Front projection is the way to go for maximum screen size, if you have the space for it. MSRP on the HD20 is $1299.99 and Amazon sells them new for $834.20, so this is a pretty good deal for a Full HD projector.

It is not a Google TV device, it runs the same Android 4.0 found on phones and tablets on a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor. The current design has 512MB RAM, but they’re investigating bumping that to 1GB before going into production. It has 4GB of on-board storage, but also includes a microSD slot for up to 32GB of additional storage. There’s also a full-size USB port for input devices and mass storage, or even a webcam for videoconferencing. Network connectivity is via 802.11b/g/n WiFi. There’s no Bluetooth currently, but they’re working on it. All of that in a package 86x31x14mm and weighing only 35 grams.

There are two remote controls available. The standard remote, included with the Pocket TV, is a traditional IR remote with 5-way navigation and several dedicated buttons for specific actions and Android navigation (such as Home, Back, and Search). The other remote is one I think most users will want, and that’s the Air Remote. The Air Remote connects to the Pocket TV via the network, so no line of sight is required. It includes a gyroscopic sensor so you can control the Pocket TV by simply moving the remote, and it has a full qwerty keyboard to make text entry a snap. You can also use the Google TV Remote app for Android and iOS to turn your smartphone into a remote control for the Pocket TV.

It sounds like a pretty interesting device, no? But this isn’t a product from a big company; Infinitec is a small, three year old start-up and this is a community funded development effort on Kickstarter. I first heard of it from PVRblog and I jumped right over to help fund the project. I’m in at the $135 level for a Pocket TV and Air Remote. I thought it was a great idea and I love to see small companies trying creative ideas, so I thought it was a project worth backing. And those who back the Kickstarter project also save money – the bundle I’m signed up for has an expected combined retail MSRP of $190. You can pledge as little as $110 for the standard Pocket TV with IR Remote. There are 26 days left to get in on the Kickstarter.

While you’re over at Kickstarter check out some of the other projects. I’ve backed several and I’m always looking for projects that pique my interest. Thanks to PVRblog for bringing this one to my attention.

Keeping terrestrial TV broadcasting relevant will require “making it more mobile, making it more on demand, personalizing it more and making it more interactive,” said Kutzner, who has chaired several ATSC 3.0 working groups.  “We do need to deliver higher quality, and we certainly need to make it more efficient.” ATSC 3.0 will be targeted at both fixed and mobile receivers, and will need to encompass “state-of-the-art compression,” Kutzner said. It also will need to be “fully converged with broadband” and it will need to be upgradable to keep pace with fast technological developments, Kutzner said. “Looking ahead,” ATSC 3.0 is “likely to be a complete replacement” for ATSC and ATSC 2.0, “and so it does need to be worth the effort in terms of time and expended resources,” he said.

To accomplish these goals ATSC 3.0 is looking forward to the new High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) being developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group, with the first version expected to be published in January. HEVC is expected to be twice as efficient as today’s MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec. That is vital if 4K & 8K video is expected to work over terrestrial broadcast, but it would also be a major advance for ‘standard’ 1080p HD video. Of course, HEVC content will require new hardware to support it.

The article also covers UHDTV delivery over IP, the possibility of using Blu-ray as physical media for UHDTV, and James Cameron talking about the adoption of 3D. Check it out.

Cyber Sale, 2 Days Only, Sunday-Monday. Online Only.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free $10 e-Gift Card with Store Pickup Orders of $100 or More.

Sunday-Monday Only: Acer Iconia Tablet with 8GB Memory, Sale $229.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Targus Truss Leather Case/Stand for Acer Iconia A500 Tablet, Sale $24.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Apple® iPad® or Android 3.0+ Tablets, Sale $35.99 each.
Sunday-Monday Only: ION Audio iCADE Arcade Cabinet for Apple® iPad® and iPad 2, Sale $49.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Kobo eReader Touch Edition, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Gateway All-In-One Computer with 500GB Hard Drive, and 2GB DDR3 Memory, Just $399.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Asus Desktop with AMD Processor, 500GB Hard Drive, and 4GB DDR3 Memory, Just $349.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: AOC 20” Widescreen LED Computer Monitor, Sale $89.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: SanDisk Cruzer 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, Sale $8.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: HP 2200 Webcam, Sale $7.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Computing, Tablet, and E-Reader Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: LG 32” Class ED 720p HDTV for $299.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Home Theater Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great iPod and MP3 Player Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: All iPods on Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Music and Movies Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Kinect Games On Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Pre-Owned Games, $19.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Buy Any Sims 3 Base, Expansion, or Stuff Pack, get the Second Item Free.
Sunday-Monday Only: $50 Off GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Double ‘O’ Edition Bundle for OPS3, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Gaming and Gadget Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: 25%-40% Off Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag and Memory Card with Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag with Select DSLR Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: 19%-41% Off Select Digital Camcorders.
Sunday-Monday Only: 5%-50% Off Select Digital Photo Frames.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Digital Camera and Camcorder Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Motorola Droid 3 Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from Verizon and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: HTC Wildfire S Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from T-Mobile and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: Boost Mobile BlackBerry Style 9670 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $149.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Virgin Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8530 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Platinum Series MobileDock Dash/Windshield Mount, Sale $9.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Mobile Phone Deals.

While the last round of deals included a link for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the link never seemed to work. The deal was only available in stores. I managed to grab one as a gift for someone else. I was still up at 4am Friday so I ran over to my local Best Buy. The Transformer was a ticketed item and all of the tickets were gone, but I managed to social engineer a tablet and keyboard dock from a Blue Shirt in a different department without a ticket. I normally wouldn’t go near a store on Black Friday, but $250 for the tablet and $100 for the dock was a very good deal.

First up, Special Holiday Deals on Select LG Home Entertainment Products. Save on 25 different HDTVs, three different Blu-ray Disc players, and three different Home Audio Systems.

Or maybe you’d prefer a Free Family Pack of 3D Glasses with Select LG Cinema 3D LED HDTVs with Smart TV. Five LG 3D HDTV models to choose from.

Or a free LG AN-MR200 Magic Motion Remote when you buy an LG Infinia 42LV5400 42″ 1080p HDTV with Smart TV.

Next up, Save Big on Select Sony HDTVs. Seventeen different models to choose from.

Of perhaps Great Savings on Select Panasonic HDTVs. Sixteen models to choose from!

Next, Save up to 45% on Select HDTVs. HDTVs from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony – 102 different models to choose from!

Maybe Big-Screen HDTVs for $999 or Less. LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Toshiba, VIZIO and Westinghouse, 42 models all together.

And to feed those HDTVs content, Blu-ray Disc Players and Digital-Media Devices Under $100. The Apple TV and TiVo Premiere are in there along with the Roku 2 family and Roku LT. Blu-ray Disc players from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, VIZIO, and Toshiba, and streaming devices from Iomega, Western Digital, Patriot, Netgear, and the aforementioned Apple, TiVo, and Roku boxes.

And for those Blu-ray Players, save on thousands of TV shows and movies on Blu-ray and DVD.

Now, if you want to create your own content, there is this special: Instant Savings on Select Sony Camcorders. Eighteen different models to choose from – from the $89.99 Bloggie to the $399.99 HDR-XR160.

If still photography is more your thing, get a Free DSLR Backpack, Memory Card, and Tiffen Filter with Select Canon Rebel DSLR Cameras. Thirteen different camera models to choose from.

Or perhaps you prefer to Save Big When You Bundle Select Canon DSLRs with Qualifying Canon Lenses and/or Printers. With seven different cameras to choose from.

Amazon certainly has your entertainment electronics needs covered.

There are new specials each day, so be sure to check back in.

In addition to the current sale, they’ve also published a preview of what they’ll be offering on Black Friday – in stores and online.

In stores only you’ll be able to grab a Sharp LC-42SV49U 42″ Class LCD 1080p HDTV for $199.99, a Toshiba BDX2150 Smart Blu-ray Player for $39.99, a 15.6″ Samsung Laptop with an Intel Pentium CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD for $299.99, and the one I think is the most tempting, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android tablet for only $249.99.

Also available in stores, the HTC ThunderBolt 4G LTE on Verizon for free with a 2-year activation and the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Blu-ray just $9.99. These will also be made available online – the Thunderbolt on Thursday and the Blu-ray on Friday.

They’ve listed specials that will be available online starting Thursday, 11/24, without revealing the prices. There will be deals on the Dynex 32″ Class LED 720p HDTV, a 15.6″ Gateway Laptop with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD, the Dell Streak 7″ Android Tablet, a Dell desktop PC with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, and an 18.5″ widescreen LCD monitor, the FujiFilm FinePix AX350 16MP Camera, a Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, the Tritton AX120 Headset, and the Nintendo Wii Console with New Super Mario Bros. Wii Game and Music CD. Check back Thursday for the pricing.

There are yet more deals, way too many to list here, so check out their webpage for the full listing. More HDTVs, laptops, PCs, phones, tablets, cameras, hard drives, flash drives, washers & dryers, PlayStation 3, games, etc.

As I’ve said before, TiVo is a better value for cord cutters. A TiVo Premiere with lifetime is $600, which is what the Channel Master TV will cost for four years of use – and TiVo has way more features. Or you can go monthly for just $10/month if you use TiVo with antenna only. Break it down; let’s call the $50/year fee $4.17/month. So $400 + $4.17x = $100 + $10x, or $300 = $5.83x or x = 51.45. That’s 51.45 months, or 4.29 years, before TiVo catches up to the cost of Channel Master TV and starts to cost more with the monthly option. Edit: Oops, Dave Zatz pointed out in a comment that the $10/month deal ended last week.

Front projection is the way to go for maximum screen size, if you have the space for it. MSRP on the HD20 is $1299.99 and Amazon sells them new for $899.99, so this is a pretty good deal for a Full HD projector.

But if you just want an inexpensive way to access Roku’s streaming services, you can’t do better than the Roku LT. You can get it directly from Roku, or from Amazon.

But don’t expect a UHD sets to be on the market any time soon. For now it will only be used for special events. For example, there are plans to cover some of the 2012 London Olympic Games in UHDTV for display at other venues. If UHD displays do come home, they most likely won’t be for displaying UHD images, but rather for glasses-free 3D. I was fairly dismissive of glasses-free 3D sets in my rant about the current state of the industry a little while back, mainly because of the compromises required for them to work. But the more pixels on the display, and the more pixels per inch, the more ‘sweet spots’ can be created, allowing for a wider viewing angle. That means less need to sit in specific locations relative to the screen to perceive the 3D effect.

Now, you may think that a 7680×4320 display much be huge, but that’s not necessarily the case. It is a factor of pixels per inch. Consider the iPhone’s retina display with 326ppi. At that density a UHD display would be only 24.5×13.25 inches, that’s only a 27 inch display. Now, that’s an extreme example, but it just goes to show that a UHD display can be scaled to different physical sizes using today’s display technology. Of course, it wouldn’t come cheap.

Ignoring the displays, how would you even get a UHD image? 16 times the pixels would mean, worst case, 16 times the data for the same quality image – all else being equal. Now, in the real world it doesn’t quite work that way since neighboring pixels will share data and it isn’t a linear scale, but let’s go with the worst case for now. How would you ever get that much data? You’d be looking at an 800GB Blu-ray, which is far more than even lab versions have hit.

The good news is everything doesn’t have to be equal. The other recent news is that the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), a cooperative effort between the International Telecommunication Union and Moving Picture Experts Group, is making progress on the standard for High Efficiency Video Coding, aka H.265. This is expected to be the successor to today’s champ, H.264. The first draft is expected to be released in February 2012, with a final standard in January 2013. H.265 takes advantage of the growth in processor capabilities. It is more computationally intensive than H.264, but should provide compression 25% to 50% better. That could mean that an H.265 UHD image would only have eight times the data as an H.264 1080p image. And with real world compression aspects factored in even less. That starts to bring things into the realm of possibility. Back in 2008 Pioneer demonstrated a Blu-ray disc capable of holding 400GB on 16 25GB layers. And BDXL, which is already a commercial product, holds 100GB/128GB on three or four ~33GB layers. And work is underway to push Blu-ray all the way to 1TB. So by the time UHD displays are viable for the home, we’ll probably have a Blu-ray disc capable of holding UHD content. Streaming? Does your ISP offer Gigabit connections?

But H.265 will have a more immediate impact. You don’t have to be encoding UHD to use it. That 25-50% savings applies to all content. And with mobile data plans all heading to tiered pricing, bandwidth caps on home broadband, and the explosion of streaming HD content, every bit helps. Just think, for the same amount of data you could have up to twice the run time. Of course, even once H.265 is finalized it will probably take a year or two for it to make it into silicon and then into new devices. And you will most likely have to buy a new device to use it. Most devices, like set top boxes and smartphones, implement video decoding in dedicated silicon. So you’d need new hardware to support H.265. Powerful PC CPUs and graphics cards might be able to do it with a software update, but otherwise it means a replacement.

UHDTV from Broadcasting & Cable. H.265 news from Multichannel News via Zatz Not Funny.

And sorry for the silence the past few days, I was off with my fiancee on a combination mini-vacation & wedding planning session at Walt Disney World.

“We are excited to be the first TV maker to support Adobe AIR on our Smart TVs bringing rich, Flash-based applications to millions of customers today,” said Kyungsik Kevin Lee, vice president, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. “With the dramatic advancements in AIR 3, Adobe continues to push the envelope with innovative new features that will enable powerful 3D gaming apps and other next generation app experiences on televisions soon.”

“LG is working closely with Adobe to bring Flash-based applications with AIR to LG Smart TVs in 2012,” said Youngjae Seo, vice president, Smart TV Team, LG. “We can’t wait to see what kind of application experiences three million Flash developers will bring to our customers with AIR 3.”

“The availability of AIR will give us the tools to deliver better functionality, more features and a rich, seamless experience that our users expect from TiVo products,” said Jim Denney, vice president and general manager, Product Marketing, TiVo. “We look forward to the development of a rich ecosystem of multi-platform applications to make the TV experience even better.”

See the full release for more. I am, of course, most interested in how this will apply to TiVo. The TiVo Premiere is already using Flash for the HD UI and newer apps, like Hulu Plus. (Some of the older, legacy apps are still using the Java-based HME framework.) But the TiVo Premiere hardware supports Flash Lite, a reduced version of flash for lower powered embedded systems. Will this new announcement apply to the existing TiVo Premiere? Or might the new TiVo Premiere Elite and forthcoming TiVo Preview be using newer SoCs that would support the fuller Flash/Air experience? I’m not sure, but I’m hoping this means we’ll see new versions of the apps, and all new apps, across the Premiere lineup. Ideally I’d love to see TiVo open an app store for third party apps, and open up the platform to developers to explore.

Oh, and if you’re ready to bash Flash – just stop. Flash as a platform is extremely rich and powerful. While it has had some issues, all platforms do. Most of the problems users experience with Flash apps on the web are due to the app developer, not the Flash platform. In recent releases Adobe has made great strides in improving the performance and stability of the Flash interpreter as well. In the long run I expect it will fade out and be replaced by a collection of technologies many refer to as ‘HTML5′ – HTML5 proper, JavaScript, SVG, CSS, etc. But it isn’t going away overnight. Remember Flash itself displaced Java Applets and Shockwave back in the day. That’s just how it goes.

And all of that aside, Flash on embedded platform is not the same beast. Devices like TiVo and the smart TVs use hardware with dedicated Flash support, not a software interpreter on a generic CPU like a PC. And the platforms are generally more limited in what they’ll support – only what the hardware can decode. So it is a much more focused environment. So Flash isn’t the root of all evil that I’ve seen many make it out to be. It is a logical choice as a platform with many advantages in an embedded environment. Embedded Flash support is much easier to come by these days than embedded ‘HTML5′ support, for example. Especially as HTML5 is still a moving target as the standards evolve.

The bad: The TiVo interface is essentially window dressing, using it can be annoying, and the search function only works for the Insignia On Demand service. The TV’s picture quality is characterized by unnatural color, uneven screen uniformity, and issues with 1080p/24 sources. It also has fewer picture adjustments than competitors.

Read the full review for more.

Remember these are new, not refurbished, for just $249.99. The MSRP is $349.99 and Amazon sells them new for $279.98, so this is $100 off MSRP and even $30 off Amazon’s discounted price.

