PVR Wire

Everyone likes to customize their PC with some pictures and themes, if its not a picture of some hot girl or a desert island on your desktop, it's a load of fishes swimming around on your screensaver.

The Snapstream community has created a nice set of skins for the BeyondTV PVR interface meaning your TV experience can now be that little more personalized too.

A selection of the skins available can be seen here including dolphin, desert island and pirate themes. Installing a skin is easy and requires simply replacing one file in the BeyondTV directory.

Anyone fancy making a PVR Wire theme? You know you want too!

Back at the end of October Brad talked about an XML file that could be used within Windows Media Center which would automatically download cover art, descriptions, ratings, cast, etc about any DVD that you may have ripped.

Now although that site has been a huge help in that it saves you from having to create these individual files for each DVD on your system, there were some short comings with the site. Well hopefully most of those have been taken care of.

DVDXML.com has just completed a major overhaul that includes a new, easier to use download section, and a new and improved search engine. However because of the upgrade they are temporarily not accepting new XML files, but that restriction will be lifted in the near future.

If you have a Windows Media Center based PVR and you like to keep your DVD's on your hard drive, be sure to check out this site. It's all the little things like this that make you realize how customizable a do it yourself PVR really can be.

Found via.

Good news if you're a user of the Linux-based commercial desktop operating system Linspire or Freespie; SageTV has released SageTV Media Center Version 6 all for you.

I've neve used SageTV myself, but I understand it's pretty nifty.

Get yourself along to the one-click download and installation location at www.linspire.com/sagetv if you want to get your hands on a copy right away for $99.95.

We've mentioned TiVoServer here before on PVR Wire, but we've never really gone into any great depth as to its functions, foibles and fun-filled features.

However, Dan Farber and Larry Dignan (also featuring David Berlind!) of ZDNet have taken a stab at this technology for your Mac, Linux box or PC which allows you to share TiVo content with other TiVos around your house.

Of course, there's a few issues over DRM (which can obviously be worked around), but this sort of open-source software could spell the beginning of the end of the locked-down tyrants behind iTunes (and TiVo), who don't really want you to do anything with your own content, except pay them to watch it.

With Microsoft Vista set to officially launch in a couple of weeks, Microsoft has begun adding content to the Online Media section of Vista Media Center.

The Online Media function provides online content to Media Center users in the same interface they use to view their personal media such as television recordings and music collections. Some of the new content includes clips from the Discovery Channel, Yahoo video, VH1, Napster, and other music services, and access to MovieLink video purchases and downloads.

While Media Center functions are included in several versions of Vista, most computers still aren't sold with TV tuners, so I imagine online content is sort of a selling point for using a Vista PC as a digital hub in the living room.

You know, when we first heard rumors that Netflix was going to offer video downloads, possibly even partnering with TiVo, it sounded pretty exciting. But that was in 2005.

Now everybody and his grandmother has a video download store. Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, AOL etc. Still, Netflix has been an innovator in movie delivery and product recommendations, so when I heard today that they would be launching a limited trial of their service, I was still excited.

And then I found out that the company has a DVD catalog of over 70,000 titles, and what are they making available online? Older movies that don't get rented very often, like Amadeus, Chinatown, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. That's right, Netflix is competing with basic cable here. All told, about a thousand movies should be available online at launch, so I'm hoping there's some better ones in the mix somewhere.

There was a lot of hype that the codenamed Apple iTV (now named the Apple TV) would revolutionize the TV industry and make Apple a mainstream competitor in living room entertainment.

What came out of Macworld was not the impressive revolutionary device that was expected. Rather all that came out was an inferior media extender that allowed you to watch iTunes videos on your TV.

If all Apple set out to do was let you watch iTunes video on your TV then it has succeeded in doing that, but that's neither revolutionary nor impressive, but it will keep the hardcore Apple fans happy.

Zunemytube is probably the simplest solution I've seen so far for saving and converting YouTube, Google, and MSN Soapbox videos.

