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Plex adds a DVR feature for over-the-air and CableCARD tuners
Ask any media hound about the best way to stream your your video files, and they'll probably direct you to Plex. Now, the streaming software is getting even more useful with a long-awaited feature: DVR support. Just plug an HDHomeRun tuner (with antenna) into your PC, set it up in Plex, and you can record any over-the-air (OTA) broadcast in your reception area. And, of course, you can view the videos on any device with the company's app and a Plex Pass membership ($5 a month, $40 a year or $150 lifetime).
Tablo's live TV and DVR features now work on the Apple TV
During CES Tablo promised its $200 box that tunes into and records OTA TV would eventually get an Apple TV app, and now it has delivered. It already works with boxes like Roku and Fire TV, and on the Apple TV it's brought both live TV and DVR viewing, plus navigation by voice or touch with the Siri Remote. More features are coming in future updates, but if you already have a Tablo box (with the latest updates) and an active subscription you should be good to go. The only question left, is if you'd prefer Tablo's setup or Sling TV, which also launched this week on the Apple TV.
Xbox One won't get a television DVR feature after all
Back at Gamescom in August, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would be getting a DVR feature for over-the-air TV this year. Well, if you got your hopes up about the add-on, we've got some bad news. The company has confirmed to Engadget that the tool is no longer being added to the console. Why the change of heart? Microsoft cites a decision to focus on "new higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10." While the company says development is "on hold," there's no indication that it will pick the project back up at a later date.
Cord cutters can have DVRs with multiroom and placeshifting
Most of the developments in DVRs are for people who still have cable or aren't bothered by paying a monthly fee (see the new TiVo Bolt and Dish Network's new Hopper 3), but what about cord cutters? Three new Funai-built, Magnavox-branded DVRs due out later this year have no subscription fee and aren't built for cable at all: They simply record free TV broadcasts via antenna. Better yet, they can stream those recordings to other boxes in your house and stream or transfer the recording to your mobile device (Android or iOS) for watching on the go.
Tablo gives your Apple TV a DVR for live video
By itself, the new Apple TV's full-fledged app support only partly fulfills cord-cutting dreams. You can subscribe to loads of streaming services, but you can't quite recreate the experience of watching live broadcasts. However, the makers of the Tablo DVR have an answer to that dilemma. They've unveiled a version of their streaming app for the Apple TV, giving you a way to both watch live over-the-air TV and record it for posterity. This solution isn't cheap -- you're looking at a minimum $200 for the box, and that's before the subscription ($5 per month, $50 per year or $150 lifetime) you'll need if you want programming guide data. Nonetheless, the app will probably be your best bet at unifying internet and OTA TV when it shows up this spring.
Channel Master's DVRs add Sling TV to entice cord cutters
One of the few major drawbacks of Sling TV is that it doesn't license the big broadcast channels, but there's an easy fix for that now. Channel Master announced at CES that its DVR+ products -- which are built to catch your local broadcast channels via antenna -- are adding Sling TV to the mix. That puts an impressive slate of channels on one box, right next to the likes of Netflix, YouTube and a few others. The two DVR+ setups don't have any service fee or subscription by themselves, and are available for $249 (16GB storage if you'd like to BYO hard drive) or $399 (1TB HDD built-in). Owners should see Sling TV appear in an update on the 6th and then they'll be ready to go.
TiVo's 4K-ready, commercial skipping Bolt hints at the future
This new Bolt DVR may not totally remake the recording technology TiVo is famous for, but it introduces a sharp departure in design and adds features customers have asked for since it started in the late 90s. Just like the leaks suggested, the Bolt is a funky arc-shaped white box that looks different from anything else near your HDTV. Despite being smaller than TiVo's older DVRs -- or whatever cable box you probably have -- it's eye-catching enough for visitors to stop and ask what you're watching TV on. Looks aside, Bolt's main claim to fame will definitely be its ability to bypass commercials with a new SkipMode (No more hidden 30 second skip! We've been asking for this since 2009). That's actually an old trick, and while it's appreciated, where I see evidence of TiVo looking towards the future is the way it's connecting the DVR to Amazon's Fire TV.
