Details on the XStreamHD satellite service are emerging here at CES, and it looks to be much more than just a satellite service. The basic system has three components, a Media Server and a Media Receiver, and, of course, the satellite dish. In addition to receiving HD content via satellite, in resolutions up to full 1080p with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, it also functions as an OTA DVR with three ATSC tuners. And it turns out it is a hybrid service. Newer titles will be delivered via satellite - but older, or, as they say ‘vintage’, titles may be delivered via broadband.

The content is stored in the Media Server and is distributed through the home via Ethernet, up to GigE. The client device can be the XStreamHD Media Receiver or any DLNA v1.5 enabled device. Up to four devices are supported simultaneously. It seems to use a TiVo Suggestions-like mechanism to learn your preferences to decide which content to automatically store. It does appear to be a cached system, not on demand, so you’d only be able to watch the content already in your ‘Virtual Personal Library’.

The Media Server has two drive bays which will support 500GB and 1TB Segate drives, for up to 2TB of internal storage. And there is an eSATA interface to enable additional, external storage. So capacity doesn’t seem to be an issue, just how much you’re willing to pay. There is also a USB port ‘for MP3 downloads’, which I’ll need to get more details on. Now, this is the weirdest feature:

Includes a feature-rich Personal PBX business-class phone system; also supports VoIP calls and offers free calls between XStreamHD subscribers

I definitely need to get more info on this when I hit their booth tomorrow. That just seems like an odd feature to be included.

The basic solution will be available in 4Q08 for an introductory price of $399. Of course, the value will really depend on the content that is available.

CES is huge, spread across multiple locations. I’ve been at the LVCC so far, XStreamHD (and Sling and others) are at the Sands. I’m planning to spend the day at the Sands tomorrow.

The press release:
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Following up on my last post, I got a chance to see the demo of TiVo Desktop 2.6 in TiVo’s suite today and I got a few photos of the desktop UI changes. I picked up some of the details on how this will work, which I found very interesting, and I think some of the geeks reading this will too, especially for the implications. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to ask all the questions I had since I hit that station shortly before they closed the suite down for the day, so I’ll be going back with some more questions.

I want to point out that I updated the last post to remove the details relating to the Mac software. Specifics of the Mac solution had been reported which were not authorized to be published. But there is a Mac solution coming, the details are just not releasable at the moment. No, I’m not telling, don’t bug me about it. Just remain calm.

With the new TiVo Desktop, you link it with your TiVo account online. That’s not something you do today:

Why? I’ll get into that below.

You can subscribe to a list of videocasts from an HME interface on the TiVo, and it is quite an extensive list. I didn’t get good shots of that interface, I’ll try tomorrow, but ZatzNotFunny, Engadget, and EngadgetHD all have coverage with some photos if you can’t wait.

If the videocast you want isn’t in the list, then you can go to TiVo Desktop and add it there.

The settings are fairly simple. You point the desktop at the folder where the videocast is saved on your PC. Note that the TiVo Desktop software doesn’t include the RSS feed reader to download itself, which could be a nice feature for 2.7. Instead, you use your favorite podcast software, such as iTunes, and simply point the desktop to the folder your software downloads to. You then select if you want the video automatically transferred to a TiVo or not. If so, then you set how many episodes you want transferred to the TiVo at a time and which TiVo(s) to transfer to. Finally, you can select whether or not to include subfolders.

All video is transcoded to MPEG-2 before transfer to the TiVo. The Series2/2DT units only support MPEG-2, and while the Series3 and TiVo HD have the hardware for advanced codecs, the software support isn’t there yet. In the future, once those codecs are enabled, such as H.264, it is likely that the desktop will transfer video already in those codecs ‘as is’. If the source video is high definition, and it is being transferred to a Series3 or TiVo HD, then it is kept HD through the transcode. If it is transferred to a Series2 then it is encoded as SD to enable playback. And yes, this does mean that your PC needs to be one for this to work. You don’t necessarily need to leave it on all the time, but you’ll need to have it on long enough for the PC to grab your downloads, transcode them, and transfer them to the TiVo(s).

OK, so why is the desktop linked to your account online? Because the TiVo back-end plays a role in the new system. Today each TiVo polls TiVo’s severs roughly every 15 minutes to check for new scheduled recordings, TiVoCast downloads, Unbox downloads, etc. That’s highly inefficient - nearly all of those polling calls are for nothing. There is nothing waiting to be done. And it introduces a lag when you want to start a download - up to 15 minutes. And it doesn’t scale well as TiVo’s user base keeps growing.

So what’s changed? The polling system is gone. TiVo is using XMPP now instead. What is XMPP? The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol - better known as the instant messaging protocol that powers Jabber, Google Talk, and other IM systems. Yep, TiVo is basically using instant messaging for real-time communication. Now when the TiVo server has a new recording to schedule, it will IM the TiVo to tell it. Or if there is a download to pull, it will IM the TiVo to tell it to do so. This is a much more efficient system and it eliminates latency. It is really a clever idea.

