Ben Drawbaugh

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Stories By Ben Drawbaugh

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    Reviews
    Reviews By Ben Drawbaugh

    TiVo Roamio OTA review: Finally, TiVo makes a DVR for cord-cutters

    Cable TV and TiVo go together like peanut butter and jelly, or at least they did until now. The company that, for all intents and purposes, invented the DVR has, after 14 years, released one specifically designed for people who don't want to pay for a TV subscription. If you look past the marketing, the $50 TiVo Roamio OTA is actually the same as the standard-edition Roamio, but with a nonfunctional CableCARD slot and no option for Lifetime Service. So, is this the one box a cord-cutter needs? Just as important, is the price right?

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Logitech extends Harmony line to control more of your home

    Logitech's got a new Harmony remote and it's an even bigger push into home automation over the current Harmony Smart Control home theater remote lineup. Shipping this month, the new Harmony Home Control devices start at $99 for the Home Hub (which turns your smartphone or tablet into a home automation controller). Then there's the Home Control for $149, which adds a simple, button-only remote. At the top of the line is the $349 Harmony Ultimate Home, which swaps out the simple remote for a 2.4 inch touch screen model (seen above). Available in either black or white, Harmony Home can control both your home theater and other devices from partners via IR, Bluetooth or WiFi. There's a lengthy list of support, too: August, Honeywell, Kwikset, Lutron, Nest, PEQ, Philips, Schlage, SmartThings, Sylvania, Yale and Zuli.

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    TV & Movies
    TV & Movies By Ben Drawbaugh

    TiVo's first box just for cord cutters is the Roamio OTA DVR

    For the past eight years, a CableCARD and a TiVo DVR have gone hand in hand. No more! Within the next few weeks, the limited edition TiVo Roamio OTA DVR will be available from select Best Buy stores for an initial price of $49 (plus $15/month service with a one-year commitment). That's $150 cheaper than the existing base model TiVo Roamio, and still boasts the four tuners, 500GB of storage, integrated WiFi and the same software and accessories (TiVo Stream and TiVo Mini). The main missing feature, for a fourth of the price, are a CableCARD slot. This means you'll need an antenna and (ideally) to live somewhere with decent over-the-air reception. It's an especially interesting offering for those looking to cut the cable/satellite cord, while keeping access to new shows from the big networks. TiVo might not be kidding about this being a limited edition either: The company is clear in pledging its allegiance to its cable TV customers while at the same time attempting to appeal to those not interested in paying more than 20 bucks for a monthly TV subscription. So, depending on the reception from customers and partners, we could see TiVo axing the Roamio OTA if things don't work out.

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    Reviews
    Reviews By Ben Drawbaugh

    Slingbox M1 review: A pricey streamer, but worth it for frequent travelers

    It's been 10 years since Sling Media was founded, and here we stand with the fifth-generation Slingbox, the M1. Like all Slingboxes before it, the M1 can stream live and DVRed programs to your mobile devices, but this time, it's $150, making it the least expensive model yet. In particular, it's $30 cheaper than its predecessor and boasts the same feature set, but with the addition of built-in WiFi, so you don't need to park the box next to an Ethernet jack. So do the price cut and built-in WiFi make it a more worthwhile purchase? Let's find out.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    TiVo's Summer 2014 update makes it even easier to find something to watch

