Bitflung :: VuNow PoD News and Information

What I'd like to see from Verismo Networks

2010-06-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

No VuNow news for a while? Anywhere? Right, that's a problem.

I'd like to see a few things come from Verismo Networks regarding their VuNow platform. Verismo, are you listening? Are you still out there?

1. A consumer targeted mailing list with scheduled notices. Monthly messages would work. You already have the email addresses of all those who registered their PODs; use them. Let us know you're still alive and doing something. Even if all you do is suggest watching some random video on the VuNow that would be enough to at least keep a fire going. By the way, the fire that keeps us interested in your device is pretty much burned out. a few smoldering bits here and there are in desperate need of your attention to bring back some sort of flame.

2. A journalist targeted mailing list with event-driven notices. I don't care how small or seemingly insignificant, you should tell those who propagate your news about that news. Directly. Be proactive. I haven't heard a thing from Verismo Networks in about a year now and I'm sure I'm not alone.

3. A developer targeted mailing list with at least one entry: Tell us what your plans are with the 3rd party applications menu on the VuNow PoD. Developers need time to think up ideas, and having nothing but the menu item doesn't excite or constrain the inventive juices remotely enough. Give us a clue, tell us something. Anything. What frameworks would be used? Is there an early unofficial API we could look at? What language is used? Compiler? Or is it mark-up language based? Can we parse RSS feeds? XML? What about creating a secure link to protected premium content and basing the user authentication on the VuNow pPOD registered user email address? Give us something, anything, please.

- I am a consumer, I bought the VuNow POD because I wanted to watch videos on my TV using it.
- I am a journalist, I could find other news about the VuNow so I started writing about it.
- I am a developer, a computer engineer by trade. I write code for a living. At my day job I design hardware and write software to run on that hardware. In my spare time I write software for Nokia's Maemo/MeeGo platform(s). I am eager to get my hands dirty writing code for the VuNow too.

Verismo Networks: you are failing all of us on all three of these fronts. This wouldn't be so bad if you were at least gaining traction in the market or wowing us with new features periodically; but you aren't doing either of these. The VuNow is growing long in the tooth and those few of us who adopted it are growing weary of trying to remain excited.

Help us, won't you?

Shiny new site

2010-03-13T17:35:00.000-05:00

This blog has grown rather stale lately and I've decided to spruce things up a bit. No news, really, on the VuNow front though. This post is mostly a test to see that all the bits are connected and working together properly.

If you've bookmarked the blog using the old blogger address, I suppose you should feel free to just keep going there. That page will immediately redirect you here though, so if you hate waiting an extra second (I would, if I were you) you should update your bookmark(s).

On another note - as this site is now properly hosted, etc. - I'll be adding another section here Real Soon Now with my meandering thoughts on Nokia's N900, the Maemo5/MeeGo Operating System it runs, and my efforts to write software for the thing.

Have any suggestions/complaints? Hit me up at the Contact page above!

Software update - February 3 (or earlier)

2010-02-03T20:30:00.002-05:00

I may be late with this news again, but tonight I had a message there was a software update available. The upgrade went smoothly, and now I'm at Client version 4.8.0.4.2.3.1 and Server version 4.2.0.9.2.3.1.

I don't see anything that's different. Do you?

Three small items

2010-01-09T09:01:00.003-05:00

Nothing outrageously new on the VuNow news scene, but I thought I'd mention a few small items:

There are two new categories under Live Internet TV->Live Radio: "Telugu One Radio" and "Indian Radio Channels" - a total of 24 new audio services for you to explore.

Verismo has quietly updated the online VuNow user manual to version 4.0 - you can download it under the "support" section of http://www.vunow.com/. The features listed match the current features of the software for the most part - Bitflung may spot some differences I haven't noticed. In one instance - my beloved "Live Internet TV" - it appears to be ahead of the software, showing a new top-level menu listing "Movies", "All Channels", "Television", "News & Sports", "International" and "Partners".

There's a new location for my online "Live Internet TV" channels listing - it's in the process of being updated at the moment since there is a LOAD of new content available. The new location of the listing is here.

