Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

In an effort to lure more customers, TiVo has brought back its Lifetime Service offer for good. TiVo’s service offer used to be limited, but customer feedback has prompted the company to extend its service and make it a permanent offering. Current DVR subscriptions run at $12.95 a month or $129 a year; therefore, it would take about 2.5 to 3-years before you would really benefit from the $399 Lifetime Service fee.  Something else to keep in mind is that the Lifetime Service is box-specific, which means the you will be required to keep the box that you sign up with in use. The service is essentially the lifetime of the box and not your lifetime, so if you are they type to upgrade often this may not be the best option for you.

Read [Zatz Not Funny!]

The case of the missing NBC video on Windows Vista Media Center PC’s in DVR mode reminds me of Bill Murray’s classic line from “Ghostbusters.” When tempted by a demonically-possessed Sigourney Weaver, Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman says, “I make it a rule never to get involved with possessed people.”

After she nuzzles his neck, he sheepishly adds, “Actually it’s more of a guideline than a rule.”

CNET News reported that Vista PC’s won’t record certain NBC prime-time programming. (We’ll ignore the larger question for now as to why someone would actually want to record “American Gladiators.") When its reporter questioned Microsoft, the software company released a statement saying that it is honoring broadcast flags - technology that disables attempts at recording - as set forth by Federal Communications Commission “rules.” But those “rules” have no force of law behind them. The networks wanted them a couple of years ago, but federal courts shot them down. Optional installation? Sure. But there’s nothing mandated by governmental agency or Congress.

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I am sure you, like me, require a change in undergarments as a result of the surprise announcement today of the Roku set top box for Netflix.  This little dynamo lets you stream movies from Netflix’s instant line up and watch them from the comfort of your couch.  This will be enough to spur me to start my Netflix back up again.  But, there is a catch.

Get this image out of your head: you won’t be sitting on your catch browsing through Netflix trying to figure out what to watch.  That is, unless you also have a laptop or other device you can move movies into your instant queue so you can view them with the box.  Yes, the box only pulls from a list you have to set up prior on a computer. 

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Say it isn’t so.  Please.  Rumors are circulating that Best Buy is considering buying out Netflix according to AlleyInsider.  Feeding into the rumor pushed the stock up 6% in Friday trading.  Interesting.

It is easy to see why Best Buy might want to get a hold of the Netflix business: it is well position (or at least positioned) to make a play for the next advancement in the home entertainment.  Most see direct downloading via the internet as the next wave and Netflix is in the mix with some help from LG.

So why Best Buy?  Best Buy could sell content at the point consumers purchase a DVD player.  Best Buy could reduce customer acquisition costs for Netflix while improving their market position by selling a complete package.  It would be an impressive move, potentially.

But at what cost to Netflix?  Surely the ace customer service one gets at Best Buy (speaking from personal experience only here) would drag down the fun, red enveloped company I’ve come to enjoy and think of as “fun”.  Netflix has a good thing going, it would be a shame for the new big blue to bring them down.

What do you think?  Could Best Buy bring anything good to Netflix?

Read [AlleyInsider]

Following in the path of Samsung, LG has officially announced they will be discontinuing their production of the HD DVD/Blu-ray combo players. The end of line from LG will come this fall with the LG BH200 that will retail for $587.

“Surely, it is a very tough decision for us to halt the production of the combos, however, we will stop manufacturing the Super Blu series from the second half of this year,” said a spokesman from LG Electronics.

Via [DVD Town]

Even though Microsoft has “officially” stated that a Blu-ray drive would be sold for the Xbox 360, this rumor just does not want to die. The latest information is coming courtesy of the Chinese newspaper, Economic Daily News, and it seems to indicate that Microsoft is still interested in utilizing the apparent winner of the HD disc war for their game console.

The Economic Daily News is reporting that Pegatron Technology, a subsidiary of Asus, has orders, from Microsoft, to assemble Xbox 360 consoles that are equipped with a Blu-ray drive. This purported assembly is set to begin in the Q3 of this year. Microsoft has yet to comment on this latest chapter in the Blu-ray/Xbox rumor, so more as it happens.

Read [Digitimes]

Britain’s lollypop ladies, the equivalent of our school crossing guards here in the US, have just been issued cameras and portable DVRs to record incidents of “lollipop rage” or school zone road rage. The cameras record traffic from both sides and feed their footage to an Archos portable DVR. The system was developed by a British firm known as Routesafe, and several local authorities have already implemented it in their communities.

“It’s unbelievable that we have to take this action,” says the chairman of the Local Government Association’s transport board, “but the lives of children are at risk from increasing numbers of drivers who are so selfish that they are willing to put lives at risk by refusing to stop for 30 seconds at a school crossing.”

Road rage is becoming an increasing problem in the UK. Anyone caught by this new system will be fined £1,000, which equals roughly $2000 US, and also have 3 points placed on their driver’s license. 

Via [Gizmodo]

Samsung is treating all you couch potatoes out there with their latest products that might make you burn your wallets—the HTS-AS720 Home Theater System and the BD-P1500 Blu-ray player. Samsung is really teasing us with these new products as you would certainly want to have not just one but both of them. Because how good is a home theater system if you don’t use a BD player with it, right?

So, first up we have the HTS-AS720 Home Theater System with its 5.1 channel receiver, subwoofer and six satellite speakers all boasting of 650 watts total power. Adding pleasure to the viewing experience is an amplifier that features Dolby True HD Support and DTS HD pass through. 

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Well, they may be a little late to gifting HD DVD purchasers something to help cover the blow, but better late than never. For those who purchased an HD DVD player before February 23, 2008, Amazon is giving $50 Amazon credit to anything, to which there are, of course, some restrictions. The biggest restriction being the items have to be sold by Amazon and not a third-party merchant. You can also only get up to $500 back (which means you can redeem up to 10 HD DVD players), so that eleventh box, you’re just going to have to hang on to. Check out the letter from Amazon below:

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Sony Japan has introduced two new Blu-ray recorders, the Sony BDZ-A70 and BDZ-T90. You got to give it to Sony for coming out with something new for every consumer product that they release. In the case of these two Blu-ray recorders, Sony has made their hard-drives compatible with Sony’s own portable devices, the Walkman and PSP.

Both the Sony BDZ-A70 and BDZ-T90 boast of 2 terrestrial digital tuners and 2 digital BS 110 analog TV tuners. Both recorders can easily connect to a PSP, Walkman and some NTT Docomo FOMA mobile phones for transferring recorded videos. The Sony BDZ-A70 has a 320GB HDD while the Sony BDZ-T90 has 500GB HDD.

Set for release in Japan sometime during the last week of April, the two Sony Blu-ray recorders will retail for around $1,600. As always, it would take some time before these two BD recorders reach the US market.

Via [I4U] Via [Sony Japan]