TiVo and Charter Communications have announced plans for a next-gen TV system, which will bundle traditional cable and IPTV services. On offer later in 2011, the system will begin with the TiVo Premiere DVR – including the companion iPad app – and then be followed with multi-room playback and non-DVR receivers.
From the off, Charter will offer the TiVo Premiere for regular DVR recording together with access to the cable company’s on-demand TV catalog. The Premier UI will incorporate both the traditional system and any IPTV on offer from the new partnership, as well as online streaming video in a similar manner to Google TV.
After that will come “new devices, features, and third party applications” all using TiVo’s search/navigation/discovery engine, in an ecosystem which Charter is hoping will be somewhat easier to use than having dozens of different STBs. No word at this stage on what the Charter TiVo Premiere will cost.
Press Release:
Charter Announces Next Generation TV Strategy With TiVo
Charter and TiVo Enter Into Strategic Relationship to Deliver Innovative IP Enabled Video Platform
ST. LOUIS, MO and ALVISO, CA, Jan 24, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) and TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), today announced that Charter is setting its strategy for the next generation of television into motion with TiVo Inc. Charter and TiVo have finalized a multi-year agreement that will leverage the TiVo user interface to bring a new and enhanced entertainment experience to customers using a hybrid platform that leverages traditional cable and next generation IP technologies. Through this agreement, Charter is making a significant commitment to deploy the TiVo service to enable an enhanced television experience for consumers.
The initial phase, which is expected to launch in Charter markets later this year, will utilize TiVo’s latest generation high definition user interface and TiVo(R) Premiere set top box, as well as upcoming multi-room and non-DVR platforms. Beyond the initial phase, the strategy will encompass next generation platforms that will expand the service with new devices, features, and third party applications — all enhanced by TiVo’s highly regarded discovery, search, navigation and recommendation features which allow Charter customers to experience the best of traditional and next generation television, including linear TV, video on demand, vast libraries of Internet-delivered video and IP applications.
Consumer electronics research indicates rapidly increasing numbers of Internet-connected devices in the home, and Charter is developing the strategic means to become the advanced television solutions provider for customers, bringing simplicity to the increasing complexity of home communications and entertainment. This new generation of television service will complement Charter Internet and wireless home networking services.
“We’re integrating formerly disparate worlds of traditional television and online content, and making it simple for customers to quickly find the content they’re looking for, as well as greatly expand their entertainment choices,” said Mike Lovett, Charter’s President and CEO. “Our strategic relationship with TiVo is a significant step in Charter’s multi-year effort to become the solutions provider for home entertainment and consumer information technology. With our superior IP infrastructure, we’re leading the way with TiVo to create a user-friendly entertainment experience that leverages an open standards platform to enable IP content and bring a whole new world of applications to the television.”
Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo Inc., added, “We are thrilled to have been selected by Charter for its next generation video platform, which builds on the distribution momentum we saw throughout 2010 for our products. Charter’s strategic direction is highly aligned with the way we see consumer entertainment demands evolving. We believe Charter is uniquely positioned to offer consumers a ground breaking video service combining the best of traditional cable television with the dynamic world of Internet delivered video. We are pleased to offer a solution that seamlessly delivers DVR based video on demand, traditional network based video on demand, and the newest in broadband to the TV video on demand. While numerous consumer electronic players point to so called connected experiences on various platforms, our relationship with Charter underscores our mutual recognition of the importance of a fully integrated user experience in building a video platform that truly unifies all available content in a world of rapidly expanding choices for the consumer.”
