cables

Apple announced the new iPad yesterday in San Francisco, and with the reactions ranging from disappointment up to stores already running out of stock, Ty Pendlebury joins us today to give his take on the amped-up display, the updated nomenclature, and a rundown of the new iOS 5.1 features.

We'll also talk about Netflix coming out of your cable box, a new Sim City announcement, and a quick review of The Simpsons: Tapped Out.… Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about last year.

Regular readers know of my deep fondness for Windows Media Center, which served as the hub of my entertainment center for many years. It's vastly underrated as a DVR; indeed, in many respects it's better than TiVo.

For a long while, the only available CableCard adapter (the vital component for watching and recording cable TV) was Ceton's InfiniTV 4--a great product, but expensive and compatible only with desktop PCs that had an available PCI slot.

Now there's an affordable, external solution. The Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 … Read more

T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel have asked the Federal Communications Commission to suspend its review of Verizon Wireless's purchase of wireless spectrum from cable operators.

The wireless operators want Verizon to disclose more information about the marketing deals it struck with cable operators as part of its $3.6 billion deal with these companies hashed out late last year. The companies say the FCC should suspend its 180-day review of the deal until that information is made public.

In an FCC filing, T-Mobile and Sprint were joined by DirecTV and several consumer groups in asking that Verizon Wireless provide … Read more

Netflix might be looking to step up its game as competition with HBO and other service providers heats up.

The video streaming giant is looking to partner with a cable company that would bundle online movie streaming with its other offerings, according to Reuters.

The news service reports that sources familiar with the matter say that Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings has been stealthily meeting with a few of the largest U.S. cable companies the past few weeks to discuss how a deal might work. This partnership could come as soon as the end of the year, according to … Read more

Remember Cable Card? It's still around, quietly allowing owners of TiVos and Home Theater PCs, via devices like the HDHomeRun Prime, to get the full complement of cable TV programming without having to use the company-issued DVR or cable box.

At CNET we've tested a few Cable Card products, including TiVos and the now-defunct Moxi DVR. The latter product was still hanging around the CNET offices so I decided to test it out for myself at home.

I called up Verizon (I'm a Fios TV subscriber) last week, told the rep I had a third-party DVR and … Read more

Time Warner Cable is at it again.

The company this week announced the launch of a usage-based pricing plan in Southern Texas. The service is available to customers in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Value, and the Border Corridor, the company said in a blog post.

Dubbed the Essentials Plan, the offering limits subscribers to 5GB of data usage a month in exchange for a $5 discount to their monthly bill. Time Warner Cable says customers can opt-in or opt-out of the deal at any time, and subscribers will get a "meter" to let them … Read more

Problem: you need to connect a TiVo, a Roku box, a game console, and other video goodies to a TV that's short on HDMI ports.

Solution: an HDMI switch box, which turns one HDMI port into many.

Over at Meritline.com, you can get a three-port HDMI switch and three-pack of 6-foot HDMI cables for $11.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code MLC227VN at checkout.

That code will reportedly expire after 200 uses, after which the price jumps back to its regular $15.99--which is also a mighty fine deal for such a bundle. As of this … Read more

Don't get me wrong, I like TiVo. What I don't like is the $19.99/month subscription fee that goes along with it. That's $240 per year, folks.

A much cheaper option over the long haul: Ceton's InfiniTV 4 products, which can turn a Windows 7 PC into one of the best DVRs on the planet.

The original InfiniTV 4 was a PCI card that sold for $399. Now, however, you can get the Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCI or InfiniTV 4 USB for $199 shipped.

That's not a sale price; it's a permanent reduction. … Read more

Time Warner Cable, which last year unveiled its first iPad app, has just launched a beta version of the software for computer streaming.

The new app lets cable (and data) subscribers stream live TV to their Mac or Windows PC while in the home.

The app's features include "Live TV" of a limited number of channels, a seven-day program guide, control of the set-top box (to watch on the TV screen) and the PC (to watch on the computer screen), DVR management, and a search function.

"Ever since launching the TWC TV app for the iPad, … Read more