TechBytes: TiVo Premiere Marries TV and Internet
In TechBytes today, Netflix flirts with iPhone, 3-D laptops and more.
March. 03, 2010— -- TiVo is looking to revolutionize the set-top box once again. The DVR pioneer has unveiled a new box called the TiVo Premiere that brings television and the internet together. For example, if you search for "Grey's Anatomy" you'll find the regular TV listings, plus older episodes available for rent or purchase on Netflix, Blockbuster and Amazon. There will also be links to related materials from YouTube. The TiVo Premiere goes on sale in April. The basic version will cost $300 and can store 45 hours of HD programming.
Netflix may be coming to the iPhone. The movie rental service is surveying some customers, asking if they would use a Wi-Fi version of its software to stream movies and TV shows on the iPhone. Netflix is already available through internet connected TVs, Blu-ray players, video game consoles and set-top boxes.
3D may be the future of television, but you can already tap into that technology at home with some laptops. A company called Acer makes one of them. The Wall Street Journal's Katie Boehret says it uses impressive technology to convert your 2D content.
"I took photos and videos and I moved them over from a regular PC on to this PC and it worked perfectly," Boehret said. "Regular video that I had seen on my computer a few minutes ago was really popping out of the screen at me. It's pretty neat You can take some old photos that you've had for a while and see them in a different light with 3D." You can read Katie's full review on the Wall Street Journal's website.
The popular video site Hulu is losing two of its top shows. Comedy Central is pulling The Daily Show and The Colbert Report after the sides couldn't reach an agreement over fees. The shows will be taken off the site next Tuesday. But fans will still be able to watch full episodes on Comedy Central's website.