Ocean Blue Software to release its advanced TV software suite on Toshiba's TC9040x 'Donau' series of processors. The new Linux-based software will allow for fast development of reduced component count consumer electronics products, such as set top boxes, integrated digital televisions, personal video recorders, and combination hard disk/DVD recorder systems.

Ocean Blue is nearing completion of the development, which takes advantage of Toshiba's powerful, compact, and highly integrated ICs for 'free-to-air' and Pay-TV digital television applications. Codenamed 'Donau', the TC90400XBG and TC90400FG high performance system-on-chip devices simplify the design and dramatically reduce time to market.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has developed new software technology targeted toward digital video recording (DVR) applications, including set-top boxes (STBs), that utilize hard disk drives. Hitachi's AVSM software technology is designed to seamlessly manage the mix of high-definition video streaming and best-effort file operations, such as electronic program guides or background IPTV downloads present in STB applications. Through "smart" hard drive management, AVSM technology helps reduce duty cycle by up to 60 percent and eliminates disk fragmentation, ultimately helping to extend the life of the hard drive and the host STB system.

SageTV Media Center becomes the first full- featured personal video recorder/media center software product to offer placeshifting capabilities enabling users to access their live or recorded TV, music and photos on any PC when they are away from home. The integration of PVR and placeshifting functionality in a single system yields better video quality and faster navigation than a separate placeshifting box connected to a PVR while also costing significantly less than purchasing two separate solutions.

Extending its market leadership, Kasenna announced that its PortalTV suite is now powering network-based PVR (nPVR) services for hundreds of thousands of subscribers worldwide, with deployments in Tier 1 and Tier 2 IPTV service providers including Italy's Fastweb, Spain's JazzTel, and Switzerland's TV Sierre.

SageTV, LLC, released SageTV Media Extender, a $99.95 accessory for SageTV Media Center for Windows that provides a whole-house PVR, music and photo media center system with no subscription fees. Now any TV connected to the SageTV Media Center through the home network with the SageTV Media Extender, or any networked PC running the SageTV Client software, can access the SageTV user interface as well as any media available through the software.

SageTV, LLC, released SageTV Media Center Version 4.0 for Windows, an upgrade to its Media Center software suite that adds the ability to watch or record HDTV (High-Definition) programs and stream them anywhere in the home. The new edition also enhances the rich feature set built into earlier versions by providing an integrated electronic program guides for Canada and Europe, expanded support for music file types and playlists, and a new configuration wizard that simplifies the process of turning Windows PCs into complete PVR/media centers.

OpenTV Corp. announced that the latest generation of its personal video recording solution, OpenTV PVR 2.0, is now in general release for network operators and set-top box manufactures worldwide.

OpenTV PVR 2.0 is a complete platform for personal video recording with support for standard and advanced features including push VOD and remote event booking. OpenTV PVR 2.0 also includes the OpenTV streaming file system, designed for PVR based usage, aimed at increasing the reliability and life span of disk drives. OpenTV PVR 2.0 provides network operators with a solution that is truly manufacturer and CA-independent. OpenTV PVR 2.0 is built on OpenTV's leading set-top box middleware, OpenTV Core 2.0, OpenTV's fourth generation of set-top middleware, with an architecture and features to support the rapidly expanding requirements of advanced digital television set-top boxes including PVR, VOD, IPTV, HDTV and home networking.

SnapStream Media, Inc., a leader in digital home entertainment products, announced the launch of localized French, German, and British versions of its award-winning DVR software, Beyond TV.

SnapStream's European launch allows European consumers to download the English, French or German-language free 21-day trial for Beyond TV and Beyond TV Link and then purchase product in local currencies online. Local microsites have been launched at...

Video Without Boundaries, Inc., a leading provider of interactive, media-convergent home entertainment devices, and SageTV, LLC, announced their collaboration to release the MediaREADY^TM 5000 Advanced Digital Media Center to the market powered by the Linux-based SageTV Media Center software. The SageTV software running on the MediaREADY^TM 5000 will enable complete Media Center capabilities, including PVR, DVD/CD burning, music and photo management, Web browsing, Email, and more.

SageTV, LLC, a pioneer in personal video recording and home media center solutions, has extended its data licensing agreement with Tribune Media Services (TMS) for the United States and will now offer full service guide data for Canada -- the first of its kind.

The new agreement provides SageTV with comprehensive U.S. and Canadian television listings information including analog, digital and over-the-air TV schedules as well as system-specific channel lineups. Localized data from TMS is used with the SageTV Media Center, the first PVR/media center solution designed for both PCs and TVs, run on Windows or Linux, and supports HDTV, multiple tuners, networking and intelligent recording.

Have you ever looked into setting your computer up to record television shows and movies? If you haven't yet or you're still paying for a TiVO type service, you're missing out.

Now I travel back and forth between Germany and the US, working in each location every other month. That's a lot of traveling and there's nothing worse than missing out on those seasonal episodes of TV series and sports games because of it. Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in German (as of yet), so German TV doesn't make the most sense to me. I also miss the variety I had in the states. (Don't ask me, but a large portion of Germany has an infatuation with a year-long showed-daily season of Big Brother. I feel trapped in the house with only German TV. The last thing I want to watch is others trapped in a house.)

So to provide myself with much-needed entertainment, I looked into building myself a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).