Now, the way this works with web video is that when the desktop finds a new video and has it ready to transfer to the TiVo, it sends an IM to TiVo’s servers. TiVo’s servers then send an IM to the TiVo to tell it to grab the video. Which brings up another new twist.

This does not use the TiVoToGo/TiVoToComeBack protocol, it uses TiVoCast. Yep. your PC becomes a TiVoCast server, and the TiVo grabs the video from the PC just like it does today from the TiVoCast servers online.

While I think the 2.6 web video features are great, I think the work done to implement the infrastructure could be the bigger story. Replacing polling with XMPP opens the door to all kinds of improvements. Instant starts to downloads of TiVoCast or Unbox video, or any other video source, such as Music Choice music videos. If there is a schedule change that impacts your TiVo, TiVo could tell your box to grab it right now instead of waiting a day. It even opens the door to possibly handling last minute changes such as sporting events running long, Presidential addresses, and other events that bump the schedule at the last minute. TiVo’s servers could instantly IM units to warn them of the changes. Though there would have to be a lot of additional work to provide a full service.

And being able to trigger a TiVoCast download from basically any server on the net would really open the door to 3rd party content providers to setup their own content servers - if TiVo opens this up. Right now it doesn’t sound like this functionality will be open to 3rd parties, but the foundation is there. I’d love to see TiVo update the HME SDK with the ability to trigger TiVoCast, that would be a major jump.

I have some more, but I want to get some clarifications, and make sure that it is OK to share everything before I do. But I’m excited by some of the things I heard today about the work being done. I hope to have more to share tomorrow. But right now I need some sleep.

Earl Bonovich, a DBSTalk moderator and a reliable source in the past, has posted front and back scans of the product brochure for DirecTV’s new HDPC-20. This is a dual-tuner satellite receiver which will connect with a Windows Vista Media Center PC USB. The unit is fairly simple, two coax satellite inputs, a USB port for connection with the PC, and a power connection. Interestingly, it also has a second USB port and an Ethernet port, not sure what they’d be used for as it connects to a PC. Oddly the specs, listed right next to the photo of the back, don’t even mention these two ports!

The fine print on the back says: “Requires a Media Center computer running Microsoft® Windows Vista™.” So it doesn’t look like it will work with just any PC, seems like it could have the same limitations as PC CableCARD tuners. On the upside, it also says “Updated January 2008″, so this is current info and not something left from a year ago or something.

Hmm, with the TiVo PC software coming, I wonder if this would be a way to get an HD satellite TiVo.

Via EngadgetHD.

You know how I’ve repeatedly said that TiVo’s work for Australia will help form the foundation for TiVo deployments around the world? Well, TiVo is thinking along the same lines. One of the display stations in their CES suite features the hardware they developed for Australia, side by side with a generic DVB reference unit. The reference unit has a snazzy chrome finish, but that’s just for flash when showing it to prospective partners.

While the Australian box is designed strictly for free view DVB-T content, as per the wishes of partner Seven Network, the generic platform is intended to handle DVB-T (terrestrial broadcast) and optionally DVB-S (satellite).

I was told that it may also support external set top boxes for other content. Remember those unused input ports I found when I reviewed the TiVo HD? Yep, those inputs. Both of these platforms are based directly on the TiVo HD. There are some component changes to handle the difference sources. And, obviously, CableCARD isn’t used.

Here are the boxes - click for larger versions:

But that’s not all. Clearly a platform that works in other countries is only half the battle, you also need the software to work in those countries as well. An English interface isn’t going to sell well in all countries. So what TiVo has done is re-work their software to abstract the language of the UI as resource files, making it very easy to add new languages. At CES TiVo is showing off an early version of the software which allows you to swap between English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish. This is one box and you can change the language on demand, not special software loads for each language. Expect to see this feature sooner rather than later - such as enabling TiVo to sell units at retail in Quebec. I took photos of TiVo Central in each language:

They also have a one-sheet on the DVB Reference Platform, which I’ll try to scan when I get home. For now I’ll transcribe it:

TiVo® HD DVB Reference Platform

Higher Intelligence for Your Home Entertainment System

At last, there’s a premium High-Definition product at an affordable price. Introducing the new TiVo® HD DVB Reference Platform, combining the intelligence of the TiVo service with the razor-sharp clarity of HD recording. Designed as a universal set top box to work with any DVB source, the platform also offers network connectivity delivering the best of broadcast and broadband TV, right to your living room. Get TiVo and raise your home theater I.Q.

