http://www.www.pvrwire.com PVR Wire http://www.www.pvrwire.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.www.pvrwire.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/beyond-tv-skins-customize-the-look-of-beyond-tv-with-themes/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/beyond-tv-skins-customize-the-look-of-beyond-tv-with-themes/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/beyond-tv-skins-customize-the-look-of-beyond-tv-with-themes/#commentsFiled under: General, Hacks, News, Software, Tips, Beyond TV, DIY, Downloads

Everyone likes to customize their PC with some pictures and themes, if its not a picture of some hot girl or a desert island on your desktop, it's a load of fishes swimming around on your screensaver.

The Snapstream community has created a nice set of skins for the BeyondTV PVR interface meaning your TV experience can now be that little more personalized too.

A selection of the skins available can be seen here including dolphin, desert island and pirate themes. Installing a skin is easy and requires simply replacing one file in the BeyondTV directory.

Anyone fancy making a PVR Wire theme? You know you want too!

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]]>beyond tvBeyondTvskinsthemesChris Tew2007-01-25T14:19:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/dvdxml-com-gets-a-facelift/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/dvdxml-com-gets-a-facelift/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/25/dvdxml-com-gets-a-facelift/#commentsFiled under: News, Software, Media Center Edition, Downloads

Back at the end of October Brad talked about an XML file that could be used within Windows Media Center which would automatically download cover art, descriptions, ratings, cast, etc about any DVD that you may have ripped.

Now although that site has been a huge help in that it saves you from having to create these individual files for each DVD on your system, there were some short comings with the site. Well hopefully most of those have been taken care of.

DVDXML.com has just completed a major overhaul that includes a new, easier to use download section, and a new and improved search engine. However because of the upgrade they are temporarily not accepting new XML files, but that restriction will be lifted in the near future.

If you have a Windows Media Center based PVR and you like to keep your DVD's on your hard drive, be sure to check out this site. It's all the little things like this that make you realize how customizable a do it yourself PVR really can be.

Found via.

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]]>downloadsquadmcemedia center editionMediaCenterEditionpvrMatt Crape2007-01-25T10:01:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/linspire-users-get-sagetv-6/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/linspire-users-get-sagetv-6/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/linspire-users-get-sagetv-6/#commentsFiled under: Linux, Software, SageTV, Home Networking, Downloads

Good news if you're a user of the Linux-based commercial desktop operating system Linspire or Freespie; SageTV has released SageTV Media Center Version 6 all for you.

I've neve used SageTV myself, but I understand it's pretty nifty.

Get yourself along to the one-click download and installation location at www.linspire.com/sagetv if you want to get your hands on a copy right away for $99.95.

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]]>downloadsagetvMartin Conaghan2007-01-18T16:45:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/#commentsFiled under: Hacks, Software, Tips, TiVo, Reviews, Home Networking, Downloads

We've mentioned TiVoServer here before on PVR Wire, but we've never really gone into any great depth as to its functions, foibles and fun-filled features.

However, Dan Farber and Larry Dignan (also featuring David Berlind!) of ZDNet have taken a stab at this technology for your Mac, Linux box or PC which allows you to share TiVo content with other TiVos around your house.

Of course, there's a few issues over DRM (which can obviously be worked around), but this sort of open-source software could spell the beginning of the end of the locked-down tyrants behind iTunes (and TiVo), who don't really want you to do anything with your own content, except pay them to watch it.

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]]>serverstreamingtivoMartin Conaghan2007-01-18T16:13:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/17/microsoft-adds-online-content-to-vista-media-center/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/17/microsoft-adds-online-content-to-vista-media-center/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/17/microsoft-adds-online-content-to-vista-media-center/#commentsFiled under: News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, Downloads, Streaming

With Microsoft Vista set to officially launch in a couple of weeks, Microsoft has begun adding content to the Online Media section of Vista Media Center.

The Online Media function provides online content to Media Center users in the same interface they use to view their personal media such as television recordings and music collections. Some of the new content includes clips from the Discovery Channel, Yahoo video, VH1, Napster, and other music services, and access to MovieLink video purchases and downloads.

While Media Center functions are included in several versions of Vista, most computers still aren't sold with TV tuners, so I imagine online content is sort of a selling point for using a Vista PC as a digital hub in the living room.

