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Comcast lining up more day-and-date HD VOD this month

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 7th 2009 at 5:03AM

Consider another shot fired in the HD VOD wars, now Comcast is claiming "most same day VOD & DVD releases" for the month of November. Angels & Demons, Bruno, The Ugly Truth and others are among those hitting the VOD slate the same day they hit shelves, while movies like the Transformers and Ice Age sequels make their delayed appearance this month as well. Still, while providers slap box over ad campaigns, until the menus get simpler to navigate and prices come down to Redbox-competitive levels, who has more VOD and when just isn't that big of a deal to us.

Comcast should be tru2way ready by the end of the year

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 27th 2009 at 2:39PM

tru2way demo
Remember that big to do about the tru2way memorandum of understanding that Sony and the rest of the Consumer Electronics manufacturers signed earlier last year. You know, the one that said every cable operator in the US would be tru2way capable by July 1st 2009? Well that date has come and gone and while the providers insist it is no big deal, no HDTV manufactures seem very excited about tru2way at the moment. According to Comcast's EVP David Cohen, more than just three markets will be ready to go by the end of the year. At this point we'll believe it when we see it, because supposedly tru2way HDTVs have been available to Comcast subscribers in Chicago, Denver and Atlanta for some time, yet not even a single review or hands-on has appeared online, in fact we haven't even gotten a single tip or comment that anyone even has one of these tru2way TVs. Every provider in world could be ready but if there aren't plenty of tru2way TVs announced at CES in a few months, it's all for naught.

Comcast has issues with Verizon's FiOS VOD claims

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 3:07PM

Comcast's crazy claims
The only thing we love more than analysts and surveys is content providers bickering over each other's ridiculous PR claims and none are as fun as when Comcast is involved. Avid readers are all too familiar with Comcast's strategy to give up on the linear channel race and instead focus on VOD "options" no matter how silly it makes them look to those in the know. What really makes this particular situation interesting is that Comcast doesn't appreciate it when another provider, like Verizon FiOS, gets in on the action when it recently claimed it offered 3 times as many VOD offerings a month as the nation's largest provider. Comcast claims this is just not true and there are actually at least 17,000 VOD titles available in most markets. If that is news to you, then you aren't the only one as Verizon blasts back with "I'm surprised that Comcast wouldn't talk about these numbers in their PR and advertising. We make sure to let our customers know when we're adding more to their service." Too true, Verizon, too true. Honestly we couldn't care less about VOD because we're in the small group of CableCARD users, but there's no way we could turn away from a train wreck like this.

Comcast On Demand Online rolls out fully this year, but stops at the front door

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 21st 2009 at 2:49PM

Following the 5,000 person beta already ongoing, Comcast is apparently ready to deliver the On Demand Online experience to all of its customers by the end of the year, with a few rather significant caveats. At launch one the much hyped placeshifting element of the service will not be live, for the time being you'll need internet and TV service, and it will only work at home. Still, if queuing up last night's ep of Mad Men on your laptop is all you're looking for there should be a decent library of content to choose from with 24 cable networks signed on, and a $0 additional cost for the service. Our excitement level depends mostly on how quickly HD streaming and on the go access becomes a part of the package.

Comcast denies possible purchase of NBC, claims it can only offer a window

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 1st 2009 at 4:27PM

Surprising absolutely no one who has ever waited for a repair or installation, an internet rumor Wednesday suggested Comcast is in talks to take advantage of an oddly scheduled window of availability to purchase NBC Universal. Whether it shows up on time is still up in the air, but with ownership of the media group divided 80/20 by GE and Vivendi the rumored deal would be worth $35 billion, with around $7 billion due Vivendi during this annual period when it can exercise a put option on the shares it owns. Time Warner and DirecTV owner Liberty Media have also been rumored as suitors, can anyone imagine NBC and Syfy under the same umbrella as Versus?

Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 7:14PM Featured Story


Look, Moblin and MIDs and USB 3.0 are all well and good, but the real highlight of IDF is hiding in plain sight: it's Intel's CE 3100 Media Processor-based Tru2way DVR server, which has three digital cable tuners that can be streamed over a regular gigabit Ethernet or MoCA to any number of clients, ranging from other 3100-based set-top boxes to DLNA devices like laptops and even the PS3. It's seriously cool -- the clients all see the server's tuners as their own, so the experience is seamless, and since it all runs on the Tru2way stack, it doesn't matter what kind of client you plug in -- the three clients on the show floor were running interfaces from Intel, Comcast (Rovi), and Digeo. Of course, since it's a DVR, you can actually add more clients than tuners and have them play back recorded content while your other boxes use the tuners -- Intel was demoing XBMC on a Sony laptop connecting over DLNA and streaming a recorded program while a PS3 nearby ran a photo slideshow, all while the three cable clients streamed uncompressed HD video from the tuners. Intel says a number of cable companies are interested in deploying this stuff and that we should see things on the market in the next year -- we honestly can't wait. Check a video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

Comcast could serve TV over WiMAX, inflate your bill even higher

by Darren Murph posted Sep 16th 2009 at 5:03PM


Think you're good at turning down the upsell? Try saying no to adding WiMAX to your home internet service for the low, low price of whatever Comcast wants to charge. Thanks to a multi-billion dollar tie-up with Clearwire, Comcast has been offering WiMAX-based internet services in a few markets, but now that On Demand Online is a go, it makes sense to think that the operator would use that as leverage to get people hooked. For those unaware, ODO enables Comcast pay-TV subscribers to watch a vast array of programming from any internet connection, which of course means that any ole 3G / 4G data connection would work just as well as Comcast's own. Oh, and while mobile TV is pretty good -- and we're going to let Comcast finish -- watching HDTV at home with a DVR is definitely the best scenario of all time.

Update: Just to be clear, this service won't deliver TV straight to phones.

It's game day, who's got the NFL RedZone Channel?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 13th 2009 at 9:47AM

NFL RedZone Channel
The wait is finally over and today's the first big Sunday of the NFL Season which means that you're probably making your last minute preparations. As far as programing goes, the NFL has done a great job of getting carriage for its new NFL RedZone channel, but of course not everyone is going to carry it -- sorry Time Warner Cable and Bright House Network customers. So here's a run down of the Winners. Comcast, Dish Network and AT&T U-Verse customers made out the best because all they have to is subscribe to a $5 (aprox) sports package. Verizon FiOS and RCN customers didn't make out as well though as they will have to pay $49 for the season without any other channels included -- but hey at least they got it. For the rest of you, not much you can do, just keep calling your provider and voicing your desires and in the meantime maybe someone of Twitter will hook you up with access to their SlingBox HD.

Time Warner's TV Everywhere trials to start... sometime

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 27th 2009 at 12:38PM


It's been over a month since Comcast and Time Warner announced their TV Everywhere internet video service, and while we've seen some impressive content deals get made since then, there hasn't been much word on how the service will work, or even when it'll launch. That's starting to slowly change today, as Time Warner's announced that 5,000 lucky customers in "select markets" will be involved in a trial that's starting "over the next few months." No word yet on how much this'll cost or what extra shows or movies you might be able to get, but at least it's something -- and if Time Warner or Comcast need any extra help testing this out, we know a few people who'll be more than willing to help.

NFL's new RedZone channel won't be seen by most

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Aug 16th 2009 at 11:57AM

NFL Redzone channel
We love the NFL in HD, and have often wondered why we've paid $300 for the NFL Sunday Ticket in HD, and then spend 90 percent of the time watching the RedZone Channel. So you can imagine how excited we were to hear that thanks to the NFL renegotiating its contracts with DirecTV, Fox and CBS; that the RedZone channel would be available to every provider in the US instead of just to DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers. But the more we learn about the new channel, the more annoyed we felt. There is just something fundamentally wrong about a full time cable channel that only broadcasts 119 hours out of the 8760 hours a year. This is especially true when you realize that this is the very same 119 hours a year when the existing NFL Network broadcasts almost nothing at all. There simply is no other reason then pure greed to have two separate NFL channels. So as much as we'd love to enjoy this channel during the season, we completely respect all the providers out there refusing to sign a carriage deal -- Comcast is the only one that wil carry it at the moment -- at least until the two channels are combined, and then the programming can't get here soon enough.