Other than that .... did you see the on-screen holiday wishes from Verismo support? I thought that was a nice touch.

VuNow available in the Caribbean

2009-12-02T23:39:00.002-05:00

The VuNow platform is now being distributed in the Caribbean via Net2Vu.
With the VuNow, Net2Vu customers will be able to subscribe to "premium live and on-demand content".

Any Net2Vu customers care to share their experiences?

Software update - November 22 (or earlier)

2009-11-22T17:46:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a while since anything's been happening in VuNow-land! I happened to switch the old HDMI switch over to the VuNow last night, and found that - even though there were plenty of new channels listed in Live Internet TV, I couldn't connect to any of them, nor could I access my bookmarks.

So I powered down completely, booted back up again, and got notified of a software update. Fair enough. I initiated it, and it took a LONG time - 20 minutes or so - got through all six packages, then told me the upgrade failed. The error message said to re-initiate the upgrade, or call 1-888-264-3985. Well, I restarted the upgrade, and got the same error. Called the number and - not surprising for a Sunday night - was asked to leave a message.

But while I was fretting over this situation, the VuNow kicked back into the upgrade process, and the third time seems to have been the charm. I'm back up and running on client version 4.5.0.9.2.3.1 - the server version is no longer listed.

After a quick check of the items I hold near and dear - I find not much has changed other than a restructuring of some of the "settings" menus.

Anyone else notice anything new, or encounter any problems with the upgrade?

ZillionTV

2009-10-12T17:46:00.004-04:00

Have you heard of ZillionTV? It is NOT affiliated with Verismo networks in any way, shape, or form. However, ZillionTV promises to delivery one very desirable goal: access to premium content outside the grasp of the existing Cable and Fiber networks.

From the big-picture view it looks just like a more limited version of the VuNow POD. Instead of (trying) to connect users to all the videos found on the web, the ZillionTV connects users only to the ZilionTV servers.

Those servers, however, house some seriously premium content. Or so it would seem. I guess. Well, they don't tell you what, exactly, you could watch if you used a ZillionTV device, but they sure sound certain you'd like it.

Why am I posting this ambiguous crap about some other IPTV provider? Well, I signed up for the beta a while back, and just got my invite. Now I'm considering buying in ($99 one time fee + tax). Will I buy in? Ho-boy, this is where it gets ugly.

See, I'm a fan of openness. Don't start blabbering about how you're the one who stole my wallet, that's not the kind of openness I'm talking about (but by all means, return my wallet). I'm talking about the sort of openness that is missing from the iPhone, the sort of openness that is implicit in most computers these days: I want to own and control the devices that I use.

I own my car, if I want to I can open it up and alter it. If it passes some basic and public tests (pollution, safety) then fine, I can drive it that way.

I own my mobile phone, I can install any software on it I want and no one can tell me what networks I can or can not use it on. I own a Nokia N97 (unlocked) and iPhone users: you're stuck on the network you signed onto, else you're breaking some grey laws by jailbreaking your phones.

The VuNOW POD is just like my car or my mobile phone: I own the darn thing. I bought it, and I get to use it however I want. I can open it up (might invalidate a warranty, but who cares?) and add or remove components. I can break it, sell it, fix it, alter it, whatever. It's mine. In the USofA we call it "fair use" when we point out that I can do whatever I want with something that I own.

ZillionTV? The device required to use ZillionTV will never belong to me. The $99 one-time-fee? That pays to setup my account, nothing more. From then on, they loan me a set-top box that belongs to them. Fair use? No, I can't break, sell, alter, or fix this thing wihtout paying extra for it. How much extra? They don't say.

