PVR Wire http://www.pvrwire.com PVR Wire http://www.pvrwire.com/media/feedlogo.gif PVR Wire http://www.pvrwire.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ TiVo vs. EchoStar Continues...http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-vs-echostar-continues/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-vs-echostar-continues/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-vs-echostar-continues/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


TiVo in the moneyYou may be aware that TiVo sued Echostar over infringing patents relating to the technology behind its PVRs. TiVo won and the court ruled that TiVo would get $88 million in damages and also Echostar would have to stop selling and using infringing PVRs.

Bit it wasn't over and Echostar appealed and was awarded some breathing space for the time being and then later requested more time to get certain documents together. The case has now got progressively more complex but I've tried to make sense of it the best I can.

The U.S. District Court Judge Duffey is now getting very frustrated with Echostar for not getting these documents in on time. It's rare for a court to give a company an extended time for appeal and Echostar is really dragging its heals in the mud and as a result is rubbing the courts up the wrong way.

Judge Duffey has now ordered that Echostar must now get the documents together by February 15th.

If all this legal mumbo jumbo is leaving your head hurting let me just conclude that the outlook still looks good for TiVo and Echostar is in for a tough ride.
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]]>dishechostartivoChris Tew2007-01-31T16:21:00+00:00TiVo Series 3 PROM hack - Not for the non-techieshttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/series-3-prom-hack-not-for-the-non-techies/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/series-3-prom-hack-not-for-the-non-techies/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/series-3-prom-hack-not-for-the-non-techies/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


TiVo MotherboardEngadget has discovered that the TiVo Series 3 has had the PROM chip hacked. If you're like me your probably thinking "what the hell is a PROM chip?"

Well PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory and the PROM chip is placed on the motherboard inside your TiVo and contains some pre-loaded basic intelligence. It is this intelligence that contains security to prevent your TiVo from being modified with third party software and hacks.

This PROM hack can be done in the following not-so-simple steps:
  • De-solder the PROM chip from the TiVo motherboard
  • If you haven't fried the chip continue...
  • Extract the code from the Chip
  • Edit the Hex
  • Burn a new PROM
  • Re-solder the new chip back to the motherboard
  • Hope you haven't fried the chip
As you can see this is not exactly the easiest hack to do and it is only the first step. The next stage is developing individual hacks to alter the functionality of the TiVo, such as enabling TiVo2Go.

If you're technically minded enough and want to learn more then head over to the DealDatabase forums for more info.

[Via TiVo Lovers]
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]]>hackmotherboardpromtivoChris Tew2007-01-31T13:18:00+00:00Control your house with your TiVo - HomeSeer TiVo HME Applicationhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/control-your-house-with-your-tivo-homeseer-tivo-hme-applicatio/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/control-your-house-with-your-tivo-homeseer-tivo-hme-applicatio/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/control-your-house-with-your-tivo-homeseer-tivo-hme-applicatio/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


HomeseerNow this is cool! Control electronic devices in your house from the comfort of your couch using a TiVo remote control. That means you can now annoy other family members by turning off their lights from the comfort of your couch!

You may of heard of HomeSeer for Windows Media Center Edition which allowed you to control your house using a Media Center PC. Well the same thing has now arrived on TiVo making use of TiVo's HME development platform.

Once you have Homeseer installed there seems to be no limit on what devices can be controlled. If its got a button, a setting, a switch or anything like that then its likely that you could control it from your TiVo.

[Via TiVo Lovers]
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]]>hmehomeseertivoChris Tew2007-01-31T12:18:00+00:00TiVo taking on Nielsen with new ratings statisticshttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-taking-on-nielsen-with-new-ratings-statistics/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-taking-on-nielsen-with-new-ratings-statistics/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/31/tivo-taking-on-nielsen-with-new-ratings-statistics/#commentsFiled under: , ,


TiVoWe already knew that TiVo was getting into the ratings business when it sold statistical data to Omnicom Media Group, and recently teamed up with IRI to offer even more advanced statistics on its customers viewing habits.

TiVo is now launching a service called StopWatch which offers data on the programming and viewing habits of TiVo customers, including that all important time shifted data. The time shifted data is what advertisers and TV networks are really concerned with at the moment.

TiVo has won one over on its leading ratings competitor Nielsen by offering second-by-second viewing data which Nielsen has refused to offer so far.

The advertising company Starcom is the first subscriber to TiVo's valuable data.
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]]>advertisingratingsstatisticsstopwatchtivoChris Tew2007-01-31T11:17:00+00:00TiVo borrowing money just in casehttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/tivo-borrowing-money/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/tivo-borrowing-money/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/tivo-borrowing-money/#commentsFiled under: ,


TiVoTiVo has provided itself with a loaded gun of cash just in case the company needs it. It has negotiated a $50 million line of credit with the CitiGroup Bank which will remain in effect for three years, until TiVo violates the agreement or chooses to end it.

This is happening not because TiVo is desperate for money, but more because they may feel a little uneasy about profitability in the near future so are giving themselves a failsafe just in case.

This has happened at the same time that TiVo has elected Jeffrey Hinson to the board of directors to help out with finances.

Davis Freeberg has had a look at all of this in more detail.
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]]>borrowcitigroupmoneytivoChris Tew2007-01-27T16:22:00+00:00New TiVo director - Jeffrey Hinsonhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/new-tivo-director/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/new-tivo-director/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/27/new-tivo-director/#commentsFiled under: ,


TiVo LogoJeffrey Hinson has been elected to join the TiVo Board of Directors and will serve on the Audit Committee, in other words he will be looking at the finances of TiVo.

Hinson has a strong background in managing the finance of big companies and has previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Univision Communications from March 2004 to June 2005.

I'm getting the impression that TiVo is a little worried about its financial position since it is not yet making a profit. Over the past 6 months TiVo has seen a gradual and consistent drop in its share price.

It is likely that the addition of Jeffrey Hinson may cause some sort of shakeup in terms of how the company aims to produce a profit, possibly resulting in changes in price plans, amount of advertising and licensing deals.
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]]>directorsfinanceprofittivoChris Tew2007-01-27T11:45:00+00:00CBS and TiVo advertising Dealhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/cbs-and-tivo-advertising-deal/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/cbs-and-tivo-advertising-deal/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/cbs-and-tivo-advertising-deal/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


CBS LogoWhile many TV companies are attacking new technology and seeing it as a threat, CBS seems to be one company that is beginning to stand out as making the most out of new technology for promotion.

CBS recently received press coverage for signing a deal with YouTube to allow some of its content to be legally shown on YouTube. CBS was subsequently happy with the increased promotion for its shows.

Now CBS has cut a deal with TiVo to actually encourage TiVo users to record its shows. That's pretty extreme considering most TV networks cringe at the idea of having their programs recorded and the adverts skipped.

From February 6th TiVo will embed interactive tags for two weeks to encourage TiVo users to record CBS' entire new Monday-night lineup. In addition to this TiVo users can view sneak previews of new CBS comedy Rules of Engagement and crime drama Criminal Minds.
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]]>advertisingcbstivoChris Tew2007-01-26T14:32:00+00:00TiVo on the Toilet!http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/tivo-on-the-toilet/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/tivo-on-the-toilet/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/tivo-on-the-toilet/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Toilet Home Entertainment Center

For many people a TiVo box has pride of place in the living room, but I don't think it crossed many peoples minds to stick a TiVo in the bathroom.

RotoRooter is giving you the chance to turn your toilet into a luxury lazy man throne making it more of an entertainment center than the average household's living room.

Included in the Entertainment Toilet Center setup is an Xbox 360, flat screen TV, laptop, a baseline resistive pedal exerciser, beer fridge with beer tap, iPod dock with toilet roll holder, DVD Player, a Series 2 TiVo, and a comfortable toilet seat.

