Sony And Six Largest Cable MSOs Reach Agreement On Two-Way Cable

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by MegaZone

Well, this could be the end of the push for DCR+. Sony had been the big name still pushing for DCR+, as opposed to OCAP/tru2way. Well, it seems that’s no longer the case. Sony has come to an agreement with the six largest cable MSOs in the US, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House Networks, which collectively server 82% of US cable subscribers, over 105 million US homes. The national two-way cable agreement will see Sony supporting tru2way under streamlined licensing agreements. Other consumer electronics companies have been invited to join the agreement as well.

So it looks like OCAP/tru2way will end up the industry standard, and the DCR+ push is likely to fade away now. The full terms of the Memorandum of Understanding that covers the agreement have not yet been released, giving other potential signatories time to review it. I’ll keep an eye out for those terms once they’ve been released.

I’m just glad to see an apparent end to the stalemate. If the CE industry in general embraces tru2way then it opens the floodgates for more advanced cable products for consumers, which is a good thing.

The press release announcing the agreement is below.
Continue reading →

Posted in Cable, OCAP, Press Release | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Buy A Samsung HDTV From Amazon, Get A Free TiVo HD

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by MegaZone

What’s an HDTV without an HD DVR to go with it? Who wants to be a slave to TV schedules just to catch HD content? Well, Amazon has a solution to that problem, they’re offering what I consider the best HD DVR on the market, the TiVo HD, free with the purchase of a Samsung HDTV. There are five LCD models to choose from, with prices from $945.72 for a 37″ 720p up to $1,849.98 for a 46″ 1080p, and six plasma models with prices from $979.99 for a 42″ 720p up to $2,999.99 for a 58″ 1080p. If you’re in the market for an HDTV, it is a pretty good deal.

And, if you’re not in the market for an HDTV, you can get the TiVo HD for $230.13.

Thanks to reader Kevin for the tip. He got it from WatchingTiVo at InvestorVillage, who spotted it at Gizmodo.

Posted in HDTV, TiVo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Amazon Blu-ray Sale, 116 Titles Up To 50% Off

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by MegaZone

Amazon is holding another Blu-ray sale. This one runs through June 9th and there are 116 titles from which to choose, with discounts of up to 50% (actually one is 52%). Check out the sale and pick up some Blu-ray movies to enjoy.

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A Possible Second Chance At The TiVo HD Giveaway – NOPE!

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by MegaZone

Just minutes after I posted this I got an email from Gerry. Seems he was out of town for the weekend and hadn’t caught up on his email – but he was catching up on his blogs, and he saw this post. So, sorry, Gerry is getting his TiVo HD – well, he said it is for his mom (that’s very nice, isn’t it?) – so there won’t be a second drawing.

Well, this is kind of unexpected. I haven’t heard from the TiVo HD giveaway winner, GerryL. I emailed him (I’m assuming a he given the name) immediately after I selected the winner. Then again on Monday. And just now I emailed saying if I didn’t hear back by 8PM Eastern tonight I was going to have to select another winner, as the TiVo Rewards Program ends tomorrow and I don’t want the points going to waste. I did warn in the contest post that if I couldn’t contact the winner I’d have to select another.

So, GerryL has just over four hours in which to contact me or he forfeits the TiVo HD and it goes to someone else. I certainly hope the new winner is watching their email, as the program official ends at 11:59PM ET tomorrow, May 28, 2008. So I think I’ll give the second winner, if drawn, until noon to get back to me. And then I’ll have to draw a third, and if the third, if drawn, doesn’t get back to me by 8PM I’ll just give up and give it to a friend or something rather than see the points go to waste.

I really never expected it to come to this, and I hope it doesn’t – four more hours.

Posted in Site Updates, TiVo | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Dish Network’s Response To TiVo’s Court Filing

Posted on Monday, May 26, 2008 by MegaZone

Responding to TiVo’s recent filing, Dish Network has made their own filing. As expected, they maintain that they are in compliance with the injunction due to their software update. Links to all of the sections of the document can be found at InvestorVillage. They can also be downloaded as a single 10MB zipfile. A collection of all the documents from the case can be found here, via InvestorVillage.

Posted in Dish Network, TiVo | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment