dvr

Boxee's products along with devices from similar companies like Roku have become necessary pieces of equipment for so-called cord-cutters. But now the company is courting traditional TV providers, like broadcasters and cable operators.

Boxee was among the first companies to shake up the traditional TV market by offering a product that allowed people to stream movies and TV shows from Internet services directly to the TV.

In the years since the company launched, its product has evolved from a software platform to a dedicated box that provided access to content from Netflix and other streaming partners. And most recently, … Read more

With opening day a mere three days away, and the second weekend of the NCAA tournament under way, there is much in the way of great sporting events to consume in the coming days and weeks.

If you find yourself at work or otherwise away from your Comcast, er, Xfinity cable box and realize you forgot to record a game, fear not: you can set a recording using the Xfinity TV Remote app for iPhone or for Android. I would always recommend adding some extra time to your recording, but the process is a bit more involved with the mobile … Read more

What are wired people around the world doing in the living room and bedroom? Consuming content on their mobile devices, according to Motorola Mobility's Fourth Annual Media Engagement Barometer. Consumers globally are watching 25 hours of TV and film programming per week on average, up from 15 hours in 2011.

Fifty percent of respondents said they watch programming on their TVs in the living room, while 40 percent use their smartphones or tablets instead, the study found. The Motorola Mobility (owned by Google) survey of 9,500 consumers in 17 countries found that among the 36 percent of respondents … Read more

It all started when I was at a bar and accosted by three women: a Stanford Hospital resident, a UX designer, and a wine distributor.

With faces more appalled than John Boehner's when he has to meet the president, they simply couldn't believe I'd never watched "Downton Abbey."

"But you have an English accent," the wine distributor offered, as the UX designer ordered a sixth beer.

"I have a bald head, but that doesn't mean my house is full of Patrick Stewart posters," was the best I could counter.

The … Read more

If you've ever thought seriously about cutting the cable-TV cord and saving yourself a big chunk of change every month, you've probably looked at PlayOn, a PC-based media server that lets you stream tons of TV content to just about any home and mobile device.

And if you love your Netflix and/or Hulu Plus subscriptions but don't always have an Internet connection for streaming their content, you need to know about PlayLater, which turns your PC into a DVR that can record those and other sources for later viewing.

All of which brings us to this … Read more

LAS VEGAS--You have to hand it Dish Network -- the company knows how to impress.

CEO Joe Clayton didn't just walk onto stage -- he hustled up and danced in the style of "Blues Brothers" alongside kangaroo mascot Hopper, and then rapped about his digital video recorder. Few executives at the Consumer Electronics Show would ever attempt such an entrance.

And for the second year in a row, the satellite TV provider is at CES in a big way. Last year's Hopper whole-home HD DVR made a splash with a pretty nifty box that included commercial-skipping … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Watch Jeff go nuts on the Wii U.

- German police stop man with mobile office in car.… Read more

Boxee TV is already beginning to show up at Wal-Mart, and now there's a good reason to head there sooner, rather than later.

Boxee has released some additional promotional details for early adopters of Boxee TV. If you purchase a Boxee TV during the holiday season, you'll get three months of free month of "No Limits DVR" service, plus you'll get a reduced $10 monthly fee for the lifetime of your subscription.

Early adopters will also get three months of free Netflix, for both new and current subscribers; if you're a current subscriber, three … Read more

The official length of last week's thrilling Giants-Cowboys game was 3 hours and 25 minutes, although by my calculations there was only an hour of football worth watching.

That's not commentary on the quality of the game, but rather the endless stream of commercials, "analysis," and challenges that end up taking twice as long the actual football action. For DVR users accustomed to zipping past every commercial, watching a live NFL game can be an unbearable slog, even if the game itself is great. That's why I gave up watching NFL in real time years … Read more