Here's how it works:

1. Download and install ZuneIEPlugin.
2. A new icon shows up on your Internet Explorer window with a Zune symbol.
3. Browse to a video you want to save on Google, YouTube, or Soapbox.
4. Click the "Zune It" button.
5. The program will download an .flv file and convert it to a Zune-compatible .wmv file.
6. The videos will be saved in your "My Videos" folder, under subfolders for Google Video, YouTube, and Soapbox.

I know I made that look like six steps, but seriously, once you've selected the online video you want to watch, it's only one click.

To be honest, I've gotten pretty lousy video quality downloading and converting YouTube videos this way. That's probably because I'm downloading a highly compressed video file and converting it into another highly compressed video file. But I've managed to convert a few videos from Google that came out pretty nicely.

[via jkOnTheRun]

I've pondered several times whether I could cancel my cable subscription and still catch all the shows I really want to watch. Well, Paul Colligan was tired of pondering, so he decided to go ahead and do it -- for an entire year. He's cleverly titled his blog documenting the project Year of Living Digitally.

The other day, for example, he listed the seven TV shows he wants to watch regularly. If he purchases each episode via iTunes at $1.99 per episode, he'll be spending $52 a month on television. That's less than some people's cable bills. Of course, some of the shows are available for free, through web services set up by the networks that air them.

Colligan's main ally in his quest for digital entertainment is his Xbox 360, which acts as a media extender for content on his computer. He can also download videos directly from the Xbox Marketplace.

I don't think anybody doubts that you CAN sever the cable connection at this point, the question is, would you want to? If you like tinkering around with your media in multiple formats before watching it, maybe. And if you like having to go to iTunes to purchase some content while other's available at sites like MovieLink, and yet other content is available for free if you stream it through a web browser, then have at it.

This still seems like an early adopter game to me. I'll be most interested in seeing how his wife and kids react to the new reality of the Colligan household.

Two last things to note.

1. Colligan will not be spending much time on peer to peer networks here. His goal is to highlight the legal options for obtaining digital entertainment.
2. The saddest part of the experiment so far is that he went and put the family TiVo up for auction on eBay.

[via jkOnTheRun]

I'm starting to get sick of companies insisting they have the "first" service to do X, Y, or Z. Sure, you may be the first to announce a service that's designed to work with Windows Vista, and Intel's Viiv platform, but it doesn't mean other services won't also work.

Case in point, Showtime and ExtendMedia plan to showcase a new download to own video service at CES. Users will be able to purchase Showtime programming including Weeds, The L Word, and Sleeper Cell. You can watch them on a PC or copy them to a portable media player. So far so good.

But then they have to call it the "world's first video download-to-own service on Microsft's Windows Vista." All that really means is the service will probably launch sometime after Vista does. There's no information in the release about Mac or Windows XP compatibility, but I'm willing to wager you'll be able to download movies just fine (with XP anyway).

Sure, it turns out that the least popular shows for time-shifted viewing are live events like sports. But that doesn't mean there's no demand.

Fox Sports announced today that it will offer live video streams of college football games including the 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game.

The games will also be available for download through Fox's Direct2Drive, Apple's itunes, Amazon's Unbox, AOL Video, CinemaNow and Instant Media. Videos will be available for download within 24 hours of their original airing.

This should come as great news to football fans living outside of the United States. I'll be curious to see if it's popular with domestic audiences as well.

If you were lucky enough to receive a PVR-related product for Christmas, but you're finding difficulty figuring out how to use it, then here's some handy numbers and websites for you to try out before losing your marbles.

Sky+: The customer service number at Sky can vary in the waiting times, from as low as five minutes, to up to an hour. However, they tend to be quiet helpful and knowledgeable -- and if you're not getting satisfaction, insist on a engineer coming out to visit. But make sure you do have a fault, or you could end up being charged if you've done something stupid like taken the batteries out of your remote. Customer service ebsite: www.sky.com. Phone: 08705 800 800 for Sky+ support or 8702 43 5000 for other technical enquiries.

