TiVO Patent Upheld, Dish May Have to Disable DVR - Via Slashdot: Your Rights Online: I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a ruling by a lower court that Dish Network DVRs infringe upon TiVO's patent on a 'multimedia time warping system'. According to some analysts, this could not only make Dish liable for damages, it could force them to shut down their DVR service, harming their customers. read more... »
Why DRM on Video Will Persist: DVD-CCA Targets Kaleidescape (Again): "As we've said many times before, DRM is not about preventing piracy, it's about giving entertainment companies control over disruptive innovation. Here's the latest example: tomorrow DVD-CCA (the entity that controls the CSS encryption standard for DVDs) will be voting on an amendment to the CSS license that is designed to put a disruptive innovator, Kaleidescape, out of business (read Kaleidescape's letter about it here). read more... »
TiVo: Comcast Deal Behind Schedule: "TiVo: Comcast Deal Behind ScheduleThe cable operator will offer TiVo's HD and non-HD recording features.By SwanniWashington, D.C. (October 9, 2007) -- TiVo CEO Tom Rogers says Comcast's rollout of its recording services is a 'little behind' schedule.That's according to an article by Reuters.Comcast was expected to begin offering TiVo's HD and non-HD DVR service to New England markets in August. The two companies announced the marketing partnership more than two years ago.But Rogers said today that Comcast is still testing the TiVo software in employee homes. read more... »
Amazon.com Unveils "High-Def 101" Customer Knowledge Center for High-Definition Shoppers: Amazon.com, Inc. today unveiled a new customer knowledge center, Amazon High-Def 101 (www.amazon.com/hd101), which will help customers navigate the mountains of information available about the high-definition (HD) home entertainment marketplace. As a one-stop education and shopping destination, Amazon High-Def 101 allows visitors to explore a comprehensive lineup of HD-related products -- including HDTVs, movie players, game systems, PC options, accessories and movies -- while getting the facts on how to "high-def" their homes. Visitors also have access to other HD product offerings and new content, including educational videos and weekly blog posts highlighting the latest trends. read more... »
Schedules Direct - Replacement for zap2it's free TV listing service: Editor: Now that Zap2it has halted their free TV listing service, folks are looking for a new source of TV listings for the open-source PVRs. This site is run by the folks who gave you MythTV and are anon-profit trying to keep the costs low. read more... »
Linux.com :: Three MythTV Linux distros compared: My Series 1 TiVo is getting old, so I am planning an escape route based on MythTV, a free software system that turns an old computer into a personal video recorder. This week I tested three MythTV-specific Linux distributions: KnoppMyth, MythDora, and MythBuntu. I found MythDora the best overall fit for my needs -- but there are important distinctions between the three that may lead you to a different decision.
My curiosity toward MythTV-specific distros was touched off by MythBuntu's latest release earlier this month, Public Alpha 3. I run Ubuntu on my primary desktop machine, and had a relatively painless experience installing MythTV on it courtesy of the official repositories. Only while waiting for the MythBuntu ISO image to download did I decide to check out its competition. read more... »
Three MythTV Linux Distros Compared: "An anonymous reader writes 'Linux.com has a comparison article up looking at three MythTV-focused Linux distributions. The piece looks at Mythdora, Mythbuntu, and KnoppMyth, with an eye towards ease of installation and the actual utility of the install. From the article: 'For regular system maintenance, KnoppMyth simply isn't in the same ballpark as MythBuntu and MythDora. read more... »
Lauren Weinstein's Blog: Important Warning Regarding New HD TiVo and Cable System Incompatibilities: You may have seen much (deserved) hoopla regarding the new relatively low-priced HD TiVo, that uses CableCARD technology to allow a direct interface between digital cable systems and the TiVo unit.
While it is generally understood that the current generation of these devices (this may well change within a year or two) cannot access two-way cable services such as Pay Per View (PPV) or Video On Demand (VOD), many potential buyers of this TiVo product may not be aware of concerns regarding the use of Switched Digital Video (SDV) on an increasing number of cable systems. read more... »
New HD TiVo and Cable Incompatibilities: "Lauren Weinstein writes 'The rapid deployment of Switched Digital Video (SDV) by cable companies can cause major problems for buyers of the new HD TiVo, preventing any access to some channels.'
(Read Original Article - Via Slashdot.)
Alienware Won't Sell Consumers CableCard PCs: "An anonymous reader writes 'Alienware doesn't think CableCard is ready for the mass market. The Dell subsidiary is coming out with some high-end Media Center PCs but won't sell them directly to consumers because the HD-enabling CableCard 'requires the expertise of a reseller and installer.' read more... »