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]]>online mediaOnlineMediavistaBrad Linder2007-01-17T20:26:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/16/netflix-trials-video-download-service/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/16/netflix-trials-video-download-service/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/16/netflix-trials-video-download-service/#commentsFiled under: News, DVD, Downloads, Streaming

You know, when we first heard rumors that Netflix was going to offer video downloads, possibly even partnering with TiVo, it sounded pretty exciting. But that was in 2005.

Now everybody and his grandmother has a video download store. Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, AOL etc. Still, Netflix has been an innovator in movie delivery and product recommendations, so when I heard today that they would be launching a limited trial of their service, I was still excited.

And then I found out that the company has a DVD catalog of over 70,000 titles, and what are they making available online? Older movies that don't get rented very often, like Amadeus, Chinatown, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. That's right, Netflix is competing with basic cable here. All told, about a thousand movies should be available online at launch, so I'm hoping there's some better ones in the mix somewhere.
So how does the service work? Well, as you're making selections on the Netflix website, some movies will have a little "watch now" button. The first time you click on it, you'll have to install a browser applet, which is supposed to take about a minute. From then on, any time you click watch now, you'll be able to start watching a movie within 10 to 15 seconds.

The movie opens inside of your browser (I hope there's a full screen option), and you can pause, or jump around in the movie using a position bar. You'll need an internet connection of 1Mb/second to take advantage of the service, and the higher your connection speed, (up to 3Mb/second), the higher quality your video feed will be.

Unlike most movie download services, which charge you per download, Netflix will stick with the subscription model. That's not to say your $17.99 a month will give you access to unlimited movies. For $5.99 a month, you'll have access to six hours of online movie watching per month, while for $17.99 you'll get access to 18 hours. I think that's on top of your usual DVD rental services, rather than in addition to, but it's not entirely clear from the press release.

Right now, only a small number of Netflix users have access to the download service, but there are plans to roll it out to all users by the end of June.

[via The Mercury News]

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]]>netflixBrad Linder2007-01-16T08:56:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/14/apple-tv-a-load-of-hype-for-nothing/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/14/apple-tv-a-load-of-hype-for-nothing/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/14/apple-tv-a-load-of-hype-for-nothing/#commentsFiled under: General, HDTV, News, Apple, Reviews, Home Networking, Downloads, Streaming, IPTV

There was a lot of hype that the codenamed Apple iTV (now named the Apple TV) would revolutionize the TV industry and make Apple a mainstream competitor in living room entertainment.

What came out of Macworld was not the impressive revolutionary device that was expected. Rather all that came out was an inferior media extender that allowed you to watch iTunes videos on your TV.

If all Apple set out to do was let you watch iTunes video on your TV then it has succeeded in doing that, but that's neither revolutionary nor impressive, but it will keep the hardcore Apple fans happy.

The Specs and features:

• HDMI, USB, Ethernet
• 40 GB Hard Disk
• 802.11 b, g, n wireless networking (AirPort)
• Works with Apple Remote
• 720p HD (H.264 Playback)
• No video/audio cable included
• Supported video codecs
  o H.264
  + Baseline profile LC (640x480x30 p)
  + Baseline profile (320x240x30 p)
  + Main profile (1280x720x24 p)
  o MPEG-4 simple profile (640x480x30 p)
  o does not support DivX, XviD or WMV.
• Supported audio codecs: AAC (16-320 kbps), MP3 (16-320 kbps VBR), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
• Supported image formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG
• Auto-sync content from your PC
• Stream content (wirelessly) from up to 5 computers
• Take's 10 most recent unwatched movies and automatically stream in the background to Apple TV and be stored on the hard drive.
• Theatrical trailers streaming from Apple.com
• Costs $299 - will be released in February

Other media extenders are much better

Take a look at the NetGear EVA700 to see what a decent media extender can do. Many existing Apple TV alternatives already out-compete the Apple TV in functionality.

That's not even mentioning the new media extenders in the pipeline including the NetGear EVA800, the Xbox 360 IPTV and the MediaGate media extenders.

What's the deal with the hard drive?

It appears that Apple will sync your iTunes playlists with the Apple TV hard drive much like it does with your iPod. I guess the reason for streaming from the Apple TV rather than directly from a PC/Mac is because it means you can still watch the videos if your TV/Mac is off. This is one feature which I think Apple has got right.

