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Pinch more pennies and ditch TiVo for MythTV:

http://www.mythtv.org/

If you're a geek and don't know about it, check it! We need more devices with MythTV preloaded on them.

After several years of MythTV, the final straw was the removal of device support for my PVR-350. My time is simply worth more than the 20+ hours I probably spent over the years upgrading my MythTV box, hand-building device drivers, and dealing with other issues such as loss of audio.

If you value your time, I would suggest MythTV is not for you. I finally retired the box and got a 3-tuner DVR. Proprietary? Yes. (Actually, Linux under the cover, but good luck hacking it.) But it works consistently.

There is currently no DVR that requires no monthly fees that has at least some rudimentary capability to acquire the listings.

Moxi
Windows Media Center
Beyond TV
SageTV
MythTV

None of these require any subscription for guide data or functionality, and the top two even have CableCard support so you can enjoy your HD content fix. TiVo Series2 units with DVD burners often come with a free "limited" subscription to TiVo's guide data, lacking the recommendations and ability to look more than three days in to the future IIRC.

In some cases, the Cable company determines the specific features and functions available to its consumers on its DVR. While I have no problem with a cable company wanting to restrict access to premium content, I do have a problem when it comes to them restricting features that are otherwise user-definable on other competing platforms.

As others have mentioned what you are thinking of is Moxie - Moxi is a trademark of Digeo and is the name of a DVR

Here is some general information about MoXi provided by Technology Research News.

The software models the gritty details of paper absorbing water and pigment moving through water, including the way pigment concentrates at ink boundaries as water evaporates from drying ink. The technique promises to make computer paint programs with more realistic and could also be used in computer animation packages, according to the researchers.

The simulation is based on mathematics -- the lattice Boltzmann equation -- that physicists use to model the complex behaviors of fluids. The model simulates more complex effects than previous work, and is also fast enough to deliver ink dispersion simulations in real-time on a reasonably large canvas, according to the researchers.

Below are two images generated with MoXi, the first one being called "Lotus leaves" and the second one "Planet" (Credit: Hong Kong University of Science & Technology)

[Link to image in article]

[Link to image in article]

Here are two links to larger versions of these images, the "Lotus leaves" (1.30 MB) and the "Planet" (1.47 MB).

The researchers behind the MoXi project are Chiew-Lan Tai, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, and Nelson Siu-Hang Chu, her Research Assistant.

For more information about their projects, you can read these two pages about the Virtual Chinese Brush and about MoXi. On this page, you'll have access to several videos and images. The two pictures above come from this page.

The MoXi project will be presented at SIGGRAPH 2005 under the name "MoXi: Real-Time Ink Dispersion in Absorbent Paper." Here is a link to the paper submitted by the researchers (PDF format, 1 page, 145 KB). Here are an excerpt from the introduction.

Our paint system, MoXi, allows users to paint in the spontaneous style of Eastern ink painting, on a computer. The simulations of both brush and ink are essential for a successful extension of this traditional art into the digital domain. For real-time performance, we have implemented our ink flow model entirely on the GPU, leaving the CPU for the brush simulation.

According to the researchers, this technique "could be used practically in one or two years." But is this possible that this technology can be sold under the name MoXi? There already is a Digeo service named Moxi which offers High Definition TV (HDTV). And Digeo claims in its press releases (check this one for example) that Moxi is one of its registered trademarks.

Where's my OpenCable Moxi?

(Translation: Does it matter if TiVo dies as long as something better comes along?)

Digeo's Moxi - they employ Andrew Morton too

Will the cable companies work with Tivo to get this going or will they do what another poster said and reverse engineer.

Cable is now standardized (OpenCable), so the cable companies will not work with Tivo and Tivo will not have to reverse-engineer anything.

I really do wonder though how long it will take before someone out-Tivo's Tivo.

I think that's called Moxi.

Those are all media devices to view or listen to mp3 or photos on your TV. The item on the left with the antenae, I have. It's the linksys wireless media device. The others are wired, meaning you need CAT5 to plug in. The Linksys devices does not play video due to the bandwidth restrictions (It just doesn't look good)

All the devices run embedded Linux. My guess is they are enhancing these type products with either DRM, or more Tivo tracking magic. It's inevitable that there will be wireless DVD quality video soon, so I don't think they have a breakthrough. They could have some IP that competes with , though.

