If you’re reading this blog you’re probably not a person still using an antenna with an analog-only TV or receiver who will be in need of a converted box come February, 2009. But perhaps you know some poor benighted individual who is still living with NTSC-only antenna television, who will be out of luck without a converter box. In that case, Dave Zatz over at Zatz Not Funny is giving away his DVTPal review box. Good luck!

Ever since the Apple iPhone hit the market, people have been asking for a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for the platform. To date Sling has only expressed their desire to support the platform when it is possible to do so. But with the Apple WWDC kicking off this week, they’ve been showing off a bit of what they’ve been up to, and a number of blogs have coverage:
Engadget (video)
Gizmodo (video)
Zatz Not Funny (video)
PVR Wire @ TV Squad
Ars Technica
Macworld
NewTeeVee
Electronista
jkOnTheRun
The Mobile Gadgeteer
Crave
CrunchGear
AppleInsider
Mobility Today
Gizmos for Geeks
9 to 5 Mac
I4U News
Gear Diary
Download Squad
Unwired View
GottaBeMobile
Nerd Beach
Brighthand
Geek.com
SlingCommunity

And I’m sure there others that I haven’t spotted.

Dave Zatz posted this video to YouTube:

Note that this is a proof of concept, a technology demonstrator, and not the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone that will eventually be released. This was an engineering project written for jail-broken iPhones to characterize the performance of the platform and ensure that Sling could deliver a high quality customer experience on the iPhone & iPod Touch platforms. This allowed Sling to gain experience with the platform while waiting for the SDK to be released. The official SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will be written using the SDK and sold through the iTunes App store like other official iPhone/iPod Touch applications. At least that is currently the intent.

If you’re attending the Apple WWDC this week you can get a look at the proof of concept application first hand. Sling Media Product Manager Vicky Shum will be at the Starbucks at 120 4th Street, San Francisco (across from the Metreon) between 10:00 and 16:00 (10am and 4pm) on Monday, June 9th running demos.

Disclaimer: I am currently employed by Sling Media.

Monsoon Multimedia continues to add to their client suite for their HAVA placeshifting boxes. They currently officially support Microsoft Windows on PCs, while clients for Windows Mobile (Pro & Smartphone) and Nokia’s Internet Tablet Maemo Linux-based OS are in beta. A client for the Symbian S60 platform has been announced with an availability in 3Q08, according to a press release posted at jkOnTheRun. By way of comparison, Sling Media has released SlingPlayer for Windows and Mac OS, and SlingPlayer Mobile for Palm OS, Windows Mobile (Pro & Smartphone), and Symbian S60, while SPM for Symbian UIQ is in beta now, Blackberry is in development for release later this year, and the iPhone SDK is being evaluated.

Picked up from Zatz Not Funny.

Disclaimer: I am currently employed by Sling Media, for whom HAVA is the leading competitor.

A few weeks ago I reported the news that Seven Network would ’slash’ the planned AUD$10-12 subscription fee for TiVo service, in the face of increasing competition from Freeview and push-back from retailers.

However, due to feedback from retailers such as Harvey Norman, they’ll be dropping the monthly subscription fee. Seven had planned to charge AUD$10-$12 per month, but now will be reportedly ’slashing’ that - though the new fee hasn’t been announced.

Well, now the new price has been announced - AUD$0. That’s right, TiVo will not carry a subscription fee down under. Basically the is the equivalent to selling the TiVo with a bundled product lifetime subscription. This according to the Sydney Morning Herald:

THE Seven Media Group will launch its TiVo digital video recorder in July after a strategic overhaul that includes a surprise move to scrap a planned monthly subscription fee for the broadband-enabled service.

Before you pack up and head to Australia to take advantage of the free TiVo service, note that the box is expected to sell for around AUD$500. And that’s about USD$482.21 right now. Though that is better than the US$699 (MSRP) for a TiVo HD with product lifetime, which is the rough equivalent, it isn’t a huge savings.