PVR Functionality

Many people beleived that because the Apple TV had a hard drive it would also have PVR functionality. It was even suggested that Apple would be partnering or acquiring TiVo.

I've said before that Apple would never partner with or aquire TiVo, nor would it include PVR functionality in the iTV, although with such a high demand for PVR functionality on the Apple TV I did begin to wonder. But despite a huge demand for PVR functionality on the Apple TV, Apple hasn't delivered it.

But Apple's mission has never been to give the consumer what they want unless it encourages them to buy from the iTunes store. That is unless Apple really had to implement something to keep customers happy, such as MP3 support on the iPod.

However, with EyeTV you can get some form of PVR functionality in the respect you can watch TV recordings from your Mac on your TV, but that's about as far as it goes.

What can I do with the Apple TV?

• Do all of my videos have to be played from iTunes on my PC Mac?

Yes, the Apple TV syncs up with your iTunes playlist much like with your iPod.

• Am I restricted to the video formats that I can watch?

Yes, the Apple TV is very restricted only supporting .264 and MPEG-4. It does not support Xvid, DivX or WMV. In my opinion this is extremely restrictive meaning you'll need to do a lot of converting of video to watch everything through your Apple TV device.

The Xbox 360 is also is restricted to WMV but you can use something like TVersity to convert video on the fly. Maybe some similar third party app will be made for the Apple TV.

• Am I restricted to watching stuff downloaded from iTunes, or can I watch any videos I've downloaded?

Really the Apple TV is designed for letting you watch video that you have downloaded from the iTunes store. You can add other plain Quicktime movies into your iTunes library though but this is still very limited.

You can use a third party program such as Movie2iTunes to add other video to your iTunes library, depending on the file format some of these videos could be played through the Apple TV.

• Can I rip DVDs (which I own) and watch them on it?

Yes you can provided you convert them to a format compatible with the Apple TV.

How easy is it to watch TV:

• According to the Apple TV website:
  1. Download movies, TV shows and more from iTunes.
  2. Sync wirelessly from your Mac or PC.
  3. Watch everything on your widescreen TV.
  

• Lets compare this to a TiVo
  1. Turn on TV and play recorded programs straight away
  

• Let's compare this to the Xbox 360 with the Xbox live video marketplace
  1. Download movie from Xbox Live marketplace
  2. Play on your TV
  

You can see from this that the Apple TV is the most complicated way to watch TV. Couldn't Apple have removed the need for a Mac or PC entirely and allowed the Apple TV to interact with iTunes directly? All this synching from PC/Mac to Apple TV is just an extra complication that will confuse the less techie mainstream consumer.

What other people say:

"For $100 more you could pick up an Xbox 360 with TV and Movie downloads direct to the console, no PC required. Oh yeah, you can do a bunch of other stuff too. The second issue I have is that Apple continues to lock us into their ecosystem - A model that has worked well for them with audio, but may not be as successful with video in the era of YouTube and DivX: The iTV has limited multimedia format support compared to products such as Netgear's new Digital Entertainer HD."
Dave Zatz

"This thing sucks, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Media Center user. It just doesn't do much of anything that can't already be done with other products that have been out for years! Why cache on the HDD? Is your network not fast enough with 802.11n to get that done? No PVR functionality. Tops out at 720p.

Other than Mac support, I don't think this offers anything new. Sure, it's really the first device to play video purchased from iTunes, but that's about it."
Chris Lanier

To Sum Up

The Apple TV is not a great product, but if you desperately want to hook up the iTunes movie store and your Mac with your TV then the Apple TV is the way to go. But if you want a more universal solution then the Xbox 360 or one of the many Apple TV alternatives will serve you better.

But there is one reason why the Apple TV will at least be partially successful. Apple really knows how to market a product.

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]]>appleapple itvapple tvAppleItvAppleTvmedia extendersMediaExtendersxbox 360Xbox360Chris Tew2007-01-14T16:02:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/convert-youtube-videos-to-wmv-with-one-click/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/convert-youtube-videos-to-wmv-with-one-click/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/convert-youtube-videos-to-wmv-with-one-click/#commentsFiled under: Tips, Mobile, Downloads, Streaming

Zunemytube is probably the simplest solution I've seen so far for saving and converting YouTube, Google, and MSN Soapbox videos.

