OTA

Hands-on: Simple.TV might be the next big cord-cutting device

LAS VEGAS--Simple.TV's DVR without a hard drive or video output may sound crazy, but it could end up being a killer product for cable-cutters.

That's the impression I got after spending some hands-on time with the over-the-air-friendly DVR, which was already working on an iPad and a Roku 2 XS box in the booth.

To recap from my initial story, Simple.TV allows you to access over-the-air TV programs, either live or stored on a connected hard drive (that you supply), from a number of devices on your home network--at launch there are apps for Roku, Google TV, Boxee, and iPad. So fire up your iPad and you can watch live broadcast TV or any of the recordings on the connected hard drive.… Read more

Simple.TV is a next-gen DVR for the cord-cutting crowd

LAS VEGAS--It's hard to imagine a DVR without a hard drive or a video output, but that's exactly what the new Simple.TV box is.

Designed with cable-cutters in mind, the Simple.TV ($150, available in the spring) is capable of recording over-the-air HDTV and Clear QAM cable, along with traditional DVR functionality like pausing live TV.

What makes Simple.TV's solution interesting, compared with more-traditional DVRs capable of recording over-the-air content (like TiVo and Channel Master TV), is that the Simple.TV box itself doesn't have an HDMI or any kind of video output. Instead, … Read more

Why Boxee Box's TV tuner needs DVR support

Boxee co-founder Avner Ronen took to the official Boxee blog this morning to announce the Boxee Live TV tuner.

It's a $50 TV tuner dongle coming in January that connects to one of the Boxee Box's USB ports and works with either free over-the-air TV signals (which typically include the major networks, plus PBS) or unencrypted Clear QAM cable channels. (There's a useful overview on Boxee's site.)

The pitch is that the Live TV tuner makes the Boxee Box an exceptional cable-cutting device, letting you still watch major TV events like local sports and award shows, while catching up on other TV and movie content via streaming video services like Netflix and Vudu. (But not Hulu Plus, which still hasn't been added to Boxee, despite the announcement over a year ago.)

The catch? That all sounds great, until you remember that every modern HDTV already has a built-in ATSC tuner that allows you to watch live TV.… Read more

iOS 5.0.1 triggers address book bug for certain users

Apple's iOS 5.0.1 seems to have created a glitch with the Contacts app for certain users, according to various sources and several posts on the Apple Support Forums.

Startup Foundry founder Paul Hontz reported late last week that after updating to 5.0.1, the iPhone was no longer able to associate address book contacts with other apps. Opening the Contacts app would display all the right names. But using the iMessage texting app or even making a phone call would fail to remember the name of a contact and just display the person's phone number.… Read more

New Channel Master DVR records OTA, streams Vudu but not Netflix

Cutting the cable can be done, but one of the toughest challenges is replacing live TV programs, like sports and local news. We've long been advocates of over-the-air (OTA) HDTV to fill the gap, but there aren't many OTA DVRs and the existing models have significant drawbacks, including the Channel Master CM-7000PAL we reviewed earlier this year.

Channel Master has announced a new over-the-air DVR this morning, the Channel Master TV, combining TV recording functionality with the ability to stream Vudu. Unlike TiVo, the Channel Master TV does not require a monthly subscription, instead relying on free electronic … Read more

Vodafone's Desire update brings unexpected apps

HTC Desire owners on Vodafone's U.K. network received an over-the-air update early Tuesday that came with some unexpected features.

No, it wasn't Android 2.2, code-named Froyo, which brings with it considerable speed updates, home screen enhancements, and tweaks that make it easier to update and manage installed applications. Instead, it was a handful of Vodafone-branded applications, a new Vodafone-branded restart animation, and changes to the user's home screen applications and Web bookmarks.

Angry users have hopped on Vodafone's forums to voice their disapproval. Many are irate over the fact that these apps, which include … Read more

DTVPal DVR is dead, but the identical Channel Master CM-7000PAL lives on

One of the perennial questions we get at CNET is this: "I get my TV via an over-the-air antenna. Is there a noncable, nonsatellite DVR I can buy that doesn't require a service fee?" The answers were few and far between. TiVo works great with over-the-air TV, but that unit does require a monthly/yearly/lifetime fee. You can set up a Windows Media Center PC (with a DTV tuner attachment), but that's a rather elaborate solution for most folks. DVD recorders are one possibility, but they generally don't have onscreen program guides, and they … Read more

NBA action in HD, it's fantastic

I haven't watched more than two minutes of NBA basketball--playoffs not included--since Michael Jordan retired (that'd be the second of his three retirements, in 1998). Then I got a HDTV last year and suddenly found myself tuning in for entire halves of meaningless regular season games--three-quarters of the game if Steve Nash was involved.

If you're hooked on high-definition professional basketball, there's another way to catch all the action without upgrading your TV or cable box. Throw a $99 tuner/antenna kit in your laptop bag and you can watch over-the-air HDTV no matter where you … Read more