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Cox wants to hop on the gigabit internet bandwagon this year
In case there was any doubt that gigabit internet access is spreading like wildfire in the US, Cox has revealed plans to introduce an ultra-fast service of its own. The cable provider tells Bloomberg that it hopes to have 1Gbps speeds available by the end of the year, with news of the initial markets coming in the next two to three weeks. CEO Pat Esser notes that gigabit has been on the cards for a long time, but admits that news from rivals like AT&T and Google tipped Cox's hand -- the company wants to let its customers know that they won't be left in the slow lane.
Julius Genachowski voices support for capped, tiered broadband
FCC honcho Julius Genachowski has come out in favor of usage-based pricing for your broadband. At this year's Cable Show, he said that he supported the sort of usage caps that Comcast adopted last week and hoped that such plans would reduce costs for those who use less internet. Comcast's new pricing structure offers a 300GB monthly cap, after which point it'll charge users $10 for every extra 50GB used. We're not sure how this'll play out, but we suspect anyone with a Netflix or Hulu addiction might feel less than pleased this morning.
Nuance adds Rovi's metadata to Dragon TV, becomes annoyingly good at TV trivia
Nuance, of Dragon TV fame announced today that it was licensing Rovi's (formerly known as Macrovision) metadata for its talky-TV platform. Once integrated, the application will be able to marshall far more information than it currently can -- enabling it to give answers to queries like "Who plays Chuck on Gossip Girl?" That said, we're not holding out much hope that it'll be able to answer our question about which guy from CSI played that bad guy in that movie we can't remember the title of, or something.
Comcast's 'Project Dayview' does PDA duty across TV, phone, PC and tablet (update: video)
While we expected to see Comcast roll out its X1 DVR platform today at the Cable Show, more surprising is the new Project Dayview initiative. As seen above, it attempts to provide a single cross-platform home screen that combines info from its services and third party sources to give customers a quick look at what's important to them, on any screen. Potential sources include Comcast services (DVR schedule from your cable box, voicemails from the home phone, email, or home security / automation updates when you're away) as well as third party information like your current calendar software, social media and local news. While ambitious, it does reflect a futuristic ability to bring its users relevant information (based on the time of day, it could pull the traffic report before you leave for work or TV listings in the evening, for example) automatically. How well it all works remains to be seen once this is integrated with the new DVR software and apps later this year, but you can get an idea of what Comcast has up its sleeve for your four screens from the pictures in the gallery below. Update: Check out a video of CEO Neil Smit demonstrating Project Dayview on the show floor embedded after the break.
Motorola reinvents the TV interface with DreamGallery concept (video)
Motorola is demonstrating how it expects TVs of the future will work with its DreamGallery concept. Powered by the company's Medios cloud-service, the display is designed to let you browse content as if it was the internet -- with bookmarks, personalized recommendations and interactive search tools. Its designed to work across your TV, computer, tablet and smartphone, aggregating Cable, Internet TV and VOD under a single interface that sits behind pull-tabs around the picture. If you're curious to see if this is easier to use than TiVo, head on past the break to catch your first glimpse.
Comcast officially launches next-gen X1 DVR platform and iPhone remote app (update: video)
As expected, Comcast is kicking off the rollout of its new X1 (previously beta tested under the name Xcalibur) DVR platform. The announcement was made at the Cable Show in Boston, and that's where it will be available first, some time in "the coming weeks" with a few other major markets following soon after. We've had a few peeks at the new UI over the last year or so but now we have a full gallery of shots of both the DVR software and accompanying X1 remote app that will be available first on the iPhone. The new guide looks very similar to the existing Xfinity TV remote apps for phones and tablets, formatted for HD screens and with support for recommendations from your social network and support for apps like weather, TV, traffic, Facebook and Pandora to start. The new set-top boxes it runs on have built-in tru2way and internet support, as well as RF remotes instead of IR. Meanwhile, the X1 remote control app adds motion and gesture control to the current set of features, as well as more direct interaction with what's on screen, since it can be used to swipe through pages, type into menus and pause currently video with a shake. As far as pricing, Comcast says it will be available to new Triple Play customers with HD/DVR service at no additional cost -- no word yet on what that means for everyone else. Check the gallery below for a look at the new software, and check the press release after the break for more info. Update: Check out a video of CEO Neil Smit demonstrating the new UI on the show floor after the break.%Gallery-155815%
TiVo's Stream transcoding box and IP connected extender make their debut at Cable Show 2012
Now that TiVo has delivered updated software for its Premiere boxes its focus is turning to some new hardware accessories, including the TiVoToGo-style transcoder we saw at CES, now dubbed Stream (top), and the IP extender set-top box mentioned earlier this year (bottom). According to TiVo's press release, both boxes will be available at retail and via the various cable operators that are offering its DVRs to their customers, while availability will be announced "in the coming months". The Stream transcoder reformats live and recorded video from a Premiere DVR for viewing on mobile devices or tablets (including sideloading for offline viewing away from the home), and TiVo says it's the first to stream or download shows simultaneously to multiple devices like iPads or iPhones without interrupting what's being watched. The IP box on the other hand is all about multiroom, designed to pull in either live or recorded video from a Premiere Q plus cable VOD and internet content, similar to the existing Preview but without the CableCARD tuner. A press release follows after the break, while Zatz Not Funny has a few pics of them on the floor at this week's 2012 NCTA Cable Show.
