cable

Do you know Jack?

Meet Jack. Jack hates tangled earphone wires. He's a bit of a neat freak, actually, but that's good news for you. Jack would just love to help you keep your cords free from tricky twists and gnarled knots, if only you would give him a chance. Just throw your earbuds over Jack's shoulders, twist the cable around his neck and feet, stick the plug in his hand, and Jack's a happy camper. Chances are you will be, too, because instead of spending time detangling cords, you can get right to listening to your music. Jack will … Read more

Time Warner to test metered Web use

Time Warner Cable is testing a new pricing structure where heavy broadband users will be charged based on how much data they transfer, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

A trial for the new pricing scheme is expected to begin in Beaumont, Texas, later this year. Time Warner is testing the new pricing model to see if it can curb usage of peer-to-peer applications on its network, said Alex Dudley, a spokesman for the company.

Peer-to-peer protocols allow users to access content that is distributed throughout the network on other computers running the same application. It's commonly used to transfer … Read more

Time Warner plays the usage game with broadband

Time Warner Cable, a company that has historically been the object of much debate, recently saw a leaked memo hit the wire that claimed the company would be instituting a tiered approach at offering broadband.

To be rolled out in Beaumont, Texas, the trial plan calls for new customers to choose plans based on their expected amount of monthly usage and be charged accordingly.

And while some pundits have spewed their typical invective without gathering any information whatsoever, I had the opportunity to chat with Alex Dudley, a Time Warner representative, to get the details on what's going on and what Time Warner customers can expect going forward.… Read more

Moxi maker cuts staff by half, loses CEO

Update 12:00 p.m. PST: This blog has been updated with more details, as well as comments from Mike Fidler and Greg Gudorf.

If you were eagerly anticipating Digeo's Moxi Multi-Room HD digital media recorder, don't hold your breath.

The Kirkland, Wash.-based company revealed significant changes Tuesday, including the cancellation of two previously announced product lines, the Multi-Room HD DMR and the Moxi Home Cinema Edition DMR. As a result of slashing those products from its lineup, nearly half of its staff will be laid off, and current Chief Executive Mike Fidler will be replaced by … Read more

The end of the cable set-top box? Yes, Comcast says

Comcast, the United States' largest cable operator, says the set-top box's days are numbered.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, CEO Brian Roberts predicted in a keynote address that by the end of the year, "virtually the entire cable industry will support Tru2way," an "open cable" standard that would render the bulky boxes moot by directly integrating any U.S. cable provider's service with a variety of devices. Initial partners in the Tru2way endeavor include Motorola, TiVo, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Cisco Systems, and Sun Microsystems.

Roberts also … Read more

Comcast v. NFL: Round 2

Last month I wrote about how the widely anticipated face-off between the Packers and the Cowboys didn't air on either ESPN or ABC. For those outside the Green Bay, Millwaukee, or Dallas/Ft. Worth areas, the only place to catch the game was on the NFL Network. Unfortunately the station isn't offered by certain cable companies; others, such as Comcast, only include the network as part of a special programming package leaving millions of football fans out.

Frustrated by cable's unwillingness to carry the NFL Network as part of their basic package, the company launched a marketing … Read more

NFL Network vs. cable: Who's right? Who's wrong?

Did you catch the Packers-Cowboys game Thursday night? According to USA Today, less than 40 percent of the United States was able to sit at home and watch as the Cowboys edged out the Packers 37-27. The widely anticipated competition between the two 10-1 teams aired locally, but for those not living in Green Bay, Milwaukee,or Dallas/Fort Worth, the only place to see the game was on the NFL Network, a fairly recent cable channel that reportedly, "provides about 24 hours per year of live NFL football and about 8,736 hours of filler."

Unfortunately, the NFL Network isn't available on many cable systems. Some cable providers, such as Comcast, only offer the network as part of its sports tier, despite the NFL's pleas to be included as basic cable. The two major satellite companies offer the channel in their basic package, and the NFL has mounted a campaign urging viewers to dump its cable companies for an alternative that carries the NFL Network.

… Read more

Episode 612: Judges gone wild

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Cable escapes stricter FCC rules, for now

Cable's fierce lobbying over the threat of expanded government control paid off late Tuesday night, as federal regulators approved a watered-down proposal that does not immediately open up the possibility of new regulations.

After a rocky day of closed-door negotiations, which delayed the scheduled 9:30 a.m. EST start time of the Federal Communications Commission's meeting by nearly 12 hours, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin caved to pressure from fellow commissioners over how to handle a contentious cable competition report.

That outcome could derail any future efforts by Martin to push through controversial new rules for cable operators--most … Read more