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Comcast quietly updates DVRs with ability to list stored programs from the web, mobile apps
While being able to schedule DVR recordings from your mobile device is nice, an update currently being pushed to some Comcast DVRs is adding the ability for users to check exactly what shows are stored there from an app or web browser. Previously the only remote info users could get from their DVRs was the percentage of storage currently in use and what recordings were scheduled to take place, but now users can see individual recordings, choose to watch any of them now, change their deletion priority, or even delete them remotely. Hopefully that doesn't lead to any unintentional interhousehold griefing as users manage the often inadequate hard drive space in their cable DVR, but it can certainly put ones mind at rest to know The League (or whatever your show of choice might be) was successfully archived. The update is quietly being pushed out as a software update for the DVR itself, and should appear automatically for users on the web or in their iOS app's DVR manager (Android users can access it as well, but via the browser). We noticed the change after our Motorola DVR got an update that also made the name of a channel appear under the number when typed in from the remote. It worked well, although a few much older recordings were not listed online every new one was, which could explain the quiet rollout that Comcast confirmed to us just began yesterday. One other change taking place at the same time is a new Xfinity TV Player app for iOS that is focused solely on streaming VOD, mirroring a similar app already out on Android. While the Xfinity TV app on the platform has handled streaming duties since 2010, the dedicated player has a different menu and even player interface, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the feature excised from the general app eventually.
Cox Mobile Connect apps bring DVR scheduling, home voicemail access to Android and iOS
The Cox Mobile Connect apps for iOS and Android have been kicking around their respective app stores for a month or so relatively unnoticed, but now the cable company has chosen to make sure the world knows its users can tweak their DVR recording schedules with nothing more complicated than a standard smartphone. It expands a bit beyond the usual suite of features and brings some of the TV experience to mobiles by including notifications for severe weather or school closings, but from the interface pictures the two platforms are as similar as they are unsurprising. Check the press release after the break for all the details (like which areas are supported, it's not everywhere yet) or grab the link for your mobile OS of choice at the links below.
Dish Network remote access app extends its long arm to Android tablets
Dish Network is still on a mission to make sure that you get your TV Everywhere, and as of today, that means your Android tablet. We reported in November that the provider was bringing its Dish remote access app to Android, opening up the world of paid-for TV to even more smartphones. As with the smartphone app, Android tablet users will have to have a Sling-enabled device, like a Sling Adapter, to access their hard earned programming, and as with the smartphone, the tablet app is free. The Dish Network app's got all the same functionality as its predecessor: browse and search options, DVR scheduling/management, and a remote control function. So it's basically the same beast, but we're definitely still impressed.
Comcast releases Xfinity Mobile App for Android with DVR scheduling and inbox access
It's no Xfinity TV Remote but Comcast has finally delivered a free native app for Android (1.6 and above) users that brings access to its internet, TV and home phone services directly on mobile devices. Feature wise, it compares to the earlier Comcast Mobile apps for iOS, with its ability to view TV listings schedule DVR recordings remotely, access users Comcast.net inbox, sync their Comcast address book with the phone, access home voicemail and turn on call forwarding, a widget to display voicemails and emails, and view trailers of VOD programming on the device. We gave it a spin and while its need to reload TV schedule data each time we scrolled was slower than we'd like and it lacked a landscape viewing option, this will more than do for some quick on the go access and DVR scheduling, check our screenshots or hit the market (QR code and press release after the break) and download it yourself to try it out. Update: Now with video! Check it out embedded after the break. %Gallery-109504%
Dish Network remote access app comes to Android, your Harmony groans
Dish Network took another step towards its ambitious TV Everywhere plans -- not to be confused with Comcast's and Time Warner's TV Everywhere partnership -- by releasing the Android version of its Dish remote access app late last week. This nicely completes the provider's suite of mobile offerings, which have already been available on the iPhone, iPad and certain BlackBerry phones. The catch is that to take advantage of the app, Android users must own a Sling-enabled Dish device like the ViP 722 / 722k HD DVRs or the recently released Sling adapter. With the necessary hardware though, the app turns smartphones into a control freak's best friend, working as a remote control, a DVR manager, and a Sling-powered media streamer to view recorded or live programming over Wi-Fi or 3G. That's a pretty nifty feature set considering it costs a lovely low price of free, and it's certainly more robust than mobile offerings from Comcast, Time Warner, or DirecTV. In other words, when it comes to getting the most from your paid TV service while on the go, it appears the underdog satellite company can certainly dish it out.
Comcast updates Xfinity TV with new search, My TV features & 150,000 titles streaming
Looks like Comcast has dropped the Fancast tag entirely, showing off a reworked Xfinity TV portal that ties content available for streaming to the PC a little more tightly alongside remote DVR scheduling and social media tie-ins with Facebook. Now claiming up to 150,000 titles are available for streaming online, it has an all new search function to better determine what's available and promises customized recommendations (think Netflix, TiVo) are on the way soon. Check out XfinityTV.com to see the new features, or just check out the press release after the break.
TiVo launches online Season Pass Manager
All together now: finally. TiVo's just announced a new online Season Pass Manager, allowing users to manage their season passes from the comfort of a browser -- you can add, edit, and delete passes, as well as transfer them between TiVo boxes on your account. (That ought to make upgrading to a new TiVo a million times easier, which has been one of our longstanding complaints.) The best part? Editing the priority list online means you don't have to sit and wait while your TiVo figures it all out -- you can move things around at will in the browser and it'll all get sorted out before the changes get sent to your box. Nice. Of course, TiVo is still way behind FiOS and Comcast when it comes to remote and mobile DVR management, but it's nice to see the company address one of the biggest pain points with the device. Now just hit us with a serious Premiere performance update, alright? PR after the break.
