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BBC expands iPlayer support on TiVo, Popcorn Hour and Freeview HD devices
The BBC has a few updates to share about its iPlayer service -- no, nothing yet about the international rollout that's due later this year -- as it has recently become available on even more devices. That includes living room connected entertainment options that support HTML and Flash like the Virgin Media TiVo, Popcorn Hour players from Syabas, and new HDTVs from Panasonic and Sony. Other areas of increased availability include users with BT Vision set-top boxes and Freeview HD users; the latter thanks to a recent spec update that supports the MHEG-5 standard the app is built upon. Now it operates just like other Red Button interactive TV services, and the first device shipping with support is a Freeview+ HD DVR from Sony (as seen above.) It doesn't look like the Where to Get BBC iPlayer page has been updated with all the new devices yet, but it should be sooner rather than later, although we're still wondering when the Xbox 360 will join the crowd.
Is Virgin Media planning a cheaper, 500GB TiVo?
It appears Virgin Media may be ready to follow up its initial TiVo product with a cheaper version very soon. Just like the TiVo Premiere and XL here in the US, the current model has a 1TB hard drive while forum posts indicate a 500GB "baby TiVo" model could be announced next week and arrive in late spring. We'll wait for some official word before knitting lil' TiVo booties, but if the current asking price for the Virgin Media TiVo -- which recently added BBC iPlayer catch-up support to its list of features -- is just too much for you to take the leap, the situation could take a turn for the better shortly.
Virgin Media TiVo issued second update in a week, but is it getting better or worse?
Just that fast, the Virgin Media TiVo has received another software update, apparently to address a few UI and reliability issues. That comes within a week of the patch that turned on the unit's third TV tuner, and update that the Virgin Media TiVo Blog has published the full changelog for, noting several other fixes built in including being quicker to restore TV service after a reboot, working trailers for movies, and other issues. A few responses in the TiVo Community thread note lockups after the most recent update, users should give it a look and let us know if things are headed in the right direction.
Virgin Media enables the third tuner on its TiVo DVR
Overnight, Virgin Media has pushed upgrade to users of its TiVo box enabling the third tuner, which had lain dormant since they started shipping at the end of last year. Digital Spy points out that the next step is delivering new apps to the box, while Virgin Media is reportedly also considering upping the speed of the internal cable modem from 10Mbps to 20 Mbps. There's no word on whether or not this update has taken care of any other niggling issues users have noticed and as our friend Dave Zatz mentions, we're all waiting for the day the software is able to actually take advantage of the dual-core processor housed in the TiVo Premiere. Update: The Virgin Media TiVo Blog also mentions the algorithm for calculating recording space has been updated, while the hard drive didn't get any bigger, it's gone from reporting 325 hours of SD and 99 hours of HD recording space available to 477 and 121 hours, respectively.
Virgin Media TiVo experience is similar to the Premiere in all the wrong ways
Even if it's just "inspired" by the Premiere, ZatzNotFunny points out a few posts on the new Virgin Media TV Powered by TiVo section of Tivo Community suggesting the new DVR box is plagued by many of the same old issues. While we knew the 3rd tuner would be inactive at first, the company is running out of the "early 2011" period it promised for a software update, and as seen in the video after the break, there's still some glitches and sluggishness to be found in the new UI. On either side of the pond we're seeing far too many reactions matching the one from this frustrated UK user adamvietnam: "For ten years I used to tell anyone who'd listen that Tivo was the best piece of consumer electronics they'd ever own but at the moment the new box just feels like another PVR..." Time and software updates will tell what TiVo can do about it.
Series1 TiVo service in the UK comes to an end June 1st
We're not going to count this on the deathwatch, but anyone still rocking a Series1 TiVo DVR (remember those? They needed something called a "land line" to dial in for updates) in the land of BBC, crumpets and the Royal Family has received word that come June 1st, they'll need to use another DVR. Those living in Virgin Media cable areas may have some kind of upgrade option to the new triple tuner beast, but we're thinking that after this long it's tough to say goodbye to a box that's served them for so long, especially after the indignity of losing programming suggestions a few years back. But for those who shelled out for a "lifetime" TiVo package, we're sure the question will be, is 10 years long enough? Check out the original demo video ZatzNotFunny dug up after the break and remember better times for the old set-top box, when the ability to set up a "season pass" was a completely new concept and the idea of people still using boxes that couldn't receive HD wasn't incredibly sad.
Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo is official, coming soon with 1TB HDD, 3 tuners
Say hello to the new Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo, a device that while "inspired" by the Premiere is much more than just the same old box with new stickers. Set to debut in the UK in mid-December, it packs a 1TB HDD, but trumps TiVo's previous efforts by promising a third tuner (to be enabled by a software update in 2011), an internal cable modem for downloading without cutting into your existing broadband speed and ties into catch-up TV just in case you forget to DVR something. While the box itself has a slick new design, the traditional peanut remote hasn't changed and neither have the menus as seen by these screenshots. Interested parties should squirrel away £199 (plus £40 for installation and £26.50 for the XL TiVo package) and hit the source link to queue for purchase.