The following features are planned for the initial product:
– TiVo’s high-definition user interface including integrated search:
Instantly scans across all channels and sources, including TV, VOD,
and available online content, to help find what customers want to
watch
– Web applications: Allows customers to access local news, sports and
weather, as well as Facebook and Twitter(TM) updates, right from the
TV
– OnDemand: Offers access to thousands of hours of video from Charter’s
OnDemand library, including 900+ high-definition titles
– Online: Internet video from top destinations
– iPad app: Serves as command central, with an ability to browse the
program guide and recorded shows, schedule recordings, post on
Facebook or Twitter, schedule, search and browse for shows from
anywhere, and much more
– Control live TV: Allows pause, rewind, slow-motion, and instant replay
functions during live TV
– Multiroom DVR: View a common list of recordings and playback recorded
content throughout the home, pause a recorded program in one room and
resume playback in another, use trick-play functions on recorded
content and delete recordings from any room*
– Remote Management: Search and schedule recordings from the Web or from
a mobile phone
– TiVoToGo(TM) transfers: Transfer photos and movies from a personal
computer to the TiVo Premiere, for viewing on the TV set; or from the
TiVo Premiere to a laptop, media device, or smart phone, for viewing
outside the home*
– Automatic recordings: Records favorite shows each week with Season
Pass(R) recordings on the TiVo Premiere. In addition,
WishList(R) searches will find and record suggested programs based
on customer interests
– Content storage: Records up to 45 hours of high-definition (HD)
programming or up to 400 hours of standard-definition programming –
equivalent to more than 16 days of content
– Full HD support: Offers full support for 1080p and 1080i HD formats
*Only video programming without copy restrictions may be transferred using multi-room viewing or TiVoToGo.
Eminent has outed its latest STB media player, the Eminent HD EM7195, a twin digital tuner model with USB 3.0 and network connectivity. Built around a pair of DVB-T Freeview tuners and Realtek’s new RT1183 DD C+ chipset – reportedly allowing for faster UI and EPG navigation – the HD EM7195 can record two shows simultaneously as well as stream network content.
Ports include one USB 3.0 Device, for hooking up to a computer and dropping files onto a SATA HDD in the EM7195′s internal bay, together with three USB host ports for external storage. There’s also 10/100 ethernet, HDMI and a multi-format memory card reader.
Supported file types include MKV and H.264, though Eminent is yet to reveal a full list. It also gets a backlit remote control. No pricing, but the Eminent HD EM7195 is set to hit the UK come March 2011.
Press Release:
Eminent announces new HD media player EM7195 with DVB-T twin tuner
The Eminent HD media player EM7195 with DVB-T, USB 3.0 and a next-generation Realtek chipset offers a complete home cinema experience. Eminent expects the HD media player EM7195 to be available in the UK in March 2011.
Supplier of ICT accessories Eminent will equip its HD media player EM7195 with a DVB-T twin tuner. As a result, it is possible to watch one Freeview™ channel and record another one at the same time. Use the electronic program guide (EPG) to choose from free digital TV channels. The Eminent HD media player EM7195 allows to schedule recordings and record up to two channels simultaneously.
Eminent is the first company offering an HD media player with the next-generation Realtek RT1183 DD C+ chipset in the UK. High stability, fast navigation and HD audio support add to the comfort of using the Eminent HD media player EM7195. It supports a broad range of video formats, including MKV and H.264.
The USB 3.0 connection facilitates fast movie transfer from a PC to the hard disk inside the Eminent HD media player EM7195. It takes seconds to copy a complete movie to the HD media player. Furthermore, it is possible to connect external storage devices to the USB ports, SATA port and card reader. Connect the Eminent HD media player EM7195 to the home network to stream multimedia files from a PC to the TV.
Additional accessories, such as the full-size luxurious backlit remote control, clearly add value to the Eminent HD media player EM7195. Eminent provides all necessary cables, including an HDMI and USB 3.0 cable. The Eminent HD media player EM7195 is an elegant black device made of brushed aluminium.
Eminent offers a 5 year warranty. This HD media player will be available in the UK in March 2011.
I just mentioned that Vulkano had a new product coming soon for mobile devices that streams live TV to just about anything called the Vulkano Flow. Monsoon Multimedia also has a new Vulkano Blast device that it is talking up alongside the unveil of Flow.
The Vulkano Blast is a versatile TV video platform according to Monsoon and it has lots of features. The device is easy to set up and the features include an integrated DVR, web video, TV anywhere, UPnP streaming, mobile video recording and packs in a 160GB HDD.
