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TiVo's leaked Edge DVR touts Dolby HDR and Atmos audio
TiVo is apparently renewing its efforts to serve cord-cutters. Zatz Not Funny has obtained snapshots of an Arris-made TiVo Edge DVR that would cater to both the streaming crowd and cable TV diehards in equal measure. It wouldn't be as flamboyant as the oddly-shaped Bolt (you can finally stack things on top!), but it would be loaded with 4K, Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR to stream services like Netflix and Prime Video in maximum quality.
Comcast might have to pay TiVo after losing a patent dispute
Comcast may be feeling a twinge of regret for hyping its X1 set-top boxes to the Moon and back. TiVo has won an International Trade Commission dispute accusing Comcast and its hardware partners (Arris and Technicolor) of violating patents through the X1 platform's approach to DVR recording and search. The case had originally covered six patents, but this still means Comcast could be on the hook for licensing fees if it wants to avoid a sales ban.
The best tech and apps for your home office
By The Wirecutter Staff This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. You don't need the thinnest, lightest, or most elegantly designed items for your home office. You want reliable, comfortable, efficient tools—but it doesn't hurt if they look nice, too. That's why a team of three experienced remote workers spent more than 150 hours researching and testing new gear and apps, and picking the most office-friendly items from The Wirecutter's guides, to give you a selection of tools that we're sure will earn a place in your workspace.
The best cable modem
By David Murphy This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. After researching 88 cable modems this year, the Arris SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 remains the cable modem we recommend for most people. It's compatible with seven of the nine biggest ISPs—including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, and Charter—and it supports the Internet speeds available to the vast majority of Americans. Our pick is popular and reliable, and it gives you the most flexibility for switching providers if you move somewhere else (or if you're lucky enough to have multiple ISPs to choose from).
Engadget giveaway: win a Slingbox 500 and Motorola-ARRIS SURFboard
While "hanging ten" may be out of the question for those in the Northeast this time of year, it's still a great time for a SURFboard. ARRIS, the telecommunications company that acquired Motorola Home early last year, has jumped in to offer a Motorola-ARRIS SURFboard SBG6782-AC Gateway, along with a new Slingbox 500 to help make some waves in one lucky Engadget reader's home media center. The SURFboard is the first retail cable modem that also offers blazing fast WiFi 802.11AC, and it has MoCA networking for sharing multimedia across compatible smart devices. With the Slingbox 500 and its My Media feature, your movies, videos and photos will be accessible to you even when you're away from home. All you need to do is head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win. Winner: congratulations to Jacob G., Telluride, CO
TiVo, Motorola / Google settle DVR patent lawsuit (update: Cisco, Time Warner too, for $490 million)
TiVo's patent lawsuit against Motorola (formerly owned by Google, then sold to set-top box maker Arris) had been scheduled to start June 10th, but now it's reported the parties have reached a settlement. There are no details available and representatives for the companies involved had no comment at this time. TiVo has successfully leveraged its "Time Warp" patent, along with others, to negotiate settlements with the likes of AT&T, Dish Network and Verizon. For Arris, protection guaranteeing it would only be responsible for up to $50 million in the case of a loss to TiVo -- which some analysts suggested could result in a payout of close to $1 billion -- came as part of its deal to acquire Motorola. The lawyers will remain busy however, as TiVo still has litigation pending against Time Warner Cable and Cisco. Update: Motorola responded "We're pleased that all parties involved have reached an agreement to resolve pending litigation." Update (June 7th): TiVo has officially announced the settlement in a detailed press release, revealing that this also includes Time Warner Cable and Cisco. As a result, it will receive a $490 million lump sum payment from Cisco and Google as the various companies agree to dismiss all pending litigation between them.