Telewest TVDrive: most people who have a Telewest/NTL product also have the telephone as part of the deal. If so, just dial 150 from your phone and follow the instructions to find the service helpdesk that you need. If you don't have the phone, try the FAQ section first or phone 0845 142 0000.

If you picked up a Humax PVR, try out their website first: www.humaxdigital.com/uk or phone 0208 744 5510. You can also email them on: sales-info@humax-digital.co.uk

If you received a Topfield PVR, try their website: www.topfield.co.uk/ or visit their forum, which has a small community of people ready to help out with any problems.

Most importantly, don't lose the plot if you're starting to get frustrated by a problem you can't resolve. I usually find that obsessing over it is often the best way to lose the affections of your closest family members -- while a simple process of taking a break and then methodically working your way through the issue usually brings about the best results.

If you're really, really stuck - just email us using the contact link here on the site (or comment on this entry) and we'll do our very best to help out or point you in the right direction.

Whatever you do, enjoy your holiday period and your PVR gift.

Just in time for Christmas the new version of the GB-PVR PC PVR software has been released bringing it to version 0.99.5. As always a large number of bug fixes and minor improvements have been made. Here are some of the more notable improvements:

• Improved aspect ratio control with Overlay renderer
• Added support for MultiDec plugins
• Improvements to the start up time for timeshift mode, and the time to change channels
• Added ability to delete directories from the Video Library
• Added support for Vista
  

You can download the new version here. If you are upgrading from a previous version it is recommend backing up config.xml and gbpvr.db3 files.

I'm pretty sure everyone is not going to wake up on New Years day and start thinking why the hell do I pay nearly $100 a month for my Cable and TiVo and decide to cancel their subscription realizing they have also over spent this Christmas.

However, I do think that people may start to see that there is a lot of free television on the internet and even some paid services that could replace TiVo and Cable altogether. Given that internet TV is continuing to enter the living room the need for cable or TiVo is slowly beginning to dwindle.

Of course for all those HD fans the internet is not going to match up for some years and cable and TiVo will keep their pride of place in the living room. But those people that value saving quite a bit of money and believe you don't need high quality to enjoy TV may opt out of their TiVo and cable subscriptions.

Without even touching on the pirated TV available there is an increasing amount of legitimate free content. There are many web TV stations on the internet, lots of video clips on sites like YouTube, and even the prospect of more familiar on demand content through The Venice Project.

In fact it is the the early beta reviews that I have read on The Venice Project here and here that makes me think people will start dropping cable for free TV. If the Venice Project can maintain minimal advertising, and grow a decent database of content people won't need Cable and because the content is on-demand they won't need a PVR either.

Even if the Venice Project doesn't have your favorite shows you could probably download them for about $1.99 an episode from iTunes, Amazon Unbox or Cinema Now and be able to keep them to watch whenever you want.

I do however doubt that the hardcore TV junkies would be fully satisfied by what's available on the internet and could run up huge bills at the iTunes movie store, but for the more passive TV viewer the internet could be a very cost effective alternative to cable and TiVo.

Okay, here's something that could actually get me to use Zudeo. When BitTorrent client developers Azureus launched a new broadband service for users to share and download high-definition videos, it seemed a bit clunky to me. Unlike reigning the raining champ, YouTube, Zudeo requires you to install software to play, and you can't immediately watch programs.

But now Azureus says they've reached a deal with the BBC to carry BBC programming on Zudeo. That means shows such as Doctor Who, Little Britain, and Red Dwarf could be available legally in the US through a peer-to-peer BitTorrent service.

When I was in college, I was made aware that TV viewers in the UK were always a season or two behind on one of my favorite shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I guess turnabout is fair play, but it's been painful waiting for the Sci Fi channel in the US to show new episodes of Doctor Who almost a year after they've already aired in Britain. I hope this deal means that first-run programs will be available on Zudeo for a small fee, or even for free. If programs such as Torchwood don't make it onto Zudeo or another service I might just wait until they come out on DVD.