Test run paves the way for over-the-air 4K TV
You may not have to pony up for a streaming video service (or any service, for that matter) to get 4K video on your TV in the future. GatesAir, LG and Zenith have started field-testing Futurecast, a system that promises to drag over-the-air TV into the modern era. Thanks to HEVC video compression as well as boosts to overall throughput, the technology can stuff both 4K and two mobile broadcasts into a relatively small 6MHz frequency range. With enough bandwidth, you'd only need a set of rabbit ears to watch at least a few basic channels in Ultra HD.
TiVo gives ex-Aereo customers a break on its cord-cutter DVR
TiVo made no bones about wanting to scoop up Aereo's former cord-cutter TV business, and that apparently includes many of its viewers. The DVR provider has launched a promo for ex-Aereo customers that gives you a Roamio OTA box, a TiVo Stream and two years of service for no money down and $20 per month. It's not the hugest deal in the world, and it won't exactly match what you got under Aereo, but it could help if you're still hunting for an easy way to watch over-the-air broadcasts on your own terms.
GM working on over-the-air updates for future vehicles
Over the past few weeks, General Motors has focused on bringing Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles. While this functionality is great for drivers, the company's current infotainment ecosystem still relies on being updated at dealerships -- which can be a hassle to some people. But, it looks like that won't be the case for much longer. On Wednesday, GM's global product development chief, Mark Reuss, said the automaker is already working on a new technology that will allow future vehicles to receive cloud-based software updates.
NASA patched Curiosity rover's autofocus problem over the air
Pardon me while I say something that might not be entirely popular: Software updates are pretty awesome. Maybe not so much for game consoles, but, I digress because the Curiosity rover recently received a patch that improved the autofocus of its "ChemCam" telescope. Over the air. On Mars. Before the update, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory would take nine pictures of a subject (each at a different focus) to get one usable close-up image of any of the Red Planet's rocks and soils, and send them back home. Same goes for any sample analyses the laser was doing. The problem is that for those analyses to be anywhere remotely useful, the telescope projecting said laser needs to be in focus and the workaround in place wasn't very efficient.
TiVo wants to become the legal version of Aereo
Turns out TiVo snapped up Aereo's trademarks and customer lists for a reason: it's planning to make its own version that won't have broadcasters lining up to sue. According to Multichannel, the company wants to offer their customers low-cost bundle subscriptions to streaming services and specific channels. In an interview in Chicago, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said he believes the answer to make that happen is the "Aereo model, done legally and better." Unfortunately, Rogers didn't discuss how his company will create a legal version of Aereo's technology, and if it entails paying fees to broadcasters. A spokesperson told Multichannel, though, that TiVo will hold an event in July to officially unveil the new service.
HDHomeRun Kickstarter wants to build the perfect DVR for you
Now that Microsoft has announced it's through with Windows Media Center, what options do you have left to build your own machine for recording, organizing and watching TV? A new one ready to enter the scene is SiliconDust's HDHomeRun DVR, which recently launched on Kickstarter and is scheduled to arrive this fall. SiliconDust made a name for itself among home theater PC builders by bringing the devices they need to plug in cable or antenna TV, and with the DVR it's making the software too. Diving into the crowdfunding effort now will get you early access to software that promises TV how and where you want, all without needing to build a computer to run it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The Xbox One tunes in to free OTA TV in the US and Canada
Last year Microsoft added a feature to European Xbox Ones that brought broadcast TV directly to the box, and now it's starting to roll out the same thing in the US and Canada. Currently available for users in the Preview Program, it combines with a TV tuner from Hauppauge (BYO antenna -- the tuner retails for $80 but is currently $61 on Amazon) to cut out the cable middleman, and let owners watch the TV signals that are floating about freely. A $60 version of the tuner built specifically for the Xbox One is coming soon. While it doesn't turn the console's hard-drive into a DVR, it does have DVR-like features with the ability to pause live TV for up to 30 minutes, and it can stream TV to a phone or tablet running the SmartGlass app.