The Blast is capable of turning your smartphone into a mobile video recording and those programs can be played back on other device. The DVR mode allows fast forwarding of content and pause capability. TV programs can be watched on the go with the device over WiFi or 3G connections. Video is streamed at 150kbps in H.264 and MPEG-4 standards. The device has integrated WiFi and future updates will bring access to Amazon, Netflix, and more. The device will ship this month for $199.
Dish Network is still on a mission to make sure that you get your TV Everywhere, and as of today, that means your Android tablet. We reported in November that the provider was bringing its Dish remote access app to Android, opening up the world of paid-for TV to even more smartphones. As with the smartphone app, Android tablet users will have to have a Sling-enabled device, like a Sling Adapter, to access their hard earned programming, and as with the smartphone, the tablet app is free. The Dish Network app’s got all the same functionality as its predecessor: browse and search options, DVR scheduling/management, and a remote control function. So it’s basically the same beast, but we’re definitely still impressed.
Another stumbling block on the path to all-content multimedia enlightenment in a single STB has presented itself, with rights holders taking umbrage with TiVo DVRs supplied by cable companies. According to Suddenlink – though the limitation also stands for Cox and RCN – rights holders aren’t willing to see streaming and VOD content on the same cable-powered device; that means that, while Hulu Plus is expected to launch on TiVo STBs soon, it will only be available for those bought at retail, not supplied by cable companies
“Currently, Hulu Plus will not be available on MVPD-provided TiVo Premiere DVRs,” Netflix told GigaOm, meaning there will be a significant feature-gap between standalone TiVo units and those supplied by cable providers. Suddenlink rolled out TiVo Premiere units as a $15 per month option recently; however, $5 more a month gets you TiVo’s own lease, and a box with Netflix support and Hulu Plus incoming.
The content issue could see TiVo struggle to pick up customers among cable companies, which had previously been identified as an under-staturated market for the DVR firm.
Panasonic Japan has outed a new HDTV, and if you’ve ever wished for an easy way to archive live TV without messing with a DVR then this could be the VIERA you’ve been waiting for. The Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 is a 42-inch set with an IPS LED-backlit Full HD display, but the clever stuff is in the SD card reader in the side. Rather than just allowing you to play back media, as with memory card slots on other HDTVs, this one lets you record it.
That slot will take SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards – up to 64GB in size – which is good enough for up to five hours of Full HD, 24Mbps video. Alternatively, there’s a USB port to which you can directly hook up an external drive, for even longer storage.
The only problem is that the media files the VIERA creates won’t apparently play on other TVs, computers or mobile devices, which seriously undermines the TH-L42G3′s usefulness as a way to get video onto your smartphone. Other features include an ethernet port for smart TV functionality, two HDMI ports, VIERA Link, video-on-demand connectivity and DLNA. It’ll drop in Japan come January 18 2011, priced at the equivalent of $1,800.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TiVo. All opinions are 100% mine.
By David Ponce
Without getting into a lengthy diatribe about the tectonic changes the entertainment industry is (and has been for quite some while) going through in order to deliver its product to us, let me just remind you about the impact of just one of these companies: TiVo. They basically introduced the DVR to market and changed the way we interact with what we watch. Gotta go pee? Pause live TV and do it! Of course, TiVo’s been around some time and the landscape around their pioneering product also changes, so they’ve been hard at work on their latest generation box, the TiVo Premiere.
The TiVo Premiere is a DVR reloaded. Not only does it connect to your existing cable it also plugs into your Internet, opening the door to a bunch of new possibilities. “[Possibilities] like instant streaming from Netflix, downloads from Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube videos, music from Pandora and much more—all on your HDTV.” The Premiere is able to record up to 45 hours of (up to) 1080p HD video and is available for $99, when you sign up for a 1-year service plan of $19.99 a month
Except of course if you happen to read OhGizmo!… and have some luck! See, TiVo is giving a TiVo Premiere box away, with a year’s worth of $20/mo. service. Below are the essential highlights from the rules, but we’re linking to the full fineprint below.
