DVR

Get a TiVo Premiere DVR for $147 shipped

I don't know if this is a mistake or an oversight or what, but I just ordered a TiVo Premiere for $146.92. A new one, not a refurb. That's less than half the list price, and without question the best deal I've ever seen on a new, current-gen TiVo.

To get it, you need to apply coupon code LABORDAYWEEKEND at checkout. Given that Labor Day weekend ended a little over a week ago, I'm surprised the code still works. But it does, at least as of 9 a.m. ET.

Update: Looks like the deal … Read more

DTVPal DVR is dead, but the identical Channel Master CM-7000PAL lives on

One of the perennial questions we get at CNET is this: "I get my TV via an over-the-air antenna. Is there a noncable, nonsatellite DVR I can buy that doesn't require a service fee?" The answers were few and far between. TiVo works great with over-the-air TV, but that unit does require a monthly/yearly/lifetime fee. You can set up a Windows Media Center PC (with a DTV tuner attachment), but that's a rather elaborate solution for most folks. DVD recorders are one possibility, but they generally don't have onscreen program guides, and they … Read more

Western Digital ships new DVR Expander drive

Consumers who need to add more space to their digital video recorders now have another choice.

Western Digital announced Tuesday a new My Book AV DVR Expander that works with a large selection of DVRs. This is the upgrade to a device released by the company a year ago.

According to Western Digital, the new My Book AV DVR Expander is TiVo-verified and compatible with TiVo Series3, TiVo Premier, TiVo HD, and many other DVRs, including DirectTV R15, HR20, HR2, HR23, Dish Network VIP722K, and Time Warner Cable Scientific Atlanta 8300HD.

Essentially, the My Book DVR Expander is a 1TB … Read more

SlingPlayer Mobile launches on Android phones

SlingPlayer Mobile has hit the Android market.

Sling Media's $29.99 app, released Tuesday, lets Android users with Slingbox devices control their home TVs and DVRs to watch live or recorded content on their smartphones.

Users must have a Slingbox Solo, Pro, or Pro-HD device and can connect through a 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi network.

The new Android version of SlingPlayer Mobile joins the company's other SlingPlayer apps for the iPhone, Palm OS, Symbian, and BlackBerry.

SlingPlayer Mobile offers faster start-up and response times than its other mobile versions, according to Sling Media, and sports a new interface … Read more

Get a TiVo HD DVR for $99.99 shipped

I'm a DVR fan from way back. I started by using ReplayTV (of blessed memory), then made the move to Windows Media Center, which has served me well for many years.

However, I'm at a crossroads. For reasons I won't get into here, Windows Media Center is no longer getting the job done. Thus, I have to live with Comcast's ubercrappy DVR or make the move to TiVo.

I've long resisted using TiVo for one simple reason: the monthly service fee. After you buy the box, you're on the hook for $12.95 per … Read more

Sony exec: New DVR for PS3 in the works

Sony is working on a follow-up to its PlayStation 3 DVR known as PlayTV, senior producer Mark Green confirmed in a recent interview with game publication Spong.

According to Green, his studio is working on several projects. He balked at mentioning them all but cited the DVR add-on unit for the PS3.

"We're still working on PlayTV, PlayTV 2," he said.

Green stopped short of discussing it further. Regardless, speculation abounds over what may come out of the PlayTV 2. The first PlayTV, which went on sale in 2008 for about $156, allows owners to record and … Read more

EyeTV HD rips to Mac, streams to iPad

There are a handful of ways to record TV to your computer using an external video card or over-the-air tuner. Only one method, however, promises HD-quality recording and an iPad-compatible app for streaming your recordings over the air. It's called the Elgato EyeTV HD, it's Mac-only, and it's available now for $199.

The sandwich-size hardware isn't much to look at, but put it between your Mac and your cable/satellite box and you've got a powerful tool for capturing the TV you're already paying for. The box sports component and S-Video inputs capable of … Read more

A Conversation with TiVo CEO Tom Rogers

I sat down with TiVo CEO Tom Rogers this week, and don't worry: I asked him about the DirecTV TiVo right off the bat. Of all the things you wanted to hear from him, whether it be whole-home streaming, built-in Wi-Fi, Comcast deals, or the origin of the "ba-doop-a-doop" sound, the single most oft-asked question was about DirecTV. You'll be happy to know he did promise a box by the second half of the year, but less happy to know that he wouldn't really get into many specifics about what it will look like. My … Read more

Post your questions for TiVo CEO Tom Rogers

I'm excited to announce our next CNET Conversations guest, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers.

It's been 11 years since TiVo arrived on the scene and, arguably (and alongside ReplayTV, changed the way we watch television. But, as you know, TiVo has struggled to find a broad foothold and cable and satellite companies have chosen to provide customers with their own house-brand DVRs, and have, shall we say, made it difficult for cable customers to venture out into the wilds of TiVo + CableCARD.

Plus, set-top boxes are the new black in the consumer electronics industry, and would-be TiVo competitors like … Read more

Ginormous DVR records 50 shows at once

You'd need 326 TiVo Premiere boxes to match what the SnapStream DVR can do with just one coax plug.

This SnapStream DVR is basically just a tech demo for now--but it's one hell of a tech demo. Loaded with 50 analog tuners, it can pull and record 50 channels, simultaneously, from your cable feed onto 136TB of storage. That means it's capable of saving 115,200 hours of searchable, recorded TV (or 13 years worth of content to watch).

Put differently, you could record 50 channels in your cable package for 96 days straight.

The system--which SnapStream … Read more