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timeshifting posts

DISH / EchoStar DVR injunction temporarily put on hold by court

by Nilay Patel posted Jun 3rd 2009 at 7:45PM Breaking News

It's the case that never ends -- the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued a temporary delay of the injunction and fine handed down yesterday in the EchoStar / TiVo lawsuit while it considers an appeal, meaning that DISH owners with older DVRs won't have to worry about losing their pause-and-rewind functionality at least for now. That pretty much means we're back in stasis with this one, with even more delay to come if the appeal is granted. That's cool, we needed a nap anyway.

TiVo update brings pause menu ads to Series3 & TiVo HD owners

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 6th 2009 at 3:34AM


TiVo heard you liked ads, so it's putting ads in your pause menu so you can watch ads while you skip ads. Already rolled out on older Series2 hardware last December, Dave Zatz posts that the 11.0c software update for Series3 / TiVo HD hardware brings the new "feature" of ads popping up while viewers are time shifting. That can show up as a "More information" prompt for some shows, as seen above, but will hold advertisements on certain programs. The prompt will only show up once per recording, but if this new form of advertising bugs you, TiVo Community user bfdtv instructs that permanently hiding the progress bar can be achieved by pressing pause, press down to hide the popup, press play again, then enter SELECT-PLAY-SELECT-PAUSE-SELECT, which can also be reversed by using the code again while watching a recording. Still, we doubt the ad skipping arms race will end here.

Read - TiVo's Pause Menu Spam Hits S3/HD Units
Read - TivoHD Overview, Q&A, Setup, Tips

'American Idol' is most timeshifted show of 2008

by Darren Murph posted Dec 19th 2008 at 12:02AM

Well, would you let your brain simmer on this a bit. American Idol, the famed singing competition that airs live numerous times per week when it's in full swing, was found to be the most timeshifted program in the USA in 2008. Granted, it's also the most watched show in the nation, but we digress. The significance here is that this tidbit, which was dug up by The Nielsen Company, goes to show that live competitions and so-called "topical" programming aren't as immune to DVRs as networks would love to believe. The data found that "an extra four million viewers watched Fox's American Idol in the seven days following the initial episodes." To us, the only true DVR-resistant programming is live sports -- the genuineness of the event just seems to fade when you're not watching in real time, but we can't say we've ever felt the same when watching Simon & Co. a few days after the fact.

Archos TV+ TVportation plug-in shifts your TV to 605 / 705 PMP

by Darren Murph posted Apr 25th 2008 at 5:00PM


Got yourself an Archos TV+? How's about a WiFi-enabled 605 / 705 PMP? Even if you're sadly answering "no" to the latter question, folks with a Windows or Windows Mobile-based machine can still get in on the placeshifting action, as Archos has just announced a swank new TV+ plug-in that brings Slingbox capabilities to those devices. The May-bound TVportation application, which will be available gratis for those who register their Archos TV+ on the firm's website (it's $49.99 otherwise), simply enables users to control their set-top-box from anywhere where WiFi is accessible, giving users the ability to watch live TV on their handheld. Sure, it's more of the same, but for the Archos faithful who refuse to trade in their 605 / 705, it's a dream come true. Check out a lengthy demonstration vid after the break. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Thanks, Charbax]

Continue reading Archos TV+ TVportation plug-in shifts your TV to 605 / 705 PMP

TiVo coming to PC via Nero software

by Evan Blass posted Nov 28th 2007 at 9:36AM

TiVo has just announced an agreement with multimedia software provider Nero AG that will bring its familiar interface and feature set to the PC. According to the joint announcement made today, Nero will embed the TiVo experience in its next generation of software, allowing the millions of us who rely on USB dongles for our TV to finally join the exclusive realm of Series1, 2, and 3 owners. Plus, as Zatz Not Funny! points out, Nero's international presence should help spread TiVo to the far corners of the Earth like some digital Happy Meal. Hopefully this new PC timeshifting solution -- release window: unknown -- will also convince other purveyors of home theater-only hardware-based services to finally bring their wares to the desktop. Yes, we're looking at you, Sling.

[Thanks, Dennis C.]

TiVo announces most-watched commercials service

by Erik Hanson posted Jul 16th 2007 at 4:51PM

TiVo logoTiVo has announced a new service for advertisers and those interested in tracking commercial viewership, the Top Commercial Rankings reports, which is based on info gleaned using TiVo's StopWatch feature that tracks viewer behavior second-by-second. The feature has TiVo compiling reports for April and May on metrics like the top commercials watched overall (Disturbia and Ford trucks), or the least fast-forwarded campaigns (FedEx and Samsung Jitterbug). The report includes interesting insight into how viewers watch television, even timeshifted programs, and should provide advertisers more information about how to maximize their impact. Now to get this report to studio execs to keep them from blaming DVRs for the downfall of their industry.

Pinnacle kicks out $100 PCTV HD Stick USB tuner

by Darren Murph posted Jun 6th 2007 at 2:53AM


The Pinnacle PCTV USB Stick that you may have grown quite fond of over the past year has finally decided to get with the times, as the newest iteration throws HD capability into the minuscule tuner while still ringing up a penny under a Benjamin. The Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick steps it down a notch from its Professional sibling, but still allows users to "view live television on their PC with pause, rewind, and fast-forward timeshifting functionality." Pinnacle's latest USB 2.0 tuner is "about the size of a key," gets all the necessary juice right from the USB port, supports NTSC and ATSC broadcasts, and comes bundled with the firm's TVCenter Pro software. Best of all, this no frills portable TV tuner can get live programming on your laptop or desktop right now for a mere $99.99.

ACOGITO's Roaming Machine handles placeshifting, DVR duties

by Evan Blass posted Apr 16th 2007 at 9:36PM


Hot on the heels of two other placeshifting technologies comes ACOGITO's Roaming Machine, which reportedly does quite a bit more than similar alternatives that port your television shows to wherever you may roam. In addition to being a self-proclaimed "HD set-top-box" that pulls double duty as a DVR, this dashing thin device can channel your programs to your laptop or mobile through MPEG4 / H.264 encoding, and relies on the firm's "patented Remote Control eXtensible Mark-up Language (RCXML) technology for a set of command protocols for remote viewing." Additionally, you'll find a trio of units to handle ATSC / NTSC, DVB-S / DVB-T / PAL, and of course, an IP rendition for the unbiased set. Notably, the company also brags about its LCD HDTV (affectionately dubbed the RoamingTV) which touts a built-in placeshifter, and while pricing and availability deets aren't available for either, you can purportedly catch both of these technologies at this year's NAB event.

[Via MobileMag]

Pinnacle rolls out PCTV To Go placeshifting box, bundles WiFi

by Darren Murph posted Nov 15th 2006 at 7:31PM

If you're scouting the perfect placeshifting device to cure those television blues while stuck at your TV-less grandmother's house for Thanksgiving, the Slingbox might not be the obvious choice anymore. Granted, it'll probably be awhile before the current king is dethroned, Pinnacle is giving the shifting game its best shot with the PCTV To Go. Sporting built-in WiFi / Windows MCE support, this content liaison works essentially like any other timeshifting device out there, and channels MPEG4 video to wherever you're logged in (or MPEG2 if connected locally). It also allows full control over your attached DVR, giving you the opportunity to schedule a recording for that oh-so-critical rerun of Nick Arcade, Season One. It reportedly works seamlessly with your home entertainment system, acting as a pass-through device that won't complicate things when wiring it up, but there's no word on whether it supports HD signals. The Pinnacle PCTV To Go should be available just before Turkey Day for a very competitive $249.99.

[Via PVRWire]




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