CNET’s Matthew Elliott just had the Comcast TiVo software installed yesterday and he’s blogged about his first 24 hours with the software at CNET’s Crave blog. Overall he seems happy with it, except for the performance. The slowness of the TiVo Comcast software is something that is oft mentioned, and both TiVo and Comcast have stated that they are working on updates which will improve the performance. I hope that Matthew sticks with it and gives them a chance to improve the performance, as he’s promised to blog about his further experiences with the software. If you’re interested in the Comcast TiVo software, it is worth checking out what he has to say.

The sixth D: All Things Digital conference (aka D6) is going on currently, and Tom Rogers was one of the speakers today. Naturally this has produced a flurry of coverage. Silicon Alley Insider has a pseudo-transcript of Rogers’ Q&A interview with Kara Swisher (see video below). CNET has some short coverage.

But the most exciting news comes via AllThingsD:

What about ease of use? TiVo wireless adapters are good, Rogers responds, acknowledging there’s nevertheless a multiset issue: You still need a second box. But we’re working on a whole-home model, he adds.

That’s a almost a throwaway line, but it is great news. It sounds like they’re moving beyond Multi-Room Viewing to a true distributed system. This isn’t too surprising, as we’re seeing multi-room solutions gaining traction with providers like AT&T U-Verse and various cable MSOs. I have to wonder if this is the ‘Series4′ OCAP/tru2way box Rogers has hinted at in the past, or a different product. I do hope TiVo doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and uses established standards like DLNA. That would allow DLNA-enabled platforms (like the PS3) to access the content and not just some TiVo-mate client box.

Here’s a couple of ‘highlight reels’ of Tom Rogers’ interview at D6.

There aren’t any real details yet, but during the D: All Things Digital conference Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said (according to CNET):

We are working on a new version of video on demand, a for pay streaming service we will release in the next couple of weeks. The streaming service will start instantly and it’s a la carte, for pay.

And that’s pretty much all we know. It sounds like they’re looking to head off Netflix. Amazon already has the download service with the broadest selection of video, and by adding streaming they’ll have downloads (purchase and rental) and streaming. Downloads appeal to those looking for higher quality, or those who don’t have a fast enough broadband connection to stream are decent quality. While streaming appeals more to those who are impatient and want instant gratification. And streaming could be extended to platforms that can’t handle downloads since the hardware requirement is lower (no storage). I do hope that there is some synergy - if you purchase a download from Unbox you should be able to stream it later since you own it.

Unlike Netflix, which includes all-you-can-stream content in a monthly subscription, it looks like Amazon will be a pay-per-stream model. And no, there is no word on if this will come to TiVo to compliment the current Unbox downloads. The system is certainly technically capable of supporting it, though it’d probably be restricted to the Series3 and TiVo HD since streaming MPEG-2 (for the S2) would be a non-starter. I’d expect Amazon to use H.264 or WMV/VC-1 for streaming.

The rumors started way back in February, 2006, reappeared in June, 2007, and got another boost last October. And now it is a reality.

CNET is reporting on the Netflix Player by Roku. It is a very simple device that allows you to stream Netflix’s ‘Watch Now’ content right to your TV, via the box, over your broadband connection. No PC required. It is very basic, that’s all it does - allows you to stream Watch Now content you’ve already placed into your queue. But they did get something major right - it retails for $100, which means it will almost certainly be available for less. And the Watch Now content is available ‘free’ as part of a standard Netflix membership, so there is no pay-per-view pricing to deal with.

The biggest issues are the lack of content, there aren’t many first tier titles available via Watch Now, and the quality - no HD here, it is all 480i. This is all about convenience. As CNET put it:

We watched video on TVs ranging in size from 19 inches to 50 inches. While there wasn’t a huge difference in sharpness on any of the sets, the picture did look a little better on the smaller TV. Still, as long as you sit far enough away from a larger TV, the picture will seem OK. Just don’t expect the same kind of sharpness you’d get from a high-quality DVD. Think in terms of watching programming on one of the stations that your cable company doesn’t devote quite enough bandwidth to, and that’s the sort of picture you’ll be looking at.