Here's the ugliest part of the user agreement (at least from my perspective, others notably raise privacy concerns):

ZillionTV Equipment. As used herein "ZillionTV Equipment" means the hardware devices which have been issued to you (including set top box, remote
control(s) and connecting cables) designed for and/or owned by ZillionTV to connect your television set to the Internet and the ZillionTV™ Service. The ZillionTV Equipment is provided to you, either directly or indirectly, for your personal use; therefore you agree to return the ZillionTV Equipment within 30 days of discontinuing the ZillionTV™ Service or upon our request for any reason. Specific instructions for returning the ZillionTV Equipment are available from http://support.zilliontv.tv. You understand and agree that you are responsible for promptly returning the ZillionTV Equipment, preferably in the original box, and that except for normal wear and tear, we will reserve the right to charge you for an amount not to exceed the prevailing price for the replacement of any of the ZillionTV Equipment that is either damaged or not returned within the earlier of the prescribed timeframe or 45 days from discontinuing use of the ZillionTV™ Service.

[emphasis added]

So, the device belongs to them. If I break it, I owe them $$. They can recall it at any time for any reason and I have 30 days to return it or I owe them $$. How much $$? Well, no more than the prevailing rate of course. What's the prevailing rate for a device DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR ZILLIONTV? Well, I suppose that's whatever price ZillionTV and the manufacturer agree upon, in private, of course.

It's even possible, according to the user agreement, for ZillionTV to take my $99, send me a box and immediately request that I return it. That would mean I spent $99 for 30 days of use. I suppose that's not too much more than cable companies would charge anyway. Would they do that? I doubt it, but nothing is stopping them from doing so.

Will I buy-in? Maybe. I'm thinking about it. After all, there is a reason I own a VuNow POD: I want the latest and greatest gadget to get video content from the internet to my tv. I suppose it boils down to raw content, which is purportedly excellent on ZillionTV. They claim to have all sorts of stuff from major studios in there. Some articles talk about having 15,000 movies and shows available. How many are free? No one is saying. Which shows? Again, no one is saying.

If you know more about ZillionTV than I do, tell me. Post links as well please, so we can all get this info directly from the source, as it were.

For now, I'm very glad to have my trusty VuNow POD. I own it, it's mine. Verismo likes it that way and so do I. It would work if Verismo went out of business and shut down their servers (home media, usb drives, hulu via PlayOn, etc). It's purpose can be altered, fixed, broken, or explored by curious geeks like me (and you?).

In short (finally, I know I'm long-winded) the VuNow is an open platform empowering users with rights (fair-use in the USA) and privledges (keep on using it without Verismo, if you want). ZillionTV looks very pretty, and claims thousands of videos are available - but like the iphone, I have to watch only the videos they offer and don't really own anything. This is called a walled-garden and is, in my view, a Very Bad Thing. At least with the iPhone I'd sort of own it after my contract expired, but that's just splitting hairs at this point.

If ZillionTV let me BUY the device outright (for a publicly disclosed price) I would be more willing to try it, but for now I've got shivers up and down my spine.

What do YOU think?

latest VuNow powered device, focusing on premium Indian content

2009-10-12T09:57:00.003-04:00

EDIT: Credit to "Hari" for this info. Hari also points out that support on existing VuNow PODs is "not there yet", implying that it may come later.

YuppTV has just launched their VuNow powered InternetBox. This is one more VuNow POD clone, but this time with a specific value adding content package: Mega Telegu subscriptions.

See their InternetBox page for details, or their main site for more general information.

This is a great thing - all markets tend to favor the dominant players, with VARs selling VuNow powered devices, VuNow is becoming dominant even before the market truly unfurls.

What do you think? Is YuppTv a step in the right direction? What would you do differently?

Vunowworld offline? You can still access it here

2009-10-06T12:06:00.003-04:00

We've had a few reports from frustrated users trying to access the VuNowWorld.com website in order to register their VuNow PoD devices.

Though the most direct (and linked-to from our side-bar) url points to a server that simply doesn't respond, you can still access the site. Recall, however, that there really isn't much there quite yet.

For those of you that are rather annoyed that you can't access the site, try this link:
https://cinf.vunowworld.com/vunow/

There you can sign-up for an account. I don't see just yet how to attach your VuNow PoD with your account, but at least this is a start for you.

New VuNow device hits the market

2009-09-09T10:57:00.005-04:00

EDIT: The Netgear product turns out to be more expensive than the vanilla VuNow POD due to Netgear NOT including the WiFi adapter ($40 extra from Netgear) nor the HDMI Cable ($0.01?). What else is missing? What might be included above the VuNow POD? If we find out, we'll let you know.
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The Netgear EVA2000 has recently been anounced and is now available. This is a VuNow POD in Netgear packaging, with apparently some modest cosmetic alteration (new remote style, new box, it comes with a CD?).