HD channel expansion roundup

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 28th 2009 at 12:13AM


Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say!

Read - More high-definition channels roll out (Great Falls, Montana)
Read - ATMC Launches CNN HD (North Carolina)
Read - Cable high-def on hold at WKTV (Utica, NY)
Read - Comcast customers to see up to 64 new HD channels (Washington, Thanks, Tyler)
Read - RCN Brings Digital Revolution to Lehigh Valley, PA Cable TV Customers in September; Providing 100 High Definition (HD) Channels to Customers
Read - AT&T U-verse TV Adds ShortsHD and New International Channels
Read - More HD Coming For Puerto Rico
Read - Comcast Expanding HD in Bay Area
Comcast adding History, CNN, USA, Discovery, Animal Planet, AMC in New Jersey (Thanks, Margo)
Comcast adding Biography HD, G4 HD, Lifetime HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD, MTV HD, VH1 HD, Comedy Central HD, Spike HD, Nickelodeon HD, The Weather Channel HD, IFC HD, WE-HD, FUSE HD, Planet Green HD, TVOne HD, and Style HD in Connecticut September 1 (Thanks, Michael)
Read - Bright House Networks in Michigan adds 10 HD channels (Thanks, Kyle)

Comcast adds HBO to its HD video on demand lineup

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 10:39PM

We're honestly surprised it took this long, but Comcast has gleefully announced it is the first to offer the "full" HBO On Demand lineup in high definition. True Blood, Entourage, The Wire* plus the network's movie selection are all available now, so the only questions left are when is this coming to your local provider, or why are you still reading this instead of watching Snoop and Chris? Don't end up in a vacant.

Update: Except, of course, as sideshowRaheem points out in the coments, The Wire wasn't filmed in high definition, so you'll probably be watching something else.

Poll: Will you ever use On Demand Online?

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 18th 2009 at 12:00PM


Comcast , Time Warner and assorted partners are throwing a big push behind the upcoming On Demand Online / TV Anywhere trial, clearly attempting to preserve their business model and keep customers signed up for cable. You've heard our thoughts so far in video, audio and text, now it's your turn to speak up. So, are you just not that impressed by watching TV on your computer, or do you think on demand place shifting could be the next big thing and a big reason to keep / switch to cable? Pick a response and let us know in the comments below.

Poll: Will you use On Demand Online?

Video: Engadget HD editors talk On Demand Online on Tech Vi

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 16th 2009 at 10:56PM


Turns out that even after multiple posts and a podcast, we had even more to say about Comcast's On Demand Online announcements, this time captured on video as a couple of our editors joined our friend Randall Bennett on his show TechVi. In case you missed it, this has been a busy week for the yet-to-launch streaming platform, and we chimed in with a bit of our feelings on what this means for cable, streaming video and where it could go in the future. We're glad you take time out to follow us on twitter (@EngadgetHD, @bjdraw, @stevekim & @Rjcc just in case you didn't know) and hopefully participate in the live podcast sessions on UStream each week, so if you've got eight minutes to spare, check out the video streaming from the TechVi site or embedded after the break.

Continue reading Video: Engadget HD editors talk On Demand Online on Tech Vi

Comcast Mobile iPhone app video walkthrough

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 15th 2009 at 8:10PM


The free Comcast Mobile iPhone app just hit the App Store, and it's actually a pretty nice little interface to lots of Comcast features you might not otherwise use or care about. The 1.0 release offers access to your Comcast email, integrates with Digital Voice to provide visual voicemail, and serves up a rudimentary program guide and On Demand trailers -- nothing earth shattering, but all nicely implemented. Read on for some quick impressions and a video!

Continue reading Comcast Mobile iPhone app video walkthrough





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