Webware

(Credit: Screenshot by John Falcone/CNET)

ZeeVee has released the latest beta version of its Zinc "Internet video browser." Beta 3 of Zinc adds access to Netflix (for subscribers) and CBS (the parent company of CNET), in addition to such online video stalwarts as Hulu, ABC, YouTube, and the like. For now, Zinc is a free download for Windows PCs, though ZeeVee pledges that a Mac version is in development.

Zinc is an offshoot of the ZViewer software that was originally developed for ZeeVee's ZvBox Zv-100. We reviewed that product back in the autumn of 2008, and found it to be overly convoluted and complex--but our problems were largely limited to the hardware. By focusing on the software aspect of its product, ZeeVee is aligning itself as a competitor to Boxee. But since Zinc is just a meta-browser--aggregating already available online video into a more easy-to-access package, but keeping it on the PC--it might even sidestep some of the problems Boxee's encountered with its unauthorized Apple TV version.

We ended our of the ZvBox--which was then retailing for $500--by suggesting that users "might as well just get an entry-level PC [...] and connect it directly to your TV. Pair it with a good wireless keyboard like the Logitech diNovo Mini, and you've got sofa-based access to the entire panoply of Web-based video on your living room HDTV--for roughly the same overall price." While ZeeVee is still offering hardware such as the high-end ZvPro 2500, this focus on software is, in my opinion, a smarter way to go. If Zinc really delivers, users will figure out a way to enjoy it on their big-screen TV. Plenty of enterprising folks are already doing just that.

The Zinc beta is available for download at ZeeVee's site.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)

We already knew text messaging service Kwiry could perform some cool tricks via text messaging--things like adding products to your Amazon.com wish list or adding movies to your Netflix queue. But now the service is adding rudimentary TiVo control to the list.

TiVo already offers more detailed DVR access via its Web site, as well as TiVo Mobile (for smartphones with Web browsers), but the Kwiry service should work with even the most rudimentary cell phones, so long as they have text messaging capability.

The TiVo beta should be available on Kwiry Wednesday. Here's how it's supposed to work: link your TiVo Series2 or Series3 DVR to your Kwiry account (a one-time affair on the Kwiry Web site), and you should be able to command your DVR to record shows via a simple text to 59479 ("kwiry").

Kwiry says the service will automatically schedule a recording of the next episode of the show in question, so "tivo the office" should grab the next episode of the Steve Carell dramedy. Sounds easy enough, but we wonder how smoothly it'll work, especially with shows that have multiple syndicated episodes on multiple channels--will kwiry be smart enough to grab the new episode of Lost, and not the rerun on G4 or Sci-Fi? Thankfully, the service is free, so you can experiment with impunity.

(Credit: TiVo)

TiVo is launching a cell phone-friendly Web site that will allow users to search programming and set their TiVo DVRs remotely. TiVo Mobile will be a free service available "with any Internet-enabled phone through any network, regardless of carrier," according to the company. Any user will have access to the program listings, but only TiVo owners (Series2 or Series3/HD) will be able to set their home DVRs to record programs they would've otherwise missed. A similar service was previously available--for a fee--only to Verizon customers. The service (available soon at m.tivo.com) is currently in beta, but will be more widely available "in a few weeks," according to the company.

It's worth noting that TiVo owners can already program their DVRs remotely through the company's main web site. Likewise, Slingbox owners can also access any DVR remotely (TiVo or otherwise) through the SlingPlayer Mobile software, which is currently available on Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian smartphones, and coming soon to BlackBerry models as well.

(Credit: Sonos)

Add iPhone control, Last.fm, and an expanded Internet radio roster to Sonos' bag of tricks.

Starting Tuesday, a free application available at the iTunes App Store will allow iPhone and iPod Touch owners to control their Sonos digital audio system via their home's Wi-Fi network. The Sonos Controller for iPhone provides the Apple handheld with most of the same functions as the Sonos CR100 Controller, but provides direct touch-screen access not available on the latter device.

The Sonos system can already be controlled via its companion Windows and Mac software, but the iPhone Controller provides a much more convenient and accessible interface to the multiroom music system.

In addition to providing a secondary control option for existing Sonos owners, the Controller App also lowers the effective entry-level price for the Sonos. The company's two-room bundle, the $1,000 BU150, includes a ZP120 base station (with built-in amplifier), ZP90 base station (no amp), and CR100 remote. Previously, those looking for a single-room option were left with purchasing a separate ZP90 ($350) and CR100 ($400), netting out to a very pricey $750.

But the availability of the iPhone application means consumers can grab a ZP90 and an iPod Touch for $580. Still a lot of money, to be sure, but now you're getting top-notch home and portable digital music players. And existing iPhone or iPod Touch owners, of course, need only get the ZP90 or ZP120.