We've had reports of users ordering VuNow PODs and waiting around for weeks before they ship (demand is outstripping the rather limited supply). If you are ready to order one and want a good shot at instant gratification, you might try this Netgear branded VuNow, perhaps Netgear's supply is fresh and ready to ship (amazon claims to be able to get it here by September 10th - that's tomorrow)?

UK TV channels GONE!

2009-09-03T08:27:00.002-04:00

This morning I performed the software update mentioned by a commenter to the previous posting, and to my dismay: the BBC, ITV, and other premium UK Live TV Channels are gone from the UK listing. We're back to TV Yachts, folks. I suppose it was too good to last....

VuNow News goes live

2009-08-26T10:40:00.002-04:00

As mentioned previously, Verismo Networks added a VuNow News item to their [Popular Websites].

The service has gone live (as opposed to just displaying "coming soon"). At this time VuNow News shows list of recent service upgrades that we've all known about for some time. What's next? Perhaps we'll soon find out by watching this News channel.

VuNow coming to the UK

2009-08-14T17:32:00.003-04:00

International sales of the VuNow POD have been mentioned before, but this is the first official announcement for distribution beyond the US Market:

"they have signed a deal, under which GDB will provide its IPTV channels via the VuNow service, when the latter--which is currently available only in the US--launches in the UK next month." [http://itvt.com]

Well, we clearly have the GDB channels mentioned already available to us, so the UK distribution deal must be going smoothly! In the UK? Waiting for a VuNow POD? Let us know when and where you get yours - and if the content provided differs at all from the US market VuNow PODs.

or for that matter, the Indian Market.

VuNow service update - but what has changed?

2009-08-11T08:57:00.002-04:00

August 9th 2009 at 10:30pm PDT: VuNow service was interrupted for "4 hours" for scheduled server maintenance.

Great - the servers were sketchy during that timeframe and afterwords seemed to run just fine. What changed? I have no idea. Do you?

BTW - there seems to be a flaw in the 'Product Info' section on the VuNow: If you navigate to the 'Product Info' screen and look at the server and client version numbers multiple times, the server version keeps changing while the client version remains constant. This bug was present before the server maintenance. The server version, while always changing, is clearly supposed to indicate the same verion number as the client (4.xxxx) despite being rotated a bit each time you re-enter the settings page (xx.4.xxx).

Notice new functionality to report? Report it!

Blog Contest: Watch a CinemaNow Movie on US!

2009-08-03T18:19:00.008-04:00

UPDATE 2:
Prizes have been distributed and comments re-enabled. Congrats Henry and Brian!

Thanks for participating - now go make some popcorn, watch a movie, and come back here to let us know if you find anything new to discuss in your VuNow POD!
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UPDATE:
The contest has ended. What a major turn out! err... yeah. I have to say, I'm a bit shocked that so many people read this post but didn't bother leaving a comment. I suppose $5 just isn't worth much these days...

So, who won? We had two valid entrants: Henry and Brian. Only the two. So I've decided to BREAK THE CONTEST RULES. you both win. Email me via the contact form on the right, I'll reply with directions for proving to me that you own the IDs used to post your comments.
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Alright - we're not made of money but but we're excited about the new availability of CinemaNow on the VuNow POD and so we're holding our first ever blog contest.

All you have to do is leave a comment! The winner will be selected at random and will receive a $5 CinemaNow gift card. That's enough credit to rent 2 movies on the cheap (via coupons, etc) or just more than enough to watch any one premium new release!

RULES:
- Post a COMMENT to this blog post - USING YOUR [Google Account] or [OpenID]
- One entry per unique ID
- You have until 12:00 EDT AUGUST 5th 2009 (12 noon Eastern Daylight savings time, this Wednesday) to enter.
- If you win, I will add a comment to this post with your ID. You will have 24 hours to EMAIL ME (via the contact form on the right) or I'll pick another random commenter's ID.
- I will reply to your email with directions for you to prove that you own the ID chosen as the winner (you'll have to follow those directions within 24 hours as well)

That's it. Winner will be selected randomly using this site to pick a random number. Remember, only verifiable comments are eligible so use or create your [Google Account] or [OpenID]!

