PurePVR

An article at Forbes is reporting that DirecTV’s DVR solution is going to be delayed, yet again. It was originally supposed to be released earlier this year but has since been pushed back until at least the fall. The article also goes on to speculate that this could cause an exodus from HD users on the DirecTV dish network.

I’m going to be moving into a new house very soon and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t looking at HD TVs. I know that if I got one I would have to heavily think about using a satellite or cable provider who did not offer a HD compatible DVR. Although I have built a few PVRs / DVRs (non of which were HD) in the past I would want to know that if I want to go with a retail solution I could. For their own sake, I hope DirecTV gets their act together.

Edit: Thanks to MegaZone who pointed out in the comments that DirecTV already has an MPEG-2 TiVo based DVR (the HR10-250). The DVR in question that is being delayed is DirecTV’s own attempt at making an MPEG-4 DVR.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, HD, HDTV, DirecTV

The new prime time show Treasure Hunters has an interesting twist to it that NBC hopes will get PVR / DVR users ditch their time shifting habits. During the show, they run a contest that gives viewers a chance to win $10,000. The catch: you can only enter if you are watching it live.

Davis Freeberg has an interesting opinion on this whole matter over at his blog. In the post he goes on to discuss whether this is actually a give away or whether it is a lottery of sorts.

Although I am one for networks trying out new angles in order to cope with PVR / DVR use, something about this just feels a bit ‘off’. I am more of a fan of creating advertising that PVR / DVR users would like to watch (think along the lines of PVR / DVR ready commercials).

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, TiVo, NBC, time+shifting

Now this is an interesting twist on PVR / DVR technology: Digital Silence is reporting that Aqua-Vu has a new DVR product that will users to record video while beneath the surface of the water.

OK, so you won’t be watching the latest episode of Survivor on it, but it is still a DVR non the less. I also give them a tip of the hat for using flash memory. For smaller recordings (e.g. a few minutes) you really can’t beat the convenience of carrying it around on something the size of your fingernail.

From the article:

The new Aqua-Vu DVR is available both as a separate handheld unit that connects to any current Aqua-Vu camera, and as an integrated Aqua-Vu DVR / viewing system. This unit, the Aqua-Vu DVR, comes complete with Nature Vision’s patent-pending “fish camera” (with 100 feet of aramid-core cable), infrared lighting for viewing in low-light conditions, battery and charger, and a handsome protective case/sunshield.

With 16 MB of on-board memory, Aqua-Vu’s DVR systems also utilize removable San Disk media cards (not included) that allow the user to increase the amount of video storage capacity.

The full Aqua-Vu DVR product page can be found here.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, Fishing

In what looks like a dream combo (at least on paper …. or the web), Sony has released a new HDTV LCD in the UK which supports 1080p. It also has an integrated Freeview tuner for of you lucky people in the UK who get this sort of stuff over the air.

At the same time as the TV launch, Sony is also showing off its SVR-S500. The SVR-S500 sports an 80 GB hard drive (seems kind of small to me, especially if it does HDTV) and it is able to store up to 8 days of electronic program guide. The price also seems to be a bit high at £235, but that could also be because of the “Sony Tax”.

You can read more at BoqPod, AV zombie and at Stuff Magazine.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, Freeview, Sony, SVR-S500, 1080p

HTPCnews.com is carrying news that TVedia 4.0 has been released. For those of you who are unfamiliar with TVedia, it is another Windows based Media Center application that was born out of necessity. Since Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is not [1]technically available for purchase, a group of developers got together and wrote TVedia 4.0.

TVedia can be found here, and there is a 15 day trial available for those who want to try it. After the trial expires, you can purchase the full version for $34.95, which includes 1 year of TVedia subscription service.

For those of you who are not interested in paying the $34.94 / year (which in all fairness is a lot less then renting a PVR / DVR from your service provider), don’t forget to check out GB-PVR & Media Portal, both of which are free and run on Windows.

[1] Although you can buy Windows MCE 2005 at some stores (e.g. TigerDirect) it is not in the true spirit of the license. An OEM license is designed to be sold with a complete system.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, TVedia, MCE, Media+Center+Edition, GB-PVR, Media+Portal

TV advertising revenue has been more and more in the forefront of the PVR / DVR market as of late. Most of the big broadcasting corporations are complaining left and right that the ‘TV Revolution’ is nothing more than viewers skipping their advertisements. They don’t seem to care whether users watch more TV or even if they enjoy their shows more with the help of time shifting. What they care about is their bottom line advertising revenues.

