PVR Wire

As many of our readers may already be aware, AOL, PVR Wire's overlords, have decided to 'retire' some of the niche blogs in the Weblogs Inc. Network.

Sadly, PVR Wire will be among the blogs getting shipped off to the retirement home for old blogs.

So what will happen to the people who work on PVR Wire, and where will you get your news on TiVo, Sky+, Freeview and the big bad world of PVRs?

Tune in on January 31 for our farewell entry, but in the meantime, please keep reading as we'll continue to blog right up until the doors closes for good.

Less than two weeks until Windows Vista comes out, and my computer up and dies on me. At first I thought it was the power supply, but it's not. It could be the CPU, the motherboard, anything really.

Well, I'd put a lot of money into my last computer which served double duty as my work machine and my PVR (since I write about PVRs, I guess it was really just my work machine). Anyway, it had a couple of hard drives, all of which survived intact, a couple of TV tuners, and an NVIDIA graphics card with a TV-out.

I decided the easiest thing to do would be go and find a sale at a nearby electronics shop, pick up a computer for under $500, and slap all of my old goodies inside. So far so good. But here's the thing. The new system came with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, and in a few weeks I'll qualify for a free upgrade to Windows Vista.

But one of the first things I did was disable the Media Center services from launching at startup so that I can reinstall BeyondTV and restore my scheduled recordings from a backup file. I've got hundreds of hours of programs that I've recorded in BeyondTV. They have smartchapters, a BeyondTV feature that makes it easy to see where the commercials are and skip them with one click. It doesn't always work perfectly, but it's better than a thirty second skip when it does work.

I've showsqueezed most of my recordings (a fancy word for compressing them to WMV or DivX files) so that I could fit more programs on my hard drive. And some of them have strange resolutions that really look best when played back in BeyondTV.

So I decided to stick with the software that I've been using. But is it silly of me not to treat this as an opportunity to play with MCE, and to have all the benefits that come with having a PVR that's integrated with my operating system? That said, I'm also going out of town for a week soon and it'd be nice if I know my PVR is set up and ready to record all my episodes of 24, Heroes, and Battlestar Galactica while I'm gone.

1. Caddyshack -- Saturday December 23 at 11 PM EST on Showcase
If you are looking for a deep thinking and thought provoking movie for the holidays, then this isn't one. If on the other hand you are looking for something light hearted, then this classic will surely suffice. If you have never seen this tale of a mad golf club, then do yourself the favor of setting your PVR to record it.

2. It's a Wonderful Life -- Sunday December 24 at 7 PM EST on CBC
What would Christmas Eve be without this classic movie? Although this is an older movie (so old in fact, that it is in the public domain), it is also probably one of the most recognized holiday movies ever made. Even though watching the tale of this man's life can be depressing, the ending always gives me that good old holiday spirit feeling.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl -- Monday December 25 at 8PM EST on CBC
From Angels to Pirates, how is that for a not-so-smooth transition? Sure this movie may not have any sort of holiday season tidings, but I always get a kick out of watching it, especially when I keep in mind that Johnny Depp molded his character's mannerisms after Keith Richards.

4. World Jr. Hockey -- First game on December 26 at 9 AM EST on TSN
Ah, the good old Canadian tradition of spending Boxing Day in front of the TV to watch the all-too-short World Junior Hockey Championship. This year it is being held in Sweden, so most of the games will start from somewhere between 7 AM EST to the early afternoon.

5. The Yes Men -- December 28 at 9 PM EST on TMN
Although I haven't seen this documentary in a while, I still get a kick out of the whole premise. Basically these two guys set up an operation that closely mimics the WTO, and they start making public appearances while promoting outlandish ideas. It's amusing to see how far they could go, and what they got away with.

• Chicken Run - Sunday 24 December - 6:40pm - 8:00pm - BBC1
  I don't know what it is about the Nick Park animated films that makes them feel Christmassy, but they somehow are. Chicken Run is an animated children's film that features a band of chickens that try to outwit their owners and escape from their coop.
  