Netflix comes in 2nd - but it wasn't even close

2009-08-03T17:38:00.003-04:00

Our last poll asked you, dear readers, to tell us (and indirectly Verismo Networks) which service you most desire them to implement or finish implementing, next.

Of course there was no surprise that Hulu.com cam in first place with a whopping 55% of the voltes. What was surprising, to me at least, was that Netflix came in second. A distant second at 25% of the votes, but still far ahead of any other service we asked you to vote on.

Shortly after this poll ended Verismo finished their CinemaNow implementation. While only 7% of you wanted this as your #1 most important service for Verismo to focus on, I have no doubt that a larger percentage will be very happy to have some sort of premium content source available.

Despite my initial issues with CinemaNow I can state that it does, in fact, work very well. Audio and Picture quality is superb, but pricing is a bit heavy. Rentals weigh in between $2 and $4 for 24 hour rights to watch the video. A couple things to note:
1. You can rent from the website, taking advantage of coupons, gift-cards, etc.
2. Be sure to have about 2.1GB available on your VuNow USB mass storage to even start downloading a movie on the POD.
3. Purchases from the POD itself work well enough, but the system doesn't check properly that you have enough storage. When I freed up 1.9GB, the POD thought I had enough storage for Wathmen, but in fact I did not.
4. CinemaNow customer service (Roxio) has no idea what a VuNow POD is, but were very nice and helpful on the first try (even gave me a free rental coupon to ensure I could get my video come hell or high water).
5. The 24 hour period really does start only when you first play the video - this feature works on the VuNow quite nicely.

All that said, most of you are still waiting anxiously for some Hulu.com love. Will it come? The technical barriers have long since been torn down. The results of our poll have been provided to a rather receptive Verismo Networks and we're all hoping for the best of news.

Extra - Extra - Read All About It! [VuNow News]

2009-08-03T15:49:00.003-04:00

Tired of getting all your VuNow news from us? Wish you had SOMEWHERE else to go? Anywhere else?

Well, we won't take it personally: we wish there was more out there to choose from too. The lack thereof is exactly why this blog was started. So we've got GOOD NEWS for your reading, and viewing, pleasure!

Verismo has recently added "VuNow News" as an entry in the [Popular Websites] section of the VuNow POD. As of yet, tuning in to this feed shows us only a 2 minute repeating loop with the text "Coming soon". Oh but we'll come back to this when it is available - I'm sure this will be a great resource for all of us and I really hope it will be available as a feed on their website as well. After all, some of you haven't bought a VuNow yet, have you? And you wouldn't want to miss out on the latest news, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now reading this short little post.

Stay tuned as this story continues - Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel. (whatever - this post will be updated as more info comes in).

BBC Channel Guides - know what you're watching on the VuNow

2009-07-28T11:18:00.006-04:00

As NC-Jay reported a few days ago, [Live Internet TV] received something of a content refresh, bringing in a new section dedicated to UK streaming channels.

As was noted then, the streams seem to be downlinked from satellite - a method that brings questions and issues with it, including the legality of such a stream and issues such as the Satellite receiver going into standby mode and rebroadcasting a simple dark screen from time to time.

Assuming, however, that the channel you'd like to watch is not currently on standby (either via the Sat. receiver or the BBC broadcast station) then you'll find considerably more professional content on these channels than on most of the other english language channels (I can't comment on the other languages, I can't understand them).

Rather than focussing on Religion and home shopping, these BBC channels offer real entertainment value with shows like Big Bang Theory and Friends -- movies such as Butterfly Effect (on last night) and Broken Arrow (on tonight).

So for you folks who'd like to know WHAT you might tune in for, here's a spattering of links to get you some scheduling ideas. Note that the online schedules are, of course, listed in British Standard Time (BST) which is GMT +1. For reference, Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) is GMT -4. That puts a difference of 5 hours between Eastern North America time and British time. Just enough, mind you, to pretty much guarantee that it is ALWAYS PRIMETIME at your house.