Here's how it works:

1. Download and install ZuneIEPlugin.
2. A new icon shows up on your Internet Explorer window with a Zune symbol.
3. Browse to a video you want to save on Google, YouTube, or Soapbox.
4. Click the "Zune It" button.
5. The program will download an .flv file and convert it to a Zune-compatible .wmv file.
6. The videos will be saved in your "My Videos" folder, under subfolders for Google Video, YouTube, and Soapbox.

I know I made that look like six steps, but seriously, once you've selected the online video you want to watch, it's only one click.

To be honest, I've gotten pretty lousy video quality downloading and converting YouTube videos this way. That's probably because I'm downloading a highly compressed video file and converting it into another highly compressed video file. But I've managed to convert a few videos from Google that came out pretty nicely.

[via jkOnTheRun]

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]]>conversiongoogle videoGoogleVideoieinternet explorerInternetExplorersoapboxyoutubezuneBrad Linder2007-01-04T10:04:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/year-of-living-digitally/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/year-of-living-digitally/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/year-of-living-digitally/#commentsFiled under: Downloads, Streaming

I've pondered several times whether I could cancel my cable subscription and still catch all the shows I really want to watch. Well, Paul Colligan was tired of pondering, so he decided to go ahead and do it -- for an entire year. He's cleverly titled his blog documenting the project Year of Living Digitally.

The other day, for example, he listed the seven TV shows he wants to watch regularly. If he purchases each episode via iTunes at $1.99 per episode, he'll be spending $52 a month on television. That's less than some people's cable bills. Of course, some of the shows are available for free, through web services set up by the networks that air them.

Colligan's main ally in his quest for digital entertainment is his Xbox 360, which acts as a media extender for content on his computer. He can also download videos directly from the Xbox Marketplace.

I don't think anybody doubts that you CAN sever the cable connection at this point, the question is, would you want to? If you like tinkering around with your media in multiple formats before watching it, maybe. And if you like having to go to iTunes to purchase some content while other's available at sites like MovieLink, and yet other content is available for free if you stream it through a web browser, then have at it.

This still seems like an early adopter game to me. I'll be most interested in seeing how his wife and kids react to the new reality of the Colligan household.

Two last things to note.

1. Colligan will not be spending much time on peer to peer networks here. His goal is to highlight the legal options for obtaining digital entertainment.
2. The saddest part of the experiment so far is that he went and put the family TiVo up for auction on eBay.

[via jkOnTheRun]

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]]>digital mediaDigitalMediaonline mediaOnlineMediapaul colliganPaulColliganBrad Linder2007-01-04T07:30:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/02/showtime-extendmedia-latest-to-abuse-first-in-a-press-release/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/02/showtime-extendmedia-latest-to-abuse-first-in-a-press-release/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/02/showtime-extendmedia-latest-to-abuse-first-in-a-press-release/#commentsFiled under: Advertising, News, Downloads

I'm starting to get sick of companies insisting they have the "first" service to do X, Y, or Z. Sure, you may be the first to announce a service that's designed to work with Windows Vista, and Intel's Viiv platform, but it doesn't mean other services won't also work.

Case in point, Showtime and ExtendMedia plan to showcase a new download to own video service at CES. Users will be able to purchase Showtime programming including Weeds, The L Word, and Sleeper Cell. You can watch them on a PC or copy them to a portable media player. So far so good.

But then they have to call it the "world's first video download-to-own service on Microsft's Windows Vista." All that really means is the service will probably launch sometime after Vista does. There's no information in the release about Mac or Windows XP compatibility, but I'm willing to wager you'll be able to download movies just fine (with XP anyway).

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]]>cesextendmediashowtimeBrad Linder2007-01-02T12:16:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/28/fox-sports-offers-downloads-of-bowl-games/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/28/fox-sports-offers-downloads-of-bowl-games/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/28/fox-sports-offers-downloads-of-bowl-games/#commentsFiled under: Downloads, Streaming

Sure, it turns out that the least popular shows for time-shifted viewing are live events like sports. But that doesn't mean there's no demand.

Fox Sports announced today that it will offer live video streams of college football games including the 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game.

