I came across a little capsule profile of Jim Denney, TiVo’s VP of product marketing, at TVWeek.com today. Fairly standard stuff really, and most of it is stuff we’ve seen before. But there were a couple of bits I found interesting. First, he confirmed what I think most of us have figured out - that the TiVo HD is TiVo’s main product at this point.

This year, “TiVo HD has become our main stock-keeping unit in retail,” said Mr. Denney, who declined to disclose specific sales or a percentage of units sold.

Perhaps more interesting is an indication that HD content is finally coming to Amazon Unbox on TiVo:

Unbox, the content-downloading service TiVo started with Internet retail leader Amazon.com last year, can’t process HD content, though the companies will announce HD capabilities “in the not too distant future,” Mr. Denney said.

This has been eagerly anticipated since the release of the TiVo Series3. Over a year ago the lead engineer on Amazon Unbox indicated that they were working on 16:9 aspect ratios and HD content, but little has been said since then. So it is nice to see something from an official representative that indicates it is still in the works, even though everyone figured it must be just to keep pace with the market. Personally I suspect it will be tied up with the YouTube update which will enable MPEG-4/H.264 decoding. Using H.264 for HD content would greatly reduce the download sizes compared to trying to use MPEG-2.

Sun Microsystems Tuesday announced a new website, BDLive.com, to assist developers in creating BD-Live content, which, of course uses Sun’s Java programming language. Sun established the website in cooperation with Related Content Database Inc., and as part of the site launch they’re making available to developers a free Blu-ray disc with sample code, definitions of the available APIs, and the ability for developers to share their creations online and to download applications to their Blu-ray system. The discs are available only while supplies last.

From the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Great news for film buffs and Blu-ray fans alike, Criterion has announced their Blu-ray plans. Starting in October Criterion will be releasing Criterion Collection titles on Blu-ray. The high-def Blu-ray releases will have all of the bonus features of the standard definition DVD releases, and, even better, at prices equivalent to the standard definition releases. Criterion has released the list of their first BD lineup:

The Third Man
Bottle Rocket
Chungking Express
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Last Emperor
El Norte
The 400 Blows
Gimme Shelter
The Complete Monterey Pop
Contempt
Walkabout
For All Mankind
The Wages of Fear

This is great news. Criterion releases are fantastic, and getting them in HD will be awesome. Picked up from Blu-ray.com.

And, fulfilling the inevitable, following their earlier announcements, Paramount has stated that they’ll be re-releasing all of their back catalog Blu-ray titles. The re-releases will be identical to the original releases, down to the SKU. Basically they’re just putting them back into production as-is. Via High-Def Digest.

This is a short little video in which Dave Zatz displays his true feelings about hjs now worthless Moviebeam box:

A little morning amusement.

It isn’t just what you say, it is how you say it. And Comcast seems to be aiming for FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) with a recent statement to CableCARD users in Florida:

Our records indicate that you have a Motorola Cable Card(s) that will no longer be compatible with our upgraded cable network as of May 31, 2008. Exchange your Motorola Cable Card(s) into an office today and we’ll give you HBO free and a converter free for 3 months.

I would bet good money that this means they’re implementing Switched Digital Video (SDV). But instead of explaining that, they’re trying to scare CableCARD users into returning them and switching to a cable STB. Another, far less likely, possibility is that they’re switching the head end to Cisco/Scientific Atlanta, or something incompatible with Motorola CableCARDs, but even if that were the case they’d be able, and required, to issue cards compatible with the new head end.

Either way, I think this is a nasty trick on the part of Comcast. They’re required by FCC mandate to support CableCARD, but they’ve phrased things in a way that is designed to make CableCARD customers think they’re out of luck and must switch to a cable STB. That’s bullshit. If they are switching channels to SDV, then what it would mean is those channels would no longer be available to users of UDCPs, like TiVo - at least until the Tuning Resolver is available later this year. But it does not mean the device, and the cards, are ‘no longer compatible’. Dirty tricks like these are why people have such low opinions of the cable industry. If you’re a TiVo (or any other CableCARD device) user and you got this flier from Comcast, don’t be scared into giving up your CableCARDs. And if anyone can scan it and send me a copy, or even fax or snail me a copy, let me know. I’d love to post it.

Thanks to Zatz Not Funny for the heads up.

EDIT: Reader Joseph Moran left a comment at Zatz Not Funny stating that this is in fact the issue I felt was less likely - they’re switching head ends:

I’m a Comcast Customer in SWFL and got one of those notices. Evidently, it’s not related to SDV; they’re switching from Motorola hardware to Scientific Atlanta equipment. This is supposedly because the Comcast sub-region I’m in used to be operated by Time Warner, so it needs to sync up with the other Comcast regions in the area (what they call “Classic” Comcast).

Which really changes very little - it is still a dirty trick, making it sound like CableCARD customers must convert to a cable STB. If Joseph is correct, then it does mean existing Motorola CableCARDs will stop working, but users should not have to give up CableCARD completely, but rather swap the Motorola cards for SciAtl cards.

I periodically check the list of channels TiVo has available for download via TiVoCast and Web Video (I’m still waiting for Tekzilla, TiVo…) and in the middle of the night last night I happened to catch it just as TiVo added a new channel to TiVoCast - Zen Living. A little poking around finds that it is this video channel from ON Networks. As they describe themselves:

Zen Living is all about incorporating a balanced lifestyle through the connection of food, exercise, spirituality, and medicine, blending old world philosophies with the convenience of contemporary advances to improve well-being.

As usual, you can subscribe online, or on your TiVo via Find Programs & Downloads -> Download TV, Movies, & Web Video -> Browse Other Videos -> All -> Zen Living

The previously discussed Sony PS3 DVR add-on, the PlayTV, finally has a European release schedule and pricing.

The PlayTV will be available in Europe in September for €100, or approximately £80/$160. As previously reported, the PlayTV will have dual DVB-T tuners to enable DVR functionality on the PS3, and content can be place-shifted for remote viewing on the Sony PSP. Australia is expected to receive the PlayTV roughly a month after the European release.

Who knows if well ever see something like this in the US. Unlike most of the rest of the world, terrestrial broadcast isn’t very popular in the US. So while an ATSC version of the PlayTV would certainly be possible, I don’t think it would sell well. Sony would really need a CableCARD-enabled tuner as most of the US market uses cable, and/or a partnership with DirecTV or Dish Network. Though the PS3 is certainly capable of handling OCAP/tru2way, and the BD-J standard for Blu-ray is actually part of the same familiar as OCAP (both are based on GEM/MHP), so perhaps some work could be reused.

From Register Hardware.