BBC 1 - [One of two flagship BBC TV stations] Schedule
BBC 2 - [Second of two BBC flagship TV stations] Schedule
BBC 3 - [New drama, talent, comedy, films, and accessible news] Digital only BBC station Schedule
CBBC - [Children's BBC ] Schedule
Cbeebies - [children 6 and under] Schedule
BBC News - [yes, news] Schedule (I CANT FIND A SCHEDULE LINK FOR THIS ONE)
BBC Parliament - [UK Government] Schedule

ITV 1 - [One of 4 independent TV stations - ie: not government sponsored] Schedule (this schedule link has LOTS of other channels too, including most [maybe all?] of the others listed here)
ITV 2 - [2nd of 4 ITV stations - free-to-air entertainment] Schedule (available above on ITV1 link)
ITV 3 - [3rd of 4, entertainment] Schedule (available above on ITV1 link)
ITV 4 - [4th of 4, "male oriented" ie cops, sports, with dramas and comedy too] Schedule (available above on ITV1 link)
CITV - [childrens ITV] Schedule

Channel Four - [commercially self funded, publicly owned, entertainment] Schedule
More Four - [aimed at 35-60 yr olds] Schedule (available @ Channel Four schedule)
E 4 - [entertainment] Schedule (available @ Channel Four schedule)
Film 4 - [feature films] Schedule (available @ Channel Four schedule)

Fiver - [drama and sitcoms] Schedule
Five USA - [again, looks like drama and sitcoms to me] Schedule (available at Fiver Schedule link)

Also note that many of these sites have MOBILE sites. For example, Channel_Four_Mobile is a great page to pull up on your fancy little cell phone (yes yes, I'm a phone geek too) to help you find a program you'd like to watch.

SharpVu : VuNow sales in Canada

2009-07-27T13:11:00.005-04:00

I've had a few readers over time ask about acquiring the VuNow outside of the USA. I've verified that the VuNow will work in any country (as opposed to, say, BBC iPlayer service which restricts viewers based on the country of origin associated with their IP address).

It now appears that the VuNow POD is for sale in Canada. Salutations to our northerly neighbors!
For more information, try the following links:

SharpVu : The apparent retail outlet for VuNow PODs in Canada
VuNow Canada Blog : A blog authored by "SharpVu IPTV Canada"
VuNow @ Twitter : A twitter stream authored by "SharpVu IPTV Canada"

I've only just now found the blog linked to above, but apparently it has been around since May 13th of this year. They seem to have focused on providing links to online videos that you might Vumark and watch on your VuNow POD; not a bad Idea, I've already VuMark'd one of their linked videos.

Live UK TV!

2009-07-25T21:55:00.004-04:00

There's a new submenu under "live internet TV" - and I can't believe our collective good fortune! 18 UK tv channels, apparently downlinked from satellite!

BBC 1, 2, 3

CBBC

Cbeebies

BBC News

BBC Parliament

ITV 1, 2, 3, 4

CITV

Channel Four

More Four

E 4

Film 4

Fiver

Five USA

Amazing.

Edit: I've updated the list of live TV channels to reflect these and other additions - the link is over there on the right. One really nice new addition is Rail TV (under Americas, but appears to be from France) - nothing but train videos, and very nice looking it is too.

AvailableNow: CinemaNow?

2009-07-22T21:20:00.003-04:00

UPDATE (27/July/2009):
Reader Vina has responded to this post, informing us that CinemaNow works great on the VuNow with a 320GB harddrive attached. Perhaps my little 1GB stick just wasn't enough after all. This is great news - I'm heading to newegg.com to get me one! (sadly my trusty old Western Digital took a spill and has the 'clack-of-death' - time for this new replacement now that I have a real purpose for an external drive again!)
--------------------------------

With my sorely missed VuNow remote back in hand, I've had the opportunity to browse about the VuNow POD's latest firmware update and am pleasantly surprised to find CinemaNow has been brought back from the dead!

