Dish

Telcos and satellite get closer to local TV sports

Cable companies' fight to keep local sports broadcasts out of the hands of some competitors is heating up as satellite and phone companies pressure regulators to take action.

On Friday, satellite TV provider Dish Network said it would file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against Comcast for withholding the rights to broadcast regional sports in Philadelphia. Comcast's SportsNet channel owns the rights to broadcast live games for Philadelphia's major sports teams, including the Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Eagles.

Dish Network has been in talks with Comcast over the past several weeks to hammer out a deal. … Read more

DTVPal DVR is dead, but the identical Channel Master CM-7000PAL lives on

One of the perennial questions we get at CNET is this: "I get my TV via an over-the-air antenna. Is there a noncable, nonsatellite DVR I can buy that doesn't require a service fee?" The answers were few and far between. TiVo works great with over-the-air TV, but that unit does require a monthly/yearly/lifetime fee. You can set up a Windows Media Center PC (with a DTV tuner attachment), but that's a rather elaborate solution for most folks. DVD recorders are one possibility, but they generally don't have onscreen program guides, and they … Read more

Serve up appetizers in style

Restaurants often make use of special dishes to make appetizers and other foods look even more appealing and there's no reason not to use the same tactic if you're serving food up at home. It doesn't hurt if such special serving dishes make cleanup easier, too. The Appetizer Serving Cone, designed with fries, mozzarella sticks, and other treats fresh out of the fryer in mind, is easy to use and clean up. It even helps such treats stay fresh because they don't sit in grease the way they might on a plate. Twist a paper liner … Read more

It's not TV. It's Google TV

It turns out Google TV is not Smart TV. Not that it isn't smart. It just isn't called Smart TV like we thought it would be. It still may be smart TV. To be determined.

Google released information about Google TV today. Here is what I can gather about it so far: It is Google Search on your TV and it will marry Web video with broadcast and cable TV. So if you want to watch Top Chef Masters (and why wouldn't you?), you could just search "Top Chef Masters" and it would tell you … Read more

First Google TV gadgets from Sony, Dish, Logitech

Updated 12:15 p.m. PDT with quotes from a press conference following the announcements.

As Google looks to extend its empire to the living room, it's already lined up some heavy hitters in the consumer electronics world as allies.

On Thursday at the Google I/O conference the company announced its strategy for intermingling TV and the Web in home electronics via a platform dubbed Google TV. It's a technology that will be built into TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, and other devices that will allow people to do things like use Google Search to find videos … Read more

Appeals court to hear EchoStar, TiVo patent fight again

In yet another twist on the years-long patent dispute between TiVo and EchoStar, an appeals court has agreed to a fresh hearing of the case.

The U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit on Friday granted EchoStar's petition for a rehearing en banc, which means all the judges on a court will be present for a rehearing of the patent dispute between the two TV service providers. This is typically used when hearing an appeal on a decision made by a panel, or just a few of the judges on the court.

That means the March 4 victory for TiVo, … Read more

Report: Google testing TV search

Google is reportedly testing a new service with Dish Network that would let subscribers search via their TVs for shows and online video from sites like YouTube.

The new search service would run on Internet-connected set-top boxes loaded with Google software, according to The Wall Street Journal, and would let Dish's satellite TV subscribers search for and create their own lineups of shows and online content using a keyboard.

The test started last year and so far has been limited to only some Google employees and their families, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The search … Read more

Now you can play Tetris on your TV

Are you the sort of person for whom "American Idol" just doesn't do it any more?

Do you crave the days when "Ally McBeal" at least brought a smile to your lips with its unisex toilet? Is your DVR merely populated by countless repeats of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (which doesn't seem all that hard, frankly), put there by your louche, pot-smoking lover?

Well, then, please allow me to save your life.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, game company Oberon Media has somehow found something in common with both the Tetris … Read more

BOL 1058: Windows 7: Set it and forget it

We realize the problem with an operating system installation party is there's nothing to do. We also warn you about the great iPod camera shortage of 2009..if it's real. And we all like the Asus Eee-reader. Too bad that and the glasses-free 3D TV aren't real...yet.

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Technical issues could delay iPod camera upgrade http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/07/technical_issues_could_delay_ipod_camera_upgrade.html

AOL hires Yahoo’s “Peanut Butter” guy to make it relevant again http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/technology/internet/08aol.html?hpw… Read more