Biggest headache with the new TiVo Premiere has probably been the sluggish HD UI, but coming up in second place is likely the mere 320GB hard-drive the company fit as standard.  That’s good enough for up to 400hrs of SD content or 45hrs of HD, but if that’s going to put a dampener on your home entertainment experience then head over to weaKnees.  The official TiVo retailer has come up with some custom models of their own, offering up to 317hrs of HD recording.

$299.99 bags you a basic, stock TiVo Premiere, but for $499.99 you can get an upgraded one with a bigger hard-drive good for up to 2070hrs of standard definition content or 236hrs of HD.  Step up to $699.99, meanwhile, and an even bigger HDD upgrade makes for a whopping 2777hrs of SD or 317hrs of HD.

Finally, $999.99 gets you the biggest TiVo Premiere system of them all, pairing the upgraded DVR unit with an external hard-drive for up to 5600hrs of standard-def or 640hrs of high-def.  Despite the upgrades, the boxes are still eligible for TiVo’s Lifetime Service, and if you use the promo code “ZNF” – negotiated by Dave Zatz – you can save 5-percent on the sticker price.

[via Zatz Not Funny]

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When DirectTV started teasing an iPhone app about a year ago our interests were certainly piqued — and then disappointed when it was revealed it would only allow remote scheduling. When the Android version came along we got our hopes up again for remote streaming of content, but again got them dashed again. Now Rogers is doing the disappointing, launching the charmingly titled “Remote PVR Access from your Bell Smartphone” in Canada just before the Olympics on February 12, though it’s unclear right now which smartphones will be covered. It too allows remote scheduling of content and, sadly, not remote viewing. Some day we’ll get our wish — some day.

Bell’s Remote PVR software ensures you won’t miss the Canadiens Leafs game, even you’re stuck in traffic originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MvixUSA have launched their latest PVR-capable media player, the ULTIO Pro MX-880HD.  The new set-top box supports Full HD 1080p via HDMI, and can play back H.264, MKV, DivX HD, MPEG 2-TS, VC-1 and WMV video formats; inside there’s a 3.5-inch hard-drive bay happy with up to 2TB disks.

That drive can be used for local playback, standalone Torrent downloading or time-shifting, though since there’s no onboard tuner you’ll need to hook the ULTIO Pro up to a cable or satellite box.  Ports include ethernet, two USB host, one USB 2.0, a multi-format memory card slot, HDMI, component, composite and coaxial digital audio, and there’s an IR remote.

DLNA network streaming, optional WiFi 802.11n support and UPnP round out the main network features, and of course there are photo and music player apps as well as video.  The MvixUSA ULTIO Pro Home Theater Media Player will begin shipping in the first week of February 2010, priced at around $169.

Press Release:

MvixUSA Launches ULTIO Pro, the 1080p Home Theater Media Player with PVR (Personal Video Recording)

Chantilly, VA. January 27, 2010: Mvix(USA), Inc., a market leader in market leader in technology and products for high-definition entertainment, business signage solutions and networked accessible storage devices, announces the worldwide launch of the Mvix Ultio Pro, a Hard-Disk Based media center capable of HD digital media playback with video output as high as 1080p and personal video recording capability.

Ultio Pro’s high-end video processing not only plays Blu-Ray quality video, it allows to store entire Hi-Definition media on its internal hard drive, plug it into a TV via a HDMI and enjoy movies, digital music and family photos on large LCD or Plasma. The flexibility and scalability of Ultio makes it the easy to play HD movies or home videos. Ultio supports most 1080p HD video codecs, and formats such as H.264, MKV, Dixv HD, MOV, VC-1, FLV, etc. Ultio Pro is completely scalable – one can choose upto 2TB of media storage in its internal hard disk. Ultio Pro comes with an embedded Torrent client combined with NAS (Network – Access-Servers) features that provides an ideal setup for digital media acquisition, storage and sharing.

Combined with spectacular picture quality of HD video and crystal clear sound clarity of digital audio, the Ultio Pro enables analog recording of TV shows from the Cable or Satellite, or family videos from a Camcorder. It provides an ideal setup archiving old VCR tapes and DVDs to digital media files. Ultio Pro even supports time-shift and scheduled recording functionalities – making Live TV playback a snap.

Mvix Ultio Pro is being launched worldwide in 2 flavors: the regular version (without a HDD) is priced at $169, whereas the premium version (bundled with 2TB Hard Drive) will be available at $348. Pre-Orders start immediately.

Speaking on the occasion, Mike Mallon, VP of Business Development at Mvix, commented “Mvix Ultio Pro is the amalgamation of high definition media playback and recording. We’ve been working on the personal video recording (PVR) technology for some time and we’re happy to combine HD media playback and recording in a single device that should serve as the ultimate solution for home entertainments and business videos. Our aggressive pricing structure with a comprehensive set of features is likely to set highest standards in high definition entertainment.”

Ultio is also internet-ready and pre-equipped with a network port and an optional Wireless-N capability. It sports a samba server and a UPnP implementation, allowing seamless integration with services like PlayOn® or Tversity® (for streaming video content from Netflix®, Hulu®, CBS®, Youtube®, CNN®, ESPN® and much more). Wireless-N accessories for Ultio Pro will also be launched simultaneously.

Mike further added, “We are excited to launch this new product in the new year. This is our most comprehensive product to-date and we feel very confident about its market traction. In reality this new model is built by our valued customers – each feature on this device is an outcome of customer feedback on our older models.”

Pre-Orders of Mvix Ultio start immediately and shipping is planned for first week of February. Mvix Ultio Pro will be available at popular retail locations such as Amazon.com, Buy.com, Thinkgeek.com, B&H Photo Video.com or directly from Mvix’s Online store.

For more information, please visit http://mvixusa.com/product/ultiopro

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As well as the 250GB PS3, Sony Japan have also announced a new digital TV tuner peripheral for the console.  The Sony Torne will drop in March 2010, and offer Japanese buyers a way to watch digital terrestrial TV broadcasts on their PS3, together with PVR functionality that allows for recording content (either to the PS3’s HDD or a connected USB 2.0 drive) even while the PS3 is being used for gaming, Blu-ray playback or just in standby mode.

Once you’ve recorded a show – using the new on-screen GUI which shows all the available channels – you can then load it onto a Memory Stick Micro M2 or Memory Stick Pro Duo and slot that into your PSP for watching on the move.  Footage will automatically be optimized for the PSP’s display; alternatively, if you have WiFi access while out, you can use remote play to control the Torne and watch streaming content on your PSP.

It’s all reminiscent of the PlayTV peripheral launched in Europe back in 2008, which basically offered the same digital TV recording/time-shifting but for European broadcasts.  Sony Torne for PS3 will arrive in Japan come March 2010, priced at 9,980 yen ($109).

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It seems like home theater fans in the UK are always getting new and cool sounding set top boxes while American’s are stuck with whatever junk the cable or satellite provider offers. Those watching free-to-air HD broadcasts in the UK now have a cool new 3view set top box to use.

The 3View box allows the watcher to tune into HD TV programs with an interactive program guide. The box works as a home hub and a PVR with 320GB of storage space. The box can also pause and rewind live TV.

Dual tuners let users watch one show and record another and the box is internet-connected. The internet connectivity means that the box can access YouTube and other content that is stored on the home network. Users can also watch IPTV serviced and access Facebook or Twitter. The box is due to hit stores in March.

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