David Pogue tells all on Cable Cards in his latest Circuits column. It’s clearly a version 1 product which might be right for certain customers… for most however, a cable box is in the cards (pun intended) for years to come. Aside from the fact that today’s TVs won’t work with the 2-way cards coming next, your cable company won’t be able to sell you enhanced services… like on-demand, enhanced guides and PPV.
Satellite Radio continues to rise
Treo 650 GSM Status
As you probably know the Treo 650 is still only available through Sprint and will continue to be the exclusive carrier through year end. January should bring Cingular on board with their GSM / EDGE capable device, but the unlocked GSM version I’ve got on order seems to be in queue for a February delivery.
Disappointing news for sure… I got word today from a friend traveling through Newark Airport today who happened to stop at the PalmOne Store and asked. I can understand favoring the carriers first as they are the first line of business for any phone maker, but it still stinks having to wait even longer.
BargainPDA on the Treo650
I don’t care what anyone says about the Treo 650’s memory issues, lack of WiFi support, limited Bluetooth functionality, poor sound quality, dialing delays or the fact that it’s only available on Sprint PCS. It’s the still the best Smartphone on the market. Mobile business professionals who want an integrated device should look no further, especially if your organization uses Microsoft Exchange for email and calendaring. [BargainPDA]
Dish plus Sirius
I just learned today that Dish Network offers Sirius as an add-on package. Seem like a great and actually logical combo when you consider the addition of Music Choice on DirecTV and many cable systems. I’ve been finding the programming much stronger on Sirius than I’ve heard in the past on Music Choice, for what it’s worth.
Start over… any show on TV
Time Warner is working on a special feature for digital cable subscribers called Start Over, the WSJ reports. The cool thing about this idea is that you don’t have to be recording or even using a DVR to enable it. You simply tune to a program and press “Start Over” on your remote and the TV obeys.
This level of simplicity delivers a powerful tool to the TV watching masses and will definitely be both an intuitive and useful feature to have. Some tricks for Time Warner include getting revised programming rights from the various acting guilds, music producers, studios and of course the networks. This is apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back with Mystro TV, Time Warner’s recently killed fully on-demand system. The WSJ assumes that the FF feature will be disabled during commercials in order to help the approval process, which changes a significant detail in the DVR / Time-shifting experience – eliminating the Time Shift! One of the perks in catching up when you start watching a program being recorded after it starts (or after it’s been recorded) is watching it in less time since you can skip over commercials. as noted earlier, this is not a DVR service, but perhaps it will be added to those boxes as well. I’d imagine pressing the button would activate some lovely Macrovision to block FF or 30-sec skip features you might have on your remotes.
I had previously noted MystroTV here and here. Too bad it’s dead.
Trump goes Giga
If you’ve been contemplating a move to the future Trump-land on the UWS of NYC, I’m sure you knew you’d get a big bang for the buck you’ll be shelling out. A bonus for early movers is a new super high speed network…
A pact between GigaBeam, Microwave Satellite Technologies (MST) and Trump properties will see ultra high-speed wireless links installed in twenty of Trump’s buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
The high-speed connections, as fast as 1.5Gbps, will bring to the apartment and business dwellers in the buildings VoIP, data, and even HDTV.
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GigaBeam will start installing the high-speed connection within the Trump International Hotel and other Trump properties this quarter. MST will then deploy additional links throughout the remainder of 2005. [Infoworld]
Mossberg… Media Center Pretty Good
Walt Mossberg has been spending some quality time with the HP z545-b Digital Entertainment Center and it’s Media Extender counterpart and came away reasonably satisfied, but in no way recommending the experience for anyone but techies. It’s too bad that $2,000 of kit still does not make it easy enough to just watch and play with your media. Perhaps 2005 will be the year companies finally get that this stuff has to be simple, and tech transparent.
In general, both worked well. But they also had some drawbacks, and it was impossible to escape two of the worst problems of using a Windows computer — security issues and networking complexities.
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And the realities of the Windows security mess can intrude on your entertainment experience. For instance, while I was watching TV, I was repeatedly interrupted by pop-up notices urging me to configure Norton AntiVirus. To do so, I had to exit the Media Center software.
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I also tested the $299 Media Center Extender, which uses a wired or wireless home network to stream video and audio from the Media Center PC to a television or stereo system in another room. The basic setup for the extender went well. And music and photos were beamed perfectly over my wireless network, which uses a popular Wi-Fi flavor, called 802.11g. (The extender doesn’t work with the most common flavor of Wi-Fi, called 802.11b.)