14.) How can a DVR be free? Most DVR’s on the market today require a subscription fee in order for it to be functional.
Last Updated: 09/13/2011

DVR manufacturers and service providers are required to pay fees for the television guide data that is delivered to the box via the internet or a service provider network. This expense is passed on to the consumer as a monthly DVR fee. With Channel Master TV, basic television guide data is transmitted free-of-charge by the broadcaster and our device receives this info and appropriately inserts it into the on-screen guide. While this info is basic and all depends on what the broadcaster decides to send, it is free. This being said, there may be times that some channels will not broadcast program information or it may be limited, but again, there are no fees for this. If you desire additional program information, Channel Master TV will have a Premium Guide upgrade for a fee of $99.99 annually. The Premium Guide offers additional program information including a 7-day viewing and recording window.

So you have a choice – you can take your chances with the free guide data, which in many areas only goes out for maybe 12 hours and is often incomplete and unreliable – or you can pay $99.99 a year for a Premium Guide with richer data that goes out for 7 days. That’s on top of the $399.99 purchase price of the box.

Alternatively you could buy a $99.99 TiVo Premiere, which as I covered in my previous post has more features and functionality, and then take advantage of the $9.99/month antenna-only rate from TiVo. You can use the TiVo for *15* years before you’d pay as much as the CM-7400 over the same period. (400+(100*x) = 100 + (120*x)) Even better, buy the TiVo with lifetime for $600 and after two years you’re saving money over the CM-7400 and getting more for what you spent. And the TiVo’s guide goes out up to 14 days, in my experience 10-14 is normal.

I thought the TiVo was a better deal compared to the CM-7400 with the free data, just on features and usability, but if you’re going to pay for the Premium Guide I think you’d have to be crazy to pick the CM-7400 over the TiVo.

EDIT: Even Channel Master must’ve realized how much their pricing sucked. They’re dropped the data pricing from $99.99/year to $49.99/year. Not that it really changes my opinion. It may stretch out the break even point with TiVo a little, but I’d still recommend TiVo over the CM-7400, hands down.

The highlights are Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora, Napster, Flingo, and gaming. Yes, it seems like everyone is getting into the casual gaming on TV thing. They don’t have a full list of available channels, but the product images show Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Vimeo, Revision3, Blip.tv, TMZ, TED, Howcast, Crunchyroll, The Economist, and more. And note that Vudu support is more than just Vudu Movies, it also includes Vudu Apps. So that’s a whole suite of apps in addition to whatever they support natively.

The other big trick up the NeoTV’s sleeve is smartphone apps for both iOS and Android. You can use your smartphone as a remote control and it appears there will also be some social media integration from the Smartphone interface, such as sharing what you’re watching on Facebook. If you’re interested in more, check out the product page.

The Netgear NeoTV NTV200 is available for pre-order at Amazon for $79.99. It looks like a decent little box, but they’re got a big mountain to climb if they want to knock Roku off their perch. This is a good product, but is it better than Roku? I don’t know, I kind of doubt it. And there is the question of whether Netgear will stick with it and keep adding channels and features. After all, they dropped their Roku-based box pretty quickly. Between Roku, AppleTV, and a Google TV platform about to be reinvigorated with the Honeycomb update, they’ve got their work cut out for them to carve a niche. Boxee, Popcorn Hour, and others have already struggled to do so.

Sidenote, I’m amused that I immediately recognized the image they’re using for their YouTube feature as Natalie from Community Channel.

Via Engadget.

First up, save on select Sony HDTVs. Sixteen 1080p models to choose from, 32″ up to 60″. Three LCD models, the rest LED – ten of those 3D.

Next up, instant savings on Panasonic HDTVs. Thirty one models to choose from, all 1080p, with sizes ranging from a small 19″ set up to large 60″ models. There’s a mix of plasma, LCD, and LED models, some 3D enabled.

And finally, save on select LG HDTVs. Thirty two models, 22″ to 60″ – six LCD (5 1080p, 1 720p), fourteen LED (4 1080p 3D, 7 1080p, 3 720p), and twelve plasma (6 1080p 3D, 2 1080p, 2 720p 3D, 2 720p).

So Channel Master is launching a new box, the Channel Master TV, aka CM-7400. This new model moves Channel Master a bit further up market. The biggest change is the addition of networking support, with Ethernet as well as built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi. Note the three antennas you can see in the image gallery are for the WiFi, not ATSC, you need an external ATSC antenna. WiFi support something they can claim over TiVo. While the CM-7000PAL is a dual-tuner ATSC-only DVR, the CM-7400 is a dual-tuner ATSC & clear QAM DVR. No CableCARD, so you won’t be recording any encrypted digital channels, but you’ll be able to record any digital channels your cable provider sends in the clear. Note that it is digital only, so no analog cable support. It has a 320GB hard drive, which they claim provides up to 35 hours of HD recording, or 150 hours of SD.

