HDTV

After a multiyear drought that has left many DirecTV customers peeved, TiVo-based devices might be coming back to the satellite provider's service later this week.

According to DirecTV forum poster, "Val_Installs," DirecTV will be launching a TiVo HD DVR on Thursday. For now, the person says, TiVo's set-top box will be available in just 10 major markets, including New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. There is no word on when the national rollout might occur, but the user said that it's currently "being evaluated" by the company.

Although a simple forum posting isn'… Read more

The rumor mill is heating up around Apple's television plans, and now a report claims to have information on the device's screen sizes.

Citing anonymous sources in Japan at a "major" company working on the set's production, Australian technology site Smarthouse reported Sunday that Apple television buyers will be able to choose from three screen sizes, ranging from 32 inches to 55 inches. In addition, the sources say that the television will ship with the same Apple A6 processor expected to come in the iPad 3.

On the software side, Smarthouse's sources say that … Read more

One of my favorite products of the year is Epson's MegaPlex MG-850HD projector. Plunk your iPhone, iPod, or iPad into its pop-out iDevice dock and presto: you've got a complete home theater anywhere there's a chunk of wall space.

The unit has a list price of $799, but P.C. Richard & Son sells the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD projector for $644.97 shipped.

Still pricey, yes, but I've been reviewing one for the past couple weeks and think it's a great buy.

On its own, the MG-850HD is a 720p projector that pumps out an … Read more

Rumors have been swirling that Apple is thinking about launching a television next year, and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claims to have some insight into what the iPhone maker has planned.

Speaking yesterday at Business Insider's Ignition: Future of Media conference, Munster said, according to the blog, that Apple thinks customers want an all-in-one television that isn't tied down to external boxes.

But in order to deliver that, Munster says, Apple will charge a steep premium for its television. According to Business Insider, Munster said that if a given television costs $800, Apple's alternative will set … Read more

Netflix has endured an exceedingly difficult year. But things will only get worse in the coming months, says Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter.

Writing to investors in a research note today, Pachter said that Netflix "is broken," and its decision earlier this year to raise prices on customers who want to both rent DVDs and stream video content proved to be the catalyst that brought those flaws to light.

"It is clear that a price increase was necessary, and equally clear in hindsight that a 60 percent increase on the hybrid customer was too much," Pachter wrote … Read more

Happy Cyber Monday! I've always preferred this "holiday" to Black Friday, as it allows me to shop in my preferred garb: bathrobe and slippers. (Tried that on a Black Friday once; I am no longer welcome in the mall.)

Indeed, this is arguably this biggest shopping day of the year for the ol' Cheapskate, as all the deals are, by definition, online. I'll be discussing some of my favorites live today on CNET's Holiday Help Desk, which airs at 3 p.m. ET, noon PT.

In the meantime, here are some assorted Cyber Monday goodies … Read more

Happy Black Friday, fellow cheapskates! At this most holy time of year (for our "religion," anyway), I'm on the prowl all weekend for the best sales and deals and giveaways. Today, I bring you five.

1. First up, as CNET's Steven Musil reported a few days ago, Amazon is offering all AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon phones for just one penny (with a two-year contract, of course). The only criteria: it must be a new line of service.

Although the iPhone isn't among the 98(!) available models, you can score awesome phones like the … Read more

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Windows Media Center is a better DVR than TiVo. It has a vastly superior program guide, a much prettier Netflix interface, and a total lack of monthly fees.

The key ingredient to a successful WMC setup is a CableCard tuner. These were few and far between until a couple months ago, but now you have several good options.

Like this one: Newegg has the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime HDHR3-CC CableCard tuner for $169.99, plus $6.98 for shipping. The list price is $249, and most online outfits sell it for around $229.

The HDHR3-CC offers three digital tuners that can pull down HD and premium channels alike. (Sorry, no on-demand or pay-per-view, though.) All you need is a CableCard from your cable company. The one I'm renting from Comcast costs me all of $1.50 per month; I think I was paying $13 to $14 for a DVR box.

What's unique about this particular tuner is that it plugs into your home network router, meaning you can share its tuners with multiple Windows 7-powered PCs: one in the den, one in the bedroom, and so on. (Ideally, however, you'll want a wired Ethernet connection between those PCs and your router.)

There's even a companion iPad app, though it's pricey at $17.99 and not very good.

My only real complaint is that you can't plug the HDHR3-CC into a single PC if you prefer that kind of configuration. But for multi-PC households, the HDHR3-CC is a steal at $169.99. Grab one while it's on sale!… Read more

Television vendors are selling more 3DTV sets than ever, but whether those buyers are actually using the 3D is a major question mark right now.

Research firm NPD's DisplaySearch unit reported today that 6.6 million 3D LCD TVs shipped during the third quarter, representing a gain of 27 percent over shipments during the second quarter. DisplaySearch expects 3DTV shipments to jump 30 percent in the fourth quarter. All told, the firm expects 21.5 million 3D televisions to ship this year.

That success has helped 3D televisions cut into 2D market share. In the first quarter of 2011, … Read more