TiVo Roamio OTA review: Finally, TiVo makes a DVR for cord-cutters

Cable TV and TiVo go together like peanut butter and jelly, or at least they did until now. The company that, for all intents and purposes, invented the DVR has, after 14 years, released one specifically designed for people who don't want to pay for a TV subscription. If you look past the marketing, the $50 TiVo Roamio OTA is actually the same as the standard-edition Roamio, but with a nonfunctional CableCARD slot and no option for Lifetime Service. So, is this the one box a cord-cutter needs? Just as important, is the price right?

TiVo Roamio OTA review

TiVo's first box just for cord cutters is the Roamio OTA DVR

For the past eight years, a CableCARD and a TiVo DVR have gone hand in hand. No more! Within the next few weeks, the limited edition TiVo Roamio OTA DVR will be available from select Best Buy stores for an initial price of $49 (plus $15/month service with a one-year commitment). That's $150 cheaper than the existing base model TiVo Roamio, and still boasts the four tuners, 500GB of storage, integrated WiFi and the same software and accessories (TiVo Stream and TiVo Mini). The main missing feature, for a fourth of the price, are a CableCARD slot. This means you'll need an antenna and (ideally) to live somewhere with decent over-the-air reception. It's an especially interesting offering for those looking to cut the cable/satellite cord, while keeping access to new shows from the big networks. TiVo might not be kidding about this being a limited edition either: The company is clear in pledging its allegiance to its cable TV customers while at the same time attempting to appeal to those not interested in paying more than 20 bucks for a monthly TV subscription. So, depending on the reception from customers and partners, we could see TiVo axing the Roamio OTA if things don't work out.

Slingbox M1 review: A pricey streamer, but worth it for frequent travelers

It's been 10 years since Sling Media was founded, and here we stand with the fifth-generation Slingbox, the M1. Like all Slingboxes before it, the M1 can stream live and DVRed programs to your mobile devices, but this time, it's $150, making it the least expensive model yet. In particular, it's $30 cheaper than its predecessor and boasts the same feature set, but with the addition of built-in WiFi, so you don't need to park the box next to an Ethernet jack. So do the price cut and built-in WiFi make it a more worthwhile purchase? Let's find out.

Slingbox M1 review

Automatic Link review: an expensive way to learn better driving habits

We love when we find new ways to bring our toys together. The Automatic Link does just that: it connects your iPhone to your car's computer, using Bluetooth Low Energy as a bridge to the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) interface that's been standard in most cars since 1996. Coupled with a free app, you can log various stats from your road trips, including how aggressively you drove and how much gasoline your car consumed. Basically, it's sort of like a quantified-self tracker, but for your vehicle. So, does this $100 driver's assistant deliver? Let's see.

Automatic Link screenshots

Automatic Link review

TiVo Roamio DVRs can stream or download TV to iPhones, iPads

It's just over two months since the release of the TiVo Roamio Plus and Pro, and the namesake feature is now available. Beginning today, iOS device users can update their TiVo apps and start streaming live or recorded content from TiVo Roamio Plus or Pro DVRs while connected via WiFi. Users can also instead choose to download recorded shows for offline viewing over WiFi (assuming the content provider's copy protection allows it) whether at home or away, and even start watching while it downloads. Android support and streaming via 4G/LTE is on the schedule next year -- on iOS the minimum supported bandwidth needs more tweaking to meet Apple's maximum bitrate for cellular. Slingbox owners have enjoyed no-strings streaming for years, and others like Monsoon have pushed downloads while TV providers like Comcast and Time Warner offer their own apps; but TiVo's setup promises the most streamlined solution this side of the similar Dish Hopper DVRs. TiVo Premiere and standard Roamio owners with a TiVo Stream attached will have to continue to wait a few more weeks before they too can enjoy this new freedom.