Arris closes deal to buy Motorola Home cable and internet biz from Google
About a year and a half after Google announced its acquisition of Motorola, it's closed a deal to sell the Motorola Home half to Arris. Motorola Home covers the company's cable TV and internet device, which combined with Arris' existing businesses creates what it's calling "the Premier Video Delivery and Broadband Technology Company." Meanwhile, Google keeps the Motorola Mobility half that covers its cellphones, tablets and of course, the related patents. The move cost Arris $2.2 billion in cash along with 10.6 million shares of its stock issued to Google. That's on top of 10.6 million shares for Comcast in return for its $150 million investment, making them equal part (7.7 percent) owners with the folks from Mountain View. What does all of this mean? Your next cable-provided box will probably say Arris on it, and any faint dream of Motorola-built Android TV set-top boxes becoming widely available is officially over.
Comcast invests $150 million in Arris as part of Motorola Home deal
Comcast now has some extra skin in the cable box and modem business, as the provider has just agreed to invest $150 million in Arris. If the name sounds familiar, it should -- this is the company that recently purchased Motorola Home from Google for $2.35 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast will purchase roughly 7.85 percent of Arris, and in the very same stroke, halve Google's stake in the company, which previously sat at 15.7 percent. After the deal is complete, Google will end up with an additional $150 million in its pocket. As for what we can expect, Bob Stanzione, CEO of Arris, sounded off: "We believe this investment by one of our largest customers is a strong indication of customer support for the Motorola Home acquisition and its potential to accelerate innovation to the benefit of the industry and consumers." So, yeah... both companies will be working together more closely. For some additional insight behind the terms of the deal, you'll find the PR after the break.
Intel confirms partnership with Comcast, brings Xfinity TV viewing to Intel-based devices
Well, there's no new set-top box box per se, but most of those rumored Intel / virtual cable TV details have come true here at CES. Intel just announced a new partnership with Comcast, which will enable Xfinity TV viewers to watch television on Intel-based devices in the home. According to Intel, the collaboration will enable users to tap into Xfinity TV on "IP set-top boxes, Ultrabooks, Intel-based all-in-one PCs, tablets and smartphones, as well as smart TVs in the home." It's like Tru2way, but slightly less restrictive. Evidently, the back-end magic is being handled by Intel's Puma 6MG-bsaed XG5 multi-screen video gateway. In other words, this is Comcast opening up live TV streaming to more than just the HDTV connected to your set-top box, but unfortunately, there's no mention at all about this working remotely. We're also getting the impression that Intel's pitching this kind of scenario to other pay-TV providers, and if we hear of any others hopping onboard, we'll be sure to let you know. Update: It appears the box itself is actually being produced by (recent purchaser of Motorola's set-top box business) Arris. There's a few more details in Arris' press release after the break, we'll be checking it out for ourselves later this week. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Google sells Motorola Home cable and internet box business to Arris for $2.35 billion
Ever since Google announced it would acquire Motorola Mobility last year there have been questions about what it would do with the company's large internet and TV set-top box business, and now that question has been answered: it's selling Motorola Home to Arris for $2.35 billion in cash and stock. Another maker of cable boxes and modems, Arris says the acquisition will both increase its product offering, and increase its patent portfolio thanks to a license to "a wide array" of Motorola Mobility patents. The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies, and they expect the deal to close in Q2 2013. The potential of slipping Android / Google TV into the cable box business through the back door was a tantalizing, but unfortunately probably not a dream shared by the operators that are Motorola's customers. Naturally, Google will be hanging onto the mobile device business and related patent library that spurred the $12.5 billion acquisition in the first place, but will own about 15.7 percent of Arris. We'll be hopping on a conference call to find out any more details in a moment, check out the press release after the break. Now, who holds the rights to that Motorola home automation tablet? Update: Listening to the call, Arris explains one of its reasons for the move is that until now, two (unnamed) customers comprised half of its business, but afterwards, five customers will make up half of its business. Also important is an included "low" cap that limits Arris' liability in the case of IP damages from lawsuits like the one currently ongoing with TiVo.