The games will also be available for download through Fox's Direct2Drive, Apple's itunes, Amazon's Unbox, AOL Video, CinemaNow and Instant Media. Videos will be available for download within 24 hours of their original airing.

This should come as great news to football fans living outside of the United States. I'll be curious to see if it's popular with domestic audiences as well.

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]]>bowl gamesBowlGamesfootballfox sportsFoxSportsBrad Linder2006-12-28T18:52:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/27/post-holiday-support-guide-uk-edition/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/27/post-holiday-support-guide-uk-edition/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/27/post-holiday-support-guide-uk-edition/#commentsFiled under: General, Hacks, Support, Tips, Humax, BSkyB, NTL, Telewest, Downloads

If you were lucky enough to receive a PVR-related product for Christmas, but you're finding difficulty figuring out how to use it, then here's some handy numbers and websites for you to try out before losing your marbles.

Sky+: The customer service number at Sky can vary in the waiting times, from as low as five minutes, to up to an hour. However, they tend to be quiet helpful and knowledgeable -- and if you're not getting satisfaction, insist on a engineer coming out to visit. But make sure you do have a fault, or you could end up being charged if you've done something stupid like taken the batteries out of your remote. Customer service ebsite: www.sky.com. Phone: 08705 800 800 for Sky+ support or 8702 43 5000 for other technical enquiries.

Telewest TVDrive: most people who have a Telewest/NTL product also have the telephone as part of the deal. If so, just dial 150 from your phone and follow the instructions to find the service helpdesk that you need. If you don't have the phone, try the FAQ section first or phone 0845 142 0000.

If you picked up a Humax PVR, try out their website first: www.humaxdigital.com/uk or phone 0208 744 5510. You can also email them on: sales-info@humax-digital.co.uk

If you received a Topfield PVR, try their website: www.topfield.co.uk/ or visit their forum, which has a small community of people ready to help out with any problems.

Most importantly, don't lose the plot if you're starting to get frustrated by a problem you can't resolve. I usually find that obsessing over it is often the best way to lose the affections of your closest family members -- while a simple process of taking a break and then methodically working your way through the issue usually brings about the best results.

If you're really, really stuck - just email us using the contact link here on the site (or comment on this entry) and we'll do our very best to help out or point you in the right direction.

Whatever you do, enjoy your holiday period and your PVR gift.

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]]>Martin Conaghan2006-12-27T10:00:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/24/gb-pvr-0-99-5-released-free-pc-pvr-software/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/24/gb-pvr-0-99-5-released-free-pc-pvr-software/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/24/gb-pvr-0-99-5-released-free-pc-pvr-software/#commentsFiled under: General, News, Software, Downloads

Just in time for Christmas the new version of the GB-PVR PC PVR software has been released bringing it to version 0.99.5. As always a large number of bug fixes and minor improvements have been made. Here are some of the more notable improvements:

• Improved aspect ratio control with Overlay renderer
• Added support for MultiDec plugins
• Improvements to the start up time for timeshift mode, and the time to change channels
• Added ability to delete directories from the Video Library
• Added support for Vista
  

You can download the new version here. If you are upgrading from a previous version it is recommend backing up config.xml and gbpvr.db3 files.

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]]>gb pvrGbPvrpcpvrsoftwareChris Tew2006-12-24T13:29:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/23/could-2007-become-the-year-where-people-begin-to-ditch-cable-and/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/23/could-2007-become-the-year-where-people-begin-to-ditch-cable-and/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/23/could-2007-become-the-year-where-people-begin-to-ditch-cable-and/#commentsFiled under: General, Cable TV, TiVo, Downloads, Streaming, IPTV

I'm pretty sure everyone is not going to wake up on New Years day and start thinking why the hell do I pay nearly $100 a month for my Cable and TiVo and decide to cancel their subscription realizing they have also over spent this Christmas.

However, I do think that people may start to see that there is a lot of free television on the internet and even some paid services that could replace TiVo and Cable altogether. Given that internet TV is continuing to enter the living room the need for cable or TiVo is slowly beginning to dwindle.

Of course for all those HD fans the internet is not going to match up for some years and cable and TiVo will keep their pride of place in the living room. But those people that value saving quite a bit of money and believe you don't need high quality to enjoy TV may opt out of their TiVo and cable subscriptions.