Product Overview:

• Controls TV with Record, Pause, Rewind, and Fast-Forward in HD
• Records two HD channels at once, while watching another recorded show
• Records uo to 20 hours in HD (or 180 hours in Standard Definition)
• Designed specifically for DVB-T viewers. (DVB-S support optional)
• Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i
• Sources supported: DVB-T, DVB-S (optional)
• Outputs: HDMI, SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, Digital Audio, Analog Audio
• Connectivity and Expansion: Ethernet, 2xUSB 2.0 ports, eSATA
• WiFi connectivity supported via USB adapter (sold separately)

TiVo Service Features:

• Get broadband videos, music and photos from the internet on you [sic] TV
• View videos, music and photos from your PC on your TV
• Schedule recordings online
• Take your video recordings with you on your portable media player of laptop using TiVoToGo
• Discover broadcast and broadband shows with universal Swivel Search
• Easily pre-approve what your kids watch with TiVo KidZone

High-Def Digest contacted Paramount and reports that Paramount is continuing to support HD DVD, which is good news for that camp. However, any new HD DVD announcements they might have planned for CES are off. They will not be making any title announcements at CES. That’s not so good.

But then, the Financial Times, a very respected source, has something different to say:

Paramount is poised to drop its support of HD-DVD following Warner Brothers’ recent backing of Sony’s Blu-ray technology, in a move that could sound the death knell of HD-DVD and bring the home entertainment format war to a definitive end.

They claim that Paramount has an escape clause in their HD DVD exclusivity contract which would allow them to resume releasing Blu-ray Discs should Warner go Blu-ray exclusive - which, of course, they have. Even if Paramount were to only return to neutrality, and not dump HD DVD completely, it would be another hard blow to HD DVD as it would leave Universal the only HD DVD exclusive studio.

And that’s if Universal remains in the HD DVD camp - they’ve declined to comment on their future plans since the Warner announcement, not even to confirm a commitment to HD DVD.

FT news picked up from EngadgetHD.

Digeo issued a press release announcing four alliances to bring content to the Moxi DVR platform, similar to the partnerships TiVo has established with Home Media Engine (Fandango, Rhapsody, Picasa, etc) and TiVoCast. Digeo’s four alliances are:

• Flickr: Photo viewing from the online service.
• Finetune: Music playback from your Finetune account.
• Accedo Broadband: Casual gaming - Sudoku, Texas Hold’em, etc.
• CloverLeaf: Informational content - weather, sports, news, etc. - for the Moxi SuperTicker feature.

I’ve only ever heard of Flickr before, but I’m not too surprised. Behind-the-scenes companies like Accedo and Cloverleaf probably don’t get their name out there that much. All four will be free services included on the Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR, Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR and Moxi TV for PC. The Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR and Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR were shown at CES 2007 with a planned release of late 2007, but at this time all three products are slated for ‘later in 2008′ with no pricing announced. Though the Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR has repeatedly been cited as having a $1,000 price tag, that may no longer be accurate.

The press release:
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Following hot on the heels of Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD announcement, Monsoon Multimedia is announcing their own HD place-shifting device, the HAVA Wireless with HD. Unlike the Slingbox PRO-HD, which has built-in Ethernet but will utilize the SlingLink Wireless for 11g WiFi, the HAVA will have 802.11n (well ‘Pre-N’ since it isn’t finalized yet) networking built-in. However, it is still limited to Windows-only clients - Windows PCs or Windows Mobile devices, while Sling supports Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS, Palm OS, Symbian, and have just announced Blackberry support in the near term. Sling is also working on a client for the iPhone, and, of course, don’t forget the SlingCatcher.

On the other hand, the HAVA’s integration with Windows allows it to be used as a Windows Media Center tuner, just like a tuner installed in the PC only over the network. And HAVA’s PC software allows for recording the streams, something Sling has yet to offer in their official products. (There have been 3rd party solutions for recording Sling streams.)

The HAVA Wireless with HD has a built in NTSC/ATSC tuner (no mention of QAM like the SB PRO-HD) as well as component video input and can stream video up to 1080i. There is no mention of any digital audio input however, so it doesn’t sound like it has the ability to stream 5.1 audio like the PRO-HD.

The HAVA streams using MPEG-2 locally, which probably explains the need for 11n WiFi instead of 11g, while using MPEG-4 for Internet streaming.

It will be available in ‘Spring 2008′, and no pricing has been announced at this time.

The press release:
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Funai announced the NB500 Blu-ray Player for release in the US in 2Q08 with an expected MSRP below $300. Funai is known as a ‘budget’ electronics manufacturer, and having them get into the Blu-ray player market is a good sign that competition will heat up and prices will come down even faster. It is a Profile 1.1 player, as all new players are required to be, but full details have yet to emerge.

There has been a deluge of Blu-ray news at CES this year, and really nothing of note from HD DVD thus far.