February 10th, 2009 2:23 AM | by Christen da Costa
Last week we saw the launch of Lacie’s D2 Blu-ray burner with an 8x write speed. Keeping things rolling along, Lacie launched the LaCinema Black MAX, which appears to be a direct competitor to Western Digital’s TV HD Media Player. It’s basically a NAS storage device with a proprietary UI that can connect to your HDTV (HDMI and component) and output a 1080p signal. Much like may of today’s DVR, you can record shows and rewind live TV. The LaCinema Black MAX comes standard with either a 500GB or 1TB hard drive, but Lacie is quick to point out that this capacity can be expanded courtesy of its USB 2.0 inputs. Yes, there is an EPG (electronic programming guide), although I’m not sure of the source, and the Blackmax will require an HD tuner of some sort to get up and running. The Blackmax can even upscale your home movies (or any other video content) and pull movies, music and photos over WiFi or Ethernet from networked computers.
Expansys-usa currently sells the Lacie Blackmax with a 1TB drive for $650, but makes no mention of an actual ship date. Lacie on the other hand, sells the 500GB version for 479,00€ ($617 US) and is presumably shipping now.
Sony seems to be constantly adding new components to their line of Bravia televisions. Today they announced the BRX-A320, a DVR with a 320GB hard drive. It can be mounted to the rear of the compatible TV and record up to 27 hours of HD video or 55 hours in SD mode. No word on the EPG, but the BRX-A320 DVR is compatible with the following TVs: X7000, X5050, X5000, W5000, V5000, V3000, J5000, J3000, XR1, X1, W1, F1, V1, J1, V5 and J5-series.
The BRX-A320 will go on sale in Japan on February 20th for about $550.
During our time at CES, Echostar saw it fit to announces some pretty astounding and cool news: they unveiled a DVR box with a built in Slingbox, called the VIP 922. What’s this mean? Those who sign up with the satellite TV service provider (they’re competitor is DirecTV) will not only get access to an HD DVR box with a 1TB hard drive, but a DVR box whose content can be accessed from any where in the World.
You see, thanks to the built-in Sling technology and hardware, the die hard TV fanatic will be able to tap into their box at home and stream their recorded media to a myriad of devices (laptop, iPhone, Blackberry) anywhere they’re located assuming they have a broadband connection.
Without seeing an on hand demonstration it’s hard to say, but it sounds like Echostar has also thrown in a remote with a UI and form factor which is similar to Panasonic’s Easy Touch Remote Control; something we saw at CES.
The Dish Network VIP 922 will be available later this Spring.
Check out the other features offered:
News feeds located on the home screen, giving viewers instant access to national news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
Ability to organize channels by channel name or number.
1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i and 480p support.
Internet-delivered DISH On Demand including 1080p content.
Ability to move one day in the guide while browsing full screen EPG or partial EPG.
Connections to home networks via Ethernet, HomePlug Turbo (the next generation of HomePlug that allows for faster in-home transfer of content using home power lines), or WiFi (with optional WiFi adapter).
Powerful search capability across all available video sources, including IP, VOD, satellite or DVR.
Intuitive timer creation and DVR management, allowing users to categorize programming by groups (video source, title, genres) or by content description (date, length, ratings and more).
Ability to load photos, MP3s and selected Internet content.
Future upgrades such as photo sharing, movie ticket purchases, family calendars, instant messaging, streaming audio, and the ability to transfer content within a home network.
January 12th, 2009 11:04 PM | by Christen da Costa
What is it: Order Domino’s Pizza on your Tivo + paused TV ad functionality
Features: See the progress of your pizza as it is being made, multiple preparation options such as half shrooms, half bacon, etc., charges to your Tivo account.
So if streaming Sling Player’s media to your laptop isn’t enough, then you’ll be glad to hear that Sling Player Mobile for the iPhone is almost ready for your VOD consumption. Echostar, which owns the Sling Player, will be showing off a prototype version of the player at MacWorld 2009 and expects to submit the app to Apple for certification sometime this quarter. The app will work on both a WiFi and 3G data connection and also includes the same DVR controls Sling users have come to expect.
Full release below
Sling Media to Demonstrate SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone and Slingbox HD Streaming on the Mac at Macworld
San Francisco – Macworld – January 6, 2009 – Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is demonstrating a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone being developed for the iTunes store at this year’s Macworld. Sling Media will deliver a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to Apple for certification in Q1.
Sling Media is also unveiling a prototype of a new SlingPlayer for Mac HD which allows Slingbox PRO-HD users to stream HD to their Mac desktop or laptop computer. The new SlingPlayer for Mac HD is a web-based version of the SlingPlayer software that will be accessible from Sling.com, Sling Media’s recently launched video entertainment web site.
“SlingPlayer Mobile is ideally suited for the iPhone’s large touch screen display and I know iPhone users are eagerly anticipating the application’s availability,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media. “Add to that HD streaming support for Slingbox PRO-HD customers and live TV support on our video entertainment site, Sling.com, and you can see Sling Media is committed to delivering great solutions for Mac users.”
SlingPlayer Mobile gives consumers their entire home TV experience, including local channels, local sports teams, video on demand, pay per view, etc. Any program that you can watch on your sofa back home, you can now watch via your iPhone using a standard network connection (3G Cellular, WiFi). In addition, SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone users can also control their home digital video recorder (DVR) to watch recorded shows, pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, or even queue new recordings while on the road.
Pricing and Availability
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will be submitted to Apple for testing and approval in Q1. The price has not been determined at this time. SlingPlayer for Mac HD will be available for free via the web-based SlingPlayer within Sling.com later in Q1. Mac customers will be able to use either Safari or Firefox web browsers to get both HD streaming and Live TV within Sling.com.
About Sling Media
Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is a leading digital lifestyle company offering consumer services and products that are a natural extension of today’s digital way of life. Sling Media’s product family includes the internationally acclaimed, Emmy award-winning Slingbox™ that allows consumers to watch and control their living room television shows at any time, from any location, using PCs, Macs, PDAs and smartphones and the revolutionary new SlingCatcher™, a universal media player that seamlessly delivers broadcast TV, Internet video and personal content to the TV. Sling Media is also the company behind the video entertainment web site, Sling.com, offering consumers a wide variety of popular TV shows, movies and other entertainment free for viewing online or on the TV using SlingCatcher. For more information on Sling Media, the Slingbox or the SlingCatcher, visit www.slingmedia.com. To watch your favorite TV shows and movies, check out www.sling.com.
December 18th, 2008 9:33 PM | by Christen da Costa
This holiday just wouldn’t be complete without yet another device with a built-in iPod dock. The only difference is that this device, the MivxPVR, looks a bit more titillating than the usual set of offenders. Aside from its ability to play back content from your iPod the Mivx PVR can also record content from any digitally connected device (cable box, camcorder, etc), output up to 1080p video, 5.1 digital audio and download files from Bittorrent. Cord clutter is reduced thanks to the built-in WiFi, and media can be distributed to it via your home’s network or USB device.
No word on price but keep in mind there are two versions: one with a hard drive, one without.
December 12th, 2008 1:00 AM | by Christen da Costa
Last week we brought you the leaked images and info about Netgear’s latest device, the Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9000. Spec wise it’s a relatively robust setup top box home media entertainer, especially when compared to the Apple TV and those of the same ilk. Unfortunately, and as we thought, it’ll cost you a ‘pretty penny’. Four hundred smackers ($400) to be exact. Take it or leave it, but perhaps the price will drop once they officially announce the device. Or much like Tivo’s first HD box, they’ll come out with a slightly water downed version.
Bated breaths no more. 3 years in development and with nothing to show DirecTV has canceled the HDPC-20, a tuner that was designed to integrate the satellite service with Windows Media Center. As stated by a company spokespersons:
“DIRECTV has suspended the development of the HDPC-20 tuner project that was designed to integrate DIRECTV service into Windows Media Center after assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update and considering timing of the next release. Both DIRECTV and Microsoft understand the desirability of offering consumers an all encompassing DIRECTV programming solution via Windows-based PCs. We are continuing to explore ways to integrate DIRECTV service with Windows-based PCs in the future. The HDPC-20 tuner that appears on the driver list of a pre-Beta build of Windows 7 is an artifact that was listed prior to the decision to suspend the tuner project. As our plans progress toward a Windows Media Center-compatible product, we will make an announcement at the appropriate time.”
Earlier this morning, Tivo released an update that allows select DVR owners to stream Netflix movies and TV shows. Select because the update is only applicable for those that own a TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL. You’ll of course need a Netflix subscription of $8.99/month or more, but since it’s the second device to receive Netflix’s 300 HD movies streaming it might be worth signing up. Course, and to be honest, most of the HD movies are complete crap.