Taking advantage of the networking support the CM-7400 includes Vudu support. No Netflix, no Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. So none of the more popular services you might expect, but Vudu. That includes Vudu’s movies as well as Vudu Apps. Vudu Apps gives the CM-7400 access to a number of services, such as Pandora, Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Daily Motion, etc.

It still relies on the free guide data included with broadcasts to populate its guide. The new box claims“Advanced search features, schedule recordings, and parental control settings”, but it isn’t very specific so it isn’t clear how much of an improvement it is over the old box. However, as you can see from the image gallery, the UI is new and much improved.

The unit has two USB ports, which the documentation indicates can be used to attach a USB mass storage device, but there is no indication of what it would be used for. I’m presuming accessing media files, such as photos, for display. The unit does have an eSATA port, but the docs indicate it is for possible future expansion and not usable today.

The Channel Master TV CM-7400 is available for pre-order direct for $399.99, shipping in November. The dedicated ChannelMasterTV.com site has not yet gone live. If you’re curious you can check out PDFs of the Product Sheet, Brochure, or Quick Start Guide.

So, a worthy upgrade from the CM-7000PAL, but would I recommend this instead of a TiVo Premiere? No, I would not. The Channel Master TV is $399.99, while the TiVo Premiere is $99.99. Channel Master makes the argument that the TiVo requires monthly service, while the Channel Master TV does not, but that’s only half-true. First of all, you can currently get monthly service for just $9.99, instead of $19.99, if you use antenna only. So that would give you 30 months of service on the TiVo until you’ll have paid the same as the Channel Master TV. But that’s still not what I’d do.

No, I’d spend $99.99 on the TiVo Premiere (really less on Amazon and other sites) and buy product lifetime service, which is $499.99 for new subscribers, so $599.98 all paid for. Yes, that’s $200 more than the Channel Master TV. But for that $200 you get support for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant View, Blockbuster On Demand, YouTube, Music Choice, and web videos. TiVo lacks Vudu, but for cord cutters these other services, missing from the CM-7400, offer a lot more choices, especially in TV content. TiVo also offers Pandora, Rhapsody, and Live365 music streaming, and photos from Photobucket and Picasa, as well as other services. And TiVo will stream video, music, and photos from devices on your LAN. Offers an official app for iOS (iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch), with one coming for Android, as well as third party apps for iOS and Android. Online scheduling support, season pass management, etc.

Speaking of Season Passes, that’s a basic feature of TiVo that is a huge advantage. TiVo has Season Passes, Wish Lists, Suggestions, etc. And TiVo has a detailed 14-day guide, with much more information and a longer span than the free guide data. These are all features you won’t find on the Channel Master TV, and I think they’re easily worth $200. Though you can cut $100 off the difference if you get a unit with MSD pricing, where lifetime is $399.99. You don’t have an active TiVo on an account to qualify? Do you know anyone with an active TiVo account? They can get MSD, and lifetime is tied to the unit, if they were to happen to pass it on to someone else. I’m just saying.

So for $100-$200 more than the Channel Master TV you can have a TiVo Premiere DVR with nothing more to pay – just like the Channel Master unit. Only you’ll have all of the advanced features of the TiVo software, and access to much, much more OTT content, which is key to cord cutting. And if you ever decide to go back to cable the TiVo is ready, just add CableCARD – the Channel Master TV can’t do that.

If cost is the overriding factor you can’t argue with the fact that the CM-7400 is the lower cost option. But, in may ways, you get what you pay for. You’ll pay less, but you’ll get less in the way of features and functionality. Channel Master’s one big edge over the TiVo Premiere is the built-in WiFi, but it is easy enough to add WiFi to a TiVo with an adapter or external bridge. They also have a few apps, through Vudu Apps, that TiVo currently lacks, but TiVo has a number of web video channels not included in Vudu Apps. So I’d call that a draw. The TiVo does require a broadband or phone connection for guide data, and you really want to use broadband as it is required for all the OTT features. But if you don’t have broadband why would you use the CM-7400 anyway? You may as well go with the cheaper CM-7000PAL if you just need an OTA-only DVR with no additional bells and whistles. And without broadband that’s all the CM-7400 is too.