PBS programming comes to the Xbox 360

If you aren't watching anything from PBS, you're missing out and now you have one less reason to ignore America's Public Broadcasting Service. Starting today, both local and national PBS programming is coming to the Xbox 360 -- if you have an active subscription to Xbox Live Gold. This includes both new and archive, full-episodes of shows like Frontline, Nova, American Experience and of course Downton Abbey -- the classic Triumph of the Nerds, isn't available, however. In addition to the full-length episodes, there are also clips from popular shows and web-original video from PBS Digital Studios. So if you missed League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis on Frontline a few weeks back, quit playing Madden 25 for a bit and learn why playing Xbox is safer than playing football.

TiVo Roamio

Harmony Ultimate and Smart Hub review: Logitech outdoes itself with new remotes

Until now, Logitech's Harmony line has been the name in user programmable remotes. Now the company's back with three follow-up products, and they differ enough from earlier models to warrant an explanation. Instead of using a programmable IR remote, the Harmony Ultimate, Harmony Smart Control and Harmony Ultimate Hub each offload the IR-emitting duties to a networked device, allowing smartphones and tablets to act as remotes too. Additionally, the Hub uses Bluetooth to control your game console. Ranging in price from $99 to $349, the lineup covers almost every budget, with the Hub sold as a standalone accessory for smartphones and tablets. Meanwhile, the Smart Control includes a simple remote, and the high-end Ultimate Hub swaps a basic remote for the Harmony Touch. How exactly might these enhance your home theater enjoyment? Read on to find out.%Gallery-192598%

The Xbox One and live TV -- here's what to expect

What's in a name? A whole lot, if you're asking yours truly. "All Your Entertainment. Input One." Such intriguing statements were declared in a document that leaked from Redmond last summer. The slogan "All in one, input one" was on the Microsoft banners decorating the LA Convention Center for E3 this year. But this probably left many wondering: what is "input one," exactly? It didn't go unnoticed by those who follow the TV industry. Input one is commonly used in the biz to refer to the TV input most Americans use to access the majority of their content. This is the input that's displayed when the TV is turned on, and it's the input that most connect their set-top box from their cable or satellite provider to. Naturally, it's a highly coveted position in the content industry and one that is well fortified by the incumbents. Microsoft has had its sights on input one for a long time, and this particular go-round isn't all that unfamiliar. The Xbox One intends to share input one in what I'd call a man-in-the-middle attack. How well it works won't be revealed until later this year, but clicking through will reveal how I think it'll play out, why this attempt is a direct result of industry constraints and finally, how it matches up with the competition.

Next3D's plan to bring recorded video to the Oculus Rift

The dream of wearing a lightweight headset, like the Oculus Rift, in order to simulate physical presence isn't limited to the imaginary worlds of video games. One man's vision is that of immersive TV shows, movies and live sports. In fact, David Cole, co-founder of Next3D and an industry veteran who helps content creators and providers produce and deliver 3D, has been using his Rift dev kit to bring TV and film to life since the kits started shipping in March. The company is combining its video processing and compression technology with its experience in content production and stereoscopic delivery to offer what it's called Full-Court. Next3D hopes to leverage its existing relationships with creators and providers to assist them in jumping into the world of live-action VR content. This includes both pre-recorded and live broadcasts. We wanted to see this firsthand, so we jumped at the opportunity to witness the creation of content and experience the results. This trial run of Next3D's stereoscopic, 180-degree field-of-view camera rig, and the post-processing to adapt it to VR, was part of the production of the paranormal investigation show, Anomaly, at Castle Warden in St. Augustine, Fla. Being nearby, we braved the perils of the haunted surroundings to tell you about what we hope is only the beginning of virtual reality content.