  
• A Fish Called Wanda - Sunday 24 December - 11:15pm - 1:15am - Channel 4
  A Fish Called Wanda is an Academy Award-winning classic comedy film released in 1988 starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. It's a tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood, where four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to double-cross each other for the loot.
  
  
• Top of the Pops 2 Christmas Special - Saturday 23 December - 7:40pm - 9:10pm - BBC2
  Get yourself in the Christmas spirit with some classic Christmas tunes from the past few decades. With X Factor's Leona set to be this Christmas Number One, I think we need a break from that soppy pop music and to get down with some classic Christmas tunes with the Top of the Pops 2 Christmas Special.
  
  
• The Muppet Christmas Carol - Saturday 23 December 2:15pm - 3:50pm – Channel Five
  If I didn't own the DVD I would be taping this classic Christmas movie. It is guaranteed to entertain the kids for a few days as they watch those Muppets perform the Scrooge tale over and over.
  
  
• Neighbours – Weekdays - 1:35pm - 2:00pm - BBC1
  Yes I know it's on every day of the week and most people hate this Australian soap, but I love it. I watch it every day and will continue to do so over Christmas. Watching this show has added such insults as 'Cake Taker', 'Muffin Bar', and 'Munter' to my vocabulary. Don't expect anything Christmassy, since we're six months behind Australia with Neighbours here in the UK.

I wasn't planning on making this a list of holiday-themed recordings, so much as a list of good movies that are airing over the holiday period. As it turns out, the two go hand in hand. So without further ado, here's my top 5 list of movies running on basic cable over the next week:

1. Comedy Central is running Bad Santa several times on 12/24 and 12/25. If you've ever wondered what life is like for those department store Santas, I really hope this movie doesn't provide a glimpse of the truth.
2. TBS is running a 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story starting at 8PM on the 12/24, and running through 8PM on 12/25. Somehow this irreverent tale of a kid in search of a BB gun has become a classic, shown almost as often during the holidays as It's a Wonderful Life.
3. Love, Actually. USA Network, 6AM EST on 12/25. Love, Actually isn't so much a holiday movie as a film that takes place against a holiday backdrop. I dare you to watch it and not wind up smiling. And with a 6AM time slot, this is the sort of show that PVRs were created to record.
4. Spirited Away. Cartoon Network, 7PM EST on 12/25. Hayao's Miyazaki's modern fairy tale of a young girl who wanders into a world filled with witches, gods, and monsters. The animation is amazing, and a nice change of pace from anything you or your kids are likely to see from most American cartoons.
5. Ghostbusters. Comedy Central, 4:30PM EST on 12/22 and 11AM EST on 12/23. It seems like Ghostbusters II is always showing on sable cable television channel or other. But the original film about paranormal investigators over their heads doesn't come on nearly as often. This is a great chance to catch it.

Over the next few days, the gang here at PVR Wire will be providing you with the a guide to the best shows and movies to record over the Festive period.

So, get your remote control out, with your fingers poised over the record button, as we dig out the best (and the worst) video junk to fill up your PVR for the next two weeks.

We kick off with Brad's guide to some top-notch Christmas movies, including one of my all-time favourites (although, not exactly a Christmas-themed movie), Ghostbusters.

And don't forget, you can suggest shows or movies to record, just by adding your comments to any of the individual guides.

PVR news is on a go-slow at the moment, as most of the big companies gear up towards Christmas and the holiday season. So, to keep your mind occupied and stuffed full of great gift ideas for your loved ones, here's a recap of some of our best posts of the past seven days, starting with Brad's excellent 'How much have you spent ona digital living room?'

• Brad's gift guide, featuring the promising MVix Wireless HD Media Center
• Matt's gift guide, with the $199 iRecord device, which could give Apple's iTV a run for its money.
• My gift guide, with eerything you need to know about getting a hold of a decent PVR in the UK.
• JJ's gift guide, with the excellent Xbox 360 PVR setup.
• And Chris' excellent guide on what NOT to buy this Christmas, including Microsoft's much lampooned Zune Player.