Aereo auctioning its web TV tech under broadcasters' watchful eyes
A US bankruptcy judge has declared that Aereo can sell off its technology to the highest bidder, but with a few large exceptions, according to Reuters. First off, the broadcasters who forced the streaming service off the air and into Chapter 11 can oppose any sale they don't like. They'll also be allowed to analyze Aereo's customer records before they're deleted to determine possible damages in further court proceedings. Interest is actually high in Aereo's tech -- despite all the legal problems, there are 17 potential bidders for the auction. However, that presents a dilemma for CBS, NBC, FOX and other broadcasters.
Aereo asks users to fight back against Supreme Court ruling
With a new Supreme Court ruling on the books, things are looking awfully grim for Aereo and all those tiny, cloud-friendly antennas it controls. That's why CEO Chet Kanojia has temporarily turned off the television streaming service, and that's why he's asking for help. The beleaguered startup sent out an open letter encouraging all of us to email, tweet, and otherwise petition our land's leaders to defend the right to use a "modern antenna located in the cloud" to watch all that free over-the-air content. "Today, I'm asking you to raise your hands and make your voices heard," Kanojia wrote. "Tell your lawmakers how disappointed you are that the nation's highest court issued a decision that could deny you the right to use the antenna of your choice to access live over-the-air broadcast television."
Your smart TV can be hacked over the air, but it's not likely
It only makes sense that putting a TV online theoretically exposes it to hackers, but it's now clear that those hacks don't have to go through conventional internet pipelines. A team of Columbia University researchers has published details of a vulnerability in an interactive TV standard (HbbTV) that lets evildoers hijack your smart TV and other devices in your home network so long as you tune into a specific over-the-air digital channel. Attacks can run undetected in the background, and the nature of the broadcasts makes it difficult or impossible to trace the culprit. Reportedly, the only surefire remedies are to cut off broadcast-based web content altogether, monitor for unusual spikes in network activity or notify users when apps launch.
Aereo finally brings live television to your $35 Chromecast
Heads up, cord-cutters: those of you who own Chromecasts and live where streaming startup Aereo operates can now use both to bring live TV to your, well, TV. All it takes (besides the prerequisite hardware and Aereo subscription) is the newly updated Android app -- once that's in place, you'll be able to watch and record all those free shows thanks to a tiny remote antenna you don't even need to set up. That's fantastic news for folks trying to replace costly cable bundles with free OTA television and on-demand media, so we'll forgive the company for running a few days behind schedule. It's got a pretty good excuse, to be fair: Aereo said in a tweet that it needed to work out a few kinks, but the startup also had to justify its existence to the Supreme Court in late April because broadcasters believed their copyrights were being infringed. Those nine jurists will hand down their final decision some time this month, so you may want to enjoy this nifty new combination while it lasts.
Aereo brings live TV to Chromecast on May 29th
About the only thing Google's $35 Chromecast dongle can't do is let you watch live television, but that won't be the case for much longer. Starting on May 29, streaming television startup Aereo will release an updated version of its Android app that includes support for streaming live broadcast television shows to your Chromecast. Let's rewind for a moment here. In case you hadn't heard, Aereo lets its customers watch over-the-air TV shows from a web browser thanks to a tiny antenna that captures the signals for storage on a remotely accessible server. That means you'll be able to binge catch and store all those episodes of Jeopardy from the comfort of... anywhere you can get a data connection, really. That Aereo would support Chromecast isn't a surprise -- CEO Chet Kanojia basically said as much at an investor conference last year -- but it helps fill a crucial gap in the Chromecast's content library.
Tablo streaming DVR now available for pre-order, ships in February for $219
Nuvyyo promised that its internet-savvy Tablo DVR would arrive early in the new year, and it's making good on its word by launching pre-orders. You can now buy two- and four-tuner versions of the streaming video hub at respective prices of $219 and $250; the lower-end model ships in February, while the more advanced edition ships in the spring. Either set-top box will let you record over-the-air TV to your choice of USB storage without having to pay extra fees, although dedicated viewers will want to shell out for a programming guide subscription at $5 per month, $50 per year or $150 for life. Tablo may not be the cheapest way to wean yourself off of cable or satellite, then, but it's potentially a big bargain if you don't want to give up timely access to TV shows just because you've cut the cord.