Kabel Deutschland sets record with 4.7Gbps download speeds
About a year ago, Arris teased a system capable of 4.5Gbps downloads, and while that technology was in the proof-of-concept phase last June, it's beginning to look more like a real possibility. German network provider Kabel Deutschland just notched a new download speed record using Arris' C4 CMTs and Touchstone CM820S cable modems: a mind-blowing 4,700 Mbps (4.7 Gbps). The cable operator set that world-record rate in the city of Schwerin, where it recently updated its network to 862 MHz. The network may be capable of delivering those 4.7Gbps speeds, but the company noted that current laptops and modems can't even process such blazing data transfer rates. And before you North Americans get too excited, note that KD uses the EuroDOCSIS specification on the 8MHz channel, while the DOCSIS uses the 6MHz scheme in the US and beyond. Still, that's not to say that other cable providers like Verizon FiOS have been slacking lately -- 300Mbps downloads are nothing to scoff at.
Arris reveals Moxi DVR release 2.0 with web browser, apps and iPad remote
If your cable company is offering Arris' Moxi Whole Home DVR setup (we've seen it pop up on Shaw, BendBroadband and Wide Open West so far) you should have a few new features headed your way. This week at the NCTA Cable Show 2012 it's debuting Moxi software release 2.0 which adds in a WebKit-based browser, downloadable apps and an appstore the TV provider can customize itself, as well as APIs and SDKs aplenty to bring in third party developers. With the SDK, other companies can pair mobile devices and build in remotes or stream content, while Arris is also showing off its own iPad app (images after the break) for remote DVR scheduling. Unfortunately, we're told these upgrades won't trickle down to owners of Moxi's retail DVRs, but considering how close they came to total deactivation, we're not that surprised.
Moxi whole-home six tuner DVR on its way to WOW! customers
Just because Arris found limited success with its Moxi DVR in the consumer space, that doesn't mean it won't continue to seek success providing hardware to cable companies. Ultra TV is what the number 15 TV provider (432k subscribers) in the US, WOW!, will be calling the 6 tuner, 500GB multi-room DVR, with MoCA, VOIP and WiFi -- a deal that seems to be a bit better than the one TiVo offers for the number 16 provider in the US, RCN. The Moxi user interface in the video below looks like the Moxi we know, but we assume the DVR gateway and players will resemble the Shaw counterparts rather than the retail ones. A comment on the WOW Buzz blog indicates that a gateway and two players will set you back $25 a month, while another indicates that installs are already being scheduled.
Arris brings Moxi HD DVR sales to an end, plans to cut off guide data after 2013... maybe
While Moxi may live on in spirit as a white label multiroom HD DVR for cable companies, parent company Arris announced on its website this week the retail boxes and extenders are no longer being sold. Initially, a note on the company's home page indicated tech support and guide data would come to an end at the end of 2013 as noted by Zatz Not Funny, but references to that have since been removed. Potentially abandoned users on AVS Forum have already started looking for alternative ways to keep the guide data flowing and possibly get help from Arris in prying open the code to do so. We've contacted Arris for more information but haven't received a response yet -- we'll update you when / if we do. In the meantime Digeo's baby is still operational, so owners can enjoy however much time they have left, we'd recommend studying up on the stages of grief so you'll understand how to handle them over the next several months.Update: Arris has updated its page, claiming the discontinuation notice was an "error", and that it has "no plans" to discontinue service. Satisfied?[Thanks, Alfred]
Arris' cable technology teases us with 4.5Gbps download speeds
Think your cable connection's fast? Arris thinks it could be a lot faster. At today's NCTA Cable Show in Chicago, the company will demo a new system that can support download speeds of 4.5Gbps, and upload rates of 575Mbps. To achieve this, Arris devoted more of its DOCSIS 3.0 cable channels to broadband (128 downstream, 24 upstream), sourced through a C4 cable module (pictured on the left). Of course, this would leave less space for conventional TV channels, but we're guessing the accelerated streaming speeds would more than make up for it. Unfortunately, the prototype is still in the proof-of-concept phase, so it may be a while before you reap its benefits. Head past the break for the full PR.