The Engadget Interview: Sir Richard Branson on Project and the iPad
So we were lucky enough to sit down with Sir Richard Branson at this morning's launch of his iPad-only Project magazine, and just like the last time we hung out, our conversation was both entertaining and illuminating. The highlight? In addition to telling us that Project would eventually hit both Android tablets and other devices "in time," Sir Richard was totally candid in saying that he had "no f**king idea why" Project was only on the iPad and not on the web -- although he did say Project was a "proper magazine" and not "just thrown together for the web." (Ouch.) Sir Richard was also excited about the possibilities for advertising, saying that the new medium can "bring advertising alive." We've definitely got our doubts about limiting content to one platform without any robust sharing options -- and we obviously think it's possible to do high-quality content on the web -- but there's no doubt that Sir Richard is an extremely charming pitchman, so make sure to check out the whole interview.
Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon)
We're here at Virgin's press event for Project magazine, which Sir Richard Branson just called the "first all-digital magazine." It's launching on iPad first, then on the iPhone, but we also snuck a peek at the app last night and noticed a line about Android tablet support coming soon. Branson says the content will change constantly -- there'll even be comments, and sharing features are said to be "coming soon." Mapping features will be introduced in the iPhone version, which the Project editor-in-chief describes only as "all the coolest places in the world mapped by our users." Pricing for the iPad version is set at $2.99 per month, with the app updating throughout the period with new content and features. When asked about Rupert Murdoch's The Daily, Branson responded that "this is not a battle, not a war, but the future of publishing," while his chief editor had this to say: "We're not similar ... they're a daily newspaper, we're a monthly style magazine ... we wish them nothing but luck."
Report: UK couch potatoes switch to HD in growing numbers
According to Ofcom's latest Communications Market Report, 24 million HDTV sets were sold in the UK over the past 12 months, meaning about 20 percent of the population took home a new box in the past year. Yet despite watching nearly four hours of "telly" a day in 2009, in first 3 months of 2010, nearly a third of all households with internet access used on-demand catch-up services like the BBC's iPlayer, which represents an 8 percent growth over the same period last year. This data isn't all that surprising though considering the how much HD content has been made available in the UK over the last few years through free options such as Freeview HD, or premium services like Sky HD or Virgin Media. It's also still far behind US HDTV penetration, which stood at 33 percent back in 2009 and saw 5.5 million HDTVs sold during the 2008 / 2009 holiday season alone. That fact shouldn't stop electronics manufacturers from diving Scrooge McDuck style into their newly acquired money bags, or prevent newly minted British HD households from marveling at how ugly Jeremy Clarkson is in 1080p.
TiVo returning to the UK thanks to partnership with Virgin Media
It looks like TiVo's freshly minted Premiere hardware will soon be setting sail eastwards as The Daily Telegraph is reporting Virgin Media's next generation set-top box will be built around it. Loyal readers of Engadget HD will already be aware that TiVo and Virgin hooked up last November and this latest news relates to the first hardware to be spawned from that relationship. According to TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, the Premiere will "heavily inspire the development work" going into Virgin's next TV appendage, which may or may not mean that the cable company will simply rebadge the well-received new boxes. What's assured though is much greater integration with online content, with search linking you out to Amazon, BBC's iPlayer, YouTube or good old standard broadcast channels. The whole thing's about unlimited choice, apparently, and should be showing up on the Queen's isles by the end of this year. We can wait, but we'd rather we didn't have to.
International HD news roundup
Here at Engadget HD, we'd prefer not to just focus on high-def happenings in the US of A. Thus, we round up the best of the best from the international front each week and present it here, bundled together in a single, easy to digest list. If something went down in your corner of the globe over the past seven days, let the rest of the world know it in comments. 'Til next week, Até a vista! Read - Virgin Media Customers to Get Discovery HD Channel and More HD Programmes on Demand (UK) Read - Watch IPL in cinemas, pay normal rates (India) Read - Germany's WDR to kicks off HD broadcasting using Quantel Read - Dutch DTH platform adds HD channels Read - J: COM, VOD content delivered by the 3D starting in April (Japan) Read - M7 Group contracts two new transponders on Astra for HDTV expansion (India) Read - Freeview coverage checker reveals when Freeview HD is coming to you (UK) Read - HD sports season kicks off with Super 14 (South Africa) Read - Which is the right UK HDTV service for you? Read - CRTC Approves Free HD (Canada) Read - FreeHD Canadian service cleared for launch
TiVo's 3Q results reveal Virgin Media UI deal, new remotes on the way -- but no new boxes
Besides linking up with Google, TiVo has some other big news coming out of its third quarter results, first that it lost less money than expected, a mere $6.7 million instead of the $8-10 predicted. Bigger than that for UK denizens, TiVo has cut a long-term deal with Virgin Media to put its software and UI on the cable company's next gen set-top boxes, including access to online features, due in 2010. On this side of the Atlantic, besides resuming marketing in New England, the company's work with Comcast will continue, including a tru2way mention, while Cox and RCN also deploy boxes throughout next year. The future for TiVo? Expect Best Buy's digital video delivery store to find its way on the box soon, while the company also expands beyond just DVRs expecting to create "some very interesting product opportunities for our next generation TiVo products and services." All that online content means the old peanut isn't long for this world, with development of a new "keyboard remote control" under way, we just can't wait to see if it's beaming commands to any new DVRs at CES.