    Despite arriving nearly a year after the TiVo Roamio launched, this update looks to be one worth waiting for. To address the age old problem of choosing what to watch, TiVo has two new features that make that much easier. The first is a new third column added to the My Shows view that makes it possible to browse recorded shows by category (movies, kids, sports, etc). You can easily choose which categories are shown -- who watches kids shows anyway? -- and in what order, or revert to your old ways completely (check the demo video embedded after the break to get a feel for how it works). The other new feature is in the same vein, bringing on-demand and web app options to the traditional guide and giving us flashbacks of Windows Media Center's similar option. TiVo Premiere owners will also be very happy with their version of the update since it adds the aforementioned new features but doesn't stop there. As Zatz Not Funny points out, users are reporting much needed speed improvements with an "updated, modern design" that brings it closer to the Roamio experience.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. The non-stop onslaught of conferences are actually over, so we're back to the regular topics; the FCC and new streaming options. There are a few other items of note we'll be covering on the show tonight too, like a leaked Slingbox, IMAX 4K in 3D and a look back at the CGI that changed Cinema. Finally, we'll finish the show by discussing what we're watching this week, as usual. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. Another week, another mega show to announce the latest in consumer electronics. This week it's E3 and while it is heavy on gaming news, obviously, we cherry picked our favorite home entertainment tidbits from the show. Of course Netflix is in the news again, and of course we're contractually obligated to discuss it -- not really. Finally we'll reminisce about our favorite format war before discussing what we're watching this week . If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. Although it's the week of Apple's WWDC, the big news for the HD world is what wasn't announced. So we'll go over life with a home theater without apps on the Apple TV as well as a few small bones Cupertino did throw our way. The Chromecast continues to fill in its list of sources with the likes of ESPN and Simple.TV, the FCC never stops meddling and there's some new content headed our way we'll talk about before discussing what we're watching this week . If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the 400th Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday Wednesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. This might be our 400th show, but that doesn't mean we're taking the week off from covering the latest news. Sure, we'll pause to reflect about the last eight years, but we'll also cover the latest in net neutrality -- again -- and the latest content from our favorite providers. We will have at least one surprise for you too, as we work our way to the end where we'll cover what we're watching this week . If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. Another week goes by and another rumor comes true, AT&T and DirecTV announced a merger. We'll talk that and much more net neutrality this week before we move on to more HD news. Then as usual, we'll finish up with what we're watching this week. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. It finally happened, Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox One. We'll discuss what that means for HD geeks, and perhaps even more importantly, how big a deal it is that streaming content to an Xbox no longer requires a subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Of course we'll also talk a bit about net neutrality, and some Netflix, before we get into other home theater and entertainment news. And finally we'll finish up with what we're watching this week. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:30PM. Once again we lead off with the latest trials and tribulations of net neutrality, as a few more companies throw opinions into the mix. Of course we wouldn't even be having such discussions if more ISPs offered gigabit broadband, which is exactly what Cox is hoping to do. WSJ is spreading a rumor that AT&T is looking to purchase DirecTV and as you know, we'll never miss an opportunity to theorize about a good rumor. Later, we'll toss around all the other latest news in home theater and entertainment until we finish u with what we're watching this week. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:30PM. The latest trials and tribulations of the FCC's attempt to regulate the internet, in what we have come to call net neutrality, is the first order of business on tonights HD podcast. We pivot from there to the all-so-related Comcast and TWC merger and slide right into our favorite regular topic, Netflix, and its opinion on the merger as well as a deal with Big Red. A few miscellaneous HD topics fill some airtime until we bring it home with what we're watching this week. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9PM. The big news we kick this week's show off with is from Time Warner Cable in the way of a Fan TV box that delivers content from multiple sources. The Aereo case has finally had its, so we'll discuss the latest news from the Supreme Court. A few newsy streaming stories, some interesting content news and the usual odds and ends round out this week's show. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:30PM. No big news to kick off the show this week, but a good quarter for primetime rating will have to do. There is a new wireless box from DirecTV to discuss and of course Netflix, Aereo, Chromecast news -- like just about every week. We finish up with a few tidbits about TiVo, Mohu, CNNx and some content for virtual reality. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:15PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 6:15PM. Big news from Amazon kicks off this week's show as the long awaited streamer from Bezos and company is in the house. We'll also dig in to Comcast's big day in front of the Senate, and there's lots of streaming news from Amazon, HBO and YouTube too. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:45PM. We start this week's show with news from Verizon about its new Quantum TV DVR. The Xbox One finally has some new TV features coming its way too, and Vudu comes to Chromecast. Content news from Amazon rounds out the coverage, along with some other streaming news, of course. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's not Tuesday, but it is time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:45PM. We start this week's show with the latest virtual reality news from Sony and Oculus Rift -- and there's plenty of it. Netflix is once again in the news as are its frequent foils: Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T. There is always some streaming news, of course, and a few other home theater related items. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:45PM. We start this week's show with the latest rumors about an Amazon set-top box, or something like that. We of course cover the latest Chromecast developments, like just about every week, and there's always plenty of streaming news and a few other home theater related items. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:15PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 9:15PM. Aereo is in the news again, so we'll lead off with that news tonight, as well as the next chapter in Dish's spectrum grab, Chromecast developments, and more speculation about DirecTV and Verizon. There's always plenty of streaming news too and a few other home theater related items. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday, which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you'll join us for the live recording at 8:45PM. Tonight there is new hardware to discuss from Harmony, some HDMI-CEC enabled action from Dish and Roku's new inexpensive streaming stick. There's always plenty of streaming news too and of course a few other pieces of home theater related information. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Harmony's $150 Smart Keyboard remote comes to living rooms this month

    Logitech is bringing a new entry to the lineup of Harmony remotes centered around its Hub. At a price of $150 this Harmony Smart Keyboard will retail for only twenty dollars more than the Harmony Smart Control, but trades in the simple and small remote for a keyboard. Like the rest of the Hub compatible line, it controls a long list of devices including the Apple TV, Roku or Xbox One, with support for IR, RF and Bluetooth. This means you can hide the (included) Hub away in a cabinet with your receiver, game consoles and set-top boxes with little regard for where the remote is pointed. The keyboard make quick work of searching for content when connected to a PC or Mac as well as media streamers and game consoles. Like any Harmony remote, it makes controlling up to eight devices in your home theater simple via Activities, and has buttons to control playback as well as volume. While we loved the Hub when we tested it, we have never felt the same way about a keyboard in the living room - and this is especially true now that we can use a smartphone or tablet as a keyboard. If you're willing to give QWERTY on the couch another chance, check it out on the website and look for the device hitting stores later this month.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    We missed Tuesday, the regular day for the Engadget HD Podcast, but we hope you'll join us tonight when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording live at 8:45PM. Comcast is once again in the news this week but this time for making a big deal with one of our favorite companies, Netflix. There's plenty more streaming news where that came from too and we also talk Aereo injunction, Sony closing some stores, a new Xbox remote and a few other pieces of HD news as well. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you'll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. The big cable merger news finally got all official and we'll brake down why it will, or won't, be approved by Uncle Sam. There's more Chromecast news too and yet another Apple TV rumor -- we never missed an opportunity to poke fun at those. And of course there is other top HD news we'll go over as well. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you'll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. We knew HBO made money but who knew it was that kind of money? We'll discuss that, as well as a few Xbox items and our thoughts on Sony getting out of the TV business. Oh, and other top HD news. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Sports
    Sports By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's Tuesday which means it's time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you'll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. Tonight we got our thoughts on the Super Bowl on tap as well as the latest from Google regarding the Chromecast. And of course other top HD news. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.

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    Technology
    Technology By Ben Drawbaugh

    Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET

    It's not Tuesday and but it is time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you'll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. Tonight we cover the recent TiVo rumors, some interesting earnings, as well as other top HD news. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.

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