But video was a problem. When I tried to watch recorded TV shows on the remote TV, the picture stuttered noticeably, and it was grainy. Microsoft and H-P attributed this to the speed of my network, which was being degraded by other computers doing e-mail and Web browsing.
Microsoft says that, for optimal video streaming, Media Center users should buy and install a separate wireless network based on the less-common 802.11a standard and dedicate it to the Media Center extender connection.
This is likely to add another $100 or so to the cost of the setup. Worse, it will plunge users into the morass of installing another network. The complexity of this task is increased by the fact that the H-P computer doesn’t work with the “a” flavor of Wi-Fi, even though the Extender does. H-P and Microsoft provide instructions on how to do this, but it isn’t simple for nontechies. [WSJ]
I can’t imagine having to install a second network for media sharing and distribution as recommended… I’ve got enough stuff pumping through my multiple routers and switch to drive my wife insane. If I had to add another order of complexity to things I would be asked very quickly to just get rid of it. Designing the product to look like a home component is only part of the equation. It has to work like an appliance – which means to plug it in and go. I realize that is way simpler than will probably be possible in the near-term, but that has to be the goal.
Media Adapter / Servers and their networks need to auto-configure while content needs to be found and easily shared and distributed within your home environment. Oh and the UI has to be simple. It’s great that Windows is beneath Media Center but Keep it hidden!! Make me believe it’s just a media center.
Voom’s Doom?
Om pointed to a piece in the WSJ (sub required) today on the the possibility of Voom no being spun off from Cablevision, but sold instead… the likely buyer is Echostar so they could add both HD and capacity to their Satellite Service.
Voom has certainly had their issues – customer churn, high operating costs and huge losses (~$75 Million last quarter) but I still really like what they are all about which is more HD than anyone else. I’d love to see the cable guys offer as large an array of HD options – my last count had Time Warner at slightly less than half of what Voom currently offers, not too mention what they are/(now were?) going to be offering.
Om feels they were about 24 months too early and that may be, though with all the hoopla about HD in the regular press you’d think most people had it. Obviously most people don’t have it and are even opting for non-HD large and flat sets to save money.
Voom has tried to distinguish itself by offering more high-definition channels than cable companies and other satellite operators. But its appeal has been limited by high installation costs, technical problems and the steady addition by competitors of more high-definition offerings. In the third quarter, Cablevision reported that Voom had 26,000 subscribers, compared with millions for DirecTV and EchoStar.
If Cablevision decides to sell the unit, analysts believe a likely buyer would be EchoStar, the second-largest satellite operator that operates Dish Network and needs additional capacity to offer more high-definition channels.
Nevertheless, analysts believe that Charlie Ergen, EchoStar’s chief executive, would have an advantage in negotiations with Cablevision since the cable operator would likely have few other buyers for Voom’s satellite, launched in 2003. Thomas Eagan, an analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. estimates that Mr. Ergen might pay as little as $125 million, about half what it would cost to build and launch a new satellite. [WSJ]
Slip Slip Streaming Away
Rogue Amoeba has something very nice cooking for current or future Airport Express owners…
Rogue Amoeba is pleased to announce our newest product, Slipstream. Slipstream is the first and best way to send audio from any application directly to remote speakers attached to Apple’s renowned AirPort Express device. With Slipstream, audio from any application can be sent to the AirPort Express – users longing to send audio from applications like RealPlayer and Windows Media Player need look no further than Slipstream. [Rogue Amoeba]
NTT DoCoMo Invests In Linux
This certainly confirms PalmSource’s investment in Linux… more and more companies are looking to Linux for all sorts of needs. PalmSource has said now that Cobalt will run on top of Linux, though I am not sure whether DoCoMo will create a new GUI for their phones or simply use it under the hood. They are still going to use Symbian as well so perhaps just a test to cover the bases.
NTT DoCoMo, which recently announced that three of its phones will be based on Linux, invests in U.S. vendor MontaVista Software. [Mobile Pipeline]
Sirius Stream Explorer
My radio is across the room and behind me actually so I can’t see the display other than that it glows blue. If I don’t know what’s playing and want to see I have to get up… until now. Sirius Stream Explorer is a cool site that shows all live stations and their info. I can just leave it live in a tab within Safari or Firefox.
What I’d really love is to get the basic station name and info on my Harmony Remote instead of TV Listings, which I’ve chosen not to sync and load anyway. I have up to 6 items per screen view which would very nicely match up to the Sirius system… I doubt that’s coming though, as my radio is not even listed on the Harmony site and has to be manually programmed into the remote.
