Yesterday Microsoft invited us to a private preview of Kinect for XBOX 360 — at the beautiful MPE Penthouse. Now we have been invited to a handful of private previews this past year. What made last night such a pleasure was being able to see a very polished Kinect sensor. We were met by a handful of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices representatives — they were very eager to show off all the refined features. Throughout the salon Microsoft had a number of Kinect stations setup for demonstration. We started off the night with Video Kinect.

Microsoft explained that XBOX movies can be accessed either through NetFlix or Zune – which supports 1080p streaming and 5.1 surround sound. The Kinect philosophy is – “a controller free experience.” So after a number of hand gestures Harry Potter begins to play. As the movie starts you immediately see a scroll bar pop up. This scroll bar is controlled by simple hand gestures – which allow you to stop, fast forward, play and rewind a movie. It was impressive to watch how easy and accurate the sensor was.

Please ready the rest at the Huffington Post.

Tivo released some very exciting information about their upcoming Series 4 set-top box, the Tivo Premiere.  In the home media market, bridging the gap between a regular cable box, and a net appliance has always been separated into two or three separate devices.  This integration is indeed the next evolution of digital media delivery to your Living Room.

Two models

TiVo Premiere

• 320GB storage space
• Can record up to 45 hours of HD programming or up to 400 hours in SD
• Supports digital cable, high-definition digital cable, antenna (ATSC) and Verizon FiOS
• Outputs: HDMI, Component video, Composite video, Optical audio, Analog audio
• Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• Inputs: CableCARD™ support (request a Multi-Stream cards from your provider), Cable coax, Antenna coax, Ethernet
• Ethernet connection, USB 2.0 ports (2), E-SATA support for external storage
• TiVo Wireless N and G Network Adapter support (optional- must buy separately)

TiVo Premiere XL

• Same network/video connectivity options as the TiVo Premiere
• 1 TB of storage space
• Can up to 150 hours of HD programming or up to 1350 hours in SD
• TiVo premium backlit remote control
• THX-certified
• THX Optimize- a video calibration tool that lets users fine tune color, black levels and other settings to improve picture quality.  A pair of THX Optimizer Blue Glasses, designed for adjusting Color and Tint settings, is included with the owner’s manual.

New Interface

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4xxHjXr2UY[/youtube]

The long-awaited interface refresh (Series 4) was done with Adobe Flash, which should give it a dynamic, content rich feel.  I put some pictures below to give you an idea of what to expect.  If you aren’t familiar with Tivo’s interface historically, it has always been far superior to the Cablevision / Time Warner / Brighthouse cable boxes.  The search functions have always performed better, and more logically as well.

New QWERTY TiVo Remote

Later this year, consumers will have access to a groundbreaking, slide-out QWERTY TiVo remote.  It will have a plug n’ play installation, extended range utilizing Bluetooth (about 30′) and backlit programmable buttons.  The remote will be shipped with a Bluetooth USB dongle that will be plugged into an available USB port on TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo Premiere boxes.

I don’t know if I would use this, but I see a perfect use-case for a Tivo iPhone App.

TiVo Wireless N Adapter

Coming in May, the TiVo Wireless N Adapter allows for quicker transfer speeds and longer range, utilizing both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands.

What it means for you

The key to the success of this box, and it will be a success, is the integration of web-based content from places like Blockbuster, Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and others.  Hulu is conspicuously gone.  The addition of that service would make this a killer device.

Another major feature is Tivo search.  It not only looks for future TV shows, or previously recorded items stored on your DVR, but looks for available web-based content as well.  This brings back the Saturday-night family movie night!  Microwave popcorn, anyone?

At the very least, this will be the beginning of a new type of DVR /set-top box offered by Cable /Satellite /Fiber providers.  One of the most obvious places for future home computing, and centralized media delivery, is the TV, and these devices will become more and more like a thin client solution.

After having paid an exorbitant fee for a monthly rental ($12/mo for 6 years = $864) for an excruciatingly painful DVR from Cablevison, I will gladly pay for Tivo’s service.

When and How Much

Premiere media box: 320 GB model for $299 or 1 TB model for $499

Wireless card: $89.99

Service plan: $12.95 (Month-to-month); OR $10.79/mo. (1-year for $129); OR $8.30/mo (3-yr for $299); OR $399 (lifetime)

Availability: Early April

The prices of HDTV’s has fallen significantly over the past few years. So much so that mainstream shoppers have been purchasing HDTV’s in record numbers. Due to the rapid adoption of High Definition Television’s and the death of analog HD broadcasting — media companies like Netflix are pumping out (digital) HD content. Today, 1080p is the most sought after resolution for broadcasting as it is considered “full high definition.”

Read complete story — Huffington Post

Your living room TV is under assault!

I am not talking about your kids throwing Wii remotes at it, or spouses sabotaging your inputs just in time for Sunday football, or not having any juice left in your rechargeable Logitech Harmony Remote, or even those tiny little fingerprints on the screen that make you go coo coo for cocoa puffs.  I am talking about the endless barrage of hardware media devices.

Devices like the D-Link Boxee Box, the  Syabas Technology Popcorn Hour, the Roku Player, AppleTV, Blu-ray players, Microsoft XBox 360, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, audio systems, Sonos ZonePlayer, Tivo, and other Cable/Verizon Fios/Satellite appliances.  Whew!  I need an entire circuit breaker just for my TV, and I still have a problem getting all of my content the way I want.

Read the full post on zevmo.com

To be honest with you, I have never really cared much for the Roku player or Netflix for that matter. I am able to get all my content through Hulu, Boxee, XBOX Live Market place and Verizon FIOS. I was not about to add a 5th gadget to my video consumption pleasure. I am not going to lie – it would be grand if I could pair down the gadgets too 1 or 2 devices and stop giving Verizon FIOS so much money every month. I have not had any real luck or faith in any one device – that is until Roku’s announcement of its’ new service. Today Roku, announced its’ Channel Store.

The store has thirteen channels and they fall into three categories:

Featured

• NetFlix
• Pandora
• MLB.com
• Amazon Video

Free

• MotionBox
• Mediafly
• Blip.tv
• Twit.TV
• Facebook Photos
• Revision3
• FrameChannel Flickr
• MobileTribe
• Pandora

Premium

• NetFlix
• Amazon Video
• MLB.com

The Channel Store will be similar to the ever popular mobile phone app stores. The Store will be rolled out over the next few weeks and more channels will be added between now and the Consumer Electronics Show in January. What would be fantastic is if one of those channels were to be a Hulu channel. In any event, Roku enters an already competitive space – it has to contend with the likes of XBOX, PS3, Boxee and Hulu. Now, Roku does have one major advantage – price. The cheapest Roku will run you $79.99.

I am fairly excited about the Channel Store – this may actually force me to pick up a Roku player.  In my opinion, due to price and number of channels, the Roku player warrants a space on your gift list.