Dish Network's PVR921 which has DVI output, dual tuners, ethernet support, and HDTV recording won the "Best of Show" at CES

Moxi has announced an HDTV PVR that will be integrated with Cable, the Moxi Media Center. Charter Communications is testing this box right now in St. Louis.

On a related note, I am happy with DVI's winning the interface war for HDTV output, mainly because it does not restrict the signal to MPEG2, which Firewire does. This means when HD-DVDs come out, they can use whatever technology makes more sense (blue laser), and my TV does not have to assume it's MPEG2.

Other links of interest where you could dig up more info on HDTV, or audio/video in general:

• HomeTheaterHiFi.com
• AVS Forum
• DTV Max

Dish Network's PVR921 which has DVI output, dual tuners, ethernet support, and HDTV recording won the "Best of Show" at CES

Moxi has announced an HDTV PVR that will be integrated with Cable, the Moxi Media Center. Charter Communications is testing this box right now in St. Louis.

On a related note, I am happy with DVI's winning the interface war for HDTV output, mainly because it does not restrict the signal to MPEG2, which Firewire does. This means when HD-DVDs come out, they can use whatever technology makes more sense (blue laser), and my TV does not have to assume it's MPEG2.

Other links of interest where you could dig up more info on HDTV, or audio/video in general:

• HomeTheaterHiFi.com
• AVS Forum
• DTV Max

Most normal folks still aren't keen on this whole digital lifestyle thing. My dad is pining for a single device that lets him control music and video easily, and he won't even do that until its simple and elegant unlike the kludgy PC video capture stuff out there for free. Tivo has the best PVR sheduling features out there, and adding an easy way for joe consumer to get his music and pictures from his pc to his entertainment center (which is where he really wants to enjoy these things in the first place) may just be the extra value that people need to warm up to this whole set-top digital hub concept. outside of us geeks, few have so far.

But charging extra for these features can't last for long. Tivo has the best scheduling features and I love my DirecTivo, but the gap is closing, and many others are starting to offer devices that provide PC power that can be controlled from the couch with a remote control. Microsoft is pushing its Media Center, but the real device that may finally hit it big is the Moxi Media Center. This box does the tv recording and music and photo streaming from a pc as well, and apparently does it elegantly as it was widely considered the best of show at last year's CES. Most importantly, Charter Cable will soon be rolling out this box to tons of subscribers next year, normal folks who would NEVER seek out let alone pay extra for an all-in-one media box, but will likely fall in love with it after the cable guy installs it. This type of functionality is coming fast from many angles and I for one am quite excited about it. I love my Tivo, but if they try to charge too much for the features, the masses will eventually have all this stuff handed to them trojan-horse style. Pioneers often get arrows in their backs...

Charter Communications has struck a deal with Diego/Moxi to launch the Moxi Media Center which includes a PVR that can record HDTV.

Here is the press release.

Charter Communications has struck a deal with Diego/Moxi to launch the Moxi Media Center which includes a PVR that can record HDTV.

Here is the press release.

Charter Communications has struck a deal with Diego/Moxi to launch the Moxi Media Center which includes a PVR that can record HDTV.

Here is the press release.

Not correct. Actually, the Moxi includes a built in 802.11a access point and allows you to have up to 3 remote set top boxes that receive digital video and audio wirelessly. Talk about a cool concept. Not only that, it also accepts an ethernet feed from your broadband provider and acts as a cable/dsl router, provides NAT, and rebroadcasts your internet signal in glorious 54 megabits throughout your humble abode...

Check the Moxi website at http://www.moxi.com

Any slashdotter can tell this is just a computer and many of us have a retired PC with most of the functionality this box provides. Afterall, like many have already commented, the functionality already exists in many open source projects.

Who really wants a audio box that costs $1000?

I'd much rather have the now defunc Moxi.