Remember to check out details of Brad's Podcast, which is on a rest at the moment, but you can still go back and listen to some of the best from the past few months.

You may have noticed that we haven't had a new podcast in the last couple of weeks. This isn't because we aren't still dedicated to bringing you interviews with the people behind the PVRs. It's just been a busy couple of weeks. The PVR Wire podcast will return in January, if not sooner.

In the meantime, you can help by sending us ideas of people you think we should interview or topics you think we should cover in upcoming podcasts. Just click the "Contact Us" link, and be sure to put "Podcast" in your subject line.

And while you're waiting, here's a few of my favorite episodes that you may have missed.

• Interview with Rakesh Agrawal, CEO of Snapstream Media, makers of BeyondTV
• Interview with Bill Loewenthal, Vice President and General manager of ReplayTV
• Interview with Joe Costello, co-founder of Orb Networks
• A series of interviews from the floor of Digital Life 2006
• Interview with Blake Krikorian, CEO of Sling Media

1. Sky HD. If there's one present I'd really love someone to buy me this Christmas, it's BSkyB's news HD service. It's a Sky+ PVR with 160GB of storage capacity (around 80 hours) and it displays tons of Sky's content in glorious HD (presuming you have an HD capable TV. It'll cost you £299 for the box, £60 for installation and an extra £10 per month on top of your subscription, depending on the channels you already receive. More: www.sky.com/hd

2. Topfield TF5800PVR 160GB Freeview PVR. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of ordering one of these top-notch Freeview PVRs for the purposes of my job. It's a twin-tuner unit with a 160GB hard drive and a fairly easy-to-use setup and EPG. The only drawbacks are a slow reaction time on the remote, but it also has the added bonus of a USB connection, which comes in handy for moving videos around on to portable devices. You should expect to pay around £250, but it's worth every penny. More: Amazon UK.

3. Telewest TV Drive. If you're an NTL or Telewest customer in the UK, and you don't yet have a PVR, but you're sick of their basic on-demand service, you should consider treating yourself this Christmas by upgrading to TV Drive. It has a twin tuner, 80 hour capacity, 8-day EPG and series link facility. Oh, and it does HD too. Subscriptions start at an additional £10 per month, with no connection fee. More: Telewest UK.

4. Humax PVR800T PVR. If the Topfield doesn't take your fancy, you might want to consider the Humax PVR800T. It has pretty much all the same function as the Topfield TF5800, but with a slightly smaller HDD (80GB) and can only record one Freeview channel at a time. Expect to pay around £130.

1. iRecord. Why pay for downloadable TV and movie content from iTunes if you can record you favorite programming right onto your iPod? Thanks to the iRecord, you can record the latest episode of Lost and have it automatically formatted and transferred to your iPod for later viewing. At $1.99 a show, and even more for movies, the savings can add up quick. The iRecord is priced at $199.99 and can be purchased through www.irecord.com.

2. Simplifi Digital AV Expander. One of the biggest problems that I ran into when I was building my Media Center Edition PC was the lack of options to connect video game systems to the computer. MCE inherently creates a two second buffer for all video input through a tuner card, but the Simplifi Digital AV Expander allows you to connect your systems to MCE and bypass the delay all together. If you want to pick up one of these for a friend or yourself, then check out Simplifi Digital's website, where you can get the card for $99.

3. ExpressVu HD PVR Plus System. ExpressVu has long been one of the larger satellite providers in Canada, and what would a TV provider be without a PVR? This PVR is can record up to 180 hours of SD TV as well as record HD TV, it features two tuners so you can record two programs at once, and it also sports picture-in-picture. The ExpressVu HD PVR Plus can be bought via Bell ExpressVu's site for as cheap as $325 CDN.

