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Sky+ update makes it easier to manage your TV recordings
Ready for a new Sky+ update? The broadcaster's HD set-top boxes are getting a minor refresh in the coming months that add a few useful, if not particularly groundbreaking features. The TV guide "Planner" is being spruced up a bit, making room for a new "Scheduled" tab that keeps track of all your planned recordings. Meanwhile, a new "Delete All" option makes it easier to wipe complete series, freeing up vital space on your hard drive before Game of Thrones is back on the telly. We suspect parents will be most interested in the "Family" setting, however, which bundles together Sky's various parental controls. These include hiding adult channels, restricting Sky Store purchases and PIN-protecting playback of 12+ on-demand content before the watershed. None of these features are going to blow your socks off, but they're welcome additions all the same. Sky says the update is rolling out now and should hit all Sky+HD boxes before June.
Google Fiber starts testing targeted, trackable TV ads
For all of the other things it does, Google is still a company that makes a ton of money from advertising, and now it's turning that focus to TV. This week the company announced that it's testing a new kind of ad-tracking system for Google Fiber TV customers in Kansas City. Just like any other local cable company, they'll air during ad breaks reserved for local advertisers (that crappy ad for the car dealership around the corner that comes on during The Walking Dead). Where it's different is that advertisers will only pay for the number of ads actually shown, as monitored by the Fiber set-top boxes. Google can insert fresh ads in DVR'd programming too, and target viewers based on their viewing history. Users can opt-out of the viewing history tracking, but that's it.
Google open-sourcing the software behind its Fiber TV box
SageTV was one of the original streaming companies, with a DVR box, home theater PC software and even a Sling-like place-shifting app. But since Google acquired it in 2011, all that technology has been off the market and limited to Google Fiber TV boxes. Now, SageTV founder (and current Google employee) Jeffrey Kardatzke says that Google "has agreed to open-source the SageTV platform." We're not sure if that means that SageTV's Google Fiber tech will appear in Android TV devices and what it may mean for developers. All Kardatzke said was that the move "will be happening in the near future" (i.e., months, not years). "I'm looking forward to see what the community can do with SageTV once it is fully open." [Thanks, Brandon!]
TiVo OnePass finds your favorite show no matter where it is
TiVo DVRs have been powering binge-watching since they first hit the market, but now that means something different. Instead of diving into an archive of recordings or even disc-based boxed sets, we're usually queuing up a few seasons from a streaming internet service, and now TiVo can help with that. An update coming to Roamio, Premiere and Mini devices will evolve the old "Season Pass" recording into OnePass, which searches out episodes across the multiple video apps the boxes have access to. It doesn't matter if they're recorded, have yet to air, pop up on streaming (Amazon, Netflix, Comcast VOD, Hulu, Vudu -- you get the idea) or are just coming soon to streaming, they all show up in one easy-to-navigate screen. It's a simple extension of what TiVo's various boxes already do, but it's something you won't get from cable/satellite, and set-top boxes like Roku or Apple TV usually don't have access to traditional TV sources.
Dish Network will have 4K this summer for every UHD TV
Dish Network is ready to tread new ground with its internet-only Sling TV service, but what about folks who want the highest quality video and are willing to pay for it? It will join the 4K party this summer with an upgraded Joey extender that not only tosses Ultra HD video around, but is also so slim it can be wall-mounted behind compatible TVs. The dual-core ARM processor inside is even powerful enough that it can toss up two HD streams side by side. Sure, Dish is coming in later than competitors Comcast and DirecTV, but so far those two are only working with a limited set of TVs, like Samsung and LG. The 4K Joey works with any UHD TV with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2.
Netflix comes to Dish's TV set-top boxes
Not all conventional TV providers are at odds with Netflix. Dish just announced that its second-generation Hopper DVRs (and eventually Joeys) are getting an integrated Netflix app starting today. Yes, you can now jump from satellite broadcasts to internet streaming without switching devices. The interface will be familiar if you've used Netflix elsewhere, but Dish hopes to one day integrate Netflix's library into search results -- you could find House of Cards sitting next to recordings and Dish's own internet services. The app may not make the biggest difference when you probably have at least one living room device that already does subscription internet video. Nonetheless, it's good to see at least one TV giant treating Netflix as a complement to its own services, rather than a mortal enemy.