I could however, load the Sirius Stream Explorer site into a PDA (have a Tungsten C lying around) for a quick update as it’s hard to read the display from my couch as well. Not sure if it’s my eyes or the blue on blue screen…Anyway it totally works, though without the auto-updating of my desktop browser. I actually tried this and while the page eventually loaded, it ‘s far from an ideal experience. Desktop browser tab it is…
The Sirius Stream Explorer is a great companion to the online streaming you might be listening to as well as there does not seem to be any track info listed…If you are a Windows user you might really like the other purpose for the Sirius Stream Explorer… control of your device!
The ItsOnSIRIUS Radio was designed to overcome some of the limitations of SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Online Streaming Software. Later releases are planned to include support for serial based radios and remote control over a network.
More on Sirius in the car
As I mentioned previously, I had my first in-car Sirius experience today. I had to drive from NYC to outside Philadelphia, a trip I’ve made many times. In past mornings I’ve tuned into Howard Stern, and usually hang in until some obscenely long commercial break and then tune around or activate my iPod. I knew I had Sirius in the car today as I reserved it in advance with Hertz and I made the decision to fully test it en-route and chose not too even bring my iPod.
The trip was smooth…and fully digital, with EZ-Pass guiding me through the tolls and Sirius jamming good tunes to the car the whole way there and back. I only had one real drop out which was right about the Middletown water town on the NJ Turnpike and I hit it there and back so there’s some sort of dead zone there. I lost signal for probably between 3 and 5 seconds both times… There’s actually one additional dead zone and that’s the Holland Tunnel. I lost signal more quickly heading out of the city than I did on my return, perhaps due to the difference in decline, who knows. I’d suggest installing a repeater in there though and promoting the heck out of it to commuters! Verizon was first to do that for cellular and repeated the task underground on Amtrak. Those minutes you miss are a real bummer, and could be considerably longer and disappointing if you have substantial traffic as my fellow travelers coming into the city as I was leaving at 7am most certainly did.
The unit in my car today was an Audiovox FM Modulator which worked well, but had really flimsy buttons and pretty lame display. Even though the music was consistent, I often had no or limited data (either artist or track info or a delay in displaying) something I have yet to see on my home unit. You might not be able to tell from the photos there, but there’s a small flip-out panel that gives you access to a micro-keypad for direct station access as well as memory presets. I’ve become familiar enough in the time I’ve been listening to know where I wanted to go. I doubt I would choose to purchase this device for myself in a future car, but I would definitely add it to my bill again with Hertz as Sirius is only $3 extra.
A recent post on DROXY got me thinking this could be utilized as a free add-in for a while – again strongly marketed to business travelers – to stimulate trial and push for new subscriptions. It’d be nice actually to see the price included for existing subscribers as well, but I doubt that would happen any time soon as Sirius is in a race to catch up with XM.
Recent number have Sirius at about 800,000 subscribers and XM at about 2 Million.
Sirius to iPod
In light of yesterday’s post about the XM MyFI, the portable player and today’s announcement from Napster with unlimited downloading (via DRM of course – courtesy of the new MS Janus system)…
What if Sirius subscribers got access to digital downloads within iTunes as a subscription bonus – or actually paid for an additional tier of service. You could pretty easily match the station playlists to downloadable “albums” iTunes would host and sync right to an iPod.
I had my first in-car Sirius experience courtesy of Hertz and loved it. I did not miss my iPod (the shame!) and enjoyed surfing the stations as my moods changed. I’d love to see a program my iPod service that would enable bulk downloading to iPod for the times and places you can’t get Sirius (non-car based commuters), instead of buying a portable player if they even come out with one! Sirius is kind enough to include a streaming service to computer which I’ve been checking out when my wife wants to watch TV instead of listen to the music.
Think about Podcasting… you could directly extend the metaphor for the talk shows as well and time shift away quite easily. I’d think the content is being archived and served rather than played by CD… just another point of access for subscribers. Make it even easier for me to like you and extend my relationship with the company.
Hey Sirius…if you are actually reading this, I’d love to work with/for you. I’m local. 😉
iPod beats MyFi
Cnet takes the MyFi, XM’s portable player for a spin and gives it a pretty healthy smack-down. Sounds like XM’s naming strategy – stations like Fred and Ethel – are not as easy to get as Sirius’ choices like Purejazz and Chill. I’d still eventually like to see a portable Sirius player he says less than a week into usage. So far I totally dig it. I’ve had the radio going all day basically on the Chill station but with some Jazz (both Purejazz andd Standards) thrown in for good measure.
