Recently Filed in Set Top Boxes

For Sondie Reiff and Don Glickman and many more who love pop music, and pop culture, next February will mark the 50th anniversary of “The day the music died"….when a tragic airplane crash killed a number of top pop singers. For Sondie and Don, next February 17th, may be the day that TV dies. On that day the recently retired, but very active couple, may not have access to their precious PBS specials, sports events, soap operas and Jeopardy. Tough to imagine considering they have… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Digital TV Transition • Info and Answers

VuDu, the set top box based video rental and purchasing system, trying to stave off TiVo, Apple TV and Netflix and also trying to survive during a tough time for all rentals systems, will start to offer an end of summer 99-cent special for blockbuster hits and classic movies. VuDu also recently launched its first adult channel, only the second of the major on-line digital delivery services to add that type of content. Customers with either the first edition or second edition VuDu set top… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Retailers • Product News

Could it be this easy? Could this be the first multi-faceted device that actually installed easily, delivered more than promised and is something I can rave about after ranting these last few weeks? Well, the Zenith converter box (along with an added attraction: a new fangled RCA flat panel indoor antenna) solved some problems and made it seem to me that the Digital Transition next February might not be so hard. (Assuming, of course, that the cable companies, federal government and all sorts of moons,… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Digital TV Transition • Home Theater • Info and Answers

Watching movies used to be easy. You’d see a film at the theater, at some point later you’d catch it on VHS and eventually it would end up on cable television. Before Laserdisc, before DVD and before the Internet, collecting movies just wasn’t on the radar for most people. That all changed when DVD triggered an explosion of interest in home theater. For some, an expensive trip to the multiplex began to take a back seat to watching a $20 DVD at home presented in… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Home Theater • Info and Answers

Can’t find a Nintendo Wii on any store shelves near you? Sign up for Comcast’s Triple Play service and get a Wii free. The cable provider announced Monday that between now and August 17, new subscribers to the Comcast Preferred Plus or Premier Triple Play package will get a complimentary Wii system. In case you’re not sure what package qualifies, here’s what Comcast says: “Comcast Preferred Plus and Premier Triple Play packages include: Comcast Digital Cable with On Demand and premium channels; Comcast Digital Voice,… View this story
AV Components • Set Top Boxes • Gaming • Gaming Systems • Networking and Communication • Cable • Internet • VoIP • Enhancements • Product News

TiVo has been wheeling and dealing a lot lately. Just last week, the company, which has become synonymous with digital video recording, announced a deal that would offer subscribers access to YouTube. Now they are creating an even deeper crevice in your couch, with access to products on Amazon. Starting today, TiVo will introduce a “product purchase” feature to its DVR service. According to The New York Times, this means if Oprah is plugging her book of the month, you can instantly order it without… View this story
Digital Recorders • Set Top Boxes • Web Services • Home Theater • Product News

Kodak may be a part of your family vacation, but will it be a part of your family TV routine? If anything is going to get them in there, it will be the Kodak Theatre HD Player. This slim set-top looks like your DVD player, but can display photos, video, podcasts, music and other web-based content right on your HDTV—via Wi-Fi. Stream them off your PC or just pop a card into one of the unit’s card slots. “With the KODAK Theatre HD Player, consumers… View this story
Set Top Boxes • WiFi • Home Theater • Product News

No one wants to leave a high-def-capable TV by its lonesome. However, running wires and stacking equipment can kill your decor. Belkin doesn’t want you to suffer for fashion. Instead, they’ve announced the FlyWire, a box that promises 1080p True Cinema picture resolution on any HDTV in your home. That means you can place that TV wherever you want—without cable clutter. Operating on the open 5GHz band, it’s not just good for your daily dose of crystal-clear sports, sitcoms, or nature shows. FlyWire can also… View this story
Multiroom Video • Set Top Boxes • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Product News

Are you hankering for TV from foreign lands? WhereverTV could be your cheap ticket to endless entertainment. This little black box promises to deliver hundreds of international channels on any TV. It doesn’t need high-def or monthly charges. Just pay the one-time $200 fee for the box, and you can be spending your Saturdays watching rugby, soccer, and other overseas delights. The company says that the live channels will come in “40 languages from almost 100 countries.” Just hook the WhereverTV Receiver to your router… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Home Theater • Product News

Those of you with a converter box coupon burning a whole in your pocket (or on the brink of expiration), may want to blow that thing on Zenith’s new DTT901. This new digital TV converter box includes analog pass-through, which will allow viewers to pick up low-power TV stations. “The CBA is pleased that Zenith digital-to-analog converter boxes are now offered exclusively with the important analog pass-through feature,” said Greg Herman, VP of technology for the Community Broadcasters Association (CBA). “We tested the new Zenith… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Digital TV Transition • Home Theater • Product News

The check may be in the mail, but the converter box coupon? Probably not. Reuters says that the government has encountered a problem with its widely publicized coupon offer: they are running out of funds for postage. The government started mailing converter-box coupons in late February. To date, they have received requests for over 16 million coupons. Each household is eligible for two coupons, which offer consumers a $40 discount on a converter box. This will help analog TV viewers receive digital signals after the… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Digital TV Transition • Home Theater • Product News

Your local RadioShack is now stocking the Digital Stream DTX9950, a digital converter box that also features analog pass-through. That means you can keep using your old analog TV for both digital and analog over-the-air broadcasts once the DTV transition hits on February 17, 2009. Full-powered stations need to make the switch by February 2009, but low-powered broadcasters will still be chugging along, business as usual. The RadioShack box will allow viewers to tune into both, without a splitter or A/B switch. “We’re excited to… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Digital TV Transition • Home Theater • Product News