Boku and PlayJam simplify payments on smart TVs, bring in mobile carrier billing

Smart TVs aren't new, but the platforms currently out have plenty of room for improvement. One example is when it's time to actually pay for goods or services via an app. While some have tried to fix it before, a new effort from Boku and PlayJam will reach further than one manufacturer's products in three countries. Launching in more than a dozen countries and on some of the biggest names in TVs, Boku mobile payments make it easier to buy games or upgrades by typing in your mobile number and replying Y to a text message. That way you can avoid the need to key in credit card details with a TV remote poorly suited to the task, or risk the info falling into the wrong hands. After that, the charge shows up on your next mobile phone bill like any other. It seems likely Boku will extend this beyond one partner in the future, and with PlayJam SDK already powering apps on Samsung, Panasonic, LGE, Vizio, Western Digital, Google TV and VESTEL devices you may see the option pop up sooner rather than later.

Verizon FiOS TV rolling out new set-top box Home Page

In the old days, you'd turn your TV on and see video. Typically it would just play whatever channel was on last, but more advanced digital boxes might start at a main menu or specific channel. Verizon's latest twist on that idea is rolling out video hub office by video hub office, and should reach all 5 million customers' set-top boxes within a few weeks. Called FiOS TV Home Page, it welcomes viewers by displaying weather and other basic info next to highlighted VOD or Flex View services, all tailored to each customer's viewing habits. Sure, some might find it useful, but others might be annoyed at seeing the screen for 15 seconds every time they turn on the TV or because there are tiles advertising package upgrades and VOD. Luckily, if simply hitting exit doesn't stop the pain fast enough then there is an option to disable the screen completely if desired.

Vudu disc-to-digital home Ultraviolet conversion software enters public beta, comes to Mac

It took some time to work out most of the bugs, but Vudu is finally expanding its beta of its home-based disc-to-digital service. The idea and the price are still the same as when the private beta launched, but what's new is support for OS X, plus an improved user experience and disc identification powered by Gracenote. We gave it a try and found the process couldn't be any easier or more straight forward. To get others to try it out, Vudu is giving away the first conversion on the house and if you're willing to convert ten or more movies then you'll get a 50 percent discount. After converting a DVD to HDX we were instantly able to turn around and start watching it, far faster than any disc ripping software we've used. Add in the newfound ability to download movies to iOS and Android devices and UltraViolet is really shaping up -- though we're still waiting for that common file format to move copies between devices easily and single sign-on to fix the login mess.

TiVo brings 'What to Watch Now' feature to its iPad app

TiVo, the company that made its fortune by making you forget about live television, is now attempting to revamp the traditional TV guide with a new content-discovery feature for its iPad app. The feature, called "What to Watch Now," is similar in concept to TiVo's existing Discovery Bar, though the layout is different. Here, you get seven columns of tiles showing what's currently airing or what you've previously recorded. So whether you're in the mood for sports, prime time, movies, kids programming or whatever happens to be playing on your favorite channel, you're a tap away from watching it on your TV -- or directly on the iPad if you have a TiVo Stream. And of course you don't have to watch it right now; you can just as easily schedule a recording or season pass and watch it later. The new feature does seem handy, but configurable options are minimal. Basically, you're limited to rearranging the columns into a different order and filtering out specific sports you have little interest in -- no, you can't remove sports completely. Speaking of sports, thanks to TiVo's partnership with Thuuz, some sporting event tiles have a number between zero and a 100 assigned to them to help draw your attention to the most exciting matches currently in play. The new feature is available immediately via the App Store as an update to the existing TiVo application.%Gallery-188567%

What to Watch Now

Seagate Central review: media sharing for the home, plus backup too

We really enjoy the ability to consume content on any device from just about anywhere we may roam. The cloud has been a big part of making that happen, but there are still a few things the cloud can't do nearly as well as local storage -- namely, share large files and provide continuous full backups of large media libraries. Attempting to bridge that gap is the Seagate Central. Ranging in price from $189 to $259, depending on whether you get it with 2TB, 3TB or 4TB of space, the Central connects to your home network and gives you a single place to store or back up your content, making it accessible both at home and on the go. That's the idea, anyway. But what about the reality?%Gallery-187410%