Virgin Media testing DOCSIS 3.0 to new limits with 200Mbps, 3D and 1080p
Forget 101Mbps Internet service or even the 160Mbps available in on J:COM in Japan, Virgin Media is about to put a lucky few of its slick new modems to real work, testing 200Mbps internet, "full HD" broadband content (we take that to mean 1080p) and 3D. All delivered via DOCSIS 3.0, the downside is that at least for the next six months this pilot project will be extended only to about 100 "lead adopters" around Ashford, Kent for testing. We've heard all we need to get packed for a move, how about you?[Via Hexus]
iPlayer HD content on HDTVs through Virgin Media
Right on the heels of BBC launching iPlayer HD, now UK residents can watch the same content directly on their HDMI-connected telly on Virgin Media's V+ service. Check one off the list, now we're just waiting for iPlayer HD on Macs, PS3 and what else?
ITV programming made available to Virgin Media subscribers
While BT Vision is currently cooking up a way to bring major UK programming to one place via IPTV, Virgin Media is already taking things one step further by bringing thousands of hours of ITV on-demand content to subscribers. The agreement will, in essence, give ITV its largest ever potential on-demand audience -- you know, now that Virgin's 3.5 million customers can view hours upon hours of ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 material at their leisure. We're told that hit shows like Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be "made available for seven days after being broadcast as part of Virgin Media's free Catch up TV service," and there will even be a small subset of HD VOD programming to choose from. Not a raw deal at all for existing / to-be VM subs.
Virgin Media launches 50Mbps internet service in UK
Remember that fanciful cable modem that Virgin Media unveiled last month? Now it's clear as day what it will be used for. This week, the operator has announced the launch of its lightning fast 50Mbps high-speed internet service in the UK. The service has instantly placed VM at the top of the class in terms of speed, though it certainly won't come cheap. Reportedly, it'll run locals some £51 ($77) per month, though the monthly fee is lowered to £35 ($53) if users also take a Virgin phone line for £11 ($17) / month. There's no mention of what regions will have access right away, though it should be rolled out "country-wide" over the next six months. Not to be completely outdone, rival BT has also come forward with plans to trial a 40Mbps service during the summer of 2009. Who knows -- maybe our "status quo" 2Mbps connections will eventually be akin to 56k modems of yesteryear.[Thanks, Alex]
Virgin Media looks to beef up linear HD lineup
Virgin Media's in a pretty big hole compared to Sky on the HD front. As it stands, VM has a single linear high-def station (BBC HD), while Sky delivers 29. Pretty easy choice, right? Virgin Media's CEO Neil Berkett, in a presentation to the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, noted that it was looking to "level the linear content playing field versus Sky," and also mentioned a "plan to add linear high-definition channels." Unfortunately, he failed to elaborate on a quantity or time frame for delivery, but at least we know it's on the front burner. In fact, a company spokesperson added after the conference that it was "in ongoing discussion with a number of broadcasters with regard to new SD and HD channels and [that it was] currently evaluating HD plans for 2009." Here's hoping "evaluating" turns to "results" in the not-too-distant future.
BBC HD queues up more high-def content for the holidays
'Tis the season for giving / sharing, so we're glad to see Auntie Beeb in the festive spirit. Reportedly, BBC HD will be bestowing upon its viewers a whole slew of high-def content for the holiday season, including Shrek The Halls, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. Onlookers will also be treated to the long-awaited three-part horror story There Was a Crooked House and The 39 Steps, not to mention a handful of other movies you've certainly been waiting eons to see on broadcast TV. Way to step up the game, BBC -- now, how's about everyone else take a note and follow suit?
Virgin Media shows off stylish 50Mbps cable modem
This truly may be a world's first: a cable modem you don't feel incredibly pressured to relegate to the rear of your networking stash. Yes friends, that succulent device you see above is Virgin Media's shockingly stunning 50Mbps cable modem, which unsurprisingly relies on DOCSIS 3.0 technology in order to provide such 1337 speeds. It's still not as speedy as Ambit Broadband's channel bonding modem, nor can it hold a candle to whatever Sigbritt Löthberg had going on in Sweden, but 50Mbps isn't anything to sneeze at. No word on pricing just yet (don't worry, you'll pay it), but it should be available for UK-based speed freaks before the year's end.[Via TrustedReviews]
