My CES 2009 Posts on Twitter

CES this year was exhausting, loud, and slightly less crowded, but nonetheless interesting. I used Twitter to quickly post information about my experience.

WhatImpressesMe	Great seat near front center section at Balmer keynote. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	I'd be a lot happier now if I had taken time to eat before the keynote. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	First night of the show, and I already forgot to have some cards with me. #ces09
WhatImpressesMe	Seeing my first SteadyCam in the wild. Incredibly cool. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Balmer announced that Windows 7 beta is now available on TechNet and MSDN. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	It occurs to me that I should have brought a better camera to the keynote. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	@jimmyfallon is coming to CES. So Jimmy, are you a gadget freak, a correspondant, or a special appearance at #ces09 ?
WhatIveLearned	HP is discontinuing its MediaSmart Connect Media Center Extender. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	RealDVD will work on your Windows-based HTPC with a standard Media Center remote control. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Nero LiquidTV brings TiVo (for analog cable, ATSC, and clear QAM) to your HTPC and stores programs as standard MPEG-2 video. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	OK, it's official: I hate the way the Blackberry Storm soft buttons and keys work. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	I forgot how much I hate these assholes that walk through CES with their roller-bags. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	SanDisk will be selling 2.5" Solid state drives later this year. $249 for 120GB, $499 for 240GB. #ces09
WhatImpressesMe	Sexyist memory card reader I've ever seen. #ces09 http://twitpic.com/10txh
WhatIveLearned	The menus in Windows 7 Media Center now support touch gestures. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Missed the Digeo Moxi press conference--didn't know about it. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Motorola is showing off a set-top box with caller ID and medication reminders--for the fully integrated life! #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Played with Surface a little earlier. Not exciting...it's still too abstract. #ces09
WhatImpressesMe	Insanely thin television screens at the LG booth. #ces09 http://twitpic.com/10vmj
WhatImpressesMe	Southwire is finally demonstrating Flatwire for 120v electrical current--UL cert pending. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Should have arrived at CNET's Next Big Thing session earlier. I'm litterally standing in the back corner. And can we have some air? #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Really? You're going to come in late and then stand in front if us? #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Worse: most of these latecomers are leaving mid-session, lacking the stamina to stand for an hour. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Sony just seems irrelevant to me anymore. They lost me on root kits. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	Once again running late for live @BuzzOutLoud show. Maybe by tomorrow I'll get this right. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Sony BRAVIA Link let's you choose from snap-in modules (DVD, Tru2Way, HDMI), integrating selection and control with the TV's menu. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Canon does optical image stabilization by moving the glass IN the lens with a gyro. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	iLuv is showing off a dummy prototype of a new iPod/DVD player; not a working prototype--a mockup like you'd find in Best Buy. #ces09
WhatImpressesMe	Mattel is showing Mind Flex, a game where you navigate a ball through a maze...with your mind. http://twitpic.com/11ips #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Boxee is doing a closed test of a Windows version now. #ces09
WhatIveLearned	Powercast is demonstrating RF power-over-distance harvesting with lighted ornaments and lighted tile prototypes. #ces09
WhatAnnoysMe	I'm calling it. I'm officially CESed out. Had a great time, but my back hurts, my feet hurt, and now I need to think and write. #ces09

I've Got Moxi

RICHARD GUNTHER

In 2007, Digeo announced plans to launch a consumer DVR, which I reviewed for CNET at CES. Then just one year later, with no product to market, Digeo significantly reorganized, refocused, and suspended their plans for a consumer DVR. Or did they? A/V geeks like me have been watching the progress of the Moxi digital video recorder for years now. Digeo, the company behind Moxi for the past six plus years, has seen some degree of success supplying Moxi DVRs through cable companies, but it's taken them a very long time to get a standalone DVR out to consumers.

So why are people fired up about the Moxi? For one, Moxi is worthy competition for TiVo—the gold standard for home DVRs. TiVo leads in a somewhat challenging market space. Numerous companies—including Replay, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Microsoft—have tried and failed to compete in this space. Even DirecTV, once a TiVo licensee, has strayed and since announced its return to the TiVo world. About the only thing really cutting into TiVo's market these days is the cable industry itself. Cable companies have achieved success leasing DVRs to their customers for a monthly fee. They offer the convenience of home television recording without the significant up-front cost.

But TiVo is an aging contender, and the overall user experience hasn't changed or improved significantly since TiVo's inception--nearly ten years ago. The time is right for some worthy competition.

Enter Moxi. Last month—nearly two years after the CES announcement—Digeo quietly (and somewhat unexpectedly) released the Moxi HD DVR, available for limited release exclusively through Amazon.com. Digeo is expected to make a more public splash with the device this January at CES 2009. In the meantime, $799.99 at Amazon gets you a two-tuner high definition video recorder with 500 GB of storage and lifetime updates to TV listings. The price tag may scare some people, but when you break it down and compare it to the cost of ownership for other DVR options, the cost is not unreasonable.