Seven Network would not confirm the July launch date, but they’ve been clear that they want it available in time for users to be up and running for the Olympics - which Seven is airing in Australia. Nine and Ten networks have also signed deals with Seven Network for their channels’ guide data to be included in the TiVo EPG. And deals are being finalized with up to six retailers to carry the box.

It sounds like Australians will get a solid product:

Mr Spence said TiVo’s initial focus on an electronic program guide and the ease of recording TV programs would expand considerably by the end of the year to include online TV content and broader interactive services.

“That’s when we will start to see more things obtained off the internet,” he said.

“The main thing is to get TiVo launched for the Olympics.”

In the US, TiVo offers music and movie downloads, sharing of digital photo libraries with personal computers and access to social networking sites and online video channels.

The head of Seven’s hybrid TV services, Mark Hughes, said TiVo Australia’s line-up would match that offered in the US.

Later this year TiVo is adding YouTube to the US TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD boxes (the Australian box is based on the TiVo HD), which means enabling MPEG-4/H.264 decoding. It sounds to me like that capability will be finding its way to Australia.

It will be interesting to see how the up-front pricing works for Seven and TiVo. In the US sales have favored lower up-front pricing with monthly fees, but Australia is a different market with potentially different trends.

(Dave Zatz twittered about his post just before my Google alert twigged me to the article.)

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.

It looks like TiVo’s product lifetime service is back, and not as a special promotion this time. I won’t say it is back for good, since it went away before, but there doesn’t seem to be a set date for it to cease either.

This video was posted to YouTube last night (don’t bother watching it, really) by user ‘TiVoLifetime’, with this description:

TiVo Product Lifetime is back by popular demand for folks who “Never Want to Give TiVo Up”.

TiVo Product Lifetime service means consumers pay once up-front for the life of your DVR and never again. Product Lifetime service is priced at $399 for new customers and we offer a multi-service discount price of $299 if you are already a TiVo customer with a qualifying subscription.

In short, customers asked, we listened.

Could be a joke, right? Well, Product Lifetime service is back on the TiVo Price Plans page for $399.00. And that’s without being logged in, it is available to everyone. The new pricing plans are $12.95/month, $129.00 annual, $299 three years, and $399.00 product lifetime.

And there’s more - if you’re an existing subscriber you qualify for Multi-Service Discount, and for the first time MSD also applies to Product Lifetime! Logged in the pricing options are $9.95/month, $99.00 annual, and $299.00 product lifetime. That’s both surprising and very welcome.

These changes are further confirmed by the “TiVo service payment plans document“, which is marked as updated in May 2008. The document states:

2. You may pay for the TiVo service on a monthly basis for one (1) year at $12.95 per month. Promotional Pricing may be available from time-to-time.

3. You may also pay annually for your TiVo service at $129 a year, prepay for three (3) years at $299 (renews annually after 3 years) or purchase a Product Lifetime Service (as described below) at $399. Promotional Pricing may be available from time-to-time.

The “TiVo Multi-service discount service agreement” has also been updated in May 2008, and now states:

1. Discounted TiVo service fee. The MULTI-SERVICE DISCOUNT reduces the 1-year Monthly TiVo service or TiVo Plus service subscription fee to $9.95 per month, $99 per year if paid annually, and $299 for Product Lifetime Service while in compliance with all applicable Initial Qualification and General Eligibility requirements on new eligible TiVo service subscription activations (not existing TiVo service subscriptions). 3-Year prepaid TiVo service plans are not eligible to receive the MULTI-SERVICE DISCOUNT. However, in accordance with the Initial Qualification and General Eligibility requirements set forth above, paid 3-year prepaid TiVo service plans may serve as the Qualifying Subscription. In the event two or more TiVo service plans are being purchased simultaneously, the Product Lifetime Service shall be considered the Qualifying Subscription and if no Product Lifetime Service is being purchased, then the highest priced prepaid service plan shall be the Qualifying Subscription.

There you have it - TiVo Product Lifetime is back!

Thanks to Dave Zatz for the heads up via IM - and he’s posted at Zatz Not Funny as well.