With all that in there you thought they would have included a Series 3 TiVo and not a Series 2!
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]]>Chris Tew2007-01-26T09:32:00+00:00The old "You can't use our service with TiVo" linehttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/the-old-you-cant-use-our-service-with-tivo-line/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/the-old-you-cant-use-our-service-with-tivo-line/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/26/the-old-you-cant-use-our-service-with-tivo-line/#commentsFiled under: , ,


TiVo LogoA user in the TiVo Community forum stated that upon contacting Time Warner the company said that you cannot use a TiVo with Time Warner Cable.

You might remember back when the Series 3 was launched how difficult cable companies were trying to make it so that for users to use a TiVo Series 3 with their service. In fact Time Warner first of all refused outright to use the Series 3 TiVo with their service before later changing its mind.

If your Cable Company says they don't support TiVo then you might like to remind them that it is an FCC regulation to provide CableCards for TiVo.

If anyone else has been having these problems with Cable companies please let us know.
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]]>cablecardsupporttivoChris Tew2007-01-26T07:33:00+00:00TiVo.net - Play almost any video file from your PC on your TiVohttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/24/tivo-net-play-almost-any-video-file-from-your-pc-on-your-tivo/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/24/tivo-net-play-almost-any-video-file-from-your-pc-on-your-tivo/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/24/tivo-net-play-almost-any-video-file-from-your-pc-on-your-tivo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


TiVo Net AdminAnnounced at the TiVo Community forum was a neat piece of Windows software called TiVo.net that allows you to use your TiVo as a media extender so you can play a variety of video formats from your PC.

A list of video formats and codecs that TiVo.net supports can be found here. The software works by converting the video on the fly to MPEG2 TiVo compatable video that can then whizz across your home network to your TV screen, via your TiVo.

TiVo.net is an open source project so others can get involved. It's early days for the software and if you experience any bugs it would be worth pointing them out to the developer.

[Via TiVo Lovers]
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]]>extenderformatmedianetworkstreamtivovideoChris Tew2007-01-24T08:21:00+00:00Gallery of TiVo Series3 boxes at homehttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/gallery-of-tivo-series3-boxes-at-home/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/gallery-of-tivo-series3-boxes-at-home/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/gallery-of-tivo-series3-boxes-at-home/#commentsFiled under: , ,


TiVo Series3 fireplace

Ever wonder how your 13 inch TV and Series3 HD TiVo home setup measures up against other TiVo users'? The folks at the TiVo Community Forum have posted a number of photos of their TiVo units in action and at rest.

Popular TiVo playmates seem to be large screen TVs and Xbox 360s. While some users seem to find beauty in a simple setup that hides the wires and most of the AV components, others seem to revel in showing off as many AV boxes as possible. My personal favorite is a shot on page four of the 16,000 wires used to plug in what appears to be a Series3 TiVo, several DirecTiVos, some serious audio hardware, and what might very well be a possibly a warp drive.

[via Davis Freeberg]
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]]>gallerytivo community forumTivoCommunityForumBrad Linder2007-01-23T16:36:00+00:00Lexus happy with TiVo Interactive Advertshttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/lexus-happy-with-tivo-interactive-adverts/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/lexus-happy-with-tivo-interactive-adverts/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/23/lexus-happy-with-tivo-interactive-adverts/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


LexusLexus yesterday announced it has signed an upfront-advertising commitment with TiVo and will see the car manufacturer extend its use of TiVo's interactive and targeted advertising solutions.

This will see Lexus advertisements featured in the Gold Star Sponsorship on TiVo Central, program placement, Product Watch and the continuation of the interactive Lexus car configuration Tool.

The fact that Lexus has decided to continue this advertising relationship outlines that Lexus must be overall pleased with the results of this new advertising campaign that breaks away from traditional TV advertising, making use of the interactive features of TiVo and PVRs.

It's likely that more companies will follow suit bringing more adverts to PVRs and TiVo.
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]]>advertdvrlexustivoChris Tew2007-01-23T11:35:00+00:00Use TiVo suggestions, make $5http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/use-tivo-suggestions-make-5/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/use-tivo-suggestions-make-5/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/use-tivo-suggestions-make-5/#commentsFiled under: ,


TiVoMegazone over at TiVo Lovers found a handy little way for TiVo users to pick up $5.