The Details

Moxi has the expected features for an HD DVR: it's a two tuner recorder for digital HD cable, using a single multi-stream CableCARD to decode the signal. The device has nearly every type of connection possible: outputs include component, composite, S-Video, HDMI for video plus RCA, coax, and optical audio. Ethernet and USB connect the device to the outside world, and an eSATA connection lets you add your own external storage. The Moxi includes cables for nearly all the connections, including HDMI. You'll need to bring your own digital audio, USB, and eSATA cables, though.

The Moxi remote is similar in form factor to other DVR remotes. It includes all of the expected functions broken into navigation, shuttle, and keypad zones, but some features are labeled with obscure symbols. The buttons are generally placed where you'd expect to find them. One feature the remote lacks is a dedicated button that takes you to the full program guide, which may take some getting used to for those in your household with less patience. ["Richard, why is there a Setup menu when I press the Moxi button?"]

Bright, sharp menus; high-resolution channel icons; and smooth graphical motion are the hallmarks of Moxi's beautiful two-dimensional menu system. It's fairly intuitive and easy to use, and it's pretty responsive. For channel surfing, Moxi offers two modes: a quick guide that lets you flip through channel cards in the lower third area of the screen and a full, graphical 2D alternative to the traditional grid guide. In either mode, you can watch the current channel while you surf. The Moxi program guide takes some getting used to, but once you're acclimated, the old grid seems as antiquated as your parent's TV Guide subscription.

In the Moxi menu, you can navigate left or right through an endless loop of modes including pre-filtered programming (e.g., sports, movies, favorites, kids, HD), access to music and photos, games, and settings. Moving between modes expands a vertical menu that lets you select the applicable content or options. Moxi also includes a news feed program, MoxiNet, that seems slow, stale, and out of place in this otherwise stunning UI.

Recording shows with your remote is straightforward, but tedious. Finding programs to record is no easier or harder than you might expect. You have lots of options for recording individual shows and series, but there's no way to specify your default recording preferences for all shows. So for example, if you typically want to record and keep all new episodes of a show until space is needed, you must record the series, then edit the series recording options, and change three settings (keep all, only new, 'til space is needed). Since you can't define these default options for all shows, you have to go through these steps for every new series you record. Viewing the list of recorded programs for playback, however, is simple—it's one of the only Moxi menu features that has a dedicated button on the remote.

Digeo also provides Moxi owners with remote programming capabilities through the web. This service lets you record shows with realtime confirmation and conflict resolution, view a list of scheduled and recorded programs, and cancel scheduled recordings. Digeo advertises that the Moxi HD DVR can record about 300 hours of SD or 75 hours of HD programming. If that's not enough for you, you can expand the available storage by adding your own external eSATA drive. Not some specially-certified (read: expensive) device, but any eSATA drive.

It's easy to get photos and music to the Moxi. You can load photos directly from a USB device or drive, connect to photos shared on your network, or link to specific Flickr accounts. Configuring Flickr couldn't be easier because you do it online—none of this trying to type a username and password with an onscreen keyboard. You can play music from any Windows Media Connect source in your home, including Media Center and Windows Media Player. You can also play music from your Finetune account [who/what?]. What you can't share with or from the Moxi device is video. You can't get external video onto the thing, and you can't get recorded video off. Original prototypes for Digeo's home recorders included multi-room capabilities, but this device does not have that feature.

The Bottom Line

So how does all of this stack up with the competition? For a first release consumer product, it's pretty impressive. It doesn't have all of TiVo's features and capabilities, but it sets the foundation for a new generation of consumer DVRs. And the cost is not as high as that price tag might suggest because there are no monthly service fees. The chart below shows that over a period of four years, Moxi (bolstered with additional external storage) costs less than similarly-equipped dual-tuner, 1TB TiVo and Media Center devices. However, they're all more expensive than any box you might get from your cable company.

	Moxi	TiVo HD XL	Media Center (Dell Inspiron)	Cable DVR
Up-front device cost	$799	$599	$1,486	$0
Service fees	-	$399	-	-
Cable rental fees*	$144	$144	$288	$480
Add'l 500GB storage	$110	-	-	n/a
Total 4-yr cost	$1,053	$1,142	$1,774	$480

*CableCARD rental estimated at $3/month, DVR rental estimated at $10/month

Digital cable HD DVR 4 year cost of ownership comparison

Overall, Digeo has released a great new product. And while TiVo is starting to feel a little long in the tooth—its largly-unchanged UI now encumbered by a patchwork of heavily-branded, disjointed features and ads—it's nice to see someone doing something new, something fresh. Enter Moxi.

