dvr

Supreme Court ignores EchoStar appeal against TiVo suit

The Supreme Court announced Monday it is refusing to take up EchoStar Communications' appeal against a patent infringement suit filed against it by TiVo.

A jury in 2006 found that EchoStar's Dish Network digital video recorders infringed upon a patent held by TiVo and ordered it to pay TiVo $73.9 million in damages. A federal appeals court upheld the ruling in January, as did a second U.S. appeals court in April.

The Supreme Court's decision to deny EchoStar's appeal leaves the company responsible for paying full damages plus interest to TiVo--for a total of $104 … Read more

Nero Liquid TV: TiVo for your PC

Traditionally, anyone who wanted to convert a PC into a DVR was limited to the likes of Windows Media Center, SnapStream Beyond TV, or (for the more adventurous DIYers) MythTV.

Starting in October 2008, however, people can turn their Windows PCs into a full-on TiVo DVR thanks to Nero's new Liquid TV package. The software effectively turns a standard PC into a full-service TiVo DVR, replete with the same interface, program guide, and ease-of-use as TiVo's standalone hardware DVRs--but with the added ability to burn recorded shows to DVD or export them to portable devices such as the iPod or PlayStation Portable.

Liquid TV will be available in two versions. The $200 package includes a standard TiVo remote, USB DTV tuner/antenna (for over-the-air analog and digital TV, including HD broadcasts), and an IR blaster (for controlling external cable and satellite boxes, which would then be fed into a video capture card on your PC). The $100 package is software only; it's for people who already have a TV tuner card and remote solution (or who will opt for the software's onscreen mouse controls).

The software is said to support up to four TV tuners, one of which can be an external set-top box. Both versions include a year's worth of the all-important TiVo service (required for use). Nero hasn't officially set the renewal fee for the service, but company reps suggested that it will be less than the $13 per month that's the baseline for owners of the set-top TiVo boxes. … Read more

AT&T rolls out upgrade to U-verse DVRs

AT&T is upgrading the digital video recorder on its U-Verse Internet-based television service, allowing users to record and play back multiple programs on up to eight televisions.

The upgrade, called Total Home DVR, is free as part of a U-verse subscription, which costs from $44 to $99 a month. The service is already available in the San Francisco Bay Area and is expected to be rolled out to all customers by the end of the year, the company said.

Total Home DVR, which can store up to 133 hours of standard-definition programs or 37 hours of high-definition programming, … Read more

Record TV in style with a refurbished TiVo HD, $179.99 shipped

Few people would disagree that TiVo is the ultimate DVR. Here's your chance to scoop up a TiVo HD for just $179.99 shipped (plus service). These are refurbished units, but TiVo gives you the same 30-day money-back guarantee and warranty (one year for parts, 90 days for labor) that they provide with new models. Score!

In case you're unfamiliar with this particular model, it offers up to 20 hours of high-def recording, a pair of HD tuners, and a boatload of cool networking features (like movie downloads from Amazon Unbox and music from Rhapsody). The bummer, of … Read more

TiVo HD XL: TiVo HD with supersized 1TB hard drive

When TiVo discontinued its high-end cable-ready high-def DVR, the TiVo Series3, it was really just making room for a new product in the line: the TiVo HD XL. The new TiVo is a near twin of the existing TiVo HD, but for three changes: it's got a much larger 1 terabyte hard drive (enough capacity for 150 hours of HD programming); it's THX-certified; and it includes the premium TiVo backlit remote. The package costs $600--about the price that the TiVo Series3 was going for, and twice that of the "standard" TiVo HD. As with any TiVo, of course, you'll also need to budget money for a subscription fee: $13 a month, $129 a year, or $399 for the lifetime of the box. True, you can do a DIY upgrade on the standard TiVo HD by adding the improved remote ($50) and a 500GB expansion hard drive ($150), but that will cost nearly as much and still leave you with less recording capacity--and a lot of extra wires. That said, the original TiVo HD is still going to be the better buy for most viewers, while the XL model is more appropriate for die-hard TiVo fans or those who like to load up their box with lots of HD TV shows, movies, and digital downloads. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 801: There's something strange in your USB

In a world where browser tests show all kinds of things but seem to agree that Chrome is fast, where 58 percent of adults don't know what a social network is, and where DVRs are the new marriage counseling, a tiny team of intrepid podcasters stand together to fight back agianst the forces of inaccuracy, rumor, and way-too-serious news. It is we, JaMoToNa. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 801

Speed test: Google Chrome beats Firefox, IE, Safari http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10030888-92.html

Firefox counters Google’s browser-speed test http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10031278-92.html

Chrome suffers … Read more

New TiVo-powered DirecTV DVR coming in 2009

DirecTV will release a new TiVo-powered high-def DVR in the second half of 2009, the company has announced. Unlike the last "DirecTiVo" model that was released in 2004, the new model will be able to receive DirecTV's entire lineup of digital and high-def channels.

DirecTV's original TiVo-powered DVRs were among the first satellite receivers with digital video recorders built in (rather than tethered external units). The HR10-250, in fact, was the first high-def DVR available anywhere. Unfortunately, two things happened that put that model on the fast track to obsolescence. DirecTV began utilizing MPEG-4 broadcasts for most of its HD channels--a format that wasn't compatible with the TiVo units. And secondly, the company introduced its own line of non-TiVo DVRs. … Read more

Survey says: DVR could improve your relationships

More than 80 percent of Americans with a DVR can't live without it, according to a recent survey commissioned by NDS, a provider of technology solutions for digital pay TV.

The survey (PDF) was conducted in July 2008 in the U.S., U.K., Italy, and Australia, with more than 1,000 DVR owners participating. Overall, the device ranked as the third most indispensable household item (62 percent), just after the washing machine (97 percent) and the microwave oven (86 percent). In the U.S., however, a higher number of people (81 percent) cited their DVR as their most … Read more

TiVo loses subscribers but adds small profit

TiVo's midyear report card is in, and the numbers are better than most analysts expected.

The results aren't fabulous, but anything's better than the $17.7 million loss a year ago. In the second quarter of this year, the maker of digital video recorders earned revenues of $65.2 million, eking out a profit of $2.9 million, good for 3 cents per share for investors. Analysts had been anticipating revenues between $54 million and 59.3 million, a loss of 2 cents per share.

TiVo recorded lower services revenues this quarter than a year ago, but … Read more