Apparently a couple of researchers at the University of Nebraska are doing a study on electronic delivery of personalized recommendations. They're looking for anyone who uses recommendations from Amazon.com, Netflix, TiVo, or iTunes when searching for new media.

For participating in the survey you can either collect a $5 check, or have it made out to a charity of your choice. It's not clear exactly what the study will be used for, but the researchers do point out that they have no affiliation with any commercial interest.

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]]>recommendationsstudysurveyBrad Linder2007-01-22T13:20:00+00:00The Yankee Group predicts TiVo's deathhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/the-yankee-group-predicts-tivo-s-death/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/the-yankee-group-predicts-tivo-s-death/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/22/the-yankee-group-predicts-tivo-s-death/#commentsFiled under: , ,


TiVoThe Yankee Group released one of their latest studies today titled "Technology on Fast Forward: 2006 to 2011 US DVR Forecast" (doesn't that just roll off the tongue?), which predicts that by 2010 PVRs as a product category will be dead, which will in effect lead to the death of TiVo.

Now first off, by dead they mean that you won't be going out and buying PVRs, instead they will be so common place with cable companies that there will be no need to buy a specific brand/kind.

That's a pretty bold claim to make, and most of the basis of it comes down to the belief that PVRs will be so commoditized that TiVo just won't be able to compete anymore.

Interestingly enough the Yankee Group stresses that you cannot take away our beloved 30-second skip button. Instead advertisers will have to make us want to watch commercials by using techniques such as:

o. time relevant advertising
o. location relevant advertising
o. ad telescoping
o. product placement
o. interactive advertisements

So what do you think? Will PVRs become so cheap and common place that TiVo just won't be able to survive?
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]]>pvrtivoMatt Crape2007-01-22T12:42:00+00:00Latest TiVo Series3 deal: $599.97 (that's less than $600!)http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/20/lates-tivo-series3-deal-599-97-thats-less-than-600/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/20/lates-tivo-series3-deal-599-97-thats-less-than-600/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/20/lates-tivo-series3-deal-599-97-thats-less-than-600/#commentsFiled under: , ,


TiVo Series3Normally I refuse to say when a product is priced at $29.99. I feel it's disingenuous on the part of those setting the prices, and I just round up and tell you that you can pick it up for $30. I wish gas station owners and others would follow suit.

That said, it's technically true that OneCall's selling the TiVo Series3 for under $600. Just barely under $600, but still that's $200 off the list price. Of course, if resellers can keep affording to knock $100 or $200 off the price, I wonder why TiVo couldn't have just introduced the Series3 at $700, but I guess they need to recoup the development costs.

It looks like OneCall's sale ends on the 23rd. Keep in mind, if you pick up a new Series3 unit by the end of the month, and if you happen to have a lifetime service plan for an older TiVo, you can transfer that lifetime service tot he new box for $199.

[via All PVR and Techbargains]
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]]>oncecallsaleBrad Linder2007-01-20T09:38:00+00:00Toying with TiVoServerhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/18/toying-with-tivoserver/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


TiVo ServerWe'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.
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]]>serverstreamingtivoMartin Conaghan2007-01-18T16:13:00+00:00Watch a commercial while fast-forwarding through commercialshttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/watch-a-commercial-while-fast-forwarding-through-commercials/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/watch-a-commercial-while-fast-forwarding-through-commercials/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/watch-a-commercial-while-fast-forwarding-through-commercials/#commentsFiled under: ,


fast forward adA while back, TiVo started giving you something to look at while fast-forwarding through commercials -- more commercials.

Apparently the ads are getting more sophisticated, now showing advertisements for the same product that is on-screen during the commercial. In theory, these ads are less obtrusive than the older ones, since they're only on-screen for a limited time, but if you bought a TiVo so that you'd never have to pay attention to a commercial again, they are a bit annoying.