The CM-7400 looks like a solid product, but I’d still have to recommend paying a bit more for TiVo.

Via CNET Crave.

The Channel Master press release announcing the Channel Master TV:

Streaming Web Content and a Subscription Free DVR.

Tired of paying for cable? Channel Master offers a new subscription free HDTV solution.

Mesa, AZ–(September 12, 2011)- – Channel Master has developed Channel Master TV™, the most advanced subscription free HDTV solution available. Channel Master TV enables free over-the-air HD broadcasts while adding full DVR functionality including the ability to pause, rewind and record live TV. Channel Master TV also allows users to store and manage personal media content, plus access OTT (over the top TV) web content through VUDU™, delivering On Demand Movies and TV shows and more right to the TV.

Consumers think they need a cable provider to enjoy HDTV, most are unaware the highest quality HDTV is available over the air for free. Channel Master TV gives users access to free, live, over-the-air broadcasts via an antenna (purchased separately). As a subscriber of basic cable or satellite, you pay a monthly subscription fee for major network broadcasts including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and other cable-only provided channels. Based on regionality, Channel Master TV allows you to watch these channels on your digital or analog TV without monthly fees. In most major networks this amounts to more than 30 free stations.

Channel Master TV has also integrated DVR functionality that allows you to pause, rewind, and record live TV. With service providers (like cable or satellite), or TiVo®, you pay for this functionality. With Channel Master TV, you have all the same integrated DVR functionality without paying monthly fees. The Channel Master TV has a 320GB HDD; storage hours vary based on the format of the content but are estimated at up to 35 hours of HD recording and up to 150 hours of SD recording. Users can also schedule recordings and watch one program while recording another. The onscreen Electronic Program Guide (EPG) with Picture in Guide offers search features and parental control settings.

“This is a one-of-a-kind solution,” stated Channel Master VP of Marketing Joe Bingochea. “No device today offers integrated web content, free broadcast TV and DVR without a monthly subscription.”

While 90% of American households have some form of subscription television service, many of them are not happy with their pay TV service. The prevalence of DVR usage shows that consumers don’t adhere to broadcast schedules. They are ready to move from a linear/live TV to an all on demand solution ensuring they get to choose their content whenever they want to watch it.

“The average pay TV subscriber in the US pays approximately $74 per month,” added Bingochea. “Consumers are often left feeling like they are paying for far more than they are getting, or even need. With Channel Master TV, consumers have the luxury of choosing what they want, when they want it.”

If users already have a Broadband data plan, the transition to the Channel Master TV solution is simple since many of the parts they need are already in the home. Channel Master TV has partnered with VUDU to deliver the largest online HD movie library right to the home. In addition to day of release titles, VUDU also offers network specials and series. Through the integrated VUDU application, users gain access to a wide range of Internet services including streaming video, music-on-demand, photo browsing, social networking and much more.

Also available on Channel Master TV is a growing list of OTT content such as AC360, Mike & Mike, MTV news, Associated Press, and more. Users can even manage their personal content such as pictures and play saved videos, music and more.

“Channel Master has catered to over-the-air users for over sixty years and has learned from our customers that they do not like monthly subscriptions. We now have the best solution for the way people want to watch TV today,” concluded Bingochea.

Channel Master TV has an MSRP of $399 and a full one-year warranty. It will begin shipping on November 1. For more info visit www.channelmastertv.com.

Channel Master TV will be unveiled and demoed on Wednesday, Sept. 14th, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the PepCom Holiday Spectacular Event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

About Channel Master
Established in 1949, Channel Master has evolved from a trusted terrestrial antenna manufacturer to a leader in the production of set-top boxes, home networking accessories and digital media devices that connect consumers, businesses and service providers with a multitude of content. Access to streaming off-air HDTV channels, streaming media, movies on-demand, stored digital content, music and more is possible from Channel Master. Today, Channel Master has Channel Master TV, the most advanced subscription free HDTV solution that enables consumers to access free over-the-air broadcasts with DVR functionality in addition to web delivered content and Apps all from a single user experience.

