dvr

Networks are hopping mad over Dish's commercial skipping

In today's show, we're putting filters on Facebook, paying with our phones and watching the networks get hoppin' mad:

A battle is brewing in court between the major television networks and Dish Network's commercial-skipping Hopper DVR. The fight centers around a feature in the Hopper DVR called Auto Hop, which lets users instantly skip commercials for a show recorded the day prior from a major network during prime time. (No need for a fast-forward button!) Fox, NBC and CBS are suing Dish, arguing that commercial skipping violates copyright. And Fox added another layer to it, saying that … Read more

TiVo focusing on whole-home viewing with IP, streaming boxes

At the 2012 NCTA Cable Show, TiVo announced the eventual availability (again) of a TiVo IP set-top box for viewing content on secondary TVs and a new streaming box for use with mobile devices.

The TiVo IP set-top box (yes, that's what it's being called for now) works as an extender for a TiVo Premiere Q DVR. Connect the box to a secondary TV and to your home network, and you'll have access to live and recorded TV, video-on-demand services, or other broadband-delivered content through the main DVR.

Presumably it'll tie up one of the Q's tuners to access live TV, but with four tuners in the Q, you should be able to hook up multiple IP set-top boxes throughout your home. … Read more

Get a Slingbox Solo for $99.99

As a self-employed guy who rarely leaves his basement, let alone his house, I've never had much need for a Slingbox. But, ho, boy, do some people love them. I've heard them discussed with the same kind of gushing admiration usually reserved for TiVos and Kindles.

Curiously, although they've been around for years, prices haven't dropped much. Indeed, Slingbox deals are pretty rare, which is why today's is something of a sellout risk.

Today only, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Sling Media Slingbox Solo for $99.99 shipped, plus sales tax in … Read more

Dish touts new 'Auto Hop' commercial-skip feature

What feature have viewers been waiting for since the "beginning of television?"

According to Dish, it's commercial-free TV, and it's added a new "Auto Hop" feature to its Hopper HD DVR system that allows you to jump over all commercials in recorded prime-time programs from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC when viewed a day after airing. … Read more

My DIY Cable Card install was simple--how was yours? (poll)

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

Boxee now selling Live TV tuner for cord-cutting users

Boxee Box users now have a way to watch traditional TV as well as online content.

The company has just started selling its new $49 Live TV tuner, which connects directly to the Boxee Box to deliver over-the-air broadcast television channels, potentially making it a useful option for cable TV cord cutters.

Of course, as CNET's Matthew Moskovciak pointed out in a column in November, all HDTVs these days include a built-in ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) tuner, so most cord cutters already have a way to grab broadcast TV without coughing up extra dough.

Still, the folks at … Read more

The 404 at CES 2012: Where we have the power (podcast)

LAS VEGAS--For our last live episode from CES, we're joined by Sony's John Koller who shows us the U.S. version of the PlayStation Vita and President of CBS Interactive Jim Lanzone...fingers crossed that we still have jobs after this!

First we sit down with Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing John Koller for a first glimpse at the American version of the PlayStation Vita mobile gaming device. Last year Jeff got the chance to look at a preview of the Japanese-only model, and the hardware is truly meant for the hard-core gamer.

Replete with dual-control pads, … Read more

Asus rocks the tablet boat

Intel is making a big push into smartphones and tablets, Polaroid has the first Android phone, and Asus hands out four cores for the price of two with the game-changing Asus Memo 370T.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded, from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:

Four cores for the price of two? Intel goes inside smartphones Polaroid's Android camera Box-less DVR with DirecTV and Samsung Buzzing about the Dell XPS 13 and the Inhon. Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Hands-on: Simple.TV might be the next big cord-cutting device

LAS VEGAS--Simple.TV's DVR without a hard drive or video output may sound crazy, but it could end up being a killer product for cable-cutters.

That's the impression I got after spending some hands-on time with the over-the-air-friendly DVR, which was already working on an iPad and a Roku 2 XS box in the booth.

To recap from my initial story, Simple.TV allows you to access over-the-air TV programs, either live or stored on a connected hard drive (that you supply), from a number of devices on your home network--at launch there are apps for Roku, Google TV, Boxee, and iPad. So fire up your iPad and you can watch live broadcast TV or any of the recordings on the connected hard drive.… Read more