Rules:1) Leave ONE comment on this post. We’re not doing the comment a day on this giveaway. 2) It’s open to legal US residents 18-years of age or older. 3) The contest begins at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) on December 16, 2010 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 23, 2010 (the “Contest Period”) 4) This is more of a request of mine: please leave more than “comment!” or “I’m in!” You won’t be disqualified if you don’t, but it makes us editors smile a little when you put in more than an iota of effort into your comments. These giveaways are, after all, an effort to get you all lurkers to get talking a little more on the site.
Today DISH Network LLC announces their DISH Remote Access app for iPad, a free application that allows DISH Network customers the ability to watch both live and recorded TV on their tablet. To use this service, DISH Network customers must have a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled device like the Sling Adapter which pairs with DISH Network’s ViP 722 or 722k HD DVRs. Sound easy enough? Well then it’s probably time to connect!
This app also allows you (just so long as you’ve got the correct DVR) to browse and search up to 9 days of shows, schedule recordings, delete shows on multiple receivers, and on the whole turn their iPad into one big huge remote control. Like comically large. Download the app for free now in Apple’s App Store, and check out the full press release below:
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — DISH Network L.L.C., today announced that DISH Remote Access, the free application that gives DISH Network customers the ability to watch their live and recorded TV on compatible smartphones, tablets and laptops, is now available for the iPad™. To enjoy live and recorded TV viewing on the iPad, DISH Network customers must have a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled™ device such as the Sling Adapter™ – a small placeshifting device that pairs with DISH Network’s ViP® 722 or 722k HD DVRs.
“DISH Network is the only pay-TV provider to offer a true TV everywhere solution, and now we’ve extended that experience to the iPad,” said DISH Network Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr. “Unlike mobile viewing from cable and telcos that limit access to select programs, our TV Everywhere services give consumers 24 x 7 access to all of their live and recorded content included with their DISH Network programming subscription.”
In addition to TV viewing, the DISH Remote Access app also gives DISH Network customers with compatible DVRs the ability to browse and search up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, delete shows on multiple receivers, and transform the iPad into a fully-functioning remote control.
The DISH Remote Access app for the iPad can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. For more information about DISH Remote Access, visit www.dish.com/tveverywhere.
About DISH Network
DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 14.2 million satellite TV customers, as of September 30, 2010, with the highest quality programming and technology at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy industry-leading customer satisfaction, the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.
Cox Communications has announced a new whole home DVR solution that will get fans of TV that use the cable company excited. The new service is in New England right now and sounds really cool. It adds $5 per month to the bill and allows the viewer to watch their programming in any room of the house that has a Cox tuner.
The service has a Trio interactive program guide, 500GB of storage space on the DVR and new HD channels that are only available to those that subscribe to the Plus Package DVR system. The subscription adds $5 monthly to the bill.
The coolest part of the whole home DVR system is that you can use Active Bookmarking. That means you can set a bookmark in a show you are watching and then finish the show in another room from the point you bookmarked. The system allows the users to watch up to three programs at one time and recording can be scheduled form any TV in the house.
Very first of all, let me point you toward our big time huge post: Holiday Gift Guide 2010! It’s full of EVERYTHING you could ever want (this year.) Then we’ve got reviews of both the Verizon AND the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Tab (both!), a review of a bigtime thin Full HD panel display, and an expanded look at all the stuff Mark Zuckerberg said about the future of communication today at the Facebook announcement event. And BONUS: Google CEO Eric Schmidt reveals not only a working Nexus S, but Android 2.3 Gingerbread as well! All this and MORE on The Daily Slash!
SlashSPACE
Today, Boeing has received first signals back from LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 satellite after its launch at 12:29 p.m. Eastern time on November 14th on an International Launch Services Proton vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. What will this big momma do, you ask? It’ll bring us 4G connective capabilities, that’s what! When operating fully, the satellite will use and combine ground-based beam-forming equipment and ground stations to create LightSquared’s Space-Based Network, the company’s first. LightSquared plans on combining with a network of more than 40,000 base stations to offer both ground and satellite coverage for the entirety of the USA, offering a wholesale 4G LTE wireless network in “the first four markets” by Q3, 2011. Off blast!
