AT&T has unveiled the latest update to their U-verse IP system, Total Home DVR. The system will allow the playback of recorded content - in standard and high-definition - not only on a U-verse DVR but up to seven connected TVs. Playback can follow viewers around the house, pausing on one screen and resuming it on another, or alternatively multiple, independent viewings can be watched on separate TVs.
Check out the demonstration videos of U-verse Total Home DVR after the cut
Up to four recorded shows can be played back simultaneously, three of which can be HD, while two live HD programs are also being viewed. Recordings can be scheduled not only on the DVR itself, but over the internet through the AT&T Yahoo! Mobile Remote Access portal either on a PC or cellphone. Four recordings per DVR are supported, with a total capacity of 37 hours of HD content or 133 hours of SD content per box.
Usability has been improved as well as flexibility. Shows can now be grouped by series, streamlining playback options, and “soft padding” automatically adds a buffer to the start and end of pre-scheduled recordings to avoid missing any content.
In the future, AT&T plan to integrate the unified control into its non-DVR receivers, allowing users to remotely schedule, pause and control live TV no matter which receiver they are using.
The update will be installed automatically, using customers’ existing equipment. Total Home DVR is currently being rolled out as a no-cost upgrade to customers in the San Francisco Bay Area; it’s expected to extend to all U-verse TV customers by the end of 2008.
Note: Demo video coming up as soon as YouTube is back in full swing.
PC manufacturer Celrun will release its wall-hanging all-in-one PC that comes equipped with an integrated IPTV. Dubbed as the LLUON A1, the computer is powered by Intel Atom processor, and dual-OS system(Windows for PC & Linux for IPTV). The PC also adopts 18.4-inch LCD monitor with 16:9 ratio, built-in stereo speakers and a microphone. The LLUON A1 will be released next month in Korea, North America and Europe. No word on pricing at this time. [AVING]
Intel have announced a new IPTV consumer electronics System on Chips (SoC), Media Processor CE 3100, intended for advanced cable set top boxes and direct integration into digital TVs. Previously known as Canmore, CE 3100 includes an IA processor core with multi-stream video decoding and processing hardware capable of high-definition media. It also features a 3-channel 800 MHz DDR2 memory controller, dedicated multi-channel dual audio DSPs, a 3D graphics engine enabling advanced UIs and EPGs, and support for multiple peripherals, including USB 2.0 and PCI Express.
Both hardware and software video decoding is supported, meaning that the CE 3100 is able to process both broadcast TV and optical media playback together with internet-based content. Yahoo! has also been involved, bringing multimedia and information widgets to the CE 3100 and allowing users to browse web content - such as Flickr and Twitter - while watching TV. Yahoo! are calling this the Widget Channel.
Gigabyte has already developed a set-top box using the Media Processor CE 3100 and including the Yahoo! Widget Channel, which Laptop Mag spent some hands-on time with; they reported it smooth and sleek, with promising functionality such as Blockbuster films on demand. Samsung and Toshiba are both confirmed as looking into using the CE 3100 in upcoming products.
If Roku’s Netflix Player caught your eye, but you’re not entirely keen on being tied into just the one online media provider, as of the Summer you should have at least one more $99 option. Verismo Networks have been demonstrating the PoD, a router-like box that hooks up to your broadband connection and then streams pretty much any video format in common use. That means big-screen viewing of YouTube and other Flash videos, as well as Microsoft DRM-encrypted content such as Amazon Unbox and CinemaNow.
Check out the Verismo PoD demo video after the cut
Verismo claim to have deals with YouTube and BitTorrent that will ensure their content is available to PoD users, and there’s search functionality for finding other online media. YouTube will even be promoting the device to its users. According to company CTO and co-founder Vijay Maheshwari, Verismo are looking to work with other media providers, as well as - like with the streaming Netflix technology - explore integrating PoD into TVs.