Dish finally lets you restart live content on your Hopper
Yes, Dish went through a tough time recently with certain TV networks, but this didn't stop it from working to make the experience better for subscribers in the meantime. Today, the satellite provider announced a few new features that'll likely be welcomed with open arms by its customers. The main highlight is that the Hopper receiver now gives viewers the option to start watching live shows and movies from the beginning, so long as the content is part of Dish's video on-demand catalog -- this is similar to Time Warner Cable's "Start Over" feature, which is only available on some programming.
EE TV review: a decent set-top box with too many strings attached
EE has evolved rapidly since it became a household name two years ago after switching on the UK's first 4G mobile network. Today, it's more than just a carrier, with a home broadband business and a selection of own-brand mobile devices, among other things. And now, EE's decided to turn its hand to home entertainment, having recently launched the EE TV set-top box. Free and available only to customers of EE's mobile and broadband services, it's essentially a Freeview DVR with a few tricks up its sleeve. Tying into EE's primary focus on mobile, one of the fancier features is the box's ability to stream live and recorded video to multiple smartphones and tablets simultaneously. But is a free DVR with a couple of advanced capabilities enough of an incentive to get you signed up for the required services (which is sort of the point)? Not really, no.
Engadget giveaway: win an over-the-air HDTV package courtesy of Tablo!
Just because you cut the cable cord, doesn't mean you can't enjoy live TV. Devices like the Tablo DVR can help you snag free over-the-air (OTA) HD content, record it and watch it on any of your connected devices. The company has even provided us with two cord-cutting packages for two lucky Engadget readers this week. The prize includes a Tablo 2-Tuner DVR (record up to two shows at once), a 500GB external hard drive and an HDTV antenna to help get things rolling right out of the box. To watch this content on your TV, you'll need to connect to an existing Roku, Apple TV or Chromecast on your network, but up to six users can stream shows simultaneously to PCs and iOS or Android devices. All Tablo owners get a 30-day trial of its Guide Data subscription with advanced features and the out-of-home streaming service. All you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning one of these OTA streaming solutions. Winners: congratulations to Justin A. of Katy, TX. Second winner TBC.
Vudu lends its on-demand streaming library to TiVo devices
TiVo owners who enjoy doing more than just recording TV shows just got another on-demand option. Walmart's video service, Vudu, will be available on select models soon, bringing over 100,000 movie and television selections for rent or purchase à la carte. In addition to feature films, Vudu serves up TV shows from CBS, Comedy Central, HBO, MTV, Showtime and more. Of course, the service is already available on the web, iOS, Android, Roku, Playstation, Xbox, smart TVs and Blu-ray players. The Vudu app is set to hit TiVo Roamio DVRs and the TiVo Mini "during a rolling update" in the next few weeks. Update: According to TiVo's VP of Design & Engineering Margret Schmidt the button has been pushed, Vudu and the updated Amazon Instant Video app Dave Zatz told us about are live.
Comcast's cloud DVR starts serving up recordings you can watch anywhere
In the midst of attempting to gobble up its largest counterpart, battle Netflix on net neutrality and face down customer service scandals, Comcast is still slowly extending its new TV platform. The latest addition to its X1 setup is enhancing the cloud DVR feature that CEO Brian Roberts showed off at the beginning of the year. While the 500GB cloud DVR and in-home streaming are already a part of the system in several areas, in the Bay Area and Houston viewers can stream or download recordings to their mobile devices (iOS or Android, PCs can only stream) starting today. Inside the house, the X1 app fulfills Roberts promise of turning any mobile device into a television, with access to live TV streaming, recordings and video on-demand.
TiVo proves that 'size matters' with absurd 26,000-hour DVR
TiVo has taken the TV-watching to a new, insane dimension with the Mega, a rack-mountable, 24TB DVR that will cost around $5,000. That trumps its current flagship Roamio Pro's 4TB storage by sixfold and makes it look quaint in comparison. Like that box, the Mega supports six channels of simultaneous recording, built-in transcoding, multi-room capability and live streaming to smartphones or tablets. In addition, it uses RAID 5 and hot-swappable drives, so that you won't lose your Shark Week marathon in case of a hard disk failure.
Political TV ads will soon know who you are
Like it or not, another US election is almost upon us -- and this time around, the incessant political advertising may cut a little too close to home. Both Democrats and Republicans are using a new TV ad targeting system from DirecTV and Dish that takes advantage of voter records to put personalized campaign ads on your DVR. If you tend to swing between both parties, you may get different commercials than lifelong supporters. You may also get reminders to vote early if you frequently cast absentee ballots. And unlike conventional targeting methods, which run ads on shows they believe certain demographics will watch, these promos will automatically appear on any show you record as long as there's a free slot.