Without even touching on the pirated TV available there is an increasing amount of legitimate free content. There are many web TV stations on the internet, lots of video clips on sites like YouTube, and even the prospect of more familiar on demand content through The Venice Project.

In fact it is the the early beta reviews that I have read on The Venice Project here and here that makes me think people will start dropping cable for free TV. If the Venice Project can maintain minimal advertising, and grow a decent database of content people won't need Cable and because the content is on-demand they won't need a PVR either.

Even if the Venice Project doesn't have your favorite shows you could probably download them for about $1.99 an episode from iTunes, Amazon Unbox or Cinema Now and be able to keep them to watch whenever you want.

I do however doubt that the hardcore TV junkies would be fully satisfied by what's available on the internet and could run up huge bills at the iTunes movie store, but for the more passive TV viewer the internet could be a very cost effective alternative to cable and TiVo.

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]]>cabletivoweb tvWebTvChris Tew2006-12-23T17:37:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/azuereus-to-bring-bbc-shows-to-the-internet-via-p2p-legally/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/azuereus-to-bring-bbc-shows-to-the-internet-via-p2p-legally/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/azuereus-to-bring-bbc-shows-to-the-internet-via-p2p-legally/#commentsFiled under: Deals, News, Downloads

Okay, here's something that could actually get me to use Zudeo. When BitTorrent client developers Azureus launched a new broadband service for users to share and download high-definition videos, it seemed a bit clunky to me. Unlike reigning the raining champ, YouTube, Zudeo requires you to install software to play, and you can't immediately watch programs.

But now Azureus says they've reached a deal with the BBC to carry BBC programming on Zudeo. That means shows such as Doctor Who, Little Britain, and Red Dwarf could be available legally in the US through a peer-to-peer BitTorrent service.

When I was in college, I was made aware that TV viewers in the UK were always a season or two behind on one of my favorite shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I guess turnabout is fair play, but it's been painful waiting for the Sci Fi channel in the US to show new episodes of Doctor Who almost a year after they've already aired in Britain. I hope this deal means that first-run programs will be available on Zudeo for a small fee, or even for free. If programs such as Torchwood don't make it onto Zudeo or another service I might just wait until they come out on DVD.

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]]>azureusbbcbuffy the vampire slayerBuffyTheVampireSlayerdoctor whoDoctorWholittle britainLittleBritainred dwarfRedDwarfzudeoBrad Linder2006-12-19T13:15:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/dish-to-start-an-iptv-service-with-movie-downloads/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/dish-to-start-an-iptv-service-with-movie-downloads/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/19/dish-to-start-an-iptv-service-with-movie-downloads/#commentsFiled under: News, Dish Network, Downloads, IPTV

The DISH Network is rumored to be soon announcing an IPTV service. DISH already has the IPTV section of its website ready but empty.

SatelliteGuys.us is reporting the DISH IPTV service will offer SD and HD quality movies, music, adult programs and entertainment news and it will also offer other services such as Cinema Now.

Some of the content will be free while others may incur a one time or monthly charge. Download to own movies and TV shows can be stored on your hard drive but not copied to other storage devices.

This news may push TiVo to announce its own video download service which I'm sure is in the pipeline.

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]]>Chris Tew2006-12-19T10:17:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/18/can-the-internet-replace-a-cable-subscription/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/18/can-the-internet-replace-a-cable-subscription/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/18/can-the-internet-replace-a-cable-subscription/#commentsFiled under: Apple, Downloads, Streaming, IPTV

Robert Lemos over at Wired took a challenge to go a month without cable TV and see if he and his family could rely on the internet for all of their entertainment needs. He literally cut off his cable subscription -- with scissors -- and set about exploring the world of iTunes.

The first challenge he encountered was the realization that nobody sat in the living room to watch TV together anymore. Instead, parents and children would sit in front of a desktop or PC and enter their own little worlds.

For the sake of communal entertainment, Lemos went and bought a Mac mini to hook up to the HDTV in the living room, and after a few struggles, got it to work. At which point he discovered that at $2 per episode, he was quickly going to see his iTunes bill surpass his old cable bill.

Luckily networks like CBS and Fox have put many of their programs online for free, making it easy to watch many popular broadcast television programs. That is, unless you want to watch live sports. Then you're pretty much out of luck.