The ads only pop up when you're fast-forwarding, so you can always get around them using the ole 30-second skip hack.
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]]>fast forwardFastForwardBrad Linder2007-01-15T14:30:00+00:00How to use a TiVo DVD theme using TiVoToGo for Machttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/how-to-put-a-tivo-dvd-theme-using-tivotogo-for-mac/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/how-to-put-a-tivo-dvd-theme-using-tivotogo-for-mac/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/how-to-put-a-tivo-dvd-theme-using-tivotogo-for-mac/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Mac TiVo DVD menuSo first TiVo goes and outsources TiVoToGo for Mac to Roxio, and then Roxio leaves out one of the promised features, a TiVo theme on DVDs you burn from TiVoToGo recordings.

Well, it turns out that since TiVoToGo is built into Toast Titanium 8, and since Roxio figures that a fairly small number of Toast users will really be using the TiVo functions, they left the TiVo theme out of the official release. That seems a bit silly. Why bother building TiVoToGo functions into your product and then leave out a theme that only takes up a few megabytes?

Anyway, Dave Zatz posts a link to download the TiVo theme. All you have to do is download the file, unzip it, save tivo.psd to the Toast DVD Menu Styles folder, and you're done. Zatz also points out that since the file is a psd file, you could probably use Photoshop to edit the theme to your liking
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]]>dvd themesDvdThemesmacroxiotivotogotoast titanium 8ToastTitanium8Brad Linder2007-01-15T13:43:00+00:00TiVo getting sued along with NetFlix and Blockbusterhttp://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/tivo-getting-sued-along-with-netflix-and-blockbuster/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/tivo-getting-sued-along-with-netflix-and-blockbuster/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/15/tivo-getting-sued-along-with-netflix-and-blockbuster/#commentsFiled under: ,


Lycos LogoI've just found out that Korea's Daum Communications Corp who owns Lycos is filing a patent lawsuit against TiVo, Netflix and Blockbuster.

The lawsuit was filed on January 3rd and Lycos is claiming that TiVo, NetFlix and Blockbuster is infringing a patent which covers "information filtering technology,"and basically relates to how TiVo, Netflix and Blockbuster provide recommendations to customers for movies or television shows.

It seems to be and odd time for Lycos to take on the lawsuit and also odd that the company has decided to take on three companies at once, rather than targeting a weak company to gain some legal leverage, or targeting a large company with deep pockets.

Davis Freeberg has discussed the lawsuit in more detail, which was originally brought to everyone's attention with a brief mention in the Mercury News but as of yet has not had much press coverage.
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]]>blockbusterlawsuitlycosnetflixpatenttivoChris Tew2007-01-15T05:55:00+00:00How to use a TiVo like a Slingbox (sort of)http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/13/how-to-use-a-tivo-like-a-slingbox-sort-of/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/13/how-to-use-a-tivo-like-a-slingbox-sort-of/http://www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/13/how-to-use-a-tivo-like-a-slingbox-sort-of/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


TiVoOkay, I don't have a lot of experience performing TiVo hacks, so don't expect step by step instructions here, but kennybain over at the TiVo Community Forum poses an interesting question: do you really need a Slingbox to watch TiVo recordings remotely?

The answer is, kind of. Kennybain applied the "Zipper" hack to his TiVo and installed TiVoTool on his PowerBook. This allowed him to download and stream shows from his TiVo. And then he went and opened up some ports on his router allowing him to access his recordings from sites outside of his home network. He was even able to watch live TV, although it wasn't a particularly smooth stream.

There's a few problems:
  1. It's not secure.
  2. You can't change channels on live TV.
  3. It's really not secure.
But this does raise the question... if all it takes is a couple of software hacks to allow users to remotely access and stream their TiVo recordings, isn't this something TiVo could implement if it wanted to? Sure, TiVo recently started selling Slingboxes at the TiVo store, but wouldn't it create a richer, fuller user experience to just build placeshifting into the TiVo box? As TiVo continues to add broadband features, unlike my colleague Chris Tew, I wouldn't be surprised if the company's working on something like this already. But given the rate of progress at TiVo, I wouldn't expect to see it anytime soon.
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]]>placeshiftingslingboxtivotoolzipperBrad Linder2007-01-13T09:30:00+00:00