Coming just two months after the release of 2.5.3, Galleon 2.5.4 was released Tuesday. According to the release notes:

This version includes the following:

Version 2.5.4:
———————-
* Fix ToGo looping bug on null recording date (1811137)
* Added user-selectable range for local radar image (100, 300, 600 miles) in Weather
* auto-subdirectory publishing for GoBack, avoids the need to do it yourself and also avoids bugs in TiVo folder navigation in older TiVo service releases (Series 3 and HD should be OK without this).
(Probably needs some work to handle DOS shortcuts; should be OK on UNIX and OS X.)

* XML parsing of recording meta-data for non-Galleon-created video files in GoBack areas. e.g. if you post-process .TiVo files into .mpg, just put the XML output containing the show details, in the same format as it comes from the TiVo, into a .xml file with the same prefix. If you use tivodecode to unwrap .TiVo files, the metadata are in the -02-0002.xml file generated with the -D (dump-metadata) option.

* Enabled store-by-show handling in GoBack server (available on GoBack preferences pane).
* Fix for linux Makefile (1815568) and init script for distro independence

Known problems:
* not all galleon skins in HD cover the screen–use tivo skins
* still some layout glitches in HD
* still some HD menu highlights are too big for text

Versions for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux can be downloaded from SourceForge.

Galleon is one of the, if not the, longest running TiVo HME applications, actually stemming from pre-HME days as JavaHMO. It packs a lot of features into one application and really enhances the TiVo experience.

Amazon really seems to be pushing Blu-ray, which is great news if you like your high-quality home video. They’re running two more sales.

First up is a Buy Two, Get One Free deal running through December 31st. It appears to be on Warner titles, with 112 of them to choose from.

And then there is a deep discount sale on Sony titles. While it is labeled as ‘up to 45% off’, 13 of the 17 titles in the sale are actually 54% off, three 45%, and one 44%.

Picked up from Format War Central and Blu-ray Stats News Log, respectively.

I read user suggestions that TiVo do this for years, and now they’re doing it - the Morgans Hotel Group will be putting TiVo in the rooms of their new Mondrian in South Beach. Based on the description of what will be available, it sounds like this will be using the TiVo HD. It will be available to all Mondrian residents and guests starting with the official opening on December 1st.

I have mixed feelings about this. It is certainly nice to have TiVo available, but I think it will make the most sense for people with extended stays. If you’re not going to be there for long, you probably won’t spend a lot of time programming your SPs, etc. But I can think of ways that this could be much more usable.

For a while now I’ve been asking TiVo to do something to allow users to synchronize their settings, SPs, WLs, etc, between units. This would be very useful when users upgrade to a newer TiVo, or when something happens that requires a replacement, or just the loss of the data due to a drive failure, etc. Such a feature would also be very nice for situations like these. You show up in the hotel, go to the TiVo and ‘log in’ to your account, and all of your settings automatically download and the TiVo is your TiVo. When the guest checks out the hotel could reset it automatically, ready for the next guest.

I’m curious if there is any integration with other hotel systems as well. I see a lot of potential there. Most of you have probably stayed at hotels and are familiar with the on-screen account systems that let you review your folio, check out, etc. That could easily be done using Home Media Engine to use the TiVo as the interactive platform. Beyond that HME applications could be used to make reservations for dinner, to access information on local events and services, etc. TiVo would provide quite a powerful STB platform with HME. And I could easily see TiVo used for video on demand services as well, with a local server and a fast network connection.

I can see many ways TiVo would be used in a hotel environment, beyond just a stock TiVo in the room, but it isn’t clear if anything along those lines has been done here or is in the cards.

Press release:
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