While final specifications aren’t decided upon yet, what we do know is that there’ll be a number of USB ports for playing back video from flash memory keys, together with HDMI and/or S-Video. It comes with a basic remote control (and the GUI is already pretty well polished, going by the video) but will also play nicely with wireless remotes such as Logitech’s DiNovo.
Netflix are pretty much synonymous with mail-delivery films in the US, and the company is now trying to do the same for internet-streamed media. The Netflix Player by Roku is the first piece of hardware promising to bring download movies to your TV, and going by the launch-day reviews it sounds like they’ve got a winner on their hands. $99.99 gets you a compact set-top box that, when linked to your online Netflix account, lets you play from the company’s 10,000 strong catalogue of titles, automatically selecting the highest resolution your broadband can support.
The Player itself has HDMI, component and composite connections, together with stereo audio, optical and ethernet ports. Pairing with your existing Netflix account is straightforward and you can use either a hard-wired or wireless network hookup. There’s no high-definition yet (though it’s supported once the streams are there), and you can’t browse or select titles on the Player itself - you have to pick them via your online account before they show up on the box - but playback quality is good despite it only buffering chapter images and around four minutes of footage.
Netflix are charging $8.95/mo for unlimited access to movies, which happily undercuts both Amazon Unboxed and Apple TV if you’re a keen viewer. The key issue every review flags up is the absence of new releases available for streaming; that, hopefully, will change as the service picks up momentum and the studios see it as A Good Thing. Best of all, there’s talk of it being integrated into new TVs, which means one less (bland) box in your living room. More details here.
With the array of Eee-style budget notebooks clamouring to play the role of your companion PC, Microsoft’s UMPC format is being forced to think outside of its traditional box to score sales. Gigabyte have stepped up with the M700; while it may look like a typical 7-inch touchscreen slate, in actual fact it’s running VIA’s 1.2Ghz processor with the new VX800 chipset (with Chrome 9 graphics and video decoding hardware) and is part of the company’s latest IPTV push. The M700 is in actual fact a mobile media center, complete with a dock that packs a digital TV tuner and IPTV streamer.
Check out the video overview of the Gigabyte M700 after the cut
You can think of the system as similar to a Slingbox, but with a built-in client. The docking station will have a variety of TV inputs (depending on region, so a US version might be set up for cable TV while a European model might use DVB-T) together with other audio/video inputs and outputs and an IR port, as well as room for an optical drive and an SD card slot. Gigabyte have apparently developed their own TV control software, so the eventual UMPC might not come with Microsoft’s own Media Center OS.
The M700 itself weighs 650g and has an optical mouse, capacitive scroll-bar, GPS and a 1,024 x 600 touchscreen. Demo units have been running Windows Vista Home Premium. Inside there’s 1GB of RAM (expandable to 2GB) and a rather small 40GB hard-drive (with 60GB an option), together with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Front and rear cameras make video conferencing straightforward.
Gigabyte expect to have the M700 on sale in Q3 2008; it’s currently available for pre-order at Mobilx, but with no price publicised.
Well if there are still any doubts as to who’s winning the portable console war, let them be dispelled here and now: in the less than three years since it’s been on the market, the Nintendo DS (in both its Lite and Phat flavors) has sold a total of 50 million units, according to the unofficial VG Chartz. Sony’s PSP (released less than one month later in Japan)? Less than half that number. While the PSP will surely get a sales boost now that it too has slimmed down, DS still seems to be the clear choice of the majority of gamers. Next challenge for Mario and friends: hitting 100 million faster than the iPod.
Up to four recorded shows can be played back simultaneously, three of which can be HD, while two live HD programs are also being viewed. Recordings can be scheduled not only on the DVR itself, but over the internet through the AT&T Yahoo! Mobile Remote Access portal either on a PC or cellphone. Four recordings per DVR are supported, with a total capacity of 37 hours of HD content or 133 hours of SD content per box.
