If you were curious as to why Boxee suddenly became available for OS X 10.4 users, here's your sign. The underpinnings of the Apple TV are indeed based on Tiger, thus paving the way for Scott Davilla, a developer for the aTV-bootloader project, to announce that Boxee and XMBC can now be installed on Apple's set-top-box. In order to take advantage, you'll need the aTV Flash bootloader on a bootable USB drive, an Apple TV and the software in the links below. Currently, things are setup to run on Mac only, though PC / Linux versions are promised for next week. After signing up for a Boxee invite, jump on past the break for the step-by-step guide to getting this going.

We hadn't heard from struggling content-delivery service Akimbo in over a year, so it's not really surprising that the latest news isn't exactly cheerful: the company is shutting down, leaving only a "skeleton crew" behind to find a buyer for its remaining assets. Akimbo seemed like it was searching for a viable business model from the start (eventually leading the company to drop its hardware offerings entirely), and like other would-be set-top box vendors, it looks like the economics of content delivery were simply too skewed to wrestle into profitability. Any bets on who's next?

[Via GigaOM]

After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic's PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer. The 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions should all be available in mid-June, with the 65-incher rolling out in August. Other than the IP features (Picasa access is also part of the package) the THX-certified PZ850s support h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and a variety of display modes and settings to get the picture just the way the director intended, the way you like it, or anywhere in between. Check after the break for a list of prices, and our video hands on from CES 2008.

One of the things most people fail to realize about being sick is that sitting in a hospital bed all day can be really, really boring. Luckily, a company called Lincor Solutions has realized that people need something a little more engaging than plain-jane television these days, thus the MEDIVista was created. The basic premise is quite simple: a touchscreen, LCD display is mounted to the side of a hospital bed which the hospital staff can use to display x-rays or medical information, and the patient can use for entertainment. Users can watch IPTV, listen to the radio or audio books, make VoIP calls, surf the 'net, check email, as well as play web and network based games. The system also logs activity and allows users to view billing information, though at this point it doesn't look like it can play Doom, will blend, or is due to become our overlord.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Being an HBO subscriber is about to get a lot more appealing, as the Time Warner-owned pay channel giant is set to roll out a new service that allows subscribers to both download select content as well as view live feeds on their PC. "HBO on Broadband," as the feature is called, will give HBO on Demand customers on Time Warner's Roadrunner network access to both the live east coast feed along with numerous TV episodes and Hollywood films, although downloads expire after 12 weeks or less, and you can't natively transfer any of this video swag to a portable device. Mac support is also conspicuously absent here, but seeing how the offer is confined to Time Warner cable and broadband subscribers only in Wisconsin for now, anyway, it's quite possible that an OS X client (and 64-bit Windows one) will become available as more regions get switched on. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Judith]

Just in case you weren't reading along to our liveblog of Bill Gate's twelfth and final CES keynote – in which case, what were you doing? – we wanted to share some Xbox 360 IPTV news. Last year, Microsoft was talking up their IPTV initiative but when Fall '07 rolled around, there weren't any set-top Xboxen to be found. During last night 's keynote Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, announced that British telecom giant BT Group would be the first "to provide that capability." But when will they provide it and in what markets? As always, answers as we get 'em, but in the meantime read the rest of the Microsoft keynote by clicking the read link.

While HD DVD and Blu-ray have both lost key supporters recently, Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace seems to just keep adding new content providers, this time bringing MGM and Disney-ABC Television Group to the fold. Conspicuous in that bothare exclusive Blu-ray supporters, Xbox 360 owners will -- later this month -- have access to ABC hits like Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives in HD the day after they air. So far, MGM's announced just classic and catalog flicks like the Rocky series and The Usual Suspects, with "most" available in HD. Still looking for a Blu-ray add-on or built in HD DVD?

Don't look now, but it seems that three rivals in the UK have found enough love in their hearts (or promise for profitability) to team up for the good of the consumer. Reportedly, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will be joining hands in order to deliver an on-demand service that hopes to "bring together hundreds of hours of television programs in one place" -- a collaborative effort once known as Project Kangaroo. Of course, the grand idea still has to be approved by the BBC Trust and other broadcasters' boards, and an official name for the service still has to be thought up, but at least the wheels are apparently turning, right? We're hearing that content from the trio will be available for "free download, streaming, rental and purchase via the internet, with expansion onto other platforms planned," and just in case you were curious, the iPlayer, ITV's catch-up service and Channel 4oD will indeed coexist with the new aggregator. Hang tight UK, the to-be-named service is set to go live sometime next year should things pan out nicely.

