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AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR adds pause/rewind live TV feature on multiroom extenders
Spring is usually the time we see AT&T refresh the features on its U-Verse Total Home DVR and the latest update gives users the ability to pause and rewind live TV no matter which TV they're watching. Previously, this was only available if you were watching on a TV connected to a DVR, but now users can control playback from any room even if the DVR is somewhere else. According to the press release it's only up and running in a couple of cities (Grand Rapids, MI and Mobile, AL) right now, but should roll out everywhere over the next few months. Check after the break for the press release with more details or on the UverseUsers.com forum thread about the Phase 3 rollout.
Time Warner Cable iPad app lets subscribers view live TV
Image via Engadget.com Do you subscribe to both cable and internet service from Time Warner Cable? If so, there's an iPad app you're going to want to install as soon as possible. On March 15, Time Warner Cable's new iPad app will become available, and it is the first app of its kind to give subscribers the opportunity to view live video on their iPads. Sure, Netflix and Hulu apps let you watch TV, but none of the content is live. At launch, the app is expected to host 32 basic cable channels in high definition. Time Warner Cable expects that number to expand soon. To use the service, you'll need to have your iPad connected via Wi-Fi to a Time Warner cable modem. Don't plan on using the app outside of your home; there's no streaming allowed to remote devices due to licensing restrictions. Unlike Comcast's XFINITY TV app for iPad, Time Warner's app doesn't function as a remote control or give access to video on demand. On the other hand, the XFINITY TV app won't offer subscribers a way to watch live TV until later in 2011. Time Warner does plan on adding the video on demand, remote control and DVR functions in the future, as well as making the services available on other platforms. Hopefully, apps like these are a prelude to being able to bypass cable altogether and watching all TV content -- live and recorded -- via the internet on any device we choose.
Hauppauge debuts Broadway live TV streamer for iPhones and iPads, WinTV-Aero-m receiver for PCs
It may look vaguely like an accessory to a late-80s PC that's sprouted antennas, but Hauppauge's new "Broadway" live TV streamer does have a few more modern tricks up its sleeve: it can stream live TV to your iPhone or iPad. That can be done over WiFi in your house or over the internet anywhere else, and the device packs a multi-format receiver that can tune in both digital cable TV channels and ATSC over-the-air broadcast channels (or analog TV, for that matter), which are all conveniently compressed for streaming. Alongside it, Hauppauge has also rolled out its new dual-format WinTV-Aero-m USB receiver for PCs (pictured after the break), which will let you receive Mobile Digital TV broadcasts designed for mobile TV reception, as well as high definition ATSC digital TV broadcasts. Look for it to be available soon for $69, while the Broadway streamer will be available in "about six weeks" for $199.
Time Warner Cable VOD coming to Sony Bravia HDTVs, sans the cable box
In a revelation that still has us in shock, Sony announced at CES tonight that its new Bravia HDTVs would give consumers direct access to Time Warner Cable video-on-demand. The details are very lacking at the moment but we can't think of another example of when a cable company has allowed its on demand content to be delivered on a 3rd party device. Of course this doesn't solve all our problems as the TVs don't have built in DVRs so that wonderful Time Warner set-top-box will still be tethered to your stunning HDTV, but it is a step in the right direction. Now we just wait to see how well it actually works when it finally actually gets rolled out.
Verizon FiOS will stream live TV, VOD plus your own stuff to TVs, iPads & mobile devices soon (video)
Despite whatever other tablets Verizon may have on the way, it showed off a new trick for FiOS TV at a press conference today by streaming live TV and video on-demand to the iPad. NewTeeVee grabbed the above picture of the app, which Chief Information Officer Shaygha Kheradpir says brings the same software from its set-top boxes to the iPad and other screens. That hasn't stopped potential licensing issues with offering video on off-TV devices, but Reuters reports the company doesn't expect to pay any additional fees to programmers, probably because the app will only work from subscriber's homes. While live TV streaming is a big draw, it also showed off a video on-demand app called FlexView due later this year for Verizon's new Android phones, the Blackberry Storm and Windows Mobile 6.5 (other platforms due later on, it will work on other mobile networks as well) that would let videos purchased/rented via the cable box or website be downloaded onto up to five different devices, while its Media Manager service will be refreshed with an update that lets users upload video to 70GB of cloud storage and then stream it to their PCs, TVs or mobiles. Reports indicate live TV streaming should be available early next year, we'll see if FiOS beats Cablevision to the punch. Update: ZatzNotFunny pointed out a video of the demo posted by Steve Donohue on YouTube, check it out after the break.
Consumer survey says iPhone owners more likely to shop online, go snowboarding
This little list of factoids from last fall's Survey of the American Consumer is pretty interesting. It runs down a few of the things that iPhone owners are more likely to do than the average American. Some of them are obvious (iPhone owners are more likely to make calls over the Internet, see their phone as entertainment, or even pay a subscription to watch live TV on the device), but did you know that iPhone owners are even more likely to own an elliptical trainer or be snowboarders? In fact, they're 282% more likely than the average American to order a product from Zappos. Maybe they just wanted to save money. At any rate, these stats are really more of a novelty. We already know that most iPhone and Apple product users tend to be male, older, and affluent; it's not surprising that pastimes and activities that also appeal to that segment are popular among iPhone owners. In the end, the most interesting stat may be the last one: iPhone owners are 52% more likely than other people to want to "wow" others with their devices. We know that iPhone owners have more money and more resources than others, but I'm interested to know more about just how vain we are and how Apple cultivates its own image to target that audience.
Roku Video player now streaming live HD baseball games from MLB.TV
We've always loved the Roku Video Player, and it's getting even more flexible over time -- in addition to Netflix and Amazon video rentals, the $99 box can now play, pause, and rewind live HD baseball games in 720p from MLB.TV, as well as play archived games from the previous week on demand. You'll have to pay the one-time MLB.TV subscription fee of $35, but that's not terrible, especially if you're an out-of-market fan looking to catch your favorite team without having to trek out to a bar. Now if only the NFL would let anyone but DirecTV carry Sunday Ticket, we'd be all set.
Orange's streaming TV app for iPhone goes live in France
Free, unlimited live TV's coming to the iPhone for anyone who wants it one way or another, we just didn't necessarily expect carriers to be supporting the movement. Actually, it's a stretch to call Orange's new "TV from Orange" app "free" since you're only getting unlimited use on roughly 20 of the 60-odd available channels -- and even then, only if you subscribe to one of Orange's new Origami Star for iPhone plans starting at €42 (about $55) per month -- but it's a start. French subscribers should find the app in their local App Store, and if they'd rather pay on an a-la-carte basis, there are add-on TV packages available for €6 and €9 a month, data usage at 1 cent per 10KB, and session usage at 50 cents per 20 minutes, depending on the plan you're rocking. Orange says it'll work on anything from EDGE up (though we doubt the experience is that great on EDGE) and boasts "high definition mobile quality," which feels like a sketchy phrase. Your mileage may vary, naturally. [Via mocoNews, thanks Mike]
Wanna see IPTV in action on the Xbox 360?
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Wanna_see_IPTV_in_action_on_the_Xbox_360'; If this doesn't make you tingle all over, then you need to check your pulse. It's only been since November that we've had movies available to download on the Xbox 360, and soon it'll be live and recorded television as well. In the months after that, the console will slowly take over your kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, leaving you fully assimilated into Microsoft's SkyNet service, offering sentient oversight of all of your bodily functions. For now, revel in the goodness of Engadget's Xbox 360 IPTV interface gallery, and check out the video of this baby in action on Microsoft's Channel 10 site. TiVo, you'd better start working overtime.