1/14/2009 update: Table above updated to reflect cost of CableCARD rental, as suggested by a commenter.

Did DirecTV Just Serve Media Center a Fatal Blow?

RICHARD GUNTHER

Nearly three years ago at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show, Bill Gates unveiled a deal with DirecTV that would open Windows Media Center to a whole new market—satellite customers. Two agonizing years later at CES 2008, DirecTV quietly released news about their two-tuner interface for Media Center. But just days ago, DirecTV announced it is suspending further development of this device, and I have to ponder the impact: Is this the end of the line for Media Center?

Windows Media Center has faced continued challenges from the start. Spawned from Microsoft's lackluster Ultimate TV, Windows XP Media Center Edition was greeted with mixed reactions. The Windows PC as a DVR. But why would you want a DVR on your desk? Or a PC in your living room?

And so Media Center evolves, eventually finding its way onto devices from the likes of HP, Gateway, and Sony that look more like and fit better with consumers' home entertainment equipment. CE companies produce Media Center remotes and build extenders that let you use the Media Center from any TV in the home. Except that nobody buys them because the boxes are priced on par with similarly capable computers instead of similarly capable set-top boxes. Why pay $1000 for a PC when you can spend $300 for a TiVo—or just rent a DVR from your cable or satellite service provider?

Meanwhile, HDTV is gaining ground, and while TiVo seems entirely incapable of delivering its long-promised Series 3 HD recorder, consumers start looking toward Microsoft—and Microsoft is starting to look better. With several revs of the platform, suddenly Windows Media Center supports HD! Over the air. Only. But it's more than TiVo's offering, save for a select few early-adopting satellite customers. And it's far better than what most local cable providers can provide at the time.

So Microsoft puts the moves on. Windows Vista overhauls the whole on-screen experience, once again rejuvenating interest in Media Center as a home entertainment platform. Microsoft talks about a future with CableCard support for HD cable tuners, your HD DVD movie collection right on your hard drive, and TVs with Media Center built right in. And then, in early 2006, Gates announces the entry into a largely untapped market with deals to support DirecTV and Sky.

But when Vista comes out, the CableCard support isn't there, and consumers soon realize that their Media Center PC is using more CPU cycles to protect the interests of the content providers than to provide the engaging access to media that they were sold. Available extenders don't support HD content yet, Sony introduces and retires a few more overpriced living room devices, HD DVD tanks, and HP scraps all support for Media Center PCs and TVs. Once again, the consumers aren't buying, and Windows Media Center is not staking its claim to the living room as Microsoft had so hoped.

Imagine the impact that DirecTV's abandonment of Media Center must mean for Microsoft. CableCard support for Media Center PCs is largely encumbered by licensing, certification, and cost. Analog tuner support offered in earlier Media Center PCs is all but useless come February's digital transition. Set-top box tethering has never really been a good option—especially without any high definition video connection between devices. And now support for satellite TV on Media Center seems entirely unlikely. That leaves over-the-air HD broadcasts. And that's it. Now how much would you pay?

Nowadays, it's a challenge to even find a Media Center PC for the living room. Most of those available today are from specialty PC manufacturers catering to high-end home theater systems. And certified CableCard support adds even more expense for consumers, starting at about $300 per tuner. Somewhat ironically, custom installers often shy away from Media Center home theater solutions. The margins are too low, and the system is so complete out of the box, there's little opportunity for the kind of consulting revenue that a complex solution like Crestron might yield.

In many ways, Microsoft offers a superior home entertainment platform. It provides multi-tuner recording capabilities from multiple sources with no monthly fees; it delivers a visually engaging and intuitive on-screen experience; it provides seamless access to music, video, and photos on your network; it presents a platform that third-party developers can and do use to expand its capabilities; and it doesn't spam you with ads at every turn.

Nonetheless, it's pretty clear that Windows Media Center is flailing. Licensing, pricing, certification, content protection, poor vendor hardware support, and now economic trends have all played a part in Media Center's failure to attract the audience it deserves. It's probably fair to assume that a handful of poor business decisions have also contributed to this mess. This week's announcement from DirecTV has to be the worst possible news at this point.

So is this it for Media Center? Windows 7 promises to enhance the media experience with a refreshed interface and integrated online content. But it may be too late. And if the next wave of Media Center devices remains overpriced and encumbered by corporate jockeying, Windows Media Center could go the way of Web TV, remaining a niche product for a very small market. One thing is certain: I'm not believing anything I see at Microsoft's Media Center kiosk this January until it's on my own home theater PC.

iTunes Feedback on the Kodak Gallery iPhone App

Nearly every other software application I've used that's built by Kodak misses the mark, so why am I surprised and disappointed that this is no exception? With so many good examples out there, it's hard to understand how anyone—let alone a billion-dollar company—could mess up an iPhone picture viewer. There are kids out there writing web-based iPhone photo apps that run on private servers yet work and look better than this.