This video from Chumby illustrates some of the features (there is no sound, FYI):

The NeTV is a very simple little Linux computer with HDMI in, HDMI out, and IR receiver for the remote, power via a microUSB connection (like most phones these days), a setup button, and 802.11g WiFi for connectivity. It looks like it is using microSD for storage, but the slot is not accessible from the outside. There is no Ethernet port, but according to the developer information the microUSB port configures itself as an Ethernet device. Perhaps some kind of Ethernet dongle will be released for those who don’t want to use WiFi. The limitation of 802.11g is disappointing. I’m sure it is a cost-cutting measure, but I’m in the process of trying to eliminate all 11g devices from my home as I’m upgrading to 11n and if I can drop 11g compatibility it will improve performance.

Interestingly the NeTV does not use Flash, as all other Chumby devices have. It is an HTML5 device using a Webkit-based browser. That means that it will not run existing Chumby apps, as they’re all Flash-based. There are some other interesting tidbits in the NeTV forum.

Via Zatz Not Funny.

TiVo is proud to introduce a new way to share some of the best elements of the TiVo experience with select partners. TiVo Design enables our partners to leverage our fun-to-navigate menu system and license some of the patented search technologies that have helped make TiVo a household name. While products powered by TiVo Design do not represent the full power and capabilities of a TiVo DVR, they go a long way to making your TV-watching experience easier and more convenient.

Currently the only product featured on the page, and the only one publicly acknowledged (that I can recall anyway), is the Insignia cTV sold by Best Buy, launched last month. Hopefully, given they’ve given TiVo Design its own dedicated page and they refer to ‘partners’ and ‘products’ in the text, we’ll be seeing more additions to the TiVo Design family.

But the ‘about’ in the subject of the post is quite relative, since we’re talking years before ATSC 3.0 is finalized. Keep in mind that the ATSC was formed in 1982, and the first standard was accepted by the FCC in 1996. Granted, developing the first generation of the standard was a lot more work, and a lot more contentious, than developing the next generation should be. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ATSC 3.0 emerge closer to 2020 than 2012.

Via TWICE.

Next up, through September 10, save on four Panasonic Blu-ray players. You save on the DMP-BD75, DMP-BDT110, DMP-BDT210, and DMP-BDT310. The 75 is a fast booting 2D player and the 110 is a 3D, WiFi-ready player, while the 210 & 310 are both 3D players with integrated WiFi.

We wrap up with three promotions on gear from LG Electronics. The first deal is on select 2011 LG HDTVs. There are 31 models to choose from, with screens from 22″ up to 60″, and plasma, LED, and LCD display types. This promotion runs through September 10, 2011.

Second, also running through September 10, sale on select LD audio and video devices. Save on the LG BD630, BD640, and BD670 Blu-ray players, the LG LHB326, LHB336, LHB536, and LHB976 Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, and the LG LSB316 sound bar.

Finally, through October 1, 2011, get a free family pack of 3D Glasses with Select LG Cinema 3D LED HDTVs with Smart TV. There are two 47″ and two 55″ 1080p 3D sets to choose from, the key different being 120Hz or 240Hz refresh.

That’s all for now.

First up is a deal on select LG 2011 Home Entertainment Products. There are 32 products to choose from, 28 HDTVs, two 720p front projectors, and a Blu-ray player and Blu-ray home theater. Note that the overview page doesn’t show all 28 HDTVs, so be sure to check out the subpage for the full selection.

Next up, get two free pairs of 3D glasses and a Blu-ray player with the purchase of a select Samsung HDTV. You get two pair of Samsung SSG-3100GB 3D Active Glasses (MSRP $169.99) and a Samsung BD-D5500 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (MSRP $159.99) when you purchase one of six LED 1080P 3D HDTVs in 46″, 55″, and 60″.

Lastly we have two promotions running on Sony products. The first is on Sony HDTVs, with twelve to choose from. They’re all 1080p and all but one are LED (the one is LCD), eight are 3D, and screen sizes range from 32″ to 60″.

And lastly, a deal on Sony Blu-ray players and home audio systems. You can choose from the Sony BDP-S380, BDP-S480, or BDP-S580 Blu-ray players – and they erroneously SMP-N100 Streaming Player under the Blu-ray category as well. There are also eleven (twelve counting the streaming player) home audio products to select from. Sound bars, home theater systems, A/V receivers, speakers, and a universal remote – a decent set of options.