4. Creating a Digital Home Entertainment System with Windows Media Center. You may be asking yourself what a book is doing on this list, but let me say that this book is great if you are looking at building a Media Center Edition PC. Although this book does not deal with Vista, a lot of the background information will still be valid. Topics include deciding on the purpose of you media center, recommendations for hardware, and of course using the Media Center interface. List price for the book is $29.99, but you should be able to find it cheaper on Amazon.com.

We're just over halfway through November, and well on our way to the end of the year, but the PVR news just doesn't stop flowing here at PVR Wire HQ.

So, to save you the trouble of scouring your way back through some of our quality news, here's a snapshot of the best posts from the last week, exclusively for your entertainment:

• What's keeping you from using Windows Media Center Edition?
• Update on new TiVo features
• A PVR that Greenpeace would approve of
• Should you build a Mac media center or wait for iTV?
• The battle between PS3 and Xbox 360 to be the dominant media center
• Replay TV PC Edition launched
• Comcast EPG Banner Ads: They're Baaaack

And then there's Brad's excellent podcast, which features an interview with Rakesh Agrawal, CEO and Founder of SnapStream Media.

Why not start your week with a fresh look back over some of the best of PVR Wire from the last seven days, starting with Brad's excellent podcast, this week featuring an interview with Bill Loewenthal, vice president and general manager of ReplayTV.

Or, you could browse your way through some of these headlines and find out things about PVRs that you never knew before:

• Nielsen: most PVR users watch recorded shows within three days
• TiVo prices go up (or down... or something)
• MCE Plugin Spotlight: Funspot
• Chris Lanier's experience with home automation lighting control, Part 2
• They Don't Build 'Em Like They Used To: Problems with the DirecTV HD HR20-700?
• CBS Wants to be Paid for Ads Viewed on PVRs
• Roundup of UK PVRs
• Xbox downloads make first assault on the living room

PVR Wire had one of our best weeks last week, with some great items from the gang on all the latest news from the world of PVRs (and beyond).

Here's some of our best posts from the last seven days (or so):

• TiVo with a Twist: Ways to Enhance the TiVo Experience
• GeeXboX - Standalone Linux Media Center on a LiveCD
• Home Surveillance DVR - Make Your House Completely Uncomfortable for Guests
• MCE Plugin Spotlight: TVTonic
• Installing Windows Media Player 11 on a Media Center PC
• Hacking your DirecTiVo
• Windows Media Center Edition turns 4
• The dirty hidden dealings of the Google-YouTube deal
• LG 42LB1DRA with built-in PVR
• The Royle Family use Sky+
• TiVo-like device records radio
• John Batelle hates his Comcast PVR
• Top Up TV launches PVR (UK)

And don't forget our magnificent podcast, produced by Brad Linder.

How's your week been? Ours has been the usual seven days of jam-packed PVRness, with gossip, previews, reviews, spotlights and all the news that's fit to publish from the world of PVRs.

Here's some of our best posts from the last week:

• Watch Google Video on a Smartphone
• Feature comparison of PVR devices
• Channel Four (UK) goes on-demand with Telewest
• TVUPlayer offers free copyrighted TV on the internet
• Slingbox to launch beta Mac client on Oct 31
• Why Apple announced the iTV so early
• Netgear EVA700 - competition for iTV?
• Upgrade a Series3 TiVo with your own hands
• MCE Plugin Spotlight: My Movies 2

Don't forget Brad's excellent podcast, and, of course, Chris' excellent analysis of who should (or could) but TiVo, and why.

This week Chris Tew and Brad Linder talk about some of the week's PVR news.

• :30 What company's most likely to buy TiVo?
• 6:15 Best PVR accessories
• 6:50 TiVo Series3 prices starting to fall (on sale at least)
• 7:30 Watching Google Video on your phone

What do you think, is TiVo for sale, and if so, who would buy it? Do you think the Series3 will drop in price before the holidays? And do you watch mobile videos on your phone?

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