CableWiFi ties up 50,000 WiFi hotspots for cable subscribers to share
When it comes to supergroups, The Traveling Wilbury's haven't got anything on these guys. Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner are teaming up to share around 50,000 metro WiFi hotspots for their customers, under the banner of "CableWiFi." New York City and the Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando and Philadelphia will be among the first to get the service, with growth to more cities pledged for the future. If nothing else, it should be a good way to stick it to the man when he snatches your unlimited data plan.
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.
Comcast Cable Show 2011 demo features 1Gbps cable modem speeds, new Xfinity TV UI
As promised, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts treated Cable Show 2011 attendees to a quick demo of the company's latest and greatest tech earlier today. The presentation consisted of the new Xfinity TV platform with all its cloud processing and internet content from Facebook and others, as well as a speed test running on a Comcast cable modem that broke through the 1Gbps speed barrier on the production network. There's no word on when home users might see such speeds but the company promised to "keep up the pace as the internet continues to evolve" -- let's hope that extends to the increasingly restrictive 250GB bandwidth cap. The demo of new DVR software also went off without a hitch, appearing to run smoothly and showing off a vision of "cloud processing" that speeds up search, personalization and recommendations in the program guide by handling them at the head end instead of on the box itself. We're still waiting to get our hands on the RF remote and see if the experience is just as smooth ourselves, but for now you can get a taste in the 17 minute video embedded above.
TiVo Premiere Q and Preview make an appearance at the Cable Show
Just in case the PR glamour shots weren't enough for you, Zatz Not Funny has posted these raw & in-person pics of the two new TiVo set-top boxes from The Cable Show. Unfortunately the bad news is there's still no word on whether these will ever be made available for end users to purchase on their own. Unless you have a Suddenlink or RCN subscription in your future, this may be the only way to see the TiVo Premiere Q and TiVo Preview for a while, so hit the source link for an eyeful.
Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps
The latest announcement at the 2011 Cable Show comes from the seemingly unlikely pairing of Comcast and Skype, who have arranged to enable video calls through the cable box. All it takes is a camera, adapter and 'specially-designed remote' to turn HDMI-equipped Comcast boxes into Skype-on-TV machines when they start trials in the next few months. Senior Comcast VP Cathy Avgiris tells the Seattle Times that video will max out at 720p to start and then upgraded to 1080p eventually. The tie-in will also means Skype features for the Comcast Xfinity apps on tablets and phones, but according to Avgiris it won't "necessarily be limited to triple-play" (TV, phone and internet) customers only. Skype has already partnered with several TV manufacturers for HD calling in the living room, but working through cable boxes means a much greater prospective installed base. Beyond the still-unanswered questions of pricing and release dates, we've already seen enough Cable Show demos that didn't amount to much (*cough* tru2way) so this will goes on the shelf with the others until it's spotted in the wild.
TiVo Premiere Q and Preview boxes are official along with an updated iPad app
An early release over the weekend took any surprise out of the news, but now TiVo has officially announced its plans for the new TiVo Premiere Q and TiVo Preview set-top boxes and an update for its iPad app at the 2011 NCTA Cable Show. Both boxes are firsts for TiVo, the Premiere Q (pictured above) because it has four tuners and can stream video to up to three other boxes in the home, and the Preview because it lacks a hard drive or any DVR capabilities entirely. The Preview can function on its own or as a multiroom thin client streaming from TiVo DVRs, and both promise full integration with video on-demand and other cable-provided services. There's no word on any retail plans and as expected RCN and Suddenlink will be the first to offer the boxes. The TiVo iPad app is also getting a cable-friendly makeover with a new version that can browse video on-demand offerings and flick them to any available TiVos for viewing, just like it does for internet video. We complained about the slow pace of updates for the existing Premiere DVR yesterday, so we'll try to have a fresh outlook on the official announcements (PR and more pictures are after the break) and consider a future where TiVo isn't tied to DVRs or being offered at retail. Update: @BrennokBob points out a post on DSLReports revealing the Premiere Q will ship (at least for RCN) with a 500GB hard drive, up from 320GB on the standard Premiere but less than the 1TB of the XL model or Virgin's TiVo in the UK.