Back to the review for a sec… it is hard to beat your own personal taste with the radio compared to what you might find on your iPod’s playlists but the right programming can easily keep you happy.
Bring it on!
Michael Gartenberg ay Jupiter says January is going to be an interesting time with exciting products and new technologies… I say Bring it On! I am always ready for new cool stuff!
Just wrapped up another fascinating call. I’m still in thinking mode about the implications of what was discussed. The first few weeks in January are going to be very interesting. 2005 is shaping up to be a year of interesting products, relationships and technologies. Some of this stuff (if executed properly from a marketing and messaging perspective) is going to be amazing. You heard it here first 🙂 [Michael Gartenberg]
Sirius TV
I was just thinking last night that video would be a great complement to some of what I’ve been listening to on Sirius. I was checking out The Tony Hawk show and thinkig I’d really like to see what these guys are doing since they are obviously having a raucous good time. Perhaps soon enough…
I want my…Sirius TV? Sirius is expected to announce video plans at the Consumer Electronics Show in a few weeks. [DROXY]
I don’t think video is an automatic add in for all shows, but for some or for special events (like live broadcasts) it would be a great supplement and could even be made into on-demand for future viewing.
Music Choice via PCS
Given my recent interest in Satellite subscription radio I find this announcement to be pretty interesting, though for now I think I will continue to ride the free wave for cellular… With my Treo I can easily stream from Shoutcast using Pocket Tunes Deluxe for free. I’m not a sprint customer and this is not what I would consider compelling enough to interest me to switch, though it does speak to the network and what you might be using it for other than just making calls.
Music Choice Today is a new music streaming service that is expected to be launched soon by Sprint PCS. Through Music Choice Today, Sprint customers will be able to have unlimited music streaming for $5.99 a month. [Mobiletracker]
Doing some Sirius Listening
We received the Tivoli Audio Model Satellite as a gift and it arrived today… I activated it just before dinner and have been enjoying it immensely since. The radio is pretty small and got a “wow thats actually pretty handsome” from my wife – so well done Tivoli! Since we live in NYC, it was a touch tricky getting a good signal with the antenna, but we have that resolved for the time by moving it closer to the window. I’ll probably have to spring for an antenna with a much longer cable so we can connect it to the stereo and still get the same reception. That’s a small glitch, though obviously critical in the whole thing. We face East and are close to the river… There’s no satellite in range, but we are getting a decent terrestrial connection
Sound is rich and warm directly from the radio even in mono which is how it’s setup currently. With headphones, I am very pleased… a touch more volume would not kill me, but perhaps I should look at it more like personal protection that I can’t totally blast myself out. The remote is a slim Bose-like credit card, which are my least favorite as I have larger hands, but I’ll get it programmed into my Harmony soon enough.
Activation of the service was pretty painless, though I’d say I had a rookie guy on the phone. Not sure if that’s a Friday night thing or just holiday season. Steps to listening… attach antenna, plug it in, turn it on and call in with your SID. All told, it took between 5 and 10 minutes to be listening which is really not bad at all.
My wife noticed how great it is to be able to just look up and see who you are listening to and I agree that’s a great feature. Selection is another killer feature. We almost never listen to the radio unless we are renting a car and then it’s reluctantly if the iPod is low on juice or just to listen to the local jazz station since the selection here is pretty weak and filled with commercials. No more…
We’ve listened to some Elvis (13), Kids Stuff (11) and then found our way around the dial through some Jazz Standards (75) followed by Chill (64), a station I will be listening to in heavy rotation. I’ve also been checking out the Reggae (30) and Hip Hop stations and really like Back Spin (43) and Eminem’s Shade 45 (45). There’s much more to check out, including live broadcasting of sports, weather and news. I’ll be able to listen to the Eagles play when they don’t air on TV – like this weekend again!! We’ll probably also be looking into some NPR.. amongst many many other choices.
While I did not previously appreciate the cool factor, I have to say I really dig it. I can see immediately adding this to any future car we might buy. I noticed that Sirius offers free streaming access to everything for subscribers which is very cool for when you might be away from your radio.
Highly Recommended!
The good within Hard reset
Based on my recent success with Archive and Re-Install on my Mac I thought the same theory would apply on my Treo. The main difference, is that you have to actually reset your Palm device and rebuild. I’ve posted a how-to at Treonauts – The good within Hard reset