Cablevision starts "limited deployment" of network DVR
The future has finally arrived, as New York-area Cablevision subscribers are getting their first taste of cloud based DVRs. Light Reading reports an email from spokesman Jim Maiella confirmed limited deployments which may be too late to securely record Lou Diamond Philips for our later viewing pleasure, but should quickly become more common as the cable company has already expressed plans to stop buying physical DVRs later this year. Even after legal entanglements have held things up for years we're not quite ready to switch away from local storage options yet, but any of you guinea pigs out there are more than welcome to share your opinions of it.
Comcast Mobile 2.0 for iPhone flashes remote DVR scheduling skills on video
The ability to remotely schedule DVR recordings hasn't hit every Comcast system yet (c'mon Ann Arbor) but that hasn't stopped the company from delivering version 2.0 of the Comcast Mobile app on iPhone (Blackberry is "coming soon," no word on webOS, Android or WP7 plans) complete with the aforementioned myDVR manager, an improved TV Guide browser, push notifications for emails and voicemails and more. Comcast Voices blogger Scott McNulty has put together a pretty thorough video demo, embedded after the break (also there for comparison, our video walkthrough of the original release), so give it a look while we doublecheck... again to see if our DVR has gotten a new firmware update, or punch the read link to go straight to the App Store and download.
Comcast's guide software adds brains, but beauty remains elusive
We've talked at length about the (lack of) quality in most cable DVR software, but it looks like for Comcast customers it will be getting at least a little better very soon. The new A28 guide software is rolling out across the country with tweaked searches for upcoming events, a single click 5 minute back/forward skip function tied to the Page up/Down remote buttons, mass delete on recordings and of course, Remote DVR scheduling. Of course we're still waiting for the facelifted i-Guide we saw at CES '08, but for now this will have to do. Motorola's official blog suggests all areas should see the new software in the first half of this year along with some first hand impressions, while Comcast offers a detailed breakdown of the features on the way and a video walkthrough available (embedded after the break.)
Supreme Court declines to hear remote storage DVR appeal, cloud recording is on the way
It seems like Cablevision and others have been trying to roll out "remote storage" network DVRs forever, and now that the Supreme Court has decided against hearing the appeal of the Hollywood studios looking to block it, they should finally be able to deliver as soon as this summer. Of course, there's benefits to having a locally stored copy of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, but just in case we forgot to queue up a recording, the power went out or suffered some other manner of catastrophe, we'd still have access to all the Lou Diamond Phillips anyone could ask for, and there's really no way the highest court in the land could get in the way of that.
Cablevision on track to deliver Network DVR this Summer
We all want the same thing right? The ability to watch any show we want, whenever we want, and wherever we want. Sounds easy, but even in this day and age to achieve this easily isn't possible. Currently there are a few ways this might happen down the road, and one that looks to be coming our way sooner rather than later is Cablevision's Network DVR. While a traditional DVR has a hard drive in it to store your shows, the Network DVR wouldn't. Instead it would stream the content from a centralized data store, like VOD. You'd still have to pre-schedule your recordings and presumably you'd still have a set limit, but ordering DVR service wouldn't require a new box and best of all, you should have access to all the same content in any room of the house. This has been in the making for a long time now -- three years actually -- but Hollywood has been tying it up in court. Luckily the courts have been on Cablevision's side, but it does appear that the consumer may still get the shaft. That's because it seems there's a chance that the Network DVR won't let you fast forward through commercials, which would obviously make it a show stopper for most.
Supreme Court queues network DVR decision for later
Just like you haven't worked through all four hours of this season of 24 yet, the U.S. Supreme Court is pushing back a decision on Cablevision's network DVR a.k.a. Remote Storage Digital Video Recorder to ask the Justice Department for their thoughts. The cable companies (and others) looking to roll out this service scored a win in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals a few months ago, but this push back is being considered by at least one analyst as a slight victory for their opponents. Whether you side with the cable companies (and all those who found that their cable was grainy on Tuesday night during CES, resulting in unwatchable saved eps of Scrubs & The Mentalist and many, many tears) or the Hollywood studios claiming this would violate their copyright, grab a Snickers. It could take up to several months for the Justice Department to file a brief, at which time the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to hear the case at all.
Cablevision, common sense win network DVR appeal
The process took over a year, but it looks like common sense prevailed in Cablevision's appeal of its network-DVR copyright infringement case. You might remember that Cablevision had planned to roll out "remote-storage" DVRs a couple years ago that would play programs off Cablevision servers instead of storing shows locally, but shelved the plan when the networks sued over the concept, claiming that separating content storage from playback would essentially constitute rebroadcast and infringe on their copyrights. The networks won the first round, but it seems like the technical distinction between local and remote storage wasn't enough to convince the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that Cablevision was "broadcasting" anything -- the court just lifted the injunction barring Cablevision from supplying remote DVRs to its customers. We're still big fans of managing our own content locally, but this is definitely a win for the consumer, as it'll mean cheaper equipment costs and hopefully a larger selection of media available on demand -- too bad we're also betting that the networks will try and appeal this one to the Supreme Court.