Photos: Sonos Controller iPhone App

Sonos is also updating the product's firmware to version 2.7. The free upgrade (it's a one-touch automatic free download for all Sonos systems, available now) adds the following:

The straightforward interface of the Roku Netflix Player

(Credit: CNET)

The Netflix box is finally a reality.

The Netflix Player by Roku is the first product that allows subscribers to have movies and TV shows from the service's Instant Viewing feature (aka "Watch Now") to be streamed directly to their TV screen. Previously, Instant Viewing was available only to Windows PC users through the Internet Explorer browser. With the release of the Netflix Player, subscribers need only have a wired or wireless broadband connection to access the entire Instant Viewing catalog through their TV. The full review--with hands-on video--is available at CNET Reviews. But for those who prefer to cut right to the chase, here's the short and sweet version:

March of the Penguins: the only movie in Netflix's top 100 that you can stream

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The "Watch Now" feature on Netflix is a great idea: instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows, available for instant streaming to your browser at the touch of a button. There's just one big problem: despite an advertised library of over 8,000 titles, very few of them seem to be movies or TV shows that I want to watch.

Out of 41 titles currently in my queue, only 4--The King of Marvin Gardens, Das Boot, The Good German, and Pickup of South Street--are available to be streamed. OK, fine--my taste for older movies is probably throwing things off. Surely plenty of newer, more popular movies are available to be streamed, right?

Wrong. ... Read more

TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 software lets you view Web videos on your TV--but they need to be downloaded to a PC first.

(Credit: Slashgear)

TiVo has added the ability to view downloadable Web videos on the company's DVRs, making good on its announcement at January's Consumer Electronics Show. The update will allow Web videos such as video podcasts to be downloaded with the same Season Pass functionality used by TiVo viewers to record their favorite TV shows. But don't expect to just punch in a URL or an RSS feed into the TiVo remote. Videos must first be downloaded to your PC's hard drive, after which they'll be transferred to your TiVo via your home network. That's a departure from Amazon Unbox videos, the Rhapsody subscription music service, and TiVo's forthcoming YouTube service, all of which are accessible online straight through TiVo's onscreen interface without the need to have a PC running elsewhere in the home. (By contrast, the Apple TV can pull down PC-free video podcasts, so long as they're indexed on the iTunes Store.)

The Web video functionality requires TiVo's Desktop Plus 2.6 software, available for download today ($25 for new users, or a free upgrade for users of the existing software). For now, it's a Windows-only solution, though TiVo says that the company is continuing "to work with Roxio on delivering equivalent functionality on the Mac platform." With any luck, perhaps the new Desktop Plus software will also swat those TiVoToGo bugs that have been afflicting some TiVo users for the past several months.

YouTube will be available on Series3 TiVos later this year

(Credit: CNET)

YouTube videos will be coming to high-end TiVo DVRs soon. In a brief announcement, TiVo said that YouTube video access would be available on the company's latest TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 models "later this year." (Owners of older Series2 TiVos look to be out of luck.) On-screen access to YouTube videos joins a host of other Internet-delivered entertainment options on TiVo, including Amazon Unbox video rentals, Rhapsody's subscription music service, access to Photobucket and Picasa photo galleries, TiVoCast Web videos, podcasts, and Internet radio. While ancillary to TiVo's primary mission of recording and playing back TV shows, the inclusion of such Web-friendly features helps the company delineate its products from the wide range of "free" DVRs that are available from local cable operators. (Disclaimer: CNET is one of several content partners that provides videos to TiVo's TiVoCast service.)

As for YouTube, its appearance on TiVo may be the first of many new venues. The TiVo news was timed to coincide with YouTube's announcement that it's expanding its APIs to allow third parties more direct access to the service. That said, YouTube is already available on quite a few home and mobile gadgets. Aside from the high-profile Apple TV, you can also find YouTube on your TV with the Netgear Digital Entertainer HD--as well as any product with a full-function (Flash-enabled) Web browser, such as the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3. In the handheld world, the once unique YouTube offering on the iPhone has since been joined by phones from Helio and the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. Also, the new Skyfire browser promises to bring YouTube (and any other Flash video site) to a wide range of Windows Mobile phones.

Having played with YouTube on some of these devices, we'll say this: Yes, it's cool to have access to YouTube on your TV or on your phone--but you may actually come away a bit disappointed in the end. Because YouTube has such a social component--sharing cool or funny videos with your friends--the experience can often be a bit isolating when viewed on a device without ready access to your e-mail, instant messaging, or social network of choice. You know the feeling: a million channels to watch, and nothin's on.