Well, back enough that it is listed under Popular Websites as well as under Movies. Back even stronger than before since we can now navigate into the CinemaNow entries and search for the movies we'd like to rent or buy. We even see the pricing (not that this was ever a secret, we could always open the website on a PC).

What can't we do yet? Actually watch something. Every time I try to rent or buy a movie in CinemaNow the VuNow tells me to first plug in a USB disk with enough room for the download. How much room would that be? It doesn't say, but a good guess would be anywhere from 300MB for a heavily compressed short movie up to perhaps 1GB for a high-definition or modestly compressed feature film.

I've got 1GB available on the USB thumbdrive I've got inserted into the back of my VuNow and I doubt EVERY video on offer is greater than 1GB. For now, it just won't work for me.

Have you had any better luck? Personally, I'm looking forward to renting 'Watchmen' - might even buy it.

Software update - July 16

2009-07-16T20:36:00.003-04:00

I haven't had my PoD on for a few days, but I took a look this evening and found a software update waiting for me.

6 packages upgraded

new Client version is 4.0.0.11.2.3.1

new Server version is 4.0.0.11.2.3.1

The most immediately noticeable changes are in the reworked "settings" menu. A new "product settings" submenu contains TV Resolution, Playback Options, Product Info, etc.; there's a new "Eject USB Disk" menu item and, most intriguingly, one labeled "Third Party Applications".

A quick scan through the Live Internet TV channels menu reveals a large number of repaired logos and channels placed in their correct geographies, plus a number of new channels in Europe - more work for me to do!

Anybody else notice any other interesting changes?

Live Internet TV channels list update

2009-07-08T16:10:00.002-04:00

...the link's over there in the right-hand column. A flood of new channels has been added in the last three weeks, especially in Europe - and most of them are looking good.

There are officially now way more live TV channels available than anyone could possibly have time to watch!

Watch Hulu on your VuNow for 50% less!

2009-06-30T08:47:00.003-04:00

Right, well, those of you who scratched their heads after reading the title will need a brief explanation:

1. VuNow still does NOT offer native access to Hulu
2. VuNow supports UPnP as defined by the DLNA
3. Various softwares exist to push Hulu, etc out through a UPnP server
4. PlayOn (one of the mentioned softwares) is on sale, for the next 15 hours or so - 50% off (originally $39.99 USD)

So, if you've got a Windows PC kicking around and already leave it on and online all the time - well, then this solution will work for you. You have to act before 11:59pm EST June 30th. Yeah, about 15 hours from now.

See, Jane told me that PlayOn is on sale, using the coupon code PLAYON1999. Does Jane profit from sales of PlayOn? I don't know -- but I don't. So consider this cold advert something of a grain of salt in the hulu wait.

PlayOn provides the means to get Hulu, Netflix, etc. onto your VuNow PoD - for $19.99 (sale price) and the overhead of leaving a Windows PC running somewhere on your LAN while you watch those sites on your TV. Want it? Go get it!

Yah Mon - I'm back!

2009-06-25T09:50:00.004-04:00

Jamaica was wonderful, really a beautiful place. I'd share stories of the friendly people, the great weather, and the fantastic food but of course I know that's not why you're here. I'll segue to that only so lightly once I've found some videos on our camcorder that are "safe for public consumption"...

In the meantime, I've noticed a simple announcement that relates to us all: VuNow owners and those who don't yet own a VuNow device. Sherwood, manufacturers of various home theater and audio units, has announced that they will be including Verismo Network's "Internet TV solution" into their receivers. Yup, another avenue of attack for Verismo to build up the momentum required to take this industry to the next level and yet another way for you to purchase this technology.

If the VuNow PoD is not for you, perhaps due to its simple and small design or the need for yet one more controller and set of wires on your TV stand, then this newly established agreement between Verismo Networks and Sherwood should bear the fruit of a future device that may yet entice you.

I'm still playing catch-up with my inbox and news reader, so bear with me as I sift through hoards of bulk spam searching for other interesting tidbits to churn up while I was away on my honeymoon - oh yeah did I mention, I love Jamaica!