(which is really kind of hard to get to; they hide it behind some Javascript'ed popup):

http://www.moxi.com/articles/press_Merge.htm

"The new company's leadership team will be a mix of Digeo and MoxiTM senior management.... Moxi CEO Rita Brogley will become EVP of business development and marketing.... Moxi VP of Engineering Toby Farrand will become CTO.... The new company will maintain dual headquarters in Kirkland and Palo Alto."

Similar to Tivo, but you can add on more storage via a FireWire interface, and it can wirelessly transmit programming to remote locations. That's a brief, simplistic description that really doesn't do the product justice. I suggest reading up on it at their site.

http://www.moxi.com/product.htm

Due to licensing restrictions, remote DVD playback is not available in homes using wireless networking. link

that leaves TiVo and ReplayTV as the main standing competitors

What about the promising new addition to the playfield:
Moxi?

And Moxi Media Center...

If that's the only catch, I have no problem with it. It's a lot easier to buy an extra $99 dvd player than it is to wire coax/s-vid/RCA cables to the rest of my house.

Moxi

I represent the market that would buy a unified product, and I believe that my perspective will become more ubiquitous as time and technology advances, so eventually we will see all of our computing technology being built (modularly) into our TVs.

Convergence has been an occasionally surfacing buzzword for years now. Its been attempted by shoe-horning a PC in an entertainment center. Its been tried with internet appliances / set-top boxes. Meanwhile the technically elite have been changing the face of entertainment media and attempting to shoehorn better hardware in to their desktops to match. In every case, the interface ultimately fails. And its obvious why - all tasks do not work well with all interfaces.

This is why I believe you've arrived at the wrong conclusion. A "TV" does not make a good computing interface.

The folks at Moxi have taken a step in the right direction with their Moxi Media Center product. It basically becomes a central hub for entertainment media / data. Everything else (TV, speakers, etc) become satalite devices feeding off a wireless link. It even becomes a central hub for your data connection. So how does this solve the "computing from the couch" interface problem?

Moxi has made the first step. TVs will stop being TVs and become remote monitors. Strip out everything else. Slap it on a flat screen - a big flat screen. And then also create smaller versions of the device - webpads. The more personal size for handling email, taking notes, web surfing, etc. A slightly larger (something simular to the new iMac perhapse?) version provides an interface that's comfortable for desktop computing / work. Keyboards, pointers (mice, trackballs, etc), game controllers, and other such peripherals could talk to all such devices to create the right interface for any environment from balancing a spreadsheet to console gaming.

In short, computing (a centralized media server) absorbs all other devices (desktop, console game, TV, stereo, etc). Convergence moves away from the TV. And your experience is defined by what modular components you use to communicate with that central media server.

Moxi presented their media center at the CES 2002 in Las Vegas on monday. Oh wait, it has already made slashdot headlines !

"NDS Group plc, a leading provider of conditional access systems and interactive applications for digital TV, and Moxi Digital, Inc. (formerly Rearden Steel Technologies, Inc.), a developer of advanced platforms and products for enhanced home entertainment, today announced a strategic relationship. The companies plan to deliver cable and satellite providers with an open, secure and revenue-generating platform for the home.
As part of the agreement, NDS will provide its Open VideoGuardTM conditional access security solution for integration into Moxi's advanced home entertainment platform, the Moxi Media Center (the Moxi MC, for short.) This new platform is designed as a flexible, alternative solution to the expensive, limited capability digital set-top boxes available to broadband network operators today. NDS' conditional access, which secures over 25 million digital Pay-TV set-top boxes worldwide, enables safe, secure consumer TV services and transactions and enables MSOs and satellite providers to build revenue-generating T-commerce applications.
The Moxi Media Center functions as a multimedia gateway for the home, enabling new revenue streams through the delivery of advanced services such as multi-TV personal video recording (PVR), cached video-on-demand (VOD), and whole-home digital music distribution. Moxi and NDS will work together to build full support for such next-generation services onto the NDS conditional access system. ....etc..."

NDS do the subscription security for satellite broadcasters to stop people watching what they haven't paid for. So yes, it will be pay-to-view, pay-to-listen, pay-to-record, pay-to-anything. Quick, buy that NDS stock!