Comcast's HD VOD selections continue to approach infinity, or at least 3,000
It's time for your yearly Comcast Project Infinity video on-demand update: It's ramping up to 11,000 different movies available, with 3,000 in HD (up from 1,000 back in October '08) and that infrastructure upgrade we'd heard about should mean even more on the way. CEO Brian Roberts just announced at the Cable Show that the service is up to 350 million orders per month, and if it were a linear channel, VOD would be Comcast's second most-watched offering. The online Fancast XFINITY TV offering is no slouch either, with 1,500 movies from cable and 5,500 movies on the site for rent or purchase. The first areas to see the expanded offerings will be Washington D.C. and Philadelphia before rolling out elsewhere. Of course that's all great, but we're going to slot a redesigned 16x9 UI and multiroom capabilities slightly above more VOD possibilities on the interest scale for now.
The slow rollout of interactive TV
The rollout of tru2way and other interactive TV initiatives by the cable companies seems to finally be gaining some momentum, but while we've largely addressed our disappointment with the speed of adoption on the hardware side, the New York Times is questioning why we haven't (and likely won't in the very near future) seen more interactive software. In an age where everything has an app store, the fragmented nature of the cable systems and confusing interconnected platforms reduces the opportunities for developers to jump in, and though Comcast jumped out promoting its Yahoo! widget powered tru2way future, no solid timeline for availability leaves very little to look forward to.
TiVo's Cable Show '09 presence reveals online scheduling, plans to expand distribution
We didn't make it down to D.C. for Cable Show '09 and most likely neither did you, but luckily Dave Zatz was on the scene and has grabbed a few snaps of the TiVo booth. Most notable for what wasn't there -- any new hardware, tru2way or otherwise -- there was a demo of upcoming online scheduling capabilities for the Comcast TiVo via Fancast.com. No word when we can expect them to be available, but while you chew on that info and pore over the other booth pics beyond the read link, Multichannel News brings word that other cable subs may be close to reaping the benefits of that investment as the company is ready and hoping to bring its software to set-top boxes beyond those from Comcast, Cox & DirecTV.Read - TiVo at The Cable ShowRead - DVR Maker Pitches Hardware-Portable Set-Top Software
MSNBC sets a date for HDTV broadcasts: June 29
Already delayed beyond its planned pre-election launch, and following CNBC's first dabble into real HD, MSNBC has chosen Monday, June 29 as the day it becomes self aw....begins broadcasting in high definition. No word specifically which programs will be in HD, but with the network already broadcasting from two HD ready studios since 2007, there should be plenty to go around for Olbermann, Maddow and Scarborough. No word on carriage, but we're thinking it's no coincidence this news came out of the Cable Show, so expect to hear more in the next few months.
Motorola, Time Warner mixing up multiroom, tru2way cable setups due later this year
Ok, we've seen multiroom setups, mostly from IPTV providers, and tru2way has had a limited rollout so far, but Time Warner Cable and Motorola are teaming up to be the first to bring the two together in customers homes. Follow Me TV is already available on FiOS, but the Dolby Digital Plus-supporting DCX3400-M DVR we saw at CES in '08 and DXC-3200M set-top box will make it happen on cable, shifting high definition video around the house via Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance (MoCA) connections. Hopefully tru2way's interoperability lets customers choose what equipment makes up their home video network, not just the cable company, but we should find out more after launch later this year.
Macrovision shows new Passport tru2way guide and multi-room features
At the Cable Show this week Macrovision is showing off its new tru2way Passport software, which we have to say is pretty cool looking. Of course it isn't the coolest looking software we've seen, but it is the best looking tru2way option so far and at least it is widescreen. But maybe in what might be bigger news to Comcast fans customers around the country -- or anyone who uses the Passport of iGuide software really -- is the that like the Passport tru2way software, the new Passport and iGuide software will also support multi-room viewing. So you'll finally be able to have your content follow you around the house and automatically pick up where you left off. Unfortunately like other solutions based on the Motorola boxes it's limited to two tuners throughout the house -- because a DVR can only act as a server and not as a client -- and we'd bet our old friends at the cable company will continue to only offer DVRs with puney 160GB hard drives, which really makes it hard for most families to get by with a single DVR.
Panasonic again giving tru2way a boost at Cable Show '09
Panasonic has consistently been one of the companies backing tru2way with the most hardware, and this year's Cable Show is no different. First up, its tru2way compatible plasma HDTVs are now on sale in Atlanta, with additional rollouts planned for the rest of '09 -- put host city Washington D.C. on the list for sure, since since Comcast has hooked the booth up to a live feed for demonstrations as previously seen in Denver. Don't have the scratch for a whole new TV just to experience the new tech? Say hello to the PCH2180 Advanced Multi-tuner tru2way set-top receiver (pictured) that's now shipping, an HD-DVR ready for multistream CableCARDs and includes a DOCSIS modem, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 compatibility plus MoCA networking capabilities. Panasonic's taken the time to tie it to a prototype Easy Touch multitouch remote (video embedded after the break) that we were digging at CEATEC and CES alike, with this kind of investment the NCTA might be able to make us forget January's disappointment.%Gallery-33142%
