2009 at 5:07PM

Microsoft's PlayReady DRM hasn't exactly set the world on fire since first popping up over two years ago on a bevy of wireless carriers, so we were surprised by today's news that it's being integrated into the MediaRoom IPTV platform, specifically AT&T's U-verse service. A Microsoft exec quoted saying "Through the power of software such as PlayReady and Mediaroom, AT&T will bring its customers an exciting new range of services and content" doesn't help, since that power has lead to very little over the last two years with one exception. This is the same Windows Media Player 10 compatible DRM used by Silverlight plugins, like the ones for Netflix and Sky Player TV, so while we'll make the leap of dreaming about Instant Watch coming to AT&T set-top boxes, reality is probably not only something entirely different, but also considerably more like the Xbox 360 IPTV fantasy & other Mediaroom features that have yet to see any release.

AT&T counting on new iPhone this summer; carrier apps to figure prominently?

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 2:31PM

Rumor has it that AT&T's gearing up for yet another door-busting, riot-inducing summer filled with new iPhone hardware, which would certainly jibe with everything we've heard in the past few months (never mind the fact that June is officially Apple's iPhone release cycle these days, and indeed, AT&T's apparently saying that the June cycle is becoming "a tradition"). That's not terribly interesting at this point -- what is interesting, though, is how AT&T plans to play it. Apparently, the carrier wants to ramp up its -- ah, how should we put this in a politically correct way -- "integration" with Apple's hardware, including a U-verse app that we're guessing will approximate the functionality to be offered by Verizon's FiOS. What really has us worried is not so much the U-verse app specifically, but the possibility that AT&T's sick and tired of having its crapware left out of its highest-profile device, leading to non-removable garbage like Cellular Video on a future iPhone's home screen. It's still a bit early to sound the alarm there, but you know, we're paranoid types around here. Meanwhile, it sounds like the new device is once again begin said to rock higher 3G speeds than the outgoing model, implying that 7.2Mbps HSDPA to match AT&T's latest infrastructure upgrades is plausible, if not probable. Finally, it's said that a $99 netbook running something other than Windows (don't suppose that'd be Linux?) will be launching this summer, following on the 3G-enabled Aspire One that hit Radio Shack late last year. Heads up, though, AT&T: give us an iPhone with your Mobile Email app on the home screen, and let's just say we can't be held accountable for our actions afterwards. We know you wouldn't do that, but just sayin'.

U-verse TV subscribers score interactive college basketball app

by Darren Murph posted Mar 18th 2009 at 6:58PM


Make no mistake -- legions of cube-dwellers will be tuning into March Madness On Demand this Thursday, but those lucky / unlucky enough to be sitting at home in front of their U-verse TV DVR can enjoy one other luxury: an interactive application. AT&T has partnered up with Yahoo! Sports in order to add in a free college basketball U-bar app that will give March Madness fans the ability to view tournament brackets, their personalized completed bracket, game summaries and box scores, and video clips of game analysis / commentary with a simple remote click. Nah, it's no DirecTV-like four-screens-in-one, but it's definitely better than anything offered up on cable. Check out a simple video demonstration here.

AT&T's U-verse: now with 100+ HD channels in every market

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2009 at 1:13PM

Look out, pay-TV providers -- AT&T just broke out the big stick and announced that it's now beaming at least 100 high-def channels in every last one of its markets. In fact, that's more HD channels than any local cable competitor in any existing U-verse market. Just in case you were wondering, customers won't be dinged any extra for the new additions, with HD service being included with the U450 tier and available for $10 per month with any other U-verse TV package. So yeah, we're stoked as can be for those with access to this stuff, but can we get a little market expansion going on now that the century mark has been passed?

Man charged $28,000 for using data card, Slingbox to watch football game

by Ross Miller posted Feb 24th 2009 at 7:31AM


While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, and while the bill was eventually dropped to $290.65 after a considerable number of calls to customer service, let that be a warning to mobile users traveling on the fringe of international roaming areas -- and in case you were wondering, the Bears ended up winning 27 to 23.

[Via The Register]




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