Arris confirms the Shaw Gateway DVR's Moxi bloodlines, hints at more to come
The six tuner Shaw Gateway DVR we mentioned recently is built on Arris hardware, and now the company revealed more information about its Whole Home Solution setup at its core. The press release after the break details the specs used by Shaw's implementation (500GB hard drive, HD UI, four port router, MoCa and optional WiFi N) plus additional capabilities the Shaw Gateway hasn't taken advantage of yet (over the top video from the internet, VoIP, an integrated DOCSIS 3.0 modem and user media sharing). We spoke to Senior VP of Marketing and Development Stan Brovont and found out that this particular project has been under development for about a year now, and many of the features are in response to focus groups indicating that the number of tuners and hard drive space (the 500GB drive was up to Shaw) were among the most important features. While he did mention there were other partnerships not yet announced in the pipeline and couldn't comment on any potential return to retail for the Moxi-derived system, our friend Dave Zatz dug up a Multichannel News post mentioning a similar system coming to Oregon local provider BendBroadband. Check the Arris press release after the break for more details, we'll keep holding out hope for another retail DVR option in the marketplace.
Shaw Gateway DVR is the six tuner Canadian son of Moxi
Shaw Cable in Canada unveiled its DVR of the future today, calling the Shaw Gateway Experience "a new world of entertainment." As it turns out, that new world is actually very familiar, consisting of an Arris six tuner DVR and multiroom companion box. The Gateway (pictured above) is a six tuner DVR with a CableCARD slot, 500GB hard drive, WiFi, DLNA and an HD guide that looks just like the Moxi DVR technology Arris purchased over a year ago. The Total Home Portal is the multiroom box that appears to be a refreshed edition of the Moxi Mate extender that lacks its own tuner or hard drive but can stream live or recorded video from the gateway. The cost of one Gateway and Portal is $600 up front or $17/month, while an extra portal is $178 or $5/month. They're currently only available in Calgary and are due to arrive elsewhere in Canada later this summer. [Thanks, Daniel]
Comcast to offer Extreme 105Mbps broadband package starting in June?
We've had the megahertz and megapixels races, now how about a megabits per second contest? A Comcast customer has posted a note from his latest bill online, showing a new Extreme 105 service that will purportedly be launching on June 1. You'll need to obtain an Arris WBM760 cable modem to make it work, while also ponying up $249 for installation and $200 each month thereafter, but such is the price for sailing in the mostly unexplored 105Mbps downstream and 10Mbps upstream currents. Guess that will have to do until Google rolls out that gigabit fiber network later this year.
Comcast looking to compress HD even more
Oh Comcast we understand you're always looking for new ways to increase the capacity of your network, but we'd hoped you learned by now that bit starving HD wasn't one that would go un-noticed. Some providers wean off analog channels, others deploy SDV and still others move VOD to IP or start using more efficient codecs like H.264. Now all of those have their drawbacks, and we appreciate you always trying to find a better way. But testing out ways (that appear to be snake oil from Arris, BigBand Networks, Harmonic, Imagine, and others) to fit four quality HD channels in one 38Mbps QAM channel while still using MPEG2 seems about as likely as our dear old grandma winning the lottery. So while we want you to keep on keeping on the good fight to improve your infrastructure, we just hope you don't forget that not everyone who watches Comcast HD doesn't mind if it looking like a mosaic.
Moxi "Fall Update" now available, adds Live TV streaming for the Moxi Mate
Moxi Mate users should be enjoying Live TV streaming as well as new GUI tweaks regarding used storage space and series recording defaults now that the update announced last November has finally arrived. Could we suggest a few more changes? Sure, but for now these will have to do. [Thanks, Lee & Bob]