Dish Anywhere app now looks much better on tablets
Since the very beginning, Dish has been doing a really good job with its Anywhere mobile app. Aside from letting Hopper with Sling owners use it to view their DVR recordings, the application also offers access to a robust library of on-demand content. To that end, Dish Anywhere has now been further improved on iPad, Android and Kindle Fire tablets, with a redesigned UI and fresh discovery features that let users easily find new stuff to watch. But there's more beyond the pretty, image-heavy pages like the one pictured above. Dish made the app better in other ways, thanks to new features including a Watchlist, the ability to turn your device into a Dish remote, and more. If you haven't grabbed the update, you can do so via the App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore, depending on what tablet you're rocking these days.
Aereo 'pauses' streaming TV service in wake of Supreme Court loss
That didn't take long. Now that the US Supreme Court has ruled that Aereo's antenna-to-cloud TV service is violating copyright, the company is telling customers that it will "pause" service as of 11:30AM Eastern; after that, it's lights-out for both live and recorded streaming. As compensation, Aereo is refunding subscribers' last paid month of service. The startup is adamant that the shutdown is temporary, and is talking to the lower court that previously ruled in its favor (and which has to deal with Aereo's case again) about the "next steps."
Guild Wars 2 introduces DVR-like functionality to the Living World
If you're already a fan of Guild Wars 2's Living World feature, you may also be happy to hear about the Living World Journal announced today by developer ArenaNet. The Living World Journal allows players to save and revisit each new episode of the Living World with what is described as DVR-like replay functionality. With more than two dozen free Living World updates, and Season 2 dropping on July 1, the new journal will especially help those who haven't had a chance to keep up with the intense update schedule for the game. Game Director Colin Johanson comments, "With this addition to the story Journal, content from Living World episodes will be a mix of new story steps and open world content. Story steps will work just like existing story steps in the game today by taking you on a journey specific to your selected episode, which ties into a broader narrative from the season's continual story progress. Open world content additions to Living World updates will permanently expand or change the world of Tyria and will tie to the theme and story of the episode."
Simple.TV's streaming DVR now sends shows to your Chromecast
Simple.TV's streaming DVR is handy if you want to catch up on shows while on the road, but what if you want to watch on a friend's TV, or don't have an internet connection at all? Neither should be a big issue following an update to the company's Android, iOS and web apps. You can now send both live and recorded TV to a Chromecast, so that big-screen experience will follow you outside of the home. And if you travel to a place where internet access isn't guaranteed, you won't be deprived of viewing material -- it's now possible to download recordings to a computer (sadly, not mobile devices) in advance. They're not the biggest improvements, but they make all the difference if you're scrounging for something to watch while on vacation.
Virtual Joey app arrives with satellite TV for your PS3
Dish Network earned one of our Best of CES trophies a few months ago for its Virtual Joey app, and now PS3 owners (with the satellite TV service and Hopper DVR) can try it out. Instead of plugging in yet another set-top box, just open up the app and watch live TV, video on-demand or recorded programs, all through your console. You can even control the experience with your regular Dish Network remote -- all without changing inputs away from your gaming / Netflix / Blu-ray machine. A PS4 version is still waiting in the wings, which is fine if you prefer extending the life of older consoles. It should be available under the My Channels section on your PS3 right now, download it and see if you liked it as much as we did.
Ahead of Supreme Court trial, Aereo opens lobbying and advocacy site
The United States Department of Justice says that streaming TV service Aereo is violating copyright law. Aereo, unsurprisingly, disagrees. In five days, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments from both sides. The former has already made its case to the Supreme Court in a filing; today, Aereo fights back with its own lobbying effort: a website named "Protect My Antenna" that both makes arguments for Aereo's position and compiles various legal documents for the public to read. "We remain steadfast in our conviction that Aereo's cloud-based antenna and DVR technology falls squarely within the law," Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia said in an email to users announcing the site.
TiVo update lets you set recording defaults, when it isn't creating chaos (update: fix on the way)
TiVo has been rolling out a firmware update that has given some DVR users a lot more than they were bargaining for. Officially, the refresh supplies Mini, Premiere and Roamio units with a very helpful page for default recording options as well as a host of bug fixes. However, that's when it's working -- quite a few subscribers have been dealing with glitches instead. Some Mini users have received an error that prevents installing the update without unplugging the set-top box for up to three days. Meanwhile, others have seen some of their gear roll back to older code, which can wipe out customizations and break multi-device setups. There are reports of spontaneous reboots and other hiccups, too.