Some advertisers (such as GE & Coke) have started to try and crack the market, and I applaud them for trying to break new ground. Broadcasting networks have started using product placements as a way to generate advertising revenue without having to risk people fast forwarding the show. Even that I can live with assuming that it doesn’t get in the way of the show. But still some corporations are complaining.
So what’s the point of this rant? Well, Phil Swann was on Fox News recently and he brought up another possible strategy that would get users to hold off on the fast forward button. What’s this new revolutionary strategy? More live events. Plain and simple. Upon reading his blog post about it I thought that it was probably a great strategy. Suppose you could organize a large enough event that nobody would want to miss. Everyone would start watching it as soon as they could and if they start watching it on time, that means no time shifting, and no time shifting means no skipped commercials. Of course we’ll have to see if this takes off, but how many more options do these corporations need before they finally move forward and embrace the technology?

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, Marketing, Swanni

Got an extra $4000 lying around along with a hankering to get a new PVR / DVR? If so, LG has something just for you. The new LG 50PC1DR is a 50 inch high-definition plasma TV that comes with a built in 160 GB hard drive for recording shows, pausing TV and doing the rest of the things that PVRs / DVRs do so well. Consumer Reports has a nice 1 page write up on the model over at their website.

There are a few nice things about getting a TV with a built in PVR / DVR: you are not tied to a specific service provider, you don’t have to deal with monthly rental fees and setup can be as quick as just turning the TV on. With these high-def plasma TVs becoming more popular, it seems like a natural evolution to start incorporating PVR & DVR devices into them. Once they hit the market’s ‘sweet spot’ we’ll likely see a huge change in the way TV is watched in general.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, LG, 50PC1DR

Scott Fowler who is a reporter with the Charlotte Observer recently got himself a PVR / DVR. Although he doesn’t say what kind it is, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter are the things has learned since he started using it. Quickly after purchasing it, he fell in love with it. He now uses it to watch sporting events in half the time the used to. He skips past slows parts in golf tournaments, rants by various on air personalities and needless to say commercials. His story can be read here.

In a similar fashion, Josh Freed from the Montreal Gazette wrote about his experiences with his new PVR / DVR awhile back. Although he did not necessary like it for the same reasons as Scott, he did find discover a new relationship with his TV. The biggest selling point for him is the fact that he can watch what he wants when he wants. He no longer needs to watch live TV, and needless to say that he enjoys the skipping of commercials as well. His column can be read here.

It’s nice to see that PVRs / DVRs are starting the make their way into reporters homes. This is really where a revolution like this starts to hit the mainstream public.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR

In a press release from SigmaTel an announcement has come that they will be providing their PR818S chip for the new GeCube GC-PVR100. This chip has built in codecs for various formats including MPEG-4 and MPEG-2.

I think that the real big news here is that this chip is being provided by SigmaTel. Although they are not the top quality producers of components, they are probably one of the biggest (just think of all the Dell computers that have built in SigmaTel audio). With a huge player like this getting into the PVR game, it could mean large scale mainstream acceptance of PVRs / DVRs.

On the downside, the GC-PVR100 will only be available in the Asia-Pacific market at the moment. Hopefully if it fairs well there, SigmaTel will venture into the North American and European markets.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, GC-PVR100

In a statement that has set the internet ablaze with comments, ABC’s President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw made the following remark: “I would love it if the (cable operators), during the employment of the new DVRs they’re putting out there, would disable the fast-forward (button)”.

Now this isn’t directed at TiVo in particular (although I would imagine that they are a big one) but it seems like a pretty ludicrous remark to make. It appears as if ABC wants control not only over what you watch (e.g. you have to watch commercials) but also how you watch it. Needless to say the fallout from this remark has been fairly heavy. In the very off chance that this ever does happen, I am sure that the open source alternatives like GB-PVR, MythTV & Media Portal will soar in popularity.

Here are a few more links if you are interested in the community’s thoughts:

• ABC Trying to Kill PVR Ad Skipping – Gizmodo
• ABC Tries to Kill DVR Ad Skipping – Marketing Shift
• ABC wants to kill DVR ad-skipping – Ad Jab
• ABC Tries to Kill DVR Ad Skipping – TV Predictions
• ABC hopes to halt fast forwarding – ArsTechnica
• ABC Wants DVR Fast Forwarding Killed – Broadband Reports
• ABC Exec. Lobbies to Disable DVR Fast-Forward During Commericals – News Busters

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, MythTV, GB-PVR, Media+Portal, ABC