Lemos says he and his family have decided to stick with their cable-free lifestyle for now, but he also admits that his family watches less television than the average American household.

Personally, I have dreams of setting up a similar system -- but supplementing it with a PC-based PVR with a couple of OTA HDTV cards built in for capturing most of the broadcast shows I'd need. Then I'd only need to download a handful of programs from cable networks like Sci Fi or HBO, keeping the iTunes bill nicely below my average $54 monthly cable bill.

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]]>online videoOnlineVideowiredBrad Linder2006-12-18T14:00:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/16/xbox-live-marketplace-vs-hd-dvd/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/16/xbox-live-marketplace-vs-hd-dvd/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/16/xbox-live-marketplace-vs-hd-dvd/#commentsFiled under: HDTV, Downloads

Jake Ludington wanted to answer a pretty simple question -- how noticeable is the quality difference between HD-DVD movies and the high definition videos downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace?

The results were pretty surprising. The 6.1GB 720p movies available from the Marketplace actually hold up pretty well against full 1080p HD-DVD movies.

As with any new technology, there's a limited selection of titles available from the Marketplace, and a limited number of HD-DVDs. In order to make an apples to apples comparison, Ludington compared two copies of V for Vendetta. Watching both versions, he couldn't see much difference, other than that the downloaded copy looked a little brighter.

So he captured a clip of each movie at 1280x720 pixels to run a battery of tests. The conclusion - the HD-DVD blacks are blacker, but neither version shows much in the way of artifacts.

So what does this mean for the end user? Basically, if you've got a 1080p screen, you'll get the full 1920x1080 resolution offered by HD-DVD. But if you're using a 720p or 1080i set, the Xbox Live Marketplace downloads look almost identical.

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]]>hd-dvdxbox 360xbox live marketplaceXbox360XboxLiveMarketplaceBrad Linder2006-12-16T16:00:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/intel-set-to-launch-uk-based-movie-download-service/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/intel-set-to-launch-uk-based-movie-download-service/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/intel-set-to-launch-uk-based-movie-download-service/#commentsFiled under: Music, News, Apple, Downloads

Chip manufacturer Intel is set to launch a movie download service on Monday (18 December).

The venture is a partnership with Coolroom.com and could be set to give iTunes a run for its money, especially when you consider that hardly any video content is available from Apple on the UK version of iTMS.

What's more, the service doesn't require a membership fee -- just a straight payment for the movie you want, which will be available at the same time as the DVD release.

The only drawback is, the movies will only be available on Intel Viiv-enabled Windows Media Center PCs.

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]]>downloadsintelmoviesMartin Conaghan2006-12-15T11:40:00+00:00http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/online-video-set-to-explode-in-07/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/online-video-set-to-explode-in-07/http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/15/online-video-set-to-explode-in-07/#commentsFiled under: Financials, News, Downloads

Oh, contradictory data reports, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. This week ABI Research announces that only 5% of the folks who watch video online are willing to pay for it.
2. And now, Strategic Analytics tells us that revenues from digital video downloads will grow to $1.5 billion by the end of next year, and $5.9 billion by 2010.
   

Apparently in 2006 more than 100 million TV shows, movies, and other videos have been downloaded in 2006, generating $298 million in revenue for companies selling digital video online.

I'm sure there's some wonderful model that projects how quickly this will grow. But the truth is, while it's becoming increasingly clear that the line between computer and television is blurring, I'm not convinced that people will be much more enthusiastic about paying for movies online in 2007 or 2010.

To put it another way, more and more content is available to cable customers via video-on-demand. And the Telcos like Verizon and AT&T are getting into the game, delivering content to customers through the same pipes they use to pump data and voice. I think customers will be able to get a more internet-like experience on their TV sets in the near future without necessarily having to log onto a computer to download movies which they can then stream or transfer to a box near their TV set.

Of course, I could be totally off base here, and maybe a coalition of companies headed by YouTube, Netflix, and Apple will kill off traditional broadcast and cable television, instead convincing viewers to buy all of their videos online.

[via Digital Lifescapes]

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]]>digitalfinancial analysisFinancialAnalysisonline videoOnlineVideoBrad Linder2006-12-15T11:00:00+00:00