HDTV

Although it once seemed like Microsoft and TiVo could never come to terms, the companies have decided to walk away from all their lawsuits and pretend like they never happened.

TiVo today filed a regulatory statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying that it has reached an agreement with Microsoft to dismiss all pending patent litigation against its operation. In addition, TiVo has agreed to drop its counterclaim against Microsoft.

In early 2010, Microsoft sued TiVo, claiming the DVR company was violating patents it holds related to video purchasing and delivery. The move was designed to defend AT&… Read more

Microsoft is happy to hear about excitement surrounding a new Xbox, but the company cautioned recently that such a scenario is still premature.

"While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon," Microsoft Corporate Communications chief Frank Shaw told All Things Digital in an interview published Friday. "For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360."

And for good reason. Microsoft's console has been handily beating Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii … Read more

Not long ago I asked if DVDs still had a place in the world. The response was incredible, with plenty of readers professing their love for the convenience and quality afforded by disc media.

And let's not forget 3D (which I did in that initial post). If you like your movies up-close and personal, you'll need a 3D-savvy Blu-ray player. Like, say, this one: TigerDirect has the Toshiba BDX4150 3D Blu-ray player for $62.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code OMH57403 at checkout.

The BDX4150 is new, not refurbished. That's a rarity for a name-brand … Read more

PlayOn slings TV shows from your Windows PC to various devices, such as tablets, smartphones, game consoles, and media center boxes, and the like.

It's a compelling solution for cord-cutters--folks seeking to dump their pricey cable-TV subscriptions.

Typically, PlayOn charges by the month or year ($4.99 and $39.99, respectively), but you can also pay $79.99 for a lifetime subscription to the service.

And right now, when you buy a lifetime PlayOn subscription, you'll get a free Roku LT streaming media box.

Given that the latter sells for $50, this is a pretty sweet deal. The … Read more

I'm writing today's post on a laptop running Zorin OS, a Linux variant that looks and operates a lot like Windows 7. That has nothing to do with today's deals--just thought I'd mention it. It's pretty cool.

In the market for a Roku box? Antivirus software? How about a dirt-cheap home theater receiver? I've got you covered, and then some. That's right: it's a multideal Monday!

1. Today only, Woot offshoot Moofi has the Roku XD-HR streaming media player for $59.99, plus $5 for shipping. This is the flagship model of … 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

After taking some time to break out from the browser, HBO Go is making some serious inroads into your living room.

Speaking to Engadget last night, HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said that his company plans to make HBO Go available on the Xbox 360 on April 1. The launch is by no means a coincidence: it matches up with the premiere of season 2 of HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones."

Microsoft announced last year that it would be offering HBO Go, which allows HBO subscribers to stream the company's entire line of television shows, documentaries, … Read more

Data-heavy services like YouTube are apparently costing a South Korean Internet Service Provider serious money, and the ISP doesn't want to take it any longer.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published last night, Kim Taehwan, vice president of KT, Korea's largest ISP, said that his company is tired of "free riding" Internet streaming services that consume huge amounts of data and don't pay it a dime to do so.

"We want to set a rule that we can equally apply to every platform operator that offers data-heavy content as those services threaten to … Read more

I frequently get letters from readers who want to cut the cable-TV cord, but still watch and record shows using a DVR.

Solution: your Windows 7 PC and an ATSC tuner. Together, they let you tune in and record local channels that are broadcast over the airwaves (remember those?).

Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the Sabrent TV-USBHD dual-mode USB TV tuner for $14.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It's new, not refurbished, and it might just be the cheapest DVR solution you'll ever see.

A tuner like this requires only an antenna to pull … Read more