Digeo finally has made their next-gen HD DVR somewhat available. Amazon has a soft launch of the $799 box and as much as I dig the Moxi’s UI, I hope it has the right stuff to justify spending $200 more than a 1TB TiVo HD XL. True, you don’t have the monthly subscription with the Moxi box, but it’s half the storage for HD Desperate Housewives recordings. Eventually TiVo will get off its ass and produce a comparable user interface ’cause that’s the one thing Moxi has going for it. But if you have $799 to spare and want to own a DVR without the monthly fees, this Moxi might be for you.

We feel for soldiers stationed abroad. It’s hard enough to watch Desperate Housewives without the Misses, but it also comes on at a weird time ’cause of the time difference. Allied Telesis Capital is helping our soldiers with a gigantic time-shifting device that will broadcast U.S. television programs at the right time on the right day kind of like a super TiVo.

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Japanese geeks get all the fun and the latest from Mitsubishi proves it. The DVR-BF2000 comes equipped with a 500GB HDD, two digital TV tuners, and a Blu-ray recorder drive. Amazing! Not only can it record two HD programs at one time (kind of normal), but can also burn recorded programs onto a Blu-ray disc. Best of all, it’s all wrapped up into a cute, soft white package that will certainly compliment Hello Kitty gear.

I’m no expert in these little home media boxes, but I suspect they are excellent investments for those of you with too much money. Certainly the abilities of a Vista Media Center type setup are enviable, but for $2000 you could have put another 10 inches on that screen and built a media box yourself. But I digress (and am probably wrong). This FUZEbox has up to 2TB of space, does DVR and basic media stuff, and networks itself into your home (360 support coming) — if you know how to do that or are willing to pay.

Interestingly, in the press release it promises “The capability to back up and distribute DVDs and Blu-Rays to various video zones,” but in the FAQ it helpfully states “There are a multitude of software options available for individuals to purchase that allow archiving of DVD content to their personal computers.” In other words, you’re on your own — but we won’t ask any questions. A safe position, I guess, but it would have been nice to have that capability on board. Watch the demo video here if you’re curious.

The Apple DVR poll’s results have been tallied and it turns out the vast majority of you (62%) would buy an Apple DVR – as long as the price is right. Knowing Apple, its DVR wouldn’t be the cheapest on the market, but it should be one of the most innovative.  FYI, a TiVo HD DVR is $299 and the 1TB edition goes for $599. So what is the right price?

There is murmuring around the Internet watercoolers that Apple’s next product announcement isn’t a new MacBook Pro, but rather some sort of DVR/Apple TV thingie. Supposedly, this product is going to have all the classic DVR ingredients with some iChat video conferencing thrown in probably powered by Apple’s DVR interface patents. The question isn’t what the next Apple product might be, but rather if it turns out to be a DVR, would you ditch your TiVo or cable DVR for a Cupertino made version? What if it had a killer interface, gave you the ability to see your ‘rents – or girl – across country, and gave you seamless iTunes interaction? I might.
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The Pinnacle Video Transfer is a $99 device that promises easy one-touch recording to a myriad of devices including USB memory sticks and external hard drives as well as direct recording to the Sony PSP and iPod Video, Nano, and Classic devices.

In short, it’s super easy and it works well.

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Speaking of TiVo and DVRs, it looks like the company has begun shipping its HD XL DVR. The $600 device has a 1TB hard drive; off-the-shelf 1TB hard drives can be had for as little as $150 by my count.

As you might guess, TiVo is going to be pushing the HD XL at hardcore TiVo users, the high-end folk who need to record every single episode of Degrassi and whatever else it is people watch these days. It’s also worth noting that the HD XL is THX certified.

But, if you’re TiVo thorugh and through and need “more power,” as Tim Allen would say, then yeah, the HD XL would be the way to go. Hope your job pays well enough.
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DVRs aren’t just good for watching Conan O’Brien at a decent hour. Nope, it turns out that they can also improve your relationship. That’s what a new study claims, at least.

The study, carried out by NDS (a big manufacturer of DVR “technology”), shows that 79 percent of respondents said that the little device actually improved their relationship. Additionally, the DVR is now the second most “can’t live without” device out there, trailing only the cellphone.

Cellphone I can see, sure. DVR? I imagine it leads to less fighting over who sees what and when. Which, in turn, I guess would improve your relationship.

I guess I’m most surprised that, for all we’ve heard, the TV is still to central to so many people’s lives.

Fact: I’ve never had a DVR.

Cablevision, a regional cable provider found primarily in New York, can go ahead with its network DVR, a U.S. court has ruled. Several entertainment studios had said that the DVR, which remotely stores content on Cablevision’s servers rather than a local hard drive, violates their copyright. No idea why they’d think this, but we all know the studios are allergic to new technology.

The DVR, which is officially called the Remote Storage Digital Video Recorder, is supposed to be faster and cheaper than traditional DVRs.

While the appeals court said it was OK with the DVR, all proceedings have been sent to the U.S. District Court in New York.

So, a step closer to see it released.

If the MPAA had its way, your DVR would be nothing more than a hunk of useless metal and plastic, unable to record and pause live television. Steps are being taken to ensure that it gets its way.

The fun-loving association is pushing hard for a technology called selectable output control, or SOC, which allows content providers—movie studios and the like—to prevent material from being recorded. It does this by blocking the so-called analog hole, making it impossible for you to, say, plug in standard 3.5mm audio jack and record sound to your computer.

I know that sounds evil and all that, but the idea behind this isn’t exactly unreasonable. Movie studios want to be able to let cable companies get an earlier crack at showing movies on-demand (for example), but are worried that folks will simply exploit the analog hole and record the movie long before the studio ever releases the DVD or Blu-ray version. If consumers could copy and record movies long before their DVD date, why should the movie studios even bother to produce a DVD?

Now, that’s completely not my problem, how the movie studios make money, but at least there’s a proper reason for their policy this time around.

Note that the FCC has so far said no to SOC, so there’s still some legs in this story.

Iomega wants to make sure you never run out of DVR space with its just announced DVR Expander Drive, a 500 gigabyte external hard drive that plugs right into your DVR, thus expanding your storage. Compatible with eSATA Scientific Atlanta DVRs, the drive should be of use to people with Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, Rogers and Cox. The 500 drive can store some 300 hours of standard def programming, or 60 hours of high def programming. Things to record: the remaining games of the NBA Finals, Euro 2008, Good Eats, etc. Live life like its your last day, you know?

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The Motion Picture Association of America wants to release movies to TV, pay-per-view, on-demand, and premium movie channels before releasing them for sale on DVD. Sounds good, no? There’s a little catch, though. The MPAA wants to block these early releases from being recorded on your DVR.

Traditionally, new movies get released into theaters, then get shown on airplanes and in hotels, then are made available on DVD and over the Internet, then on-demand/pay per view, then premium movie channels like HBO, and finally to regular broadcast TV. The whole cycle typically takes about three years. Well, the industry now wants to get its movies onto people’s televisions a whole lot sooner, before the movies are released on DVD, even.

The problem, however, is that the MPAA is asking that the FCC allow it to selectively block high-definition movies from being recorded on our DVR systems. This process is called Selectable Output Control, and is currently restricted by the FCC, and, according to Ars Technica, “The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) wants a waiver on that restriction in the case of high-definition movies broadcast prior to their release as DVDs.”

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