Getting television recordings onto a portable device has always been easier said then done. Snapstream is looking to make that process easier with its updates to BeyondTV, their digital video recorder software for the PC.

From Snapstream’s announcement:

This is an innovative feature that uses the H.264 format to re-compress your Beyond TV recordings and sync them to your iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV. Using an iTunes podcast rss feed you can now automatically sync your television recordings to your iPod or iPhone. With the recent split between NBC and iTunes this feature will serve as a new outlet to get your recordings on to your iPhone or iPod without a hitch.

Snapstream also offers a step-by-step walkthrough on getting video to your iPhone or iPod. I use BeyondTV to watch HD shows over the air but I do not own a iPhone or iPod Touch to make this worthwhile. Has anyone tried this out?

Yahoo! TV, which is like an online version of TV Guide, has updated its Tivo scheduling service to now include support for the Tivo Series 3. The features of this update are outlined by the Yahoo! TV blog:

• TiVo Series 2 and TiVo Series 3 receivers supported. We previously only supported Series 2 TiVo receivers.
• Manage multiple TiVo devices. Users with multiple TiVo devices can now program all of their TiVos through our service, choosing which TiVo records which shows.
• Easy to read receiver names. We now display your DVR name, as you’ve set at TiVo.com, as receiver name. So for users with multiple devices, you’ll no longer need to guess which TiVo box you’re recording to with a numeric device name. We now display whatever name you associate to your TiVo boxes.

The idea behind this website/service is to encourage you to browse what is on TV and then tell your Tivo to record it. Overall, I think it is a pretty good idea and would love to see Vista media center supported as well. To take advantage of the programming capability offered by Yahoo! TV, simply click the “Sign Up” button on the Yahoo! TV TiVo page to get started.

Via TV Squad and Troy on Tivo.

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ReplayTV, once a rival to Tivo, is now focusing their efforts on the computer platform. The initial version of the ReplayTV software was severly lacking, especially since it was not able to handle ASTC over the air HD broadcasts. For those of you keeping score, ATSC support is now included for free with Windows Vista. I currently use BeyondTV to watch HDTV on my computer.

If you are still interested in the ReplayTV HD beta, the list below is what ReplayTV is asking of its beta testers:

• Sign the ReplayTV Beta Agreement
• Participate in online beta forums and answer weekly surveys
• Provide data files or logs when requested
• Download the beta releases at the tester website
• Submit bug reports at the tester website
• Complete specific testing tasks through September 2007

Digeo

Digeo is releasing the following two products:

• Moxi Multiroom HD DMR, contains an integrated multistream CableCard intended to let the device be used on any cable system.
• Moxi Home Cinema Edition HD DMR, is a Linux-based system that uses the recently announced AMD Live! Home Cinema reference design. No CableCard though.

I am not sure why a company would release a media center type device without CableCard support right now (Alienware Hangar 18 and HP’s 8010y also come to mind). The Moxi Home Cinema Edition HD DMR sounds like a product that is dead on arrival. The Moxi Multiroom HD DMR looks more promising, though its success will hinge on its price-point. If it is more expensive that a Tivo Series 3, then I think it will never gain traction in the marketplace.

Moxi is also working on an OCAP solution. From the Digeo website:

Moxi for OCAP is a software-based version of the Moxi user interface optimized to run on lower-end set-top boxes and other hardware using the cable-industry standard OCAP middleware platform. Compatible with multiple hardware platforms, Moxi for OCAP provides cable operators increased flexibility in bringing the Moxi user experience to their customers as they strive to effectively compete with IPTV and satellite service providers to acquire and retain customers.

Check out Dave Zatz’s post about Digeo to see some more screenshots of the Moxi’s interface.

Engadget recently had two articles about its writer’s experience with a Vista media center with CableCard support. One writer had a promising installation experience while the other was mired in CableCard hell. While the articles are interesting and worth the read, the comments on the articles left by readers prove to be even more interesting. Apparently, Microsoft has not marketed the idea of CableCard computers very well. With prices for most CableCard system over $3,000, this does not bode well for the future of the media center platform as a rival to Tivo. Media center computers are going to be a niche product for years to come I think.

Engadget has a follow-on article answering questions posed by readers. The article answers many of the common questions about CableCards and is worthwhile reading if you are thinking of spending $3,000 on a new system. The article did confirm one thing for me: recorded TV can be saved to an external hard drive or network attached storage. This is good news because your storage space can grow with your tv show collection. Overall, Microsoft has a long way to go for media center computers to be a viable alternative to Tivo or a Cable/Satellite provided DVR.

We got a chance to visit the Niveus headquarters last week, and the founders gave us a nice hands-on with their upcoming CableCARD-capable systems. If you’re not familiar with these media centers, they’re essentially Windows Vista machines with an external receiver that handle high-def feeds from your cable provider.

Gizmodo has a video of the demonstration which nicely shows off Vista Media Center.   The interface is very impressive though I still think the price of a Niveus CableCARD is insanely expensive at over $1500 just fot the Digital Cable Tuner.

One of the main issues with DVRs and media centers is the expense of storage space, especially for high definition recorders. Presumably, a network DVR would allo the customer to store more content, though it would also give the cable company more control over what was recorded. I always thought the idea of a network DVR was interesting because of its potential to limit the hardware costs of a media center. Storing high definition content on a cable company server through a media center interface would have had an interesting effect on media center adoption.

Cablevision announced its plans for network DVRs last year. Several other prominent cable companies, like Comcast, were not so quick to jump into fray, stating they were monitoring the situation.

Unlike most digital video-to-TV services, Amazon Unbox on TiVo is not an extender service so you don’t have to somehow connect your PC to your TV or extender device. Instead, your TiVo DVR communicates directly with the Unbox service through your home network, so your videos get downloaded directly to your TiVo DVR, where you already watch your favorite movies and TV shows.

Sean Alexander tested out the new Unbox on Tivo service and was underwhelmed, although he thought it showed flashes of promise. Unbox integrates well with Tivo but still requires you to purchase a movie via Amazon.com (i.e. with a computer). You cannot browse and purchase movies through your Tivo interface. There is also no progress meter on your Tivo so you have no idea when the movie is ready to be watched.

Unbox on Tivo is another awkward download service suffering from an identity crisis. Is it competing with iTunes or is it competing your cable company’s on-demand service? Ultimately, it is half of a good idea. To me, it makes more sense to allow consumers to browse movies through the Tivo interface, similar to your cable on-demand service. Since you do not actually get a physical DVD when you buy a movie, it makes more sense to just rent what you want to watch on your Tivo.

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