Imx1020
Latest
MyTVPal launching 1080p VOD service next week?
While we were waiting for our Xbox Live Video Marketplace downloads to finish, we spotted a new service, MyTVPal.com, that is apparently launching next week using the MatrixStream 1080p IPTV set top box we saw earlier this year. Claiming 700 channels with user uploaded content and DVR features coming in 2007 -- plus 1080p downloads for subscribers with at least 5Mbps connections -- it could be a very attractive offering due the lack of native 1080p content for HDTV owners other than Blu-ray and HD DVD. The company plans to release 100,000 of the boxes in its first year, and you can sign up for the waiting list at their website. It's unclear what content providers will partner with the service, but the VOD listing on the site currently includes such stunners as The Beverly Hillbillies and English as a Second Language. We downloaded the software player and were able to get about 10 seconds of what appeared to be a public access channel before it crashed. Since Microsoft couldn't handle the load HD downloads put on its servers, we'll see if MyTVPal manages with what is sure to be a more limited release.