[Via Yahoo / Reuters]

After visiting Dish Network's booth at CEDIA and noticing a prominent sign boasting of a future relationship with IPTV, we can't say we're totally shocked to see this develop. Nevertheless, EchoStar unveiled today its ViP-TV MPEG-4 IPTV transport platform, which has the ability to beam out "over 300 channels of secure broadcast quality television programming via satellite to telecommunication firms, private / rural cable operators, municipalities and master planned community video providers that have obtained rights for distribution." Deemed a "turnkey solution" for wholesale content delivery, ViP-TV will also offer up locals in 165 designated market areas including 30 in HD. Interestingly, it seems that Dish doesn't much mind competing with itself so long as would-be Dish Network customers choose ViP-TV, and while it sounds mighty ambitious, ViP-TV General Manger Daniel Daines was quoted as saying that he hopes to have "paying customers on the platform in January 2008." For the full slate of down and dirty details, be sure and visit the read links below.

[Via TeleCompetitor]
Read - ViP-TV Press Release [PDF]
Read - ViP-TV website

Forget 200Mbps powerline home networking -- and don't even mention your poky 85Mbps setup -- because industry leader DS2 has just made all current gear obsolete with its introduction of technology that will enable 400Mbps theoretical speeds over standard electrical wiring. Capable of pushing five simultaneous video streams, the zippy new tech will be key for applications such as PVR networking and multi-room HD IPTV, and should start appearing in "next generation" devices slated for 2009. Luckily 400Mbps products will actually be backwards compatible with 200Mbps gear according to DS2, meaning that you should be able to reuse some of your existing adapters and extenders instead of relegating them to the gadget graveyard.

Sony hasn't exactly been shy about expanding the capabilities of its PS3, and according to new reports from The Korea Times, even more non-game-related goodness will be headed its way. Apparently, KT (Korea's primary telecom operator) and Sony will "launch an internet-based TV service in November that runs on the PlayStation 3 game console," and as expected, the machine would act as a set-top-box for KT's IPTV service (Mega TV). Reportedly, neither company was willing to disclose pricing information (or any additional details, for that matter) just yet, so it looks like we'll be forced to play the wait-and-see game for now.

[Thanks, Stafford l.]

Microsoft, never content with just monopolizing one segment of the market, has decided to dip its big, scary toes into the Slingbox-ish world of anywhere-TV with a new piece of software for its Media Center PCs. Using the newly acquired (but not new) WebGuide component -- created by a gentleman named Doug Berrett -- you can now tune into your Media Center content from any place you have web access. The software actually goes beyond what Slingbox is capable of, giving you full control over your system remotely, allowing you to set record times, change schedules, and generally go buck-wild, even from a mobile phone or WiFi equipped PDA. Ballmer and Co. also added an ITV function to MC PCs, though apparently all it does is offer C-rate "internet" content for MCE users. Clearly, what's exciting here is WebGuide -- the software is free, and presuming you already have your system up and running, you could be "slinging" video around before you know it.

[Via Cedia]

Dish Network's booth was certainly not destitute of propaganda, but it did provide an open look at its current line of DVRs and receivers as well as giving onlookers something else to look forward to. We'd hate to leave you hangin' like that, so follow the trail on over to EngadgetHD for the full skinny, alright?

We know, it was a year ago yesterday that we had this very same conversation, but apparently, cable companies aren't heeding the advice of analysts. According to yet another study, this time by ABI Research, "cable providers will soon be faced with a serious bandwidth crunch" as more and more individuals look to online gaming, video-on-demand, and IPTV for enjoying their precious moments of leisure. Compounding the problem is the growing demand for more HD channels in the lineup, and considering that the satellite operators are already raising the bar, cable carriers can only play dumb for so much longer. Stan Schatt, VP and research director for ABI Research, was quoted as saying that "digital switching is key" to releasing some of the strain on current infrastructures, and while we aren't ones to believe that the influx of online TV delivery will debilitate the internet (or cable providers), something seemingly has to give -- and soon.

[Via Slashdot]