Kodak's entrée into the iPhone world seems clunky, buggy, and laden with quirky and gratuitous UI touches that mar the application's usability. From the login page with its ultra-small text size to the legal terms you have to accept [thanks, Kodak, you may be the first company to bring that experience to my iPhone], ultimately leading to photos that you can't pinch to zoom.... Well, once again Kodak has built an application that blatantly ignores and defies established user interaction models, and the result is nothing short of disappointing and embarrassing.

My rating: 2 stars

Watch the tiny thumbnail as the photo loads. Exciting.

Feedback for the D.C. Government

I love that D.C. sends alerts to my phone and e-mail account. I just wish they didn't seem like they were written by someone without any education. From today:

DDOT reports at 295 Southbound  there’s a two vehicle accident with injuries all lanes are block at this time and all on coming traffic is Being rerouted on to East Capitol St.

If I were grading this in English class, I'd mark seven problems with this short message. Can you find them?

Feedback for U.S. Airways

I just received your "open letter" about oil prices. I'll tell you what: when you start providing accountable customer service again, stop gouging for basic flight benefits like baggage and snacks, and start demonstrating in even the slightest way that you care about your customers' comfort and satisfaction...then and only then will I give a crap about how this short-term turn in fuel prices has contributed to your long-term inability to manage your corporate budget.

D.C. Parking Enforcement Sets an Example

Parking is at a premium in D.C.'s busy Georgetown shopping district, so the local Chevy Chase Bank posts clear and reasonable restrictions on the parking available for its customers. Oh...the car parked behind the sign? That's an official vehicle from the Parking Enforcement division of the District of Columbia's Department of Public Works. It's parked there. And the bank was closed at the time this picture was taken, so...it seems unlikely that the parking enforcement officer was "banking at Chevy Chase Bank." It seems more likely that the parking enforcement officer was violating Chevy Chase's parking policy by using this private lot rather than seeking out oh-so-hard-to-find legal street parking in Georgetown. Precious, isn't it?

Feedback for classmates.com

I thought I should share with you why I just canceled my classmates.com membership. I've been using classmates.com since 2002--long before social networking, as it were, really took off. Between now and then, many other online services have launched that offer similar or better services. Most of these, like Plaxo and LinkedIn, facilitate networking without requiring paid membership to access key features, and they do it without the indiscriminate splattering of offensive advertising throughout their site.

Today, a page I visited in classmates.com launched a window that impersonated a system message, prompting me to install "security" software. I couldn't close the window without being redirected to the advertiser's own site, and they implemented this in a way that made navigating back to classmates.com nearly impossible. If you're going to treat your members with this kind of disregard, I'm not interested. Thanks for helping me get in touch with some of my old friends over the years; now it's time for me to leave.

Marriott Understands Travelers' Technology Needs

After finally giving up on the Sheraton Stamford, I strayed from my Starwood roots to stay at Marriott's Courtyard Stamford Downtown earlier this week. I was surprised and delighted to find the room appointed with many perks, including an LG high definition LCD TV, and a desktop interface with power, communication, and media connections galore!

Check out the options here:

• 4 outlets, specifically oriented to accommodate multiple wall-bricks
• 1 telephone jack
• 1 Ethernet jack
• 1 3.5mm stereo audio jack
• 1 set of RCA audio/video jacks
• 1 S-video jack
• 1 VGA connector
• 1 HDMI connector

The A/V connectors all feed into the widescreen LCD TV, which auto-detects and selects the connected source. Of course, if you want to go wireless, you can do that, too. The hotel provides wired and wireless Internet access in the rooms at no cost. The only negative: the hotel's television and video service offers just standard definition programming and content.

Comment Card at Sheraton Stamford

Overall, what did you like best about your stay with us?

There is coffee in the room and the tub is clean (which was not true last time)

How could we improve your overall stay?

I'm a Gold member of [the Starwood Preferred Guest program]. Treat me like one. Let me know what benefits I'm getting. Apologize if (like tonight) you can't put me in a preferred room.

Did our employees take care of you in a friendly, efficient and responsive manner?

No. Since there's no ice bucket in the room, I called for one. It took 30 minutes to get here. Every time I'm here there are problems. Every time.

Please let us know the names of any employees with whom you had a particularly memorable interaction.

Are you a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program?

Yes. But sometimes I have to ask, "what's the point?" I have to say that the practical application of preferred benefits is, at best, inconsistent.

Date of stay: 3/5/08

Room number: 4062

Additional feedback written on back of comment card:

• Your maid [awakened] me by knocking, even with my lock in the "privacy" position. Later, she walked in on me while I was getting ready, without knocking.
• The hook on the back of the bathroom door is broken.
• You've charged me a room service fee [for service] I did not [request or receive].