Wednesday, March 31, 2004

New Features for DVRs Having proved their popularity with American couch potatoes, digital video recorders are about to get a boost in features that will allow them to zap several video streams throughout networked homes. Engineers in the consumer electronics lab of hard-drive maker Maxtor, for example, are working on DVR-type devices that can record or broadcast at least six media streams at a time. That compares to three streams in current DVRs, which are hard-drive-based machines that can record video and temporarily pause live broadcasts. Three-stream machines can simultaneously record two live channels while playing a previously recorded program. 7:27:26 PM    comment []

Hitachi to unveil 400GB drive Information wants to be free, and so does hard drive storage price. Hitachi to unveil 400GB drive Hitachi Global Storage Technologies plans to announce this week a massive hard drive designed to store corporate data or record about 400 hours of video for consumers. The new drive has a capacity of 400GB, spins at 7,200 revolutions per minute, and uses ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) interface technology, according to a source close to Hitachi. The drive can come with either the parallel ATA interface long used in desktop computers or the newer Serial ATA interface. Dubbed the Deskstar 7K400, the drive is being tested by manufacturers and could be in digital video recorder products available to consumers later this year, the source said. 7:25:40 PM    comment []

Long-Form Ads: Delivering Entertainment and Results Published in TVSpy - Indexed on Mar 30, 2004     In a world where nearly every article about the future of TV mentions how empowered TiVo owners are giddily skipping past 30-second commercials, it seems inconceivable that some advertisers would actually be producing longer ads that they expect viewers will choose to watch voluntarily. But that seems to be the story with long-form advertising, sometimes known as advertainment, the genetic hybrid of advertising and entertainment. Long-form ads are not to be confused with that lowest common denominator of advertising: the infomercial. For starters, they're usually not as long as an infomercial - generally running two to ten minutes. The main difference, however, is the way they are viewed by audiences: Whereas infomercials are delivered broadcast style to late night junkies, long-form ads are served up through on-demand technology, like video-on-demand (VOD) or digital video recorders (DVRs). 7:16:52 PM    comment []

Pioneer DVR-810H - PVRs (hard disk video recorders) - CNET Reviews Reviewed by John P. Falcone December 9, 2003 The DVR-810H is a nearly perfect marriage of TiVo and DVD-recorder functionality.The good: Built-in TiVo DVR; easy disk-to-DVD archiving; superb interface; progressive-scan output.The bad: No way to edit out commercials; no FireWire connection; full TiVo service and the Home Media Option require additional fees.Digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo and ReplayTV spoil us by making it incredibly simple to record television. Naturally, many people long for a similarly easy-to-use DVD recorder that would let them capture shows to disc with minimal hassle. http://reviews.cnet.com/Pioneer_DVR_810H/4505-6474_7-30422588.html?tag=lst   7:12:31 PM    comment []

Consumers Finally Embrace DVRs Published in Tech Web - Indexed on Mar 31, 2004     Consumers Finally Embrace DVRs March 30, 2004 (7:35 p.m. EST) TechWeb News Digital video recorders are starting to take off among consumers, due primarily from cable and satellite TV providers investing heavily in DVR-enabled set-top boxes in the U.S., a market research firm said Tuesday. Consumers are starting to see the devices that use an internal hard drive to record programming as more than just high-priced VCRs, and pay TV providers are expected to reap the financial benefits, International Data Corp. said in announcing a new DVR study. "Consumers are finally beginning to get it," IDC analyst Greg Ireland said in a statement. http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040330S0015 7:08:28 PM    comment []