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Buzz Out Loud 726: Dueling banjos at dawn (VIDEO)

Here is the video for today's episode of Buzz Out Loud. Check it out!

Buzz Out Loud 726: Dueling banjos at dawn

Somehow today's show ended with Jason Howell challenging Paul Shaffer to a duel at Shalin's suggestion. We don't know. It's Friday. In other news, Cox and Comcast are the biggest BitTorrent blockers in the world, we spoil the entire plotline of Battlestar Galactica (sorry!), and we get deep inside the jDome. Plus: VIDEO! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 726

Note: We are making a change to our podcast feed system on Monday, May 19. However, you do not need to subscribe to a new feed. One important thing to know: If you have your … Read more

TiVo extends lifetime subscription offer

Despite the fact that competing DVRs from cable and satellite companies have made great headway in the past few years, we're still fans of TiVo's intuitive interface and constantly improving feature set. However, the knock against TiVo is that it's expensive--you have to buy the box and pay a $13 monthly fee, while a DVR from your cable company usually costs less than $10 a month with no up-front cost.

As of late, TiVo has been offering a lifetime subscription plan as a promotion that was slated to end in February, but the eagle-eyed TiVo fans over … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 722: Print your own drugs

In today's show, we learn that the future lets us print our own drugs, and robots will drive our sailboats for us. Sailboats? Sailboats. Also, Gmail has a new spam problem, the BlackBerry Bold could be the new iPhone of Summer 2008, and the Rolling Stones have rolled their way right off of eMusic. Bummer. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 722

Note: We are making a change to our podcast feed system on Friday, May 16. However, you do not need to subscribe to a new feed. One important thing to know: If you have your podcast … Read more

Amazon Unbox on TiVo getting HD content

TiVo users have been able to rent and buy movies from Amazon.com's Unbox service for over a year now, but lately the service has felt a little outdated compared with competitors like Vudu and Apple TV, which offer HD downloads. Well, thanks to a comment by TiVo's VP of product marketing, Jim Denney, it seems like that's going to change soon. In an article on TV Week, Denney claims TiVo and Amazon will announce HD capabilities "in the not too distant future."

While the upgrade from SD to HD would be nice for any … Read more

Control your Tivo via Telnet on your iPhone (got that?)

I always think about hacking my Tivo then realize that I would be devastated if I screwed it all up. In the video Dave Zatz shows us how to issue commands to your Tivo via his iPhone. This looks like a fun little trick to play on your loved ones.

Zatz Not Funny via Engadget

Buzz Out Loud 708: Meat Parade

Mii parades, Sony Home, and growing new limbs. Slow news days make for the best shows of all. Oh, and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin says evidence points to widespread Internet blocking, Netflix's CEO says the company will charge a slight premium for Blu-Ray Discs, and Stephen Hawking says primitive alien life is either likely, or rampant on Earth. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 708

FCC’s Martin: Comcast blocking was widespread http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/ 144942/fccs_martin_comcast_blocking_was_widespread.html

Microsoft XP SP 3 coming April 29 http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9924500-56.html http://www.news.com/8301-10789_3-9924689-57.html… Read more

Legal injunction bars Dish Network from selling four models of DVRs

Looks like Dish may have spoken a bit too soon.

A little over a week ago, an appeals court determined that Dish Network (formerly EchoStar Communications) had indeed violated a software patent held by TiVo on digital video recorders.

While TiVo gleefully celebrated, Dish expressed disappointment, but assured its customers that none of its products would be affected because the software that was in violation had already been remotely updated by the company some months before.

Now it appears there's just a bit more to the story. Engadget has a blog pointing to notices Dish sent on Monday. The … Read more

Is there a subscription-free DVR available?--Ask the Editors

CNET reader Mathias notes:

Just a quick note/observation of mine: I can't find any DVR out there that works without a subscription and has a tuner built in for analog and digital over-the-air television signals. This strikes me as absolutely incredible. I am actually considering buying a VCR, assuming I can find one with a digital tuner. What's going on here?

To paraphrase here, it appears that Mathias gets his TV from an antenna (not cable, satellite, or fiber), and simply wants to be able to record his favorite shows with the convenience offered by a DVR with an electronic programming guide. He's also on track by searching for one with a digital tuner, since over-the-air analog TV is scheduled to shut down in February 2009.

Mathias--and plenty of others--doesn't want to pay a monthly subscription fee, so that rules out the otherwise excellent TiVo HD. So what are the alternatives?… Read more