The box is very simple. It has a wired Ethernet connection and built-in 802.11g WiFi. Output includes HDMI, component video, S-Video, composite video, optical digital audio, and stereo audio. So it should work with pretty much any TV shy of an ancient one with only coax RF input. CNet does say that you want a broadband connection that can sustain 1Mbps at a minimum, and ideally 2.2Mbps. So those with slow connections need not apply. The streams use the VC-1 codec, same as used when streaming to a PC. (Interestingly, the TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD have a decoder that can handle VC-1… I’m just sayin’.)

CNet has a full review if you’re interested. Since we know this capability will be coming to other platforms via partners like LG, I think I’d recommend holding off. It’d be a much better value to get an upscaling DVD player, or Blu-ray deck, with Netflix streaming built in. And Netflix hasn’t revealed all of their hardware partners yet - we could yet see Netflix streaming to TiVo, Xbox 360, etc.

EDIT: Gizmodo has also just posted a review which offers some more details.

Sometimes the little things can make your day. About 14 minutes, 13 seconds into episode 726 of CNET’s Buzz Out Loud podcast (also in video, as below) is a segment on TiVo resurrecting product lifetime, in which Gizmo Lovers (and Dave Zatz and Zatz Not Funny) are mentioned. (The counter on the video player counts down, so it is around the 18 minute, 25 second remaining point.) So yeah, seeing Molly Wood say ‘Gizmo Lovers’ on camera made my day. I’m a simple man with simple pleasures.

Here’s a marriage of old and new - CBS just made a deal to buy CNet Networks for $1.8 Billion, according to MarketWatch. CBS is paying a 45% premium for CNET, they must want to expand their Internet presence rapidly.

“CNet Networks will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience,” CBS Chief Leslie Moonves said in a statement. “Together, CBS and CNet Networks will have significant additional exposure to the fastest- growing advertising sector and can accelerate our growth through a number of new content, promotion and advertising initiatives.”

Upon closing, CNet Networks’ sites will be combined with CBS’s interactive businesses, which include CBS.com, CBSSports.com, MaxPreps.com, CBSNews.com, last.fm, Wallstrip and MobLogic.

I really, really hope that CBS doesn’t screw CNet when ‘combining’ it with their existing properties. I rather like CNET content. I’ve been using last.fm since the early days, and it doesn’t seem to have suffered under CBS, so I have some hope. I’d just hate for this to end up like TechTV after they got merged into G4.

I post a lot about TiVo in Australia, but they’re not the only game in, or coming to, town. CNET Australia reports that Australia EPG provider IceTV plans to add a feature called ‘IceTV Recommendations’, which is similar to TiVo Suggestions. Since IceTV is just a guide and not a full DVR package, it does not auto-record the programs, but rather presents them as suggestions to the user to decide on. (You can do the same on TiVo by disabling Suggestion auto-recording and then manually checking them in the menus. TiVo+8 is the shortcut.) The feature is currently compatible with Windows Media Center and Mac/EyeTV, but compatibility with additional DVRs which use the IceTV guide will be announced in the coming weeks.

And the previously discussed Sony PlayTV DVR add-on for the PlayStation3 looks to be hitting Australia in 4Q2008, according to Gizmodo Australia who attended a Sony briefing. Australia is getting it roughly a month after the European market, so they have something to look forward to as well. Giz also got more details from the briefing:

Other interesting tidbits include that there’s only an input for your aerial, no output, which means you won’t be able to connect your antenna to your TV through the PlayTV. And while you can only record TV programs to the PS3’s internal hard drive, you can backup the contents to an external drive. It isn’t finalised, but it looks like the EPG will be supplied by the rumoured FreeView collection of free-to-air networks as well

So it